Valentine’s Day with my Little Sweetie!

Valentine’s Day has taken on a whole new excitement now that Hannah is in my life!  Any reason to express my love more to Hannah is welcome!

We began our day bright and early enjoying her little treats: Princess posters to colour, an Elmo colouring book, Minnie Mouse puzzle, plastic heart necklaces (one of which she gave me and I wore with pride to work that day) and Smarties (Canada’s version of M&M’s)! 

One of the cute things that’s happening right now when Hannah speaks is that ‘s’ is often missed if it’s the first letter of a word.  At times when I can’t quite figure out what she’s saying I try to add an ‘s’ to what I hear and see if I can figure out what the word is.  Here’s a little video taken Monday night where Hannah’s talking about some of the treats she received for Valentine’s Day.

Hannah is all about puzzles right now and she’s very good at them.  Here she’s working on the Minnie Mouse puzzle with a little help from Mom.

A breakfast of yogurt plus a rice cake with jam and Valentine sprinkles.  Normally it would be peanut butter but until we see the allergist (Feb 29th) we’re still avoiding all nuts.

My princess prefers to wear her crown on the back of her head. 

Normally we have pink pancakes for supper but since next Tuesday is Pancake Tuesday we switched it up and dined on spaghetti.  At first she didn’t want any sauce

but then when she saw my dish she asked for ‘tomato soup’ on her spaghetti too.  Ahhh….that’s better!

We hope you had a great day surrounded by people you love!

How Can It Be Time Already???

Tonight Hannah and I did something together that I’ve thought about each February for years but now that it’s here I can hardly believe it and want time to stop!
Tonight we attended an Open House for the pre-school that she will attend in September. 

Truly, how can it be that the little baby I brought home ‘yesterday’ is now preparing for pre-school???
She was pretty timid when we first entered the room and even hid behind my legs which is unusual for Hannah.  It didn’t take long though before she and I were playing with toys together on the floor and then she was happy to visit different play centres while I talked with the teachers and learned more about the program.  My niece Rebecca attended this very same pre-school 10 years ago and this fall it will be Hannah’s turn.  Wow!!
Here is my little love enjoying some of the activities that were available for the kiddos tonight.
Playing with the dollhouse
My crafty girl enjoying markers.  A rare treat!
Colouring a picture for Mommy.  Oh how I wish I had space for an easel at home!
Pre-school is still 6 1/2 months away but based on how time has flown since the moment Hannah was placed in my arms I know it will be here before we know it.  Wow!  It’s difficult to think of and yet at the same time I’m excited to see all she’ll learn and how excited I know she’s going to be about learning!  My gal is a clever little girl and I know that school will be something she’ll enjoy and excel at! 

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

A wish from us to you!
We took a number of pics trying to make a card that we could do this with.  It took a bit but we got one that we’re both happy with.
Here are some of the fun outtakes from our Valentine’s photo shoot.

My cute little Valentine! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This is the picture Hannah chose to use for her Valentine’s card.  I think it captures her fun, spunky personality perfectly!

Oh how I love my sweetie and her goofy grin!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

My Little Fish!

Last week Hannah and I went swimming for the first time since last summer and I quickly realized how much Hannah had missed it.  She loves the water!!  Unfortunately I couldn’t take pics at the pool but hopefully these will give you a glimpse of how much she loves the water! 

Stylin’ with bubbles.  Check out the cute art work on the wall behind her.  We’ve had these toys since she was a baby but just recently has she begun to put all the pieces together into real pictures.  She’s totally into puzzles right now and these foamies are like little puzzle pieces for her.  I love seeing her bright, happy pictures on the wall!

When it’s time to wash the soap out of her hair she now likes to do it herself and does a great job!  I’m so thankful she doesn’t mind water in her face.

I think she’s contemplating how to swim in here.

We’ll probably start back into swimming lessons this spring.  The challenge I’m facing is that she’s well beyond the parent ‘n tot class but I’m not sure she’s ready for the first unparented class as she might just jump in while the instructor is working with other kiddos.  Yikes!  She’s following directions better now though so I’m pretty sure if we talk it through over and over that she’d understand not to hop in.  Hmmmm….will have to consider this decision over the next while as I think registration will open soon.

Baby Ellie is Here!!! (New pics added)

Today there is great news to be shouted from the rooftops!!!  Baby Ellie is with her forever family!! (Well...Mama and Daddy right now.  Her 7 siblings are waiting at home for her!!!)  I am over the moon excited for them!!!

Look at this sweet, precious, beautiful little girl!!

I have had the privilege of following this wonderful family's previous trips to China as they adopted 4 of their children and last year Pam and I began to email one another and a sweet friendship has been born!  We have been praying for this day since she and Bill accepted Ellie's referral back in May of 2011.  Oh how my heart has hurt for them as they patiently waited for God's perfect time to bring them together even though that time was almost 9 long months!  I.cannot.imagine!!  Their time in China is also special as Ellie and Hannah are from the same province of Hunan so I am able to picture the exact room in my mind where they met Ellie.  Oh what precious memories that room holds!!!

And yet, now...NOW Ellie is with them and God's promise has been fulfilled.  He has brought them together as a family and oh what a precious family it is!  If you want to read an amazing account of God in action, read Ellie's Story here!  God is SO good!!!

If you want to hop over and congratulate this family and follow their journey in China, you may do so here.

It's so sweet each morning as I open their website and Hannah excitedly exclaims, 'That baby Ellie!'


Congratulations Pam and Bill!  Hannah and I are so excited to see Ellie in your arms and we continue to pray for you.  We love you!

**Update** What a wonderful difference 24 hours makes!  Ellie is beginning to feel more comfortable with Mama and Daddy and her sweet personality is emerging!  Look at the difference in her beautiful eyes!!

 
What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. ~Isaiah 46:11