1st Day of School: Kindergarten

Kindergarten

favorite thing to do in school:  "Color, watching movies (we haven't done this), & nap time" (she did this in preschool when mom was substitute teaching a couple years ago)
least favorite:  "I don't quite know"
favorite things to do outside of school:  "I like watching tv, shows, movies, coloring, picking flowers, gardening, putting seeds in the garden, puzzles, jumping on the red chair, building a fort in the living room and doing art... and do you want me to show you my art?"
best friends:  Ashlynn, Ellie, Jaana & Belle is kind of my friend sister, Grandpa & Grandma, Tirzah, Selah, Andrew and Auntie... you (mom) & Dad... I have lots of friends!"
favorite thing to do with daddy:  "Go out... watch a movie... eat pizza.  At home with a stay date when he makes popcorn. With Belle but better just me. Coloring & Painting. Helping with his work."
favorite thing to do with mommy:  "Coloring. Going out. staying home and start watching a movie... just you and me when dad and Belle are out.  Pick flowers."
what do you like to do with your sisters?  "I like to jump on the trampoline with Belle and Abby.  I like to hide from Belle when she doesn't know I'm playing hide-n-seek.  I like coloring and painting with Belle.  I especially like just me and Belle jumping on the trampoline.  Jumping on the red chair.  Especially I like when I get to go on the slide... at the playground... and Belle likes it too.  I like to write on the fridge together. I kind of like when we do a fighting game."
favorite foods:  "Pizza... pepperoni, brussell sprouts, red pepper, mango, white cake"
What would you like to be when you grow up?  "I want to be in the farm with Belle and Tirzah.  I want to be someone's neighbor... and have kids.  I won't be a farmer but I will help them.  I will just help them as a person and I'll have a baby."
who do you think you should marry?  "a sweet boy"
How many kids would you like to have?  "five"
Where will you live?  "in a house... my husband will build my house to be my favorite color... blue.  He will build the stuff I tell him to.  We will have a house perfect for us... even our kids.  He'll build a crib... a lot of cribs... five cribs."  What state?  "Alaska"
will you have pets? what kind? how many?  yes... I will have a dog... or a poodle... or whatever I want... I will have to think about it when I grow up"
favorite sport?  swimming
Favorite restaurant:  "Ha! Ha! you should know... pizza... Sammy's pizza or actually all restaurants"
Favorite vacation place:  "South Carolina"
Where would you like to go on a vacations?  "The house where Belle was born"

she slays me... with laughter and tears

"Mom, Annabelle just threw this frog (stuffed animal) out of the car... I picked it up so it wouldn't be 'glittering'!"  She is saving the world :)

This one is a common occurrence around here.  MA making up songs and singing them once because she can't remember any of them to repeat them.  She makes them up as she goes.  while riding in the care the other day she asked Daddy the other day if he wanted to hear her sing "Praise the Lord."  Belle and I were both vigorously shaking our heads (no), but Daddy thought he couldn't say no with a title like that and he shot me a "How could you" look.  I responded with, "Seriously, you've never heard this song? It goes on and on and we've heard it WAY too much."  For some unknown reason he had missed it and let her go... in less than thirty seconds Belle and I had our "I told you so" faces and he just grinned and told his baby it was beautiful!  Daddy is a sucker for his girls!  Before you think me terrible for my reaction, we do indulge her daily; but one can only take so much and we were in an enclosed space and I wasn't in the mood to hear it again.  As you will see when you watch it, it is hysterical but after days (weeks) of it... you get where I'm going.  This version was entitled "Praise the Lord... and monsters"  I don't get it either.  She told Danielle that it was a bit of a scary song and she would need to cover her ears for part of it so she wouldn't be scared!  Here it is...

Once you've picked your laughing butt off the floor, I'll continue...
This video is MA interacting with the Giraffe on the ipad.  If you can't hear it or if you've never seen this app the giraffe copies everything you say...

Switching gears to another story...
The crowning beauty of this little love we are blessed by with an unending excess of love and laughter...
Abby is pretty grabby in general.  She's gotten MUCH better most days, but some days she's just relentless.  One day in particular she grabbed MA's hair really hard and she started to cry.  It so breaks my heart for so many reasons.  For the little girl who just wants her big Abby to interact with her but only gets hurt most of the time.  For Abby who really wants attention and to interact but does it so inappropriately so often, especially with her sisters.  My fear that MA will soon become a detached sister who avoids Abby rather than the little love who constantly hugs and talks to her.  Back to the story... When the tears stopped and Abby was finished being disciplined (we've always scolded her in hope that she will one day "get it" and also for the other kids' sake.  I never want other kids to think it's okay with us that Abby hurts them.  Abby may not understand the scolding but the other kids need to see that it's not okay.  MaryAlice wiped her tears and said, "Even when Abby hurts me, I still love her." 

Hospital visits

We realized MaryAlice was so comfortable in a hospital and/or nursing home while we spent a lot of time in both while visiting my grandpa before he passed.  We have a friend who is young and recently diagnosed with crohns disease and has spent a lot of time in the hospital. Belle is super uncomfortable in this setting (although she's gotten much better), but MA is hysterical in how much she doesn't care.  She climbed right up on the bed next to Gretchen and looked at the tube coming out of her nose and said, "your nose looks funny."

She thought she would sing to make her feel better...

a visit with Ms Jenna

Ms Jenna worked with Abby (technically), but it's never stopped the other two girls from claiming her... or most of the other girls that come over!  They know the girls are here to work with Abby, but they seem to find ways to connect and make some lifelong connections with these wonderful girls!

Ms. Jenna worked with Abby for at least a couple years, so when she comes into town she'll stop by for a visit.  This visit was particularly entertaining as MA was in rare MA form.  The first video is a cute knuckle bump explosion, but the second one kills me!  MA was so disturbed by Jenna tickling that she became adamant that she stop!  Watch this...

singing to Abby

MA has discovered that if she sings the ABC's that Abby will not only let go of a pull or pinch hold, but she can avoid the hold altogether if she sings while she walks by her.  Pretty amazing how this little gal loves her big sister and has found ways to do it better than anyone else in Abby's life!  she's a special little gal.  Check out her singing to Abby.  Notice how thrilled Abby is with her singing!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Singing to Abby at the counter...

playground with ma climbing

As much as MA is advanced verbally, she is a equally slow on the gross motor side; therefore, we've been going to the park.  She also loves it and it's good for her too!  She is stretched physically doing all the stuff there and she also gets many chances to interact with other kids which is a bonus!  We've also spent this past year "training in times of non conflict" which means practicing things that she's struggles with.  Parks give us the "opportunity" to practice leaving a fun place without a breakdown.  It's been an exercise in futility up until this summer, so I've just decided to not lose my mind and just keep at it.  We have occasional breakdowns, but it's not the standard these days (unless we're leaving Auntie's).

I did a video of her climbing finally this day.  She usually stops anything she can't do, but is somehow growing up a bit and pushing herself :)

A Day with the Tanners

A day with the Tanners = get what I want day!  MaryAlice loves to be the princess with our friends the Tanners.  They have two older boys, so MaryAlice is the only girl and the baby when she's with them.  She so loves them and has Mr Steve wrapped around her little finger :)  I have to recount another story about her love for Mr Steve...
The Tanners came to my grandpa's funeral during visitation which was so sweet of them to be so supportive of me, but MA assumed they came just for her and she wanted Mr Steve all to herself.  She was in his arms as they were trying to leave and pleading for Mr Steve to take her to the playground at the church.  He was re-telling her what I had been saying that we had a sitter coming who would take her, and Mr. Steven had to leave when she took his face in her two little hands and made him look at her (because he obviously he wasn't listening to what she was saying) and ever so sweetly pleaded her case, "But... Mr. Steve... I want YOU to take me to the playground!"  I thought she had him before then, but that sealed the deal!  And besides she lights up when she sees them coming!  So very cute!  I had to share that story before I forgot and the pics that went along with that day.  I had been in the hospital for several days and they were releaving Auntie Andrea for a day because she had been keeping the girls the whole time I was in other than daddy taking them home one night with him :)

I hate to leave Mrs Terri out because she loves her too, but it's more funny if you know Mr Steve and his natural inclination toward small children :)  You would assume everyone loves the sweet Mrs Terri, but Steve I think she saw as a challenge!!!!  Don't let him fool you, he's a big softy!!! Sorry Steve to give you up :)

Ian teaching her how to play video games

Always a ham!

Chasing bubble with Mrs Terri I presume :)

big cheese!

throwing rocks... one of her favorite things to do since
she did it on her first date with her daddy!

throwing rocks with her Grahammy isn't too bad either!
She used to call him "her boy"