Happy 5th Birthday!



Anna celebrated her 5th birthday on September 3 with a party at Glyndon park in Vienna, Virginia. Several of her friends from school joined in the festivities along with other family friends.

Having a party at the park seemed like a good idea at the time and all week the weather forecast looked great for Saturday morning. When Saturday arrived, thunderstorms were forecasted for the afternoon. Aunt Gayle arrived to help get things ready for the event. Just as we pulled up to the shelter house at the park, it started to thunder. The rest of the morning was spent with the threat of rain with an occasional shower. The kids did not mind at all and enjoyed the playground between showers. Theresa spent the time praying to the rain gods to hold off until 1 PM. On the plus side, at least there was no hurricane for the weekend.

The second problem was the directions for the guests. Apparently the invite incorrectly listed the address as north instead of south, resulting in a good portion of the guests arriving at someone's house rather than the park. Everyone did make it in time for lunch. From Anna's perspective, the party was a big success and she had a good time with her friends (not to mention the birthday presents that her friends brought for her).

The sun did come out in the afternoon (after the party of course), so Anna was able to enjoy the swimming pool one more time before it closed for the season. She really came a long way this summer and can now swim under water be herself. She is still learning to swim on top of the water and has invented her own stroke, which she refers to as the doodle swim (we really can't explain it....you need to see it).

It was a great 5th birthday for Anna. A big thanks to all of the family and friends that made it special for her!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming with the Lakevale Dolphins

Image
The Swim Gang - Leo, Aidan, Megan & Anna Tonight Anna completed her third season with the Division II Lakevale Dolphins.  It was a great season for Anna as she improved her strokes and her times and made it to the "A"team to compete at Saturday meets.  It was an educational season for Joe and Theresa, who learned the ins and outs of life as swim team parents. The neighborhood swim team is the hub of neighborhood social activity in the summer.  There are events throughout the season, including Friday night pep rallies, and Sunday night fund events that include such things as the neighborhood scavenger hunt, laser tag night, bingo night, and even a team night at the Washington Nationals game.  In between the fun is the seriousness of the swimming, and there are definitely some top notch swimmers on the team. Anna with her lollipop for getting a "personal best" time Kids are motivated by different things. Some kids love to race.  Other kids try to beat
Read more

Camp Coles Trip & June Birthdays

Image
Anna at Girl Scout Camp Anna just returned from a fun-filled week at Girl Scout camp.  This year she was old enough to go to Camp Coles Trip, which is on a bay area off of the Potomac River.  This is a water camp, so she spent her days on the bay learning to paddle board and sail along with kayaking. Girl Scout Camp is definitely roughing it.  The camp is in the woods and girls stay in platform cabins with screens.  Anna shared a cabin with 4 other girls.  Mosquito netting is very important at night.  The only electricity is at the dining hall, health center, and activity building.  The girls are also responsible each day for doing "kapers" or chores.  They take turns helping serve meals, cleaning the bathrooms, and general clean-up.  They are also responsible for keeping track of their own things and carrying their bags. Anna had a fantastic time, despite the lack of modern conveniences, and is already planning her return next year.  She made new friends and her favo
Read more

Thanksgiving in New Jersey

Image
The Fagella family (or part of the Fagellas) celebrated Thanksgiving this year in Northern New Jersey thanks to James.  Since James was house sitting for his boss, they were very generous in letting us use their large home in their absence for a Thanksgiving celebration.  We joined Aunt Loren, Aunt Mary, James and Sundance for a Thanksgiving feast.  We could have easily fed another 20 people with all of the food, which meant lots of leftovers.  We also celebrated Aunt Mary's birthday (November 22) and Aunt Loren's (November 27) with a homemade coconut cake courtesy of James. Joe carving the turkey with his assistants. The festivities continued the next day when James hosted 22 of his high school friends for his annual Friendsgiving dinner.  Anna was kindly invited to attend the event.  Since she has attended previous dinners, she already knew many of James' friends.  Once again, the amount of food was staggering with everyone bringing a dish. Aunt Mary and Aunt Loren have c
Read more