Hahnery Happenings

2011

2011-04-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Standing on the edge of the River is therapy. I love this pic!
Maycee and Katie with their riding goggles on.
Everyone tucking in for the night.
Katie and Brody had some bonding time....he calls her TayTay.
Can you say Diva?? She is a sweet one though!
Laynee at her first solo dance competition. She scored really high and took second place in her division. The girls who took first place is a Toddler and Tiarra Pageant Queen.(TLC Show for young pageant girls) The important thing is she had fun and wants to do more!
This is one of the moves in her dance.
The girls performed at a local Rodeo(Queen Creek) in March.
Well, I said I was going to be better about blogging this year but every year seems to be getting busier than the year before. We are trying to figure out how to simplify but it takes time to make changes. This year has been good to us so far. Tyler is running track, Maycee and Laynee are dancing and Clay is playing baseball and Jerry is coaching. Brody starts swimming lesson tomorrow, April 25th. I.....well, I keep them all running in the right direction, make sure their clothes are clean and food is in the fridge. Occasionally, I find a night when we can all sit down together and enjoy some time around the table.

Spring break was fantastic this year. My younger brother and sister were able to come out and visit for a week. The weather was beautiful and our time together brought a lot of healing. We took family pictures and spent some time at our favorite camping spot riding quads and playing in the river. We can all hardly wait to be together again and do some more exploring and reconnecting!! I will put some of the family pics on here as soon as I get the new computer up and running. This ancient beast I am working on does not allow me to download the pics from a disc, but I will tell you they are priceless and I can hardly wait to share them with you!

Following are some pics of the highlights of the first few months of the year. Every week of our lives are jam packed with events I would love to share but I will try to keep it to the highlights. I wish I had more time to sit down and write. I was inspired to write tonight by a friend who recently moved and started a blog. I enjoyed reading about her family so much and remembered it had been a long time since I had updated our family blog.

2010 in a Nutshell

2010-11-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

I WROTE THIS BLOG LAST MONTH AND NEVER POSTED.....I PROMISE TO DO BETTER IN 2011! MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hello Family and Friends! I have found a few minutes to look back at our blog and realize it has been over 6 months since I last posted any updates. Life has taken us by storm but we are enjoying the journey. A lot has changed in the past 6 months.

I'll start with Brody. He has turned 2 in all sense of the word. His official day was October 2nd, however this last week he realized what it means to be "two". We won't say he is terrible but he certainly has become quite a "tornado", meaning he finds all kinds of ways to cause chaos! We love him too much to say he is "terrible". He is always a little light in our home and each family member has a special relationship with him. Brody has a name for everyone except himself. Of course Jerry and I are Mom and DA DA and Tyler is Tyder, but Maycee is DA, Clay is Bubu, and Laynee is Claaa. We don't know where he has come up with these names but they are very clear when he wants to get our attention. We have recently had to remove a couple of drawers in the kitchen because he climbs up and gets the keys out of the cabinet where we keep them. He know which keys start the quads(and how to start them), the different trucks and which ones don't work for anything. It makes him mad when we give him those!

A really funny story that happened recently did not start out so fun. Brody and I were sitting out front on our bridge sending the kids off to school. He lost his balance and fell off backwards. Of course he needed stitches on his head so we headed off to the ER. When they put stitches in little one's they put them in this papoose wrap so they can not squirm all over. Well, not only did Brody not squirm.....he fell asleep while they were stitching him up. They realized it when he started snoring! Funny boy.... he brings a new level of comedy, crazy and cohesiveness to your family.

All the other kids are doing well too. Tyler just finished Cross Country season. He had a great season and finally found his inner drive at State Finals. We have been telling him he has more in him but he has not been willing to reach for it. He has a big day coming up the end of this month so we decided to bribe him a little to "encourage" him to perform. We told him if he placed first for his team(which he is totally capable of but has not done all season) then we would knock off the extra days he was going to have to wait to get his license. OHHH, he did it!! He beat his personal record by 41 seconds and the kid that usually beats him, he beat by 27 seconds. That may not sound like a lot but in running it is HUGE! He received the "Hotwheels" award at the team banquet. Now the bar of expectation has been raised. Life with a teenager is fun and challenging but we are enjoying watching him grow into a young man.

Maycee is really coming into herself also. She has found a love for baking. She is always finding something new to treat us with. She pours through all my cookbooks and finds new and fun recipes. She started learning how to bake while spending time with Pat, Jerry's Grandma, in the kitchen. Pat taught her how to make fudge and banana bread. The rest is history. Maycee is now the official birthday cake baker. Today she attempted her first two layer cake and made the cake from scratch (not a box). Uncle PJ directed her on how to put the two layers together and put a filling in the middle. It turned out really good. Who knows what her next creation will be. She wants to learn how to sew. She and I are going to take some classes on how to work the sewing machine. She wants to make purses and blankets. That girl is the peacemaker in our home! She absolutely amazes us. We are excited to see her transition into a teenager.

Clay is staying busy with all the boys in the neighborhood. He has more friends than all the other kids combined. On any given Friday evening or Saturday afternoon there will be about 6-8 boys filtering thru our house and backyard. Clay is taking a break from sports for this season but will be back in full swing when Little League starts up in the spring. He is currently working with a trainer to keep up his "skills" so he is ready for a new season. Clay and Brody have a fun relationship. Brody loves to ride on Clay's shoulders and go for quad rides in the back yard. Clay takes him "off roading" over the berms and under the orange trees. They have a ton of fun going 3 miles an hour...haha. In this picture they were playing in the irrigation. Clay was "babysitting" for me while I got some chores done.

Laynee is our little miss busy body. She was baptized last month and was so excited. Laynee loves to write in her journals (yes, more than one) and read in her new scriptures. She strives to be the best at everything she does. She is dancing several hours a week and currently rehearsing to be in the Christmas play at school. Dance keeps her busy with performances and competitions. She has taken a break from piano but still loves to play. We are hoping to find time in her schedule to allow for lessons again in the beginning of the year. Maybe with Tyler driving we'll have more taxi time for transportation services. I'm sure he will be be chomping to find places to drive to. I have not decided if I am excited or nervous about the idea. Laynee had a super fun birthday. It is one that will go down in the memory books....Ponies dressed up like My Little Pony's. What more could a little girl want than for imagination to come to life. It was a fun celebration.

Jerry and I are staying busy playing tag team as we do hand offs and run different directions to make every one's schedule work. Sheena, Jerry's mom, has stepped in quite a bit to help also. I have gone back to work two nights a week and have also started working in real estate again. Sleep is a hot commodity for both Jerry and myself. His alarm goes off around 4 am and the lights usually turn off around 11pm, if we are lucky. Sometimes my lights don't turn off until around 7am. It's a little crazy but we are making it work and occasionally finding time for a date night. We are looking forward to a quick get away to Colorado next week. We are going to attempt the slopes and then cuddle up in front of a fire. We might even catch a few extra hours of sleep.

I'm not sure we knew what we were signing up for when we started this large family idea. We are definitely learning a lot about life.....we are not in control...only facilitators of a greater plan. I find myself often on my knees in my closet looking for direction and pleading for peace. Seriously though, Jerry and I would not change a thing about our large bru. They each are discovering their gifts and talents and fine tuning them for future good. We love watching and discussing how they are growing and how special each child is to us.

Hopefully this gives you and idea of what has been happening the last several months. We have a lot coming up in the near future so I will try to do better about posting more updates.

2009-12-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

I just found this post that I was working on at Christmas and evidently never finished. So Here it is for the pictures anyways. ..........Okay....so it has been a while. I cannot believe Christmas is already coming. We have all been super busy in all of our activities but still enjoying some good family time. The girls have been dancing and the boys playing baseball & football. Here are a few pics from the past couple of weeks in our life. The pics of Brody were taken today. I am trying to learn how to be a good picture taker. Today I was a one man show and that is not easy with a fourteen month old. Maybe I'll try again later. For now this is how this little guy is doing. He is starting to walk...taking about 10 steps at a time. He knows several signs for sign language....eat, all done, night night, more and we are working on please. Communicating with him is so fun. Hopefully I will get Christmas cards out soon. This is our favorite time of year especially because we get to here from all of our friends and family.

Happy Days!!

2009-10-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

This has been a fun week for our family. It has been a week of celebrations and vacation. Last Friday we began our week of fun with the celebration of Laynee's 7th birthday. She was so excited to add a digit. She has blossomed this past year. First grade is very exciting for her. She is at the top of her class and leading the pack in learning her addition and subtraction facts. Jerry and I laugh constantly as she is becoming quite the comedian.

Over the weekend we loaded up the trailer for vacation. We decided to take the kids to California and try to do it on a budget. Monday morning we pulled out and headed for Newport Beach. Instead of staying in a hotel, this year we decided to "camp" on the beach and drive in two days to go to Disneyland. The kids were so excited to finally get to go to the magical kingdom. It seemed like the perfect time to take the plunge. The kids are on fall break, Laynee turned 7 and .......Brody turns !1!

YES, I said Brody turns ONE year old tomorrow, October 9th. I can not believe it has already been a year. This past year has been blessed with many great memories. We have tried to capture as many on film as we can. As we get older our minds remember less but we will always remember that we we have thouroughly enjoyed every minute of this baby boys life. He has brought so much joy to our family. The firs t name he has learned (other than DaDa) is "Tyler". Maycee is his second mommy. Clay is Brody's favorite playmate and Laynee is teaching him how to share his Mommy. The other day I had just finished changing his diaper and then she came in the room and climbed on my lap. I was snuggling with her and he turned around and gave her quite the look. He let out a little "ahhh" as if to say, hey....it's my Mommy. He then crawled over and climbed on her lap and into mine to push her out. It was very cute.
We will be celebrating his big day this next weekend and I will have more pics then.

Disneyland was a big success. We started our playing on Tuesday and enjoyed many of the oldy but goody attractions. Brody took a nap in It's a Small World and then we were hijacked by Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride broke down and we sat in the sea for about 20 minutes. Tyler and his friend Sheldon took off on their own enjoyed a little independence. On Thursday we began in California Adventure and tackled Tower of Terror. I have never laughed so hard in my life! We all decided it was the best ride of all because it was the most entertaining. That night we stayed for the parade and fireworks. Maycee and Laynee got to dance in the parade with the entertainers. We ate dinner in Downtown Disney. Overall, fun was had by eveyone and Jerry and I felt gratification when the kids fell asleep in the car on the way home. We officially wore them out! Disneyland was a very happy place for our family vacation.

Today we went to enjoy some waves of the ocean and a little sand in our toes. Brody loved the water and sand. He splashed his feet in the ocean and crawled around in the sand. He is definitely a Hahn kid! The weather was a perfect 73 degrees. The kids all enjoyed burying Clay and Laynee in the sand and then jumping the waves in the ocean. We all got a little kissed by the sun but it felt good to relax and hang out as a family.

Once again as long as we are together as a family we seem to have fun. Jerry and I are always amazed how well the kids seem to get along when we are doing these kinds of things. I actually thought for a moment that maybe those families that take off and tour the country with their kids in a motor home may be on to something. I don't think we have that kind of adventure in us but I sure think our kids would enjoy it. For now Jerry and I will just try to provide as many of these types of experiences as possible so that our family will be bonded and we can escape the distractions of day to day life long enough to take notice of how blessed we are. Raising a family is all and more than I ever dreamed it to be and I am so thankful!

8 months....already!

2009-06-19T21:38:00.001-07:00

fgjdkj vgmk b (Brody's contribution to the blog entry)

Brody is already 8 months!!! He is growing so fast now. He scoots his little self where ever he wants to go and is rocking back and forth on his elbows and knees. He started saying "da da da da" on his 8 month birthday. We were eating dinner and all of a sudden I heard him join in the conversation. Jerry was not with us so we had to call him and he was so excited. It is a great early father's day present. (am I off the hook) Today was so cute. We have been trying to teach him sign language. He almost has milk down as a sign. Sometimes it is difficult to know if he is really doing it or just moving his fingers but today when he was saying da da da he made the sign for Dad at the same time. I had witnesses to see it! Now if I could only get a "mama" then life would be complete. I'm sure once he starts I will be hearing a lot of it! I'll want to teach him some other new words. We are having so much fun with him. He has been swimming in the pool and enjoying learning new things. We are so thankful for this little bundle of life in our family!!!

Rock Star Party

2009-06-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Maycee had a birthday bash before we left for Indiana. Her birthday is June 23rd and we are usually gone so we had an early party. This year she chose 5 of her closest friends (only 4 could come) and has a rock star party at a store called Justice. It is a store just for girls. The girls each got their hair done and a LITTLE make up. These girls are so much fun. Maycee has a fun group of girl friends and we had fun celebrating with them. They each put so much thought into their gifts and Maycee felt very loved. 10 is a great age! We love you Dolly and thanks for all you do for us!

Seattle

2009-06-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

Seattle was a ton of fun. We visited all the top sights and played at all the best museums. In these pictures the kids are playing different instruments at a place called the Experience Music Project or locally called the "EMP". It was a great place that allowed the kids to experience all the different parts of a band. We even got to create our own band and play a song. Can you guess the band name?....Yep...Hahnery Bunch. Jerry was lead vocalist, Tyler on the guitar, Clay on the drums and Maycee on the keyboard. We have a picture to capture the memory but it does not scan very well. It will have to go in the scrapbook.
We also visited a place called Tillicum Village that is when this picture of Maycee, Sheena and Virgie was taken. We had to take a water taxi ride out to the island where we had a yummy authentic tribal lunch of fresh salmon and rice. Then we watched a play about the rituals of tribes. It was a fun experience.
The other fun event while we were up there was a familiy get together with Jerry's side of the family. Sheena and Grandma have a lot of family that live in the seattle area. There were some that came up from CA also. The highlight of the get together was the bagpipe player who was hired by one of the cousins. Grandma was so thrilled. The family is originally from Scotland and she loves the bagpipes. He played while we enjoyed lunch and the kids were all taken by the instrument.
All in all we had a great time in Seattle. Tyler kept in touch with his friends with his texting and by the end of the trip was glad that he came. Everyone had a different best experience: Tyler-EMP & Duck ride, Maycee-, Laynee- going out to dinner as a family and getting her giant crystal (she was VERY particular about where she spent her souvenir money), Clay-bagpipes, Jerry-family reunion, Natalee-clam chowder at Dukes!
We are so appreciative of Geeda for taking us on this family trip. We made some great memories and had fun experiences! The kids will always remember the fun places but more importantly the relationships strengthened by being in this fun town together. Thanks Geeda!

Big and Small Promotions

2009-06-10T20:16:00.001-07:00

Lately the only time to update our blog is after everyone has gone to bed and I am left in the quiet of the night. We have been so busy that by the time we get to quiet hours my eyes are almost closed. We have been doing a lot of partying and traveling.
The picture above is Laynee and her best friend Alex. They live down the street from each other and are in the same grade at school. This was taken at Laynee's Kindergarten graduation performance. The girls are so cute together. It will be fun to watch them grow up together.

This is a shot of Tyler and a couple of his best friends at 8th grade promotion. The one in the middle is like a brother to him. He is often raiding our pantry and frig. Promotion was a lot of fun and it is hard to believe Tyler will be going into High School. We are looking forward to and and cringing at the same time. He has a group of friends that are really good kids and they keep each other out of trouble. We had a party for him and his friends at our house and below are pics of them arriving. All the parents pitched in and rented a limo to pick them up from the promotion dance. It was a surprise and they were soooo excited! We had chance to meet some of the parents and it was a great time! Here we come Queen Creek High.

Busy Weekend!

2009-05-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Brody is growing and growing. Here in these pics he is wondering if he will ever get to go outside and play. I told him it is too hot right now but maybe in Indiana we can play outside. He wants to ride the lawn mower with me! He officially turned 7 months this past Saturday and is really getting strong. Just recently he has started to army crawl, sit up with a little assistance and he is rolling all over the place. We really have to watch him in the living room. I have set up a play pen and he likes it in there when I can not keep an eye on him. Our family can not imagine life without him. He is still easy going and smiles all the time. Everyone comments on his brilliant blue eyes. They light up when anyone talks to him.

Tyler had a great weekend as well. He competed in the sectional track meet and took first in the 800 meter and 3rd in the mile. It was a REALLY hot day and the kids had not been training in the heat. They all had to dig deep to find the stamina to endure. 'T' ran the mile first and was disappointed with his finish, even though it was his personal best time all season, and got overheated with a strained knee. We were not sure if he was going to compete in the 800 or not. We gave him a few incoraging words and left the final decision to him. Not only did he decide to run but he took first and beat the kid the he lost to in Cross Country. We are so proud of him. It was a really fun event. Congratulation Son! You may be wondering why his hair is gone. One of his best girl friends is battling caner. Last week when her hair started to fall out he decided to shave his off. About 8 other boys followed in his footsteps and she loved the support. Needless to say, he needed a little sunscreen on Saturday.

All the kids are playing softball and baseball this year also. On Saturday Maycee and Clay had games and endured the heat as well. They are all learning so much this season and doing well. Maycee plays short stop and right field and is working on her pitching. Clay plays left field and third base. Tyler is a great first baseman and Laynee is playing coach pitch. She is really good at making contact with the ball. The season is almost over and we are looking forward to some downtime and lots of swimming. We love when the season starts but are really ready when it comes to an end. This year will be really nice becasue Jerry is also coaching Tylers team so I will get my husband back.

To end the weekend we had a very nice Mother's Day. I wish I had pics to post of me and my Mom but they will have to wait until summer. My husband and kids brought be breakfast in bed and did all my work for the day. I received a really nice gift and am excited to start using it. It is a video camera that takes videos ready for uploading to the internet. Hopefully I can start getting some fun videos of Brody and the kids and sharing them with you all. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family! The only thing that could make life better is if we were all a little closer so we could spend more time together. I do count my blessings that we are able to travel in the summer but miss all of the family the rest of the year. Life is good, sometimes challenging, but worth living every day to the fullest!

Celebrating 6 months!

2009-04-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Six months ago today I entered into this world and the time has flown by. I have learned to do a lot in the last month. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that people were putting things in their mouths. I started trying it myself but my fist would not fit all the way in and it did not have much taste. When we got back from out trip to New York Mom started giving me this mushy stuff she called cereal. At first I drooled all over the front of me, but now I look forward to dinner time. I open my mouth like a little bird when ever she shows me the spoon. She has given me some other foods too and I like all of them. The sweet potatoes and the apples taste the best.
On April 1st I played a funny on Mom. When she came to get me out of my crib I had rolled over onto my tummy. Since then I have been working on rolling over on the floor and yesterday I made one complete revolution. I did not realize there were so many things to play with on the floor. I also noticed these switches on the wall that mom pushes when I am laying on my changing table. I really want to touch them but I can't quite reach. I love that changing table. Something about it makes me happy. There is so much to see when I am laying there and everyone always talks nice.
Mom has been working with me to sit up and I am starting to do better. Yesterday I leaned on my Easter basket for a little support and mom was so proud of me. She just kept snapping and snapping pictures. She is crazy with that camera. She loves to take pictures when I smile. Smiling is my favorite thing to do. Mom calls me "smiley boy" because I am always happy and smiling.
Life with my family is a lot of fun. My brothers and sisters play with me all the time. They like to carry me around..... I might not ever have to walk. It's time for a nap now so I am going to close my eyes and listen to Mom sign me a song. It makes me smile when she starts singing. There is so much to smile about in this life. I hope you all can smile a little bit today too. I'll keep trying to learn new things and I'll share them with you as often as I can. Have a Happy Easter and don't forget to smile!!

Divide and Conquer

2009-03-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jerry and I decided to seperate the bunch. He took the boys and I took the girls and of course Brody. The girls and I headed off to the American Girl Store. Laynee had money in her wallet and knew exactly what she wanted. We now introduce, Julie. She is the newest member of the doll family in our home. As you can probably guess the selling factor for Julie was her loooong blond hair. Laynee has been completly happy just brushing Julie's hair for the past 24 hours. Julie has gone everywhere we have been including the American Girl Cafe. I did not know the restaurant even existed but we were lucky enough to find it and get in for lunch. When we walked through the doors it was everything a little girl dreams of, pink and flowers and dolls! Julie had a high chair that she could sit up to the table with us and they even brought her her own tea cup. The girls and I made quite a memory. We had a four course meal and drank pink lemonade while getting
to know each other better by talking about answers to questions in a cute gift box in the center of the table. Laynee enjoyed bitty baby mini hotdog & hamburger, Maycee delighted in american mac & cheese and I enjoyed a delicious roasted pepper and portabella mushroom panini. We ended with a heart shaped cookie and cake and chocolate pudding. We enjoyed our time together!

Once we were all girl'd out Maycee wanted to check out the Toys r Us "mall". That is what it feels like because it is so big! It has a full size ferris wheel inside and we had to experience that too! The seats are all made into different toys. We got to ride in the Mr. Potatoe head car. We were supposed to ride in the Barbie car but minor details of Laynee being to young to ride without an adult caused me to have buy a ticket and ride too. I have to admit it was fun!

While we were having our girl fun the boys were tackling the Empire State building, NBA Store and ESPN Zone. They enjoyed a good old fashioned piece of New York pizza for their lunch. Fun was had by all and the boys found some cool Phx Suns hats to bring home as their memory maker.

Today we packed up our clothes and then took a quick trip down to see the Statue of Liberty. She was beautiful as always but the weather was not so wonderful. It was rainy and cold. We stayed on the ferry and enjoyed seeing her from the water. At least the kids can say they have see her. It was something I did not think I would ever get to see. I hope they remember. We also made a memory of riding the subway and the Amtrak train. Again it was a full day and now we are all worn out! Tomorrow we get to sleep in a little and take it easy before the BIG day on Saturday. We are ready for a day of rest. We are so greatful to live in a country that allows us this great freedom!

Taking a bite of the Big Apple

2009-03-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

We started our day marching with the Irish and ended it with a trip to Mars. It was a loaded day and our feet are sore! The kids were begging to come back to the hotel and we actually had about an hour of quiet time before they reloaded their energy tanks.

First thing on this mornings agenda was the St. Patrick's Day parade. Jerry and I under anticipated the crowd that would show up for the green celebration. We kept a tight hold on the kids and crept our way through the crowds. When we finally found a place the kids could see over the crowds we were lucky to hear and see a beautiful group of bagpipes and then firemen carrying american flags. Brody and I even found St.Patrick in the crowd and were able to get out picture with him.

We did not linger long because the kids were anxious to go to the zoo in Central Park. However, before we made it to the zoo we came across the ice skating rink in Central Park and that stole the show! Jerry and the kids laced up and took to the ice. They all did great. Laynee was like a little pro. Clay had a few falls but still did great. Maycee was very confident on her own and enjoyed being spun around by her Dad. Tyler was on hockey skates and practically racing around the track . I enjoyed seeing them all have fun. I would have loved to skate with them but Maycee had not worn socks to I loaned her mine and I sat out with Brody. The kids all decided skating was more fun than a zoo so we hung out there for a couple of hours.

Once all fun was had at the rink we headed off to our first toy store. FAO Schwartz had several soft places for us to rest our sore feet and several tempations for the kids to think about. The most beautiful thing happened though. We did not have to fight even one time! Each time the kids found something they liked we would tell them they could have it if they wanted to spend their money. They would thing about it and then often decide to put it back. We came out with a couple small bags of candy, one stuffed dog, two new inventions similar to a hacky sack for the boys and one small bunny for Brody. I think total less than $50.oo was spent on everyone. That doesn't even happen at the grocery store!! We did come out with several VERY cute pics of Brody. He got all the looks from all the customers. They wanted to take him home.

Once our feet were rested and we escaped the toy store with Brody we headed off to dinner at Mars 2112. It was recommended as a fun place for the kids and turned out to be great. We were worried about the wait on the green holiday but this place was not busy and we walked right in. It was perfect for the worn out Mom and Dad. They theme of the restaurant is obviously a space and alien environment. The menu was built around the theme and when you enter they take you in a simulated space ship and "rocket" you up to the restaurant. Once inside it is like a cave...very cool. Again the kids chose from the menu based on their budget and it was even more great fun. They enjoyed getting out their money and paying Dad at the end of the meal.

We are now all blasted back down to earth and Jerry is snoring. Poor Dad was really put through the ringer. The kids are all asleep and I am ready to turn off the lights. I noticed one really great thing today. Whether it be playing in the back yard on the tramp or riding quads at the river or taking a bite out of the Big Apple we have an enjoyable and wonderful time being together as a family!! And...Jerry and I do not know what life would be like without our little bitta bo....he completes our family....we are so greatful he is finally here to join in the fun!

We had a lot of other fun pics today. I am including the link to snapfish where I uploaded all the photos. I am also uploading a couple of videos of the kids ice skating. Enjoy!http://http//www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=277645670/a=57348796_57348796/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish

New York City....here we come!

2009-03-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

We are here~yeah!! The flight was a little crazy but the kids did well and Brody slept most of the way. He was an angel as always. After we checked in our first stop was dinner. We went to Hard Rock Cafe. The music was loud but the food was good considering we had not eaten since 8:00 this morning. Jerry sent a text message to the missionary that taught me the discussions that is now living in NY city. He was just getting off work so he came and had dinner with us. He is an aspiring singer with a voice that will bring tears to your eyes. He is so talented. It was fun to see him and catch up on how our lives have changed.

We walked to dinner and the kids were in awe with the tall buildings. Tyler is in snap-happy mode. He cannot snap enough pics to capture all the cool things he is taking in. It is so fun to see how each of the kids are saoking up the big city. Even little Brody's eyes are as big as silver dollars. There is soooo much to see and experience. We are sticking to the budget with the kids and it is working really well. Tonight they wanted to rent an movie and we told them they could split the cost and pay for it. They changed their minds and watched regular TV. Thanks to Steph for the heads up on giving them spending money.

We are now tucked in and shutting things down so we can recharge for tomorrow. We are so excited to get out and explore. Tomorrow will probably be a parade, zoo and ice skating. We'll see how long our legs last. Good night!

2009-02-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? I am four and a half months old! Mom says I am growning a lot lately. I love playing with my new toys and have recently discovered that I have hands. They do all kinds of cool things. They can hold onto my toys, pull my binki out of my mouth and they all fit into my mouth at the same time! Mom says they will put my binki back in my mouth too but I like to make her get out of bed and do it for me, then I know she is still there. Mom is making me do this crazy thing where I have to fall asleep by myself and I don't like it!! She says I need to take a nap but I just want to play. Naps are for babies, I am a big boy, can't you see how I am holding my head up? I still love her though. She feeds me yummy milk. My brothers and sisters play with me a lot. Tyler and Clay are fun big brothers. Clay like to teach me how to box. He keeps saying "I'll give you so many left's you'll be beggin for a right". I'm not sure what right and left are. Tyler is good at holding me and changing my clothes. Sometimes we hang out on his bed while mom is doing stuff around the house. He is pretty cool. My sisters are fun too. They like to carry me and play with me. Well, I guess I will take a nap now. Mom read this new book and it says I need four naps a day. I have tried it and I do feel better. She says I am a really good baby and is enojoying every day with me. She also says something about deserving a good baby because of my sister. I guess someday I will understand!

2009-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

We had another exciting event occur on February 14th. Clay decided he wanted to be Baptized! It was a beautiful day. In our church when the children turn eight they have the option to get baptized and learn about what that decision means. We talked to Clay about following the example of Jesus and learning to be like Him and Clay was so excited. Clay has a tender big heart and loves learning about the Savior. He loves to memorize scripture and highlight them in his very own set of scriptures. Jerry and I are so proud of him and happy he made this decision. He will make a great missionary someday. Clay is a strong spirit and we know that as the light of Christ continues to grow within him he will be a light to all those he comes in contact with. This handsome boy brings great joy to his parents and is a great example to his siblings. We are so blessed!

River Trip Feb. '09

2009-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

The Hahn family has been very busy living life and enjoying it! A couple weekends ago we made a trip to the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona. It is a favorite weekend get away place for our kids. When it is warm out we play on the water and the beach but hen it is cool we like to play on the quads & ranger. This last trip was one to remember. It was Brody's first "camping" trip and the rest of the family had a blast riding. When they came back each time, they were more dirty then the time before. They also climbed to some challenging heights to find beautiful views. The last night was the most fun for Jerry and Clay. It had been raining all day so they decided to go on a night ride with two of the other guys that were with us. As you can see they came back a little muddy and SOAKED! Clay's clothes were as wet as if he has just jumped into a swimming pool. They had a blast.

Three Months Today!

2009-01-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a long three months but I have made it and am doing well! I am eating really good and feeling better than ever. Mom says I am about 11 pounds. She got on the scale with me but she wouldn't tell me how much she weighed. I have stared talking in a quiet voice and Mom trys to get it on video but the light scares me. I did laugh yesterday for the first time. Mom is good at finding that tickle spot on my neck. i have to go now... my tummy is hungry and I am getting cranky. I love all of you and miss being held by everyone. Have a fun January 9th and GO CARDS!

Happy New Year

2009-01-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

This past week was full of fun celebration. We rang in the new year with some good friends and a back yard bon fire. Brody did not make it to midnight but was ready to party around 2:00 instead. It was a fun night......

On Saturday we celebrated Clay's eigth birthday. Instead of a party he decided to take a friend to a Cardinals playoff football game. They had a great time. The game was really good and the Cards won!! Yeah...Go Cards. Clay is a Fitzgerald fan and had gotten a jersey from Santa so he was ready to cheer on the team. On Sunday we had cake and presents at our home with the family. As you can see we had to get creative with the candles, we like to recycle and Clay found a #5 candle that was still hangin around and added three little candles to it to make 8. He chose a german chocolate cake. It was yummy and a great way to enjoy the celebration.

Today the kids are back to school and mom is at home trying to dig out of the choas left behind by having everyone home for two weeks. The kids were excited to go back to school. They like their teachers and missed their freinds.

2009 is going to be a good year...I am sending out positive vibes in hopes they will come back in great fold....Happy New Year!!

A Christmas To Remember

2008-12-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-03T15:58:00.001-07:00

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!!

2008-10-03T15:26:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T19:31:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Summer of Fun

2008-07-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

I can not believe this summer is almost over. We have had a lot of fun making memories and spending quality time together. Our time in Indiana has been full of family and fun. The kids have spent most of their time swimming (as usual) but we have also spent some good time with family and spent some fun time outdoors. We started with the 4th of July. All of my Dad's family came over for a cookout. There were about 30 of us including my Dad's brother and family from California. We have not all been together in several years and it is becoming more difficult as time goes on. Here are a few pics of the fun fireworks in the front yard before the "big" town display.

Scattered

2008-07-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Okay so Mama and the kids are in Indiana and Dad is at home with the dawgs!!! We are losing weight simply due to lack of nutrition. Cant wait for mama to come home! Just an update if you havent heard, Natalee's dad, Mike, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in May. We have been going with him to his Dr.'s appointments and we are still hopeful he can beat this thing. He continues to work hard everyday and is certainly not acknowledging the effects the cancer may be having. We are praying for him daily and ask that you do too. We dont want to lose him. I enjoyed Indiana for the 10days I was there and I think the kids have enjoyed it too. They are ansy to get home a play with their friends for a few days before school starts. What a fast summer! It flew by! Anyways, here are some pics, gotta go!

ITS A BOY!!

2008-06-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of us at Knotts last weekend. Well we found out that our 5th child will be a boy. He displayed his prowess proudly for us on Wednesday. We have decided to name him Brody Michael (after his grandpa). We will call him Smiley alot of the time to honor Papaw Mike. This is going to be a rough road to travel down for the next few months but we will endure. Nat is going to Indiana this week to assist Mike with the Chemo Recovery efforts as he has treatment on Thursday. Also, Katie turns 13 this week so it works out great! We will all be there in 2 weeks again and we will be able to assess the severity of his cancer. We are grateful for the knowledge we have been given of the Lord's Plan of Happiness as we know we will be able to be together forever. DAD

Roscoe "PP" Coletrain Hahn

2008-06-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

The Baby Is Coming

2008-06-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are going to find out what sex the baby is. Natalee is due October 19th but we are expecting the C to be around the 10th. We are going to have all of the kids there so they can see the little squirt. Tyler hurt his foot somehow while we were at the beach and we are all sunburnt. Dave called and said Riley woke up missing Laynee, they are really cute together. We will keep you posted on the baby tomorrow. Goodnight!! -Dad

California Trip June 2008

2008-06-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

Well today marks the end of a wonderful weekend! We came to Southern California to attend the Spring/Summer picnic for Jerry's company. We brought Katelyn (Katie) with us from Indiana to have some fun in the sun. We spend Saturday at Knott's Berry Farm and had tons of fun. The kids got their faces painted, we rode many of the big & small rides, ate too much, spent too much, but had a BLAST!! On Sunday, we found our way to the Balboa Peninsula on Newport Beach. We set-up shop and hit the water. Clay is a natural boogie-boarder and Tyler has a new love for tossing the frisbee. Jerry's best friend from high school, Dave Evans, and his wife & kids (Rylee and Jordan) joined us. Laynee and Rylee have previously bonded from our river trips and Maycee took naturally to babysitting Jordan so the "big kids" could get some rest & rays!!! We caught alot of waves, rays and could have stayed for days! As late afternoon approached, we decided to head back to the hotel for some swimming, barbecue and movies. Dave and Trish took Laynee home with them for her 1st sleepover. Mom and Dad were a little sad but she was all smiles. This trip wont soon be forgotten as many memories were made. We are so blessed to be able to spend this time together. We are grateful that Families Can be Together Forever as we certainly love ours! - Dad