elements of "the fun park"

Slides

Slides
Slides
And more slidesTunnels too

Things to climb

Tic Tac Toe

Plenty of room to roam

All these elements and more are what make up "the fun park".

Oh yes, Anna wanted me to share one more thing....her latest trick:

happy birthday uncle packert

Dear Uncle Packert,

Thank you so much for inviting me to come along to your birthday dinner celebration! I had such a fun time with you and with the rest of the family. I loved talking to you, singing for you, and celebrating your special birthday with you. Oh yes, and Auntie Tanya, I really loved the cheesecake!

I hope you had a wonderful birthday and I can't wait to see you again soon.

Love,

Anna

just like mommy

This morning when I went to get Anna up for the day, she exclaimed "Mommy pink on!". Why yes, dear daughter, I do have a pink sweater on...you are very observant so early in the morning.

"Anna wear pink, just like mommy"

And then began the hunt for a clean pink shirt. You see, pink is Anna's favorite color and she wears it often.

So, here she is in her pink glory...."just like mommy".

ice cream you scream

Anna's favorite treat is ice cream. It's a delicacy she doesn't get very often, but whenever there is a whisper of it, she squeals with delight. She just tried chocolate chip for the first time this past weekend when we were off at the Teddy Bear Park and she has been asking for it ever since!

Today as we were playing outside Anna was watching all of the birds that are flying in and out of the trees around the neighborhood. Seeing one munching on a worm in our front yard, Anna headed over to get a closer view. The bird wisely jumped up on top of the electrical boxes that border our property. Anna followed to get up-close and the bird flew away. Anna then waddled on over to the electrical boxes as she often does. As I sat in my lawn chair on the driveway I overheard: "I cream!"

I thought to myself "what? ice cream?" and then it dawned on me. It was not in fact ice cream, but a dropping that cute little birdie left as a gift. Fortunately I caught her dirty finger before it entered her mouth. How's that for GROSS!

baby moses

Anna is starting to take a greater interest in her dolls. Today she wanted "baby" to come with her and cuddle on the changing table while I changed her diaper, and then she insisted that baby come downstairs to play. Since then we have been reading stories to baby, playing music with baby, coloring with baby, and talking to baby. I asked Anna what baby's name was and she seemed stumped. She stared at her for awhile and then said "baby Anna". Later on this morning I asked again and she just said "baby".

So, I thought I would help her out and give her a name. I asked, "Is her name baby Mia?". Anna just looked at me and smiled.

Five minutes later I said, "Let's read baby Mia a story" and she quickly retorted "baby MOSES!"

I asked "What's the baby's name?"
Her reply "Baby Moses!"

And that's how baby Moses has come to live right here in our home.

singing to sam

Anna is becoming quite the vocalist. She likes to serenade her Little People, Steve & I, and really anyone who will listen with her favorite songs. Some of these favorites include: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, the ABCs, and Hello Little Anna, So Glad to See You


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

grandma great

Growing up I had the good fortune of knowing my "grandma great" very well. I have fond memories of her sitting on the radiator in my grandparents house, coming to events that we had, and of visiting her in her apartment at "The Towers".

Now several years later I am enjoying my daughter have a similar experience. My grandma, Anna's "grandma great" is a fixture at every family event. She doesn't miss a birthday, a graduation, a family get-together, even those for my grandpa's side of the family despite the fact that he has been in heaven for a number of years. She treasures relationships with family and friends and has a memory like a steel trap! She can remember exact dates of things that happened like nobody else. (For example, I mentioned to my grandma that it was about a year ago that Anna and I came to have lunch with her at her apartment and she responded right off the bat - "Yes, well, it was June 18th"! And sure enough - click on this, and you'll see it was!)

Anna and Grandma Great relaxing in their own recliners

This week Anna and I took a trip to visit "grandma great" in her apartment at "The Towers". Believe it or not, it's the exact same apartment that her mother, my grandma great, lived in many years ago. Instead of playing with the horse figurines that great grandma Katherine had on her coffee table, Anna spent hours moving the wooden duck figurines from on top of the VCR to the couch and then back to their home again. She cuddled with teddy bears, colored in coloring books grandma had in her chest of goodies, and entertained grandma great and I with her singing, dancing, jumping and all-around silliness.


We had a wonderful lunch reminiscent of the days back on the farm, and finished the afternoon off with a cake Anna and I made to celebrate grandma great's birthday a few weeks early. It was a wonderful day.

Anna wearing the "I'm OK" sign and sitting next to the bears she cuddled all day

I have such warm memories of my grandma great and the times we spent together. Anna is so fortunate to have 6 great-grandparents living, all of whom take a special interest in her life in their own way. I have read about the importance of extended family members in shaping the lives of young children, particularly with young girls, and I am so grateful that Anna has such loving people to surround her.

I hope there will be many more visits such as this to come!

in her eyes

After waking up from her nap, Anna came with me into my room so I could change into some workout clothes. I quickly threw on some dirty yoga pants and a t-shirt thinking we might head out for a walk later this afternoon. As I picked Anna back up to bring her downstairs, she touched my shirt, gave me a beautiful smile and said "Mommy cute dress on!"

cold food ideas?

As the weather continues to get nicer, it's harder and harder to find time to capture all that we are doing in photos and words. I am also finding that most of the time I am "on the run" after this little girl and my pictures snap at the wrong moment, or I have to drop the camera mid-snap to prevent a playground injury.

In fact, I am jumping on here real quick to solicit ideas on "cold foods" for my toddler. Anna has grown accustomed to "hot" food for breakfast, lunch and dinner - which up until now has not presented a problem. Now, as the weather is nice and we are on the go and trying to have picnics...cold food is a much better option. In addition, Anna begins Summer Adventure Camp in 3 weeks, which she will attend one day per week and I am not allowed to send anything that needs to be heated up. All food must be served cold.

Here are a few things to note before you send your ideas:

• Anna has sworn off all deli meat: turkey, chicken, ham, bologna, salami - she won't eat any of them
• Anna has also sworn off all forms of cheese unless it is melted and mixed inside something
• She is not allowed to have peanut butter until age 2 per her doctor
• I would like for her to eat more veggies, but she has only 2 teeth on the bottom which makes chewing anything too hard when raw impossible

Some things I am trying this week: cream cheese & jelly sandwiches (they were a hit), sunflower seed butter & jelly (haven't tried yet, but supposedly it tastes just like peanut butter and the doctor gave us the OK), small slices of raw carrots

I welcome and appreciate any ideas you have!!!

sixty years

Today we joined in a family celebration in honor of my grandparents, Melvin & Jeanette, who have been married for 60 years! With seven children, oodles of grandchildren & great-grandchildren, their life together has certainly been busy and filled with love. Spending sixty years together I am sure they have had both joyful and difficult times. Given my grandpa's struggle with diabetes, leading to the loss of both of his legs, I can imagine that these past few years have been some of the more difficult for both of them. Yet they sit side by side, as they have for decades, with family surrounding them.

I hope that Steve and I will live to see sixty years together, with a life blessed with family such as theirs.

(Most of) The Grandchildren

(Some of) The Great-Grandchildren

get together

What fun it is to get these 3 together! Thanks to Jim and Allison for hosting a wonderful afternoon and evening filled with fun, laughs, great food and more fun. Can't wait to do it again!

the great outdoors

The sun has literally been shining on us the past few days, and we have been making the most of the outdoors! Yesterday we had the good fortune of spending the day with friends. Tyler and Anna played outside from morning until late afternoon, enjoying the park, the driveway, the front yard, outdoor toys and of course.....an ice cream treat! We had a wonderful day - it was great fun to watch these two play together outside. Their favorite was the water table...they were both soaked!

This morning Anna and I headed out to the Teddy Bear Park, where we enjoyed more sunshine and lots of slides and sand. Anna was so excited - she ran and yelled to each set of steps, then would slide down and quickly say "AGAIN!". She also loved to play in the HUGE sand area. When we got home I found oodles of sand in her shoes, her pants, her diaper and her hair! She barely stayed awake on the drive home and is sound asleep resting so she can "pay outside on driveway" when she wakes up. I think I better rest up too! Days like the past 2 are the days when I remember just how wonderful it is to be home.

beauty shop

Before

After

so much to celebrate

On Mother's Day I was greeted first thing in the morning by my lovely daughter saying "Happy Mommy's Day", and a kiss from my dear husband. Wonderful gifts and cards and then a morning full of celebration as my mom and brothers came over for brunch.

While we celebrated Mother's Day, Matt's birthday, and Patrick & Tanya's engagement, Steve was hard at work in the kitchen flipping pancakes & sausages - making sure no one else had to lift a finger. (Thank you dear hubby!)

It was truly a wonderful day, I enjoyed every minute.

The picture above is special to me - my mom spends a lot of time with Anna, helping to babysit, dropping by to say hello, calling to see how she is - lending advice when I ask for it. I am so happy to finally have a picture of all three of us ladies!

being your mommy

ponytails and hair bows

freshly painted pink toes

the smell of sunshine in your hair

shades of pink scattered everywhere

hugs, kisses, a beautiful smile

all the times you'll sit awhile

breakfast together discussing our day

each time i kiss a boo boo away

the way you run and sing and dance

the way you laugh at every chance

bedtime lullabys sung so sweet

in my dreams again we meet

our time together is long and vast

and yet so quickly the years do pass

God made my greatest wish come true

the day I became the mommy of you

going places

Thank you, Nana & Papa, for the new wheels! Anna's really going places now!