Anna Grows

Anna & Officer Valesquez Anna returned to school this week after spring break to several activities. The highlights this week:  DARE graduation and her annual piano recital. The 5th grade students at St. Mark get to participate in the Drug and Abuse Resistance Education (DARE).  This is an 8-week program that is taught by a local police officer.    This year Officer Valesquez from the Vienna police department taught the St. Mark 5th graders - his very first class.  The class focuses on teaching strategies for kids to make good choices in dealing with drugs, alcohol, and bullying.  As Officer Valesquez stated at the graduation ceremony, he will always remember this class.  The kids were asked to put together either skits or posters for the ceremony.  One day, Anna came home from school quite incensed with her teacher about the preparation.  Apparently he told them they could use whatever props they wanted for their presentation.  He then banned all props after one group of b

Luke, Andres, James, Anna & Bonnie on Easter Sunday Spring Break this year offered a familiar tradition for Anna and family.......that it is always different.  This year was no exception.  Well, there are some things that are traditional.  First, Anna's spring break is always the week of Easter.  Second, we have Easter bread (if we are lucky, it is Aunt Mary's Easter bread).  Third, Mom makes lamb cake.  This year we had all of these traditions, along with a trip to New York, a performance at the George Mason University Center for the Arts (that would be a performance by Anna) and a trip to the mountains of Virginia to stay in a cabin built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. Coloring eggs with Loren, Terri, Lucy & James Easter weekend kicked off with a trip to New York to visit Aunt Mary and James for Easter.  This ensured we would have delicious Easter bread and Anna would get to color eggs again with James.  The added bonus this year was that Aunt L