Happy Birthday Hannah!!

Hannah is now 5! She's been anticipating this day for months and I think it met her expectations. She came running in my room (at 6:30!!!) this morning yelling "It's my birthday, it's my birthday, it's my birthday, I'm 5 today!!" over and over and over.... And she kept saying "today, everyone is going to celebrate ME!" We had a treasure hunt in our house for her to find her present from me. I wish I had it on video - it was priceless! She was a WILD girl..running around the house searching for clues. Then she was a WILD girl playing. I was exhausted by 8:00 a.m.!! And I was thinking that I still needed to finish cleaning a bit, needed to get the rest of the things ready for her party..and she was going CRAZY! Ah..we had a new movie we haven't seen, so it was the perfect day to pull it out. I put in Finding Nemo, and she happily watched the movie and Sadie half watched / half played (but she wasn't WILD so her playing was okay!). Ah, peace. I was able to clean, get things ready, and shower. After a few errands (including picking up her cake which was really late so we had to sit in the car and sing songs and play games while waiting), grandma and granpa arrived and she once again became WILD. She was so excited. We had lunch, then had her party. She had a gymnastics party at Head Over Heels. It was a lot of fun and she completely enjoyed every minute. Sadie loved it too. I was a little concerned that Sadie would have a hard time with Hannah opening presents. She's never been to a birthday party and I was afraid she wouldn't understand...but there was no reason to fear. Sadie was quite content with the cup of candy (party favor) provided and the discarded wrapping paper. You gotta love two year olds! It was so sweet to see all of Hannah's friends with Sadie too. They were so nuturing and caring to her. Of course, Sadie *thinks* she's as big as them and can do whatever they can do. And for the most part, she does. She impressed a couple of the other mamas with her ability to unwrap small tootsie rolls. I wasn't suprised - I knew my sweet-tooth girl would find a way to get into that candy!

Anyway, Hannah had a great day and was exhausted! It took her a total of 4 minutes to fall asleep when she finally got in the bed tonight. I can't believe she's FIVE! That's like - she's a real KID (as oppossed to toddler / preschooler)! As I was saying a thank you prayer tonight for the incredible gift I have in this spunky kid, I had to whisper a prayer for another woman on the other side of the world and wonder if she marks this day too? I know she does. How can she not? And she actually (we think) kept Hannah for four months when she was born. And at that time Hannah was relatively healthy. Even with the cleft lip and palate (which makes feeding in newborns difficult) and most likely extremely limited resources, she found a way to feed and nourish her through those first few months. She gave her life! And for that, I am extremely grateful. I pray she finds a peace in her heart today and that she knows that little baby is now thriving as a five year old. Happy Birthday sweet Hannah!

Here's a few pictures from her party:

Yes, that is a wedding dress. Hannah has been begging for one..and grandma provided one as her birthday present. She was so excited. Now she justs wants a suit for her little friend at school so they can get married! The only thing is, she hasn't let HIM know of the plan yet. details, details..

Just Have to Brag...

This is my 2 year old with no usuable thumbs cutting with scissors! She watched Hannah for a minute, then asked for the scissors and took off! Simply Amazing!

Pictures and Quick Update

All ready for kindergarten in her "adorable" outfit and sparkly shoes - that's totally why she's smiling so early in the morning!
It was a big day for Sadie too - her first day to stay without Hannah

Sitting outside her classroom waiting for the 7:45 announcement to enter

Just hanging out at home. The girls both sleep in their own beds, but *my* bed is a favorite early morning hang-out spot.

What a week! It was been a good week, but tiring. The first week is always like that. I have been back at work all week. The kids came Thursday so had two days. As far as I'm concerned, I really like my class this year. I have a sweet group of kids. Some are not too sure of this whole school thing yet, but I'm confident they'll settle in a routine quickly. Hannah has had a great two days in kindergarten. She was so confident walking off. I walked her to her classroom the first day, and let her go by herself today. Honestly, she would have been fine going by herself the first day...but *I* wanted to walk her down anyway. The first day of school she woke up and said "YEAH! I get to go to kindergarten so I can wear my new sparkly shoes and my new outfit...I'm going to be adorable!" ah..priorities..as long as you look cute, it'll be a good day. ha! :-) I haven't caught sight of her during the day yet, but a couple of my co-worker friends have and they've said when they see her, she always looks happy. I'm not suprised. She loves her teacher and has had happy stories and songs to share in the afternoons.

Sadie has done well this week as well...she had Hannah with her the first 3 days and then stayed by herself these last two days. Can I just say, it feels great to know she is with someone I trust and to know she's getting lots of attention and love during the day. Thanks stephanie! Her last two days have been a little tougher though - she's not been feeling well. After visiting our after-hours clinic it turns out she has an ear infection. But, after a couple doses of antibiotics, she seems to be feeling much better. And speaking of antibiotics..here's my public service announcement. Did y'all know Publix is giving away free antibiotics? No insurance co-pay or anything. There's only about 5 antibiotics they give away, but they are pretty common ones. Amoxicillan is one. I don't remember exactly what they all are..but they don't even ask to see your insurance card. free..really! I hope your children don't need them anytime soon..but even with good insurance (like I have), it's nice to get something free if you do.

I started this post Friday night, but I'm sure it'll be Sat. before I actually post it since the pictures are taking a while to upload...and I'm tired!