The Hazard Chronicles

My Maren.

Maren has become such a fun kid to be around. She is so sweet and funny that she has definitely worked her way into a very special place in my heart. It is hard to believe that she is turning SEVEN today! Wow.

Maren has really come into her own this year and it is SO fun to see her blossom!  She is a quick learner and always has a quick wit.  I am constantly impressed with how she 'gets' people. She is quick to pick up on emotions and the intricacies that create human connections. During our nightly reading she is the first to pick up on nuanced feelings that even the older kids struggle to grasp.

This is officially the first year that Maren is genuinely excited to be one year older. The past few years have been met with sadness at leaving the last year of life that she enjoyed so much! I guess she figured out that each year just continues to get better than the last.

In many situations Maren has become one of the "olders" instead of the "littles." At the beginning of the year I mentioned that the older four kids could do something fun and she lit up and exclaimed, "I am one of the 'olders' now!"  She has definitely earned that place among the kids and she has been able to do more and more with them. She is easy to trust and depend on and is earning her freedom even earlier than some of the other kids because of this.  I sure love my little (getting bigger) girl!

We are celebrating her birthday tonight as a family, and then again in a couple of weeks with a bunch of friends. She is getting so big!

*****

As far as events this week, there were two big things. On Thursday night, Rach and I went to a fundraising dinner for CDAide and had a great time. We won several items from the silent auction, ate good food, and went out with some new friends to continue the party once it was all over. It was a good time, and a great cause.

The second event was that our three oldest kids went off to a winter camp with their church group...right at the time that the biggest, windiest, and COLDEST storm of the year hit. Bwaahaaahaaa!!!! The cabins kept them warm though and they came back three days later in great spirits and in need of a lot of catch-up sleep.

*****

Rachel is flying out to Texas this week to visit extended family. Wish me luck!

Have a good week!

Here's Jackson explaining one of his MANY inventions. I'm still a little unsure about what it does, but he was pretty excited about it.