Love thy Neighbor

My children seem to believe whole heartedly in the saying, "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence". As if it wasn't already hard enough to keep them from moving in with the Garretts, now they have added one precious baby boy and ten puppies to their allure. Thank you Garretts for putting up with us!

Happy Birthday Annie!

Annie turned nine on Tuesday. Can it really be possible that our little Annie is nine?! I thought no one could love birthdays more than I do, but Annie does. It is so fun the way she anticipates her special day. This year she and I went out with Grandma Jo for the traditional birthday day of shopping. We went out on Monday. Annie came prepared with a list. Items included pencils, folders, a pencil sharpener, shoes, clothes, rings, earrings...it was a very fun day and she treasures everything she got.

Presents and cake felt a lot different this year because Travis had to be in Texas. We sure missed having him here! He took Annie out for a special date before he left and Annie and Emma agree it needs to become tradition. Not the Texas part, the date part.


Annie has had double bunk beds in her room. Everyone wants to sleep on them except Annie. So, as soon as she was off to school I got to work on a big birthday surprise. I made Jake's room Annie's room and Annie's room Jake's room. This included a new bedspread and pillows and A LOT of cleaning. Annie loves her new sanctuary and Jake is thrilled to have the bunk beds.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

As sad as it is to see Annie growing up so quickly, it is wonderful to see the confidence she is gaining. She has really worked hard to overcome her natural tendency towards shyness and finally seems comfortable with who she is. Who is she exactly? A wonderful big sister, a gymnast, our family DJ (the louder the better), a HUGE Disney channel fan, a super student, a fashionista, a book worm, and well, a little bit forgetful.