Hannah's Baptism

Papa, Mimi Jo, me, Hannah, Aaron, Nana and Mimi Jane

Pastor Dale with his "Hannah B. Bananer"

Here is the only picture of Hannah in her matching bonnet!

Hannah was baptized last Sunday.  We were honored that the Rev. Dale Smith baptized her- he has been such a special person to both the Gentry family and Hannah's birth family.  The session approved Aaron to give the sermon.  It was more of a testimony to God's wonderful providence and faithfulness in our life and specifically in Hannah's adoption.

We were also blessed to have my parents, Evette and Aaron's grandmother there with us.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here are a few pictures of Hannah as she turned 9 months old on Tuesday.

A Dose of Reality

I once heard a sermon about "being real and transparent" (thanks Joseph Wheat!).  He talked about how he was always reading blogs and updates about perfect families, perfect vacations, perfect everything.  I know I don't always put perfect pictures of Hannah up on this blog, but I do most of time. 

So, here is my contribution to "being real."  Hannah is not perfect, I am not perfect, Aaron is not perfect and we certainly don't have a "picture perfect" life full of roses and sunshine all the time.  Life is messy:  Hannah cries, screams, throws temper tantrums.  I lose my temper, Aaron forgets to tell me important things, we are both too sarcastic.  Our house is an absolute disaster and I am not confident that things will be all ready for visitors this weekend.

But my love for Hannah and Aaron grows more every single day.  And I try, try, try my best to create a good home for them- even when I fail, they still love me.  So we will continue on with this charge from Ephesians 4:1-3: I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Fun with cousins

Malorie looks on as Chloe enjoys Hannah's pack-n-play

Daniel and Hannah had lots of fun playing together

Looks like Daniel is trying to get his high chair back!

Hannah had so much fun exploring Daniel's room and playing with Mimi

Here are a few pictures from our quick trip to Mississippi.  Hannah had lots of fun with her cousins!  We are so thankful that Robyn and Morgan opened their home to us for a few days.  We even got to see Mimi and Papa.  Lots of fun. . . can't wait to show you all of the Christmas card pictures we took!

CCA Football

Aaron's first event as the CCA Alumni Relations guy did not go off as planned due to thunder storms and tornados in the area.  But come nightfall, the football game was finally played.  As you can see, Hannah was absolutely thrilled and completely exhausted about the whole day!

Hannah's room

Here are a few shots of Hannah's room.  It is still a work in progress- there are still things to be made to be put on the walls.  And we are getting a glider/rocker this weekend to add to the mix.  Enjoy!

Cute as a Bug

Cute as a Bug- that's our Hannah in her bug costume!  She has been longing to play with it everytime she sees it in her closet :)  We had a fun time visiting friends at the Colleyville Presbyterian Reformation Festival tonight.  And Hannah loved seeing all the other kids in their costumes.

Kitchen Aid mixer and memories

I walk by my Kitchen Aid mixer about a million times a day.  It is still on the floor next to the front door just waiting for a home in the kitchen!  That is not really the point here.  Like I said, I walk by it a million times a day, but today was different.  It started off a train of thoughts that led to tears.  Kitchen Aid mixer- "A Baker's Christmas" on the tablecloth- hmmm, I wonder what I will write this year- what in the world can we possibly write after a year like this?- "welcome Hannah Catherine and Piper Jane"- and finally: "we sure miss Mark."

Yes, I am sure missing Mark today.  But Hannah's sweet cuddles and jibber-jabber are a comfort.  Hoping this isn't too silly or emotional for everyone.  Just thought I would share what is on my heart today.

8 months old

Hannah is 8 months old today.  She weighs 18 pounds and 12 ounces!  She is growing fast and pretty tall too.  Still no crawling, but we think a tooth is on its way.

What I'm Reading

Baby Animals by DK: very simple with big pictures; the animals are shown doing 3 activities; I add their sound for Hannah although my tiger and bear sound just alike and I am still not sure how to do an elephant trumpet :)

Bunny and Me by Adele Aron Greenspun and Joanie Schwarz: shows all the actvities that a baby and bunny can do together and is beautifully illustrated; our friend Jennie Smith bought this for us 2 years ago with a hope and promise that we would have a baby someday- thank you.  It is a great book but it means so much more to us than the words and pictures.

Mr. Brown can Moo! Can you? by Dr. Seuss: so fun!  Hannah loves all the sounds and usually ends up watching my mouth to see how I am making all those noises :)

Rise and Shine! illustrated by Tim Warnes: beautifully illustrates the children's song about Noah's ark; Hannah has really enjoyed the singing of this book- I happen to love the extra attention to detail by the illustrator.   Fun fact: he has another book illustrating Jesus loves Me that will be on Hannah's Christmas list :)

It has been forever since I have shared what I have been reading. . . mostly because I am not reading anything.   I barely have time to get through World Magazine before the new one arrives!  But Hannah and I are enjoying lots of books and these are her favorites right now.