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Happy Halloween!

Emma....a princess?

Emma fussed over getting dressed up the other day. She is definitely a blue jeans and sneakers (and Crocs!) kind of girl. She's nothing like Hannah who loves frilly, girly things. She's pretty down to earth, but when she saw herself in the mirror, she was transformed. Her face lit up as she saw her reflection and she said, "I'M A PRINCESS...Wow, I'm a princess." It was very sweet.

Hannah's Violin Recital

On Sunday, Hannah had her first violin recital. She's taking lessons with Hillary's first teacher, who is amazing. As I walked into the church, I saw a young boy about 7 or 8 years old rehearsing a concerto with the pianist. As I watched and listened to this child, I was overcome by emotion. The whole day brought me back to the time when Hillary was learning and playing all the same pieces. Our experiences with Hillary and her music has brought so much joy to all of us. As I sat in the church on Sunday and listened to these incredible young musicians, I had to pinch myself. What a thrill to go down this path again with another beautiful daughter. Hannah played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Run Pony, Run Pony variation and she was spectacular ;^)

Hannah woke up and came running down the hall. "Is anyone up in this house?", she yelled as she burst through my bedroom door. She had a look of shock on her face as she ran to my bedside. She opened her mouth...she had lost her first tooth! She's been teasing us for months about losing a tooth, but her teeth hadn't really started to even get loose yet, so I was pretty surprised to see her with a hole in her gums and a tiny tooth held in her hand. Apparently, the night before, when I was at school, Hannah was giving Emma a piggy back ride and had hit her chin trying to put her down. I guess that was enough to knock her baby tooth loose and during the night, it just feel out.

Hannah was thrilled! Not only did the toothfairy leave money under her pillow, but she now has concrete evidence to prove to everyone that she really is growing up.

Apple Picking

Last Sunday, we had a little get-together with a few of the families from Hannah's travel group. Her travel group was huge and had 34-35 families from all over the country, but most are from the Northeast. Those from our area have become like extended family but we haven't gotten together as much lately as we used to...we are all so busy. It was a beautiful day and the girls had a blast together and it's clear that we need to do this more often. It's a very special group and I know how important of all these girls and their families are, not only to Hannah, but to all of us. We were all especially glad to see Tess, who had moved out of state last year but was visiting for the weekend and able to spend the afternoon at the farm with us. We hope to have a holiday get-together and then do something special for our 5 year adoption day celebration in February.
I had no time to edit or crop the photos, so here they are as is ;^)

Hannah

I took this photo of Hannah on her way to school the other day. I don't know what I did but I think the color and texture, especially of her skin, is really interesting. She has yet another bump on her head. She always seems to bonk it in just the same spot, poor kid. Anyway, I could look into her eyes forever. She such an extraordinary little person! She blows me away.