Monday, November 17, 2008

Thankfulness--Day 17


Today I am thankful for Hallie. Oh, what can I say about Hallie? She suffers from what I call "Second Child Syndrome", meaning she's outgoing, scary smart and terribly precocious. Actually, I don't think she's suffering at all. I believe she enjoys every minute of it. Yesterday, I "blog-erized" HannahKate's myspace profile, so today I'll share a bit about Hallie in her own words from a questionnaire she did at the beginning of the school year.


My name is Hallie Elizabeth
I was born on January 27, 2000.
My favorite subject at school is math.
If I could go anyplace in the world, it would be Africa.
When I grow up I want to be a veterinarian.
My favorite animal is turtles.
A hobby I enjoy is singing.
My favorite meal is chicken spaghetti.
The best thing about me is my humorous personality. [Yes, those were her exact words.]
The next best thing about me is my voice.
I think I am really good at piano.
I think I need to improve at tennis.

When Joel first began traveling, the girls were missing him one night at bedtime. I told them that when I'm sad, I always pray about it and that helps me feel better. We made a little circle of three in the middle of my bed, held hands and began praying. I prayed for Joel's safety and that God would watch over us while he was away. HannahKate prayed for Joel, but also thanked Jesus for coming into her heart. She prayed that Hallie would soon know Jesus, too and that God would bring good Christian men into their lives and that their children would also know Jesus. [At this point, I was bawling. She was only 6 years old, but she was praying for my future grandchildren.] Then it was Hallie's turn. She prayed, "I wish, I wish with all my heart, to fly with dragons in a land apart!" (If you haven't watched children's programming recently, this is the chant that Max and Emmy say to transport themselves to a magical land in the show "Dragontales".) Needless to say, our time of intercession dissolved into a giggling frenzy (once I assured HannahKate that Hallie would not go to hell for invoking the dragons during prayer.)

About two or three years ago, the girls and I were in the car going somewhere and got into a discussion about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Hannah said, "I want to be a teacher, and live in a house just like ours, and marry a man just like Daddy, and have two kids just like us." I was very touched by this sentiment. Then Hallie piped in, "I wouldn't want kids like us. I want kids that behave and don't whine!"

As you can see, Hallie keeps us on our toes. The other night at dinner, Joel was home and we were all laughing and having a good time. The laughter died down for a minute and there was a lull in the conversation. Hallie sighed and said, "Oh, our family is better than cable!" Yes it is, Hallie. Yes, it is. For this and so much more, I am very thankful.

6 comments:

The Wise Family said...

Oh my goodness! How funny she is! I can't stop laughing at the Max and Emmy prayer...I have heard that call to dragons too many times in my own home! I think if your girls grow up and have husbands like Joel and a family like yours, they will be truly blessed. Have a wonderful week!

Sturgmom said...

OMGoodness- I'm laughing so hard at the prayer part. But alas, I'm at work and not supposed to be reading personal blogs, so I'm trying to hold it in, but the laughter is coming out of my eyes in the form of tears! Not much easier to explain to co-workers. That was THE funniest thing I've read in a LONG time.

Kimberly Carpenter said...

I knew there was a reason Micah was so attracted to her personality! :) He thinks she is the most fun! We love her!

The Carters said...

Oh how I miss HallieBeth! This just brought back so many great stories and memories!

Paige said...

I am glad to have Hallie around. Afterall, I will need somebody to strap my helmet on when I get a litte out of hand:)

Anonymous said...

You know what I think about your second-born, my Florida trip buddy!! She is one of a kind and I luv her!!
Cheryl H.