Happy Early Birthday Hanna

Isn't she just beautiful?!

We celebrated Hanna's birthday early last weekend. We leave for Florida on her birthday and we had Christmases early, so... The poor girl thinks every weekend she gets to open presents! She is going to be so spoiled! :) She loved every minute of it. My shy little girl tore into packages like a pro (with help from Mommy) and said thank you after each one! She was truly excited about each one. Spoiled or not, at least she was thankful! It is hard to believe that she is almost 4. Time has certainly flown with her. I'm planning to post pictures of her from as early as we have until now, just to compare!

Merry Christmas

We had 2 Christmases this past weekend because we leave for Florida on Friday. Unfortunately I don't have pictures yet, but hopefully I will soon. I bought the wrong battery for my camera. :(
Here are a couple of videos of Hanna and Brooks. Reese was too embarrassed. Merry Christmas!

leaves

We spent an hour or so at my grandmother's house and I captured a few pictures of the kids playing in the leaves. I love fall!

trick or treat

We got all three kids' candy bars!

This is only Reese and Hanna's loot!

2 Ninja's and a butterfly

Reese

Hanna

Brooks

Pictures from October

We've had a very strange month. One of our beloved dogs died, I had to have an unexpected surgery (I'm fine now), flag football ended, soccer ended, Brooks went to Purdue every Saturday morning for an Electronics class, Hanna enjoyed preschool and a Noah's Ark Costume party, the boys and I had a book character dress up day at school, Reese got braces, and it goes on and on. We are all ready for the calendar to change again so it will almost be time for Florida. The boys are enjoying telling Hanna all about the beach and getting her excited about the trip. Oh and I can't forget Hanna's first night of trick or treating. She's excited about the candy! We're going to have 2 ninja's and a butterfly. I'll add pictures of that later. And it is not easy to forget that this time last year we were preparing to board an airplane that would unite our family. Our journey to get Hanna was almost over and our lifetime together was just beginning. Still difficult to believe we were actually there. Enjoy the pictures and more will follow!

One year Anniversary

One year ago today, Jerry and I were in Shenyang China. We were waiting in a small dreary office room waiting on our daughter to be brought to us. She walked in with the orphanage director and just sat down in a chair like a big girl - even though she was just 2 years and 10 months. I walked over to her and knelt down beside her. I gained her confidence with goldfish crackers, necklaces, bracelets, and stickers. She was absolutely amazing. She had told her nannies earlier in the day that today was the day she would meet her American parents. To say that the year has flown past would be a huge understatement. She went from not knowing us to part of our family. She went from speaking and understanding only Mandarian to English in just a few months. She has gone from sleeping on top of me to sleeping in her own big girl bed. She's gone from being scared to death of the dogs to happily petting them and remembering them in her prayers. Our strong and courageous daughter is a true delight and I can hardly believe she has only been with us 1 year. It seems like a lifetime! Happy Family Day!

Happy Birthday Brooks

Our baby boy is now 11. I can't believe how quickly time passes. He has grown into such a nice boy. He does well in school and makes me proud each day. Soccer is still is favorite sport and baseball comes in a close 2nd. If a mama can say so herself, he is growing into such a handsome young man. If only I could make time stand still for just a little while!

Flag Football

Reese had his first football game this morning. He played hard, but unfortunately his team didn't win. He had a huge run, got 2 flags, and blocked like the best. We were very proud. He plays again next Saturday.

First Day of Preschool!

Hanna started preschool yesterday. She was so excited. We signed up in the spring and ever since she's yelled, "Mom, there's my school!" whenever we drive by it. (It is just down the road from our house!). We prayed and worried about her first day and God certainly listened. I never imagined she would have reacted the way she did. Tuesday night picked out her clothes, got her lunch box, and her purple pillow/blanket for nap time. She chose to wear a pink dress so Miss Lana (not my friend Lana) would think she looked pretty! Wednesday morning we got a fog delay and when she woke up, she was actually singing, "I get to go to school!" We got ready, took pictures (I'll add soon), and left. In the van, she was a little nervous, but as soon as we pulled into the driveway of the church, she was excited again. She went right in, had Miss Lana show her where to put her pillow/blanket, lunch box, and backpack. Then she went with Miss Lana into the classroom to meet the other kids. I followed her and said that I was leaving and that dad would pick her up after her nap. She hugged me and said, "OK mommy!" Amazing. I prayed for her to love it, but never expected it. I fully expected tears (from me too), but none. I wanted to, but I was afraid the boys would laugh at me. :) She had a great day and never cried. She was happy to see daddy when he got there and is excited to go back tomorrow. She's going to on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Thank you God for giving her the strength and courage one would never expect in such a tiny girl! She is such a big girl...at heart anyway!

Pictures...Finally!

I finally sat down and put our summer pictures into a movie. I hope our friends in China can see it. We had a wonderful summer and the kids have grown so much.

Back to school time

We are officially back to school. It is hard to believe that Brooks is in 5th grade, Reese is in 2nd grade, and Hanna will soon be starting preschool! I don't know where the summer went. It was so fast, but we had a wonderful time. The weather was not the best and we didn't get to swim nearly as much as we wanted, but it is still nice being home as a family for 2 months. We are extremely lucky.
The big highlights from the summer include a trip to Kings Island. We had a wonderful time. Jerry and Brooks ran when the gates opened to ride the Diamond Back - the new big, fast roller coaster. They loved it. Reese didn't like the big roller coasters, but he enjoyed riding the smaller ones. He and Brooks rode the Fairly Odd Coaster (formerly the Beasty) several times...even in the front! Hanna's absolute favorite was Swipers Sweeper. It is a small oval that whips around the corners. She just giggled and giggled while riding. She still talks about it whenever she hears Kings Island! She cannot wait to go back. Much to Jerry's dismay, we'll probably be going again next summer. :)
Hanna continues to amaze us every day. She is just our daughter who happens to have been born in China. You would think that she's been with us forever and not just 10 months (it will be 10 months on Aug. 21). She can write her name as well as many other letters. We think she is advanced, but we're her parents and we're supposed to think that! ;) I promise I will update some pictures. I know it has been awhile!
We continue to pray for her China family and hope they are doing well. We think of you often. We are so thankful you were in our daughter's life. You are a blessing to us all. God Bless

Happy soggy 4th of July

Wow, what a day! This picture pretty much sums up everyone's feeling for all the rain. Hopefully we'll get to see fireworks tomorrow.

Father's Day picture

I just realized that I didn't post the picture I took of Jerry and the kids on Father's day right before we left for church. The dogs weren't asked to be in the picture, but it turned out great! Happy 4th of July! We'll be enjoying baseball all weekend. Brooks plays tonight, 3 games tomorrow, and at least 1 on Sunday! I can't wait to see some fireworks.

The boys are excited today. We are finally joining the 21st century and getting dish network. We've been using rabbit ears and converter boxes, but it is just awful. If a semi goes by, we lose reception and sometimes we lose it for no good reason. We're worried about them watching too much tv, but we'll set time limits or something. They are supposed to be here between 12 and 5. It's 2:30 now and no sign of them yet. I hope they don't let us down. The boys will be very disappointed (and me too! I finally get HGTV!).

referral-versary

One year ago today, God blessed us with the news that our daughter was 2 1/2 years old living in Shenyang China! It is a day we will never forget. We love you Hanna YingYing and our hearts go out to her families in China. She is blessed with a birth family, a foster family, an amazingly nice orphanage with nannies who love the children, and a wonderful, loving sponsor family whom she calls her Chinese mommy and daddy. Thank you God for this amazing little girl and all You have blessed us with. Congrats to all of the other June O'Hanna(h) families as well! (Four Bethany families were matched today...one boy (Owen) and three girls (Hanna(h))! God is so good!

New video from today

video

This was from April, but it just makes Hanna giggle and giggle!

One year ago today...

we saw Hanna's face for the very first time! I had just gotten home from a class and saw there was a new COP list out. I requested the file of a 2 1/2 year old girl whose file name was "Carlie." We went to a baseball game for Reese or Brooks before the file came, but when we got home it was here. I showed her picture to Jerry and he thought, "oh great. I'm going to have to tell her no again," but he didn't! He immediately asked to read her file and kept asking for more. When he was finished, he looked at me and smiled. Then he said, "She's our daughter! What do we do next!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. We immediately began praying. We had to submit our name to be matched with her through our agency and wait an agonizing 7 more days before we got "the call". What a year it has been. We can't imagine our life without her. She is perfect for our family. Only God could have brought us together 1/2 a world away.

Grandma D turns 84!

Aunt Vicki and the kids

My mom and the kids

Grandma D and Hanna - Grandma's namesake!

Grandma D and the kids

My dad's mom turns 84 tomorrow. We have baseball and vbs, so the kids and I headed over to surprise her today. We had a wonderful visit. The kids enjoyed playing with the puppies again. In case anyone was wondering, the puppies on my last entry were Grandma and Aunt Vic's. We babysat them for the weekend while they were at my cousin's wedding in Florida. Hanna seemed her most at ease ever with everyone. The only thing that would have made the visit better is if only I felt better. My cold settled in my chest last night while at Reese's game. I'll be fine in a few days. Nothing hot tea, sleep, and advil won't cure!

Anyone read The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks? I just finished it a little while ago. I got it on Monday at the library and could barely put it down. Jerry was very excited to see that I finished. It was very good! I always get lost in his characters and this one was no different.

Summer at last!

Summer is finally here। Being teacher's in the summer is awesome। (We don't have to work। We get to stay home with the kids each day। We have until August 12th off.) We are enjoying being at home and hanging out by the pool. I just wish the kids knew how to sleep in! They are all up by 7:30 or 8! Hanna is generally first, closely followed by Brooks, and finally Reese. Reese would stay sleeping if the other two were quiet! We've just received an email from Hanna's Chinese sponsor family! I love hearing from them. I just wish we knew Chinese...or they English. I want to let them know that we are all healthy. H1N1 has not affected us. I will post pictures later today. YingYing is enjoying swimming in our pool and reading books. Her favorite book now is called The Seven Chinese Sisters. Brooks and Reese are busy with VBS (vacation bible school) and baseball. Soccer is over for Brooks and he did well. He averaged 2 goals each game.

4 days and counting!

I can't believe that another school year is coming to a close. I'm very anxious for summer this year. I can't wait to spend more time with Hanna and the boys. We have the pool open and are just waiting for warm weather to heat the water (we should have gotten that heater!). Hanna enjoys laying on her belly and touching the water. I pray she'll like it. I have a feeling we'll be spending alot of time on the ladder!

We are busy with soccer and baseball for both boys. Brooks loves soccer! He scored 2 goals tonight, but his team lost 3-2. His team played hard and had a great time. Reese got to play baseball in the rain on Saturday. It was freezing. Unfortunately his team lost 2-1. Almost! The boys are doing well in school and are anxious for the end. Reese is looking forward to his perfect attendance for 2nd semester and Brooks will get perfect attendance for the year! I'm so proud of them. We're going to send Hanna to preschol next year. Each morning when we go past her school, she says, "Mama, my school!" She is so proud. I hope she enjoys it!

Opening day of the pool! We all went in except for Hanna!

Victory Field - the boys won a ticket for another game playing one of the games!

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder! These "weeds" are Hanna's favorite flower. I can't tell you how many vases of dandelions we'vehad on our counter! Did I mention that she picked all of the tulip buds in the flower garden...before they got to open?! My mom reminded me that they'll bloom again next year!