Anne has grown so much this year. She’s 5 foot 2 inches and will most definitely surpass my meager 1” hold on her well before she’s a teenager. She loves that she’s tall and finds it hilarious that she’ll be towering over me in short order. Anne had a good softball season this past spring. She mostly played second base and right field.
(Number 8, running home!)
She continues to do well in school. She loves to read and especially enjoys science. Anne is well read on many topics and has a great memory. She really likes acting and is happy to be in a Christmas play at church this year.
Anne did the 4h Woolies Club with a lamb she named Jett Puff. It was a really good learning experience and proved once again her responsibility as she fed and watered her lamb twice a day and carried 50 pound feed bags down to their pen. It was fun for her to have a larger animal. But, it was a lot of work for her parents also, mainly for Trent.
Anne has been helpful to me as a mini mom since she was probably 5 years old. However, since Heidi came home she has taken on quite a bit of extra work. She reads the history lessons to Abbey and Maggie while I’m putting the little girls down for their naps in the afternoon. She will often babysit some of her siblings while I take others to doctor appointments. She has a couple of dinners that she cooks for us. And beyond that, she loves to help care for Heidi. Anne can regularly be found holding, talking, bouncing and play with her baby sister.
This year Anne got a hamster for her birthday. She was so surprised because she knows I don’t like them. But as I told Anne, I love her more than my own distaste for a particular rodent (as long as it stays in the cage)!
This year Trent decided to get serious about hunting, mainly because Anne wanted to go. They spent many days scouting out hunting spots on public land, hiking around, going to the shooting range, and talking strategy and safety.
Their first day out they saw a line of doe but they couldn’t get a shot at them.
Despite that, they had a good day in the woods.
They hunted a different spot in the afternoon and spent the time whittling an arrow.
They didn’t see anything but she spoke to me later and told me how close to God she felt as she watched the sun come up that morning and filter down through the leaves in the trees. She spoke more eloquently and poetically about this time than I can remember or recapture in my own words. It was clear to me that the time she spent with her dad out in the woods was profound and moving. She told me how she was often thinking (since she couldn’t talk) about God and creation and she prayed a lot. Wow, what a mature girl of twelve.
And finally, finally. She got another chance to go out hunting. Farmer friends of ours invited Anne to come to their property to hunt. This morning around 6:30 Trent and Anne were settled in their spot in the woods. It was a balmy 28 degrees. Time spent silently in the woods feels long. They had agreed they could only stay out until about 10 because we had afternoon plans.
It was past 9:00 and they hadn’t seen anything. Discouragement was settling in. Anne heard a stick crack and turned to see three doe jogging into the woods. She had her eye on the biggest one but couldn’t get a shot because of branches and brush in the way. After a few minutes of being bedded down it stood up and walked forward enough to be in perfect position for a clear shot. Anne got it in her sights and was very calm and shot. She pulled the trigger but still had the safety on. She kept her cool, refocused and shot. The deer all ran away.
She was sure she hit it but Trent thought she missed. Anne was certain she saw blood but Trent was skeptical as they were about 75 yards away. But Anne was right. After waiting a minute they hiked down after it, followed the blood trail and found her doe. It was an exciting moment for both of them.
We are really grateful to our friends for allowing Anne to hunt on their property. It will be something she remembers forever. She was so proud to have made such a clean shot through the heart and that her efforts will feed our family through the winter.
Happy twelfth birthday, my Anne girl! We love you so much!
How special
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