Vanna's Birthday

Vanna is now 6 years old!  My little girl is not so little anymore!  Ahhh!

 

She had a wonderful day.  It started with her request for cream of wheat at breakfast (her favorite) and opening presents.  She got a new Sunday dress (which she needed terribly) the DVD Frozen (the new and very popular Disney movie ever little girl loves right now and sings songs from) and a hairstyling doll she can learn new braids on and play with.  I told her I might even have to use it sometimes to master new hairstyles before trying them out on the girls. 

We decided to do all the celebrating for her birthday that day (even though it was a school day) rather than later on the weekend because Ty had her birthday off and not the weekend.  So we checked Vanna out of school just over lunch/recess-time and went to Subway to eat (again her choice).  Then later we took a cupcake cake to her class to celebrate for a minute in there.  She was so excited for her dad to come to her class (I guess I'm old news :)!  There's a rule at the school that only store-bought food items can be brought in.  Apparently they had an issue once with food poisoning and quickly adopted this rule.  So we ordered the cupcake cake from Albertsons in a Frozen movie design.  She loved it and I think the most exciting part was that the design was made of edible paper - she couldn't believe you could eat it!  Hahaha.  While we were at it we just ordered a small Frozen cake we could share as a family at home and that we could stick candles in for her to blow out. 

Her birthday loot!

Crazy excited at school when we were visiting!

After school, we came home and did the regular snack and nap thing and then she had some surprise visitors (some of her friends from Primary) stop by to drop off a present for her.  She thought that was neat - I found it very sweet and thoughtful of them to think of her even when Vanna didn't have a party to invite friends over for.  Then we had her requested mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner (of course we added beans and steak to make it a well rounded meal :).  Then we went to the theater to enjoy a movie - this was what she wanted to do for her birthday.  Luckily there was a children's movie playing that she was excited about - Rio 2.  By the time we got out of the movie though it was just past bedtime and Vanna was beginning to complain about her legs and her arms aching.  Poor thing.  So we quickly sang to her again, blew out candles and ate a bit of cake before sending her off to bed.  All in all though I think she had a great day.  I keep telling her that five sounded like she was still my little girl but that six sounds all grown up - she really does look more grown up to me all the time now too...sniff...sniff. :)

 

Mmmm!

Her grandparents always remember to make her feel special on her birthday as well.  They call to sing to her and send cards.  She loves getting that mail and loved the pictures in her card this year that reminded her of the presents her Grandma and Grandpa had bought her a bit earlier in the year (the cute stuffed owl you see above). 

 

 

 

 

A few things about Vanna:

 

December 2013:

Vanna - As we were getting ready for church Vanna said something that made me laugh.  We had been practicing our testimonies in FHE again so that they would feel prepared and able to share the truths they have simple testimonies of  and I was explaining to the kids that since it was Fast Sunday, if they wished to bear their testimony, this would be the day to do that (our ward turns the first few minutes of testimony meeting over to the primary kids so that if they wish to bear their testimonies, that is the time - it often gives more kids the courage to do so since all their friends are going up there with them).   Vanna says, "Wait, that's what Fast Sunday is?!"  I said, "Yeah." and because I saw this blank look on her face, I went on to explain the way we skip meals to show our sacrifice and desire for the Holy Ghost to be with us...and so on...and so on.  After I finished, Vanna said, "Oh.  I just thought it meant we had to be fast, like get ready fast on Fast Sunday."  Apparently we need to do better at explaining the "why" behind more of the things we just do automatically.  And just because I'm curious - at what age have some of you encouraged your kids to start fasting?  We haven't done so yet, well, because we figure they're to young to grasp the concept and too young to ask them to skip meals.  I'd love to hear your ideas.

 

February 2014:

Vanna's class had a little party to celebrate their 100th day of school this month.  She brought home a paper from the party they'd filled out and one of the questions asked, "If you had $100 what would you buy with it?  Vanna's answer: Ice Cream. :)

 

March 2014:

Vanna learned to tie her shoes.  She likely could have done this much earlier however, she had never even owned lace-up shoes to this point.  She came home one day though and showed an interest in tying them so we started practicing on our shoes and she got it down pretty quickly.  I guess I'll have to think about that next year when I buy her shoes for school.

 

June 2014:

We finally took off the training wheels of Vanna's bike this summer - successfully.  We had tried each summer the two summers previously (because we took Cash's off when he was four and he did great) but she was just too nervous without them so we put them back on.  She is close to out-growing her bike though and we told her that the next bike we get her won't have training wheels so she better figure it out this year.  And that was that.  We took them off last Sunday and within 10 minutes she was riding solo and Dad was having to sprint next to her to keep up (to be there in case she fell).  And it's like we bought her a new toy.  She has been riding that bike everyday several times a day because she's so happy with herself.  We're so happy for her too.

 

Vanna is driven by music.  She loves to dance and sing and is so so excited to start piano lessons this fall.  I hope she finds she loves it - I think she'd be great at it and what a beautiful and useful talent to have. 

 

Her laugh is so contagious and she can get pretty filled with the giggles. 

 

She usually still takes an afternoon nap.  Yep.  She's six and still takes a nap - it's so good for her and I'll let my kids take naps for as long as possible. :)  She is always so worried each day though about whether or not Cash is going to take a nap.  It's important to Vanna that everything seem exactly fair and I've had to explain to her multiple times that when she's eight, she'll likely not need to take naps either. 

 

Vanna loves helping me in the kitchen, especially if it has anything to do with cracking eggs.

 

On that note, she is a good enforcer especially with Rosie.  I'll often hear her repeat things I  apparently say on a regular basis like, "Don't you tell me no." or "Do you need to sit on the wall?" - she acts like she's the boss with her probably too often.  And I find it so funny that she thinks like I do when it comes to the rules with Rosie but we do not see eye to eye when it comes to the rules with her (but it usually boils down to her need to hear an apology and to be heard - she just wants to express herself without explanations or disagreement, etc.  hopefully I remember that when she's a teenager and we're butting heads because we're too much alike :).  But truly, Vanna is so helpful to me with her little sister.  I love to see them playing so well together especially considering the bit of a gap in age between them.  Of course they argue well together too (I'm always telling her, "Vanna - you're arguing with a baby - stop." :) but they get along pretty well for the most part. 

 

Vanna is just a joy to us and holds her place as a middle child in our home so well.  I worry about that often but she does well and is a good little sister as well as a good big sister.  The moments are getting more and more rare that I get to snuggle with my big girl so I cherish the days like today where she comes to sit on my lap and says, "I like sitting on your lap Mom."  Awww.  I seriously need to find a way to keep these kids from growing up!