There are a ton of pictures in this post!  I had several pictures on my phone leftover from February, so here are my favorites!  Rose is our valentine baby, and she knows it!  I did the big girls’ hair in heart braids for their Daddy/Daughter dance.  They turned out super cute!

 

Rose and Noelle got strep in February, but it didn’t stop them from smiling and having fun, and they got a lollipop at the doctor, so that was a bonus!  Noelle made Rose a birthday banner and snack after her nap time on her birthday.  Rose’s favorite color is orange, so Noelle personalized her surprise just for her.  I love the way they love each other! 

 

Here’s a picture Daddy took of Noelle at the school dance.  We entered a little braid contest on IG and won a free headband!  It’s the one Noelle wore to the party barn at Easter.  It was super fun networking with some awesome braiders!

 

I found this Me & Bae picture Noelle created on my phone.  Super cute and so Noelle!  Anna Kate looked so cute in her Destin tee and sunglasses!  We’re so ready for summer and the beach!

 

Susie gave me this cute picture of Anna Kate and Malia at Rose’s birthday party hanging out on the bench on the carousel.  Rose decided her pony needed a fence made out of toothpaste.  She rarely “junks up,” as we call it, anymore, but when she does, it cracks me up.  You can tell by her smile that she didn’t get in trouble this time.

 

The 3rd grade wax museum was such a fun experience for Noelle this year!  Anna Kate’s already ready for her turn.

Noelle’s 3rd grade class

 

Rose is such a good girl on my allergy shot days.  Since I have to wait 30 minutes in the waiting room after my injections in case of a reaction, it gets old, but she’s a trooper.  The nurse gave her this teddy bear today because she was being such a good girl!  When Rara comes to visit, she wraps my presents for the upcoming weekend.  Those friends are lucky because she learned so many cool wrapping tricks in Japan.

 

We were trying on H&M clothes and hair accessories this day after school.  We ended up keeping all of these outfits, and the girls have enjoyed them so much this spring.  Anna Kate not touching Noelle in the first picture is such a silly sibling thing to do.  I didn’t notice it when I took the picture, but it made me laugh when I saw it after the fact on the computer.  So silly!

Our friend, Kristin, is having a baby boy in May!  Heather and I had fun going to her baby shower and cheering her on!

We noticed in a lot of the yards in Dallas, they had replaced their natural grass with turf grass.  The above picture is an example.  I doubt our HOA would go for this, but it surprisingly looked very natural.  I don’t know how I feel about having fake grass, but it was super pretty!

Another snack tray Noelle made for the girls.

 

Mike’s prime rib, sweet potato fries, and asparagus are absolutely delicious! 

 

Noelle still plays dress-up, but it’s not with princess dresses anymore.  She loves to try on my jewelry and play with her make-up!  I love seeing what all she comes up with!

 

Anna Kate always wears her ballet shoes and practices around the house.  She’s enjoying cooking with us as well.  Noelle loves to do crazy hair and make-up styles for fun.  I think this look would look so cool with a costume for Halloween or a play. 

I’ve been working so hard this winter/spring selling the girls’ outgrown clothes.  Here Jaalisa and I are about to sort my clothes from these racks to their clothing size throughout the venue.  It took forever, but we had fun!

 

The best part about consigning is buying super cute pre-loved clothes for my girls with the money I make.  They feel like it’s Christmas after a sale.  Rose loved this dress, and I love helping our family!

Mike and I had a blast hanging out in the snow after the girls’ fizzled out and went inside!  This snow fell on 2/27/15.

 

Uncle Stephen gave the girls this set of farm blocks when Noelle was a toddler.  I can say it has been the most played with toy through the years.  They all still enjoy it, and we’ve added pieces as the years have gone on.  You can’t beat wooden toys!  One night, Noelle dressed up as the “robber” and the littles had to catch her.  I wasn’t home and when Mike sent me this picture, my first thought was, “What boy did they have over for a play date?”  They are so crazy!

 

Here’s a sample of one of my preview boards from my shop.  I have so much fun selling new and pre-loved clothes to other Mamas across the country.  It’s so rewarding and fun!  Email me in the contact information above if you’d like to check out our items for sale (I do not ship from my home address).  Noelle made these fruit and veggie platters one day for our snack.  They are so colorful!  She impresses me every day with her creativity and work ethic!

 

Rose and I love Mrs. Peggy’s story time!  She’s amazing!

One last collage from Rose’s My Little Pony birthday party!  She’s already talking about her party for next year!

Mike, Carey, Ty and I went out to eat and to a concert in March.  We had so much fun, and it was a well-deserved night out!

 

We saw Cold War Kids at The House of Blues.  

 

Here are the girls looking out the window at the orthodontist office.  Their profiles looked so beautiful, and I’m glad I had my phone with me so that I could take a quick pic!  Nancy helped me find these super cozy harem pants at the Gap.  I love this outfit and will be wearing it from now on! 

 

Nothing is ever normal or dull around Rose!  Another snack idea brought to you by Noelle!  She didn’t like the way this one looked, but it tasted great!

Noelle has gotten several IG comments from Mindy, the mom and creator of the YouTube channel, Cute Girls Hairstyles.  I’ve been watching Mindy’s tutorials since before Noelle was born, so it’s been fun letting her know how much we’ve enjoyed their channel through the years! 

 

We had a super low-key spring break this year, which we’ve decided to make a tradition.  It’s just so very nice mixed in with the busy-ness of the spring to have a week right in the middle with nothing to do.  We are a super busy family, so making time to just chill out is important.  One day, the girls spent all afternoon making a fort to sleep in that night.  They worked together all day and named it NAR, The Official Tent. 

No one slept there through the night, but it was still fun and something they were very proud of!

 

Another day over the break, we spontaneously decided to go see the movie, Paddington, with Malia.  Although the first picture is blurry, I always enjoy my view and watching the girls take good care of each other, so I had to share this pic!  It will be used as evidence that they really do love each other during their next fight!

 

One night after work, Mike and Rose went on a walk.  When she saw this dandy lion, she made a wish and then blew it out as hard as she could.  Her wish was, “I wish that I can be a good girl!”  Aww!  Her heart is so sweet, even though she often finds herself in time-out.  Four years old is a hard age when you are the third girl.  She gets a lot of grace mixed in with love!

 

You would think Noelle makes us snacks every day!  She’s so good at it!  Her warm cinnamon apples are the best!  This day, she also made strawberries with cream and frozen yogurt drops with nuts and pretzels! 

 

The girls love riding the carousel!  One day last month, I let Rose dress herself, and the picture above is the result.  The backward shoes top the look off!  I usually make her choose one blankey, but since today was her day to do it her way, she got to take both.  She walked in to my allergist like she was the queen of the world!  Lookin’ good, girlfriend!

 

I love finding art and phrases all over the house, and I love that Noelle wrote, “Coolest family on Earth!” on our dry erase board. I’m so happy she feels that way!    I spent most of March craftin’ it up for Anna Kate’s birthday.  Every morning when the girls would wake up, they’d see a different craft completed that I had worked on the night before and get excited about Anna Kate’s party.  I listened to a lot of books during those late night craft sessions and had fun getting ready for her big birthday! 

We love power balls!  Rara gave us the recipe below.  They are fun and easy for the kids to make too!  The only problem is they are gone within a couple hours after we make a batch! 

Enjoy!

 

I love strawberry margaritas and fajitas and of course, our Cutie Kate!

 

Here’s Anna Kate on her birthday!  I surprised her for lunch, and we had the best time together! 

  

Anna Kate’s birthday is so close to St. Patrick’s Day, so she’s always super happy and excited this time of year!  Her teacher went above and beyond decking her students out in St. Patty’s Day gear!  Anna Kate has had such a blast in kinder this year!  Isn’t the middle picture of her pretending to find a coin from the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow hilarious?  She’s such a great kid!

Our little joys!

 

The past month has been really hard for me.  It’s so very difficult living with chronic pain and having to fight yourself to get through the day.  Some days are better than others, but having Rose 24/7 with me right now helps so much.  She’s always upbeat and ready for the next adventure.  She’s a hot mess, don’t get me wrong, but her demeanor is always positive!  A lot of days we have to stay home, and she is perfectly content.  She’s easily entertained and not hard on me.  Quite the opposite!  She’s my little cheerleader and keeps me going when the going gets tough. 

 

Noelle’s cheerleading team did such a great job in their school talent show this year!  Noelle and Ava went to Subway after their dress rehearsal.  One rainy Saturday, I had the big girls while another mom had the younger siblings, and we went to the Dollar Tree to buy crafts and kill some time.  A sweet lady made me get in a picture with them.  She said we were having too much fun!

 

One night, the week before Anna Kate’s party, I was buying a little bit of everything for her party, Easter, presents, and food I saw along the way.  My basket was so colorful, so I took a picture.  Mike absolutely detests Wal-Mart, but I absolutely love it!  I mean, this basket is great!  And the picture on the right, my heart just melts when she gives me that silly face!

 

We ended up making bracelets and shrink art once we got home.  Rose was having fun with the big girls today!

 

Anna Kate went shopping with me for her birthday in the pictures above, and she got an Icee for the first time and loved it!  Anna Kate is my shorts and t-shirt gal!  She loves dressing up or down, she really doesn’t care.  She still wants me to pick out most of her clothes because she could just care less.  Noelle is the exact opposite.  It’s so interesting to me!

When we got home, Noelle surprised us with a snack tray.  She’s gotten so good at making smoothies and is wishing for a new blender for her birthday!  She loves being in the kitchen!

 

A night out with the neighbors proved to be the night of the blue margarita that will not soon be forgotten.  We love our neighbors!

 

The girls both made posters for literacy night creating their own book cover for their favorite books.  They both won book fair bucks and got to pick out some super fun prizes! 

Saylor is adorable!!!

  

Rose being Rose.

Such a sweet heart!

Don’t grow up!

 

Malia and Anna Kate love getting extra play time on the driveway while the Mommies catch up after school! 

 

Rara has gotten to see several of Rose’s dance classes, and Rose just loves it when she comes!  We’re getting close to recital time and have all 4 of the girls’ costumes ready to go!  It’s going to be crazy!  Anna Kate dressed up as an “bug catcher” one night and caught bugs in the back yard.  She’s so cute!

A friend sent me this picture from Anna Kate’s birthday.  Noelle was covering Rose’s face in the back ground because she was afraid she was going to blow out Anna Kate’s candle.  

 

The Fearings gave Anna Kate this Beados set.  It’s super fun!

 

 

Mom and I had fun shopping one afternoon for her birthday in March, getting her fancied up for her cruise with Poppa.

 

The girls are enjoying our trampoline so much!  Mike took this next picture of Rose at the park; I love it!

It’s a shame she doesn’t have more personality! 

 

Anna Kate is a good errand runner!  The girls love going to the park on pretty spring days!

 

Rose is addicted to her cat hat!  She wears it almost every day!  She’s so crazy!  Anna Kate had so much fun at a tea party celebrating Campbell’s birthday with her!

 

Chloe and Anna Kate were busy enjoying their treats!

 

Anna Kate loved wacky Wednesday during red ribbon week!  I love this next picture of Rose with snow caked on top of her owl hat and huge gloves.  She was playing so hard!

 

Ava and Noelle were all dressed and ready to perform a cheer and dance to Shake it Off!  Go Lions!

 

I can’t keep house plants alive, but I love them while they last!  Thanks for the tulips, Ra!  xo

 

I love this picture of the littles playing on the iPad over Easter break!  They are such sweet little play mates for each other.  The day before Easter, when we had our annual hot dog supper at the party barn, was so sunny and beautiful!  Glad we got to play in it before the storms hit on Easter day this year!

   

Rose was so cute playing ball in the party barn!  Our baby is growing up way too fast! 

I think that was the longest blog post I’ve ever done!  We had a great start to our spring!

 

The girls had so much fun wearing their rain boots on this rainy Easter!

By: Anna Kate

 

Awesome lunch, as always, at the family center for Easter Sunday this year!

These two!

Sophia, Anna Kate, Haley, Noelle, and Melissa getting excited about the Easter egg hunt!

 

The BFFs posing in front of their great great grandmother’s organ.  I remember growing up playing this organ and pulling out all the dials and pumping the wheels like crazy at my grandmother’s red and white house at 810 El Paso Street.

 

It’s hilarious that Rose had to hunt Easter eggs holding her blankey!

 

Saylor’s proud of herself mixed in with a little shy face!

 

Rose and Harper trip me out so much!  They made the same face every time I took their picture!  The littles just finished the first hunt, now it’s time for the big girls!

Here they come!

  

This room is called the “keepsake room.”  We keep family photo albums and antiques in this room.  There’s a picture from every single Easter dating back to when my mom was a kid, along with signatures of who came each year.  I’ll take a picture of one next year to show you!  It’s really cool.  I’ve never missed an Easter on top of this hill, and I don’t intend to.    Such wonderful memories!  You can see my Granny and Aunt Polly with their siblings in the picture behind Noelle’s arm in the first picture.  I remember when they posed for that picture.  I was watching on at about Anna Kate’s age. 

Cousin Linda does an awesome job coordinating everything!  She had to give the kids clues this year where to find the golden egg, which was a frog this year.  She said if the frog wanted to turn into a prince, he would want to be kissed by a girl, so where would he be hiding?  Noelle ran to check under both vintage dresses, and he was hiding under the second dress!  She read the note inside, and it said she had to hop and croak like a frog.

 

She did it and got $25 gold dollars!  She then signed the golden egg with her name and the year.  She’s never won but has always wanted to so badly, and this year was her turn!  The froggy was under this vintage family dress. 

Rose won the last two years (2013 and 2014) in her age bracket, but her streak was broken this year.  The kids that won had to listen for clues, so Rose was out by default this time! 

The Banks Fam!

 

Sweet sisters!

 

 

Rose and Saylor were really talking to each other!  So fun watching Saylor turn into a big girl before our very eyes!

 

Today, we celebrate new beginnings, new life, and the sacrifices that were made for us long ago.  We are so very blessed to live this amazing life!

 

 

 

 

Bless her baby heart!

And bless her baby heart!  Our babies have it rough!    Such a fun Easter morning!

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is so much I wanted to say about these pictures, but they truly speak for themselves.  Although these pictures look so perfect, as this night truly was as close to that as we can get, I struggle every day.  I fight through my physical pain so that I can be here for my family and love them as hard as I can.  It’s all I can do to not go crazy.  That being said, these nights that my kids get to run and play and have the most fun possible mean everything to me.  I am beyond aware how blessed I am that I don’t have to miss many of my kids’ activities.  I also don’t take them for granted either because showing up takes every ounce that I have, but it’s what I live for.  On the outside looking in, it is definitely picture perfect, and quite honestly, the love we share is so much more than that, but we suffer in silence.  It affects all of us, but we work together, and my family gives me grace.  Mike and I work as hard as we can, we play as hard as we can, we cry as hard as we can, and we love as hard as we can.  And we just do the best we can. 

When I’m out with my kids, I try to ignore the pain as best as I can, so please don’t feel sorry for me.  Be happy for me, because if I’m out and dressed, that means I’m doing really well.  It’s just such a struggle, because I don’t want to portray that our life is perfect by sharing only the happy times, but I also don’t feel obligated to share my intimate problems with the world.  So, I brush the surface in case this might help someone who is feeling less than perfect, to know you are not alone.  Everyone has something.  I say that a lot, because it’s true.  My mind fights my body every single day to be stronger than the pain.  The acknowledgment and research of fibromyalgia has come a long way since I was diagnosed 14 years ago, but they still have no clue how to make the muscle pain, cramping and spams go away.  I would’ve never thought this slow, ever present torture could be possible unless it happened to me.  I don’t want to give my pain (for lack of a better word) any more thought space or time than I have to, just be encouraged, every life is beautiful and special, no matter what you are going through or what you may be feeling.  There are so many warriors out there fighting and winning that have it much worse than you or I do.  We are all about encouragement and family.  I want my girls to know their mommy was honest and brave and always tried to see the sunny side, because it’s always there if you look for it!  My sunny side is in the pictures above.

  

“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.” ~Sophia Loren

  

Yay for Anna Kate’s big #6 birthday party!  We have been excited about this one for years, and she has patiently waited to have a party she could invite everyone she loves to with no limit!  I spent hours and hours painting the lemonade stand, and it turned out just the way I envisioned!  I’ve got a few more details to add, but I’m really excited it turned out so bright and colorful!  I love how the girls are holding hands in the second picture.  At the end of the day, they are total BFFs!  They do get in fights, a lot, but their love is so strong, and I already admire their bond and the way they comfort and take care of each other!

 

Caden had a baseball game but was super worried about getting his present to Anna Kate, so he stopped by early to give her a birthday hug!  Jillian, Riley and Lesleigh were my teenage helpers today.  They ran the lemonade stand and made sure we only had 2 jumpers at a time on the trampoline.  We had lots of fun stations during free time and two organized games.  It actually worked out really well and wasn’t nearly as chaotic as Noelle’s kinder birthday.  It’s always easier doing anything the second time around!  Thank you girls for all your hard work and loving on Anna Kate!  She felt so special you guys were there!

Brylee, Campbell, Sydney, Anna Kate, and Brooke posing before heading in 5 different directions to play some more! 

Anna Kate invited some of Noelle’s friends that come over so much, they are friends with all the Pond girls!  So sweet.  Emily, Carson, Brianna and Noelle were having a blast!  Yay!

 

About the right picture above, Rose is always a hot mess (no surprise, but you betta watch out), and our girls have personality plus, each in their own unique little ways!  Love these girls.  They work hard and they play hard, and we are so very proud of them!  They put a lot of work into this party themselves.  It was awesome having a bunch of little helpers, eager for each new task they were given.  I felt like I had go go gadget arms for the first time! I could get used to that!

 

Poppa and Rara came to our house to celebrate Noelle’s talent show performance and Anna Kate’s birthday with us! So glad they were able to make it!  

  

I found Malia in her old doll house that she gave Rose a couple years ago.  She told me she was checking to make sure the door bell still worked and was proud to report that it did!  I love this beautiful girl!

This picture reminds me of the song lyrics and a quote on a shirt that I just bought Anna Kate for Easter: I get by with a little help from my friends.  A few of these ladies are new friends, who I’m excited to get to know better, but most I’ve shared many a ladies nights out with this year and couldn’t live without them! 

Little sissies, Rose and Eden, had fun seesawing together!

Getting ready for the jelly bean game with buddies Nathan (who wrote Anna Kate the Valentine in the Feb YOLO post) and Will.

Friends since birth, Anna Kate and Landon, have the sweetest little friendship!  Landon is such an awesome kid!  The Pond girls are in love with the Fearing boys!

The first organized group activity was a jelly bean trading game.  Each kid started out with 10 different colored jelly beans in their bag.  They had to go around and trade jelly beans with their friends to try to end up with 10 of the same colored jelly beans in their bag.  They could chose any color they wanted to start collecting.  The older kids had a lot of strategy going on, but it was still easy enough for the kindergarteners to play and have fun too.  Perfect!  Whoever got all 10 of their jelly beans the same color first, was the winner.  We had prizes for the top 3 winners.  From what I saw, the kids loved this game!  If you have a large number of kids in one place and a quick activity, try it!  We had a lot of fun!

 

 

 

Such a sweet moment watching Anna Kate blow out her candles.  I didn’t notice until I started working on this caption that Noelle put her hand over Rose’s mouth (again) to make sure she didn’t blow out Anna Kate’s candles.  We all have to keep Rose in check, God love her!  One of my BFFs and her little ginger, Liv, enjoying this beautiful Saturday that we were so lucky to be a part of!

I made a little homemade photo booth in our dining room.  We cleared out all the furniture, and I hung garland strips off the chandelier.  The kids had too much fun with the props and posing!  I have a million different combinations of kids on my computer being silly in here!

I love getting a group photo each year at the girls’ birthday parties because it’s fun to remember everyone who was so sweet to celebrate with us!

  

Our friend, Brendan, was in charge of dispensing like-colored jelly beans for the Bean Boozled Challenge game that my kids absolutely LOVE!  They ask to play it every single time they have a friend over without fail, lol!  I’ve explained it on the blog before, but let’s say there are two green colored jelly beans.  They could be the flavor lime (you get to stay seated) or lawn clippings (you’re out and go sit down).  The audience (the rest of the kids) tries to guess who has which flavor before they announce it or spit it out.  It’s seriously hilarious!  Kids have the best unfiltered facial expressions.  Malia was in route to the “spit cup” in the middle picture because she got bean boozled!  We had a slideshow going on the TV throughout the party of our favorite pictures of Anna Kate’s first 6 years.  Her favorite music was on as well.  Wanna take a guess what it was? 

 

More buddies, Anna Kate, Brylee, Sadie, Sydney and in the picture on the right, Cole.  Such great kiddos!

 

Remember Luke from Mrs. Paula’s?  Luke and Anna Kate have played countless hours together in pre-school paradise in years passed, and we had so much fun catching up with him and his sweet Mama!  Caden got to come back and play for a little bit after his baseball game.  Anna Kate, Caden and Vivienne are all neighbors, and their Mamas are some of my besties! 

 

Anna Kate’s amazing teacher, Mrs. Lawless, surprised her and came to her party!  I’ve given her “The Above and Beyond Award” this year!  You can’t think up all the wonderful ideas she has to engage the kids and then super fun playful deliveries that have Anna Kate practically screaming off the bus because she can’t wait to tell me what Mrs. Lawless did or let them do that was “Above and Beyond.” One of my favorite things from this year was when she had each child write their parents a thank you letter for going on the field trip with them.  Reading Anna Kate’s thoughts in writing was so special!  Field trips are very hard on my body.  The only times I’ve ever been to the zoo since being a parent are on field trips (3 times in 9 years).  My heart is so full, but my body suffers through it, and I’m always sick the following week while I recover. So to get that note was huge for me.  It literally made me cry.  I would’ve never thought to write the parents a thank you note.  She also makes the kids write apology notes to each other when needed.  Her classroom is full of respect and more fun than you can imagine!  Anna Kate comes home peppy and happy and full of new knowledge, just the way you hope it will be.  Beyond grateful for such an awesome kinder experience for Cutie Kate!  And then Anna Kate asked for one more picture with the big girls all by herself.  She felt so special and her heart was so full! 

Noelle and Anna Kate are so lucky to have so many sibling sets in both of their grades (kinder and 3rd).  Three of them here are Aaron (back row) and his brother Will (front row in blue), our girls, Brianna (back right) and her brother Caden (front right).  They loved the idea of this sibling picture and were so proud of their brothers/sisters!

 

Aaron has been a really sweet friend to Noelle this year, and that helps knowing a boy on the play ground has your back!   

 

Malia and Anna Kate just get each other.  They play so well together and love each other so much!  Noelle and Jada are the big sisters in their families and instantly bonded over that (Jada has 2 little sisters and 1 little baby brother).  Sweet girls!  I know I always say that, but it’s true!

 

The Pond girls and the White girls almost all partied out.  They all look so cute in their sugar comas, lol!  Anna Kate really wanted a picture holding her dress. If Anna Kate calls me over to take one more picture, I’m jumping. She doesn’t like the camera as much as the other two do, but we all enjoy having pics so much, and they are always rotating on our TV screen saver!

 

Kay Kay and Grandpapa brought Noemi to the party, so all of their grand daughters could be together and play.  Noemi’s parents were moving this weekend, so we missed them!  

This is what you call heart friends right here.  Malia’s mom and I talk all the time about how totally different these girls are, but it’s like the saying goes, opposites attract.  And that they do!  They take care of each other at school and play hard when they get home.  We were blessed with the best neighbors and friends, and these girls are so lucky to have each other.  I truly admire their special little friendship and bond.

 

Fun party girls! Thankfully, Malia and her mom stayed to help us open presents. I would’ve been lost without Susie’s help.  We organized it all and took our sweet time enjoying each and every thoughtful gift.  Anna Kate and I just finished our last thank you note today!  We were so overwhelmed by the generosity and love from our friends.  Anna Kate will be busy all summer with the toys, games and crafts she got.  We put everything in a box for her, and she gets to pick two things to take out of the box to play with each week until they are all gone.  It spreads out the gifts, and they don’t get torn through and/or parts separated.  She will intentionally and thoughtfully enjoy each and every gift.  It’s a good system that works for us.  I’ve thought about doing a donation of some kind in lei of a gift, and someday when the girls get a little older, I want to do that and think we can make it super fun for the girls, but at this age, she happily gives presents to her friends all year long and watches them as they open them and get showered with love, that it makes sense that she would get a turn too. We all make the best decisions we can and do what we feel is right for our children at each stage of their development.  Above are a few ideas of how we try our best to create grateful, thoughtful and intentional little girls, whose hearts are filled with thankfulness and love! 

 

We try to do a kiss picture for each girl each year.  We’ve missed a few along the way, but it’s a fun tradition to keep alive!  I think it’s one of Anna Kate’s favorite things she looks forward to on her birthday.  She gets so giddy and giggly, makes me smile thinking about her sweet heart. She calls this and moments like these, “special attention.”  Occasionally, she’ll ask Mike and me if she can have special attention, and we know what she means.  We’ll tag team tucking her in at night with kisses at the same time on each cheek or we’ll go cuddle in our bed with just Anna Kate in the middle for a few minutes while we talk about whatever she has on her mind, which usually ends with tickling or playing footsies or both.  She’s such a great kid! Sometimes it’s hard being stuck in the middle.  It really is.  I get it, but I’ll go to bat for this kid any day.  She is truly a sweetheart, and we had the time of our lives celebrating Anna Kate with all of her friends today!

Here are a few collages I made from Anna Kate’s 6th birthday party!  So many more pics to come; Such a fun time! 

As many of you know, our birthday rotation for our girls is family birthday one year, small party the next and big party the year after that. Anna Kate’s last big birthday was when she was 3, so her kindergarten birthday party this year was 3 years in the making!  We’ve been talking about her party for several months now, but we couldn’t come up with a theme.  Then one day she said, “Mom, let’s do a jelly bean birthday party!”  I remembered a jelly bean game my mom did for one of our birthdays growing up, and from there, it took off!  I crafted my heart out for Anna Kate, and she helped me a lot!  We had fun working on her party together, and I know she felt so special and loved! 

 

  

 

Lots of planning for an afternoon full of fun!