Double Digits

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY ANNA!


This is an extra special birthday for Anna, because, as she says, "I'm into the double digits now!"

Every parent knows how special their child is, and Anna has truly blessed our lives. While she will always be my baby, she is growing up so fast!

In this picture, she is modeling the Harry Potter scarf that I made for my niece for Christmas. Below is another shot of Anna modeling the scarf (you will notice the lack of fringing - to be done later). You will also notice my new spinning wheel in the background. More on that another day.

Here are ten things that we love about Anna:

10. She fights you for the last black olive in the jar. Because she loves black olives so much, anyone serving black olives at a meal she is attending has to plan on buying an extra can so that they will last at least 3 minutes longer!

9. Her laughter comes from her toes. She laughs hard, and brings everyone around her into her laughter. It is one of those true, deep down, "I am honestly tickled" kinds of laughs.

8. She has my sense of direction. You can put her anywhere in the state of Wisconsin, and she can find her way home. She is like me with this, and can find any place after she has been there once. This really irritates my husband and my other daughter who often get lost in our own back yard.

7. Anna is a great swimmer. She has improved from being one of the last swimmers to finish every race to becoming one of the first swimmers to finish every race. She improved this much in a year. She is dedicated, and wants to do her best.

6. She can bait her own fishing hook. Worms are her friends. Need I say more?

5. Anna can cross her eyes and make each eye go in the opposite direction. She was blessed with this gift since birth, and I would often show her off as a circus act when she did this as a baby, most often while drinking her bottle. I have never quite gotten used to it, and I'm never sure if it is creepy, or funny.

4. If you are planning a shopping day, take Anna. She will walk and look and look, and knows how to find a bargain. Anna also likes coffee. This comes in handy when you are shopping with her. A coffee break is a treat for her, too! Starbucks is our hangout while my older daughter is at soccer practice. She drinks her coffee with plenty of cream and sugar. And lets it cool awhile before sipping.

3. From the time she was 6 months old, Anna new what she liked in a motorcycle. Harley Davidson has always been IT. If a motorcycle would pull up to next to our van, she would lean over in her carseat and check it out. If it was a Harley, we would hear, "Ohhhhhhs" coming from her, but if it was another brand of motorcycle, she would look away. The funny part is, no one in our family has a motorcycle of any kind. She is our only Harley Girl.

2. Anna is a traveler. Like me, she is happiest when we have driven no less than 15 hours with no more than two bathroom breaks. She will sit and stare out the window, be soothed by the rhythm of the road, and think. She even thinks about thinking. On a recent trip to my brother's house, she asked how long it would take to get there. "Six hours," I told her.
"Oh, that's not very long," was her reply. And she meant it.

1. No one gives a hug like Anna. You can still feel her hug two hours later.

Happy Double Digit Birthday Honey! I can't wait to celebrate your Triple Digit Birthday!