Happy Halloween

The kids celebrated Halloween last night at our good friends Scott and Jennifer Davis. Jamie and Macie were also with us as well as Scott's brother Jay and his family. We set up a trailer with hay to assist us getting through the neighborhood.

The boys dressed up as the Mario brothers. Haden was Mario, and Hunter was Luigi!

Hanna decided that this year she would dress up as a "Greek Goddess," and went all out with a very lavish makeup job!

We loaded up the trailer with kids and moms, and went out for fun. We even had Zelda and Bella ride with us.The night ended a little early when it started raining. We made a mad dash back to the Davis's house and all the moms and kids got soaked! The night was a huge success inspite of the rain, and I am sure the kids will all remember all the fun they had!

Pumpkin Patch

Well the boys took a field trip to a pumkin patch this week at school. Dedra and I were able to go with the classes and help keep all the kids moving in the same direction.

We all went on a hay ride and the boys loved the tractor.



Dedra sat with the boys as they listened to a story. Haden was obviously very happy about sitting still.



Then they got to play with the pumkins!!!

Catch Up!!!

Uh, I was informed that I have not updated the Blog by my beautiful daughter so lets go back and start catching up. Sorry for those of you who look at the Blog to see the family here in NC.

Here is Hanna on the first day of 5th grade!!! My little girl is growing up! Hanna we love you!

Summer Time Fun!

We are winding down the summer and I wanted to let you see the boys new activity. Both Haden, and Hunter love playing outside. Most of the summer has been spent playing on the play ground, swimming at the pool, and ...

Grand Father Mountain

Hey everyone! One of the things that we enjoy about North Carolina is our opportunity to get outside and enjoy our beautiful surrondings. We have been hiking this summer and just got back from Grandfather Mountain.

They have a great little natural area with some of the animals that are found on the mountain including the bears.

We then went out to see the real thing.

Then we went to the top of the mountain to see the swinging bridge. The bridge is at 5964 feet and spans a deep gourge. The thing you remember most from the top is the wind! I was told that the highest reported winds at the top of the mountain have been close to 200 mph! We were lucky and it was only 40-50 mph the day we were there.

We crossed the bridge and that was it for Dedra and the boys, but Hanna and I went out to the point for a better look.

It was awesome to spend the day on the mountain.

Hanna's Choir Concert

Hi all, I am trying to catch up with information and pictures for some of the activities that we have been involved with recently.

Hanna had her state choir competition in Charolette at Carowinds. We took the boys down and had a great day. Hanna and her friends had the chance to ride on some of the rides before it was their turn to sing.

After they performed we took the boys to ride, and meet some of the characters in the park.

Haden was excited to meet Dora!

Look out the Hicks boys are driving!

Hanna's 4th Grade Awards

Yesterday was a big day for Hanna. She had her awards ceremony at school and she was recognized for her outstanding effort that she displayed for the year.

• Hanna was recognized by her teacher for exemplifying Diligence as her key character trait.


• She received the honor of being named to the Principal's Honor Roll.


• She was recognized by President Obama and received the Presidents Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence.


• Hanna was awarded the Presidents Physical Fitness Award.


• Finally, she earned the Elementary Spelling Award for compiling the highest spelling average in the 4th grade.

Please join us in celebrating all of Hanna's effort, and perseverance this year. It is obvious from her recognition that she is using God's gifts, and I am sure that he is pleased with her!

Hanna's Birthday Pictures

Ok, so the computer went down with a virus and we are now trying to catch up some very important dates that we missed. The first of these is Hanna's Birthday!

This year Hanna wanted to have a shopping trip and a nice dinner out for her birthday. So after a great day of shopping with her parents we went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Arigato with her friend Peggy.

One of Hanna's favorite items on the menu was the calamari!

They even came out to sing Happy Birthday to her and played the drums!

We Love You Hanna!!!

Happy Easter

Hello from the Hicks family. We are happy to celebrate Easter Sunday today and hope that all of our friends and family have a great day! Hunter is sick today so we did not get a family picture, but here are Hanna and Haden eating their Easter bunnies. Some of you may remember last year Haden being totally afraid of the bunny, so this is a big step forward for him.

Hanna gets her Black Belt!

We were so proud of Hanna! After some very hard work, she was awarded her probationary black belt tonight. At the ceremony the student gets to read an essay, and then the parents get to respond. Here was my letter to Hanna.

Hanna,

I was amazed when my little girl came and asked us to participate and study self defense. As you progressed through your belts we cheered and thought about how you were growing both mentally and athletically, and we were very happy for you. We watched as it appeared effortless on your part, right up to your senior red belt.

During your first testing for your black belt we saw your first real adversity in your life. I have never been more proud of you than I was when you were visibly hurt during your sparing. You looked me in the eyes during that bout, and I could tell that you considered quiting, but you did not. Mommy and I had never watched you work for something in your life, without it coming easy to you. This belt has been the first, and it has taught you an important life lesson. We recognized that you could have given up, but you did not, and we are so proud of you for that determination. You have this reward! Great Job!

Dedra and I would like to thank all of Hanna's instructors for all their hard work. We would also like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Snyder for the love and effort you put in all of our children. Thank you both for teaching my daughter that things worth while in life require hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

Thank you

Snow Day

We had a snow day last week and the kids had a little fun. School was out for the day and everyone had a blast playing in the snow. This was one of the reasons we moved to North Carolina!

Hunter's 1st Birthday

Well we have not been on in awhile not to a computer virus. Here is the latest around the Hicks house.

Today is Hunter's 1st Birthday. We celebrated with some good family time today and we are having some friends over for cake on Sunday. Those should be the photos to see. Here is the update of Hunter in his new Ike's (Hadens word).