SNOW!

We've had such a strange winter so far with snow. We missed out on playing in some of the first fluffy snow with some of Grandpa's services and Christmas celebrations but it was wonderful to have an actual "white" Christmas. It was so pretty. Then...of course, we had a period of warmer temperatures and most of the snow melted! Don't ask Ron about his snow fort. It was pretty devastating. Well, it was snowing this morning again. I'm not sure that we'll see much accumulation, but I thought I'd post some photos and video to share Hope's first experiences with the white stuff.

Hope's first snow (I'm pretty sure) was back in mid November. We had a dusting and took Hope out to the back yard for a few photos. They were posted here in a special note to Grandma and Grandpa since they were out of town. She wasn't too sure what to think. Her expressions are pretty cute.

These new pictures and video were taken just after Christmas on Dec. 28th. We had some beautiful snow and Hope LOVED it!








SQUEALS OF JOY!

Ayla

Good evening everyone. I read a post on one of my Yahoo groups this afternoon from Tonya at The Bramblett Bunch. Please go to her site and read about their sweet little daughter Ayla. Ayla is from Guangxi province, as is Hope, so I feel a bit of a special connection here. But, that aside, she is just one darling little girl who is being confronted with a very tough challenge. She was diagnosed this week with retinoblastoma, cancer behind her eye. Ayla has a long road ahead and needs our prayers.

Thanks - Beth

Friends

Hope loves her friends!

She just lights up when she sees other children. And, I happen to know, that Hope will be dear friends with the two girls I'm about to mention for years to come. We have very special family friends who we simply don't see often enough. But, when we are together, it is as if no time has passed at all. We were lucky over these past couple of weeks to get together with a few of these families.

On the 14th we met our good friends Wendy, Larry, and Hannah for dinner and had a great time catching up with them. Hope and Hannah colored on the placemats, laughed and giggled across the table, shared their dinner, and exchanged a couple of gifts. Among them was this darling little umbrella that will no doubt get some good use this spring.

How do you work this thing?

OK. I think I've got it.

Well, maybe Daddy can help me a bit.

THANK YOU for meeting us and THANK YOU so much for the gifts. We can't wait to see you again soon. P.S. I think Hope especially liked the hugs. :)

Another family we love came to see us on the 29th. We were supposed to see them Christmas day, but due to my fun flu that was a "no go." So, Brad, Tricia, and Lauren were so gracious and drove to town to spend the afternoon and have dinner with us on Saturday. You wouldn't believe the activity in this house. We all spent the afternoon just playing. Ron and Brad enjoyed some Wii golf and tennis. Tricia and I also tried a little tennis...far cry from our high school doubles skills, but a good time just the same. :) And then we have Lauren and Hope. Boy did they have a good time! I think Hope giggled all afternoon! Some of the most fun was had when Lauren taught Hope to play "Ring Around the Rosie." Ready for a chuckle?

The girls also exchanged gifts. THANK YOU so much for the doll and stroller! Hope walks her babies from one end of the house to the other, pausing every so often to offer a bottle and to reposition the blanket on the baby properly before resuming her stroll. Hope also loves her new book. We've "scratched and sniffed" every night since you were here. :)

"OK - If we just sit still for a second, maybe we can get to those gifts."

"Ready? GO!"

Hope loved sitting with Lauren.

Oops - tipped over.

Favorite of the night ~

Now we've come to New Year's Eve. Hope put on quite a show. She was so excited when our party guests (Keri and Dean) came to the door that afternoon. They had visited us briefly on the 26th as they were headed out of town. I don't know if Hope remembered them, but she was sure happy they were here. She and Keri especially bonded over some reading time. And, of course we can't forget the yummy chicken and soup Hope served up with her new kitchen utensils. Hope went to bed at 7:00 as usual while the rest of us had a great evening playing games, watching the ball drop, and toasting the new year. I think we finally called it a night at about 2:00 or so. It was sure tough to wake up with Hope at her normal hour...5:30! Luckily, she had some warm milk and slept again until a little after 7 so we were able to get a couple more hours of rest. Thank you so much for making the trip up to be with us. And, BTW Dean...I wanted to remind you that I'm putting in a pre-order for those mini cutout cookies for next year. :)

Wii Bowling ~ Yes, Hope does have a mini "me/Wii" character! It's pretty darn cute! ;)

Just one more roll before bed? I love the expressions here!

Pre-Bedtime Stories with Keri ~


Here are a couple of shots from New Year's Day.

Hope's Breakfast Prayers ~

So Pretty Under the Tree ~

Hope & Ella ~ SWEET ~

We have such special friends. We just want to say again...thank you for everything. We're wishing you all the best that life has to offer in 2008. May you have a year blessed with joy and love.

Beth, Ron, & Hope

P.S. We hope you feel better soon Grandma!

Technical Difficulties

I'm hoping that I've repaired the photos in the post below. I think that all the pictures should load now.

Happy New Year everyone! Enjoy!

Christmas 2007

Be warned...this is a bit of a marathon post.

Hope helped us choose our tree this year. Ron and I have been going out for the past few years to cut down our own, but this year it was just TOO COLD! So we still went to our favorite tree farm, but chose to purchase a pre-cut tree this year. Here are a couple photos from the 15th.


Our family Christmas gatherings began on Dec. 16 with the Hatcher side of my family. We came together to celebrate the birth of our Savior and to surround ourselves with the love that Grandpa Bob imparted on our family. We remembered him with stories, jokes, prayers, hugs, and a cribbage game or two. Knowing that we were all going to be together for the next few days for visitation and funeral purposes, our family was pretty determined to remember Christmas and to celebrate in true Hatcher fashion. That meant lots of games, wine, FOOD (never a shortage), and a reading from Luke before we opened gifts. We had quite a party. Hope had so much fun with her cousins. She just makes people smile "period." We just can't help but grin in her direction when we watch her interact and discover her world, and what a blessing to see her so loved by her new family. It was a wonderful Christmas in Strum!

Bird watching - Hope just spotted one!

Oliver thought Hope might have had a hair out of place.

Hope and Hailey

Fun New Piano

The true picture of chaos...Oliver enjoying the tissue paper...Hope IN the green bag...Smiling onlookers in the background...One Happy Family.

Tired cousins at the end of the afternoon -

Annual "Beth & Laura" shot ~

We continued through a pretty tough week with Grandpa's services. Hope was an absolute gem! We spent over 3 hours at the visitation where she stayed in our laps or at our feet playing. Ron and I took a break from things and took her downstairs for some dinner at the church, but for the most part she was just with us behaving so well. The morning of the funeral, we arrived a bit early for some final family time and a few moments with Grandpa. The night before we'd tried to sort of keep Hope away from the front of the room with the visitation display and everything, but the set-up at church the next morning wasn't so conducive to distance. So Hope got to see Grandpa one more time. She signed and said "I love you." We'd been looking at pictures and she'd been practicing saying "Grandpa Bob." I choose to believe that she absolutely knew what she was doing. It was so precious and an emotional moment I'll never forget. She was well behaved during the service...quite and on my lap the whole time. Then at the cemetery she prayed, said "Amen" at all the appropriate times, and hummed along when Taps was played. There was definitely a holy hand on her that week. There aren't many 18 month olds...well maybe there are, but I'm going to choose to believe that she's a complete angel and that God was holding her hand, knew what we needed, and lead her through those few days. She was remarkable. Grandpa's services were touching, and though we miss him terribly, we know that he has now been united with our Lord and reunited with Grandma. Thank you God for peace.

Bob & Marion on their first anniversary (Jan. 1947)

MORE CHRISTMAS ~ Saturday the 22nd, Mark and Andria arrived and spent a couple of days with us. Hope has so much fun when they're around. It is pretty funny now, too, because almost every man with a beard Hope sees she calls "Mark." Other fun that weekend was supplied by little Stella (Mark and Andria's tiny puppy) and big Ella (our not so tiny dog). They played great together. There were a couple moments of nervousness [for me] when Ella had Stella's whole head in her mouth...but I was assured that they were "just playing." Grandma and Grandpa came over for the afternoon/evening too, and Hope was completely spoiled by everyone. I couldn't believe it as they unpacked their cars and carried in gifts. They just kept coming! Hope's first Christmas in our home was magical. She played and played 'til she could play no more. It was awesome to sit back and watch her experience her first Perry Christmas. It is pretty amazing how much love can be packed into our small little house.


"What Mom? Of course I'm not going to get into the presents before I'm supposed to." :)







Hope, minus the hair bows, ready for sweet dreams.

Sunday afternoon (the 23rd) was spent with the Heutmaker side of our family. We cruised on over to Glenwood to see Grandma and Grandpa and aunts and uncles there. Again...Hope just played until she was worn out! She had a great time with her cousin Mitchell and even had some cuddles for her new baby cousin Nicholas (Niko as Hope says). It is so special when we get all of the family together in one place, something that doesn't happen often enough.

Having a snack with Daddy...notice the crossed legs? :)

Great Grandma, Hope, & Cousin Niko (Nicholas)

Cousins tuning up the engine

Brothers and the Kids

The next couple of days are a bit of a blur. Of all days to get the FLU! I couldn't believe it. We were all dressed up and at church for the 4:30 Christmas Eve service, but guess who had to leave. YUP! ME! Ron was there early to play handbells for the service. Hope and I arrived shortly before 4:00 for the pre-service music. I was there for about 45 minutes and had to leave. I was SICK. Just like that! So, Hope and Daddy stayed. Hope even got to help Daddy play bells. I felt badly
leaving in the middle of the service, but I had no business staying when I felt like I did. It was SO awful. But - that's enough about that.

Christmas day wasn't so great healthwise either. I was pretty sick all day, but we woke up and Hope found her stocking just like every little girl should on Christmas morning. She was so excited. I think she was most excited about the new toothbrush and toothpaste that Santa brought. Our girl likes to brush. :) Santa was sure good to little Hope this year. She likes to say "Ho, Ho, Ho," and is so cute if you say it along with her.



The rest of our day was just spent watching Hope play and sort of unwind after all of the festivities. We can't help but reflect on this past year pondering the events that have taken place in Hope's life to bring her to this place. What experiences she's had! Hope has come 1/2 way around the world. She has left families, aunties/nannies, her homeland, all things that gave her comfort, nurturing, and care in the first year of her life, to come to be in our home, on our living room floor, playing, singing, dancing, and now telling us in her sweet sweet voice "luf oo." There are no words to express the joy in our hearts as we give thanks for this first Christmas with Hope. Christmas 2007 for our family was simply incredible.