A Christmas To Remember

Well, we got through another one! This Christmas was full of mixed emotions for our family. With the loss of Smiley and the entrance of Brody, alot of mixed tears have been shed. We can't seem to stop thinking about Mike and are totally enthralled with our new arrival. What a roller coaster! All that said, we have been jam-packed with acitivity. We went to Sheena and Pat's last night for Chili and presents. Everyone made out like bandits! We then returned home to prepare for Santa's arrival. Laynee was up at 4am to announce that Santa had been here. We then "encouraged" her to go back to bed:) A few shourt hours later, we all woke up to a cold and rainy morning. The kids got a new trampoline in hopes of tons of jumping fun. Laynee is our little cowgirl and got a new Furreal Pony named Butterscotch. Maycee was happy to get a new sewing machine so she can craft with mom. She also got a new stereo so she can dance with her friends. Clay got a Green Machine and was quick to be doing brodies in the street. Between the Underarmour and the Football garb, hes totally "covered". T got the long-awaited Ipod Touch and we havent seen him since:) Natalee and I got a few things we wanted and are happy to see all of our kids show their appreciation for this Christmas. After we got done opening presents, we gathered around the picture of Christ and discussed why we give gifts. We all understand that we have received the greatest gift of all in our Savior. How grateful we are to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. We are so happy to be a family. May this season remind all of us why we celebrate Christmas. May you all be as blessed as we are to have you in our lives. We are fortunate to have you in our lives! Thanks for all you do for us and the joy you bring into our lives!

A Time for Growth

Finding time to blog these days is not easy. My hands are usually either holding a baby or washing something. We have had a really good last couple of weeks. It is that time of year again for cross country. Tyler decided a couple of years ago that he wanted to try it out. Come to find out he is a really good runner. He must take after his great uncle. Last week was the regional final meet for middle school. His school competed against 7 other schools with a total of over 150 boys. It was a great race. Tyler took second place and my heart was racing as they came around the final turn. The boy who took first and Tyler had been back and forth with who was leading the entire race. Tyler really wanted to beat him because the other boy had beaten Tyler in two races during the season. We(our family) refers to the other boy as a mountain goat because he is such a good runner and has great endurance. Tyler is more like the gazel with his long strides and speed. Cross country has turned out to be a great sport for Tyler. He has grown a lot during his seasons. In one race Tyler was in the lead and had lapped another boy who, about the time Tyler reached him, had tripped and fallen over something. Tyler stopped running, was passed by other boys who were close behind, and helped the fallen boy back to his feet. T then got back in the race and caught up to all the other boys and ended up taking first place. That was such a great win for him because it carried so much of a life lesson. Tyler was disappointed to not take first place in the final meet but had no bad feeling towards the mountain goat. They have actually struck up a friendship. He has a great story too. When Jerry was talking to his mom she said the boy had been hit in the head with a golf ball when he was young and was not supposed to even ever walk again. The two boys hugged on the winners stand and it was a really special event. Tyler is growing into a really great young man. We are so proud of him!

Brody is doing really well also. Here are a couple of his two month pics. His eyes look to be turning blue and he is smiling when we talk to him. The outfit he is wearing is his Blessing outfit. In our church the Dad's give a blessing to their children shortly after they are born. It is kind of like a dedication in other churches. It is usually done during a church service but we decided to do Brody's at our home. We had several friends come and join us for the occasion and it was a really nice day.

We are now trying to get ready for Christmas. Jerry is trying to get me in the mood but I am just not quite as enthusiastic about all the hoopla as I have been in the past. I really feel an importance to keep it simpe this year and remember the true reason we celebrate this merry holiday. As I look at this baby and think about all of our blessings, I have heart full of gratitude. This has been a really nice week!

October 2008 was a month that dramatically changed our lives and we will always remember. We started this month with the celebration of new life and by the end of the month we experienced the passing of my father. On October 27th we said goodbye for now to Mike Smith, father and grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. I have been trying to write this entry for a couple of weeks but my mind is so full of feelings and experiences it has been difficult to put into words. We are all doing well and I have a new perspective on life. That is often a cliche but it is really how I feel.

I have so many things to be thankful for and I could see God's hand at work so much in my life during this past month that my heart seems to be filled with joy even at this time of grieving. Jerry and I felt so much love and support from family and friends during our difficult time. We saw the hand of God working so many times. This experience has changed who we want to be and taught us about the love that has been weaved into our lives. We received love and support from family, Dad's friends, our friends and even friends of friends and family of family. My eyes well with tears when I think of how this love feels. I want to thank all who helped us in even the smallest ways. No one's calls or notes or hugs or meals or tending of children go unappreciated. We realize this is what family is all about. We include friends into that family. We really are all family because we are connected by a man that shared his life with all of us and caused love to be interweaved between our lives. Then comes a new life that continues to interweave that love even more. Brody Michael was sent into this world at this time for many purposes. I'm not sure he realized his first purpose would begin at 8 days old.

Fall is my favorite time of year and now I have more reasons to enjoy the season. This season has been a difficult but highly rewarding one. I will miss my Dad until we are together again. But I am also rejoicing that he is with his Dad and Mom and no longer having to battle the difficulty of this life. I know he is watching and helping from the other side in even more ways than he could have if he were here. Dad connected me, Jerry and our children with so many great people and we do not want to let those connections fray. Katie and Chad are at the top of our priority list but all of the family and friends will be kept close to our hearts.

I hope this entry shares a little of what has been locked inside for the past couple of weeks. My heart is full in many ways. Again I am grateful for all of those who touched our lives. I am grateful for our new little boy. I am grateful Dad got to hold him and that memory will be precious to me forever. I am grateful to have the knowledge that Dad is in a place free of pain and reconnected to his parents. I know his Dad wrapped his arms around him and they rejoiced. My heart will miss him until we can do the same.

Brody Michael Hahn

Thebig day came early on October 9th. Brody Michael entered the world at 7:57am weighing in at 7lbs 3oz and 20 inches long. Everything went very smoothly with a scheduled c-section. His blood sugar was a little low when he first came out so the nurses gave him some formula right away. Dad was there to capture the picture. Brody was not done sucking because he quickly found his thumb a few minutes later. He is doing fine now while recovering with Mom in the hospital. All the brothers and sisters came down later in the afternoon to get their first peek and snuggle. As you can see, Clay is excited to be a big brother. They were all gentle with him and patient while the others got their turns. Laynee was concerned about Mom but enjoyed loving on her little brother.

Brody is doing well with me in the hospital. I will be going home on Sunday afternoon. The recovery is going well for me also. I am enjoying my time with our new little addition before the chaos of life begins. So far he is sleeping a lot and doing well with the breastfeeding. I pumped a little today so that Jerry could enjoy a little feeding time. Jerry has been busy keeping the rest of our life a float. Tonight we hired a babysitter and took "date night" at the hospital. We are both in awe of this little life. He is so precious and we feel so blessed. We are trying to soak up every moment because we know it is the last time we will be sharing this experience together. Adding another child to our family is exciting. Who knew 15 years ago that this is where we would be today! Welcome to our family Brody.....we ALL love you!!!!

Laynee's 6th Birthday

Laynee has FINALLY turned six. She has been counting down the weeks until her birthday. Last night we took our family celebration to the hospital. Geeda (Jerry's Mom) has been in there for 5 days due to some neurological problems with her right arm and back. So instead of leaving her out of the party we took the party to her. It was a birthday I think Laynee will remember. She was so sweet with her Geeda. In the first picture Laynee is pointing to her name on the front of the card. She noticed rigth away who it was from because of the way it was written. She commented to Jerry's Mom that she " had done a really good job writing with her left hand." Laynee made sure Geeda knew how much she appreciated the card and that she really did think the writing was good. It is for sure a card that will need to go into the scrapbook.

Laynee is our little Angel. We so enjoy watching her grown and mature. She is doing soo good in Kindergarten this year. On the second day of school she asked me if she could go to first grade because Kindergarten is just like preschool. I assured her it would begin to get more challenging. She is starting to read and can count and write to 100. We are so proud of her. Her teacher says she is a geat helper in the classroom is good at making new friends. Our little Angel is growing up and we are so proud of her. She is no longer the "baby" and it is already obvious.

The Nursery

The nursery is finally 90% complete. We put in new flooring, set up the furniture, painted, washed all the clothes and sheets and decorated. My neighbor is making some curtains to match the nursery. They will probably be either brown or blue. Creating this nursery has been a long process but very fun! We figures since it is the last time we will be making a nursery we should enjoy it. Even Tyler admitted, while he was putting furniture together with Jerry, that he IS starting to get excited. Now all we need is baby to put in the crib.

The picture is something I wanted to share because it was hand painted by a new friend of mine who is very talented. She recently moved over to Arizona from California and I was so pleased she would take the time to make something so special for our new baby.

The River!!

Three weeks ago we were able to get back out to our favorite spot to "hang out" with our family. It is Parker, Az on the Colorado River. This time we took our boat and had a fantastic time. The boat has been out of commission since we broke it in the Spring. It is now back in the water and we made some great memories. Tyler enjoyed the knee board and the little kids enjoyed the tube that we bougth to pull them in the water. Laynee is quite the adventurer. She wanted to be pulled as fast as Tyler. The kids had a blast playing in the water and in the sand. That includes our little Roscoe who also got in on the action of building a sand castle.(Actually he just loves digging in the sand and seeing how much he can get all over himself...it is a good laugh.)

We love sharing our favorite spot with whoever wants to come and join in the fun. The winter is also fun because we take the quads and go for adventures in the desert. The big boys like to play on the sand dunes also. Even if we just hang out by the campfire there is always a good memory to be made. Jerry and I are so happy we have found this fun place to make memories with our children. They even figure out how to have fun without their friends....imagine that!!...having fun with their siblings. It is a beautiful thing.

Brody's Baby Shower

The day finally arrived. I woke up at 3:00 in the morning in anticipation of this fun day. My very best friend, Stephanie Monge, put together with the assistance of my mother-in-law, Sheena, a beautiful baby shower! I new how much Steph had been working on this event so I was excited to see how it was all going to come together.



It was beautiful, sophisticated and fun. We had a luncheon at a restauraunt called The Urban Tea House. The menu was delightful. A great place for a lunch date with 'the girls'. The decorations really made the event special. I loved the chocolate and brown and all the detail that went into making this celebration of the last addition to our family so so special. Brody's name and initials were every where. The menu constisted of "Baby Hahn Hummus"and eith "The Brody Michael sandwich" or "The Oh Boy" salad. It was all topped off with a beautiful cake with fresh flowers. This little boy is sure to know how excited we ALL are to bring him into this family!



I received many wonderful gifts that we will use and were very thougthful. The blanket that I am holding in the picture is from my very special friend and neighbor, Melinda Hunt. She and her family worked on it all morning before the shower. It makes it even more special knowing a story behind the labor of love. We have been so blessed with all the great new friends that have come into our life since we have moved out here to Queen Creek. I am so thankful for each one of them and their unique places in our life.



One funny story from the shower was of me and another blonde/pregnant moment. When I walked into the room and saw all the decorations I noticed some cute tiny socks hanging on a line in the middle of table. My thoughts were "awww how sweet, those socks are so tiny".......then my second thougth was "ohhh.....those go on MY baby". I'm still not sure we are really prepared for how this little one is going to change our lives. We know he is coming but it has been sooo long since we have had a baby in the house. It is sure to be a good thing but we just don't know what to expect. We are anxiously getting ready. The count down is now at four weeks. I think we have all the supplies we need and now we just need to get organized. We are working diligently to get it all done. We are doing an little remodeling to make room for him and today I scheduled the last contractor. Let's hope all goes as planned. We like to use all the time we have.

The kids are getting excited. I have to say I think Laynee is the most excited and already attached to Brody the most. She kisses my tummy at least 10 times a day. Any time I leave to go anywhere she kisses me and then kisses my tummy. She must give my tummy a goodnight kiss as well. All of the children are going to bring great influence to Brody's life. He is certainly going to change theirs.

I would like to thank Stephanie again for the amazing shower she put together for me. I really felt like queen for a day and I'm not sure many people would go to the great effort she did to make the event so special. I am blessed to have such a best friend in my life!

Ten Little Toes....One Button Nose

Today was a fun day for Jerry and I. We had a 3D ultrasound done for Brody. He is looking healthy and growing just right. He moved around a lot and was trying to get his hands in his mouth. He kept opening and closing his mouth and moving his hands all around his mouth. He takes after his brothers. We also counted his 10 little toes and could see his one cute little button nose. It reminds us of Laynee's nose. This is a fun time for us and we hope you can enjoy a few cute pictures too. The first one is a side view with his mouth open and arm up to his mouth. The second one is more of a front view like he is laying on his tummy with head to the side and arm under his head. The last one is of his two feet and 10 little toes. We have about 10 weeks to go and are getting excited. We will get to pick a delivery date at our next appointment so hopefully we can start planning for the big event. We are getting excited!!

First Day of School.....Freedom

So here I sit....tick tock tick tock....that is what I here. Today ALL of my munchkins loaded on the bus for their first day of school. Maycee, Clay and Tyler were excited to get back to the classroom and Laynee proceeded like she was an old pro. The only melt down we had this morning was because Laynee's hair was not fixed to her liking and she was not going if I did not fix it right! I only broke down for a few tears during our morning prayer as I realized I was leaving my little angel in the hands of Angels. I wish I could be a fly on the wall today. The school seemed so big and the day seems like it will be so long. It is hard to believe that I have been home for 9 years and waiting for this day to come. Now that it is here I wonder where the years have gone and even struggle to remember all that we did during that time. I have not forgotten it all but it sure has gone fast. It seems we are opening a new chapter in our life and I am excited to see and be a part of all the life experiences that our children will bring to us in the next 9 years. It is sure to be full of all that life has to bring. Without children Jerry and I would be missing out on the greatest joys and opportunities to grow that life has to offer. Family, children and faith are what make us happy. Our life is good!

Eight Points

Clay collected his first shed horn from a deer today. While the rest of us were collecting berries he was checking out the forest and found one laying on the ground right in front of us. He was so excited! It will be coming home with us to Arizona and will find it's new home in Clays bedroom. It is a pretty good way to remember all the fun we have had this summer of 2008.

YUM YUM

Today turned out to be a berry fun day. We were going to go the boring library for something to do and then we got a call from Uncle John. He had been blackberry picking and quad riding. That sounded way more fun then reading in the quiet library. So off to the wild berry forest we went. The kids had fun off road quad riding and picking berries. These are not the berries we buy in the store. They are sweet and yummy. The bushes are also sticky and messy. I love experience for the kids. When we were done we went down to the creek and cooled off while looking for crawdads and tiny frogs. A great way to end this trip!

Big Announcement

All in all this has been an eventful and fun summer. The kids are ready to get back to play with their friends for a few days before school starts. I am enjoying the few days of green I have left of this summer. When we all get back we will hit the ground running to get ready for school and our new arrival. I am feeling great still. It is good to know this will be our last addition. I am ready to move to the next stage of life and enjoy raising our children. They are such a blessing and bring exhausting joy to my life every day. Family is a part of who we are. I have enjoyed the time spent with all my extended family. It always helps me understand myself and appreciate life a little more. OHHHH there is one more bit of big news I almost forgot to include. Brittanae is ENGAGED! She and PJ were also here for a week and he finally popped the question while they were here. Her ring is beautiful and they are soo happy. They do not have a date yet and believe it or not I did not get a pic of the couple or the ring but you just have to trust me. How could I almost forget such an important announcement?? Congrats Britt and PJ. We love you!!

The Children's Museum

From comic characters to archeological digging, that is why I love the Indianapolis Children's Museum. Laynee and Clay were dressing up as superwoman and batman while Tyler was learning the history of comic books and Maycee was learning how to draw a comic character. Then we were off to the dinasour exhibit where the kids could put on the equipment of a scientist and pretend to dig up bones. Tyler talked to an actual scientist about excavating and learned about a dino bone on display. I LOVE THIS PLACE!

Clifty Falls State Park

This is what I love about this place and why we come in the summer. The other day we were bored to we went to one of the local state parks. We took a picnic lunch and then went hiking. It is so beautiful and the kids get sooooo worn out. This park is known for its waterfalls. It is a beautiful place to spend the day!!

Family Pics

One of my favorite events of this years trip was the family photo shoot. Since I am the oldest cousin and only girl and love the camera (being behind it that is....my aunt brought some home video of when my brother and I were 6 and 2, even in the videos I was wanting to borrow grandmas camera to take pictures of some chickens....some things never change.) I took on the charge of getting some good family pics. The one's with my Dad are priceless and he even got a little nutty during the picture taking. I wish I could have a back drop like this available to us all the time. This is a beautiful park with MANY great backdrops.

Fireworks

After the the lights went out and the big show began the kids were in awe as always. The big kids were ready for bed by this time due to the fact that it does not even get dark until after 9:30.