Year 5 of Dance

Annie tapped her way out of her 5th year of dance this spring.  How it is even possible we are five years in to this I have no idea but you can tell she's an old pro when you watch her perform.

She did an outstanding job & we continually see all her hard work pay off at the end of each year.

Annie update

Annie had some fun activities this winter and has continued to thrive as she navigates the world of school, friendships, and being a big sister.

A little buddy of hers had a paint your pet party

and since we don't have a pet she painted her dog cousin Jacey

her artistic talent continues to amaze me because I am well aware she did not get one ounce of from me.

She also went to dancing with Daddy which we've already covered her love for in previous posts and this year was no exception.

Her school field trip to the Science Museum was a good time

Lucky for her she got to ride on the bus with Nenny, which I must add, she has found being at school with her to be such a treat this year.

She had another visit from Mary her tooth fairy

and was recognized at school for displaying the life principle of the week espirit de corp.

First grade has brought some challenges but we couldn't be prouder of the sweet soul she continues to be.

Annie age 7

I say it all the time but seriously how do kids grow so fast because lo, and behold I now have a 7 year old.

For her birthday dinner Annie wanted sushi (because she's hip like that) so we went out and bought a boatload of sushi, literally.

She opened her presents at home on her actual birthday & was as pleased as she could be that she got a hatchanimal.  I was pleased that Nana had been able to secure one for us since they are the hottest toy out right now & are either ridiculously price gouged or sold out.

Her getting a hatchanimal meant the whole family spent the evening patting, petting, and rubbing the egg so the furry electronic friend could hatch out. As to be expected with a child there was a strong desire to get it out quickly not let it incubate over days like may have originally been intended.

She also opened the rest of her gifts 

and had her choice of birthday dessert which instead of cake she chose key lime pie because as mentioned above, my girl is hip.

For her celebration with friends we went after school & got their nails painted & pedicures.

Afterward we headed to the house to eat cake

We then took the little girls home except for Annie's little friend Sadie who slept over.

They pulled out her new toys & games & had fun late into the night.

Turning 7 was great for the sweet one that introduced me to joy that is motherhood. What a delight this little girl is to us all!

Halloween

Halloween is not my favorite holiday but man alive the kids love it.

I guess maybe it's the dressing up

and getting to pretend to be someone or something else for awhile.

Or it could be all the fun festivals & activities that time of year.

I guess I'm probably underestimating the importance of candy in their lives too.

We didn't have a family theme this year - Annie was a Shopkin (one of her favorite toys), Denver was Buzz Lightyear, & Lily was Snow White.

They had a blast at the OSU student party,

church trunk or treat,

their class parties (Denver below with Leilyn AKA a bad witch - according to her, and Mosi AKA Batmo of the imaginative 1-2-3 gang the Alsup kids came up with)

(Annie went as Junie B Jones for dress up like your favorite book character day - AKA wear your costume to school - but she likes to find any excuse to have multiple costumes),

and trick or treating through our neighborhood with friends.

It was a fun year because Annie really enjoyed every activity & Denver was just the cutest little thing running through the neighborhood trying to keep up with the big kids with his bell bottom Buzz Lightyear pants & helmet continually falling across his eyes & fogging up.

Plus we had this little princess to enjoy

Halloween 2016 was a success for the kids as can be quantified by the fact that as I sit here 6 weeks later typing this out we still have 2 giant shopping bags of candy.  On the other hand for me their success means I will have to slowly & painstakingly hide piece by piece in the trash to prevent the ninth hour pardon by the kids if they discover a morsel of it is being disposed of.

Czech Day 2016

Same weekend, different year.  First weekend in October Annie participated as a Czech dancer for the third year in the Czech festival.

She's an old pro at riding in the parade & waving to us.

Denver found the ponies & got a ride in

Brynn came along to dance too

Annie has really gotten the traditional dances down & does a great job.

She did well & we got stocked up on kolaches which means another sucessful Czech fest goes in the books.