Hannah is 7!

The past year has been a whirlwind. It is hard to believe that our youngest is now a 7-year-old 2nd grader! She is quickly growing up in many ways, but in many other ways she is still our baby. :)

Hannah has learned a lot in the last year. She and her siblings have been working with a Khmer tutor for an hour each day to learn the Khmer language. We had hoped they would have some Khmer-speaking friends in our neighborhood and could learn that way, but though they do have a couple of Khmer friends, they go to English schools and so speak English with our kids. Hannah is a quick study, though, and a very auditory learner, so she has picked up a lot in her class and from listening to Nathan and I in our own studies. She doesn't have a very broad vocabulary yet, but she isn't shy about trying out what she knows, and she often understands the Khmer that Nathan and I speak to each other. Lord willing, once we move out to where all the kids speak Khmer, she will pick it up more quickly!

Hannah has also taken off in reading this past year. A year ago she was slowly working her way through picture books, but now she is enjoying easy chapter books like The Magic Tree House. She would still choose listening to chapter books over reading them though. Since she has less school work than the older two, when she finishes her work, her favorite thing to do is go play with her dolls or color in her room while she listens to audio books. The Chronicles of Narnia are still her favorite by far, but she enjoys many others as well, such as Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and Ramona. She listens to so many audio books that sometimes we can hear her narrating her own day in storybook form as she goes about her daily activities, though she doesn't do this nearly as much as she did a year or two ago. She also has a great memory, and will often quote books or movies.

Hannah is our drama queen. Everything matters to this girl, and she has strong opinions which she very willingly shares! She gets emotional (happy, sad, excited, angry) very easily, and as she grows we are working at helping her manage and channel those emotions! She has such a strong, magnetic personality that she could be a very influential person - for good or for evil. She tells us that she came to know the Lord as her Savior a few years ago, and she gets very excited when we read stories about other people accepting Jesus, but we are still looking to see more evidence of faith and obedience to Christ in her life. We pray that she will grow to exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit in her life more and more and that her exuberant spirit will help open doors for the gospel here in Cambodia!

Hannah Supriyah is SIX! (Birthday interview, update, and pictures) - Better late than never!

It's hard to believe our "baby" is six! But then she has considered herself "NOT a baby" for at least four years now. :)

Here is our annual birthday interview so you can hear from the source some of her likes, dislikes, and interests are these days:

And a little video from Hannah's 6th Birthday:

This last year was a tough one for our family, full of many changes and much faith building. Though Hannah is young, this was something that affected our entire family, Hannah included. This time last year she was praying daily that "Daddy's visa [to India] would come soon." When that didn't happen, we watched (and guided) as her 5-year-old faith grew to understand that God knows and will do what is best for us. We saw her learning to "trust and obey," knowing that as a family we want to be where God wants us to be, so we would trust Him and go where He led even if that meant not going back to India. Hannah's faith has grown and changed significantly over the past year.

In other areas Hannah is still pretty much the same Hannah! She's a fun-loving, people-loving, book-loving, adventure-loving, control-loving, bling-loving girl. ;) She is still our fearless kid who loves a good adventure (as long as it is HER idea), but who also loves all things fancy, girly, sparkly, etc.

She has taken off in reading over the past few months and loves the fact that she can pick up a book and read it on her own now. Her current favorite books to read herself are the Asterix books. Her absolute favorite books are The Chronicles Narnia books, which she brings to me to read over and over. I'm a little sad that we're already ending our picture book days as Hannah would rather have a Narnia book read to hear than any picture book!

Last fall Hannah learned how to ride a bike on her own. She was a quick study, needing lots of help on a Saturday, and taking off on her own by Monday. She had plenty of motivation as all of her older siblings and cousins could ride, and she certainly didn't want to be left out!

A girl on the move

Hannah was thrilled to be a part of the Awana "Sparks" program this year. Although our travels took us to many different churches, she memorized the verses in her book AND Daniel's (from listening to him say them)!

In January she (and her siblings) had her first experience spending an extended period of time away from Mommy and Daddy. Though she says she missed us especially at night, she had a great time with Granddad and Grandma Waldock and made some special memories. Grandma even taught her several different stitches which she found extra exciting!

Granddad and Grandma Waldock with the kiddos

An "extra" year in the States also meant extra time with cousins and grandparents. All of our kids have at least one cousin on both sides of the family that is their age, which makes family get-togethers lots of fun!

Hannah and Jerusha (4 months apart)

Hannah and Eskil (6 months apart)

Rife cousins (Gabe, far left, is 6 weeks younger than Hannah)

She enjoyed lots of special times with her Rife grandparents too - especially "Grandparent Camp" nearly every Friday! They went to playgrounds, museums, historical sites, put on circuses, sang at nursing homes and for shut-ins, had cookouts, and made lots of memories that won't soon be forgotten!

The Rife cousins with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Eileen

Cousin Circus - a new tradition

In late Spring Hannah was able to play a season with Upward Soccer. This was her first organized sports experience, and although she loves action and adventure, she's not usually a very "sporty" kid so we weren't sure how she would do. She said she wanted to play though, so we let her. Sometimes her "playing" was more socializing with the other kids on her team, but she had fun and made some good friends in the process. =)

With some new soccer buddies!

Hannah also got to be a part of her first church musical, which is absolutely a "Hannah thing." She listened to the recording so many times in preparation for the musical that she had every part memorized. =) She LOVED being a part of it! We still hear those songs from time to time around here!

Hannah also got to be in a Grand Prix at her grandparents church last fall. She enjoyed the races and her car did very well, but I think she enjoyed making and decorating the car even more!

Over the past year Hannah has gotten over her fear of putting her head under the water in the swimming pool, and has gotten much more confident and self sufficient in the water. She thinks she has "learned to swim," though her parents still think it would be good for her to learn to keep her head above water. ;-) It is with much annoyance that she continues wearing the arm floats that her parents make her wear!

The day before we left the States to come to Cambodia (near the end of June), Hannah started complaining that her tooth was hurting. We realized that she had a couple of loose teeth and she was SO excited! The whole trip to Cambodia she would periodically exclaim, "I can't believe I have a loose tooth!!"

Waiting in the airport with cousins while Daddy and uncles get our luggage checked in

Flying to Cambodia!

Hannah's first Cambodian coconut!

 Moving to Cambodia has been a big adjustment, and Hannah definitely misses both India and our family in America. The Lord has given her (and Karunya and Daniel) some English speaking friends on our street, so that has been a blessing. Hannah looks forward to playing with them almost every afternoon!

She lost her first tooth in July and was THRILLED about that as you can see from the picture. =) She didn't want to pull it out, so she ended up swallowing it as she ate a brownie. Not a bad way to loose a tooth! She currently has several other loose teeth that she is looking forward to loosing as well.

Hannah is growing up far too quickly and thinks she is growing up even faster. We are so thankful for our sweet girl who brings so much life and energy to our family. If you don't know her well in person, the pictures below show much of her personality. That's something our Hannah has no lack of - personality! Our prayer for her is that she would grow in her love for God and her love for others over the next year.

A few more pictures of Hannah's year being five:

We had to go up into the mountains to find it, but we found some snow to sled in!

These precious three... willingly walking along wherever God leads our family

Learning some music!

Hiking at Pilot Mountain, NC

Hannah's "LOOK." If you haven't seen it... this is it... beware.

Just hangin' out with Opie Taylor

Riding in a Cambodian tuk-tuk

Enjoying Cambodia's monsoon rains

Hannah's 5th Birthday Interview and Party Pics

Here is Hannah's birthday interview. It's 10 minutes long, but it's fun because not only does it show what she's into these days, but it gives a good picture of her personality. She's quite the character!

Hannah decided she wanted the Indian flag on her birthday cake, which quickly morphed into an Indian theme birthday party. 

Table decor - compliments of the collection of curios we keep for display at churches

Indian flag by Mommy, flower decorations by Hannah

Happy 5-year-old

Tired of pictures and waiting to blow out the candles!

Only took three tries :)

Hannah wanted to play "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," but since we didn't have a donkey or a tail, we ended up with "Pin Hannah in Bangalore!"

Close, but not quite.... Cousin Ethan won the prize - a Snickers, as those can be found in both India and America. :)

Cousins = crazy times and birthday fun

Hannah Supriyah - Age 5

Our big 5-year-old at her "Indian" birthday party

Classic Hannah

Hannah as Elsa

Five. Our Hannah is five! Somehow that seems so much more grown up than four. She is definitely not our little baby anymore. She is still a cuddly, affectionate girl, but she is certainly growing up. She loves to help with "grown-up" things like cooking and cleaning, and feels very big when she is allowed to do so. Some of her favorite ways to help these days are rinsing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, and baking.

Chasing bubbles on the beach

Ice cream!

Tree climbing

Hannah is our little dichotomy. She is as adventurous and outgoing as the day is long, but then she will have her cautious, shy, clingy moments too. She can be such a tomboy when it comes to climbing all over the monkey bars (or trees... or furniture...), but as a friend put it recently, she is also our "bling" daughter who loves all things sparkly and girly.

Our little princess

I was reading over the post I wrote when Daniel turned five, and saw that I struggled to know how to describe him in writing. I find that the same is true now with Hannah as a five-year-old. I think part of it is the fact that at age five, children are learning and growing SO much in so many different ways, but it is much less obvious than when they are two or three. There aren't as many noticeable milestones they are reaching, but they are certainly developing in many, many ways. They have their own little character and personality that is so fun and unique, but is somehow so hard to describe!

Hiking at Mount Ranier

Showing off the little boxes they made out of greeting cards

With second cousin Caleb

At the playground with cousin Eirena

Showing off her seashell

Early morning reading with Daniel

Kayaking with Daddy on the Puget Sound in Washington

This past year or so has been a very different one for our family, and Hannah has had countless experiences and met countless people. She has done so well being on the road and being in so many different places. She is a little charmer, and it became something of a family joke that before we left a church we were visiting, almost everyone there would have had some sort of interaction with her, usually in the form of hearing some fun fact about India or just about her day, or if they're "lucky" one of her famous, enthusiastically presented stories. She has been so good about meeting new people, and she really seems to enjoy it most of the time. Hannah is generally a very outgoing and friendly little girl, though she does have her moments (usually when she's tired) when she just wants to bury her head in my shoulder and shut everyone out. She's our drama queen, and there's never any doubt as to how she is feeling! However, she can also change moods like flipping a switch (literally) when she wants to... which has it's good and bad points!

Making friends 

Passing out prayer cards

Telling new friends all about India

Loving on (honorary) cousin Rachael

Hannah has enjoyed most of the sightseeing we've done as we have attempted to make our travels fun and exciting for the kids. Being the youngest is something of a disadvantage in this situation, as she couldn't understand quite as much as the older two and won't remember as much. She had fun, however, and did seem to learn a lot. Sometimes in various conversations she will pipe up with a tidbit of information she picked up at one historic site or another.

Moore's Creek Battlefield in North Carolina

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Redwood National Forest in California

With a Joshua Tree in Mohave National Park

On a ferry traveling across the Puget Sound in Washington

Ancient Lakes in Washington

At Pompey's Pillar on the Lewis and Clark Trail

Hiking near Mount Ranier

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Hanging out with William Clark (of Lewis and Clark)

Traveling through the Badlands, South Dakota

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, North Carolina

Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dressed up like Lewis and Clark

At Traveler's Rest, where Lewis and Clark wintered

The Statue of Liberty, New York City

On the ferry to Ellis Island with the new World Trade Center in the background

At Valley Forge

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background

Seeing the sights!

Lots of fun times at Grandparent Camp

The Roanoke Star

Though Hannah loved all the sightseeing, she has enjoyed the people and all of the new friends she's made even more. Most of her favorite friends are somewhat older than she is, although she's discovering the fun of having friends her own age too. By nature of being an MK, not to mention her friendly, outgoing nature, Hannah makes friends very quickly and easily. On at least three separate occasions during the last year, Hannah met a new friend about her age, and considered that person her "best friend" within just a day or two. Goodbyes are always hard in those instances, but she's a tough kid and bounces back quickly... especially when we arrive at the next place where there are other new friends to play with. :)

With buddies Matthew and Hannah - Indian friends from Boston =)

Fun with new neighbors while in Washington

Visiting Indian friends in North Carolina

Lost distance best buddies - Hannah and Chloe

Hannah became fast friends with Annabelle at one of the churches we visited

With her good buddy Kaye, our field admistrator's daughter

Family is the one constant in our 5-year-old's life, and even that isn't always as "constant" as we'd like it to be. For over half of our time in the States, our "home base" has been near Rachel's parents and sisters, so Hannah has had grandparents and cousins nearby. As Hannah has at least one cousin near her age on both sides of the family, she has had great times with her cousins! She has loved getting to know them and spending time with them in person. However, all of the Waldock cousins live states away, and the Rife cousin just her age moved to Thailand in June, so she has had to learn to "let go" of someone she had grown very close to, which has been a growing experience for her as well.

Seeing cousin Gabe off at the airport

Goodbyes are hard but also silly when you are 4-years-old!

Hannah and cousin Gabe - 6 weeks apart in age and exactly the same height (as of age 4 1/2)

5 of the 7 Rife cousins

Exploring with Daniel and cousins Jerusha (4 months older than Hannah) and Malachi

Cousins Eskil and Hannah - two peas in a pod (6 months apart) 

Cousins and second cousins (all of Rachel's paternal grandparents' great-grandchildren!)

The gals

As I mentioned earlier, Hannah is extremely adventurous. Fearless, actually. She complains when we drag her along on a simple hike, but if there are boulders to climb or precipices to look over, she's all there! She had the opportunity to go rock climbing a few months ago, and loved it. She was just disappointed that she wasn't tall enough to be able to do the harder climbs. =) On the playground, she flies across the monkey bars, and somehow ends up in the most dangerous, precarious places possible - with a big smile on her face, and with my stomach in my throat!

And she's off without a glance back!

Almost to the top

She's glad to hang off of Aunt Michelle too when she will let her

Slip and slide

Hiking Sharp Top on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Exploring a State Park

Taking in the sights in the Badlands

Our little climber

Enjoying the snow!

Hannah's first experience with snow - of course she decides to sled down the hill backward!

Tree climbing

Thankfully she is also very coordinated and has great balance. Of course, sometimes she gets distracted and will occasionally walk into a wall when she is looking at the person she is talking to instead of looking where she is going! But usually she can pull off her daring feats without mishap. I keep waiting for her first broken bone, but so far we have escaped with only a few occasional scrapes, bruises, and bumps on the head!

Playing in the Roanoke River

Exploring along the beach at the Puget Sound

Checking out some llamas with Daddy!

Braving a cold Virginia December

Hannah is a very independent little lady. Though she loves to be with people and do things with them (and she is still my cuddly one, which I'll enjoy as long as it lasts), she is also the baby of the family who has often had older siblings trying to do everything for her, so she often seems out to prove that she can do things "by myself."  She has her own list of things that she is responsible to do every morning and evening (like making her bed, brushing her teeth, putting clean clothes away, etc.), and she LOVES to help with cleaning and cooking.

Baking cookies with Grandma Waldock

One of Hannah's many faces

She was very excited to learn to blow bubbles by herself!

She's always excited about her creations

Hannah's relationship with her big brother and sister seems to have changed somewhat over the last year or so, but it's hard to know how much of that is the fact that it has rarely been just the three of them the way it usually was in India. A year and a half ago, Daniel and Hannah were really good buddies and would often go off and play together for quite awhile. They were often co-conspirators who would end up getting themselves into trouble (usually in their bathroom - letting their toys swim in the toilet, or spraying the bathroom, themselves, and their room down with water), but they sure had fun doing it! She still adores her big brother, but she's also developed a bossy streak, and she is good at frustrating him by trying to force him to do things her way.

Adoring little sister with silly (but protective) big brother

Sweet sisters at Christmas

Sharing a Texas waffle in.... Texas!

Having fun on a walk in Washington

Early morning reading together

Sibling love... I think

Hannah often seems to be wanting to identify more with other girls, and likes playing with Rebekah and their cousin Kylie when they will let her. Aside from Hannah, all of the younger cousins on the Rife side of the family are boys, but she also loves her time with them, and will often spend hours outside in the "club" they formed together.

Hannah and the boys (Daniel, Gabriel, Ethan)

With cousins Ethan and Gabe in the clubhouse

Hannah loves playing dress-up, especially when her siblings or cousins will join her. If they won't, she'll find a wall where she can see her shadow, and dance or pretend with her shadow!

Dress up and stories with Grandma Eileen

Our happy, silly girl

Hannah had her first haircut last November. That was a bit dramatic, for Daddy especially, but it was getting hard to take care of and she could literally sit on it, so it was time. Plus, we were visiting "Carleigh Aunty" who had been with us in India and is a great hair stylist, so we took the opportunity. She had enough hair to donate, so she was excited about that. She looked so grown up afterward! Her comment was "It didn't hurt at all!"

BEFORE (her hair had been braided so it looked crimped)

Getting ready...

AFTER

With Carleigh Aunty, feeling very big!

Hannah still has an amazing memory. We first noticed it when she was two and started reciting her big sister's scripture memory passage - just from listening to her say it every day! When we came to the States and got a new phone number, I taught it to her and she picked it up that day and hasn't forgotten it since. I know I'm a biased mama, but Hannah is a very sharp kid who remembers things very well, especially if it's something she's heard. She is definitely an auditory learner. That served her well this year when she got to attend AWANA for the first time this year. She loved it!

All ready for AWANA

Even at ages three and four she enjoyed listening to chapter books, and didn't mind that the books had no pictures. That love of listening to books has only grown as she has gotten older and as we have continued to read chapter books aloud to the kids. She still loves picture books to be sure, but she also knows that chapter books usually have better (and certainly longer) stories! Her favorite chapter book series right now is The Magic Tree House. Since we are in the States right now with access to a great public library, she has enjoyed listening to them in audio book format as well as listening to us read the hard copies. She also loved listening to the entire Narnia series (twice) while we traveled cross country. The "Betsy" books by Carolyn Haywood are another of her current favorites.

Finding "Waldo" with Daniel and cousins Kyra and Jerusha

Reading to Daddy and Daniel

Hannah is learning to read on her own, though with this last year of travel, we haven't worked with her on it as much as we had with her siblings by this age. Even so, she can read small, short-vowel words, and is learning long-vowel words. She loves learning new "special sounds" because she knows they will help her learn to read more words. I will often find her trying to sound out various words, and she gets frustrated with the many words that "break the rules." She does a lot of writing on her own, particularly on pictures she has drawn, and is constantly asking, "Mommy, how do you spell....?"

One other recent accomplishment has been pumping herself on the swing. She just figured it out on her own one day and ran inside saying, "Mommy come look! I can push myself now!"

Hannah loves to draw and color. A big thing for all the kids lately is to sit coloring and/or drawing while I read to them. Hannah can do that for hours! She loves drawing people with colorfully designed clothing, but she gets frustrated when she's trying to draw something and can't get it as "good" as she thinks it should be. She is definitely a perfectionist!

Hannah is our sweet, happy, sassy girl who lives life with gusto. Life wouldn't be the same without her, and we are so thankful to have her as a part of our family! We love you Hannah!