Birthday Party Weekend

This past Saturday we celebrated Anna's 6th birthday. My sweet girl was born on August 30th, however Daddy is going to be in Nicaragua on a mission trip on the actual day, so the celebration was planned for Saturday. When I asked her what theme she wanted for her party she said a pool party. Quite appropriate considering this has been the summer of swimming, but a pool party was a little out of our league, so we decided a water party could be just as fun. And from the squeals that went on in our backyard I'd say it might have even been more fun!

The day started with cake and ice cream.


Then on to the presents...Anna's favorite part.

Besides new earrings, a Giselle doll from the Enchanted movie was what she wanted from Mom and Dad.

The living room was filled with family and friends and made the day extra sweet!

Finally, the water fun was under way. And boy did they get wet!
Micah was a wild man on the slip and slide. He did not want to wait in line and would cut in between every other slider. He had a blast!

This was definately a party to remember and one that will go down in the history books. (Well, at least Anna's life history book.)

Happy (almost) Birthday my sweet cheeks!

Earrings!!

Today was earring day! Ever since Anna's cousins got their ears pierced she has wanted to have hers done too. We decided that would be a great birthday present. Anna's actual birthday is August 30th, but since Rich will be gone on a mission trip that day we decided to celebrate this weekend. And what a beginning to the celebration!

After school today we headed over to Wal-Mart for the big ear piercing extravaganza. Anna picked out some very beautiful "diamond" earrings and sat in the special chair. She was so nervous that she began to giggle. The lady was trying to make the mark on her ears in order to know where to put the earring and Anna was giggling so much she had to remark it three times.

Anna was very brave until the two ladies came at her with the piercing guns. My brave girl squeezed her eyes shut as they did the piercing and then the tears came. She said that they hurt and cried for a little bit on Daddy's shoulder. After the initial shock wore off and she looked at herself in the mirror she was so proud of those little gems.

I can't believe what a big girl I have for a daughter...who said she could grow up anyway?

On a much sadder note, one of our friends and a dear man, Gary Stumpff, passed away this week and we attended the visitation this evening. We tried to explain to the kids why we needed to be quiet in the funeral home. I told Micah that a man we know had died and went to heaven to see Jesus and we were going to go say sorry to his wife. When we got to the funeral home I took Micah and Anna into the restroom. Micah looked right at me and said, "Where's Jesus?" I told him that Jesus was in heaven and we weren't going to see him at the funeral home. He said in a long slow whine, "I wanted to see Jesus!!!" -- Oh, Lord, if I could only have that much faith and desire to see you!

First Day of Kindergarten

There is one special day that a child looks forward to...the first day of Kindergarten. I have thought about this day for the past year knowing that each passing day would bring us closer to today. And oh what a day it was! I can hardly believe that the precious little baby that was born six years ago this month has begun her journey through school. Last night we prepared everything, backpack packed and waiting by the door, lunch box packed, clothes laid out, and in bed early. As we said our prayers I prayed for Anna's first day of school and her teacher and for a good night's rest. Anna prayed, "God, please let me have a great making new friends day tomorrow." Well said. This morning I woke up early and spent time with God asking for Him to cover her, sit with her, and protect her today. As we were driving to school she was so excited. We pulled into the parking lot and began our walk up the sidewalk and she said, "I'm a little scared." My brave girl was feeling a little insecure. I gave her a pep talk and on we went.

Leaving her there was a little sad for me. My baby is growing up. Micah wasn't quite sure what to think about sissy being gone either. He asked several times today, "Where's Anna?" But soon 3:35 pm came around and it was time for us to pick her up. I saw her beaming little face and asked her how her day was. She said, "Mom, I had a GREAT day today."

Lord, thank you for new beginnings. You are the God of new beginnings and I praise you for showing your loving kindness and sweet goodness to Anna Grace today as she began her first day of Kindergarten. Please watch over her, guide her, protect her, and allow her to shine like a star in the place where you've put her. May she reflect your light to all who see her sweet little face. Thank you for school and for wonderful teachers. Amen

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my 33rd birthday! What a day it has been! I woke up to the sweet sounds of the Happy Birthday song sung by my kiddos as they brought me breakfast in bed. This was Anna's idea and I was told last night not to get up if I heard things in the kitchen. Here's what my breakfast looked like...
Yummy scrambled eggs, toast buttered to perfection by Chef Anna herself, a fruit rollup for dessert, and water carried by Micah the servant. What a wonderful husband to help them pull this off. Then I was given my birthday present...

I wasn't suppose to know what this was, but last Saturday after Rich took the kids shopping Micah got in the car and said, "It's a watch, Mommy!" What a sweet little man. He wanted me to know so bad. I love my new watch so much and needed a new one.

Then I got a rare opportunity to have lunch with my Grandma Vaughn. We had a wonderful time eating yummy sandwiches at Panera where my sis, Susan, joined us.

Finally, I was treated to a wonderful dinner at Cheddar's followed by my favorite cake, german chocolate, at mom's house. This has been a wonderful day filled with all of my favorite things. Each birthday I like to think about what I'd like to accomplish in the next year. I pray this next year I grow closer to the image of my savior, become a more intentional mom and wife, and share my faith more with people in my sphere of influence.

What a day! I love birthdays!

This weekend was sew, sew...

I spent a good three hours this weekend sewing my First Ever garment from a pattern. It was a Simplicity pattern for a simple apron, but the pattern said Sewing For Dummies...exactly what I needed. When it comes to sewing I'm a novice to say the least. This is surprising because I have a mom who is an excellent seamstress and can whip out a new dress in no time. As a young teenager I had asked my mom to teach me to sew. Well, with the combination of a mouthy know-it-all teenager and a mom who was tired and didn't have much patience, let's just say that the sewing lessons didn't last long. Anyway, recently I've become more confident in my sewing ability and have branched out from the straight line sewing projects to a little more complex pattern. I decided to make myself an apron for when we do messy projects at preschool and Anna thought she needed one too. I thought it might be best to start with the littler one first, so Anna's was my practice run. I think it turned out well and she loves it, so... success!

This old sewing machine was given to me by my Grandma Sheeley. It belonged to her brother and his wife. I'm so blessed to be able to keep using it. And finally, the finished product...



Last but not least, I've entered a giveaway over at http://www.yeebird.blogspot.com/ Go over and check out Rebekah's goodies and you just may be as inspired by her as I was.