Announcing the Newest Addition to the Hanners Family!

Shortly after Morgan returned to NM, we adopted our very first pet together. Her name is Ruby Roo Hanners, and she is 8 months old. We know that she has some Boxer in her, and she is great with the kids.

I found out about her from the children's librarian at the public library. She rescues animals, and has about 60 pets in her house. She has about 10 dogs right now, and is looking for good homes for them. Ruby had been severely neglected by her previous owners. They put her in their backyard and stopped feeding her. Their neighbors threw food over the fence to her, and eventually rescued her. When she arrived at the home of the librarian, they could see all of her ribs. She has since gained a lot of weight, but we are hoping she will gain a little more. She is a medium sized dog, and is still fairly thin.

The kids absolutely love her. She is very gentle and loving with them. Braden and Morgan take her for walks in the mornings sometimes. On Saturday the whole family took her for a walk together and had a great time running around a grassy park with beautiful trees in it. We have decided to do that every night from now on.

Morgan Returns!!

At the beginning of this month, Braden, Lydia and I went to MD so we could be with all of Morgan's family to welcome him home. I had made a big banner, and had family members sign it or e-mail messages for me to add to it with iron-on transfers. As soon as we got to MD, he called to let me know that he would be arriving much later than we had expected. I was very worried that the kids and I would have to return to NM before he returned to MD. It was difficult to have to wait the extra time, but he was able to return three days before we were to return to NM. The reunion at the airport was wonderful. The family held up the banner, and when we saw him coming out of the terminal everyone started clapping. I ran into his arms, closely followed by Braden. Braden wouldn't let go of his Daddy the rest of the night.

While we were there together we had a big Welcome Home party at his parents' house. It was so wonderful seeing so many family members and friends. During the party, Morgan modeled some of his Kurdish clothing for everyone and showed us some pictures on his computer.

The kids and I left on Sunday morning to return to NM, and Morgan stayed behind to outprocess from his unit. Then he and his Dad and Step-Dad drove his car back to NM. He returned here the following Sunday. We are so happy to finally be a complete family again.

Trick or Treat!

Last night was Halloween, and we went trick-or-treating with our friends. But I think the highlight of the night was when the kids handed out candy from our house. Unfortunately, not many trick-or-treaters go down our street, so Braden and Lydia were a little disappointed. But their candy was of some consolation.

As far as I know right now, Morgan is in the United States. He called me a couple of nights ago from Germany while he was en route from Iraq. I didn't realize just how much stress I was under while he was there until I felt the weight of it lift off when he called. It was a very emotional moment for me as I realized that it is over. As I hear and read about things that are still happening over there, I feel something different -- I am sad for those who are still there, and for their families. But I don't experience the panic I used to. Whenever I would read a story about something that happened to troops over there I would feel panicked until I read more and convinced myself that it was nowhere near Morgan. Just knowing that he is as far away from the danger as I am now has brought me so much peace. The kids and I are so excited to be a family again. Braden has been collecting little toys and knick knacks and putting them into boxes to give to Daddy when he returns. They both draw pictures for him all the time. Lydia looks forward to playing Barbies with her Daddy. Braden is planning his science fair project which he will complete with Morgan when he returns. We can't believe that we are finally going to be a family again. The next time I post to this blog it will be with the wonderful news that we have been reunited, and the pictures of that reunion.

Pumpkin Day!

The kids and I started a new tradition last year. We found a book called Pumpkin Day! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace at the library. It is about a bunny family who picks a day every October to celebrate Pumpkin Day. On that day they eat pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, go to a pumpkin patch, carve their jack-o’-lanterns, and toast pumpkin seeds. I found a used copy of the book on-line, and we have read it many times already. We celebrated our Pumpkin Day this past Saturday.

We started out our day with pumpkin pancakes. I found a wonderful recipe at: http://southernfood.about.com/od/pancakesandwaffles/r/bl30324m.htm
This recipe was so moist and delicious. It even called for chopped pecans, so I was able to use our own pecans from our trees.

After breakfast the kids got dressed in their Halloween costumes, and we went to the Zoo Boo at the local zoo. They had fun looking at the animals while trick-or-treating, and jumping in the jumping balloon.

That afternoon we carved our jack-o’-lanterns. I let Braden design his own, and I just cut out the features he had drawn onto the pumpkin. He was especially proud of his snaggle toothed smile.

That evening we went to the church Halloween party and pot luck. After the pot luck all of the children went to the Primary room and nursery for games and crafts. The Youth had set up a haunted house in the Young Women room. The Young Men were in charge of making a cardboard tunnel and decorating, and the Young Women provided slimy foods for the kids to touch as they went through (ex. Cold noodles for veins, cauliflower soaked in Jell-o for brain). It was a Mad Scientist theme, and was creepy but not scary, so all of the kids enjoyed it. Also, down one hallway of the church the kids were able to go trick-or-treating in the classrooms. It was a really fun event.

This is our second year celebrating Pumpkin Day, and we look forward to introducing this fun new tradition to Morgan next year.

Fall Festival

Every year at this time, Braden's school does their big annual fundraiser in the form of a Fall Festival. The kids get out of class shortly after lunch on that day, and go out onto the playground where each teacher has set up a game. They buy tickets (18 for $5) and each game or snack costs one ticket. I volunteered to help with his teachers' game, which was the ping pong toss into goldfish bowls. Instead of winning a real goldfish, each student who won got a stuffed one. I was so glad that I brought Lydia with me, because she was a great help in retrieving ping pong balls! Braden had a wonderful time walking around with his friends and playing the games. He felt so grown up being able to go from game to game without Mom. At one point I saw him with his friend and they were each gnawing on pickles they had bought with their tickets. The day of Fall Festival was also "Red Day" at school, so he wore a red hat, shirt, pants and socks.

Soccer Season Comes to an End

The kids had a wonderful season this fall. Last week was their last week of soccer practices and games. We had a really busy week with a make-up game, practices, Saturday morning games, and two trophy ceremonies.

Braden had a make-up game on Wednesday night. Apparently, all season long he has been begging his coach to let him play goalie. So on Wednesday he finally got his wish. I was on pins and needles watching him, because he has never played that position in a game before. He does really well when he is busy running after the ball in the forward positions, but it is a little harder to concentrate when the game is taking place at the other end of the field. I caught him daydreaming and even sitting in the grass a few times, but he also saved a couple of balls. He had a great time.

Lydia's practice on Thursday night was a scrimmage between her team, the Dragonflies, and the parents. She was so excited that I was playing with her. She kept running up to me and giving me high fives and thumbs up and saying, "Mommy, you're doing great!" After the scrimmage we went to McDonald's for Happy Meals and a trophy ceremony. She was so excited to get her very first soccer trophy.

They both had games on Saturday morning. During Braden's game, his coach from Spring soccer was the father of one of the players on the opposing team. He was standing near me, and when Braden got the ball and started dribbling it down the field at full speed, he said, "Wow! He's really improved!" I agreed. Braden is really in his element out on the field running as much as he wants.

After the games we headed to Peter Piper Pizza (it's a restaurant like Chuck E. Cheese) for the Broncos' party. The kids had a great time playing and eating pizza, and Braden was excited about his new trophy. Just last night I found a row of his trophies on his bedroom floor, matched up with their corresponding jersey.

This is a picture of Braden's countdown to Daddy coming home. Last week he asked me how many days we had left until Daddy returns. When I told him, he cut out that many pieces of paper and put them into a baggie attached to the fridge. Every day after school he glues one of the papers to the blue paper. The larger purple paper contains hash marks. Every day he puts a box around one of the hash marks. They are so excited to see their Daddy.

Braden was so proud of this schoolwork today. He wrote a short report on snakes and drew some pictures.

We have had quite a busy week! I don't know what it is, but we can't seem to all stay healthy. We are finally all over our bouts of Strep and bladder infections, but out of nowhere this week I came down with a case of Pink-eye. I am doing much better now, and we are finally all off of the antibiotics.

I am really enjoying volunteering in Braden's classroom. This week I helped with their reading lesson, and then helped two little girls catch up on some worksheets they had missed when they were out sick.

I was in charge of a dance at church this week for the youth. We called it a Hoe Down, and had bobbing for apples, donuts on a string, jack-o-lantern cookie decorating, and country dancing instruction provided by one of the Young Men. We had fall-themed decorations, made by my second counselor in the Young Women presidency and some of the girls, and yummy refreshments made by my first counselor and the girls in her class. We had a terrific turn-out, and I was so happy to see the kids enjoying themselves with their friends.

Saturday, one of my friends who sells scrapbooking supplies from Creative Memories had a special event called Croptoberfest at a nice old hotel in Coudcroft. It was an all-day event during which we worked on our scrapbooks. I hired one of the Young Women from church to babysit, and went and had so much fun scrapbooking with my friends.

We are really counting down to Morgan's return now. The chocolate kisses in the jars are really starting to dwindle. We have less than three weeks until we leave for MD, and the kids and I can hardly wait. Tonight Lydia crawled up on my lap and stuck her lip out. I asked her what was wrong, and she said, "I want my Daddy." Braden has been busy making cards and packages for Daddy. I know they miss him terribly, but I am so happy that I can finally tell them truthfully that they will see him soon.

These are Braden and Lydia's soccer pictures for this season. They turned out really cute. Yesterday's games were cancelled because of rain, so they only have one game left. Lydia will have her team party and trophy ceremony at McDonald's after practice on Thursday, and Braden will have his right after his game on Saturday at Peter Piper Pizza. We have really enjoyed this season, but I am also looking forward to our schedule slowing down after the season ends.

Happy Trails
Today is Columbus Day, and Braden has the day off, so I took the kids up to Cloudcroft, a small mountain town about thirty minutes from Alamogordo. It is always amazing to go up there and see how different the weather is a half hour away. Today in Alamogordo it was in the 60's and 70's, but we needed our heavy winter coats in Cloudcroft! After we had been hiking for about an hour, it actually started to hail. I had packed a lunch for us to eat after our hike, but we ended up eating it in our car while we were waiting for the sleet to stop. The drive down the mountain is very steep, so we waited for the weather to improve. As soon as the sleet stopped it started to snow, so I decided to leave before the weather got much worse. But despite having to eat our picnic in the car, we had a wonderful time. The kids love hiking and being outside, and we can't wait to be able to hike and camp again with Morgan when he returns.

We found rocks, leaves and butterflies, and hiked down to an old train tressle. There are so many hiking trails, campgrounds and fun outdoor activities here.

Soccer Mom Musings

I tell Braden every week that it doesn’t matter if his team wins or loses, all that matters is that they have fun. I was so proud at his game today to hear him repeating that to some of his teammates. But I have to admit, winning is fun too! Braden’s and Lydia’s teams both won their first games today.

Lydia was so cute on the field. Sometimes I catch her out there sucking her thumb or attempting to do cartwheels. Today, though, she really hustled up and down the field. Every time she passed me she would wave and yell, “I almost kicked the ball, Mommy!” She gets really close to the ball, but doesn’t usually work up the courage to actually hit it. Their team won 2-1.

I am so proud of Braden. When I think of the timid little boy who was nervous to get too near the ball last year, I am amazed at the progress he has made. His coach played him hard today. He played forward in the first quarter, goalie helper in the second, and mid-field in the third. He sat out during the fourth because he was exhausted. He is really turning into a very good player. It is such a joy to watch the expression on his face as he runs up and down the field with his team. It is a mixture of pure joy and determination. At one point today he was bumped into by an opponent and took a hard fall, but he got right back up and continued to play. His coaches were very impressed with his playing today, as was I. His team won 3-1.

I can see both of the kids really benefiting from playing team sports. They feel confident, needed, and part of something. They make good friendships, and understand the meaning of teamwork. Today we discussed that although they didn’t kick the ball through the goal, they helped make it possible for their teammates to do so. We are having a wonderful soccer season.

The other night, Lydia wanted to climb into bed with Braden, so I let her. He read to her from a "funny book." It was really a children's science almanac, so I think Braden was ad-libbing. It makes me so happy to see how much they love each other. They play so nicely together, even though Lydia is obsessed with Barbies and basically anything pink, and Braden is all boy, and always wants to play with cars and trains. They love to pretend together and giggle together. Their latest past time is finding little things around the house like pennies, rocks from Braden's collection, plastic rings from Lydia's jewelry box, etc., and wrapping them up to give to me. They always make a card to go with it. Braden is getting very good at writing "I love you Mom." I find the notes near the computer and by my bed, and it always makes me smile.

They have been kind of sick lately. Lydia is going through her second round of antibiotics for bladder infections, and Braden was just diagnosed with strep throat today. But they still have energy to spare, and are happy.

I have been keeping busy with the Young Women at church. Right now we are working on a service project -- collecting items and putting together hygeine kits for the hurricane victims. We are also planning a fall "Hoe Down" at the church, and we are inviting all of the youth in our district. We will (hopefully) have a hay ride, bobbing for apples, country dancing instructions, etc. The youth all have assignments and are working hard on putting together a fun activity.

Morgan will be home in less than 40 days. I am finding it difficult to be patient during this last stretch. When the days we too numerous to count, I didn't pay attention to time, so it seemed to go by much faster. But now that we are numbering the days, they just seem to drag on. But we are keeping busy, and that helps. We are just praying for his safe return.

Braden Turns 6!

We celebrated Braden's 6th birthday on September 22nd. It was a Thursday, and public schools were off for the day, so we got to do lots of fun things. Every year, right as his birth minute approaches, we get out his baby book and look through it together. Then, I give him a kiss during the exact minute he was born. He loves looking through his book, and I love to reminisce over the memories of his birth. The children's birthdays are almost as special for me as they are for them, because they mark the anniversary of some of the most special days of my life as well. Lydia still had Joy School that day, so Braden and I got to go to Wal-Mart together and buy last-minute items for his birthday party the following day. After we picked Lydia up, we had lunch together at Peter Piper Pizza. It is a restaurant kind of like Chuck E. Cheese, but much smaller. But he has been wanting to go there for ages. The kids played for hours.

The next day we celebrated with his friends at a local park. Braden decided this year he wanted an airplane birthday party. So I made invitations on the computer that looked like airline tickets, and even made a special logo for "Braden Airlines". He and I arrived at the park an hour before the party started and decorated the pavilion together with blue tablecloths and blue and white balloons and streamers. He also picked out some of his favorite toy airplanes and taped them to the columns. When his friends arrived, they made foam gliders. Then they played and ate lunch (home made sub sandwiches -- Braden's favorite). Then they played with our parachute, ate cake and ice cream and took turns swinging at a jet-shaped pinata. I made a simple cake with blue icing and I wrote "Happy Birthday Braden" in white to look like sky writing. Then I put a toy airplane on it. He had a lot of fun.

News from IraqMorgan has been moved to a new office, where he has access to a computer with internet. So we have been able to use Instant Message the past week. I have been able to send him some pictures through IM, and he sent this one to us. He is pictured (in the middle) at the Education Department in the town he works in. He has been trying to help them improve their schools.

Greased Lightning!

Saturday evening we had a really fun activity at church. They set the gym up like a drive-in movie theater, complete with a wide screen TV, movie theater popcorn maker, and a parking lot for our cardboard cars.

Friday night, I stayed up late and cut out our little mini van, and then, after soccer on Saturday, we painted and decorated it. We had some leftover blue paint from painting the trim in Braden's room, so we used that for the body of the car. I knew that the kids would end up getting the paint everywhere, so I spread plastic drop cloths all over the garage, and told them to take all of their clothes off. Then I draped them in plastic art smocks, and we got to work. They did a great job painting the car blue. We then added handprints in different colored paint, headlights (made from push lights attached with hot glue), and a New Mexico license plate. They had so much fun! I spent the rest of the day giving them baths, cleaning the garage, and rinsing out paintbrushes, but it was all worth it.

At the activity, we set up our car and ate hot dogs, popcorn and punch and watched "Swiss Family Robinson."

First Soccer Game!

Braden and lydia had their first soccer game of the season on Saturday morning. They really had a great time. It was Lydia's first soccer game ever, and her team was so cute to watch. They just looked like a big gang of three- and four-year-olds running after the ball en masse.

Braden has become more aggressive in his playing. He really gets into the game.

Lydia Starts Joy School

Lydia started Joy School last week. Joy School is a co-operative pre-school that is run by the mothers of the children. We subscribe to the on-line program, and receive rights to print out the lessons, and music CD's that accompany the lessons. The mothers take turns teaching each week. We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 until 11:30 a.m. Last week was my week to teach, so I did both days at my house. For the next four weeks, Lydia will be attending school at her classmates' houses in rotation.

The philosophy of the school is that children who are well-adjusted and happy will be ready for kindergarten. The lessons all center around finding the joys in life. We learned about the joy of our bodies last week, and the children made gingerbread men, played with play dough, danced, learned songs, played "Simon Says," and many other fun activities. They all really enjoyed it, and I did too. She is becoming good friends with the other children in the group. I really enjoy the program because I get to be so involved in her pre-school experience, but I also get a break for a couple of mornings most weeks. And then, when it is my turn to teach again, I feel ready to put all of the work into it that it requires. We also have a wonderful group of mothers who I trust implicitly. For more information on Joy School, please go to: www.valuesparenting.com

Braden's Trip to the Dentist

Last month I took the kids in to the dentist for their six month check-up. I was so proud of them because they actually opened their mouths for the dentist to look in. Granted, I had to sit in the dentist's chair so they could sit in my lap, but we are making progress! They found a cavity in one of Braden's molars, so they set up another appointment for us to come in and get it taken care of.

Last Monday, Braden had his first cavity filled. I knew that they were going to have to use the nitrous oxide (or "happy gas" as they call it at the pediatric dentist's office). I was a little nervous about that but I knew that he wouldn't last through the procedure without it. When they first put the "nose" on with the strawberry scented air, he got kind of silly and wouldn't sit still. He kept saying, "I look like a pilot, don't I?" over and over again. When the dentist came in, he settled down, and the gas really started to take effect. He lost some of his inhibition, and became really chatty. He said, "I feel tingly all over. This is great! I wish I had cavities every day!" I am really happy that it was a positive experience for him, but somewhat disappointed that I can no longer threaten him with cavities if he doesn't brush his teeth.



I just had to share this picture with you, because he looked so cute for the rest of the day after the appointment. He is trying to smile in this picture. The novacaine made half of his face numb for the rest of the day. Even when he tried to spit his toothpaste into the sink that night it dribbled down his shirt.

Soccer Starts!

This is Lydia's first season in soccer. She has been so excited to play. Her coach is my good friend, Kimberly, who has played soccer for 12 years. She does a great job with the 3 and 4 year olds. Right now they are trying to decide on a team name. This evening, as they were discussing it, one little boy said that he likes monkeys. I thought that would be an especially fitting name for a team of 3 and 4 year olds. They are constantly swinging from their goal post, and Kimberly has to coax them away to go and practice dribbling.

Braden's team is the Broncos. This is his third season, and I am amazed by his progress. He really loves soccer, especially because he knows his Daddy played, and his Papa used to coach. Lydia's practice goes from 5:30 to 6:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Braden's goes from 5:45 to 6:30. Their practices are on exact opposite sides of the big field, so I get a workout going back and forth as well.

Cottonwood Festival
Last Saturday we spent part of the day at the annual Cottonwood Festival. It is a big art festival, where local artisans come and sell their work. We enjoyed walking around and looking at the different works of art. Braden and I had Bratwurst and Lydia had a hot dog, and then we all shared a snow cone.

We spent most of our time there at the Boys and Girls Club booth, where they had set up a small corral made of painted boards, and let the kids draw on them with chalk. The man that was at their booth really liked the kids, and made soap carvings for them: a heart for Lydia and a bear for Braden. They really had a great time.

Braden Makes the Grade!

Braden worked very hard all week long doing practice quizzes with me and practicing random words at spontaneous moments. He caught on to the words ending in -ack really quickly, but struggled a little with the words they and what. So we practiced those words over and over again, saying each letter in rhythm while clapping our hands. He was a little embarassed when I tried to practice with him one last time outside of his classroom when he arrived at school. But he was so proud of himself when he got home. He made me close my eyes as he pulled it out of his backpack, and then he proudly presented it, with the biggest grin! He is such a smart boy, and is working really hard. At his Open House, his teacher said that he is very motivated.

We are still counting down with our Kisses from Daddy jars, and the kisses are rapidly diminishing. I might have to remove a few when the kids aren't looking, because Morgan thinks he will be arriving in Maryland at the beginning of November. We have been counting down to Thanksgiving, so I get to eat chocolate AND I get my husband back earlier than expected! It's a win/win situation!

I had strep throat this week. I have been blessed with almost perfect health for the 13 months that Morgan has been gone so far, but I was always really worried about what I would do if I got so sick that I couldn't take care of the kids. I shouldn't have worried. I was well taken care of by my friends from Church. My Home Teachers (men in the church are assigned families to visit at least once a month and watch over) came over and vacuumed, swept, and took my garbage out. Then one of them came back with his wife and brought me medicine and Gatorade, and took the kids overnight. The next day I went to the doctor and was prescribed antibiotics, and I have been steadily getting better since. I am so grateful for the wonderful people who watch out for us here. I was so nervous when Morgan first left, because I didn't know anyone, and I had only been here for 6 weeks. I wished that we had stayed in Maryland close to family. But I have learned a lot being out here on my own -- mostly that I am never alone. I know the Lord is watching over us, as was made evident by the wonderful people he has sent into my life.

County Fair

Last weekend was the County Fair. The kids had a wonderful time. I spoke with Morgan on the phone on Saturday morning, and when I told him we were going to the Fair he seemed sad that he was missing it again. He has been gone for over a year, so we are missing doing things together the second time around now. He was especially disappointed that he would be missing out on Funnel Cakes. Those are his favorite Fair food, so he told Lydia to eat one for him. So we bought one to share in Daddy's honor.

Braden and Lydia had a great time on the rides. Braden has always loved roller coasters, but this year he didn't want to ride the small one because it was "too baby-ish." But Lydia rode it with a friend for the very first time. She has become much more daring and brave recently.

We went with some of our friends, and then met up with a lot of other friends at the Fair. It is really great to live in such a small town. We have only lived here for a year, and we can already go to the County Fair and run into most of our friends. Braden got onto one ride, only to discover that the little boy sitting next to him was one of his good friends from school last year. We really look forward to the Fair next year when we will be able to go and share our Funnel Cake with Morgan.

Braden Starts First Grade

On Wednesday, August 17, Braden started first grade. He is going to a different school this year. Last year he attended private school, because he barely missed the cut-off date for Kindergarten in NM. Private schools test for readiness, rather than adhering to strict cut-off dates, and Braden's tests showed that he was ready. We had prepared him the year before, because he met the cut-off in MD. He had a wonderful year last year and was a little nervous to start a new school. But when I went to pick him up after school, he met me with a huge grin, and said, "I loved it!!"

He is really starting to read, and his handwriting is improving. Handwriting is probably his least favorite part of school, so we have some struggles during homework time. He will have his first spelling test on Friday, so we did a practice quiz tonight. He did really well, and we are going to work on the words he had trouble with tomorrow night. He really enjoys PE and Music also. One of his good friends who lives just around the corner is in Kindergarten this year, so they play together every day at recess.

We live about a block away, so we walk to and from school every day. This is a picture of Braden walking to school on the first day, dragging his new backpack with wheels.

We had to fill out a questionaire for the Self-Esteem board at school. One of the questions was "What is your goal for this year?" Braden's answer was "to learn to read." When he was asked "What do you wish for?" he answered "For my Daddy to come home soon, and to go swimming in a pool." I really think he is going to have a great year.

Tales from the Potty

Lydia has been working very hard at potty training. She has done really well for the past two weeks, and has gone for three whole days without one single accident. Each time she uses the potty, she earns a small Tootsie Roll. Before that we had been using stickers on a chart, but she didn't like having to wait until she earned 7 stickers before she could have her lollipop. Hopefully we can wean her off all of this candy now, or we might be exchanging diapers for cavities!! In the above picture she is holding a bag full of her old diapers to be given to one of her younger friends who still needs them. She felt great about being able to give up her old diapers.

Below, she is pictured with her reward for being potty trained. We bought it a couple of weeks ago, and have been waiting for her to go for three consecutive days without an accident. Tonight she finally earned her Fairytopia Barbie.

The County Fair Parade

The county fair is this coming weekend, so yesterday, to kick it off, we had our annual County Fair Parade. Lydia twirled baton in the parade, and did a number for the judges near the end of the route. Melodie rode in the back of the truck with all of the little girls and some of their moms, and Braden got to ride in the front of the truck with the driver. The girls haven't been practicing this summer, so it was very impressive that they still remembered their routine. At one point, during the performance for the judges, Lydia decided to go solo, and went and stood out in front of all of the other girls. The crowd loved her. Fortunately, her coach was able to reposition her, and they finished up their performance together.

Camping

On Friday we went camping. The Church here owns our own camp site in Cloudcroft, NM, which is about a half hour away from us. It is up in the mountains, and it is amazing how different the weather is up there. It had been in the high 90's in Alamogordo, and the highs in Cloudcroft were the upper 60's. We went up to camp with some other people from Church. They had a big Dutch oven dinner Friday night, and then Saturday we ate breakfast together and learned how to make bread in Dutch ovens and had a 72-hour emergency kit workshop. My friend came with me, and camped in our tent. It was nice to have some help with the kids. When we got there, it was really muddy, and we were expecting more rainstorms that night, so we set up the tent inside the big lodge. In the middle of the night it rained really hard for about an hour, and as luck would have it, we had positioned our tent directly under a leak in the ceiling. So we got a little wet even though we were camping inside!

What a Zoo!

Tuesday we met some of our friends at the zoo. Our little zoo is the oldest west of the Mississippi. It is very small, and doesn't have any really big animals, but it does have otters, kangaroos, and peacocks. In this picture, the kids are looking at the monkeys (their kindred spirits). We spent several hours there that day. We packed a lunch and had a picnic with our friends, and then Braden and Lydia played on the playground with the other children. Braden and one of his good friends enjoyed watching the trucks drive by on the busy road outside of the zoo almost as much as they enjoyed seeing the animals (maybe more). We really enjoy the zoo because the playground is really nice, there are nice picnic tables, and there is lots of shade.

When we went to leave the zoo our car wouldn't start. So Melodie called roadside assistance and they sent someone out to jump start her car. It turned out to be a dying battery, so our adventure that day continued as we went to Wal-Mart to have a new battery installed. To kill time we had dinner at McDonald's, and a very nice man who was eating there made balloon animals for the kids.

Batter Up!

Monday night we played softball with some of our friends. It was Braden's first time playing, and he was so excited every time he hit the ball. Our friends were just playing for fun, and their small children were also playing, so Braden was able to run all of the bases every time he went up to bat. He had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, Melodie had thrown her back out (picking up laundry baskets!) during the day, so she wasn't able to play. Lydia enjoyed running around with one of her little friends and trading shoes with her and applying chapstick. She is such a girl!

Braden and Lydia Complete the Summer Reading Program


Last Saturday, Braden and Lydia attended the closing ceremonies for the Summer Reading Program. They each earned their T-shirts and a certificate by reading at least 20 books each. Throughout the summer we kept track of books we read together on book logs, and for every four books read they got a prize at the library. This is becoming a fun tradition that we look forward to every summer. They each read between 40 and 50 shorter books, and Braden also read several chapter books with Mommy. We have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia together. I remember loving those books when I was young. I worried that they would be too advanced for Braden, but our chapter every night together is a highlight of his day. At the closing ceremony they played in a big jumping tent. Lydia was nervous about going in, so the man who owns the tent let Melodie go in with her. That was an adventure for Melodie, who feared for her life as small children bounced all around her and she got motion sick. But the kids really enjoyed it :)

Kisses From Daddy


Tonight the kids decorated their "Kisses from Daddy" jars. They each have their own jar with 111 chocolate kisses in it. We still don't have a definite date for when Morgan will be returning, but nothing is definite in the military. We are guessing (and hoping) that he will be back by Thanksgiving, so we are doing a countdown to that date. Each night after bathtime, the kids will each get to eat a kiss. I wrote on the lid "A goodnight kiss for Braden (or Lydia) from Daddy," and then they colored the lids and decorated the jars with stickers. They are very excited about their jars, and know that when there are only a few kisses left that Daddy will be home soon. They miss him so much.

The Hanners Family 

Welcome to the Hanners Family Times! I have decided to try my hand at a blog in place of the website I had been using. Hopefully this will allow me to post pictures and updates more regularly, and maybe we will even see some entries from Morgan in Iraq.

We have been having a wonderful summer so far. Shortly after Morgan went back to Iraq after our wonderful two weeks together, Braden, Lydia and I went to spend the month of June in Maryland with our family there. We had fun going to the beach in Ocean City, fishing, spending the day at the Children's Museum in Baltimore, and just being with family.



As soon as we returned, I was busy with my calling at church. I am president of the Young Women organization, for girls 12 to 18. They had Girls' Camp for a week, and I was able to spend a couple of days with them there. Then I chaperoned Youth Conference for boys and girls ages 14 to 18 the next weekend. We had a wonderful time. I even completed a ropes course at the camp we were at!



Braden started swimming lessons, and is really good. He and Lydia have also been involved with the Summer Reading Program at the Library again this year.



This past week, my family came to visit from St. George, UT. We hadn't seen them in such a long time, and I was amazed at how my sisters and brother had grown. The kids are having a wonderful time playing with their aunts and uncle, and just love their grandparents. Unfortunately, Braden has been really sick most of this week, so we haven't been able to get out much. But he felt better yesterday, and we went on a toy train ride, saw "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and had a barbeque and went sledding at White Sands National Monument.

Morgan is keeping busy, and seems to be doing well. We are looking forward to his safe return sometime in November. We don't have any definite dates yet, but we probably won't until right before he returns. But we are in the home stretch, and can't wait to be a family again.