Thank you, Tim!

Huge thanks to Tim, who came over and cured my computer so that I can now post my pictures! I will now post on a more regular basis and I look forward to everyone else's blogs!

Last days at Disney

Last year we bought annual passes for Disney because we knew we wanted to be out of the house alot on the weekends because of the addition. We have enjoyed the parks tremendously over the year, and are sad now that our year is drawing to a close. Here are some pictures from the year.

At Epcot, the Japanese women were kind enough to dress Anna up in a kimono as part of her research on Sadako.

Here we are in front of the first big roller coaster that we were able to ride as a family because Anna was tall enought to ride!

Anna the reader!

The first time Anna went to visit Mike and Heather in Georgia (January 2006), they bought her the first Addy book (American Girl series). We have had since then, and I have tried to get her to read it many times, but she never was quite ready. This summer, though, she finally expressed interest, and we have been reading the series together ever since. Here is a picture of her reading the last book of the series! We are so excited about her interest in reading! (It didn't come as easily as Emma's.) She was also able to take the AR quizzes for the books. Now we are reading the Kit series (thanks, Emma, for letting us borrow it).

First week of class

Here are some pictures of our class during the first week of school. One of the things that I really enjoy about my class is the multiage aspect, which means that two-thirds of my class returns each year. I get to spend three years with each student, and we really get to know each one. So the first week many of them can really jump into their work. In one of these pictures, Anna is working on a lesson with Niles, a friend she has known since PK-4.

The first day of school is always an ordeal for us, since I am not only excited about getting Anna ready, but getting myself ready as well. Our tradition is to take pictures with the new uniforms and school gear, and some years Anna is cooperative, and other years she is not. This was a good year, and we got some great pictures! I can't believe she is in the second grade!

Brownie Camping Trip

A couple of Saturdays ago, we met at an ungodly hour to collect Brownies and drive to Camp Wai Lani, a Brownie camp, with Anna's troop. The girls had a great time at the camp, and the mom's had a great time hauling their stuff around :).

Anna's Presentation

This Monday our school had a historic timeline presentation. The students picked someone from history to write a report about, dress up as, and present in front of a PTA meeting. Anna chose to be Sadako Sasaki, a little girl who lived in Hiroshima in WWII, and contracted luekemia after the bomb was dropped on Japan. She made 644 paper cranes when she was sick, and the cranes are now known around the world as a symbol of peace. Here are some pictures of Anna presenting: