Happy Birthday, Anna!

Today we celebrated Anna's 2nd birthday! We had such a blast all day. I thought we'd share a small portion of the photos and videos we took today.
After we got Anna up with a rousing "Happy Birthday to You" she opened her card from us at breakfast and then opened our presents after church. She loved her new doll that cries, coos, and sneezes. She had so much fun saying "Bless you" after the baby sneezed. She was also very interested in one of the books we gave her. She loves to read!


We had a bunch of family over in the afternoon for some cake. Right now, it's all about butterflies, so she had a butterfly cake. I was surprised that she really liked the cake, but wouldn't eat the frosting. I was also delighted that she ate the cake instead of smashing it in her fingers and getting it in her hair like she did last year.
Anna opened presents from family after cake. She got books...
...a cool wigglin' waterpillar to make her own "water park" in the backyard. Her cousins were very helpful when she had trouble with any of the unwrapping.
Anna loved all the outdoor garden and yard tools she got, too. She can't wait to go outside to water something or dig something up.
She sat for a moment to read a card from Grandma before opening the next gift.
Uncle David thought he'd take this tricycle home to clean it up a bit after giving it to Anna to let her try it out. That didn't happen! Anna wanted no part of letting this one out of her hands. Matt and I were not the least bit surprised when she cried when we told her it was time to go inside.

And what's a birthday without a little "Happy Birthday to You" even if you're singing it yourself!

Time Away

Matt and I spent much of the morning and early afternoon getting things ready for Anna's birthday party tomorrow. We'll have lots of family here to celebrate. We decided to spend the rest of the day away to celebrate our anniversary (which was yesterday). We headed out to Holland and drove around downtown for awhile (Anna was sleeping), then we went to Tunnel Park and walked along the Lake Michigan shoreline for a little bit. Anna had her boots on, but loves the water and didn't have any sense of how far she could go in without going too far.

She did end up getting away from me at one point, walked into the lake and fell. Fortunately, the water wasn't deep and she landed on her hands. Her boots were full of water and was pretty much soaked from the waist down. We got her wet clothes off and Matt wrapped her up in his jacket and carried her to the car. We had her pajamas along, so she wore those the rest of the night. We went out for dinner and then headed home. It was so nice to get away and have some family fun together!

"Grab Some"

I should have taped a little longer. Anna did grab some snowflakes and then ate them. Even though it's March 27 and I am so ready for the snow to end and for spring to come, Anna loves the snow and loves to be outside no matter what the weather!

Happy Easter

After a wonderful service at church, we went to Matt's mom's house to celebrate Easter with family. Anna had fun getting a few Easter goodies from Aunt JoJo and Grandma and finding the eggs Grandma hid around the living room. (She had Uncle David juggle some for her.) She got to wear a cute Easter dress from my mom. Yes, that's a turtleneck shirt under her dress--it was cold today! Anna was very active today and didn't take a nap. It's no wonder she fell asleep in the car on the way home and was in bed before her usual bedtime. It was a fun day!

Update

Pictures from today's previous post were from around 1:30 this afternoon. Even though it may look like these are pictures from January, these were taken around 6:30 this evening. And it's still snowing!

Near Spring?? Apparently Not!

I know a couple of days ago I was thinking we were near spring, but I was wrong. It's snowing right now; we're supposed to get 2-4 inches today and maybe more tomorrow! I was excited to have a white Christmas, but I'm not so sure I'll enjoy a white Easter!

Easter Eggs

Anna and her friend Troy got to color Easter eggs today! They had so much fun coloring the eggs with different designs...


...dropping them in the colored water...

...and being very proud of the results! We had loads of fun!

Near Spring

We're not there yet, but spring IS coming! The snow is melting and it's getting a LITTLE warmer and I saw a robin for the first time yesterday. Today is cloudy and rainy, so Anna wanted to wear her pato (spanish for duck) raincoat. She loves to be outside all the time. She will actually be sad when all the snow melts. Right now we only have snow at the end of our yard (by the road) and every chance she gets, she heads right to that snow! She also loves to splash in any puddles she can find. It's a challenge trying to teach her that she can only splash in puddles when she has her boots on. It's nice that we're able to be outside more now. Spring and summer will be a lot of fun with Anna.

Happy Birthday, Calvin Seminary!

I guess sometimes you just need an excuse to party. The seminary likes to celebrate its birthday and today is the day. Anna and I got up and out much earlier than we usually do so we could join Matt and the others at the Dias Natales party at the seminary. They had a nice breakfast and a fun program (although not being a seminary student, I didn't catch all the humor I must admit). They don't have classes today, but Matt stayed to do some Greek review and some reading before he starts work on his paper that's due tomorrow. I'll have to ask him when he comes home if he knows how old the seminary is.

Ready to Go

Since this week it's been my turn to be really sick, Anna and I haven't been able to get out much. Matt has done a tremendous job helping out with meals, taking care of me, and taking Anna outside almost everyday for walks and end of the driveway puddle splashing while I've been sick. I'm very thankful he was able to be around to entertain her and give her a little company. (They have had a lot of fun together this week!) I am so ready for spring and warm weather and NO MORE ILLNESSES!!
Anyway, Anna has figured out how to open our front door (unless the deadbolt is locked which usually just happens overnight). Thankfully, there's another door beyond that which she hasn't figured out how to open yet!
I put her in a dress this morning. This dress was a gift from friends in Guatemala. She wore it while she was there in 2006 when she was 3 months old. It was really huge on her, but she wore it anyway! The dress is getting a little short, but the straps are so long that I think if I just put some pants or leggings under it, she could wear it for a long while yet. She decided to grab her Guatemalan purse before she was ready to head out!

What a Difference A Year Makes

I was just reminiscing about how much Anna has grown in the last year, so Gail let me do a little blogging. And we thought she was getting so much hair last March!

Tiny Hint of Spring

Our hint of spring didn't come from outside. We had 2 snow storms this week, leaving us about 4" of new snow to add to what's already on the ground.
We woke up to sunshine this morning though (not a usual sight for us so far this year), and Matt had some time before he had to study, so we decided to head to Meijer Gardens to see the butterfly exhibit. I told Anna we were going to see the butterflies and when we didn't leave right away, she said, "Mommy, go see the busofies!" So we got ready and headed out!
It was great to walk in and see and smell some really beautiful flowers! It was really warm in the buildings, too, so that added to a spring feel. Anna still really likes the cactus area of the Gardens, but she was really excited and curious about seeing the butterflies, too.

See the butterfly sitting on the leaves behind Anna in the above picture?

They have a children's play area outside. Anna loves to walk through the gate that is just her size. They also have an activity type center (thankfully, it's indoors) with things for little ones to do. She had fun dressing up as a butterfly and playing.

It was such a fun morning! We got a little taste of spring and got to spend some good family time together!