Little Picasso

Ellie has really show a passion for the arts. Take a look at the drawing she made the other night. Jim and I both had to ask each other if we helped her, but neither of us did! She drew Daddy & Mommy. Mommy's on the right, with the hair :-)


She is also enjoying AJ's birthday present (thank you Auntie Anne for the easel)! Luckily we've had some nice warm days to paint outside. Take a look at her first masterpiece-in-progress (mid-commentary)!

Happy Halloween!

The Monkey & the Dragon

With toddlers, Halloween is not just one day on the calendar. It is a month-long excuse to wear every costume in the house at any given time. Even the ones that are WAY TOO SMALL. It is also a challenge to keep a younger child from coveting (read: crying, and eventually getting) the older child's candy (at a much earlier age than the older child ever did). So Aidan may get more cavities than Ellie, but hey they are baby teeth, they'll fall out in a few years anyway ;-)

Sorry for the long break in posting. Will try to find more time to keep you all up to date on our exciting lives! And here are some photos from October 2009. You'll see Ellie had two costumes this year -- the monkey (from last year) and the ladybug (a hand-me-down from a friend). Enjoy the photos!

Down Under

Thanks to two sets of grandparents, Jim and I were able to enjoy a wonderful 12-day, kid-free vacation to Australia & New Zealand! We had an amazing trip and while I have lots to tell, finding the time to blog it is challenging. So for now, take a look at the pictures from our Bridge Climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. By the way, we were required to wear their gear, that is the reason for our matching suits :-) Check back soon as I hope to have our pictures and more details of our trip updated as soon as I find the time (okay, so maybe not real soon).

Beach weather in April!

Thanks to our friend Tim, we got to spend a rent-free long weekend in Bethany Beach, DE at the end of April. His parents let us use their 5 BR home that is just a few miles from the beach. We lucked out with beautiful, sunny and sometimes HOT weather that turned out to be perfect for going to the beach. Ellie had a blast playing in the sand and the shallow water that formed on the shore. The water temperature was really cold, but she didn't mind at all.
Aidan also enjoyed his first beach trip, but spent the time either gnawing on beach toys or sleeping under the umbrella. But he did love the wind in his face and feeling the sand in his toes.
Jo Ann, Jim and Joey also stayed with us in Bethany. Joey celebrated his 32nd birthday on Saturday and Jim's 62nd was a few days later. Ellie and Aidan visited with Jo Ann's brother Butch who lives in Lewes while Jim and I slipped away for a date lunch. We also got to visit with our friend Mike who lives at the beach year-round. Tough life, ehh? Overall it was a great weekend and got us really excited about our week vacation to the OBX in July! Take a look at our Bethany Beach pictures.

Easter, baptism and a birthday

Not only did we celebrate Easter, but that same weekend was also a Hankins family gathering for Grand Jane's milestone birthday (I won't mention which one :-) and Aidan's baptism.

Our family fun began when Luke, Pam, Cole and Zach arrived from Loveland, Ohio to spend their Spring Break week with us. Ellie was very excited to have her cousins staying with her and was very eager to see them each morning at breakfast. We took a trip to the zoo with them and Ellie got lots of play time in the backyard with Cole & Zach.

At the end of the week, Grand Jane, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Dave arrived. On Saturday we celebrated Grand Jane's birthday with a nice dinner and yummy cake! After watching the Miami University hockey team lose in the NCAA finals (happening at the Verizon Center in DC), we all got to bed early that night for our Easter morning baptism.

Aidan Joseph was baptized during the Easter Vigil service which began in the dark at 5:30 AM at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. The whole family got up early to attend the service in Aidan's honor. Ellie got to stay home and sleep so she could enjoy her Easter day. AJ was lucky enough to have Maggie & Brian as his godparents in attendance for the service as well. Papaw Tom, Linda, Andrew and Gene made the trip from West Virginia and of course the McCrackens joined us for the celebration.

We had hoped to take Ellie to an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, but it was too rainy. We had a simple one in the backyard for her on Sunday morning. Her uncles and grandpas helped hide and find the eggs. She enjoyed finding them once she discovered they contained animal crackers and pretzels inside. Our day ended with Jim and Jo Ann hosting us and Grand Jane (who stayed for the week) at their house for Easter dinner.

It was a very busy weekend and we enjoyed having so many family members around for such important life events! Take a look at our pictures from this fun family weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Check out our two little leprechauns. It was impossible to get a good picture of them together, but you can see they were decked out in their festive Irish attire. Take a look at our St. Patty's photo"outtakes" in the March 2009 album, too.

Aidan is 6 months old

Our big boy keeps getting bigger! At his 6-month check up today, AJ tipped the scales at nearly 18 lbs, and is 27" long. He grew almost 3 inches in the past 2 months. He's also very brave! He barely cried as he got 2 big shots in his legs. Now we get to start having fun, feeding him oatmeal, veggies, fruits and drinking water from a cup. We should have some good pictures from these early meals, so we'll keep you posted. For now, just check out this handsome guy :-)