Happy 9th Birthday, Hannah

Hannah turns 9 today. NINE. I can hardly believe it. I tried to tell her she couldn't, but she defied me and did it anyway...

We have parties for the kids on certain years. Nine isn't one of them, but we decided to invite her two new friends (since we've moved), Danielle and Isabella over for what Hannah deemed a "luncheon."

Isabella, Hannah, Danielle, and Julia

The theme of the party was VanGogh's Sunflowers painting, and after the girls ate, they all painted with watercolors. According to Hannah, it was "very fun, and I got to hang out with my friends which was awesome."

This is a picture of Hannah and I from Fall 2001. She was a little over 1 here. This has always been one of my favorite pictures of her and I.

Hannah is a wonderful girl: helpful and sweet and responsible. God has given her a servant's heart, and I wonder what He plans to do with it.

(So, now, sentimental, as Moms get, I'm going to go upstairs

and hang out with my not-so-little-any-more Hannah.)

Bowling

I had coupons that allowed the kids to bowl for free (I just had to pay for shoe rental, which by the way has gotten much more expensive compared to when we were kids). The oldest two have been bowling, but so long ago that I don't think they remember it. The younger two had never gone. I made it a surprise, and when they got there they were so excited.

It was funny to me how even in bowling their personalities really showed...

Hannah tried hard, but it didn't come easily. She kept with it and kept a good attitude (except for getting very flustered when she stepped over the foul line and set off the buzzer). Overall I think she had fun.

Jay was so excited when he got a spare (he actually wound up with 2 by the time we were done playing). He tried hard and did well for the most part (except for the time that his ball hit the bumper and bounced OVER it and into the other lane, WHICH was being used by some very nice people, and went into the opposite gutter and all the way to the end. Somehow, it didn't register as a gutter ball for the person who was mid-turn.) When it wasn't Jay's turn, he was either encouraging whoever was bowling or exercising in order to get stronger so he could do better when it was his turn.

Daniel's natural athletism showed even in bowling. He seemed to have the best form even if that didn't always mean he knocked down the most pins. He loved every minute of it, and in the end won the second game.

Julia was...herself. She started out SO excited and wanted no help from me. She wanted to struggle with the ball and barely roll it hard enough for it to make it to the end, ALL BY HERSELF. She could hardly stand to wait her turn. If she knocked down pins (which somehow she did most of the time), she was doing dances. If she didn't she grumpily declared that it wasn't working and that she didn't want to play any more. If she stepped over the foul line and it buzzed at her, she got really mad and grumpy. So, there is more than one picture of her, because one just didn't completely tell the story.

When I went to take this picture, I was actually trying to capture her EXTREMELY grumpy face, but by the time the camera "clicked" she had changed to a very cute smile.

A Tent in the Basement

I remember as a kid LOVING creating a tent in our basement and then sleeping in it. So, for something fun, I set up a tent for the kids to sleep in tonight. They were thrilled!

Just Like Mom

Sara Garms has been Daniel's favorite friend of the family for...pretty much his whole life. She is someone who was part of our youth group when we lived in Northeastern PA, she worked with us at camp, and now she is a student at Philadelphia College of Bible and living with us for the summer.

The other morning, my Husband and Daniel had the following conversation...

Dad, Sara is a lot like Mom.

Oh, yeah, Daniel? In what way.

In the way of cereal and patience.

This is a picture of Sara (when she was in high school) and Daniel (when he was one and a half).

Our Garden

I've wanted to have a garden for a few years now, but it just wasn't practical. But now...it is. So, after much sweat, and a lot of help from my children, and a lot of wheelbarrows of stones removed by my husband...I HAVE A GARDEN!
We worked on prepping the area on Sunday. Then Monday morning, the kids and I went and bought some dirt and plants. Each kid had a plant request. They worked hard with me, so I was happy to let them each pick something out. We have planted: Strawberries and cucumbers at the request of Hannah, tomatoes at the request of Jay, watermellon at the request of Daniel, and more strawberries at the request of Julia. At my request (haha) I also planted peppers, cantalope, basil, cilantro, mint, and oregano.

I'll keep you posted on the progress of our little garden.

Oh, the ugly light brown spot is the remains of a stump. John cut down a tree to make room for the garden. Next year the stump will be completely gone...

Julia At Boulder Field

We've been busy with a variety of things, the biggest of which is painting the basement of the church. It has pretty much consumed my life for right now, so you aren't getting a cute or funny story, just a picture of Julia in a field of boulders (yes, a whole field, probably the size of a football field) from a recent camping trip.

Enjoying the Backyard

We have been thoroughly enjoying our backyard this spring. (now this week has been chilly and rainy, but last week was beautiful!)

Notice the difference in the retaining wall in the background...we've been painting it, that and the deck and picnic table, and John filled holes in the yard with topsoil and spread seed and scattered straw. I'll post "finished product" pictures sometime soon-when the sun decides to shine again.

(No we don't have an extra kid...the little one is cousin Olivia)