Update for 2014

Flying at Christmas with Dad

  This has been a great year with Hannah.  We made it through a wonderful first year at Liberty Christian Academy and she made a bunch of great friends.  Her teacher, Mrs. Linda Hickey, was enthusiastic and affectionate, which Hannah needed to see after having been in the daycare system and how damaging that was.  She was singing every day and playing school with all her stuffed animals and us.  She excelled in her letters and phonics and had begun memorizing Bible verses.  She rea

silly willy

lly enjoyed gym as her favorite class and recess as the most favorite part of her day.  She decided that Carter was who she is going to marry and when she told my husband that she was going to marry Carter and have 5 kids, he turned gray and almost died!  We have found this to be entertaining (Mother in law and I) and are encouraged that she at least has a good understanding that you meet someone, they love God, you become friends, you get married and then have kids.  She is sure that they are going to work together at her company called “TP” and Carter will work outside selling caravans, Honda Odessey’s, CRV’s and dump trucks and she will work in the office because it is her company.  She will drive a burgundy Odessey and they will live in New York.  (pretty detailed course if you ask me!!  Especially at 4+)  We had a talent show in which Hannah decided to show her talent of painting.  So she and I sat on the stage and she painted a rainbow on an easel.  She even picked out a CD with some music to play while she painted and she painted with great accuracy and confidence. 
We still have the picture!  J  At the end of the year Hannah had a farewell or graduation of sorts from Pre-k.  She told everyone all summer long that she was now going to be a kindergartener. 

Easter Bonnet decorated with a crown (of course)

She became best friends with Makayala and we have had a couple play dates back and forth with the girls.  She has grown out of her favorite pink shoes and some of her favorite dresses that managed to last 2 years but now are far too short or too tight to get into.  Hannah and Dave have worked on swimming together and when we go consistently she does very well but there is always an acclimation when we stop for a while and we are the only ones who take her swimming so it is definitely a challenge to stay on top of something like that.  We completed a full year of gymnastics at the YMCA which she really loves but she is still asking to be a ballerina and take ballet lessons.  This is a cost prohibitive sport for us to enroll her in.   We have peered through the windows at the New Albany ballet academy a couple times and watched the girls practicing and she watches with rapt attention.  I am aiming to take her to the Nutcracker this year in Newark so she can see an actual ballet in real life.

Over the course of the summer Mrs. Hickey gave us verses to memorize that corresponded with characteristics of the Spirit.  There were 12 verses.  One for each week and then we learned a couple extra ones for VBS and Sunday school so all together she had memorized about 20 verses over the summer.  It was a great thing for both of us and gave us a great opportunity to talk about the characteristics not only of God but what He expects to see coming from us. 

Her summer was spent between a few places.  She spent time with Betty and Richard Barr (who are my sister-in-laws parents), her Nana, the Bussey family, and our friend and neighbor, Margaret Bruce.   She got to see the Reptile Guy, walk in the Firemen’s parade, went to Safety town, got to go swimming several times, learned to horseback ride, went to a wedding, spent one afternoon with Aunt Beth, did a birthday party, helped in the gardens, played a lot, and won a ribbon for her Pee-Wee pig and her horse showmanship at the Hartford county fair! 

Prize money for fair pig

Phases we have gone through;  princesses (which are still holding strong, horses, getting married, Mickey Mouse and Mickey Mouse club house, an obsession with caravans of all types, and cars in general. 

Hannah waiting to go into the ring

Learning; Reading, respect, and responsibility.  We have sampled bar soap in exchange for talking back, made close acquaintance with the hand carved wooden spoon, picked threads loose on the cushion of the timeout bench, and learned that a grand plan for a fabulous birthday party can disappear in the wake of a fit.  She has also learned that when she states, “This is the worstest day ever!!” that it does not impress us in any particular direction J 

Funny or Quippy phrases;

Some of the things on our list to do this year are; skate on the Blue Jackets ice, go to the top floor of a tall building in Columbus to look out over the city (probably one of the hotels), see paper get made, do a corn maze, go to the quarry and watch them sort and scoop the materials there, go to the Works, and make a volcano.

having tea with tea set from Grandma Gower

Mom look at that balloon up in the sky!  It’s your favorite color.  Won’t God be happy when it gets to him?

Mom you and Dad look like you love each other a lot.  Which one of these princesses do you think you and Dad look like? I think you look like Snow White and Prince Charming.

We spent the day working on finishing up some projects around the house this weekend.  First, on Saturday, we went to the fair to watch Hannah do her horsemanship competition with Cassie at her side and her trusty steed, Cowboy.  She walked proudly into the ring with all the other competitors and waited until her name was called and then did everything the judge asked of her.  Her second showing was 4 classes later and she rode through some paces as requested by the judge again.  She did a great job and sat very well on the horse.  She looked so very grown up with her riding helmet on and her little boots and sitting on such a tall horse.

When we got done at the fair we came home and she slept the rest of the afternoon until dinner.  Sunday we went to church and I can see the beginnings of her turning 5 already.  We sat out in the yard and worked on her work book for kindergarten today and she picks up on everything so easily.  I am excited to see how well she will do in school this year.  Dave is building a honey barn for himself and was busy working away on that and would ask me to come and help him every so often.  So I went to assist him and Hannah asked if she could come and help too and I said of course.  She handed him nails and then he said that we weren’t needed any more for now so I went to go back into the garden and asked if she was coming and she said  “I prefer to stay her with Dad for now.”  Okay…so about an hour later he asked for my assistance again and when I went to assist him, Hannah informed me that she had taken my spot and was assisting Dad while I was busy.  She assisted me in making dinner, we looked for shooting stars after it got dark, caught lightning bugs, helped my string hot peppers, we played in the hose, she helped me water the veggies up top, petted a monarch larvae, swung on the swings, picked blackberries and strawberries, chased a tree frog, played wiffle ball with leaf bases, and then made a pile and buried the princess who was then saved by the fairy prince who sprinkled her with pixie dust.  She is getting so grown up.  As we laid on the bed this morning looking out the window at the gardens and the rain, I told her I love to watch the rain and would love to get to stay home and watch the rain today.  She said, “Well, you can look out the window at work and watch the rain.”  And then I reminded her that there were no windows at work and she said, “I think you need to get a new job with windows!”.

Hannah as Mary for the school play

 

As we were working on the honey barn building, I was standing inside the building to stabilize the door and Hannah was outside with Dave.  She was handing him screws and kept saying, do you need more screws Dad?  Are you doing okay in there, Mom?  Are you sure you’re okay in there? Is it dark in there?  Are there any spiders in there (to which I answered no and then began scanning the shadowy inside of the new shed in hopes that they had not moved in yet)?  What a great helper and she was very encouraging telling Dave that he was doing a great job and that the shed looked really good! Then when Dave told me to go ahead and open the door and i couldn't because he had screwed it shut with me inside... she said "It's gonna be okay Mom.  Hang in there!  Dad's working really hard to get you out.  Don't be scared."

 So we have had a busy year full of different experiences.  Thankfully we have been able to spend some quality time with family and now this next year we are going to work on building our friend inventory out here.  We are also aiming to spend more time with our extended family as well.  Hannah is learning to read very quickly and just gobbling up the new knowledge as it is given to her.  It is fun to see her excitement as she learns and grows and figures out things on her own.  Hope you enjoy the update!