Cianna: A Million Words or Less

My homework assignment from Cianna's teacher; Describe your child in a million words or less, so her teacher can know her better. I don't like the extra work, but it does give me the opportunity to record Cianna's life, since I have been pretty poor at journaling!

Dear Mrs. Sutton,

Cianna...12th Bday at Hot Topic in the Camp Hill Mall.

 I am glad Cianna is in your 7^th Grade Honors Language Arts class this year. I have high expectations for Cianna’s success, especially since she spends much of her time writing and role-playing online for fun. She is also into theatre, acting, and drama; therefore, I believe she will work hard to do well on her assignments and bring some liveliness and cheer to your classroom.

As for Cianna’s background: Although my husband and I were both raised in central Pennsylvania, we moved to North Carolina in 1994 for work reasons. Cianna was born in Raleigh, NC, June 7^th, 2000. Her 2 sisters and 1 brother enjoyed passing her around for their entertainment. Cianna’s oldest sister,  Lacee , was 9 at the time, and would document Cianna’s firsts: steps, words, etc. Her second sister, Serenity, loved to care for her, and her brother CJ, who was 4, well that is a funny story worth sharing:

Lacee and Cianna: 6 weeks old

Of course the girls were hoping for another girl, and little CJ wanted a brother, badly. When I came home from the ultrasound and showed them the picture, as they were gathered around in excitement, I said “It’s a girl!” and CJ busted out into tears, he was so very sad to not get his brother.

After Cianna was born, 2 weeks late and weighing 9# and 15oz, CJ took to her well, as she was an easy going, sweet natured baby who rarely cried. She was always up to doing something new and continually did her firsts earlier than other babies; such as pushing herself around in her walker by the end of her 3^rd month, and walking at 7 months. Cianna brought sheer joy to our home!

Cianna in Upwards Basketball

As she grew, we noticed that Cianna had a sunny disposition, was very charismatic, and made friends very easily. Her Sunday School teachers loved having her in their class, and always had nice things to say about her. She was bright from a young age, and was reading by 4 years old.

Christmas 2003

We started Cianna in T-Ball at 4 and found she was very athletic. By age 7, she was playing first base on the boy’s team, and was the only girl who made it to a-All-Stars. At age 10 we reluctantly switched her to softball because we knew she had a better shot there in getting a college scholarship. She has done exceptionally well in softball, and continues to play first base. Cianna is a natural leader, especially when it comes to rallying her team or raising spirits.

4 years old

Dressed as Mary for Awana

Christmas 2005

Thanksgiving 2005

Flower Girl ~ 7 years old

Christmas 2004

Tae Kwon Do Champion

Cianna also has an interest in theatre, drama, and singing. She has taken a few years of dance; her favorite being hip-hop and jazz, but also ballet as it was required. Cianna desperately would like to sing, but does not have natural talent in that area; however, she does not give up, but continually practices in order to get better –and I have seen an improvement.

8 years old

At our previous church in NC, which was a body of about 2000 people, Cianna was a part of the Kid’s Praise and Worship Team. She did an exceptional job of learning all the lyrics and hand motions in order to lead the kids from the stage. She would also act in the dramas from time to time, and had acting parts during our church’s Halloween alternative production, Anchor Soul. This was a progressive urban theatre, with 8 scenes, where people would move from scene to scene, which meant actors did their 8 minute scene repeatedly each night for several nights. Cianna was a trooper, and served well throughout the production.

The Girls in 2008

Summer 2007

Cianna was homeschooled through 5^th grade, but entered 6^th grade in Wake Forest, NC. The school process was a lot different for her, but she succeeded well, made friends quickly, and was a joy to her teachers…which makes me proud of her even more.  She regularly brings home progress reports and report cards with nice compliments and praise for her uplifting attitude.

Out to Cracker Barrel with Grandpa while scoping out
Harrisburg, just before we moved.

In May of 2012, we moved to Harrisburg because Cianna’s dad had been working in the state for a year. Since our home church in NC began a church plant in this Susquehanna Township, we decided to be a part of it and settle in Harrisburg. The move went well enough, although this summer was particularly hard on Cianna. Moving from the only home you have ever known, away from loads of good friends and a phenomenal church, took it’s toll on her. Her oldest sister Lacee, 21, stayed in Raleigh, and her second sister, Serenity, 18, has gone to USMC Boot camp. Whereas we lived in NC with all 6 kids, we now are down to 4: CJ -12^th, Cianna -7^th, Caden-4^th, and Caressa- 2^nd. The dynamics are much different, and we miss the girls very much. 

Cianna's Great Gammy Granite from 
Czechoslovakia...around age 12...
Cianna sure does favor her!

However, Cianna is bouncing back, making new friends, and has joined the field hockey team which gives her an outlet this fall, until spring softball arrives. She would also like to be a part of the theatre productions at school.

Yes, we are pleased with the young lady that Cianna is growing up to be. However, I must also point out that times with Cianna aren’t always sunshine and roses. She naturally likes to squabble with her siblings, sometimes just to get a rise out of them. She doesn’t do her chores unless I nag at her repeatedly, and spends way too much time dominating our one family computer. Sometimes, she can come across as over confident, even arrogant…but deep down inside Cianna has a very good heart, cares for others, and has a desire to please God with her life and actions….and that makes Cianna a super special kid!

Sincerely, Laura Shaw