Hannah is 6!

So today, my precious baby girl turns 6 years old!  I don’t know why but this one is hitting me extra hard.  She seems to be growing and learning more everyday, and needs me less and less.  I think often of when she won’t need me anymore at all, and it makes me sad.  But today, I am reflecting on all that she is to me…..so here are just a few of the things that make her so extraordinary…

1.      She loves JESUS with all her heart!  If you know her at all, you know how true this is.  She loves to witness to people and pass out gospel tracts.  His love lives in her, and shines through her eyes, and He is glorified through her.  She is saddened by the thought that there are people that won’t go to Heaven.  She sings to Him and worships so earnestly, and there is nothing sweeter than hearing her voice lift family and friends up in prayer each night.  There are so many things I pray for, that she will find happiness and always follow her dreams, but to know she is walking in the Truth is what I want most.  I hope she never loses her compassion for the lost or her deep love for the Savior of the world.

2.      She is always scattered, and slightly clumsy!  She is constantly running around jumping from one thing to another. I must say “please don’t run in the house” 50 times a day.  When she talks, she jumps from one topic to another, with no pause in between.  "Hey, Mama, today at school, we had ice cream, did you know that baby cows are called calves, do you think I can spend the night with Grandmother this weekend?"  But what would I do without that excitement?  Sometimes I think she has no idea what is going on most of the time, but that is what makes her my Hannah.  That's the way God made her, and I wouldnt have it any other way.  :) Life wouldn’t be nearly as exciting if she didn’t fall out of her chair for no reason, or trip over her toys daily, or hit herself in the head with her babies!   The fact that we have only had stitches once in 6 years, is a miracle!  I love her so much, clumsiness and all!

3.      She is SMART, I mean really smart!  I know this may sound like bragging, but she just gets it.  She excels in school and it comes so easily to her.  Her teachers give her books to bring home and read, and she tells them, “I don’t need to take it home, I can read it now.”  And she does.  When asked what she loves most about school, she replied "learning."  I know that she will do great things in her life, and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for her.   I am so proud of her and her eagerness to learn.

4.      She loves her family!  Nothing makes her happier than being with her family.  When I tell her we are going to someone’s house or someone is coming to see us, the light in her eyes is priceless!  She loves it when family is together, and we are making memories.  I hope she always remembers the importance of family, and that she always knows that we all love her and will always be there for her. 

5.      She is a DADDY’S GIRL!   I guess most little girls love their Daddy, but she adores him.  She screams and runs outside, when he pulls into the driveway.  She loves to “rascal” (wrestle) with him on the living room floor for hours.   If he is working, she asks over and over again, “Is it time for Daddy yet?”  There are so many people who don’t have that kind of love with their father.  I am so thankful she does.  Nothing can replace a father in a little girl’s life.  I feel confident in knowing that when she is searching for the person she will spend her life with, the one she finds will be just like her Daddy, and that makes me feel good.  That is the kind of husband I want her to have, one just like her Daddy.

There are so many reasons why my little girl is so special.  I could never list them all.  So, I’ll just pause to say, Happy Birthday Hannah!   You have made my life so happy.  I prayed for you, and life would be so dull without you.  Your Mama has so much love for you,  you can’t even imagine.  Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and He will faithfully lead you down the path He has made just for you!  I hope you have a wonderful birthday, sweetie! 

I can see the fingerprints of God, when I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God, and I know it's true
You're a masterpiece that all creation
Quietly applauds
And you're covered with, the fingerprints of God.

Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you
Fashioned by God's hand and perfectly planned
To be just who you are
And what He's been creating, since the first beat of your heart
Is a living, breathing, priceless work of art.

--Steven Curtis Chapman

After 10 years together...

As many of you know, Chad and I recently celebrated our 10th anniversary.  Wow, 10 years...it seems almost crazy that it has been that long.  It has flown by like a vapor.  There are so many things we have shared in the last 10 years.  If we could have looked into the future and saw where we would be...our lives might have been different.  I am so glad we couldn't, because there is nothing I would change, through our ups and downs, we didn't know what was around the corner.  We had to rely fully on God to bring us through to the other side.  Here are some highlights of the last 10 years....the good and the bad.

ITP: Yep, I was diagnosed with ITP early in our marriage.  It is a blood disorder that effects your bodies ability to keep platelets.  My body destroys them.  We had no idea it even existed and we learned together.  I struggled for over a year to get it under control, and Chad was by my side.  He never waivered in his love for me or his trust in the Lord.  He knew we would be okay.  It has changed my life and his.  So much of everything that we have been through has been a result of that diagnosis, that moment when we found out.   He is so much stronger than me, and I know God put us together for that reason, God knew I would need him to lean on.  We had no idea that this moment would change our entire lives. 

Memphis Vacation:  So this one seems silly, but it is a highlight of our marriage.  I am sure you know, I am a huge Elvis fan.  I had already been to Memphis when I was a teenager with my parents, but it was so much fun to share it with Chad.  I was also pregnant on this trip.  July, in Memphis, at least 90 degrees everday, I am not sure why we did that!  I am not even sure, why this was my favorite trip!  We still say that it tops the list as one of our best vacations.  We were even chased down the street by a homeless man!  He had given us his best Martin Luther King impersonation and Chad wasn't generous enough with the money, in his opinion.  I can still see us running down Beale Street, and him screaming from behind "I poured my heart out to ya'll!"  You can't help but laugh.

Along Came Hannah:  These aren't in any order, this is without question #1!  I prayed for a child for so long, and we weren't sure it was going to happen for us.  Pregnancy and ITP don't mix!   All the doctors went on and on about how platelet counts drop more in pregnancy.  Turns out, my counts were higher while I was pregnant.  That is the power of my GOD!  When Hannah came along, it was the hardest thing we have ever done.  We had no idea what we were doing.  I remember my mom showing Chad how to change a diaper in the hospital.  I was thinking, "whoa, we are in trouble!"  We learned so much together.  The three of us stuck together and figured it all out. She is the light of our lives.  She changed us for the better, and brought us closer than ever!

Disney Vacation:   So, I know I said Memphis was up there as the greatest, taking my baby girl to Disney was up there too!  The light in her eyes is something that can never be described.  The Lord blessed up beyong measure to be able to share that with her.  It was extraordinary for Chad and I too.  If you have kids you know that, making your child happy is what you want most in life.  Chad and I shared so many memories together on that trip.  When we are old and gray and Hannah is gone from home, I think we'll say "Remember at Disney when she..." and we'll laugh and smile and remember those times as some of the best we had...

Quiet nights at home:  I guess we are old and boring but nights at home are so much more wonderful than going out.  For us, we don't drink or party so we prefer quiet time.  It is amazing how when you love someone, just being with them is enough.  When Hannah goes to bed and it is quiet and we are watching one of our favorite shows or a movie, I am my happiest. 

There are so many things we have shared together.  I really can't put into words how much joy I have because he is in my life.  I have grown up with Chad.  We have cried together through deaths of dear family, and we celebrated as new ones come in, births and weddings.  I have grown closer to God because of his Godly leadership of our household.   Hannah loves Jesus with all her heart, His light shines when you look at her and it is because we have him to lead our home.   You can literally see the Love of God in him when you look into his eyes.  How can I not fall in love with him all over again when I see that?   There is nothing more I could ask for in a life partner and best friend....

Creating my Blog

So, this is my attempt at a blog.  I wanted to start this blog because I wanted to document the day to day events of our family.  I hope to offer a little laughter to brighten your day and mine.  Life seems to fly by so quickly these days, and I want to pause to remember as much as I can.  I hope you enjoy it!