Graduation

Graduation

Thursday, February 28, 2013

From facebook

Hannah~ "Mom, one day, I want to be a mom just like you, 
but until then, I guess I could just be a rock star."


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Happy Belated Birthday, Hannah!

My dearest Hannah,

This year has been a year of immense growth in so many areas.  You've changed so much, my dear girl.

We tried to convince you to stay five years old a little longer, but as always, you insisted upon having your birthday anyway... You're growing up so quickly.  It feels like just yesterday the nurses were bringing you to me, with all the fresh newborn smells and cuddles.  You had so much hair that the nurses were able to style it.  They'd curl it upward up on top of your head.  Still you have a head full of thick, beautiful hair with enough curl to have body .

We went to the salon the other day to get haircuts and styles.  You were so quiet for so long as she washed, rinsed, and cut your hair.  You yawned a few times during the styling to tell us you were getting a little tired of sitting up there, but after she was finished, you gave yourself the most beautiful smile in the mirror.  You are such a pretty girl with dimples that accent your grin, and while I was getting my hair cut, you kept sneaking peeks at yourself in the mirror and grinning all over again.  Our stylist has these great colorful plastic, glasses and you and Grace would fill them up with water and walk around like you owned the place.  Hands on your hips, making crazy faces in the mirror.  While you were mighty quiet at first, but by the end of our visit, you were completely into the "girl-time"feeling of togetherness.

This morning, you woke up early and cuddled in my lap a while before falling back to sleep.  I thought about how much you've grown versus how little you still are while I stroked your beautiful hair as you nodded off to sleep.  There's such a fine line between encouraging you to grow up and helping you enjoy your childhood.

The Lord has been so good to us!  We are very thankful for you, sweet little one.  May the Lord bless you in a very special way.

I love you,
Mommy




Friday, February 1, 2013

A Christmas Carole


December and January sort of passed by with all its busy-ness. 
December-  The children performed in” A Christmas Carol.”  It ran for two nights, and they blew it out of the water both nights! Grace wouldn’t play a part that required her to speak.  She participated in the dance scene, and she enjoyed cheering from the audience.  Ethan, Daniel, and Hannah played Cratchit children.  We were able to get the boys to wear stage makeup which was a miracle, and Hannah didn't actually need any but insisted upon having some.  Grace, who never made it onstage for any parts, thought she needed makeup, as well.  Thankfully, there were so many older girls that our littler actresses weren’t left out.  They were all very inclusive of every age and every part.  I was very thankful we were able to be a part of the production. 

We had family travel in to see them perform, and that meant a lot to the kids.  It baffled me though because the comment was made that their cousins wished they could do a play.  Then, the following day, my kids found out that their cousins were going to be involved in a parade, and my children made the comment that they wished they could be in a parade.  Each set of children wanted the experience the other set of children was having. Both sets of kids sounded a lot like us grown-ups.




Never quite satisfied with what we have.  Never really thankful enough.  We always have one little eye that likes to wander toward what we don’t have or toward what we might want in the future.  It takes effort to be content with where we are, to grow best where we’re planted.  It takes effort to be open to change but not be consumed by things that may or may not happen in the future.  It’s best to pray and ask God for wisdom and direction.