Visiting with Santa!

We thought for sure she would figure it out this year, but she was again clueless!  Every year, Roger's station has a Christmas party and Santa comes to visit! For those of you that don't know, Santa is actually Baba. She was so excited this year, much more aware of who Santa is.  Of course, we should tell her that he really isn't real, but what does it hurt. We know she will figure it out eventually or someone at school next year will break it to her. Until then, we will just play along...Don't worry, we have made sure she knows the real reason for the season! :)

 

Happy 5th Birthday!

 

Our little Chinese girl is 5! A whole hand...wow!! This year it was all about Frozen. We know it has been out for a while, but it didn't seem to become big until this year. Hannah is in love with the movie and the music. I would have to say the first time we watched it, I wasn't that impressed, but after watching it a few times, it is beginning to grow on me!  Since Hannah's birthday was on a weekday this year, she celebrated a couple times before the family party.  She was so excited to open the birthday cards she received in the mail and was really excited to see the cash inside...and some stickers, but it was really all about the cash this year!  :) Would you like to know what she is going to do with the cash?  Use it to help get Oliver home!!  Honest, that is the first words that came out of her mouth. Hope she feels that way when he comes home. :) Thanks everyone for making another birthday special to this girl!

 

Celebrating with some ice cream and a candle!

Thanks KREWE!

She wasn't so thrilled about the firework candles, but I thought they
were cool!  To my surprise they were also trick candles.
She got a little frustrated!

She loves taking pictures.

Trying to instill the idea of saving money and giving to
the church...thanks Aunt Robin and Uncle Dave!

The highlight of the party...crazy real kitty! I wish I
would have gotten the face that Hannah had when it would start moving
on its own! Priceless! Thanks Kaitlin!

Two favorites...Thanks Aunt Kandi!

More Barbie clothes...those dolls have
more accessories than I do!

The magic toothbrush...Thanks G and G.

Happy Birthday baby girl!  Mama and Baba love you so much!  So thankful that God has given us five birthdays with you. We are praying for many more.

Happy Gotcha Day!!!

Yes, another Gotcha Day has passed!  I know I say this every year, but where does the time go? So many people have told me the years go by so fast and they are so right! It just doesn't seem possible that 4 years have passed already and our little spicy girl that was once so quiet is now so loud and energetic!! She is so full of life! I sometimes try to imagine what her life might have been like if God hadn't let her to us! Would she still be in the Chenzhou orphanage longing for someone to touch her and love her to the moon and back? Longing to be out of the crib for more than 10 minutes a day? We are fairly certain that Hannah was well taken care of because she had Half the Sky come into her orphanage, which is probably why she was so healthy!  We are so thankful for Jenny Bowen and her group of volunteers who work very hard on a daily basis to teach the Chinese people how to love the babies a little more than normal!  I am also so very thankful that God led us to Hannah on that rainy October day in Changsha, China.  I am so thankful that we trusted God enough to wait, wait, wait, and wait some more until He found the right one! Of all the millions of orphans in that country, He chose Chen Leyan just for us and we will be forever grateful!!!!  She has changed so much as you can see from the first picture below to the next ones.   

Gotcha Day 2011

 

She has definitely lost the baby look...growing
into a beautiful young girl!

 

Good picture taking becomes shorter as she gets older. :)

We decided to venture out of Winona Lake this year for this special day! First, we traveled to Knollbrook Farms. Though it was very chilly and windy, Hannah enjoyed every second. She shot pumpkins, slid down the big slid with Baba, had a bike race with Mama, went through a corn maze, picked out her special pumpkin, and walked through a hay maze.

 

Ready, aim....



FIRE!!!!

 

A little blurry, but I loved the expression on Baba's face!

Picking out just the right one...not a lot of good
choices...we were a little late!

Great Grandma Schaetzle would have loved this picture!

What a cute little pumpkin head!!

One of my favorites...

 

 

Second, we took Hannah to her first official apple orchard. I say official, because my parents have an apple orchard that she has been in many times, but that doesn't really count. :) From the start, she thought she knew the perfect ones to choose. She was quite the helper with the basket though, she didn't want anyone else to carry it for her, until it got too heavy!

 

"Mama, mama, here is the perfect one!"



"Got it!"

She has always been able to carry heavy things!

 

But now you can see who is carrying the basket and
who is getting a ride back to the building! Mama earned a big bruise
on her leg from the wagon hitting it on the way down the big hill! Never
 knew little red wagons could cause so much hurt!

 

 

So true...