Anna Grows

Anna got to spend the week of March 19 as the "Big Cheese" in her class. As we all know, being the big cheese comes with all sorts of privileges and responsibilities. Each week, someone in the class gets to be the big cheese. For one entire week, you get to be the line leader, wear a special hat, sit in the special chair, bring in some of your favorite things to show the class, and make a poster about yourself, including your family and things you like to do. You can also have family members come in and visit the class. Mom and Dad got to make a special "guest reader" appearance in Anna's class. Anna listed her favorite thing to do as hopscotch and her favorite food as spaghetti and red sauce. She took in her stuffed snowman, some of her trains, and lots of books. Ironically, the kitty pillow was not mentioned on the poster or for show and tell (and we know this is truly her favorite thing). Mom was guest reader on Thursday and read Peeping Beauty to th...

It was a lovely weekend to escape to the mountains of Western Maryland and meet up with the Kohler family to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. Although the winter was a record warm one, there was still enough snow for some of the Kohlers to hit the slopes for a little skiing. Some hit the slopes a bit more literally than others. Grandma was particularly happy about the mild winter. She is still having nightmares from the last March trip to Deep Creek Lake after a record snowfall when they nearly became stuck in a snowbank trying to get to the rental house. Of course if you are going to get stuck in a car in the snow, you want it to be Grandma's as she usually is traveling with the contents of a small super market in the back. This year was no exception as she brough t enough food to stay for a month. Anna had a great time playing with her cousin Aidyn. They played nearly non-stop the entire time. Anna is now well versed on playing with cars and the appropriate sounds they ma...

The winter has been especially mild this year; however, a trip south for some sunshine and warm weather is still needed. This year we decided to return to Mexico since we had such a good time last year for a five day trip. Anna was VERY excited about going back to Mexico. And what kid wouldn't be excited? There is sunshine, beaches, swimming pools, and ice cream. That is the Mexico she knows (she can learn about the drug cartels and poverty later). The trip was every bit as enjoyable as last year. The weather was sunny and 82 degrees. We built sand castles. We swam in the pool. We ate delicious seafood and fresh fruit. By far Anna's favorite part was the water slides on the pirate ship. She had a blast and was so exhausted each night that she actually fell asleep while eating dinner two nights in a row. Anna had homework to do for school since she had to miss a couple of days. One of her assignments was to keep a journal about her adventures. She was also to practic...