January

50s day at school:

Hannah said, "I want to marry God. Just think of how powerful I'd be!!"

Hannah (6 yrs old): I have a secret boyfriend, and we went on a date today.

Mike: You're too young to date!
Hannah: It wasn't a real date. We just sat together on the bus and talked.
Abby: I don't go on dates!
Hannah: I do.

I was helping Hannah with a sticker/coloring project, and I asked if I could color a pool around the polar bears. She replied, "Yes, but don't get marker on the stickers. There WILL be consequences."

As I was taking this picture, I was thinking of posting it to Facebook saying, "The world is a safer place because of Abby Johnson." Right after the picture, a little kid crossed the road, tripped on the curb, and landed sprawled out on his belly.

Reading a book with Hannah:

H: Alexander Gram-Ham Bell. . .
Me: It's not Gram Ham, it's just Graham.
Pause
H: But I like Gram Ham better.

Hannah: Mom, I figured out why my foot falls asleep. When I put my sock on, it's like a little bed for my foot, so it thinks it's time to sleep. If it falls asleep, I take off my sock, stomp it a few times, and it wakes right up!

Hannah sold cookies with her friend, who is five months older than her.  Slight height difference?

After many, "JINX! You owe me. . ." conversations in our household, Hannah has triumphed. After saying the same word, Abby cried, "Jinx! Waterfall jinx!" Hannah cooly replied, "It doesn't work on me. I've had my jinx shot."

After spending the day with our new dog, we decided that she's rather adventurous. While at the park, she climbed up the stairs and slid down the slide (no joke) while pulling a screaming Abby behind her. Mike finally declared, "She's fearless! We need the name of a fearless woman."
Meet Esther.

Checking into a hotel today:
Clerk - What brings you to Galveston?
Me - Our kids aren't here.
Clerk - I've heard a lot of that lately. Going anywhere special while you're here?
Me - Wherever they don't have kids.

Thanks Gamma and Papa for taking the kids! Best anniversary present ever!

December

Hannah was discussing baptism with the children's minister, Diana.

D: For the wages of sin is death. . .

H: But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus our Lord.

D: That's right! Do you know what wages are?

H: No.

D: It's something you earn. Do you do chores?

H: Yes.

D: Do you get an allowance?

H: No.

D: Do you sometimes get money for doing chores?

H: Yes! I help my dad pick up dog poop!

D: Oh, I hope he pays you a lot for that. Do you get a couple dollars?

H: A quarter each.

D: A quarter each piece of poop?

H: No, a quarter each for me and Abby.

Hannah was baptized on December 16.

Hannah's baptism testimony:

God and Jesus are real. I asked Jesus in my heart because I wanted to follow Him. I was in the living room with my whole family when I asked Jesus in my heart. I am getting baptized to show people that Jesus is the leader of me.

Four hours after the baptism, Hannah broke her arm.  She fell off the same monkey bars that broke her other arm last year!

Hannah: "I have a purple cast. Once my mom had to get a white cast because that's the only color they had in the old times."

Hannah recently decided to give up her Mankie (security blanket).  She gently gave both blankets to me and told me to give them away.  After she got back from the ER, she sat on the couch cradling her broken arm, wearing the most pathetic expression.  I asked if she wanted Mankie back, and she nodded yes.  Later, as I told Mike the story, he asked Hannah, “You needed Mankie, didn’t you?”  She replied, “Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying, Dad!”

Many tears in our house tonight, as our sweet dog died. We hope he's behaving himself in Heaven. Maybe God can finally teach him to fetch.

After the girls were done crying about their dog, I had them take a shower. I washed Hannah's body, but had to stop short when she said, "Don't wash away my tears!"

Hannah's especially mad about our dog dying because, like Hannah, he was born in Texas. "Now I'm the only one in this house who was born in Texas!"

The girls attended their first wedding tonight. When the pastor, the groom, and the best man lined up at the front, Hannah whispered, "Does she get to pick the one she wants?

Abby took notes during the wedding.
". . . Then comes Janel. Then they sing some songs. 3 actually. Then they say a verse and a long one too. Then he (the pastor) talks to them about silly things, they keep nodding their heads "yes" and there are flower petals on the floor. He talks for about 300 hours. Then they kiss."

A first grade classmate asked Hannah to marry him. He didn't wait for a response, but kissed her and ran off, telling everyone that they were engaged. When we asked Hannah if she's engaged, she gave a resounding NO and shook her fist in the air.

I can see why he wants to marry her.

I was leading worship in the kid's area and complained to Abby that I was having a hard time.

Me: I can't catch my breath, because one side of my nose is stuffed up.

Abby: Just breathe twice as fast!

It snowed on Christmas day!  Poor Grammy was visiting from Colorado, hoping to get a break from the snow.

Hannah: What do astronauts put on their sandwiches?

Launch meat!

I was leading worship in the kid's area and complained to Abby that I was having a hard time.

Me: I can't catch my breath, because one side of my nose is stuffed up.

Abby: Just breathe twice as fast!

Recently, whenever Hannah sits with Mike or takes his side in a family discussion, she'll use the war cry, "Blondies with blondies!"

Hannah saw a commercial for Lysol toilet bowl cleaner. She told me, "Ignore it. We already have that."

Hannah witnessing to a friend: "When you die, you go to Heaven and you live with God and you never die again. Do you believe in God?"

Friend: "Yes."

Hannah: "Good, because you have to believe in Him before you die, or. . . too bad!"

This is Mike Johnson, cornering his six-year-old daughter, who has a broken arm, on Christmas day. Immediately after the photo, he beaned her with the snowball and laughed wildly.

Grandma is in town, which means lots of free babysitting. When we came home tonight, the girls said they could stay up late to finish a movie. When Mike corrected them, Abby countered, "Grammy said we could! Go talk to your mom, Dad!"

Mike: Hannah, we have no school for two weeks. Woo hoo!

Hannah: Woo hoo!

Mike: And you know what else we get to do?

Hannah: (excitedly) What?

Mike: Drive Mommy crazy for two weeks! Woo hoo!

Hannah: (suddenly serious) No, Dad, Mommy needs to drive safely.

The girls were at a sleepover, and the father was watching football.  Hannah looked at the TV and said, "Uh oh. . . .  Looks like some wrasslin' is breakin' out."

We were given a bingo game, complete with a bingo cage. Hannah loves spinning the cage and refers to it as the "Round-a-ma-go."