And Now You're Five

Dear Hannah,
Today you are 5 years old.  You are becoming more a young lady with every passing minute.  We forget sometimes that you have grown up so much here.  Half of your life has been spent in another country away from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  Recently we were reminded of just how little you were when we left America, when you exclaimed how much you love this house and this "home".  This is your home and so much of your life has happened right here. We are thankful for the reminders to just be in the moment and enjoy!

Five years ago when we were waiting for your arrival, we were living in Texas in a house you don't remember and a city you don't remember with friends you don't remember.  It was almost Thanksgiving Day, a day you have not ever celebrated the same way in your five years.  Your big brother was 2 years old and not really sure what was going on in his little life, but all of us (Max included) were so happy to bring you home on that very cold day in Plano, Texas.

This is what you looked like right after you were born.  So beautiful!  Daddy told our friend Kellee that he thought you looked just like Nathan except "prettier".  We were in love from the moment we met you!

This was your first house in Plano, Texas.  We moved before you were even one year old.  You started crawling in this house and pulling up on the furniture just as the movers came to pack all of the furniture up and move it to our new house in Michigan!

This is what our house looked like in Michigan.  We had a lot of snow on your first birthday!  Nana and Papa were visiting us for the first time and we celebrated Thanksgiving with them that year.

You loved to play in the snow even when you weren't quite walking!  We took you and Nathan to sledding and you loved to get all bundled up and go out in the backyard too.

From our house in Michigan we liked to walk to the park and to the library.  You and Nathan loved to go outside and play with our neighbors or ride your bikes in the driveway and down the sidewalk.

While we were living in Michigan we had a lot of visitors.  Aunt Carole came to stay with us and we showed her all around.  We took her to our favorite places like the zoo and Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum.  Memaw and Yehyeh came to visit at the same time.  Memaw helped us plant the most beautiful flowers in our backyard!

You have always been very good about trying all different types of food, but you have a sweet tooth just like Mommy!  Here is a picture of you trying strawberries with powdered sugar for the first time.  You loved them and especially loved making a mess!  There was a time when you were known as "Miss Mess" around our house.

Most of the time you are smiley and happy, but can you believe that you actually got this mad about having your balloon tied to your shorts?  You were almost two and we were in San Antonio celebrating your cousin Michael's birthday.  Mommy and Daddy were just trying to keep you from losing your balloon, but you were not happy!

Here you are enjoying your first candied apple.  You must have really loved it because you have asked for one every year since.  I'm pretty sure reading the Bearenstein Bear's Trick Or Treat book every October plays a very important part in triggering the memory!  This year Mommy attempted to make them for you again, but without the ready made mix, it wasn't quite right.  There's always next year!

And then you turned two.  You loved Dora as much as Sarah does now and we had a playgroup birthday party complete with Dora cake for you.  You got your first dolls as gifts from your friends and Nana gave you a very special baby just the size that your new baby sister would soon be.  We had your pictures taken along with some Christmas pictures that year.  These are some of my favorites.

This was my favorite of you and Nathan.  So sweet!

And then your baby sister, Sarah, was born.  Here you are meeting her at the hospital.  It was hard for you to meet her during your nap time, but you still thought she was pretty special (and still do).

Nana and Papa came to visit again and you were so happy to see them!

Then Daddy got a new job in Belgium!  All of a sudden we were cleaning the house like crazy.  All of your stuff was packed and we sent Max to live with Memaw and Yehyeh.  We were excited to go, but sad to leave behind so many great friends and our family.  You started to talk about Belgium and sometimes you would get confused.  You wondered if "Max lived with Memaw and Daddy lived with Belgium".

Moving to Belgium was exhausting.  When we arrived it was very sunny and beautiful.  We walked around and explored the city.  We went to lots of parks and you played with your brother and the other kids there.

Nathan started going to St. John's school right away and so you were able to meet friends your own age.  Here you are at our first Family Day meeting Niki, still one of your best friends!

Memaw, Yehyeh and Aunt Daphne came to visit.  We hadn't even moved into our house yet, but we did our best to show them around our new "home".  We took them to the Grand Place.

We took you to the beach for the very first time in Oostende, Belgium.  It may have been June, but The North Sea is never very warm.  You and your brother still got soaked and Mommy and Daddy had to find some clothes and towels to warm you up!

We also made our first trip to Bruges.

When Memaw and Yehyeh got back home, they sent a picture to let us know that Max was doing just fine in his new home.  He loves San Antonio!

We made a lot of trips around Belgium that summer and had lots of friends visit.  We were so happy to find our friends The Armitage Family living right next door in England!  Here you are when we met them in Amsterdam.  We had the most delicious pancakes one day and yours came with this very pretty tiara.  You were so sad when Nathan accidentally sat on it minutes after you got it.  We tried to go back and replace it the next day, but the restaurant was closed.  At least we have the picture to remember how beautiful it was!

When Nathan started Kindergarten, you spent most of your days home with Sarah and Mommy.  You started going to Little Gym for gymnastics class with your friend Genevieve.  You really had fun!

Aunt Carole came to visit and we took her to Germany.  We took a boat ride and Aunt Carole took you and Nathan to the front of the boat for a dance party!

We went to visit Campbell, Reagan and Brennan in England.  You guys had the best time!

Then you turned three!  Here you are celebrating with your friend, Lily.  She has been to your 3rd, 4th and 5th birthday parties now and she always gives the best books as presents.  When we read "Wacky Wednesday", you always point at the pictures and say, "Now that's wacky!"

That Christmas we made our first trip back to Texas in over a year.  You were so happy to see all of your family and they were so happy to see you!  Here you are with Nana, wearing your favorite skirt over your pajamas.  You have always had a fantastic sense of style and this skirt (loved so much it is now slightly torn) is still up in the attic.

Here you are being fantastic again!

You started preschool in January after you turned 3.  Here you are getting ready to go to Holly Class for the first time!  It was still very dark at almost 8:15 AM!

We took a trip to Austria and you loved the snow. We went sledding and exploring.

Nana and Papa came to visit us in Belgium.  We showed them around London, Paris, Brussels and Bruges.  We were very busy and we were so happy to see them!

Mrs. McCordall suggested that we visit the bluebell forest nearby and we were able to visit on a gorgeous spring day.

You learned to ride your first bike.  You loved the baby seat in back the most.  Here you are getting ready to take Dora for a ride.  The Dora doll came from our friends the Millers in Texas.  Nathan loved that doll when he was 2 and Miss Susan was kind enough to share her with us.  Little did we know she would be so loved by three of you! 

Here you are with "The Rainbows" from Holly Class.  You couldn't wait for your turn to bring them home.  You had already loved Big Rainbow when Nathan brought him home the year before and you took such great care of them when it was your turn!

We visited a much warmer beach in France.  You loved it, of course!

You were such a beautiful flower girl at Uncle James and Aunt Romona's wedding in San Antonio.

You started your second year in Holly Class where you met all of your sweet friends.

You helped Daddy carve his first pumpkin.

Then you turned 4!  You and your friends enjoyed your princess party.  By the end of the party we were watching big, beautiful snowflakes fall outside!

We spent Christmas with The Armitage family in England.  We had the best time ever!  You were so happy to wake up on Christmas morning and find this very special Belle dress waiting for you.

We enjoyed a week of fantastic snow in Brussels.  We played and played and played!

We drove to England and then on to Ireland for spring break with The Armitage Family once again.  It was so beautiful.  Here you are wearing your Irish dress.  You couldn't wait to wear it to school and tell Mrs. O'Neal all about your trip.  You once told me that you know how how say "tissue" in Irish..."It's called a 'hanky' in Irish, Mommy".

To Be Continued...