Anna Grows

Anna as Jeanette Rankin for the state fair The school year is winding down and summer is on the horizon, which means lots of activities for Anna in the month of May.  The soccer season is in full swing, swimming started after Memorial Day, girl scouts are ending for the year, and school projects seem to be due at the same time.  It made for a memorable May. Anna's big event this past week was the state fair.  The big project for third grade is learning about the states in social studies.  At the beginning of the year, each student selects a state and completes a series of small projects about the state throughout the year concluding with the state fair.  All of the students set up a display for the state, including dressing as a famous person from their state, and the entire school visits the displays and asks questions.  The students also bring in a food from their state for the 3rd grade potluck at the conclusion of the dinner. Anna & Coach ...

Enjoying a Saudi Arabian dinner May 1 marked Grandparent's Day at school for Anna.  Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to make the drive from Ohio for the big day.  In addition to Grandparents' Day, they got to enjoy an assortment of Anna activities on a beautiful May weekend. Grandma and Grandpa arrived on Thursday afternoon in time to enjoy Anna's piano recital on Thursday night.  Anna played two pieces and performed in between the next door neighbor boys.  The best part of the recital, from Anna's perspective, was the chance to get ice cream after it was over. Friday marked Grandparents' day at school.  Mom dropped Grandma and Grandpa off at school with Anna in the carpool line.  They enjoyed several demonstration in Anna's class on all of the things they are working on and the technology available, attended mass with the kids, enjoyed a grandparent breakfast afterward, and concluded with the "spring fling" concert performance.  As always,...

Enjoying the cherry blossoms.....at night A chilly April has come and gone. Thanks to the cold weather, spring was a bit late this year....including the blooming of the cherry blossoms.  After battling last year's massive crowds, Theresa suggested a different approach this year to viewing Washington's famous trees- cherry blossoms at dusk on a Saturday evening.  While the intentions were good, the timing was not quite right as trying to get three people out the door after dinner proved to be a far greater challenge.  The good news was there were definitely less crowds and plenty of parking, thus making the viewing of the cherry blossoms more enjoyable.  The bad news was that by the time the family made it to the tidal basin, it was dark.  You could still see the cherry blossoms (well, not exactly from a distance....but you could when you walked by them) AND you could enjoy the monuments at night.  Votes are already in for a daylight tour next year. ...