Anna Grace's New Friend

"Why is there a doll in my suitcase?"
Anna Grace meets her new friend.

A few years ago, I made the rule that the girls in our house had to be seven years old to get an American Girl Doll. That is how old Bailey was, and it seemed to work well. I wanted them to be old enough to take good care of them. Last year, I broke my rule and gave Olivia one for her sixth birthday. She has taken very good care of her. In fact, sometimes I have to encourage her to play with her because she is afraid of messing her up!

A couple of weeks ago, I broke my rule again and gave Anna Grace one for her fifth birthday. There were several reasons for this rule breakage. The girls are in their A.G. book club, and all of the girls have them (I know, I know, I gave into peer pressure.). Her favorite doll was being "retired" at the end of December (I know, I know, I also gave into marketing). Besides all of that, I really liked the doll too!

She had no idea that she was getting it. Her birthday was February 2, but we were heading to Kansas City the weekend before, and one of our destinations was the American Girl store there. I wanted to go ahead and give her the present before we left. I brought out suitcases for the girls to pack for the trip. When Anna Grace opened hers, there was an Elizabeth doll inside. At first, she was completely confused. She thought it was Bailey's doll. We finally convinced her that it was her very own. She was thrilled! It was worth every penny!

A Neat Video

This is a really neat story about showing grace to other people!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52AOPQvCTv4&feature=related

Something Is Missing!

I forgot to mention that Anna Grace lost her first tooth on February 1st, which was the day before her fifth birthday! It had been loose for a few days, and she was terrified! It turned out not to be nearly as painful as she had imagined. She lost her second one a few days ago. She is growing up way too fast!

A Sweet Surprise at Church!

Our minister, John Mark, had a very "sweet" object lesson in church yesterday. He was speaking about God's grace, and he had a smoothie up on stage with him. He asked if anyone in the audience would like it. Several teens volunteered, and he gave it away. He talked about how it would have been a painful act, but he knew there was more where that came from. He then gave a smoothie to everyone in the congregation. He went on to preach about how God's grace is like that. He has more than enough to meet our needs and we can trust Him. Whether it be our time, money, forgiveness, or whatever, his grace is sufficient for us. We can be generous with those in need, knowing that God is faithful to meet our needs. What a great lesson!

American Girl Book Club

The girls made rag dolls out of yarn and strips of fabric. They have been "begging" for extra scraps of fabric ever since!

What a smile!

Writing with a feather was not quite as easy as it looked!

Felicity learned the proper way to serve tea in one of the books. The girls learned about the tax that was placed on tea and how it helped lead to the Revolutionary War.

Anna Grace took her writing very seriously!

The girls are in an American Girl Doll book club that meets a couple of times a month. Each of the historical dolls has six books set in her time period. We just finished reading the Felicity series, which takes place in the Colonial Period. During our book club meetings, we do activities from the time period, as well as sample the foods that people in that time ate. We also try to talk about the major events that were taking place in American History at that time. The girls really love it. It is wonderful when fun and education come together!

Mark and his Princesses

Some wonderful ladies at our church organized a magical evening for Fathers and their Daughters earlier this month. All of the little girls had been buzzing with excitement about the upcoming night with their Daddy! The evening began with a Daddy/Daughter Dance for preschool girls and was followed by a Father/Daughter Ball for the older girls.

Mark and Anna Grace headed out on the town first. Each little princess was greeted at the door and handed a magic wand. A talented lady from our church took pictures of the girls with their daddies. Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Dance with Cinderella" was the first dance of the night, and it was followed by classics like "The Hokey Pokey" and "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes." The little girls ate lots of sugar and had a great time!

After the little girls finished up, I dropped Bailey and Olivia off at the church. They spent the evening dancing with their daddy and their friends. They were served dinner, and our minister John Mark gave a talk that challenged the daddies to bring up their daughters in the Lord. He also challenged the girls to honor their parents. The girls (and their daddies) were positively glowing when they got home! Apparently, Mark was quite a dancer. I got to hear all about it at church the next day! I am so thankful that Mark loves his children and is doing all he can to be a Godly dad. I am also thankful for our church. I am truly blessed!

Happy Birthday Anna Grace!

A Happy Day!

Her grandparents called with birthday wishes!

Our big five year old!


Anna Grace celebrated her 5th birthday last week (I am not sure how that is possible, it seems like just yesterday she was two!). She had been looking forward to her special day for a long time. She had six families over for lunch to help celebrate. She chose the menu (which seemed vaguely familiar -- it was the same as last year!). We had pizza, Sun Chips and orange soda, with cake and ice cream for dessert of course! She had a wonderful day! Happy Birthday Anna Grace!