We interrupt this blog for some breaking news...

No, it isn't about this adorable new kitty of ours.

I just loved this picture I took with my phone yesterday of him just minutes after he was running around crazy.

The real BREAKING NEWS is

HANNAH MADE THE JV SOFTBALL TEAM

We are so proud of her and are excited for this new chapter in her life. 

Congrats Hannah Bear....you deserve it!!!

On the Eve of Greatness

Tomorrow our little girl is taking a big step in life.

She is starting High School.

I know she is nervous.

So am I.

But for different reasons.

She will do great.

Softball tryouts also start tomorrow.

It is a big day for sure!!

Good luck Hannah

We love you and know you will do great!!

Beautiful

In  the end....she was even more beautiful than I could have imagined!!!

Mama Bear

I always have so many things I want to write about and somehow my crazy life seems to get in the way!!

We have been busy this Spring with softball, work, a little motocross, work, holidays, work and more work.  I am not complaining as I feel so grateful to have a job again, but I have been so crazy busy trying to get everything in the order I like.  I was also lucky enough to get a little side job with the last company I contracted with....but it was over Easter weekend.  This HOA president thing has been getting in the way as well....it seems like that might be calming down a bit now.

As the school year winds down, it seems like our calendars fill up with events for the kids...field day, award ceremonies, year-end parties, etc.  I am lucky to work at a place that is flexible and I will be able to attend most of the kid's events.

Tonight Hannah is going to her 8th grade formal.  I can't believe she is going to High School in the fall.  In true teenage fashion, this dance has come with its share of drama.  However, this drama made this Mama Bear's very unhappy.  Hannah had borrowed a dress from a friend of hers and all we needed to do was get some shoes.  On Monday on our way to church school (Hannah volunteers for Matt's class) she was very upset but didn't want to talk about it.  She finally opened up and said that the "friend" she is going to the dance with told her that the dress she was going to wear (that she borrowed) was UGLY.  I wanted to go and strangle this girl.  For the record, the dress is really pretty and I thought it was great that Hannah was willing to save us some money, especially after 2 years of being unemployed.

In true Hannah fashion....she was still willing to wear the dress.  I took her to the store last night to get her shoes....however, I decided to buy her a new dress as well. 

She would have looked beautiful in the borrowed dress, but I know she will FEEL beautiful in this one. 

We have had lots of conversations about what a true friend is and Pete and I are trying hard to build her confidence so she doesn't allow herself to be treated like that.  Please say a little prayer for my Bear that she has fun tonight and feels as beautiful as she is.  I will post pictures when I can!!

Metal-less Mouth

We Started with This

Spent 2 Years and 4 months as a Metal Mouth

 Definitely worth all the hard work!!!

Then we stopped by Daddy's work to show off her pretty wireless (almost) teeth.

Hannah now has two permanent retainers that are glued on the back of her teeth (which she said feels like when you eat a green banana) and also has a clear retainer that she will first wear all the time, then just at night.  We are so proud of how good she was with her braces....she didn't even break a single wire or bracket.  Hopefully she will thank us eventually for riding her so hard about it.  She really handled them very well....she had to have a lot of work done and rarely complained!!

Congratulations Hannah....I hope you have lots of opportunities to show off that pretty smile!!!

Have Mercy On Us...

We have an official teenager in the house!!

Hannah turned 13 while we were in South Dakota for our reunion (which is why her birthday post is coming so late).

Here she is when we woke her up on her birthday.


Hannah has acted like a teenager for years now, but now it is finally official.

Hannah made us parents and continues to make us earn our parenting badges!!

She is such a joy to be around (most of the time), she is fun and mostly interested in her social status. She takes pictures of herself with her phone in the same pose over and over again and then uploads them to Facebook. She texts like crazy and that phone is attached to her hand at all times. We don't usually make her happy and we really don't know anything.

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone...I remember the day she was born like it happened this morning. This little firecracker (she was only 5lbs 13oz) made us a family and we couldn't be happier to call her ours.

Happy Birthday Boo Bear....you hold such a special place in our hearts and while I know it is tough right now, know that we are ALWAYS there for you!! Love ya Girl!!!!

"Going Out", Letting Go and Enjoying

I am sitting here on a rainy Halloween night waiting for my boys to come back from trick-or-treating. My Pirate and Commando are out filling those bags and enjoying themselves. Hopefully they caught up with their friends. The wagon is filled with juice boxes and beer...wonder if they will ever return?

Hannah is over at her friend's house trick-or-treating this year...kind of tough for this Mommy. I know I have to let her go, but damn it is hard!!! I gave my instructions (no taffy or sugar gum - we are paying too much for those braces to break them for a little candy) and sent her on her way. She is missed so much and hopefully her friend's mom will get pictures so I can post later!!

We did have a wonderful family lunch today that was quite entertaining. We found out that Hannah has a new boyfriend. She is "going out" with Ben, who plays football. How long has this been going on? Since last night when Hannah's friend sent Ben a text to ask if "he wanted to go out with Hannah" and he said YES!! Davis asked her if he was fat....her answer....

"I don't know, I haven't seen him in like a year"

He moved and goes to another school. Pete joked with her and said maybe we can have him over for dinner for ALL of us to meet him!!!!

Happy Halloween...enjoy what you have!!!

Small package with a BIG impact!

12 years ago today at 7:17am we were blessed to become parents for the first time to

Hannah Elizabeth

5lbs 13ozs

18 inches long

She was so tiny, but her spirit was and continues to be HUGE.

What a pure blessing she has been and I can't wait to see what her future holds.

This is Hannah today, holding the dress we brought her home in. We didn't know whether we were having a boy or a girl, so we had bought a dress and a little onesie for a boy. We weren't expecting her to arrive almost 3 weeks early, so the dress was HUGE. Pete went with his mom to get something to bring her home in and he bought the frilly little preemie dress.

Hannah,

Happy Birthday Boo, I hope you know how much we love you!! You changed our lives and you continue to bring so much happiness to us. You are so beautiful and I can't wait to see where life leads you.

Broken

We have our first Yost broken bone.

Hannah broke her arm (near her wrist) this morning at her last ever field day.

After the very first relay (which they took 1st)....

She fell down and used her hand to brace her fall.

I am WAY too tired to download the camera tonight, but I will work on getting the pictures downloaded.

She has a splint on it now and we are working on getting her into the orthopedist (our friend is the office manager at the place we were referred to). We need to make sure we do everything right so that everything is covered.

She is in a lot of pain...I feel so bad for her. She has a very busy time in her life coming up, as this is her last year in elementary school. Tomorrow is her luau. She graduates next week and has her "walk of honor" next Friday. She was also asked to play on "all-stars" for softball and I am not sure how this will effect it.

She is planning to pick her cast in a color that will coordinate with her graduation dress...ALL GIRL for sure!!

**************************************************

I have not been updating my blog much lately. To be completely honest, my spirit is a little broken right now. It just seems like every door is being closed without another opening up. I want to be the normal "half-full" kind of person, but it all seems a little empty right now.

Any prayers for my sanity would be greatly appreciated!!

Fear the Circle

Tomorrow Hannah's class is celebrating Pi Day because 3/14 is on Saturday.

She gets to take any dessert that is in the shape of a circle. I guess they will be measuring everything.

I said I would bake a round cake for her. I am even going to try to make a Pi on the cake with sprinkles.

Confession time:

I used to love as a kid to lick the mixers and the bowl when my mom made anything. I guess I still love it....I waited to mix the batter until Hannah had left for softball and the boys were in the shower so I could lick the bowl all by myself!!

Heart Notes

I bought some candy hearts today for me the kids. They are actually Smarties that are called Heart Notes. I had to pick up Hannah today from News Team at school and I gave her a roll of the candy. Her first one said "Sweet Thing" and then suddenly on the radio we heard "Sweet Thing" by Keith Urban (I think). So we started talking about some of the other sayings...like "Dream On" and "Awesome". Hannah looked through her hearts and says "this one says Homey"

I did think that was a little strange, but I was reminded of this picture taken almost 5 years ago when we taught Davis to cross his arms with a hat on and say "Was sup Homes".

Please note that I think his shorts are on backwards (and why was he wearing shorts, flip flops and no shirt in April)....Matt was a newborn so I must have been a little out of it!!

Then Hannah said...."Oh...it says HONEY".

Whew....at least there are some things that are sacred!!!

Hannah's requirements

We decided to take the kids to the toy store last night to tighten up their Santa wish list.

On the way there, Pete was teasing Davis about getting married (no idea where it started). Hannah stated that she was going to marry the man that "was just right for her...because I don't want to get a divorce".

"And I want to make sure he doesn't have a record!"

In November, she asked if she was going to go to "Juvey" for writing her political view in sidewalk chalk on the street.

I wonder if she is watching too much TV??????

Hopefully her dad will be in the Sheriff's department when she starts dating so he can do a background check on prospective husbands!!!

Honor Roll

Before Pete and I voted early on Thursday, we attended a very special awards ceremony.

Our Hannah Bear made the HONOR ROLL (all A's) for the first time. She has made the merit list every other quarter (except one) which is A-B's.

Good work....we are so proud of you!! Keep it up!!!!

Life Goes On

This has been a pretty emotional week so far....I would be okay if it would get easier!!

Yesterday I decided to quit.....(not my paying job Mom...no worries)....on taking Matt to school in the mornings. He is just so finicky and I just can't handle the crying. Pete took him this morning since I officially turned in my resignation yesterday effective immediately. I haven't burn the bridge or anything....I just need some space!!!

Hopefully the gas situation will be getting better soon.....I have done my best to conserve as much as I could!!! I am under a quarter of a tank right now, but it seems like the lines have improved a lot since yesterday!!

We did get some exciting news on Hannah...she has been invited to join the Beta Club. She has done such a great job this year in getting involved...she is in Chorus and on the News Team. Pete and I were never very involved in school, so it is great to see her doing her own thing and getting involved!!

We also received some random news today on Matt....he failed his eye test at school. WTH? We just had them checked at the end of July. Hopefully he was just confused on the test and didn't know what the "answer" was but not because he can't SEE it!!! Awesome - 4 years old, no front teeth, shaved head (maybe Pete will let it actually grow some) and glasses!!!!

I will be traveling for work next week down to Orlando and down the coast to Miami. I think it will be good to get away for a couple of days!! I will be staying in West Palm and I may just have to sit by the ocean and remember how truly blessed I am. I am pretty sure that visiting 4 nursing homes will surely help me feel blessed!!!

Just for giggles

Actually, my dad would have said "Just for Shits and Giggles"

What are the chances...

I am holed up in my "room" at a hotel where I am having a slumber party for Hannah.

Great plan...no clean up....no little brothers bothering them.

Only thing I didn't count on...

A group of 11 year old boys from Orlando here for a soccer tournament!!!

God help me!!

They were discussing who was cute.....girls will be girls!

This Date in History

1986 (22 years ago in case you are too lazy to count)

Pete and I go on our first BLIND date to a pizza place and then to his friend's house for a movie. Pete didn't want to go out with me (he got a surprise sneak peek about a week earlier when I had come back from a water park where I had just found out my ex had been cheating on me - "poodle head" is how best to describe my permed hair) and would only go if his friend Jason paid. I was a little unsure about him because he looked a little "punk" to me (where I got that I have no idea because he is about as non-punk as they come - maybe it was the red Generra pants).

I guess we hit it off......

Fast Forward 11 years
1997

4:10 in the morning, my water broke...3 weeks early. We headed off to the hospital with Pete thinking this would be a great time to speed on the highway!! He actually WANTED to get pulled over (I was told I better *act* like I was in labor when he got pulled over). I was able to convince him that us getting to the hospital ALIVE was better and that he had better SLOW DOWN!! Our baby had not turned, so we were whisked off to the OR for a C-section.

At 7:17am, we were changed forever.....a family was born. In Dr. Bardwell's words...."You have your Hannah". She was and still is absolutely PERFECT!!! She was a great nurser and slept well...she was a little colicky, but grew out of that.

I was looking through pictures and I decided that I would post a slide show of some of my favorites when she was little. I can't believe she has grown up so quickly!!

2008

Hannah, we love you even more and we feel so blessed that God lent you to us!!!
Happy 11th Birthday Boo Bear.....You Totally Rock!!!!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

For scenic Files

Hannah was very excited about a new show she found on TV....

"For Scenic Files"

I asked her what it was about and she said it was like a crime show.

She simply switched a couple letters....she is actually a huge fan of Forensic Files.

She's Home.....

Oh how we missed her!!! Welcome Home Hannah Bear!!!

Brace-Face

Hannah is now a brace face (her words, not mine).

This is pre-braces (you can see we have a ways to go)

She is only getting the top ones for now, but these are the ones that need the most movement. She did awesome while they put them on. Her cheek got stuck on a wire when we got home and she had somewhat of a meltdown. We finally got it loose and covered the wire with wax. She is pretty sore now and I think it will be worse tomorrow.

Here she is....Miss Brace Face!!!

She also had her dance recital rehearsal tonight. She did really well and I am really looking forward to her recital on Wednesday!!

This has been a long day but one I will remember forever....my little girl is not so little anymore!!