Posted by Hannah Rae on Nov 3, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
A persistent friend reminded me that I haven’t posted about how the weekend went. So sorry, Miss Charity. 
I told you! I don’t make a big deal of Halloween!
The harvest party was a blast. I don’t know how many kids came through, but it was pretty darn crowded. Jeremiah was a little overwhelmed at first, but soon was having so much fun that when the two-hour party was over, he didn’t want to leave. We got to see an amazing black light puppet show (I saw it twice) that both boys really enjoyed. Gabe has quite the obsession with black lights, so even though the puppet show was geared for very young children, I knew he would love it. He did.
Okay, here are some pics of Jeremiah.
Blessings!
Hannah
Leave a comment | | Tags: family fun, Family Traditions
Posted by Hannah Rae on Oct 30, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
My sibs and myself going to the harvest party sometime in the early 90's
Leave a comment | | Tags: family fun, Family Traditions
Posted by Hannah Rae on Oct 29, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
Yesterday I discussed why our family has chosen to not participate in typical Halloween activities. I thought some of you might be wondering how our boys feel about our decision.
When I have fantasized about motherhood, many of my fantasies center around building traditions with my kids. Traditions are memory makers, and I couldn’t wait to get to experience those things with my kiddos. Well, when you adopt an older child they come pre-loaded with memories of traditions they have already experienced. This never really occurred to me until we started to have conversations with our boys about childhood memories. Neither of my boys were raised in particularly Christian families, and definitely not as conservative as ours, so I wasn’t surprised that Halloween was something that they were used to participating in.
Jeremiah was especially exposed to a lot of age-inappropriate scary things, i.e. movies, stories, humor etc… When he moved in, there were quite a few things that we had to put away that were not appropriate for a 10 year old little boy to have. Not surprisingly, when Hubby person and I discussed our feelings about Halloween, he was initially upset. But, since our approach is simply not to focus on the holiday, it soon became not such a big deal, especially since he knew he would still be able to dress up and go to a really cool party.
Gabe on the other hand comes with a lot more history. He has 16 years of memories and traditions, and those are difficult for him to ignore. Thankfully, Gabe is very dedicated to pleasing my hubby and myself, and, in general, tries to respect our decisions. Well, the ones he considers important. He understands why we are trying to help him learn to honor God with his whole life, and has barely fought us on this decision at all. Of coarse, now he has the dreaded plague and probably won’t be able to participate in activities anyway. 
Anywho, this is just the beginning of the journey. We are still learning so much about our boys. Heck, 10 and 16 years is a long time. This upcoming season is going to be one of adventure, and I’m sure plenty of heartache, but I’m hoping maybe some good memories too.
Lord, give me patience as I learn more and more about my sons. Help me to be sensitive to their hearts as they remember things that are not easy to remember. Help us to replace any bad memories with as many good ones as possible. Bind our family together with love.
Blessings!
Hannah
Leave a comment | | Tags: Adoption, faith, Family Traditions, marriage, parenting
Posted by Hannah Rae on Oct 22, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
I’m not aware how the rest of the country is fairing at the beginning of this history making flu season, but the UP is not off to a good start. Entire school districts are being closed down as more than 25% of their student population is out sick. The local news tonight said that 80% of all the flu cases are the dreaded H1N1. That’s a lot.
Our family has been sick, but not with H1N1. Hubby person came home from his business trip and woke up the next day with horrible body aches, 102 fever, and a bad cough. Today, I’ve been out with a really bad head cold, but none of the flu-ish stuff.
When I was a kid, I was sick quite a bit. I am pretty susceptible to lung-related illnesses and have had bronchitis and/or pneumonia nearly every winter since I can imagine. The one thing I can always remember my mom getting me when I was sick was 7up. We weren’t a pop drinking family, so this was a special treat that also encouraged us to drink fluids. My husband really likes powerade, so that has become our sick day beverage of choice. I also remember watching a lot of M*A*S*H and Little House on the Prairie while snoozing on the couch.
Does your family have any sick day traditions? Do you get to eat or drink something special? Does Mom or Dad have a special medicine-giving routine like on one of my favorite Cosby episodes?
I hope everyone is staying well, and if you’re not, I pray you come to full health and strength very soon.
Blessings!
Hannah
Leave a comment | | Tags: Family Traditions, health
