Hannah & Connor Photos

Hannah: March 2012

School, play practice, playing with my friends, and most important, swimming!  What a great March!  As you can see by all the pictures, I loved the bird exhibit at the New Orleans aquarium.  I also did a ton of reading this month.  I even read one of the Harry Potter books not once, but twice!  I lived in the pool on the weekends.  Daddy even turned up the heat so Mommy would get in.  Termites…Did you know termites were bad in the south?  Daddy says have a good pest contract with a repair clause so they have to fix any damage!  I think it is cool how much those little critters can eat! 

Connor: March 2012

We actually stayed home a lot in March!  Why?  It was the beginning of pool weather!  We went swimming almost every weekend.   We did make one trip to New Orleans to visit the aquarium.  I had fun in pre-school.  We had birthday parties and an Easter egg hunt.  Even though Dad did not take us on an RV trip, I went on one.  How?  I made my own RV.  My RV was just inside the front door where everyone had to “trip” over it.  It had a driver seat up front (I told my Daddy he could not drive!) and space along the outside for my toys.  I even went and pulled clothes out of my dresser and put them in piles along the outside too.  I had a play area and sleeping area in the middle.  Mommy and Daddy thought it was so cute they let me keep it up for over a week!   

Hannah: February 2012

February was a fun month for us.  The weather started getting warm--yeah, those 50’s in January are chilly!  This is the first year we did not go to a Mardi Gras parade.  Instead, Daddy’s friend invited us to ride in a float instead!  It was a BLAST!  But just so you know; riding was a lot of work.  I had to stay fashionable and throw out beads.  There were tons of people.  Dad was so busy he forgot to snap a picture of the mobs that came up to the floats.  We went on a great camping trip in February.  The first night it rained big time.  Luckily, we were staying at the upper campground because the lower ones, by the river, flooded.  We hiked a bunch and also rode our bikes.  Daddy even took us down by the overflowing river so I could see the flooding.  He let me ride my bike through a couple of places where the river was over the road!  While we were at the campground we also went to a nearby animal Safari.  Our tractor that pulled the wagons got stuck in the mud in the middle of the “plains” (from all the rain the day before).  It was terrible—we had to stay there feeding the animals for an extra 30 minutes or so!  You know I hated that.

http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/iboguechitto.aspx

http://www.globalwildlife.com/

Connor: February 2012

Wow, riding on a Mardi Gras float, going camping, going on a Safari Wagon tour over 900 acres of beautiful Louisiana countryside complete with 12 ponds and a lake.  Those events had to be the best part of my February, right?  Nope! 

I turned 4 this month.  We had a “blowout” of a party!  Mom went all out with a “Cars” theme.  We had great “fuels” and “lubricants” to eat and drink, and my “pit crew” came and took a “victory lap” to celebrate with me!  Afterwards, I was so out of fuel that I “crashed” my car (bed).  WOW, what a race! 

You can go to these web sites to see where we had our adventures!

http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/iboguechitto.aspx

http://www.globalwildlife.com/

Connor: January 2012

We spent the first week of January in Ohio, still on our Christmas trip.  No snow until the day we left, and then only after we were already headed home.  It turned out to be a good snowfall.  We were sorry we missed it.  Ok, Mom and Dad were not sorry.  We snuck in a camping trip to Fairview-Riverside State Park in Louisiana over the MLK holiday.  The park was a great little place to visit with a state "historic site" mansion on the grounds and beautiful trees and trails.  Oh, in January Dad bought Mom a cool ride to transport me around in the style I deserve!

http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ifairview.aspx 

Hannah: January 2012

Thanks Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Bub, Aunt Donna, Uncle Stevie, Aunt Becky, Shelby, and most importantly, Santa for moving our Ohio Christmas a weekend later.  This allowed us to spend Christmas Day at Grandpa and Grandma’s and then extra time in Oho.   We all had fun.  In January we also went camping, and by all the pictures, I think you can tell we had a good time.  Dad and I loved Fairview-Riverside State Park in Louisiana because they have Wi-Fi, which allowed us to play with our new tablets!  In January I also participated in our school science fair.  My experiment was to see which liquid froze the fastest.

Connor & Hannah Video: Two Special Christmas Gifts

(Dec 2011) Hannah wanted a new DS and was jealous of Connor getting a DS with a “bumble bee” protective cover.  She tried to grab the DS out of Connor’s hands.  That was until she opened her special gift…a tablet, and was blown away.  Connor, all he ever told us he wanted for Christmas was a "Lightning McQueen with Mater teeth".  He told us all the time that this was what he wanted Santa to bring him.  We decied we should capture his discription. 

Connor & Hannah Video: Singing Jingle Bells

(Dec 2011) Our two Christmas Carolers!

Hannah: December 2011

This December was fun and exciting because I still believe in the Christmas magic and really enjoyed doing many Christmas activities.  We went to the Beau Rivage Christmas show; Disney on Ice; baked Christmas cookies; wrote our Christmas letter to Santa, played with friends; and even found time to go to school (and got good grades ).  We even took a long trip and went to both Grandparents houses.  Mommy, Mamaw, and I received tablets for Christmas so we are calling this “the year of the tablet!”

Connor: December 2011

The month of December was incredibly busy for me.  I took my little friend Sidney and her Mom to Disney on Ice.  We saw Mickey and some of his friends.  We also went to the Biloxi Christmas Boat Parade.  They light up all the boats with Christmas lights.  At the end the parade they have great fireworks.  We took our traditional Christmas pictures at the Beau Rivage and Sis and I even sat on Santa’s lap.   We had school parties, home cookie cooking parties, and even had time for 3 Christmas openings…one at home, one at Grandmas’ and one at Mamaw’s.  Uncle Brian was able to even come down from up north and spend Christmas Day with us.  Lots of Driving at Christmas but it was worth it.  We saw lots of relatives and Santa brought lots of presents.

Hannah Video: Christmas Musical Compilation

 (Dec 2011)   Hannah's school puts on a big Christmas show (and spring play) each year.  The whole school is involved, and many parents help.  All the kids seemed to have a great time. 

Video clips from the filming of Jade Sanders "Tell Me" music video

(Dec 2011)  Short video clips of Hannah during filming of the music video of "Tell Me" by Jade Sanders (www.jadesandersmusic.com) They had to take mutiple "takes" of Jade singing the song.  These clips are from some of those "takes".  This video also has Jade singing Happy Birthday to one of the extras. Hannah and her friend Stevie did make it into the final video.  Yahoo!

Connor: November 2011

Wow, my third Thanksgiving!  I had lots of fun assisting Sissy in dissecting the turkey heart, but I refused to eat any turkey.  Mom says that’s because I am a picky eater.  Camping this month was especially fun since Dad let me help with the campfire!  Decorating for Christmas with Mama made me very excited for Santa’s visit.  Should I start being good now?

Hannah: November 2011

Yahoo for good grad!  Dad gave me a choice of our normal fishing trip, or riding a horse.  Guess which I choose?  We rode the horse around a big park in the heart of New Orleans.  I am thinking that that a horse would be a great Christmas present!  J  Thanksgiving was fun this year cuz’ I helped Grandma make the turkey.  It was “delicious”, so I am thinking that Grandma and I make a great cooking team!  Oh, almost forgot, Grandma rocked at Wii bowling.  She blew the rest of us away.

Connor & Hannah: Dissecting a Turkey Heart at Thanksgiving!

(Nov 2011) Give a girl a scalpel and what is she to do?  This is Hannah’s idea of helping Grandma cook the turkey!   I think we will all be shocked if Hannah does not turn out to be a doctor or a veterinarian.  Not squeamish on bit, not our little girl!  Give her needles, blood, whatever.  (Hear that Uncle Bub…nothing to worry about with an IV)

Camping Trip (November)

Our Thanksgiving getaway of 2011 deserves its own posting.  Why?  It was a blast.  The family visited Natchez State Park and the City of Natchez, MS just prior to Thanksgiving.  The weather was perfect, the trees colorful, and the city and state park were a lot of fun.  Lots of bike riding and playing at the campsite!  While in Natchez we were able to visit two civil war era mansions and took a tour of the city by horse carriage.   One of our favorite events was the visit to the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.  The kids really enjoyed the Indian village; they walked around the mounds and displays and loved walking the nature trail that ran by the village’s sacred creek.  This creek provided the Indians with fish and water.  We also visited the nearby Emerald Mound, which is the second largest Indian mound anywhere (and it is big!).  We returned home just in time to spend Thanksgiving Day and the following weekend with Grandma and Grandpa.

These links have more information about the Indians and Natchez:

http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/index.php?id=4

http://www.visitnatchez.com/    (Note: has a great video of Natchez)

Jade Sanders second video "Tell Me"

Tonight, 12/21/2011, Jade Sanders had her premiere of her second video "Tell Me" and Hannah, Connor, Mom, and Dad were there! Jade did great, and Hannah was in the video! Hannah is in one scene in the athletic field sitting with her friend Stevie and another scene where you see her walking behind the bleachers that Jade is sitting in. Small parts, but WOW, Hannah was in the video! One of the still pictures that Dad took even made it into the credits. (It is the picture of Jade's manager standing by the camera.) At the premiere Jade sang a new song and several of her other songs. She did great. Jade also sang several Christmas songs and really brought the house down! Connor was even singing along and dancing in his seat. Special thanks to Jade (and her family) and Tim Alamsha (and his wife) for including us. Dad will post the new video shortly! 

"Tell Me" has now been released on YouTube!  Hannah would like your help in making this video go “viral”.  Look for Hannah at the following time marks: 2:06 sitting with her friend Stevie (Hannah's back is towards you);  2:16 walking behind the bleachers from right to left);  3:37 is the photo Dad took (Dad was sitting in the bleachers clear across the field); and finally at 3:57 (Hannah and Stevie are in the top row "getting crazy" as Mr. Tim instructed).  If you find any more let Hannah know.

Here is Jade’s website with information about Jade and with an additional song there: http://jadesandersmusic.com/

Let's go viral with this video!

Hannah, Connor, Dorothy and her Daddy, went to the world premiere of Jade Sanders music video titled “My door’s open” .  Jade is a 12 year old singer/songwriter from Ocean Springs, MS.  Her great video, “MY door’s open”, is  autobiographical about a young girl (Jade) who loves where she lives and is heartbroken about having to leave and go to Nashville to pursue her dreams.  The video is a great postcard of the Ocean Springs area and many of the area that Hannah herself has been too.  The video was shot in the auditorium of the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center in Ocean Springs, the same place as the video premiered.  Be sure to watch the last few seconds of the video, it has a good twist.  Hannah has already asked us to get her Jade’s first album when it is released.  Hannah would like your help in making this video go “viral”.  Here is Jade’s website with information about Jade and with an additional song there: http://jadesandersmusic.com/

Jade Sanders shoots her second Video!

(Dec 2011) Jade Sanders is working on her second video.  This one is for the song: “Tell me”  Hannah was an extra in the filming on 12/3/2011!  Jade asked her!  Dad and Hannah spent several hours at the park where they are filming some of the group scenes.  They had a segment where they filmed another little girl and Hannah as they walked down a path at the park.  They also filmed Hannah and her new friend Stevie sitting and playing in the park.  Hannah REALLY hopes some of these scenes make it into the video.  For another part of the video, on the 4th, they are filming a pep rally/concert at the Ocean Springs middle school.  Hannah will be there along with probably 500 other kids for that scene filming.  UPDATE! Filming went well on Sunday the 4th.  It was a long day for all the kids.  They even asked Dad and a few other parents to sit in the stands too.  Dad says all the kids did really well and were very calm the whole time.  There is a good chance Hannah and her new friend Stevie will be seen.  They are up high in the back.  Hannah brought crafts and her DS game to keep her entertained.  Jade and her family, as well as, Tim Alamsha  and his wife were very nice to Hannah.  After the filming of "Tell Me" Hannah and about 20 other girls stayed while Jade filmed some yet to be released songs.  It was like a private concert!

PLEASE, if you have not viewed the first video (below) please do so.  If you have not asked a few of your friends to view the video, PLEASE do so as soon as you can and ask them to ask others.  It will really help.  Jade has had over 65,000 views from approximately 15,000 computers for her first video “My door’s open”.  (The numbers show those who view the video are watching it more than once.)  We need to double or triple the number of computers viewing the You Tube video. 

Thanks for your help!

Hannah

Hannah & Jade Sanders

Hannah Video: INSTA-GATOR Ranch and Hatchery

(Oct 2011) Hannah was asked by the guide to help him catch a "gator".  What is not shown on the video was that she took her coat off and was starting to climb the wall to get into the pit with the guide.  The guide was taken aback as nobody had ever reacted that way.  Usually they back away or hold onto their parent.  Not our Hannah!  She was ready to join the action.  http://www.insta-gatorranch.com/

Hannah and Connor Video: October Compilation

A short compilation of videos only a parent could love!

“Oopsie I cut the cheese”

“Chicka-Chicka boom-boom”

“First time in a hamster wheel”

Hannah: October 2011

Don’t be scared of the Werewolf pictures, it is only me!  Mom made this great outfit for me for Halloween.   Many people liked my costume, and I scarred a few, so I guess the costume was a hit!  Fall Festival, New Orleans, the alligator hatchery, vacation to Disney…yep, October was busy!  Did I mention I got to help with the “show” at the hatchery?  See my other October post which has the video.  Lots of pictures of Whiskers because, after all, he is my cat and Dad says this is my web site so post the pictures I want. 

Connor: October 2011

Wow, what a month!  Besides our trip to Disney (in another post), we had Hannah’s school Fall Festival, a spur of the moment day trip to New Orleans, school Halloween outings, and even a trip to an alligator hatchery!   My speaking is getting much better, Dad and I “wessel” (that’s how I say wrestle) on the floor allot.  Life is good! 

Dad’s NASCAR Race Experience!

(Oct 2011) Dad's birthday present from the wife and kids. Dad was supposed to do approx 15 laps. When he got there they made him a "deal" to also do 6 laps with the "PRO". WOW-fast, fast, fast! To add excitement, the "PRO" accidentally spun the car coming out of a turn. Dad saw his life pass before his eyes! After his pro ride he then drove his laps in the #88 car. The cars are very fast (but not as fast as the pro's) and the power and acceleration was incredible. Dad got out of the car and was wiped out--totally exhausted. Mom told him to "suck it up" until a friend they had made there got out of his car (the one with the flaming exhaust) and told us he was beat too. They are sending me the video from the little camera that is mounted on the top of the car. I hope to add it to this video soon. Connor was upset the whole time because he wanted to "drive." He kept telling Mommy "please tell me I am big enough!" DriveTech's motto is "where adventure goes for the weekend"--that is an understatement! http://drivetech.com/i

For a good idea of what the ride along with the PRO felt like go to http://youtu.be/Oi79-9o7bUQ after watching the ride along, imagine spinning at that speed!

2011 Vacation Trip & Disney

(Oct 2011) We took a somewhat spur of the moment trip (dad had some vacation time he had to use) to see Grandma and Grandpa.  We had a really good time!  This post shows our three main activities, the petting farm, Disney World, and the Tampa Aquarium.  The petting farm is a long time favorite or ours and the aquarium was a new experience.  Hannah surprisingly decided she wanted to go to the aquarium in lieu of the Tampa Zoo (which is one of her favorites)!  We also had the chance to go to Disney for free and could not pass that up.  This was the kid’s first trip to Disney and they loved it.  Hannah hates costumed characters, so we avoided any we saw.   Hannah even rode on Space Mountain…only because we did not tell her what it was.  

          Green Meadows Petting Farm            www.greenmeadowsfarm.com

          Disney World

          The Florida Aquarium                        www.flaquarium.org/ 

Hannah: September 2011

We had a visit from Hurricane Irene.  She ruined our Labor Day weekend camping trip to Destin Florida.  We had been planning that trip for almost a year.  Can you believe that Dad let us go out play in all that rain?  He even let us swim in the pool.  Dad made up for our canceled RV trip by taking us to Fontainebleau State Park in Louisiana.  Other things I did  in September included joining the girl scouts and also played with my cat Whiskers!  (Dad says it's called torture.) 

Connor: September 2011

I finally got to go to “Connor’s school”.  My friend Natalie is in my class, but my teacher knew better than to sit us together.    I camped out in Mom’s room for the first time because of Hurricane Irene.  Not the same as sleeping in the RV, but fun anyway.  Later in the month, Dad took us to a great state park where I rode my “big boy’s bike” all over the place.  The whole family rode bunches and bunches.  We even swam at the beach on Lake Pontchartrain.