Happy Birthday Hannah

Dear Hannah,

Today you turn eight.  Eight is great!  I am so proud of the young lady you have become, your mature nature, and your funny and quirky personality.  I am blessed because I get to be your Mom!  I love having conversations with you.  They have sort of turned lately from me asking you questions about your day, to you asking questions about life and getting my thoughts on the happenings in your life.  You like to know the "plan" whether it be for the day or for the immediate future because you like to know what your day will look like.  You have an amazing sense of personal responsibility... many times making sure I remember about certain activities or deadlines we have coming up.  You are much like my own little assistant, but one that will surely call me out if I get forgetful!  You have also developed an appreciation of humor and sarcasm that rivals your Dad's... and I am not going to lie, you might be able to outwit us all in a few years!  All of the things you do and say and they way you look at life make you so uniquely YOU, and YOU are one AMAZING girl!

I like to reflect on your birthday at the year that has passed... and this year has been quite eventful as many of the previous years have been.  Since your last birthday you became a second grader, excelling in every aspect of school.  You have been so lucky to have a wonderful teacher this year that pushes you to go beyond the standard and onto your potential.  Your reading skills are amazing (reading Harry Potter right now!) and you have picked up on multiplication and division without even really being formally taught.  Every time I go into your classroom or ask you questions about your homework, I am impressed by your sponge-like brain!  You were asked to be a part of the 'High Five' group at school and were given extra work as a challenge...including a research report and plenty of time in the computer lab at the school!

You have continued to enjoy several extra curricular activities over the past year, adding another dance class and continuing your Jumpstart dance team.  You tried out basketball for a season, making several baskets and enjoying every moment of it!  Swimming has been a passion of yours as well, and I enjoyed watching you compete last summer in your second year on the Sanger Seals.  Another activity you tried out was Oral Interpretation at the school, where you did a fabulous job memorizing "More Parts" and performing in front of a PTC meeting full of parents.

As a family, it has been an eventful years as well... trips to the coast, Disneyland, Tahoe, and the snow were all a lot of fun...but the biggest event in our family was that you gained an UNCLE when your Aunt Regan married Brian last summer.  Brian is an amazing uncle, and loves hanging out with you girls!

You are very patient (most of the time) with your sister, and I am so thankful when I see the two of you working together and playing so nicely.  I may eat my words at some point, but you rarely fight.  I pray that relationship continues for the two of you forever.

I am so very thankful for you, Hannah... you are a wonderful kid!  I love seeing you grow up, change and become independent.  You are such a beautiful person inside and out and I love you to the moon and back times infinity!

Happy Birthday!

Love, Mom

To Claire, On Your 5th Birthday

Dear Claire,

Here we are, on your 5th birthday!  You are a spunky, funny, sweet girl and we are so, so blessed that you are ours!  I can't believe that five years have passed since you came into our family.

You have a wonderful sense of humor and your laugh is completely contagious!  Your idea of the way the world works and the funny 'kid' things you say just crack me up!  Most recently you dubbed the Starbucks frapuccino a 'fettuccini' and the name has stuck ;-)  You also ask the most thoughtful questions and tell me all about how things are, at least according to you. 

This past year was your last year at home even part time... you will be heading off to Kindergarten this fall...so I have been trying to hang on to these last few month of you being my little buddy and helper when we are watching baby Faith.  I am sad that I will be dropping you off at school EVERY morning come August.  This past year in preschool you spent two days a week in class and made lots of friends and had a lot of fun.  You were always eager to go to school and happy to do what was asked and met all of your pre-kindergarten goals.

While your sister is at school, you enjoy playing games and coloring and watching your favorite TV shows: Curious George, Mickey Mouse, Little Bear, and Miss Spider.  You are pretty good at occupying your time in your room playing with your dolls and Barbies or cooking in your play kitchen.  You also have been working on your reading skills with the BOB books and are eager to show me that you know how to read most in the first set!  You are the type of kid that one day something will be a struggle, but the next it will just click and you will know it from that point forward. 

As far as outside activities, this past year you have enjoyed soccer, dance, gymnastics, swimming and AWANA.  You have enjoyed and excelled in all.  I am especially impressed with your ability at many things in gymnastics, you have learned how to do a standing backbend and a cartwheel!  You also went from hardly swimming while taking a breath on your own to being a complete fish and swimming on the Sanger swim team!  I love that you have the inner drive to do what you set your mind to do!

You and Hannah continue to have a special bond.  You enjoy your time together, but like every family, you can also get a little tired of each other and argue.  I have been happy to see both of you look out for each other and develop fun games to play together.  You love to do almost everything Hannah does and having a big sister has proven to be one of your main sources of motivation. 

I am so happy to be your Mommy.  You have my heart and my prayer is that you have a heart for the Lord and to seek Him in all you do. 

You love to help me with various tasks around the house, yet seem to have a little bit of packrat in you when it comes to your own room or belongings... nevertheless you love helping me sweep or mop the floor, fold the laundry, or empty the dishwasher. 

Thank you for being the sweet girl that you are!  I am looking forward to this next year and seeing you grow and mature into the wonderful young lady I can already see you are. 

I love you to the moon and the stars and back!

Love,

Mommy

Then she turned seven...



Dear Hannah,

A few days ago, you turned lucky seven!  Your birthday always sneaks up on me and all of a sudden, I realize that you are a whole year older.  So sad to realize that you are no longer a little kid, and yet so exciting to see you grow and change and develop more as YOU.

You are your Mother's daughter in so many ways.  You LOVE school and spending time with friends.  You have to have your routine in place and you like to know what is coming up over the next few days.  You have a system for doing your homework, getting ready for bed and the following day at school, and you have a hidden agenda in your mind with many of the things you plan for and are always thinking of ways to make your life easier.  All are things I can vividly remember doing as a kid. 

You have developed a love for reading... consistently asking to head to the library or buy new books from the book order.  Your nose can be found in a book regularly.  You are also doing very well in school which of course makes Daddy and I very proud!  First grade seems to agree with you as your dictation skills, reading, and quick-thinking math skills have drastically improved.  I am always blown away by the things you know and the determination you have to excel.

As far as the past year goes with activities, you enjoyed swimming, soccer, AWANA, and are still a dancer.  You decided on ballet and jazz this year and were asked to be a part of the "Jumpstart" team at your dance studio and compete in a few local competitions. You seem to thrive with your chosen activities and also enjoy biking or scootering outside with the neighbors on a lazy weekend or late afternoon.

Hannah, you are sweet, silly, and can be crazy at times too - especially when you and Claire are doing something together.  I love to see you girls dance around and make up fun games.  It makes me smile to know that you are developing such a sweet friendship.  One of my favorite things lately is when you choose to have a 'sleep over' in your room and I hear you reading stories to Claire before the lights go out, totally melts my heart!  I pray for you to grow closer and closer as you get older. 

I am one lucky lady to get to be your Mom.  You hold me to my promises, ask lots of thoughtful questions that create some wonderful conversations.  Sometimes I feel like you might not be quite old enough for a particular topic, but you constantly suprise me by your maturity.  I look forward to many more of these 'life' conversations as you grow up... just don't grow up too fast!!

Happy, happy birthday my sweet SEVEN year old!!

I LOVE you to the moon and the sun and back a million times :-)

Love,

Mommy

My Baby is Four

Dear Claire,

Today is your fourth birthday. This morning when I woke up I saw that you had come into our bed in the middle of the night and you were sleeping next to me just as you were four years ago in the hospital. I distinctly remember those first few days after you arrived because I knew I needed to treasure each and every moment and remember those moments for days like today. You see today I look at you and there is no 'baby' left. You are a full-on kid.

This year has been a big one for you in terms of maturity and development. You started preschool and learned how to make friends and be away from home for a few hours at a time. You started dance class and did a few months of gymnastics, which you greatly enjoyed! You were finally able to join in on all of the fun activities that your older sister had been doing. Your vocabulary is exceptional, and you know how to use many words that I feel are advanced for your age. You enjoy making up funny sayings and have a sweet and silly sense of humor. I have noticed that you have been doing a great job at following directions and making sure your behavior is that of a 'big girl'. I am so proud of you!

You love dogs (maybe someday we will get one of our own instead of doggie-sitting for others).
You love fish crackers and fruit snacks and yogurt.
You love to color, and have an ability to stay within the lines that is totally impressive.
Your daily breakfast is a bowl of Cheerios with a sliced banana, and you would choose it over pancakes if it were socially accaptable.
You love playing Memory, Go Fish, and Old Maid and would play 18 games a day of each if we let you.
You get up at least one time every night before you fall asleep, and it drives us crazy... and you haven't taken a regular nap in over a year. We don't completely understand how you are able to function on such little sleep, yet you do it.
You love shoes and changing your clothes, and would change them 13 times a day if we let you ;-). You have been known to scooter in your high-heeled shoes or flip flops.
You are learning to swim, and doing a wonderful job.

You enjoy playing with Barbies, in your play kitchen, or with dolls or stuffed animals and we can often find you in your room wrapped up in play either by yourself or with Hannah. If it were up to you, you would play imaginative games with your sister all the time. As far as sisters go, you and Hannah have developed quite a sweet relationship. Sometimes silly, sometimes crazy, and sometimes (I'm sure) aggrivating... you can tell you truly love each other and miss each other when you are apart for the day. I am curious to see how it goes when Hannah is at school all day as opposed to half-day Kindergarten.

Daddy and I have had several conversations as to how lucky we are to have two wonderful, sweet girls. You bring a bubbly-ness to our lives that we would not be complete without. Your laugh makes my heart truly happy. We had a party for you yesterday and from the bottom of your heart, you told me 'Thank You' for doing the party for you. In moments like that, all the tough parts of being a parent fly away and I am reminded that my job is to 'raise up a child in the way (s)he shoud go...'. I pray I am doing that to my full potential.

Claire, you are a light. You make me laugh and can sometimes drive me crazy and I love you to the moon and back.

Happy Fourth Birthday!

Love,

Mommy

Dear Hannah,

My dear Hannah, today you are six.  SIX.  I am in sheer awe and disbelief that it has been that long since you came into our lives and made us not just a married couple, but a FAMILY.  You are truly a blessing, everyday I am aware of that.  You have such a sweet sense of humor, enjoy our time as a family hanging out at home, enjoy your time at school or dance and with friends, and are just becoming more and more of a little lady with each passing moment.

When I stop and try to think of a word to describe you, I think RESPONSIBLE.  I am proud to say that you take responsibility for what you have to do and what is expected of you.  You take the responsibility for getting your homework done, or your clothing set out for school the night before.  YOU take the responsibility of getting your snack for school together and keeping your room tidy...even when friends come over.  YOU remind me the things that need to happen on any given day.  You like to know the plan and what we will be doing in order to mentally prepare for the task at hand.  I honestly don't know many six-year-olds with this mindset.  It makes me smile to know you are so aware of what of what is happening.

You are doing excellent in school, your reading is coming along and you have never missed a word on you spelling tests.  When you did miss one on a math test, you were upset with yourself, but realized that is how you learn. 

I am so proud to say that you are a thoughtful and sweet big sister.  You have your moments of frustration, but you push past to see that your relationship with Claire is wonderfully special, and I continue to pray that it will grow even stronger in years to come. 

Two weeks ago you learned to ride a bike!  I am totally impressed by your can-do attitude.  There was a time when you were little that I thought you might be slower to try those types of things... but you are proving me wrong. 

As you continue to grow up and change, I pray that we will continue to stay close and that you will come to me with questions and concerns you might have.  With school starting this year, it is odd to me that I don't know what is going on every moment of your day.  I hope you will come to me for advice or to help with any problems you might have.  It is a completely different dynamic as a parent to start guiding your child instead of making all of the decisions for them. 

I am so proud of you, kiddo.  You add sparkle and joy to my life and I am excited to see what the next year brings.  But please, don't go growing up too fast.

I love you...

Love,

Mommy

Hannah's 5th Birthday Letter

Every year, on or around their birthday, I write each of the girls a letter. I have been doing this since Hannah's first birthday.

Dear Hannah,

You are now FIVE! A whole hand! You are an AMAZING young lady and I can't believe how LUCKY I am to be your Mommy. You make me smile each and every day, your inquisitive mind keeps me on my toes, and your sweet heart makes mine melt. You are indeed a blessing to us in EVERY sense of the word!

This year we opted to have a birthday party and invite many of our closest family freinds as well as many of the new friends you have made in preschool and dance class. As expected, you had a total BLAST at PUMP-IT-UP! Play time in huge bounce houses and obsticle courses, snack and cake time, and then presents! This was your first big party, and I am so glad that you are blessed to have so many sweet friends.

Speaking of, this year has been a big one for developing real friendship relationships. You are learning everyday about being a good friend, and have started to branch out a little from your comfort zone to welcome new friends in your life.

This past year saw the begining of your second year of preschool. Thankfully, we have been blessed with the same wonderful teacher two years in a row. It is no suprise that you absolutely LOVE school. You ask to go even if there is a vacation day! I am so excited for you to start kindergarten in August. While I am going to be sad to see you go off to join the ranks of the 'school aged' kiddos, I am so happy for you to start the next stage of your life. I know that you couldn't be more ready. You have been working on two-digit addition up to twenty, reading basics with the Hooked on Phonics program, writing, and practicing your sight words. While I know that the academic aspects of an education will fall into place, it is nice to see that you are excited to start with the basics.

This year was also the year of two dance classes. You continued your tap/ballet combo class and progressed to the next level, but also added a Jazz/ Hip Hop class to your repetiore. It is funny to me that you have the focus to dance for two hours straight each and every week. I don't think I have heard you complain once... I know we will be continuing dance, however we might have to go back down to one class per week. I am curious to see which class you will choose ;)

The other big activities you decided to try this year were soccer and swimming. You were about the youngest one on the soccer team, but held your own... and even got a few goals! I am sure you will choose to continue soccer. As far as swimming goes, you became quite the FISH! Ten weeks of swimming lessons were just the trick! By the end of last summer you were jumping off the diving board and diving for rings all by yourself.

So, to sum up. You are pretty darn involved! I enjoy seeing you grow and blossom in each and every activity you decide to try. What floors me though, is that you used to be pretty cautious and now you like to try new things all the time! It must be so wonderful to be five and learning about the world around you.

I am so excited to see what the year will bring.  Thank You for being the sweet girl that your are.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Claire,

Happy Birthday sweet girl! I am so excited that you are two! What a wonderful year it has been, you have become a full-fledged toddler, hit so many milestones, and developed into a loving, sweet, spirited, caring, opinionated, and adventuresome girl. At times I don't know what to do with you, as you have entered that stage of the *terrible two's* where every lesson is met with a push to test your limits. Although I will be more than happy to see those challenging moments pass, I am also in complete awe of seeing you grow, learn, and develop. You are full of fun and personality, already your own person!

Being two is wonderful for discovering so much about the world around you. You are developing a love for books, and I am so excited about that! You vocabulary is growing exponentially each day, you amaze us by voicing your thoughts into longer and longer sentences. You have a little language of your own too... we love the way you say swim'soup' and {when refering to your My Little Pony} 'Pink-a-pye'. Sometimes you are a little parrot, mimicking your big sister. You are just a little sponge and I pray I am able to foster the growth of your curiosity.

To look back at the past year as a family: We spent last summer on a fabulous road trip to Lake Tahoe and Boise, Idaho. You and Hannah had a wonderful time meeting and spending time with family! September brought Hannah's first day of preschool, where you enjoyed visiting throughout the year, ever asking when we dropped her off "Where Hannah go?". The times she was at school gave you and I a little one-on-one time. I learned of your ability to use your little imagination to play alone or share your games with me. When I started going to the gym regularly in September, you weren't quite sure about the daycare, but after a few rough days you were walking in without even looking back... so independant! For Halloween, we attended Zoo Boo with the Debbas family and you and Hannah dressed up as little witches in tutus. You didn't quite understand trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, but were definitely into the candy! After a wonderful Christmas with Nanny, Poppi, Auntie, Jeff, and GG, we spent a few days in Bass Lake with our good friends the Castigliones. This was your second trip to the snow, and you LOVED it! It was a little tough getting you into the layers of clothing, but once you realized that we could go out and have fun, you were ready to sport the hat and gloves :) The turn of the New Year brought on a challenging time for us as a family... Daddy was unfortunately let go from work, however it allowed for some bonding time for all of us and especially for you and Daddy. This past spring has brought on more changes for us as I have started working in the evenings and photographing on the weekends. You and Hannah have spent more and more time with Daddy and even some time with Nanny, Poppi, and Auntie. Daddy got a new job, and we are again changing as a family as we get used to him being at work everyday.

This summer so far you have enjoyed our little pool and getting in and out of the pool at Nanny and Poppi's house. You enjoy riding your tricycle while Hannah rides her bike. You have started doing your "homework" by writing little scribbles in a drawing book. You enjoy spending time with friends and are getting better and better with sharing and learing to be a kind and gentle friend. You love dressing up and playing imaginative games with Hannah. I pray that the two of you will be as close as two sisters can be. You seem to enjoy playing together, and I am so excited to see your relationship grow!

I look forward to this coming year! I look forward to seeing all you will do and how much you will grow. I can't wait to see that spunky personality of yours develop even more. I pray you will be safe and healthy and continue to grow into the thoughtful, kind and squeezable girl you already are.

God has AMAZING plans for your life! I am so thankful that He chose your Daddy and me to be your parents!

I love you Claire!

Love, Mommy
(6.29.09)

Dear Hannah,

Hannah,



For some reason this year your birthday has been a lot different than in years past. This year you are old enough to understand that you are a whole year older. You knew to ask when your birthday was, and how many days you had left. You knew what activities you would have on your birthday and were aware that you could ask family for something specific as a birthday present. This year your birthday was no longer about me pushing birthday festivities upon you, (blow out the candles, tell Nanny 'thank you'...) this year you had it covered.



I don't know what to think of the young lady you are turning into. I can't believe how fast you have grown, changed, and learned about life. I constantly remind myself that you are just four, not six like sometimes you seem. Then there are the days that I look into your beautiful eyes and see that you are still my baby girl, because no matter how old you get you will always be just that.



This year has been an adventure, much like years past. We were fortunate enough to head down to Disneyland last May for your fist trip to the Magic Kingdom! I know you LOVED every second of it, and wish we could have planned another trip this year. You had so much fun you fell asleep standing up at the end of the night! In the summer we spent a few weeks on the road traveling to Lake Tahoe and Boise. You loved our trip and did a fantastic job in the car, thanks to Popi's DVD player. Also last summer you started dance classes and swimming lessons. You have continued dancing and expanded your repotoire to tap, which you seem to really enjoy! The fall brought the start of preschool 2 days per week and Awanas, and no suprise, you are doing a fantastic job!



This year has also been an amazing year as far a personal growth. You and Claire have developed a sisterly bond that I hope will just grow stronger. You are always looking out for her, and it truly melts my heart to see you develop as friends. You grew out of your "terrible two" stage and have learned how to cope with certain situations by talking it out, something I am so proud you have learned. While you have remained on the cautious side in general, I have noticed that you are more willing to join in with new situations and play with different friends than you have in the past and I hope you continue as you start new and exciting activities in years to come.



I know you are on the verge of reading, and I plan to work with you in the coming months. You have mastered recognizing your letters and have worked hard on learning to write them as well as learning what sounds the letters make and determining what words start with which letter sounds. You are learning simple addition and are grasping the concept of subtraction. While I don't know if I am cut out to be a teacher, I know you will make an incredible student. I almost wish you could be in Kindergarten this coming fall, but I will gladly keep you at home another year with me :)



One thing I have to mention too is your incredible memory. We have continued teaching you different landmarks, but have also started teaching you the names of the US Presidents (currently you know 1-10!). I am so excited to see the new and incredible things you will learn this year. Your hunger to learn is just incredible!



My dear Hannah, thank you for the many blessings you have brought to us. Thank you for being (mostly) agreeable and always sweet. Though there have been some trying times for us as a family this year, you are a constant light. You might be too young to understand some things, but I know you are not too young to understand the love we share as a family. I know we have grown closer as a family this year, and I am so thankful for that and for you.



I love you.



Mommy

To my baby girl...

My Dear Claire,

Happy, happy birthday little girl. You are such a love, and I am so happy to be your Mommy! You are already one, and so full of personality. You are a daring, cuddly, intelligent, spirited girl with little to no fear! It is wonderful to see you grow and change everyday. And you have changed so much in the past few weeks. I can not believe I no longer have a baby, but a curious little toddler roaming around the house. Just today you picked up on the sign for "thank you" and have added it to your growing list of known signs (more, please, hat...). You also LOVE to eat fishy crackers, calling them "...shhhh". We are so excited to see your vocabualry develop in the coming months and years.

This year has been very eventful for us as a family. You were born in Templeton, CA last June while we were living in Paso Robles. As a family, we spent the rest of the summer attending weddings, visiting the beach, and making the two-hour trip to and from Clovis to visit with friends and family. Many friends came to meet you while we were living in Paso Robles. We visited the pumpkin patch and went trick-or-treating in the fall, and we visited Hearst Castle at Christmas time. In February we learned that we would be able to move back to our home in Clovis. So, a few short weeks later we moved to a town you had never known, and we are happy to be back near family and friends! The past few months have really been a blur of settling in, taking a trip down to Disneyland, and watching you develop into a busy little bee!

Your big sister Hannah has been so excited that you are here! She loves that you are getting bigger and are able to play with her more and more. In fact, your Daddy and I love to see you "hold your own" while the two of you play. I am sure the two of you will be wonderful friends and playmates in the years to come, and I pray you will be as close as any two sisters can be.

One interesting thing about you, Claire, is that you have developmentally been on virtually the same schedule as Hannah was. You both rolled over, crawled, sat up, and walked with-in days of being the same age. You even got your first tooth within two days of the time Hannah had gotten her first tooth. There is a few very distinct differences in the two of you also, mainly in your personalities. Where Hannah is very cautious and slow to warm-up to situations... you are fearless and ready to try anything you can. While this may be interresting for us as parents in the coming years, (yes, we have a climber and a mischevious one here) we love that you are so full of spirit and curiosity. I know you are going to be so eager to learn new things.

We are so blessed by the fact that you have been a wonderful baby! Except for sleeping, you are usually very calm and happy. You go with the flow. This was especially apparent at Disneyland, where you seemed happy to do almost anything! Sometimes I would love to have an idea of what babies think, because I feel like you are thinking "...alright... I guess this is what we do...", and just seem so happy to be included.

Already you know many concepts. My favorite is that you love shoes! You love finding them, calling them "shhh...s" and trying to put them on your feet. You seem so excited when it is time to get your shoes on. Oh, how lucky I am to have girls! :)

Finally, Claire, I want you to know just how loved you are. Your Daddy and I are amazed by you! We pray for your future, for your health and development, and for our patience. My heart melts everytime I go to get you out of your crib and am greeted by your toothy little grin. I know the days of you being so young are numberd and you will soon grow, but I am so very lucky to get to witness you grow.

I love you little one,

Mommy

{and on that note, a cute blog I want to implement someday... baby love letters}

Hannah's 3rd Birthday!

Well, it was a few weeks ago, but I have always wanted to write letters to my kids at or around each of their birthdays. This blog was a great way to do that last year, so I think I will continue, even though it is late this time.

Dear Hannah,

Happy 3rd Birthday! You are a beautiful young lady and I am so proud of you! There is so much you have done in this past year, and so many ways you have grown. Sometimes I can't believe how grown up you already are. Parts of me want for you to remain young, but parts of me are so happy and excited for you with each and every new thing you discover.

This year has been filled with some wonderful moments, we welcomed your little sister, Claire, into our family in June. We lived much of the year in Paso Robles and spent lots of time at Pismo Beach, at the Children's Museum, and traveling back to Clovis to stay with your Nanny and Poppi. You took a Mom and Me preschool class, and spent lots of time reading Berenstain Bears books. You have mastered reciting the alphabet, can count to 25, and have learned the locations of about 15 landmarks. Your Daddy and I can't wait to see the new things you will learn this coming year!

In the past year you have learned to use the potty, and are so good at telling me when you need to go. You have started doing some chores, like taking your plate to the kitchen when you are done eating. You have also tried hard to learn how to be a big sister, not an easy task!

You are a very cautious girl. It takes you a few minutes to warm up to situations, but this is a wonderful personality trait! It is good to think before you act, and I pray that this will be a blessing for you in the coming years.

I love talking with you. You have wonderful ideas, and I hope that you little mind never stops hungering to learn. You display an understanding of so many concepts, it truly blows us all away. I am looking forward to sharing more and more answers to your questions in the coming years. It is amazing to see your mind work.

I love you Hannah. I pray for so many things in your life. I pray for your future and for you little mind right now. I pray for your continued health. I pray for my patience as a Mother. I don't want to look back and wish I had spent more time with you. These days are so precious to me, and I hope you can remember the wonderful times we share.

Happy, happy birthday! Thak you for being an AMAZING daughter!

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday Hannah

Dearest Hannah,

Yesterday you turned two. You are already such a young lady, so well spoken and intellegent. We can't believe all that you can do, and the big concepts that you understand. For example, you told me the other day as I was trying to park the car in a small space that I should be careful and not hit the cars because "hitting is rude". How did you come up with that? And, you are right, we never hit anyone. You have told me many times not to be "irritated" by cars as I am driving. Your favorite words lately have been "because", "probibly", "almost", and "used to". You try to incorporate those words in almost every sentence you say, even if it isn't exactly the right way to use the word, we are so impressed by your ability to try.

You love reading. In fact you have memorized many books and love to "read" them to yourself. It is absolutely adorable! Your favorite books are Cinderella, Spot's Birthday Party, I'm a Big Sister, and My Big Girl Potty. (Hopefully soon you will be using your Big Girl Potty :))

The past year has been very eventful for us as a family. Daddy took a new job with Pfizer. His territory would be on the Central Coast so we decided he would commute for the first six months. It was difficult to make that change in our lives because it meant only seeing Daddy on the weekends and that he would have to spend almost a month away from home last summer. You knew, though, that Daddy worked in "Paso Robles" and that he would always be home on "Fridays". We made the adjustments that we could to my work schedule so I could be at home with you as much as possible, and your Nana Kathy was able to help us out a lot while I worked in the evenings. In January of this year we made the decision to move to Paso Robles, Ca. as a family so we could all be together. While it was hard to leave family and wonderful friends, it was good for us to finally be together again. We can really tell that you love us all being together.

In September of 2006 we found out that you are going to be a Big Sister! Your little sister is due in June. While you weren't too sure about it at first ("No brother, no sister, just Hannah") you seem very excited that we will have a new baby in our house very soon.

You have sure come a long way in the past year. On your last birthday you had very little hair and were still a little wobbly on your feet. Your vocabulary was very limited. Now you have beautiful curly hair, you are running and palying and going down the slide at the park by yourself. You have such a strong vocabulary, can count to 12 by yourself, know all your basic colors and shapes, and comprehend such complex ideas. It will be so fun to see how you grow and change in the next year.

I am so happy to be your Mommy! You brighten my life everyday and I am so thankful God has put you in our lives.

I am so proud of you and love you with all that I am. Keep growing up and enjoying life. Try not to give your parents too hard of a time during this next stage of the Terrible Twos.

I love you!

Mommy
April 2, 2007