Happy Birthday Hanna!

Last week we celebrated Hanna's 14th birthday. Her birthday is special to me because it's the day I became a mother. When I first had Hanna, I had never really taken care of a baby before-- I definitely had no clue what I was doing. I hate looking at those home videos of her as a baby. One of them is when she was crying and I keep thinking, "Just get her a bottle. Why didn't I get her a bottle?"  Although I still don't know everything about being a mother and half the time I don't know what I'm doing, I sure have learned a lot and have gained a lot of experience. It's been quite a crazy ride we've taken the past 14 years.

Our church has a program for girls ages 12-17 called Young Women. There are three groups: Beehives (ages 12 & 13), Mia Maids (ages 14 & 15) and Laurels (ages 16 & 17). Now that Hanna is 14 she's entering Mia Maids. Her new advisor came over while she was in school and heart-attacked her door. She also gave her a "first dance kit".  It had a list of things to do before going to a dance (i.e. brush your teeth, take a shower) and then it had some gum and mouthwash and other stuff in there. I thought it was so cute and Hanna loved the surprise of having her door decorated.

Hanna's Door 

 The Birthday Girl

 This is her absolute favorite gift...a chocolate rose (costing a whole dollar!). 

 Lately Hanna has been pretty sick with either seizures themselves or some pretty harsh side-effects of her anti-seizure medicine. She was really worried about being sick on her birthday. As a birthday present, she had a tender mercy of the Lord and was able to enjoy her birthday. She felt well enough to go to school and had a great time there. Then she enjoyed her evening having KFC for dinner and watching the movie Soul Surfer.

 We made chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert. They were the first of the season and a little sour, but with the chocolate...a perfect treat.

 Hanna wanted a Candyland cake for her birthday. The kids had a great time decorating it.

Alyssa and Kohler are watching over the cake.

Opening presents.  For her birthday Hanna got some art supplies, puzzles, money, dresses and some books. She loved them all.

Here are the puzzles she got from Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler. She opened the card that Grandma and Grandpa Smith sent and was surprised to find money!  She's not sure what to spend it on yet...she wants it to be something special.

 Blowing out the candles.

We told Hanna that she had to be 14 years old before she could attend dances. She was so excited that only a week after her 14th birthday her school was having a Valentines Day dance. 

 Here's Hanna all dressed up and ready to go to her first dance.

A close up shot. She's even wearing lip gloss. She's looking so grown up!

It was a surreal moment for me. Hanna has been out with friends before during the day, or at church functions and we've gone out a lot as a family but this is the first time Hanna has gone out on a Friday Night by herself (of course there were chaperones at the dance...but still). It was the first time that I had to stay up and wait for my daughter to come home so I could ask her how her night was...very strange. She had a great time though. She danced with a couple of boys and followed all of our rules. My baby is truly growing up, sniff, sniff.

Here are some fun facts about Hanna...

Favorite Color:

Red

Favorite Food:

Seafood

Favorite Movie:

The Hulk (but she can't WAIT until The Avengers comes out in May)

Favorite Book:

Harry Potter

Favorite Song:

Soundtrack to the Secret Garden (she loves movie soundtracks)

Favorite Scripture Story:

David and Goliath

Favorite thing about being a teenager:

Getting attention from boys (I think we're in trouble)

What she wants to be when she grows up:

Traveler/Explorer

Favorite Activity:

Drawing

Favorite thing about school:

Art

Favorite Sport:

Soccer

Something Special About Hanna:

Hanna is a special girl and those who really get to know her, truly love her. She is very kind and wants to help people. She uses her art to bless the lives of others. Our Bishop's wife has been very sick and so Hanna painted her a picture as a get well present. She's very thoughtful of others and sometimes feels bad that she doesn't fit in or that she's different but we keep reminding her that different does not mean less. She has a great spiritual nature and practices her faith everyday. She works hard on her Personal Progress (a program in Young Women) and she's read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price all the way through by herself. She's now reading the Old Testament and is in the book of Ruth. She's a great example for us and we love her!!