I can't believe how hard it is to see your baby grow up! Anna was just a sweet little infant yesterday and today- about to finish kindergarten. I love Anna more than words can say. She truly is my best little buddy and the highlight of my day is seeing her in the morning or after school or tucking her in bed at night. Love her sweet disposition and her gentle nature. She is sensitive and smart and funny and kind. She is always happy and up for anything. This year for Anna's birthday, she invited her best buddy Nora to go on a fun day out ! The two went to get their nails done, then to Claire's Boutique to pick out a few fun surprises... and then to get frozen yogurt and play at home. Of course, beforehand, Anna had opened up all of her presents from her siblings and mom and dad. She wanted nothing in particular-- just the usuals- little dolls, chapsticks, books, clothes, shoes. We enjoyed a yummy cake and dinner out at chick-fil-a---- birthday girl's choice! Anna is the apple of our eye and we love our little girl so much!
Here's an excerpt from her journal:
Anna, you have matured leaps and bounds this year. You are just barely six, and yet you act more like a ten year old- particularly when it comes to all things social. You LOVE people more than anything else on earth and you are the very definition of a social butterfly. You have many friends who you enjoy spending time with, including all of the girls in your kindergarten class! You love attending their birthday parties and playing with them at recess. You are quick to take note of inappropriate friendshipping behaviors on the playground, and you always report back after school. But you’ve learned to move on if a friend is not playing nice. You handle most everything in stride. You are active and happy and fun to be with. You love to laugh, stay up late, watch movies, listen to music, be with your brothers and sisters. You love to learn new things and have just started soccer this year. You experience a slight bit of anxiety on the mornings of soccer games, but overall, you love it and are excited to see friends and coaches and to practice your skills. You are looking forward to doing gymnastics this year as well! And of course, swimming lessons. You are an excellent swimmer but you enjoy learning and will do well to build endurance this summer. You are a great eater and sleeper. You are a peacemaker in our home. You started kindergarten this year and though it took a couple of months, you’ve eased into the routine of everyday school- FULL day! Much to my dismay, we didn’t have a choice in the matter. You began the school year with nary a reading skill! And now, 2/3rds of the way through the school year, you are reading like a champ. You enjoy school and love your teacher Mrs. Parkes. You have many friends in your classroom: Nora Doud, Sivan, Cadence, Molly, Clara, Callie, and Mary. You joined Girl Scouts this year and are officially a Daisy! You love attending girl scouts and have earned quite a few pedal badges for citizenship skills and activities. You love your Daisy leaders- Miss Anna and Miss Erin.
Anna, are funny and full of energy. You love to make others happy and to create and play pretend. You love clothes and shoes. Shoes are your favorite thing on earth. You love to put on lip gloss and brush your hair. You are messy! VERY messy! Your brothers clean your room up for you weekly. You love to play in your room with your dolls, barbies and babies. You could spend hours playing in your room! You are always talking and/or singing to yourself. Always. Always. You love to run outside and play on the swings, or trampoline. You love to kick around the ball with the boys. You love hot tubbing and swimming. You love scootering. You love babies and always are the first to spot a small child and point him/her out to me. You are a sweet and kind little sister who treats her siblings with love and respect, for the most part. You love to sing and dance. You are a great little singer and music is very important to you. Can’t wait for you to start taking piano lessons and voice lessons! I can tell music will be important to you! Your favorite TV show is Barbie; however, you will watch whatever your family is watching with zero complaining. You are so good to get interested in whatever everyone else is interested in. You mix right in and never cause a fuss. Your favorite food is mac n cheese, pancakes, cheeseburgers and yogurt. You also love fruit smoothies and trail mix. Your favorite colors are pink and purple. You love to read Fancy Nancy and Barbie books. You are such a good sport about listening to Harry Potter in the car rides here and there. Such a good sport to drive all over the world in the back seat and never make a peep. You love to attend your brothers’ sporting events and your sister’s plays. You are so supportive and loving of each family member. You always tell me you love me and that I’m a great mom. You always give the best hugs and kisses and you love to snuggle and have your back scratched. You stand up for yourself with your siblings and friends. You stand up for others when needs be as well. You are kind and gentle and fun to be around. You love getting your nails done with mom or grandma. You love going to plays with mom and sister. You love having friends over and brothers’ friends over. You chase and follow them around- especially Braxton Jones- ha! You are such a corker and so silly sometimes. We sure think you are the sweetest and most wonderful girl there is. We are so lucky to have such a darling little girl in our family who brings us so much joy and happiness. We love you Anna Paige Marston!
