Happy Easter 2013!

Happy Easter everyone!!! We had a great day today and we hope that you did too! The big bunny visited us last night, and Drew swears he heard him last night, said he has really big feet and he hopped really quietly!

Here are my two favorite little people in the whole world.   I tried to get a few cute pictures of them before church today when they are actually dressed up.

Before and after church, there was  A LOT of sugar consumption. The Easter Bunny tried to build a basket with some goodies and less candy, but then all those little hidden eggs added up to a lot of jelly beans and hershey kisses.

These "big eyed animals" are the thing to have these days. All the kids collect all these animals, the next version of the beanie baby I think. I don't get it, but all the rage with the kids, so the bunny knew just what to get them!

Later in the day, we went to the Palm's house and they had set up a really cute egg hunt and some fun games for the kids. The kids were so excited, it was cute.

As you can see, once those eggs were collected, the kids went right into finding all the candy in them!

And one of their fun games, minute to win it, setting up the empty cans on floating water trying to balance them. Pretty funny, the kids did a great job!

We had a great Easter, enjoyed the kids and the joy of the spring season as well. Another great weekend, and look forward spring break in just a a week, finally! A much needed rest for everyone, can't wait!

Mt Bethel Pink Octopi aka Octopusses

Above is Hannah's spring softball team, the Mt Bethel Pink Octopusses/ Octopi.. not sure how to spell that, nor do I understand why they didn't vote on the pink panthers or pink flamingos for a team name, but none the less, it's what a group of 6-8 come up with.   They are a pretty cute bunch, Hannah has her buddies Camden and Alexandra on the team, and well as another friend Mackenzie, who apparently also goes by the name macaroni :) 

Camden, Hannah and Alexandra. And yes, Hannah is the tallest, and the youngest of the three. Camden is in 1st grade and Alexandra is in 2nd grade.

Here is Hannah playing pitcher ( except Todd was really pitching). She is finally starting to get the hang of the game and knowing where to throw the ball.

Except this one, had she spent the time looking at the ball instead of her glove, it may not have hit her directly in the chest when she turned around. Somehow Hannah left the field pretty proud of that little incident, saying hey " did you see the ball hit my chest" with a big smile :)

It was a gorgeous day here, we all left the field with a little sun on our cheeks, and spent the rest of the day playing outside and hanging out at the playground watching a little tennis with neighbors.

And now, we are ready for the Easter Bunny! He hid the eggs, got the kids a few little goodies, and ready to get them all sugared up in the morning.

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

Kennesaw Mountain

After our busy morning of almost playing soccer and actually playing softball, we ran home and changed, packed a picnic lunch with our friends the Palms, and enjoyed the 75 degree and sunny day climbing Kennesaw Mountain. We didn't know if they kids would make it all the way to the top, but sure enough, after many snack and drink breaks, they did it, and were were all pretty proud of them!!

Here we are about half way up the mountain, we stopped on a rock to enjoy the view, you could see Stone Mountain, downtown Atlanta and Buckhead from there, it was really pretty.  Pictured above are Alexandra, Hannah, Camden, Drew and the myself and Claudine.   We are so lucky to have such awesome nieghbors, not sure what we would do with out them.

We hiked some more, then hunger set in with the kids. After some yummy carrots, apples, sandwiches and juice boxes, we were off again.

Family Photo!!

Finally, we made it all the way to the top. Of course the girls sit down and reflect, and then there is Drew who is living on the edge. Don't worry, it wasn't as dangerous as this picture looks :)

We all had such a great day, and all left with a little sun burn too. We ended the evening with a cookout at our house, and some really really tired kids.

Finally, today I played in my first ALTA doubles match and actually won. It was shocking, but we pulled through with a 6-3, 6-3 win. A big thank you to Todd for watching the kids today so I could enjoy time with friends on the tennis courts.

Back to work tomorrow, argh. And more travel the next week for me. I can't wait till I am home for a little while. I am worn out!

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa!!

A big thank you goes out to Grandma and Grandpa this week. They stayed with the kids while Todd and I both had to be in Las Vegas for work. I think everyone seemed to survive the week, Todd and I included. The kids loved being able to spend time with their grand parents, and they did a great job of making sure we got home to our kids in once piece.  Grandma and Grandpa were pretty excited to go and see Drew play soccer after his awesome performance last week, but Drew wouldn't go on the field because his daddy wasn't there. Todd was coaching Hannah's softball team, so we will have to figure out how to work this out better. We promptly left the soccer game, and headed to Hannah's softball game and watched her swing and hit the ball pretty well. We will make sure to get pictures of her next week . They are pink this season, she is  part of the pink octopusses team, rolls right off the tongue!

Thanks mom and dad! We appreciate all the help and all you do to help with the kids!!!

Drew's 1st Soccer Game - The Green Dragons

Saturday we had the joy of watching Drew play in this first soccer game. He has been taking soccer lessons at Goddard school since the fall for 30 minutes once a week. He has been begging  "to be signed up for something" and found out the little Happy Feet league had a 3-4 yr age group. We didn't know what to expect with 3-4 year olds playing soccer, and most of it met our expectations of some kids crying, some kids playing, and some looking for airplanes in the sky. But Drew, our Drew game on to the field to play some soccer and win. He was one excited, energized and focused little boy. Todd , Hannah and I were shocked how much he had learned in his little classes and how good he was.

Here is Drew during warm up. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time, and sprinted around the field for over 30 minutes before the game started, he was out of breathe and worn out before game time, but would not settle down. He was so excited, it was really cute.

Drew is quite the dribbler, the final score was 9-4 with a win by the green dragon against the blue sharks, Drew scored 8 of the green dragons goals, and one for the blue sharks too :)  This little guy Drew was going against below was pretty good, and he and Drew went one on one a lot.

And there they are again below. It cracks me up looking at the intensity. Todd and Hannah and I laughed and laughed a lot during the game. We have to admit, Drew was a bit of a "ball hog" and had the ball most of the time, I said something about it, and Hannah replied with "well, that is part of the game, if those other kids were trying hard, they could get the ball too". Then I thought, well she has a point?

Here is out little cheerleader. She was so cute, she ran upstairs in the morning and made she she was wearing something with green on to cheer on his team. She was so supportive and got such a little kick out of watching all of them.

We look forward to this season, it is so much for watch him play, and most importantly, fun to watching him loving it so much. As long as he keeps smiling, we'll keep going :)

Remind me to take photos.

What happened to the days that I never let go by with out taking a picture of the kids? All the cute little outfits I just had to get a picture of Hannah in with her little sweet dimple on her cheek, and that adorable little smile of Drew's that I couldn't go a day without capturing on camera? Well, honestly I don't know what happened. We have gotten busy, and kids do not want a camera shoved in their face, I know that much.  So , I may have a few more updated with out pictures, but I am promising myself to keep their blog alive to have their little childhood captured in books.

We have finally recovered from Disney, and gotten back to our routine. This spring will be busy for us! Hannah is continuing her tennis lessons, which she loves. Last night she told me she now knows how to run to the ball and hit it, not just hit it when it comes to you, that's progress right? I am sure she has Wimbeldon potential. I love that she can take class outside year round to keep her active. This week kicked off her softball season with her first practice last night and her first game next weekend. It's always an event to watch Hannah play. She is great at hitting, just sometimes forgets she is supposed to run to base afterwards. We are hoping this season she catches on to that step:)  

After begging, and begging, Drew finally gets to participate in a sport. He has his first little soccer game this weekend for the 3-4 boys age group in Roswell with the company "happy feet" that coaches at his school. He is so excited, we just need to give him a stern talk about the difference between soccer and football so he doesn't tackle anyone.

And myself, I start my spring tennis lessons tomorrow night with my first ALTA doubles match on Sunday.  I almost can't help but to laugh at myself for getting sucked into Atlanta tennis, but have to admit, it is pretty fun. I especially enjoy the Sunday mixed doubles neighborhood practices where you drink Bloody Mary's between matches. By the end of the first set, you aren't really sure what you are doing, but no one seems to care.. lots of laughs. 

We have had some quiet weekends for the last two weekends, it has been a little chilly here in Atlanta, so we have hunkered down inside, watched some movies, the kids have had friends over for play dates and spent somee fun time together. Murphy is still pink, and after a few baths he looks more like cotton candy than his previous hot pink diva cross dressing self.

Last week Todd and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary here in Atlanta and with Home Depot. We also celebrated we are now contract free from Home Depot too! We went to dinner in Midtown and enjoyed fine dining at JCT Kitchen and Bar. Without even realizing what we were doing, we ordered southern style. We started with deviled egg appetizers, Todd had shrimp and grits, I had fried chicken and mac and cheese, and ended the meal with coconut cake dessert.  Our taste buds have adapted here well.  We really do  love it here, and enjoy living in the south. I can't imagine going back to the snow. We love being outside all  year long, the new friends we have made, making our house our home, and just being settled most of all.   Work is a little nuts, lots of high pressure and a lot of long hours and stress to go with it. We take the good with the bad, and just thank God every day that we are as fortunate and blessed as we are.

And the kids are on the countdown already... 6 days until they see Grandma and Grandpa. One of the best parts of Atlanta, seeing both Todd and I's family so much more!

Disney/ Florida Weekend Getaway!

Steinemann Family Mickey Mouse Disney Photo! 

Over president's day weekend, school was closed both Friday and Monday, so we took advantage of the time and headed to Disney for a few days. My trip to China paid off as I was able to get free flights, hotel, and car rental with all the points I have racked up with work travel lately. However, even with that, Disney is not cheap. Nothing like $10 popcorn and $7 hot dogs!   Anyway, we had a great time with the kids. I went into the weekend expecting lots of meltdowns and thinking ugh... why do we do this? But the kids were actually great, few meltdowns and lots of family laughs together.    We started Friday at the Magic Kingdom, and spent the whole day there. It was crowded, but at least the weather was some what cool, so we weren't sweating in the heat standing in line, that helps right?

Here we are right after the Jungle boat cruise, which the kids loved.  We made the most of the day, and went on every ride we could. Drew's favorite of the whole day was the fireworks at night, and Hannah;s favorites might be toss ups between driving the race cars, its a small world, and the goofy roller coaster.   Below Todd and the kids are enjoying a nice popcorn and cotton candy break!

The next day we went to Animal Kingdom for the morning. This picture cracks me up as Drew is in the background and looks to be photo bombing Hannah and I's picture!  We went on the safari, which the kids are still talking about. We got really close up to a lot of the animals.

Family photo while we waited in yet another line at Animal Kingdom

After Animal Kingdon, we headed to Hollywood studios for the late afternoon. Drew got to meet his favorite Disney character, Jake from the Neverland Pirates. He was so excited, it was pretty cute.

My loveable little guy ran right up to Mickey and gave him the biggest hug you have ever seen.

And here he is, all smiles. Hannah however, was "too cool" to get her pictures with the characters as she told me "mom.. they are just people in costumes". It broke my heart, as just a little over a year ago she was mesmerized by Rapunzel and all those princesses. How quickly the "magic" dissapears and they grow up.

On Sunday afternoon, we landed in Siesta Key at Grandma and Grandpa's condo for the winter. While we were hoping to sunny skies and 80 degree weather, we got the sunny skies and 50 degree weather with high winds. I don't think the kids really cared, they just wanted to play in the sand and swim.

I don't think Drew ever even got cold since he never stopped moving and was working so hard digging holes and making his little sand creations.

Grandpa did his best to help the kids make their little castles.

Beach picture, really cold and windy! Brrr.

Extra cold and windy! I think this is my only picture with my parents since Todd and I's wedding!

By Monday morning, the kids were ready to hit the pool and beach. It was 42 degrees out. Yes, and we suited up and went swimming in heated pool and hot tub. The kids did not seem to care on bit, and once you were in the water, it was actually quite warm. It was just the splashing and frozen hair that got to you.  Regardless, they loved being at the beach, and since there were not many people there, they could run around a little more free than the spring break busy time.

We never leave the beach without making mermaid tales at some point. They never get tired of it.   It finally warmed up to 70 degrees, and that was out time to go inside and get ready to go back to the airport, which is our luck.

Family Photo!

Deparing photo with Grandma and Grandpa!   We are thankful they allowed us to drop in on their previously quiet vacation until we showed up.  The kids continue to say the beach and visiting grandma and grandpa was their favorite part of the weekend!!

Not to be forgotten, Murphy. No need to adjust your screen or blink a few times, its true, Murphy (who by the way is a boy) is pink. We trusted our dear friends Claudine and Jonas, parents to Hannah's little friends Camden and Alexandra to watch Murphy while we were gone. We should had known they would be up to something when they just insisted on taking him for us. Well, they thought they were really funny when they returned him pink, and in person, I would even say he is a nice shade of hot pink. They apparently gave him a bath in red food coloring.   Todd and I kinda knew we had something coming our way at some point since we decided to cover their yard in pink flamingos one night for fun. Never thought they would turn my dog into a flamingo, but hey, they got creative.

We have all laughed pretty hard about this, I have gotten more facebook requests from neighbors this week than since the whole time I have lived here bc everyone wants to see pictures and have now heard of the infamous Palm vs Steinemann family pranks.   If anyone has any ideas of how to retaliate, send it along!

All in all, we had a great weekend, and truly had wonderful family time together with a lot of laughs. Spending so much one on one time with the kids makes me miss them so much more during the day when I am at work. They are such great kids, with such amazing personalities, I can't get enough of them. I just want to hit the pause button for another year or two so I can continue to enjoy these adorable stages!

Ready for Valentines Day

So Hannah and Daddy had some homework this weekend. We had to get ready for "Valentimes Day" this week. Hannah and I had to create a fun box to hold all of her valentines. And, just in case you were wondering - yes that slot in the top of her card box IS big enough for kids to be able to insert boxes of nerds, bags of skittles, whole candy bars and full size cards (you can never be too safe)!

We had a great time working on this project and Hannah, at times to my dismay, added her very own creative touches. Just as I was starting to say no, I thought about how much I enjoy my creative freedom and so she should too! There you have one super duper valentines day box - it has a big heart with wacky eyes, stars and funny curly things coming out of the side. Personally I am most impressed by what you can not see. There are little velcro pieces that are holding the top on the wooden box.  

Despite how fun the box looks, it was more fun to spend some one-on-one time with Hannah and just be silly together. She can be my Valentine any day!

Daddy + Daughter Night + Friends

This weekend was Hannah and Daddy's 2nd Annual Chick-fil-a father daughter Valentine's day night. Chick-fil-a sets the table with red table clothes, roses, waiters and makes it real cute. Even the big cow makes an appearance in a tux, and the girls were able to take a limo ride together this year. I gave the camera to Todd to get cute pictures together, but he ended up taking pictures of Hannah and Maddie instead!  The girls had a great time together, and the dads too! It is such a cute and fun little tradition.

Our silly little girls!

And while Hannah and Todd were at Chick-fil-a, I took Drew out for our own little mommy and son outing. We went and ate at Cheeky, where we both indulged in our favorite food, chips, salsa and cheese dip!   Drew and I had fun little conversation where he told me that "when he grows up, he wants to play soccer, tennis, football and basketball".  He also told me that he thinks school is really hard because there are so many letters and numbers to learn that he finds it frustrating :) Love it.

Next weekend I vow to take some more pictures! Our weekends keep getting away from us and I have not pulled out the camera much lately. We have about 10 days until we are headed to Disney World for a few days then visit Grandma and Grandpa on the beach for a day. The kids cannot wait!

Lazy days...

There hasn't been many posts lately, we have been up to a whole lot of nothing. Which is perfect quite honestly. After a really busy holiday season, then Hannah's bday, we are finally enjoying some down time. We finally have weekends with no plans, which is music to my ears. Even with these "no plans" weekends, inevitably we end up at a neighbors house, or they at our house.. but hanging out with friends in which you show up with a bottle of wine in sweat pants to watch some football and let the kids play are perfect in my opinion.     Outside of wine/ football/ playmates we have had some good family time.  

Todd brought Drew to his first "real life" basketball game as Drew would call it. Over the weekend they went and saw Georgia Tech play. Drew loved it, and I think he loved the mascots most of all. And yes, that is Todd wearing a Georgia Tech shirt! I think we would be pretty proud parents if Hannah or Drew went to school there. Half of Home Depot came from Georgia Tech and they are some seriously smart people!

And Drew, oh wait, or should I call him.. " drew the neverland pirate" loves to be a pirate on the weekends. He makes for a pretty cute one!

And when he isn't a pirate, he is pretty busy biking all over the neighborhood. This kid is NOT scared of hills. The faster the better for him, scary for us. He has strong little legs and these hills do not seem to get the best of him. He is great on the bike and we spend  a lot time chasing after him.

Last but not least, little Hannah  hanging with puffy bear, my childhood bear. She assumed "mom" of my little bear and takes him places with her now. Kinda cute.

I have a lot less pictures of Hannah these days as she is already apparently too cool to hang out with mom or dad. She seems to spend more time at her friends houses on the weekends then ours. And when the girls are at our house, they are in Hannah's room with a locked door and a sign on the door that says "No boys allowed". Poor little Drew. Hence, he is riding bikes and going to basketball games :)  Hannah really has made some cute little friends in the neighborhood, and they all have so much fun together. We parents have fun too and look forward to them growing up together. Can't imagine what their futures hold!