may 2014

Oh my goodness, May! It was NON-STOP and I was so pregnant. Not the best combination but we had a good time going going going.

First up, Anna's 6th birthday! She was the youngest in her kindergarten class but did a great job keeping up academically and socially. We brought donuts for the class treat. They sang Happy Birthday and turned on the disco ball and danced.

The same day was Anna's last running club. She was one of only two kindergarteners who participated, so she got one of the "Distance Leader" awards. She ran 20.75 miles over the course of the season. I was so proud of her! To celebrate, instead of getting a little mark on their hand for each lap, they got a stripe of colored hair spray! The kids got a little crazy with the left overs, spraying it all over their bodies. And of course, we finished with popsicles. 

O. C. Taylor Running Club

On Anna's actual birthday, we went to JumpStreet which is one of the kids' favorite places. Van, Ruth, Katrina, Caleb, and Naomi came as well. Sam, Ruth, and Katrina got passes to jump as well. Everyone had a blast! The foam pit was a big hit and looked like lots of fun. Anna got good at swinging on the rope and then jumping but Levi would just hold it in his hand and the jump off the edge. They were so cute to watch!

Here's adventurous Grandma Ruth jumping with Anna. The adults all ended up a little more sore and tired than they bargained for. After JumpStreet we went to Freddy's for lunch.

31 weeks pregnant

 The birthday girl at Cosby family dinner on Sunday. The giant number 6 balloon was pretty cool.

Anna's big gift was this AG doll from Grandma Ruth

I made the Elsa dress. It's probably the trickiest thing I've ever sewn, but she LOVED it. 

The following weekend was Anna's princess birthday party. We made crowns with foam and glitter glue and sequins. 

I made a wonky cake.

Our first two activities lasted about 10 seconds each, so to kill some time, I put on the "Do you want to build a snowman?" video. It was adorable to see them all sing along, but then I played "Let it Go." There were arm motions and priceless facial expressions. I got a video of that and it's hilarious to watch.

I was worried that a princess party screamed "entitlement," but I wasn't sure what to do about it. I hatched a plan too late to ask guests to bring canned food, but I gathered up lots from our pantry and Sam hid it around the yard. Then I told the girls about how I had just been to Germany where I'd been inside real castles and learned about a real princess named Elizabeth. 

Then I told the girls about how Elizabeth had used her wealth and abundance to serve others and how people still remember her for her kindness today. I told how she would hide food so she could sneak it out of the castle for the poor. I then told them there was food that we had hidden that we could take to the food bank here in Grapevine. The girls were SO excited and had a fabulous time. Several of the moms told me their daughters remembered this best and that made me feel better about a princess party.

This was the end of the year kindergarten art show. Anna's mermaid was her favorite creation.

Sam took Levi on the Father and Sons camp out with Van, Gordon, and Caleb. Levi had a marvelous time and felt very cool. I made Sam take the camera and promise to take pictures. He was good on his word.

Next up: FIELD DAY! Sam took the day off because we wanted to go to his Grandfather's birthday party in the afternoon. So he went to some of the day and I went to some. It was SO HOT and I was glad to trade off with someone. It was not fun to be pregnant and standing around in the heat.

 Anna had a super fun day and loved getting a slushy at the end of it most of all. Here she is with her beloved teacher, Mrs. Poda.

Right after we got home we left for a cabin in the country where we got together with all Ruth's sisters and Sam's cousins to celebrate Grandpa Frank's birthday. There was tons of delicious food and the kids loved roaming around and getting dirty. I enjoyed getting to know Sam's extended family better. There is a lot of good humor in the McDonald clan. 

I'm so glad we got in one last full fun day as a family before Frank passed on in November. His love and laughter are sorely missed.

Finally, Levi thought it would be a good idea to use oil pastels to draw on my chair. He was worried about losing his picture if I washed it off, so we took a photo. How do kids make you feel bad as you scrub their mess off your furniture? Parenthood is full of wonders.