Nicks Big Fish

Nick caught his first fish at a hunting Expo in Yakima. Grandpa Jerry was showing his elk horns at the convention. Set up was an area where you could pay to catch a fish and donate to a shelter so they can have fish for dinner. Papa decided to take Nick fishing. Nick thought it was pretty cool casting out and reeling in the line until he caught what he really didn’t know he was fishing for….A FISH!

Our Story

It is a little weird when you think about how we became a family and all the occurrences that had to happen to bring us to where we are now. When I was naming this blog site, The Hanna Family Adventures…Adventures was an understatement! Our lives seem to be on a different frequency than others around us. All the crazy situations that happen to us make it seem like we are a sitcom or a walking circus! But through Gods good graces, those bizarre events that occur and throw our groove out of wack , somehow always leave us back on our feet and ready for the next obstacle!
For all our new viewers that are not familiar with our story let me tell it to you….

I was a model living in New York living and chasing my dreams. I questioned why God was not allowing me to meet my husband but knew his timing was not my own. Never did it occur to me that the reason I was not meeting him was because he was still in High school. I know it sounds sick! Don’t worry I am only a few years older ( =
When I decided to take a break from the city and come home for a long vist with the intent to return. I was between agencies and the time could not have been more perfect. I stayed in my best friends warehouse ( the old Diarygold building) until a fire broke out . My beautiful “Castle” I called it, went to ashes! Not knowing it then, but that fire changed my life.
A few weeks later, CPS placed Nick (my oldest) with me. If it wasn’t for the fire I would have never been in a house and nick wouldn’t have been able to live with me. And if it wasn’t for Nick I would have moved back to New York and never met my Husband Tom. And if it wasn’t for Tom, the next three children we have never would have come into my life. Funny how things work out.
I met tom at church the day before Halloween. One our first date we both knew we where meant for each other. I went to work and told the girls I had met my husband and Tom told his roommates he had met his wife.
On dec 5th I won the court case granting me custody of Nick. The next day I received death threats and the police told me to leave town for a while. Since I already had the time off work why not go to Reno and get married! Tom and I flew to Reno (same place my parents eloped to) and were married on our 40th day knowing each other. The trip to Reno lasted not even 36 hours, but it was full of obstacles… will save that story for a later date.
A few months after our run-a-way wedding we became pregnant with baby Marchel. And a few months after that, we heard that Nick had a half brother in the foster care system that was ready to be placed with a pre-adopt family and if we were interested. Of course we wanted him!! So Nathan, 6 months at the time, joined our growing family.
Marchel was born on Oct, 29. She was the only girl in our family for a good 6 weeks, until we receive yet another call for CPS telling us that the boys had a sister born a few days prior and if we would be interested in her as well. Once again we said of course. Then the lady on the other end of the call ask “how quickly can you get here, she is hungry” hehehe… we loaded everyone into the car and drove a half an hour to pick up baby Hailey that was 2 days old.
Today, we are a six member family with two adults and four children 2 and under. Let’s just say we have diapers coming out of our ears, but joy ripping at the seams! Both Tom and I are very happy with each other and all our babies. No matter how ruff the day can be we always have each other at when it is all over.
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our footsteps
My motto is just do something and start somewhere. How is the Lord to determine your steps if you are not even moving. Have your dreams and shoot for them…you might not end up where you thought, but I can assure you, that if you trust in God, the hills and valleys He leads you through up and over , are more satisfying and joyful than the places you ever hoped to be.
Thank you all who view... It means a lot!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! To celebrate the day of love, Tom the kids and I went to Yakima to take family pictures. We have never done that with all the kids so the pictures will be treasured! I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful day of thankfulness of Love! This day does not have to be a day of romance but a day of being thankful for the ones we love. I am very thankful for all the Love I have for my children and the Love they have for me. I am thankful for the Love Tom gives me and the Love I give him. I am thankful for all my family and their Love! Thank you to all our viewers… You are loved on this day as well!!
On Feb 6th, HannaMarchel, had its grand opening along with its first art walk. Mark Berry was the artist and he wooed all our guests with his charm and amazing art. Thank You Mark!! All the girls from the salon looked fabulous and greeted our guests with beautiful smiles. The night was a true success! We had around 100 guests come view the salon. Ellensburg Pasta Co. gave a beautiful spread of horderves to die for.
The children stayed down stairs with a nanny and made appearances briefly! HEHEHE! They are such wonderful babies!
Sorry this update is short, but Tom and I are leaving for the movies. New in Town is suppose to be hilarious!!

Happy V-Day

Love you ALL!!!

Little Girls

Marchel
DOB Oct 29th 2008
Hailey
DOB Dec 14th 2008

Six weeks apart, it is like having twins!! Ok…so Marchel is a little taller and has less (NO) Hair. Hailey is a little shorter and has a lot of hair. In fact, she has hair on her back and ears. She’s my little fuzzy midget and Marchel is my bald giant. Heheheheh all in good humor.
Today, when Hailey woke up she started smiling. What a fun surprise! Those smiles weren’t caused by gas pains! Hailey is growing so quickly. My little half loaf is turning into a full loaf of bread. Though she is still not sleeping through the night, I am very happy to wake and feed her. She is so precious. A little snuggle bug! I could not love her more!
Marchel on the other hand… no less love of course…but is growing like a weed; Or should I say flower, a fast growing flower. She fits six month old cloths and size 2 diapers. She’s not even three months! She sleeps through the night and is fascinated with giggling and her hands. The crazy little kid likes to snuggle in bed but could care less to be held. She enjoys toys and movement. Until she is tired, holding her is not much fun. She throws her body weight around like she wants to start running! She’ll be athletic like her daddies side of the fam.
One of tom and my favorite things to talk about is what the kids will be when they grow up. Nick is not the bravest kid (He is frightened by everything) and he enjoys piano and other sorts of music. He will be our Musician. Nathan is extremely tough. The kid hits his head and bangs up against thing more than any child I have ever seen. He will be some extreme sport athlete….we joke and say bull rider. Marchel will most likely be tall ( = She will be our super model or Olympian High Jumper. Hailey... Oh little beautiful Hailey. This little one can be our perfect little ballerina and attend Julliard.
Dreams! Gods plan is always the best but it sure is fun to dream about. Keep our little babies in your prayers so health, safety and God’s blessing can cover them all their days.

Nathan's 1st Birthday

DOB Jan 20th 2008
Nathan’s Birthday was a hit! We reserved the room at my grandfather senior center to celebrate. The little old ladies wheeled in to see all the children. They couldn’t believe they were all ours. Being there really made my Grandpa feel special. He was able to show off his family.
I would have to say Nathan enjoyed his birthday cake the most. Good thing because I was up late making it. The cake called for some serious work. I barrowed the cake pan from one of my friends. It was the build a bare design. After baking the cake I had to make some thick frosting to hold the two halves together, then more frosting to decorate. Good thing Grandma Phyllis can bake because I ran back and forth from her house to mine. My cousin Whitney helped with the decorating. We got a little carried away with all the frosting, chocolate and pixy sticks, but Nathan didn’t seem to mind. He’s a good eater so no wonder he loved his cake.
Presents for him were a little challenging. He got a little practice during Christmas but not enough to make him an expert; though he was a little better this time round. By next year he will be ripping them apart. Good thing he doesn’t know the difference between toys and diapers cuz he got a lot of the less exciting ones. Tom and I were thrilled!
Nathan soaked up the attention on his special day. He wore a ribbon that let everyone know it was his 1st birthday. Aunt Karen brought in balloons and make swords and little dogs for all the kids. Nick, Nathan and Brad sword fought. Nathan didn’t keep up all well as he would have liked due to his legs not cooperating with his energy. Heheh! He takes lots of falls every day, but he is a seriously tough kid… just gets up and keeps going.
Thank you to all the family that sent Nathan cards. For Christmas, we bought him a piggy bank to start saving his dollars from all of you! Thank you very much. And to the ones who gave him a little more than a dollar… well there is a bigger piggy for that; a safer one for that matter. All the kids are very lucky to have all of you... every one of you (READERS!!) Family and friends here, Maple Valley, Ohio, New York, Yakima, Sweden, Scotland…. You all are greatly appreciated! Thank you

Merry Christmas

Sorry for the delay in reporting the Hanna Family Adventures. I’ll start where I left off. Tom was a big hit at the Christian school scholarship banquet. Unfortunately, he is not smarter than a fifth grader. He lost the competition with the question; which of the following is not an arachnid? (You can answer this question below and find out if you are smarter than a fifth grader. Results will be posted on Jan 10th)

Thank you to everyone who answered the last poll. How many more kids with join the Hanna family? If you were one of the 4 who answered 1. You are right… for the moment at least. Little Hailey was born on December 14 2008. She was 7lbs and 11.3oz. Tom and I picked her up right after she left the hospital. She is beautiful! The size of a loaf of bread ( = she makes Marchel look like a giant. The plan to reveal her to our family was to wrap a box and place her in it for all to open. Unfortuantily, Tom’s side of the family was unable to make it for Christmas due to the bad weather conditions… So Surprise! We can’t wait for you to meet her.

The boys got to hang out with Gandpy while Tom, Marchel and I spent a fabulous evening with Grandfather, Grandmother and Cousin James. We went to this lovely church in Seattle to hear the most beautiful choir. I was a little embarrassed. Marchel kept making these little moaning sounds during the performance. Grandmother assured me it was fine and what a perfect time to hear a little baby while singing about baby Jesus.

We spent a lovely Christmas Eve with some of our family at our cousins in Cle Elum. There were seven kids total that where there. Five that were running around crazy and two that enjoyed the comfort of being passed from arms to arms. Nathan took about five steps when we were there. He is so close to joining the Wild side.

Christmas was exciting! Nathan and the girls could care less, but Nick was ecstatic! I barricaded the hall so he couldn’t get into the living room without passing Tom and my room to wake us. We wanted to see his face when he saw the tree and all the presents Santa left. He pointed out all the stocking, telling me who they belonged to and that Santa put toys in them. We enjoyed watching him open all the gifts. Spacing the day out ahead of time, we made it so that we could open presents all day long. 7am with my parent. 9:30 at The Marchel’s ,, 5pm dinner and 7 the gifts Santa left. It was all perfect except the weather. Tom’s side was unable to make it over the pass. They were much missed. To be optimistic, we thought “hey, we’ll just have another Christmas later!”

Thanks to Grandma Miriam and all her side of the family, our Christmas tree was full of gifts. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have such a wonderful family. Even though I have not met any of them, I feel such closeness from all the letters, gifts and card. They are all much appreciated! The kids and I cannot wait to meet you all!

Tom and I had a wonderful 24 hour date thanks to my wonderful cousin Mike and Jamie. It was much needed! Tom watched a movie while I read… in silence! We fell asleep early and slept in late. When both our eyes opened, Tom said. “Do you hear that...nothing? No slamming cupboards, screaming babies or toys!” Weird.

That’s it for the update. I’m sure in another week we will have a whole new set of adventures to report. Until then, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please make sure to be praying for the new year to come, our new President, our country, soldiers and for the Lords will to be done in all our lives that he may be blessed.

Getting Ready For Christmas

The house is decorated and the stockings are hung; now all we need is Santa! All the holiday festivities are starting to happen which is very exciting. Nick, Nathan and Marchel saw Santa for the very first time. Marchel and Nathan didn’t really like him, but Nick was fascinated. He told St. Nickolas all he wanted was TOYS! It is really neat to watch Nick start to understand what is happening. All the decorations, music and lights are definitely creating more awareness to him of the approaching holiday!
Tom and I took Nick and Marchel to see the Nutcracker. Grandpa Jim and Great Grandfather Brown were both in the ballet. When nick saw Grandpa Jim he started to shout “Hi Grandpa!” It was so much fun. After the performance Nick charmed the ballerinas with his sweet manners and his interpretation of the “happy feet” dance.
Friday night, I am serving at the Christian School scholarship banquet, while Tom along with Matt (Bonnie’s husband) are entertaining the banquet by participating in the competition Are you smarter than a 5th grader! Tom is very competitive so he has been brushing up with his mom the 5th grade curriculum. This should be very interesting!
Until Next Time~