Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Well, it has been almost a month since my last post, so it's definitely time to post some more here.

First of all, my firstborn is 4 years old today!! Wow--time really does fly! Hannah has turned into this super funny, sweet, energetic, precocious preschooler/young girl...what do I even call her now?! I guess she's more on the "little girl" end than the preschooler, since she'll be entering PRE-KINDERGARTEN in the fall! Ahhh! Anyway, we are so thankful to have our Hannah Mariah in our lives, and we are kind of celebrating her all week! Sunday night we celebrated with a family dinner, next Sunday we'll go to my parents' house for a BBQ, and today we are hanging out with friends & going to an ultra-special lunch at a nice restaurant...Shari's! :) That was Miss Hannah's choice, and she is super excited. We've been there a total of...one time, and that was after we saw "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, so I think she has fond memories of the place. Later this evening after Keith gets home, we'll just have a relaxing dinner, maybe a trip to the park, and I'm sure we'll sing "Happy Birthday" at least one more time! It is so fun to see how excited she has been about her birthday this year--she's been anticipating it for months, and we talk about it quite often. It's pretty cute! I'll post some pics later, but here's one of both the girls. Hannah is being her silly self.


Second, I've decided to leave the facebook world. I know that may not be exactly news-worthy (or even blog-worthy!), but it was significant enough to me that I had a really hard time clicking that "deactivate" button. (Which, in & of itself is probably a good indication that I should not be on there...) I won't go into all the details, since they are probably less interesting to you than they are to me, but basically after taking a few weeks off to participate in a prayer activity through church, I realized something: I didn't miss it! :) I also realized that I was spending more time in my bible, in prayer time, and reading good books. More importantly, I wasn't spending so much time telling Hannah "Just a minute!" while I caught up on all the Facebook news. The part I will miss is keeping in touch with all of you, but Keith reminded me that there are SO many ways to check in with one another, that I really am not losing much. :) I'm hoping to update my blog more often, in case you're interested, and I always love getting e-mails, texts, or even the good old phone call! Haha. I'll also try to post pictures on here so that if you are out of the area (Aunt Senia...sniff sniff!), you can still see what the girls are up to. Keep me accountable, okay??

What else is new?? Gemma isn't quite walking yet, although she is close. She walks around anything sturdy, and has even been caught standing for seconds at a time. She's not big on taking any steps on her own, and does more of the "lurch" thing than actually stepping, but she'll do it! :) In everything, I see more of her laid-back personality coming through, and I think that is beneficial when you have a big sister who insists on picking you up & "helping" you move around the house. Gemma isn't a total pushover, though, as she will wave Hannah away or flap her arms at her if she's really not into being carted. It's funny to watch them interact with one another, and I catch glimpses of them as they will play together in the years to come...with only a little fighting, right?!

Keith is really loving his job and the company. A couple weeks ago they had their annual community service day--a company-wide paid day of work that is spent helping in the community. This year they helped at a teen shelter, and they did a bunch of landscaping. Keith was tired after that day, but I could tell he was proud of the work they did. I am proud that he is associated with such a wonderful company that values family, a balanced life, and community-building. God has certainly blessed us with this job, and we are confident that the six to eight months of job uncertainty has made us all the more thankful & appreciative of how God provides so perfectly.

I am taking a couple months off from my regular piano lessons, with the exception of one very diligent student! :) It's nice to have a free schedule each week, and then to be able to do some spontaneous playdates, walks to the park, and backyard water play (hopefully!!). I'm doing a great bible study called "Experiencing God," and I am thoroughly enjoying that. It is truly changing my life. Look it up if you are trying to find something joyfully challenging to do this summer! :)

Tomorrow we get to have our reunion playdate with Lisa, Luke & Ellie, who have moved back to the NW after a stint in southern California!! YAY! We are so excited, and Lisa & I can't wait to visit in person while the kids get reacquainted. :)

I look forward to keeping up to date on here, so be looking for posts....weekly?? :)