Sorry faithful Readers

Well, I have noticed that I have not been blogging much this month. The fact is that I signed up for Facebook about a month or so ago and have been spending/writing on there a lot more and have somewhat neglected our blog. We also purchased a new PC on Ebay and I have had issues with uploading photos. Since my writing is less than stellar, I heavily rely on pictures to tell all my tails. So, with the new year I hope to get back to updating all of you on our lives.

The girls and Jamey did have a bit of an adventure this week. Yesterday Jamey went up north to pick up a college friend to stay with us for the week. You will never guess where they picked her up at? Well, I'm sure the photo gives it away. Oh wait, they didn't get a picture. (duh!) They picked Abby up at Jeff Daniel's house outside of Ann Arbor. The girls both received signed copies of Winn Dixie, one of their favorite movies, that Jeff stared in. They said he was very nice and was amazingly tall. (6'5" or so) Both of the girls can't wait until their teachers ask what they did over the holiday break. They think that no one will be able to top that.

Merry Christmas

May God bless you on this special day, the day He sent us His one and only Son, as we celebrate this greatest gift of all!

Here is rare photo of all of us.

Hannah's Orchestra Concert

Being that it was Hannah's parent's anniversary, PJHS's Orchestra put on a Holiday Concert for us this evening. Hannah did a great job and the kids have significantly improved from last year. We both enjoy watching Hannah play the violin as much as the piano and hope she keeps it up through high school.

Happy Anniversary To Us

Today Jamey and I are celebrating our 13 years of marriage. It is amazing to think that it has been that long already. Four kids, five homes and several pets later, we are still surviving.

Jamey, there is no one I would have rather spend those years with. Thanks for putting up with me. Achoo, Steve

Happy Birthday Jamey

Baby News!

Congratulations to Travis and Jessica on the birth of their first little one. Kaelan Dean was born on Dec. 5th in Singapore at 9:36PM . KD weighted in at 7lb. 14oz. and 21+ in. long. Mom was rushed into an emergency C-section Friday night after several hours without progressing. Both mom and baby are doing well according to "Auntie Nan" and should be out of the hospital in a few days. Visit Travis and Jessica's site in a few days for more updates.

Turkeybowl 2008

Thanksgiving morning we had our annual Turkeybowl game with the Koralewski's. Like every other game, we all had a chance to live in glory of yesteryear. This Thanksgiving I was extra cautious due to my back; however, that was no reason to miss out. Brian and Pat were the captains and some how, we had the young guys (I was the oldest) vs. the Not-as-Young Guys. It turned out to be one of our more evenly matched games in many years. The NaYGs tied the game at 42 with 30 seconds to play. They attempted to delay the game but, we snapped the ball right before the time ran out. Brian through a Hail Mary into a group of 4, Ethan tipped the ball up and Sam came up with it and scurried into the end zone for a 49-42 Victory. The NAYG's protested, stating we had some players off-sides. I guess "history" will have to decide. Since the YG's should be around longer, I'm sure history will decide correctly. Ethan was awarded the Turkeybowl MVP for 2008 with 4 amazing catches while fighting through coverage on each grab.

Give Thanks...

Saddened Heart

Tonight our grandpa, Mark Hanna, went home to be with his Lord and Savior. He was surrounded by his family and went peacefully this evening.

Click to read Grandpa's obituary

Tent City

This past weekend we participated in the annual Tent City event in downtown Toledo. Tent City is a organization the ministers to the homeless by providing medical attention, state IDs, prescriptions, counseling, etc... Jamey, Hannah, Emma and I volunteered Saturday night and into Sunday morning. We registered people as they came to the event, issued blankets, coats and just lending a ear to many of our city's homeless. It was an eye opening experience.

Happy Halloween!

What a lovely family!

Caleb's Rain Gutter Reggata

Last week Caleb's Tiger Cub Den participated in our pack's Rain Gutter Regatta. While Caleb, "didn't want to waste his breath," by overexerting himself, his boat did get selected by the Cub master as the best design in the den.

Last Chance...

Thanks to all of you who have ordered popcorn from Caleb in the last month. If you still haven't ordered and want to, give us a call before the 31st.

Girls Road Trip...

This weekend Grace, Jamey and Jamey's friend Jen headed to Florida for a short get away. The trip started off rough when I dropped them off at the Gate 30 minutes before take-off. Due to our tardiness, they did not get their luggage until the day after they arrived in Ft. Myers. Needless to say, we miss them dearly and can't wait until they return on Wednesday night.

Caleb's First Campout

Lesson 1: Improvise

This past weekend Caleb, I and the rest of our tiger cub den headed to Camp Miakonda in Sylvainia for the district's annual family Fall camporee. The boys had a lot fun: B-B guns, bow and arrows, rack cars, rockets, etc... We took several tents to lend to some of the families who have never, or rarely camp. Most did not like the 39 degree weather we had Saturday night. Needless to say I did enjoy going back to Miakonda after 15+ years. The place has barely changed.

ReUseAShoe Recycling PSA

Hannah's gym class was assigned a project that required they educate their peers on the the "Keep Perrysburg Beautiful" campaign to promote Nike's "ReUseAShoe" recycling program. Hannah and I had a lot of fun putting this together, despite the late night... Not too shabby for a first attempt at "film-making"! She put a lot of time and hard work into this, hoping to educate and entertain at the same time. She could have just turned in a poster-board and short report; but, our little "over-achiever" wanted to put her creativity (and my technical skills - thanks) to the test! She had SO many ideas that I think, if she would have had more time, this little PSA might have ended up a 2 hr "feature film"! She actually produced 2 seperate films over the last week; but, her first one had "technical issues" (aka - Steve is much better with a camera than he is with a VIDEO camera :). She had fun involving the whole family in this, and even recruited some of the neighbor kids along the way! She's not holding out for an invitation to "The Sundance" just yet; she is, however, banking on an A from her gym teacher!

Cheerleader for a Night

On Friday Emma was able to cheer with the Perrysburg HS Varsity Cheerleaders. She attended the annual Cheer Clinic this week and was able to cheer for the entire 2nd quarter of the game. The team blew out their opponent. Emma had a blast for the 3rd year in a row. We may have a future PHS Cheerleader in the house. What a performer!

Hide your Checkbooks, Caleb's selling Popcorn

This is Caleb's first year in scouting. He joined Pack 209 at Frank/Ft. Meigs Elementry schools. I am lucky enough to be selected as the Den Leader for the 1st graders. For now we have 13 boys in our den and Caleb is loving it. He enjoys learning the Boy Scout Promise, salute, etc... It is like he has joined a "secret" society. On Friday he put on his uniform at hit the neighborhood by himself. He sold nearly $150 of popcorn on his first outing. I have to admit, it is hard to pass up a face like his while he is on your front porch. Once he hits the rest of Perrysburg he will most likely be ringing your door or calling you on the phone so watch out.

Hitting the Trail

Well after the first semi-full week back at school the kids and I went hiking at Sidecut Metropark in Maumee. The river was quite low allowing us to walk to Blue Grass Island to explore. It didn't quite have the same topography at the Niagara Region but, was still an adventure. We also were able to take Grace with us with her all-terrain stroller. It was a good thing because we maneuvered over large branches, across all sorts of rocks, and down some decent banks. We had a lot of fun and manage to hike 3-4miles.

Niagara Falls

American Falls

This past week we traveled to Niagara Falls for a quick family vacation before school started. Unfortunately for Grace we left her back in Ohio so that the older kids, including us, could have more of an adventure. We drove to Buffalo on Wednesday and spent the night on Grand Island in a little Motel. We visited the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Louiseton, NY , as well as, explored Niagara State Park in the night to watch the quick fireworks display. The falls were an awesome sight while lite up and walking through Goat Island was a blast in the dark.

Thursday we purchased the Niagara Fall Discovery Pass. This allowed us to visit all of the attractions on the US side of the falls. We stopped at the Niagara Aquarium, Discovery Center, rode the Maid of the Mist and traveled to the base of the American Falls on the Cave of the Winds Tour. We were told the Maid of the Mist is a must do in Niagara. While we all enjoyed the boat ride, it did not compare to walking up the base of the falls to the Hurricane Deck on the Cave of the Winds. It was truly amazing to stand under the falls while the water smashes off of large boulders and engulfs you. This was the tops on everyone's list.
After the day in New York we traveled to Ontario for the balance of our trip. Jamey found us a great deal on a house just a mile north of the falls and only about 100 ft. from the Niagara River Gorge. It was no mansion; however, we could not have found a better place for a us and the kids. We would highly recommend it to anyone traveling with a family on a budget. We were also able to save a ton of money on food by eating in for most of our meals. Of course we ended up spending it on all our "activities" but, it was well worth it. That night went downtown to travel up nearly 775 ft to the observation deck of the Skylon Tower. The view was again amazing. It would have been great to see it on a clear day. Caleb was happy to, "finally have concurred his fear of heights."

Friday morning we traveled north a bit to take a tour on on the Niagara River. By tour I mean racing 50+ mph up the river, doing Hamilton Turns in the Niagara Whirlpool and riding Class V rapids on a Jet Boat. It was a blast and we all looked as if we just took a dunk in the river upon our return to the car. Another must do in the area. A bit pricey but, worth the ride. That night we walked through the town and took a carriage ride near the Horseshoe Falls. We ended the night by watching the fireworks from the Canadian side. If timed right, you can see the fireworks 2-3 during the week.

Saturday morning we went on a hike at Niagara Glen Park. We descended over 200 ft. down to the Whirlpool on the Niagara River and hike around to the rapids that we rode on the day before. This was one of our most memorable parts of the trip and was a close second to the Cave of the Winds tour and it was ABSOLUTELY FREE! There are miles and miles of hiking and biking trails along the Niagara River and the views are amazing. That afternoon we raced back to the house for a quick showers and caught the matinee of the Greg Frewin Theatre. It was a Vegas Style Magic show with Tigers and amazing illusions. After the show we ate our only meal out at an Irish Pud. We sat on the Patio overlooking the Horseshoe Falls. We spent the night hitting a few other attractions on Clifton Hill. We split up the kids. I took Caleb to Brick City (Lego Museum) and the fun house. Jamey took the girls to Ripley's. We ended the night at 2Am in the hot tub which the kids refereed to as the, "Family Tub". We spend most nights in the hot tub trying to recover from all the walking we did. Other than the 9 hour trip home (compared to the 5 hr trip to NY) we had a blast. Hitting most of the sites mid week was also great. Parking was cheaper, lines were shorter and we could do a lot more. Niagara is definitely a must do trip for all but, plan on spending more time there then you think you need. There is so much to due and we could spend another trip there seeing all the rest of the attractions.

Our House (for the weekend)!

Check back soon to see more of our pictures from the trip..

He Rides!

Well after many long discussions on how riding a bike would, "Kill him," Caleb finally is starting to learn to ride this week.

On the Go

Last Sunday the entire family headed out on Lake Erie to spend a day on the boat. We had great weather and the kids all had a blast. Heading out to the Toledo Lighthouse was a bit rough and many of us did not have our sea legs. Everyone managed to survive the ride and enjoyed the day under the sun.

Baby News!

Congratulations to Kyle and Natalie Hanna on the arrival of their daughter Ava Louise. Ava arrived last Thursday around 6:00 PM. She weighed around 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was about 20 in. He she is with mom, dad and big brother Ayden.

We can't wait to meet the newest member of the Hanna family!

Election 2008

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Hannah leaves for West Virginia

This morning Hannah and the group from Cedar Creek's Fusion (Jr. High Ministry) left for the McDowell Mission in West Virginia. The two teams will be spending the week with needy families working on small home projects and sharing the Gospel with them. It is a great opportunity for someone her age and should be a wonderful experience.
UPDATE: Sunday evening we received a call from the phone tree and the kids arrived in WV safely. They are getting settled and prepared for there service projects. They are scheduled to be at the work sites from 9AM to 4:00PM daily. I'm not sure if Hannah is ready for they type of work load. I look forward to hearing about it when she returns.

Guess Who's 60?

Look, all he can eat is SOFT foods!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Back from the Hospital

Monday I had my appendectomy after several weeks with a ruptured appendix. Everything went well and I am already back at home. I am really sore and will not be able to lift anything over 10 lbs for 6 weeks. It is going to be rough not being able to pick up Grace for that long. The kids are a big help but, I'm not sure how long that will last. We will see how it goes next week when Hannah is on her mission trip with the church youth group.

10th Annual Hanna Open

This year we moved the Hanna Open back to South Toledo due to a scheduling issue. I guess it was a good thing because Heatherdowns was closed this weekend due to flooding. South Toledo had it's share of water issues; however, we were still able to play most holes. With #4 and #5 playing as par 3s and #14 closed all together, this year we were scoring better than ever. John won another title with a low gross score of 78 and Nate, "the sand-bagger", won low net with a 59. Nate's scoring helped put his team in first place. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun with the group this year and there is already a buzz about some new additions for next year's Open.

As tradition played out, we spent the afternoon and evening at Mark and Terri's house. We played a lot of volleyball and ate a lot of good food. Unfortunately we had one injury during our volleyball match. Uncle Tim hurt his knee while scaling the fence as he chased after a lost ball. Hopefully he is okay. This year was a first for our latest addition to the family, Mark Allen Koralewski, (a.k.a.: MAK) Next year we will have another few additions as well.

Click for full photo album