Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Dollhouse, Completed
The dollhouse that Anna received for her birthday was very special to me, for it belong to me as a little girl.
It started as 100's of tiny pieces in a box and eventually made it to this stage of completion with only one room done (that was "my" room :)). This is how we picked it up from my mom's house this summer and we have been working hard on it ever since. The dollhouse needed paint, flooring, wallpaper and some trimwork.
The night before Anna's birthday we snuck into her room after she went to sleep and put the finished dollhouse in there. We added some new furniture and wrapped up a set of dolls. The next morning when Anna woke up she immediately went to play with her dollhouse.
Here's the dollhouse after Mimi added a few finishing touches including hanging mirrors, paintings and setting the dining room table.
The addition of the dollhouse to Anna's room means we do not play in there as often for there are many pieces that are not age-appropriate for Maddie but it gives Anna something special to do during naptime. I'm sure this will be a treasure for years to come.
It started as 100's of tiny pieces in a box and eventually made it to this stage of completion with only one room done (that was "my" room :)). This is how we picked it up from my mom's house this summer and we have been working hard on it ever since. The dollhouse needed paint, flooring, wallpaper and some trimwork.
The night before Anna's birthday we snuck into her room after she went to sleep and put the finished dollhouse in there. We added some new furniture and wrapped up a set of dolls. The next morning when Anna woke up she immediately went to play with her dollhouse.
Here's the dollhouse after Mimi added a few finishing touches including hanging mirrors, paintings and setting the dining room table.
The addition of the dollhouse to Anna's room means we do not play in there as often for there are many pieces that are not age-appropriate for Maddie but it gives Anna something special to do during naptime. I'm sure this will be a treasure for years to come.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Anna's 3rd Birthday
Anna woke up Saturday morning to find her new dollhouse in her room. She had been patiently waiting for 4 months as we worked on the dollhouse in another room.
For breakfast we had pumpkin muffins and then Mimi came to go with us to Jumpin' Beans. After an hour at Jumpin' Beans we met Uncle John for lunch at Bella Italia (Anna had requested pizza). Then it was time to go home for Tinkerbell cake.
At home, Anna opened presents from Mimi - the completing furniture to her dollhouse, yeah! Mimi helped Anna hang mirrors on the walls and showed her where to put her silver service (yes, this is an upscale dollhouse, hahah). Mimi also brought Uncle KK's McDonald's drive-thru (which is 20+ years old) for Anna to play with on the front porch.
We finished up the evening with a visit from Aunt Susu and then carved and painted pumpkins.
It was a wonderful day spent with so many of those we love!
For breakfast we had pumpkin muffins and then Mimi came to go with us to Jumpin' Beans. After an hour at Jumpin' Beans we met Uncle John for lunch at Bella Italia (Anna had requested pizza). Then it was time to go home for Tinkerbell cake.
At home, Anna opened presents from Mimi - the completing furniture to her dollhouse, yeah! Mimi helped Anna hang mirrors on the walls and showed her where to put her silver service (yes, this is an upscale dollhouse, hahah). Mimi also brought Uncle KK's McDonald's drive-thru (which is 20+ years old) for Anna to play with on the front porch.
We finished up the evening with a visit from Aunt Susu and then carved and painted pumpkins.
It was a wonderful day spent with so many of those we love!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Happy 3rd Birthday Anna!
We had a wonderful day today celebrating Anna's 3rd birthday! Pictures to come but for now, here's a walk down memory lane.
Anna Grace Burckart was born on October 24th at 6:59am weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces.
Anna's 1st birthday (birthday walk with friends, a trip to Marbles and family party):
Anna's 2nd birthday (playgroup with friends, painting pumpkins, trip to Marbles and Monster Mash party with friend Taylor):
Anna Grace Burckart was born on October 24th at 6:59am weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces.
Anna's 1st birthday (birthday walk with friends, a trip to Marbles and family party):
Anna's 2nd birthday (playgroup with friends, painting pumpkins, trip to Marbles and Monster Mash party with friend Taylor):
Friday, October 23, 2009
Our Fair Alternative
To me, the fair is all about the food. I usually steer clear of things like chocolate covered bacon and fried butter on a stick but I love candy apples and funnel cake. Yesterday our family had good intentions of going to the NC State Fair, but as Erik and I talked about trying to maneuver the crowds in our double stroller that Maddie may or may not stay seated in, we decided against it. Instead we got our fill on a much smaller scale, we went to the mall.
We ate fried food (Chick-fil-a), the girls rode rides,
and we ate candy (and Oreo) apples.
We had a nice family evening but hopefully next year we will make it to the fair!
We ate fried food (Chick-fil-a), the girls rode rides,
and we ate candy (and Oreo) apples.
We had a nice family evening but hopefully next year we will make it to the fair!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Birthday Party
On Saturday, Anna and her friend Lydia celebrated their 3rd birthdays together at Hill Ridge Farms. We had a great time riding the train, taking a hayride, eating cupcakes and picking out pumpkins in the "pumpkin patch". The impending rain held off long enough to have an enjoyable morning and we left tired despite not even doing half of the things that there were to do on the farm.
Here's Anna getting ready for the big day in her outfit appropriately matched (as only Mandy and Mimi could do) to the party theme of a pink and orange pumpkin party:
Train Ride:
Pumpkin Patch: (Maddie's criteria for a good pumpkin was one with no stem and a flat side because she preferred to sit on them.)
Hill Ridge Farms was a fabulous place to have a birthday party!
Here's Anna getting ready for the big day in her outfit appropriately matched (as only Mandy and Mimi could do) to the party theme of a pink and orange pumpkin party:
Train Ride:
Pumpkin Patch: (Maddie's criteria for a good pumpkin was one with no stem and a flat side because she preferred to sit on them.)
Hill Ridge Farms was a fabulous place to have a birthday party!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
School Days
This afternoon Anna, Cassie (the dog) and I are sitting on the front porch. Cassie is enjoying the fresh air, Anna is entertained with a vat of play-doh and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to actually sit and blog. The only thing I'm missing is a big steamy mug of spiced chai - but I digress.
Besides the apparent pumpkin shortage of 2009 :), our fall has gotten off to a nice start. As planned, I started doing some low-key school "lessons" of my own with Anna and have really enjoyed it. Each week we have a letter, number, color and sometimes shape for that week. We do coloring sheets (that I printed offline), talk about them and look for them everywhere we go. We check books out of the library and there is always a yummy snack that can somehow be incorporated. Last week while learning the letter 'D' we HAD to go to Krispy Kreme to watch the making of doughnuts and eat a few of course.
To Maddie, the letter 'B' is the letter every week and when asked, she will tell you so. This morning Maddie even pointed to the 'B' on the cereal box and said the letter. So cute!
Each week there is also a bible story that we read daily out of the Beginner's Bible for Toddlers that Anna was given when she was dedicated at our church. I then try to do some sort of craft project to go along with the bible story. It is simple, but it is so good and I greatly enjoy the time Anna and I get to spend together.
Besides the apparent pumpkin shortage of 2009 :), our fall has gotten off to a nice start. As planned, I started doing some low-key school "lessons" of my own with Anna and have really enjoyed it. Each week we have a letter, number, color and sometimes shape for that week. We do coloring sheets (that I printed offline), talk about them and look for them everywhere we go. We check books out of the library and there is always a yummy snack that can somehow be incorporated. Last week while learning the letter 'D' we HAD to go to Krispy Kreme to watch the making of doughnuts and eat a few of course.
To Maddie, the letter 'B' is the letter every week and when asked, she will tell you so. This morning Maddie even pointed to the 'B' on the cereal box and said the letter. So cute!
Each week there is also a bible story that we read daily out of the Beginner's Bible for Toddlers that Anna was given when she was dedicated at our church. I then try to do some sort of craft project to go along with the bible story. It is simple, but it is so good and I greatly enjoy the time Anna and I get to spend together.
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