The Hannig Home

Mer was running in the kitchen a few weeks ago.  She was only in her undies (she learned that look from her brother, Benny).  She started by standing up against the north wall of the kitchen.  The boys were both sitting at the kitchen counter.  She said: Lukey watch me run. I SO FAST! Off she ran!  She darted through the kitchen right past the boys at the counter, around the dining room table, back past the counter, through the kitchen, and back up against her wall.  Luke and Ben were SO cute and encouraging. Mer you're so fast!  Whoa Mer, you are REALLY fast.   Over and over again she asked them to watch her run.  Over and over again she ran her "pattern."  Over and over again the boys encouraged her.  It was a sweet moment.  I love my kids. (Below are some pictures of her running outside because I didn't find any of her running inside.)

It was a beautiful bright and sunny day on November 20th.  There hadn't been any snow yet and the temps were in the 40s or 50s.  Ben wanted to bike so I put Meredith in the stroller and we headed out for a little mid-morning exercise.  As we turned out of our driveway and onto the gravel road, we pushed hard going uphill toward Green Lake.  As we neared the top of the first hill by our neighbor Jeff's house,  Ben said: Doesn't it look so small (referring to the sun)? But it's really so big. It has to shine the whole world. You're right, buddy.  It has to shine the whole world.  Isn't God amazing?  The sun is just suspended there in outer space, spinning around, shining the whole world.

Luke decided to try Taekwondo.  He took it during the month of November.  He is a little shy, but was really good at it and I think he could really be great at it if he has the desire to continue.  When you first start taekwondo you start out in your street clothes and then a few weeks later, when you are ready to test for your first belt, you meet one-on-one with the master (Master Earline) and perform your "patterns."  Luke's friend, Liam, started at the same time as Luke, so they tested together, as you will see in some of the pictures.  Luke was mostly excited for the uniform (which was not cheap after buying the equipment that goes with it) and so when I was trying to understand if he was interested in continuing on (I was not going to invest in the uniform and equipment otherwise) he said he wasn't sure.  I informed him that I was not investing close to $100 dollars if he was on the fence about it.  He cried out, "BUT WHAT WILL I BE FOR HALLOWEEN NEXT YEAR

Well, it's December.  And...the boys started school on September 1st.  I'm way behind.  Here's the update in a nutshell. The first week was tough for Luke and mom.  First grade is a big change from Kindergarten.  His close friend, Liam, who had been in school with him since Luke started preschool, was for the first time, not in his class. There is no playtime in first grade like there is in Kindergarten, and the learning is intense, including homework nightly.  In fact, a few days after school started, I asked Luke if he had talked to anyone in his class that day (old friends or new) and he said, "No, we can't talk to anyone.  All we do is work."  !!!  Well, after a few weeks, he settled in and adjusted to the new routine.  His teacher, Miss Quade, is right out of college at St. Cloud State and is AMAZING, absolutely amazing.  He loves her and Paul and I love her.  At conferences she referred to Luke as introverted.  It blew my mind.  I had taken the Myers B

Benny, You learned to bike shortly after turning 4, around the end of August, early September. You love to ride.  You tackled the gravel road not long after learning.  You tackled all the hills around here and you often ride in the dark, up and down our driveway.  You've been riding well into November and December (due to the warm temps and little snow).  You got up after a few spills (including a bloody lip) and got right back on the horse.  You're one tough guy.  You just get stuff done.  You have no fear, no anxiety to hold you back.  You are FREE.  Your dad and I talk about that a lot.  You are just free.  You don't care what anyone thinks of you.  You wear what you want (like your spiderman costume for days in a row, including to school), play what you want, do what you want, without concern about what others think.  You are free.  You are also just very low maintenance and easy.  We love that about you! Here are some recent pictures of you.  

We don't often get babysitters, other than grandparents.  Sometimes we feel like we ask too much of them, though, and so we decided it was time for our kids to get used to having a non-grandparent babysitter here or there.  The night before Thanksgiving we informed our kids that Jordan King, a 16 year old girl we've gotten to know a bit, would be babysitting that night. Every 2 minutes the kids would ask "when will she be here?!!!" This started at 10am until she arrived at 7pm.  Even Meredith kept asking me, "When will my friend be here?!" THAT was so cute coming out of Mer's little mouth. The first night was a success and they asked when she could come again. Three days later, that Saturday after Thanksgiving, we had her come again.  The kids were ecstatic...except maybe Meredith.  She didn't nap during the day and I could tell by 6pm when Jordan arrived that she was not pumped.  Surprisingly she let me put her down and I was able to leave without h

Meredith is OFFICIALLY potty trained!  She is wearing pull ups to bed and undies all day.  She goes to the bathroom on her own, without needing me to ever ask her or remind her.  She goes in public restrooms, too, no problem.  She's quite a little champ and I'm so proud of her!  Here are a few pictures of her in her new undies, on the toilet, and just being my awesome date at my favorite place - Caribou Coffee.

Luke, Tonight we came home after running a few errands.  I was making supper while you sat at the dining room table.  We were home for about 15 minutes when you asked, "Mom, are you sad?"  I said no and told you I was fine.  I asked why you had asked.  Then you said, "You just seem sad.  Your face looks sad."  And then I realized that I had been feeling sad.  Something was on my mind that was bothering me a little bit. Thank you, Luke, for being in tune with me and my feelings, for asking about it, and for being concerned.  There are so many reasons I love this about you.  You are just 6 years old, and you care about people's feelings and you recognize emotions.  I'm so thankful for you. Love you! Mom And below is a post I started to write to you back on September 20th, but never finished.  It seems to fit appropriately here: Lukey, the past week (adjusting to school) has been a little tough.  You have been tired and emotional, crying quite a bit.  

    Lunch and playground with Luke           Luke's paper from 'center time' at the writing center in K