Sleepy Sadie, Wild Sleeper

Sadie's sleep schedule has long shocked many friends and family. I cannot count how many times I have  collected advice and comments on how to help her sleep better. Trust me. We have tried them all. However, the best advice we have received has come from other parents that too have been privy to high energy and wild sleepers. It's not even advice - just empathy. "Don't worry! She'll sleep a ton when she's a teenager!" Or "We haven't slept in two years either!" Hilarious. Honestly, though, I wouldn't want my daughter any other way. She is exactly who she is supposed to be - herself. She will always be very active and I have often joked that while everyone else is sleeping, Sadie might solve all world problems some day! :) It was on one morning when I came in to wake her that I snapped this quick picture. She rolls and moves (and sometimes talks) all night and this was exactly what she looked like when I found her. May you be having many adventures as you sleep, my little wild sleeper. Sleep on and conquer the world, sweet girl.

Auntie Jordan and Uncle Ryan's Summer Visit

Auntie Jordan and Uncle Ryan came down for a wonderful summer visit. Since Ryan is still in seminary, it can be hard for both Jordan and him to make it down on the weekends. Couple that difficulty with Ryan's job at church, and it makes weekend visits tough. So whenever they come down, it's a real treat! We always like to check out the attractions at Moody Gardens when possible. Auntie Jordan loves Wizard of Oz about as much as Sadie, so we thought to visit the 4D movie while we were down there.

Auntie Jordan and Sadie played in the back seat all the way down, pretending to drive and being all kinds of silly. Sadie loves her Auntie Jordan. Jordan calls her "girlfriend" and gives tickles. What more would a little toddler want?

Sadie really enjoys the wooden themed photo booths. Auntie Jordan stood behind and posed with Sadie. Sadie wanted to make sure we took several variations on this magical Oz theme.

Sadie also loved playing in the gift shop while we were waiting. She has really enjoyed playing pretend and found several little animals to tuck in goodnight. A soft green butterfly nap mat made for the perfect bed.

The movie was great as always and we always love taking pictures of each other in those awful yellow 4D glasses. We also were cracking up because there was a large group of men in their twenties behind us, speaking in what James thought was a Czhech-like accent. They were cracking us up because they laughed in the strangest spots, like when Toto ran away or when Dorothy was sad about Auntie Em. In any case, it made for added fun for Jordan and I, as we enjoyed waiting for their next round of grown man giggles.

Poppy also enjoyed the rain forest. He even tried a couple of quail calls on the local birds, but they were just a bit too tropical for his South Texas ways. ;)

We finished up with a trip to the very cool aquarium. As the rain forest feels, well, like a rain forest, it's always nice to get cooled down a bit. As Su Su had yet to have her next foot surgery (this made number 5!), she took it easy on the bench, while Sadie enjoyed sneaking up on her and surprising her over and over again.

The most hilarious part of the trip, though, was probably the ride home. As Sadie stopped napping back in May, her falling asleep midday is not ideal. Sadie was laughing and playing the back seat when all the sudden I looked back to see her eyes shut. I hastily yelled, "Oh no! She's out!" Jordan quickly responded by trying to tickle her, then when that didn't get much response Poppy started belting out, "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW!" On cue, the rest of the Hamon clan joined him in song singing the most hilarious version to date. Sadie was shocked and woke immediately. Scared and unsure of what in the world was going on. However, she was awake. So, congrats to Poppy for quick thinking under pressure. We laughed the rest of their trip about that hilarious moment.

We will miss you, Aunt Margie

Last week we lost a wonderful woman. We laid our dear Aunt Margie to rest. Aunt Margie was 89 years old when she went to be with the Lord. After a brave battle with lung cancer, we had a beautiful ceremony to celebrate her life. While this post could go on about singing with my brother at the service or the kind words my Dad shared before those she loved, I chose instead to focus on what is most important - her life. She was a wonderfully loving person and any who read this should know that.

First, to know Aunt Margie means you know about her amazing love for children, animals, people, and nature. When Aunt Margie was sick and fighting in her final days, I took the time to look through some of the photos I have from the last two years. I was brought to tears to see that in almost every picture I have, she is focused on others - smiling at Sadie, interested in her sisters, watching my growing pregnant belly (at the time). I love this picture of Aunt Margie touching my tummy when I was late in my pregnancy with Sadie. She is grinning at the feel of Sadie kicking from within - delighted with every movement, knowing it meant a new life was about to be here. Aunt Margie loved children, any children. She could never get pregnant and therefore chose to adopt. She was a great mother - loving and full of emotion. She was proud of any accomplishment and abundantly creative. She could make any plant grow and calm any nervous animal. However, her absolute favorite thing late in life seemed to be children - especially Sadie as she is the first grandchild to arrive. 

When Sadie was born, Granny and Aunt Margie quickly came to the hospital to see the newest little family member. She was instantly smitten. She held our perfectly new Sadie with her sweet arthritic hands and Aunt Margie curled Sadie close to her heart. She was instantly in love and so satisfied to greet her.

As Sadie started to grow, so did Aunt Margie's love for her. She would read to her, sing songs, listen to her babble, and bring her little toys. One of the three favorite toys Aunt Margie gave Sadie were 1) a little pink bunny that sings, "Jesus Loves Me" 2) a little pink Madame Alexander dolly that opens and shuts her eyes 3) a custom made beautiful doll with read curly hair. What was so cute about that singing bunny was that Aunt Margie brought that to Sadie when it was Aunt Margie's 88th birthday! So thoughtful of her. That was such a fun night to celebrate life with her that night.

Another memory that will always be a part of Sadie's early years were her many visits to Aunt Margie's house. She loved coming to see Aunt Margie. She would always have something to show Sadie, whether it was how to stack red shiny cups, put her baby doll to bed, or simply sing a new sweet song. Aunt Margie's transparency and emotion registered with Sadie and she was naturally drawn to her.

Besides visits to Aunt Margie's house, I will always remember Aunt Margie as being present. She was present for every play, major concert, birthday party, and holiday dinner. Aunt Margie was a fixture at our house for Thanksgivings and Christmases and having her there always made our home feel like it was complete. What a pleasure to have so many hours sitting around together, enjoying her company and sweet spirit.

I love that my mom took so many pictures. Hilariously enough, the picture of Aunt Margie with Granny and Aunt Doreen cracks me up. It is by far the most beautiful picture we have of Aunt Margie. She is stunning in this photo. We actually ended up using this picture for her memorial service. The funny little fact about this photo, however, is Aunt Margie's arm. If you look closely at her left arm, you will see about 5 stickers stuck to her that Sadie put on herself. She still had them on through all those pictures and even when she went home that evening.

Another one of my favorite pictures is of Aunt Margie on Christmas. I had given her some tiny green cloisonne earrings that Susan made for her. She was thrilled with them and as she went to put them on my mom snapped a picture of her. Her smile is what I love about this photo. It isn't forced or unnatural. It shows that sweet joy radiating from her on a day she always enjoyed with family - Christmas.

It's hard to write this post and think it is the last post I will have with information about Aunt Margie. I am crestfallen that Sadie will not really remember her, when Aunt Margie loved her so very dearly. I am saddened that Aunt Margie wasn't around to meet our next little baby when the time comes, sad that she will never receive sweet hugs, gifts, and the present of time to share with one another.

Aunt Margie was always thankful for the time we spend with her. Even as she was in the nursing home for just a few weeks with a blood infection only 4 or 5 months before her passing, Sadie made her a giant card and little plastic key ring. She loved it and showed every worker in the nursing home. She was so proud of it and had it in her purse. I was honored to place it in her casket, in her hands, in honor of Sadie. I know she won't have these vivid memories of Aunt Margie, but Sadie, I pray that as you read this you will know that you were loved by more people than you can even remember. Aunt Margie was always loving, always forgiving, always joyful, always emotional and although we know she is now made whole with her Heavenly Father, we will forever miss her when we gather together and remember what is most important in life - each other.

Ms. Erin Sighting!

We spotted Ms. Erin, sitting in church one Sunday as we were listening to Dr. Laufer's morning message. Ms. Erin was Sadie's first teacher EVER! Well, Ms. Erin and Ms. Sylvia. I was so excited for Sadie to see her that I could barely sit through the rest of the service, eyeing her and her sweet family, making sure they didn't leave early before Sadie got a chance to give her a hug. As soon as service was over I raced downstairs and picked Sadie up in a hurry so we could speed back up to the balcony. We waited for what seemed like forever (anticipation will do that to you!) and finally were able to approach her. Sadie was very excited and just fell right into her arms. She looked at Ms. Erin and said, "'Member Me?" Ms. Erin responded, "Oh, Sadie! Of course! Hiiiiii!" So sweet. We didn't know when we would see Ms. Erin again, as she and her lovely family moved to Alaska on detail for her husband's Coast Guard assignment  so it was an extra special blessing for Sadie to see her on this happy morning.

Happy Independence Day!

Fourth of July was wonderfully fun this year, as Sadie is now big enough to really enjoy all the candy thrown from fire trucks, loud music, and of course the horses in the big Friendswood 4th of July Parade! It is one of the longest running parades in Texas or the U.S. - really doesn't matter which I suppose, but it is fantastic no matter long ago it originated. This year was the second year we camped out by the Sonic - PRIME location next to icy beverages and bathrooms, two very necessary commodities on a hot summer day. To start the day off right, Granddaddy bought a little plastic white tiger for her from a man selling blow-up animals and super heroes. She loved it. With every hug, it let out a tiny high-high pitched squeak and this completely delighted Sadie. 

She showed "Tiger" all of the horses and fancy cars driving by in the parade: "YOOOK! TIGER!!! THERE'S A PONY!!!!!" We also had a mini-photo shoot in front of Sonic's greenery. She oozed with patriotic sass in her red star sunglasses from Leslie with matching blue and white start top. She even gave us a little model pose with her hands on her hips. Can we say H.A.M.? ;)

I loved our pictures together. Gammy always yells for everyone to, "Quick! Hurry up and take a picture before you start to melt!" We always moan and complain, but looking back, are so satisfied to have pictures where sweat has not overtaken our faces and hindered our eyesight. Just look at those youthful smiles all aglow!

Another big attraction for Sadie was an amazingly tiny kitten. I don't have a clue how old that kitten was, but it seemed way too young to be out and about fraternizing with small children. However, I did not complain as my daughter was over-the-moon enamored with it. She pet it very gently, then showed us all, exclaiming, "Yoook! (Look) Mommy! It's a baby kitty!" I suppose in another year the next question would be, "Can I have one?" :o)

Before the parade started, Granddaddy found a nice and shady spot on the sidewalk and shared his ice with Sadie. Crunching ice has been one of their favorite shared pastimes since she cut her first tooth. Far before I even knew if she was really old enough, she chomped away with both Daddy and Granddaddy. What strong teeth you have, Sadie!

Uncle Austin and Aunt Katie joined us this year for the festivities and we really enjoyed them being with us. Katie brought a tasty treat - chocolate chip peanut butter energy bites! We have been making them ever since in our house now due to this first 4th of July introduction which left us smitten and hungry for more.

Sadie loved all parts of the parade, but perhaps her favorite participants were as follows:
1) Anyone who threw candy
2) Horses (Pooping or not pooping. She cared not.)
3) Fire trucks (although she did tell us it was "too louder!" (too loud))
4) The FHS band
5) Any dance team or cheerleader group who tumbled...or danced

Aunt Leslie made it to the parade only a few entries in, and we were thrilled she was able to come! Sadie was extra-excited that one of her playmates came to the patriotic party. One of the funniest events of the parade, however, was Sadie recognizing both "Su Su's car" and "Poppy's car" as a Thunderbird and red Smart car each drove in front of her view. She was thrilled! "WOW! LOOK! It's Su Su's CAR!" Su Su and Poppy were delighted to know that she was thinking of them as they were in Ft. Worth spending some time with Auntie Jordan and Uncle Ryan. 

We did have one little ant bite. You can see Sadie is still sporting a happy face as she scratches away at the post-bellum mark of that tiny insect adversary.

After the parade, the custom is to head over to Stephenson Park for food, fun, and games with the rest of Friendswood. Uncle Austin was a great help in sharing the Sadie load so her little legs could make the jaunt over. She loves when Uncle Austin carries her because she always feels "SO TALL!"

There were games, bounce houses, and lemonade to be enjoyed and we had a blast enjoying being outside, even if it was blazing! Sadie especially liked the bouncy house, but was not sure about jumping with wild abandonment. She is a bit more reserved in her bouncing, somehow having an intuition that reckless bouncing could lead to a giant "bo-bo." I am thankful as it makes watching her in a bounce house a little more relaxing and enjoyable, knowing I am not about to watch my daughter be bounced into a giant 5 year old nearby. :)

After bouncing, we took to the train! Sadie was very excited about riding and wanted everyone to ride with her, but you had to pay per person! So, we decided Mommy riding would be OK. Sadie sported Mommy's shades at first to keep the sun out of her eyes before we started our journey through the trees of the park. She waved frantically to Aunt Leslie and Gammy as she passed them several times shouting, "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Hiiiiiiii Yezyeeeee (Leslie) Hiiiii Gammy! Look at me!!!!"

We also enjoyed simply sitting with each other and laughing at blowing our little train whistles and watching Sadie take shoulder rides with Uncle Austin. Some of my absolute favorite pictures of the day were of him and Sadie smiling together.

When we returned home, we were quickly greeted by all Sadie's cousins! Hooray! Grace and Trey brought the girls (now almost 6, 5, and 2 with birthdays approaching in the fall) down for the festivities and to hang out afterwards. Sadie was thrilled to have her cousins come visit her. Uncle Steve also came over, enjoying James' new swing from his birthday with Granddaddy and sweet Kate.

While Sadie painted, Rachel helped me decorate the cupcakes. We made flag cupcakes with pull-apart Twizzlers for the red and blueberries for the blue / white star section! Rachel was a culinary master helper!

And what holiday wouldn't be complete without Uncle Steve strumming a newly-fashioned banjo he had just finished! So much musical and artistic talent in the family!

After playing for a little while, Jame, Gammy, Granddaddy, and myself retreated to the church because I was slated to play in the 4th of July concert at UBC. Grant and Jill showed up to have some fun as well, and they stayed and played with everyone, making corn salsa and enjoying chips and dip, while I tooted the flute for Uncle Sam. Afterward, we boarded the school buses leaving from the FHS parking lot and headed to Centennial Park for the evening firework display! Sadie was very excited to ride on a school bus and thought not having to be buckled into a car seat was fantastic. I kept thinking she must have been screaming inside the words of William Wallace in Bravehart, "FREEEEDOM!"

We always love the evening festivities at Centennial Park. How do you not love kettle corn, live music, and toddlers dancing about? We were also very happy to see our dear friends, the Hillenburgs! Austin and Sadie traded mommies for a quick dance session and both James and Russ were able to visit for a bit before Austin had to head off to bedtime! As for our little firecracker, she still had hours of boundless energy left to dance out on the grassy knoll!

Grace and I had a ball watching the girls interact with one another as well as making new friends. We are always amazed at how easily kids can make new friends. They don't think of class, race, gender. They just want to play. How we can learn from them! They just walk up to someone and say, "Wanna dance with me?" and usually the response is, "YES!" Either that or "Let me ask my Mommy," then, "YES!" How I love the heart of children. They skipped and hopped about playing a rather physical game of ring around the rosy as we all watched them. Holidays have become so much more experience them through the eyes of children. One of our favorite dances of the night was watching Aunt Leslie lead the Conga line with all the kids in tow.

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Another sweet treat was from Aunt Leslie. She surprised me with some TCBY frozen yogurt! What a delight on such a hot summer evening! Sadie shared in my ice cream and we continued to listen to all the wonderful hits played by the band. The fireworks were beautiful and Sadie enjoyed them for about 10 minutes then promptly informed me, "I'm tired. I want to go to bed!" She worked on not melting for the remainder of the firework display then we boarded the buses as quickly as possible for the ride back to the FHS parking lot. What a wonderful evening with all our cousins!