Anna Grows

It was beautiful Easter in Northern Virginia with sunny skies and 84 degrees. It was a perfect day to hunt Easter eggs. The festivities began the day before with the making of the lamb cake (a Kohler tradition) and the Easter bread (a Fagella tradition). The Easter bread became a true family project for the day with Theresa & Anna mixing, Joe kneading, Theresa punching dough, Joe/Anna making ropes, and Theresa braiding. The bread was a big improvement over last year, with only one loaf that did not bake properly. Joe was more excited on Easter morning about the Easter bread than Anna was about the Easter bunny. After 10 AM mass, we headed home to hunt Easter eggs in the yard. We spent the afternoon at Kristy & Greg's house for a delicious dinner and another Easter egg hunt. Anna was also the recpient of a bubble blowing machine, which she had a great time with. The evening ended with a thunderstorm. Theresa's grandmother use to say if it rained on Easter Sunday, it woul...

Joe was expecting to hear this line from Anna when she was 16, not 4. Anna came home from Ms. Be's on Friday displaying two tattoos - one on each forearm. This was the result of her Easter party (4 year old don't party like they use to). Ms. Be's grandson applied the tattoo (according to Anna, Mr. Fancy can't do tattoos straight). Theresa was confident that Anna would want the tattoos washed off by the end of the day. No such luck this time as they remain on. They looked lovely with her Easter dress.

At long last, Grandma and Grandpa made the trip to Washington just in time for the peak of the famous cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, the weather was not at its peak - featuring cold, rainy days rather than sunny spring weather. Grandma and Grandpa left just in time to miss the 85 degree day on Monday. Timing is everything. Despite the cold weather, a good time was had by all - especially Anna. It was like Christmas for her as presents seemed to appear daily from Grandma and Grandpa. In addition to a beautiful Easter dress, assorted toys and games, and more new clothes for spring, the grand finale was the sandbox that Gran dpa brought for her (look for pictures in future reports). The grandparents also dropped Anna off at pre-school and picked her up, allowing Anna to show them around her classroom and meet her teachers. They also enjoyed playing with Anna. Grandma even agreed to play dress-up with her. The visit was a present for Joe as Grandpa spent a couple of days assis...