Friends

This past weekend, we had our district ladies retreat. I was the coordinator, which meant Brad had to go with me to help. Some sweet friends agreed to keep Anna Claire for us. AC counted the days until she was able to spend the night with her friends! The sweet mom that kept her sent me pictures from their trip to the pumpkin patch!




On Sunday, one of the Sunday school classes had a class party/pastor appreciation lunch at their house. Good times. Good food. Good fellowship.

Our guest speaker for the retreat was Susie Shellenberger, an amazing woman of God. She came back to Baton Rouge with us to speak at our church Saturday night and Sunday morning. We had so much fun with her, and I look forward to spending time with her in the future.

Life Lesson 502: Pick Your Battles

It's Sunday morning. Anna Claire is dressed and ready to go. I call her to the bathroom so I can put a big 'ol purple bow in her hair. She meets me at the bathroom with a purple tiara from Chuck E. Cheese. She wants to wear it to church today. Really, Annna Claire? She asked nicely and didn't throw a fit when I first tried to talk her out of it, so I gave in. She was one happy little camper going in to the church this morning, and that made me smile.
We are enjoying the most wonderful Fall weather, so AC and I spent some time outside tonight. She turned her little playhouse into a drive-thru and demanded that I order chicken fried (thank you, country music, for this phrase!), french fries with ranch, and fruit. This meal was brought to you by the letter F.
And she tried to bond with Sophie again, but she didn't understand why Sophie wouldn't smile for the camera!

I'm Just Looking....

Last night, we took Anna Claire to jump at the mall. It's official, our child is addicted to jumping and she tells the world about it. This means that sweet family and friends send her jumping money. That makes me laugh. We didn't take pictures last night of her jumping, but instead opted for video. I'll post it later.
After jumping, AC requested Chick-a-lay, as she calls it. Look at the way this girl eats her fruit. She picks out one type at a time. She had eaten all the apples first and by the looks of the picture, I think it's safe to say she doesn't like the peel.
We then swung through Williams-Sonoma which sent AC into sensory overload. She was all over the place. I told her to keep her hands to herself and just look. At one point, I told her to come stand next to me, and she proceeded to walk briskly across the store, ignoring me calling her name. When she finally stopped, this is what I saw:

She looked back up at me and casually said, "Mom, I'm just looking at these fancy pots!" Well, of course. What was I thinking??

TOT Superstar

This year at school, we enrolled Anna Claire in a basketball fundamentals class (Teams of Tomorrow -click on the name to see their website). She has tons of energy and loves to be active, so we thought we would give it a try. We have been beyond impressed at what she is learning in her class! Each week, she comes home and shows us a new skill she's working on. Today she came home with her sticker chart and a magnet that showed she had completed Unit 1. I will try to get a video of her showing us the skills b/c it's adorable.
AC also helped me make cupcakes tonight! She loves to "help" in the kitchen!

"Fun-tober" Continues...

We've had another great weekend celebrating "fun-tober"! Friday night, we had to run to the mall to pick up a birthday gift for one of AC's friends. While at the game store, she said, "Mommy, I need my picture with Mike the tiger!" She was fully convinced that this stuffed tiger was the LSU mascot, Mike! Funny side note - every Friday is LSU day at her school, so she wore her cheerleader outfit to school. Saturday was the big LSU/Florida game, so as I was putting AC's LSU jersey on to wear to the b-day party, she asked, "Is it LSU day again, Mom?" I tried to tell her that when you live in a college town in the fall, every day is spirit day!
After the mall, we got the Fall decorations out and started decorating the house. Here is AC "helping".
Saturday morning was a birthday party for AC's friend, Landry, who turned 3. At one point the kids were all coloring a three. Please look at the concentration on AC's face. So serious.
This morning was "Round Up Sunday" at church. The theme is obviously western, and AC was decked out.
And here she is with little David - the cutest baby boy!
I love this one - AC was kicking her feet, and little David thought she was so funny!

With her daddy at lunch in the gym
With the infamous Mrs. Sharon, who AC is pretty sure hung the moon!

AC with her friend, Maci Mae
And tonight, we went to Chuck E. Cheese. Apparently a memo was sent out to all residents within a 100 mile radius inviting them to Chuck E. Cheese tonight. Oh my, the place looked like someone had stirred an ant hill. It didn't phase AC - she had a blast! For whatever reason, she enjoys this bumble bee game. If we'd let her, all 100 tokens would go to this game. Riding the horse and helping Daddy play basketball easily tie for first place as well in her book!

Bouncing Tigers

Anna Claire's birthday is right around the corner, and this year, we've decided to have it at a indoor bounce house place called Bouncing Tigers. We took her this afternoon for "open play" to let her try everything out so that she would know what to expect when her birthday rolled around. Based on her reactions today, I think the party will be a big hit! And here's a little video. I apologize for the loud noise...I guess I was standing by the fan of another bounce house.

Let "Fun-tober" Begin

Brad has deemed October to be "fun-tober" month! To kick off this month of festivities, we took Anna Claire to see the double feature of Toy Story 1 and 2 that is playing in 3D for two weeks. The Toy Story movies are her favorite, and she will happily watch them over and over. She did great with the whole 3D concept and managed to keep her glasses on for a good portion of the movie. We made it through Toy Story 1, the 10 minute intermission, and about 30 minutes of Toy Story 2.
After the movie, it was nap time, and then we hit the park. A favorite for AC.

Food for the Invisible, Money for Jesus, and a Friend for Sophie

The other day, Anna Claire was enjoying a little snack of popcorn. I heard her playing in the hall, so I went to check on her. This is what I found:
Apparently, Modica and Mu-Pu were hungry and in need of a snack. Anna Claire quickly informed me that it was ok for her friends to eat off the floor. Gross.
Anna Claire has been collecting loose change for a month now for the Alabaster offering at our church. This money is used to build missionary centers and churches around the world. Last Sunday was collection day, and Anna Claire was able to take her "Jesus money" as she called it up to the front for the collection.
Last week at school, Anna Claire and her classmates learned about transportation. They made these little wooden airplanes. We took AC's plane out in the front yard to give it a try. It didn't go to far, but she sure thought it was amazing.
Sophie (our miniature dachshund) and Anna Claire have a love hate relationship. I think it's more love from Anna Claire and more hate from Sophie. Ha. Anna Claire wants Sophie to play with her, sit with her, etc. Sophie wants to stay as far away from Anna Claire as possible unless food is involved. While we were field testing the airplane, Anna Claire had a snack. Sophie was her best friend for the time being.