Fun times

Hannah and I had a photo session and I finally got the CD so will post a few of my favorite pictures--I just love her different expressions on these.








Two nights ago Hannah and I were doing arts and crafts--she was cutting pieces of construction paper and putting stickers on them. It was a child's safety scissors that she was using. I left the table for a few minutes to check on the dinner I was cooking and when I came back I found long pieces of black hair on the floor. I think I did inhale deeply and say "Oh Hannah, your hair" but then composed myself and remained very calm. She was so proud of herself so I just explained that scissors were just for hair and then put the scissors away for the day. It made me sad to see the shorter hair where she cut it but logically I know it is just hair and it will grow back. I haved already been able to laugh when telling the story.



This afternoon we were in the car and playing the "What does a cow say" game. We had exhausted a whole list of animals so I decided to ask "What does Mama say?" I was a little nervous what I would hear but Hannah didn't miss a beat and said "Pray to God, be nice, and no fussing". I guess she does listen.

Two good friends with young children recommended the movie "Discpicable Me" so I took Hannah tonight. I have to admit I wasn't too impressed in the beginning as the main characters talked about stealing and hit each other, blew each other up, and all the adults were mean to the kids, etc. but decided to stick it out a little longer as I heard it had a really great story. About 30 minutes into it (I still didn't see the nice part) Hannah turned to me and said, "Hannah done with this movie Mom". I asked if she wanted to go home and she said Yes so we did. When we got to the car she said, "That big movie naughty Mom". I was actually pretty proud of her as she knows bad behavior when she sees it.

I felt like a bad mommy today--it was sprinkler day at day care today and I forgot Hannah's swimming suit. They had extra t-shirts and underwear at daycare so Hannah had to play in the sprinkler in her underwear but I guess she didn't mind.
Maybe some day I will figure this being organized thing out but then again--maybe not.

sweet bedtime

As kids go, Hannah has always been pretty easy at bedtime--just a short period of hard times about a month after arriving home--otherwise pretty low stress.
These past couple weeks have been another bad stretch. She goes to bed just fine but then will not go to sleep. I have always held her until she is asleep and these past couple weeks she starts kicking, waving her arms, sitting bolt upright--any movement that keeps her awake and then after about 30-40 minutes of that she starts fighting to get out of my arms. I have tried laying her down at that point but it just prolongs the whole process. We both have ended up frustrated until she finally gives in to sleep--often as late as 10pm so I have very little free time afterwards.

Well--tonight was a bedtime of my dreams. At 7:30 she told me she was done with her bath (she never says that as she knows it means bedtime), she was so relaxed while I rubbed her with lotion, she said her prayers beautifully--when she was done she looked at me and said, "God is happy?"--Yes, Hannah, God is very happy you talked to him so nicely. Then she snuggled into my arms and lay there without squirming. She stared into my eyes and I whispered "I love you". Everytime I did that her eyes would flutter shut and then open again until after about the 10th time she whispered back "okay" and they did not open again--she was sound asleep by 8:00. It was so lovely and loving.

I know it won't happen this way often but tonight I am basking in the feeling and reading a good book.

Here are the pictures

I don't know what order they posted in but here are pictures of the Russian singers Hannah and I saw and some others of Hannah.
I played the CD I bought of the Tuvan throat singing group for the first time today and Hannah got very excited when she heard it saying--"Like the show Mom--the music show--I want to see the guys". She insisted on seeing "the guys" until I finally convinced her they were much too far away for us to go see them.
We had a great 4th of July with my sister and her family--baseball in hot humid weather and fireworks--very American. It was fun to have Hannah there thinking that last year she had probably never heard of America and now she was celebrating the birth of our great nation and will grow up with that as just a normal part of her life--amazing!!