Moving Day

In two days, we will be the happy occupants of a lovely home in the country. It seemed like the trail leading there was long, almost like a child driving to grandma's house (are we there yet?), but now with lots of packing left, it seems like it is speeding up!

This morning I headed out there to read the gauge on the propane tank. Driving up, I got this rush...it is a clear day, and it looked like the mountains were growing out of our backyard! Then I pulled in, and discovered that someone had come and mowed, raked, and trimmed back the trees a bit. It was even more beautiful than when we first saw it!

Then we went around the back to put the trash cans away and found a burst pipe. Good thing it was discovered today...

Anyway, we're moving, starting on Friday and ending on Saturday. It's going to be a quick move. Thankfully, Peter's mom is arriving tonight to help with the kids. She is wonderful, and the kids are bouncing with excitement.

There is no DSL in the country, so my blogging may be few and far between using dial-up, until we can come up with a better solution.

It has been worth the wait to get to God's Plan A.

So what is my name, anyway?

Listening to Hannah provides a lot of entertainment for us around here. For one thing, she has adopted her own names for most people. She goes through her photo albums and recites who the various people are, of course using the names she has given them. For the most part, she keeps the same names for people. Here are a few samples:

Real Name - Hannah's Name
Daniel = Michael
Caleb = Samuel
Hannah = Karen
Daddy = Lawya ("lawyer" with heavy Brooklyn accent)
Mommy = Brownie Sword (where did that come from?)
Granny = Canee (not sure how it's spelled, but it is pronounced like "cane" with a long "e" on the end.)

The interesting thing about the names for her brothers is that those are the names she preferred for them before they were born.

Periodically, we'll ask her who the people in a particular picture are. So, we asked her about the people in this picture:

This is what she told us: "These are the maids." A few minutes later she said "Actually, these are the nuns." Actually, this is Dearzie, Judy, Susan, and Dinah singing at the 2006 Rockwell Family Reunion in Colorado Springs. I guess that's one of the nice things about creating your own four-year-old reality: facts never get in the way of imagination and are often more interesting.

My Hannah

This is my Hannah, my girl, my first-born, my just-turned four year old.

She is so sweet. When I think of Hannah, I can't help but smile. Joy is her middle name, and it suits her perfectly. She's like a little butterfly flitting all over the house, taking it upon herself to be her brothers' self-appointed cheerleader, and Mommy's helper. She's Mommy's Girl 100%, unless Dad is on the floor to wrestle with.

Earlier this week, I had a chance to have some time with just my birthday girl. Per her request, we went to Jamba Juice and shared her favorite: Pina Colada. She insisted that we sit outside in the 40 degree weather under an umbrella like the last time we went there (which was in blazing hot August). She casually mentioned that Joyce (her imaginary friend of the week) was sitting at the next table over, and I told her to tell Joyce that she had to stay there, because we were having Special Mommy and Hannah Time. She beamed, teeth chattering. She climbed on my lap to warm up. Then we went to Borders and sat on the floor of the children's section and read books. We were making memories.

Since yesterday, she has changed her vocational direction 5 times. She announced that she would like to be a lawyer, next The President, then a teacher, then a veterinarian, and finally "a teacher for the animals at Sea World." (Daniel piped in "Dan too!") She has deep thoughts, like "Mommy, can Gram see the clouds?" (Gram is in heaven), and "Daddy, if you and your spouse both died, where would I live?" (Your spouse? Even without legal terminology that is an amazing question from someone who isn't even fully potty trained yet!)

Oh, my little girl, my joy! The pediatrician keep telling me she's the next attorney in our family. That's fine with me, but what I really want is for her heart to be attuned to the Holy Spirit. She's learning lots of knowledge about the Lord in our family devotions and other venues, but Peter and I want her to know Christ, and love Him with all of her being. She likes to tell us that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. She doesn't know yet, but that's our prayer for her: that she would glorify God with all her gifts and strengths, and know, love, and enjoy Him - as her Lord and Savior - forever.

Happy Birthday, my Hannah. I'll love you forever.