My five year old loves this one. She thinks the brothers are hilarious and she loves when Miss Piggy wacks the wolf. =)
Anna
Showing posts with label Anna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anna. Show all posts
Anna Banana has been so excited for the 1st day of Kindergarten. As each of her older siblings decorated lockers, walked through school schedules and received new hair cuts, she just kept counting down. Mom trimmed her bangs, took her to buy a folder for her back pack, and even got her some new outfits.
But disaster struck the day before school started.
Our conversation about the disaster went something like this:
And the conversation continued. Until Mom took a picture of her to show her what her hair looked like. Oops. Thank goodness JC Penney Salons were running a free hair cuts promo. They were very kind and squeezed us in that evening.
Daddy thinks Anna Banana now looks like Peter Pan. When she got up this morning, she looked like a little rascal with her hair sticking up all over the place! But with some help of a water bottle, cute headband, and pretty flowers, Anna was a little sweetheart ready for her first day of Kindergarten.
Doesn't she look devious? All I can say is good luck Mrs. Deets!
Here are a few pictures from school drop off.
Happy first day of Kindergarten, Anna!
But disaster struck the day before school started.
Mom (gasping for breath): Anna, what happened to your hair?
Anna: Nothing. It's just like it was this morning.
Mom: No, Anna. Your hair was down to your shoulders this morning and you had bangs. Did you cut it?
Anna: No, it fell out when I was jumping on the trampoline.
Mom: Honey, you're still in your pajamas and haven't been on the tramp yet today.
Anna: The magical scissors decided to make me look beautiful.
And the conversation continued. Until Mom took a picture of her to show her what her hair looked like. Oops. Thank goodness JC Penney Salons were running a free hair cuts promo. They were very kind and squeezed us in that evening.
Daddy thinks Anna Banana now looks like Peter Pan. When she got up this morning, she looked like a little rascal with her hair sticking up all over the place! But with some help of a water bottle, cute headband, and pretty flowers, Anna was a little sweetheart ready for her first day of Kindergarten.
Doesn't she look devious? All I can say is good luck Mrs. Deets!
Here are a few pictures from school drop off.
Happy first day of Kindergarten, Anna!
I can't believe it's here already. It seems like I just sent my munchkins off for their 1st day of school. How did we get to the last day so quickly? I'm amazed by how much my kids have grown this past year.
Isaac finished his 2nd year of middle school. One more year to go and then he'll be in high school. That is So. Not. Right. He did an amazing job in cross country and track. What can I say? My boy loves to run! And it was so fun to see him continue enjoying the cello and perform in concerts. 8th grade has a lot of decisions that need to be made - what program he wants to apply for to study in high school, which high school he'll attend - which will depend a lot on if he chooses to go into a 21st century program or not. Either way, 8th grade will be a pivotal year for him. I hope this summer he continues to learn independence and how to work/compromise with others.
At this moment, MJ is getting ready for her final walk through the halls of her elementary school. Each year, the students, teachers and parents line all the halls and have a clap down (lots of applause and cheers) as the 5th graders walk through all the different grades, then finally through the lobby and out the doors - never to return again as an elementary student. Last night, MJ was talking to me about how much she's going to miss her school, teachers, and friends. It's such a tender transition. There's so much good stuff ahead for my daughter. She's an incredibly smart, sweet girl with such a wide bright happy future waiting for her to step into. I can't wait to see what choices and paths she chooses to pursue.
Rob, holy moly, I can't believe my baby boy just finished 2nd grade! He's going to be a big 3rd grader next year. Wow! He had an awesome year participating in Student Council, running club, and being accepted into the Quest program. He's another one of my little smartie pants kids. I absolutely love Rob's sense of humor and tender heart for others. I hope he doesn't lose those wonderful qualities as he continues to grow older. I'm excited to see what he'll choose to do in 3rd grade. Will he continue playing the piano? Decide to try out a sport? I'm sure whatever he does, it will be with a happy, cheerful smile on his face - because that's just the kind of kid Rob is. He's awesome!
My Anna Banana graduated from preschool. We still don't know what will happen with Kindergarten for her. I've asked for a transfer to another school because our school K teacher is very harsh and makes the kids cry. I've watched her for 3 years now and just know she's not the teacher for my daughter. So I've requested a transfer for Kindergarten. I was told they wouldn't give me an answer until the week before school begins. If the transfer doesn't come through, then I plan to home school her and enroll her for specials at our elementary school. At least that way she'll still go to the school for an hour each day and will get to know some of the other kids in Kindergarten - but she won't interact with the Kindergarten teacher. Just the specials teachers. My only worry is that Anna is such a social bug. She loves, loves, loves going to school. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the transfer will come through - because I really think that would be the best option for Anna. She's learned so much this last year as a peer model in a school district classroom and has already passed off a lot of her Kindergarten curriculum. So I'm not worried about her educationally, just socially. She loves to be with other kids. Either way, we'll figure everything out. I'm excited that she's grown so much and is so ready to jump into her next year of school.
Overall, it's been a great school year. There were lots of bumps in the road, lots of learning moments, and lots of awesome let's celebrate moments too. My kids amaze me - some days they drive me nuts, but most of the time, they're just pretty darn great. I'm excited to see how this summer goes (especially since being sick has screwed up a lot of my plans). I just want to get well - fast! - so I can enjoy as much of the summer as I can with my munchkins.
What's your school year review like? Have any fun plans for this summer?
Isaac finished his 2nd year of middle school. One more year to go and then he'll be in high school. That is So. Not. Right. He did an amazing job in cross country and track. What can I say? My boy loves to run! And it was so fun to see him continue enjoying the cello and perform in concerts. 8th grade has a lot of decisions that need to be made - what program he wants to apply for to study in high school, which high school he'll attend - which will depend a lot on if he chooses to go into a 21st century program or not. Either way, 8th grade will be a pivotal year for him. I hope this summer he continues to learn independence and how to work/compromise with others.
At this moment, MJ is getting ready for her final walk through the halls of her elementary school. Each year, the students, teachers and parents line all the halls and have a clap down (lots of applause and cheers) as the 5th graders walk through all the different grades, then finally through the lobby and out the doors - never to return again as an elementary student. Last night, MJ was talking to me about how much she's going to miss her school, teachers, and friends. It's such a tender transition. There's so much good stuff ahead for my daughter. She's an incredibly smart, sweet girl with such a wide bright happy future waiting for her to step into. I can't wait to see what choices and paths she chooses to pursue.
Rob, holy moly, I can't believe my baby boy just finished 2nd grade! He's going to be a big 3rd grader next year. Wow! He had an awesome year participating in Student Council, running club, and being accepted into the Quest program. He's another one of my little smartie pants kids. I absolutely love Rob's sense of humor and tender heart for others. I hope he doesn't lose those wonderful qualities as he continues to grow older. I'm excited to see what he'll choose to do in 3rd grade. Will he continue playing the piano? Decide to try out a sport? I'm sure whatever he does, it will be with a happy, cheerful smile on his face - because that's just the kind of kid Rob is. He's awesome!
My Anna Banana graduated from preschool. We still don't know what will happen with Kindergarten for her. I've asked for a transfer to another school because our school K teacher is very harsh and makes the kids cry. I've watched her for 3 years now and just know she's not the teacher for my daughter. So I've requested a transfer for Kindergarten. I was told they wouldn't give me an answer until the week before school begins. If the transfer doesn't come through, then I plan to home school her and enroll her for specials at our elementary school. At least that way she'll still go to the school for an hour each day and will get to know some of the other kids in Kindergarten - but she won't interact with the Kindergarten teacher. Just the specials teachers. My only worry is that Anna is such a social bug. She loves, loves, loves going to school. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the transfer will come through - because I really think that would be the best option for Anna. She's learned so much this last year as a peer model in a school district classroom and has already passed off a lot of her Kindergarten curriculum. So I'm not worried about her educationally, just socially. She loves to be with other kids. Either way, we'll figure everything out. I'm excited that she's grown so much and is so ready to jump into her next year of school.
Overall, it's been a great school year. There were lots of bumps in the road, lots of learning moments, and lots of awesome let's celebrate moments too. My kids amaze me - some days they drive me nuts, but most of the time, they're just pretty darn great. I'm excited to see how this summer goes (especially since being sick has screwed up a lot of my plans). I just want to get well - fast! - so I can enjoy as much of the summer as I can with my munchkins.
What's your school year review like? Have any fun plans for this summer?
This year for Anna's 5th birthday, she asked to have a Teddy Bear Picnic. Such a fun idea!
Sadly, I'm not an awesomely creative party mom. But I chatted with some of my friends who are party queens, then found some gorgeous printable party downloads on LeeLou Blogs. So, here's the results . . .
Four little girls and their favorite stuffed animals
Maia, Anna, Miah, and Easlynn
We started the party off with some coloring while we waited for everyone to arrive.
I found free Care Bear coloring pages online and set them out with plastic cups filled with crayons.
This made it easy for everyone to share and to keep them tidy instead of rolling all over the table.
Once everyone arrived, we played a few games of Tic Tac Toe.
This awesome template was part of LeeLou Blogs Valentines Day Templates.
I used Paint.net to remove the Valentines Day, added "Happy Birthday, Anna!" and the Care Bear images. The munchkins used Smarties to mark their spots & of course got to eat them up after each round.
And then it was time for the picnic!
All of these awesome printables came from LeeLou Blogs Fresh Start Birthday Pack.
Each bag had a matching circle set -
the top one with a celebration message, the bottom with a child's name.
the top one with a celebration message, the bottom with a child's name.
Each person RSVP's with their choice of Peanut Butter (creamy or crunchy) and favorite jam (Strawberry or Grape). Added to the lunch were snack size zip bags of Gold Fish, green grapes & carrots, a squeezable applesauce pouch, and a mini-water bottle. Nutritious and oh, so easy!
I spread a big blanket on the playroom floor & the munchkins all dived into their lunches.
The conversation was hilarious to listen to - bad jokes and silly stories galore!
When the first couple kids were finished, I read three picture books to the group to give the other kids time to finish their lunch. They all giggled as I read Alice the Fairy; Too Many Toys (both by David Shannon); and Twelve More Little Race Cars by Scott Pruett.
Sugar cookies, frosting, and sprinkles, oh my!
Dessert was a hands on activity and very delicious.
Clean up was super easy too - I just wrapped up the table cloth and tossed it all.
Then there was a flurry of wrapping and tissue paper as Anna opened her presents.
Then we had a very short balloon-volleyball game while parents arrived to pick up their munchkins.
The party was a blast!
And surprisingly easy for mom, too. =)
I can't believe it! My baby girl is five years old today. I still remember the icy trip to the hospital and all the fun, sassy, sweet years since then. I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures, since I'm in a reminiscing mood.
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Happy birthday, Anna Banana!
We all got up early and arrived at the store at 8:30 am. They were supposed to open the doors at 9 am. We got in line and an employee came out to give out entrance tickets. That was when we discovered that we were in group 4. Group 0 was already in line and each group had 200 people in it!!! So there were 800 people in line ahead of us. We were allowed to go roam the mall. They had digital screens set up all over to display what group was lining up. We checked out the Disney store and had fun playing with all the dress up clothes, going through the stuffed animals, and talking about our favorite Disney characters. The girls rode the carousel and we munched on free bagels. A little over an hour later, we returned to see about how much longer it would be before it was our turn to line up. We were told it would be around 12:45 pm. Four more hours! So, we decided to ditch our mother/daughter dates and head back home. We'll try again next weekend, when hopefully it won't be as crazy busy. Another note, as we were leaving, they were handing out tickets for group 9. So in a little over an hour, another one thousand people came through to get tickets for the open house. Crazy! We gave our group tickets to a family of four who were in group 9. They were excited to get in earlier! =)
Now, for some big girl news! My baby is now an official preschooler!!!
Anna has been so so excited about starting preschool this fall. She wasn't very happy when her older siblings all went back to school, but she still had to wait. Well, yesterday was her very first day. She was ready before all the other kids were dressed for school! Then she got mad at me because she didn't get dropped off at school with the other kids and had to wait another 45 minutes before her school started. Oh my! The drama!
Once we finally got to school, she was one super happy chick! She went right in, found her name for her Strawberry Shortcake backpack, hung it up, and went off to play. When pick-up time came two hours later, she skipped out of school with a huge smile on her face! I asked her about her first day - and instead of just telling me about it, she made up a song and sang all about the different things they did. It was totally cute! She kept singing things to me on and off as we ran errands together. It was such a fun day.
And Mom is still in shock that her little girl took a huge step towards becoming a big school girl. The years have been flying by way, way too quickly!
I still can't believe it. My sweet baby girl has turned into a spunky three-year-old. She's still quite small in stature, but she's packed with attitude!
We had a fun party with one of Anna's good friends, Sarah. Of course, Sarah's family joined us too. Anna just loves Sarah's family - and who could blame her? Sarah's mom, Kelly, spoils Anna rotten with hugs and tickles . . . and occasional trips to the movies. Sarah's older sisters - Jessie & Tashua - babysit our kids quite frequently. Anna loves it when they come to "play."
Here are some fun pictures from the party & a totally cute video of Anna playing with her favorite gift!
We had a fun party with one of Anna's good friends, Sarah. Of course, Sarah's family joined us too. Anna just loves Sarah's family - and who could blame her? Sarah's mom, Kelly, spoils Anna rotten with hugs and tickles . . . and occasional trips to the movies. Sarah's older sisters - Jessie & Tashua - babysit our kids quite frequently. Anna loves it when they come to "play."
Here are some fun pictures from the party & a totally cute video of Anna playing with her favorite gift!
Anna is 3!
Our illustrious guests . . .
Isaac & Tashua
MJ & Jessie
Isaac & Rob
showing off their "pouty lips."
A very silly bunch of chicks!
Kelly, Sarah & Tashua
Anna with her favorite gift -
A Disney Princess Microphone from Sarah.
It plays "Be My Guest"
from Beauty & the Beast.
And now, the best video of the night . . . Get ready to chuckle!
Monday, we went to our school book fair. Each of the kids got to choose one book. Tuesday afternoon, I found Rob & Anna on my bed reading a Wow Wow Wubbzy book to each other. It's so totally cute!!!
Last Friday, my hubby took the day off work to celebrate our anniversary. Want to know what we did? We cleaned out our basement. Seriously. And I was the one who suggested it!
We had so many boxes just waiting to be unpacked from our move 2 1/2 years ago. I really wanted to be able to do the laundry and not feel claustrophobic. I was also concerned that if there ever actually WAS a tornado and everyone was in the basement, that we'd have tons of stuff flying everywhere!
I was amazed at how much stuff we went through! Some of it was set aside for a garage sale in a few weeks, some of it was put away in the house, and a whole huge pile of it went into the trash. I found a few things I had been hunting for - like my family genealogy cards and my kids birth certificates. All good things to locate!
As a result of our efforts, we came across the toddler bed my hubby's grandfather made for our kids - which led to a conversation about if Anna was ready to leave her crib. The real question was if Mom & Dad were ready to chase Anna for nap and bed time! As you can see, we decided to try out the big girl bed . . . and Anna was thrilled!
The pillows are for accidental tumbles!
Anna . . . late that night. It's a good thing we put the pillows there!
On your marks . . . Get set . . . Go!
Isaac took 2nd place in the Kids 1K run! Yeah Isaac!
Now for some more fun . . .
Two bloggers have awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award. Thank you Heather & Nichole!
Now, there's more to the Kreativ Blogger award. Here we go . . .
Seven things about me (is there anything you don't already know???)
1. I absolutely LOVE my freckles!
2. I was once asked to describe myself without saying anything about my physical features. My response was - I'm the girl from your favorite chick flick. Not the gorgeous main character, but the quirky best friend.
3. My response to #2 gave me a whole new book idea! Coming soon!
4. I was a major flirt in college. Anyone surprised?
5. I love girly stuff - pink stuff, shoes, purses, etc.
6. I am a shopaholic. Totally true. (Thank goodness my hubby is a penny-pincher. I need some balance in life!)
7. We've been paying off our debt for the last year and have made a ton of progress. But when I paid off my Old Navy card . . . and canceled it, I actually cried. I couldn't even cut up the card. I had to give it to my hubby to do the honors. It still makes me teary.
Seven people I nominate for this award:
1. Shauna @ Trying to Stay Calm- it amazes me all the awesome stuff she gets for her contests!
2. Amy @ What a Kick in the Pants - Amy's knack for everything homemaking related has left me in awe since our college days.
3. Joni @ Modern Myrtle - Joni makes custom bags and scripture totes for me. Personally, I can only sew square blocks together. Joni's talent is truly incredible!
4. Heather @ Just a Little Minute - Now Heather just cracks me up! I love her humor and perspective on enjoying motherhood.
5. Kris @ Meet My Camera - You want creativity? Go check out Kris' photography. She always has the most gorgeous pictures! I don't know any of the people in her pics, but I just fall in love with them anyway. I would love to have her do our family pics the next time she's out in KC.
6. Stephanie @ She Does Hair - Stephanie has stopped posting new hair-do's, but has left her blog up as a reference. I love searching her archives. She has such fun kid hair-styles!
7. Cheryl @ KC Temple Chaser - I love that Cheryl used her creative talent to journal all the happenings for the upcoming Kansas City Temple. She also posts inspirational thoughts and events at other temples around the world.
So there you go, my friends. I hope you feel a bit caught up - and that you've discovered some awesome new blogs! Have a wonderful day!!!
We had so many boxes just waiting to be unpacked from our move 2 1/2 years ago. I really wanted to be able to do the laundry and not feel claustrophobic. I was also concerned that if there ever actually WAS a tornado and everyone was in the basement, that we'd have tons of stuff flying everywhere!
I was amazed at how much stuff we went through! Some of it was set aside for a garage sale in a few weeks, some of it was put away in the house, and a whole huge pile of it went into the trash. I found a few things I had been hunting for - like my family genealogy cards and my kids birth certificates. All good things to locate!
As a result of our efforts, we came across the toddler bed my hubby's grandfather made for our kids - which led to a conversation about if Anna was ready to leave her crib. The real question was if Mom & Dad were ready to chase Anna for nap and bed time! As you can see, we decided to try out the big girl bed . . . and Anna was thrilled!
The pillows are for accidental tumbles!
Anna . . . late that night. It's a good thing we put the pillows there!Saturday morning, John & Isaac went to the Sprint Campus run. Here they are with the "running rabbit"! John ran along-side Isaac in the kids 1K race.
On your marks . . . Get set . . . Go!
Isaac took 2nd place in the Kids 1K run! Yeah Isaac!Now for some more fun . . .
I've been nominated for some really fun blogging awards!
Thank you to Shauna for giving me The Uplifting Blogger Award. This is an award I truly appreciate. While I enjoy doing fun stuff like contests, etc on my blog, I truly hope it's inspiring to all the other writing moms and moms raising kids with special needs . . . Thank you so much!
Thank you to Shauna for giving me The Uplifting Blogger Award. This is an award I truly appreciate. While I enjoy doing fun stuff like contests, etc on my blog, I truly hope it's inspiring to all the other writing moms and moms raising kids with special needs . . . Thank you so much!
Two bloggers have awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award. Thank you Heather & Nichole!
Now, there's more to the Kreativ Blogger award. Here we go . . .Seven things about me (is there anything you don't already know???)
1. I absolutely LOVE my freckles!
2. I was once asked to describe myself without saying anything about my physical features. My response was - I'm the girl from your favorite chick flick. Not the gorgeous main character, but the quirky best friend.
3. My response to #2 gave me a whole new book idea! Coming soon!
4. I was a major flirt in college. Anyone surprised?
5. I love girly stuff - pink stuff, shoes, purses, etc.
6. I am a shopaholic. Totally true. (Thank goodness my hubby is a penny-pincher. I need some balance in life!)
7. We've been paying off our debt for the last year and have made a ton of progress. But when I paid off my Old Navy card . . . and canceled it, I actually cried. I couldn't even cut up the card. I had to give it to my hubby to do the honors. It still makes me teary.
Seven people I nominate for this award:
1. Shauna @ Trying to Stay Calm- it amazes me all the awesome stuff she gets for her contests!
2. Amy @ What a Kick in the Pants - Amy's knack for everything homemaking related has left me in awe since our college days.
3. Joni @ Modern Myrtle - Joni makes custom bags and scripture totes for me. Personally, I can only sew square blocks together. Joni's talent is truly incredible!
4. Heather @ Just a Little Minute - Now Heather just cracks me up! I love her humor and perspective on enjoying motherhood.
5. Kris @ Meet My Camera - You want creativity? Go check out Kris' photography. She always has the most gorgeous pictures! I don't know any of the people in her pics, but I just fall in love with them anyway. I would love to have her do our family pics the next time she's out in KC.
6. Stephanie @ She Does Hair - Stephanie has stopped posting new hair-do's, but has left her blog up as a reference. I love searching her archives. She has such fun kid hair-styles!
7. Cheryl @ KC Temple Chaser - I love that Cheryl used her creative talent to journal all the happenings for the upcoming Kansas City Temple. She also posts inspirational thoughts and events at other temples around the world.
So there you go, my friends. I hope you feel a bit caught up - and that you've discovered some awesome new blogs! Have a wonderful day!!!
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