Anna.

I've been thinking about writing about Anna for awhile now. I know I do in little spurts...what she's been up to, how she's doing, etc. But she really is such a special little girl and she deserves a little blog time all to herself. I'm sure I'm a little biased! But, I think people miss out on who she is because she IS different around her cousins. She's much more aggressive, loud and...I guess hyper is a good word. But alone, she's totally NOT that child. She's actually very mellow. When I helped out at her school last year, I was SHOCKED to see how calm she is in the classroom. I continue to get reports that she is a model citizen at school. She's not a whiner in general though when she does, its usually about how others treat her. I don't think she has my tough skin and its been a challenge trying to teach her how to navigate friends and school in a way that is Godly. She is learning how to deal with bullies and people that don't always say nice things or want to be her friend. She is learning how to turn the other cheek. But sometimes, it breaks my heart to hear her say that she has no friends in her class. I'm amazed at how cruel children can be. I wish I could figure out WHY she's having this problem. Is it because she's an only child? She doesn't compromise well? Or is it a jealousy thing? I'm proud of how she's learning to stand up for herself in a Godly way.


The other thing I'm proud about is that she really is seeking a relationship with God all on her own. Its such an incredible feeling when you're child accepts Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. Last year while Reed was gone, she told me that after I put her to bed, she asked Jesus into her heart. She did that ALL by herself! We had already done our bedtime prayers. Since then, she has repeatedly asked about Baptism. She is ready! I'm so thankful to have people in our lives that help teach her about Jesus. I certainly don't always feel adequate. But, she DOES get it. For Easter, she got her very own study Bible which is meant for 8-12 year old girls. She wants to read it every night instead of children's books. Amazing. And, she loves her church. I mean she really loves it! If we're headed down Rt. 17 towards the new building, she'll ask if we can drive by to see what it looks like. At one point, she gave $25 to the Big Dream. That's a lot of money for a little kid!

She is FUN! Man, do we have a great time together. Some of our favorite things to do together are:
Busch Gardens: We take the lazy approach to Busch. We ride a few rides, see a few shows, have been known to take the train or sky ride to get to where we need to go. There's no need to rush. We have passes. We can go whenever we want!



Shopping: I'm turning this girl into a master shopper! A couple of years ago, she noticed that the things we normally buy have RED tags. Hmmm... Now, she's an avid red tag hunter! She knows that if it has a red tag, I'm more likely to give in!

Visit Museums/Zoos/interesting places: This girl loves to see stuff! She will ask me if we can go to Colonial Williamsburg, The Living Museum and any number of other places. She loves animals and can't wait till we live closer to a REAL zoo. I think marine animals might be her favorite. She still talks about our trip to Atlanta where we saw some amazing sea life at the Georgia Aquarium.




Here are some things you may not know about her: She dances ALL the time. Wherever she is.
She can NOT ride a bike. We're going to work on that soon. She is opinionated about her clothes and her room. She loves animals and is great with them. She is a total daddy's girl. Their favorite thing to do is let me sleep in on Saturday (whoohoo!)and watch cartoons while eating breakfast on the couch. She is not so tidy. She is becoming more independent every day. She doesn't like to be alone. She is talkative but not ALL the time, only when the mood suits her. She is prone to bossing people around and being hyper especially around her cousins. She is a little lazy. She is a great helper...I mean GREAT but not such a great independent worker. She loves being with her family. When she doesn't get to see Reed often it makes her sad. She is creative. She loves designing clothes (thanks to the Barbie DS game she got for Easter) and doing crafts.

She is not allowed near scissors without permission. She's known for cutting the following things: her hair (4xs!), Sonny's hair, shirts, the sofa cover, a blanket, paper in to a million pieces...and well anything she can get her hands on. She loves to eat out, go to the movies. She loves dates with me and dates with her dad. And most of all...She loves any activity that involves the 3 of us.