My Favorite 8 year old!

Anna is 8 years old!! My sweet girl.  I am so excited for her!  Doesn't 8 years sound like a fun age?
Anna is a very social young lady. She loves spending time with friends and ALWAYS asks to go outside to play with the neighbors if she sees another girl playing.  Anna learned to ride her bike this year and although that's a little later compared to other kids, it was the perfect timing for her.  She enjoys it so much.  She is really into headbands right now.  Cute :) She likes to swim even if it is cold outside ... doesn't matter to Anna.  Reading is still one of her favorite things to do.  She can still be a picky eater, but she has made major progress and usually finishes what is on her plate. Thank you, Lord!  She likes to shop for clothes. Oh no!!  Anna is a lot like me in so many ways ...from her struggles, to her likes, to her looks :)

 

It is such a gift to see Anna mature and change.  We can converse in a different way now ... have real conversations about lots of different things from friends, to news, to dolphins, or whatever.  She asks lots of questions and listens to my conversations with others :)  As she has gotten older some things have definitely gotten easier.  However, her struggles are different now and require a different kind of discipline and training, and we've noticed that more this past year than ever before.   I'm so glad I know Who goes before me. He gives grace and forgives me when I lose my patience, give into fear, or am selfish as I parent her.  It happens so often :) My children know more than anyone else how imperfect I am, but also that I am forgiven!

 

Anna, you are so dear to my heart.  I love you and I'm so thankful that I get to be your Mommy.

My prayer for you is the same ... that you may know the riches of God's grace through Jesus Christ. 

 

 

 This is what an 8 year gets for her birthday - necklace, headband, and journal!

 Looking at the cake that Mommy and Payton made :)

 For Anna's birthday this year we went to the American girl doll store.  It was a memorable day!  Anna's face lit up when we walked into the store. Pure happiness! I'll never forget it. She and Payton got their dolls' hair done at the little salon, and then we walked around the store for a few hours. Payton kept guiding John around the store and saying, "Daddy, come see this!" It was cute.  Anna decided to use her saved money to purchase a new doll, Emily.  Emily is the friend of Molly McIntire, the doll that Anna already owns.  Now that we're home, she's been playing non stop.   

 After the dolls got their hair done!

 Anna giving over her cash.  She doesn't even have a penny to her name anymore!

 Family photo. The little girl in me loves this stuff. I was totally into it. When we were leaving the store John said, "I should get you an American girl doll."

 We let Payton choose a small item for her doll, Caroline.  She was so excited about the travel basket, she preferred to carry around the box instead of her doll :)

 I'm so glad my parents got to join us. They were totally into it, too.  Do you see Sarah in the background with her hand up? Oh man, she was a destroyer on this excursion. She was only happy if she was in my arms or if she was pulling everything off of the shelves.  I think she was angry about being too young for a doll. ha ha! We finally just pulled a stuffed dog off of one of the displays and let her carry it around until we left.  That kept her calm for a little while.  Then we went to Five Guys and she ate a whole hamburger in 10 minutes :)  She's a handful but I love her so much!