F I N A L L Y.

The tooth FINALLY came out today.

Little Miss Muffet was snorkeling around the pool this morning and came up and said, "My tooth! It's gone!" Sure enough, that hanger-on of a tooth had come out. (Back story: This tooth had been completely detached on one side but rooted solidly on the other side or at least a week. Without using unnecessary force, we could not get that tooth out.)

Madelyn had been convinced this was her sweet tooth. (Thanks a lot, Pinkalicious.) Also, given this was one of her big front teeth, it was presumed to be worth more to a tooth fairy. Needless to say, she was upset that she'd literally lost her tooth.

So...I donned my goggles and swam around the pool looking for a teeny-tiny front tooth. And, I found it. Thank the Lord, I found it.

Now all is well. She has her tooth and can set it out tonight to see what that tooth fairy brings. What is the going rate for a front tooth?

Happy anniversary, Honey and Poppie!

48 years, 8 cross country moves, 6 different states, 3 children, 4 grandchildren, a couple of cats, and you STILL look as happy as the newlyweds from Omaha that you were on this day on 1967.

Happy anniversary to you, Mom and Dad. I love you.

Happy 4th birthday, Sawyer!

Little Brother is officially four years old. It's hard to believe it's already been four years. At the same time, I can't remember life without him.

He originally had a pool party scheduled for the following day (Sunday) with school friends. Unfortunately, on the morning of his birthday (Saturday), an incident occurred involving the stairs, the tile floor, and Sawyer's chin which resulted in six stitches. So...the pool party got moved to our house and became a make-shift Star Wars party.

The good news is (a) Sawyer and his chin are recovering well and (b) the extended family was able to attend as guest passes to the pool were no longer an issue. At our house, we don't require guest passes nor limit the number of guests per household admitted on a single day. Wink, wink.

Sawyer's backyard party featured --

Epic light saber battles. Are you part of the Rebels or a Sith? Looks like Uncle Gabe's a Sith.

A Star Wars jigsaw puzzle for the adults.

Cousins and juice.

Pizza and a table full of friends.

A happy birthday boy who loved being the center of attention.

Cake pops, of course, guarded by an AT-AT. As if anything less should have been expected!

Piñata.

More piñata!

And, a broken open piñata with kiddos collecting its treasures.

All in all, I believe the party was a success. At least that's what the birthday boy told me.

Sawyer, you are such a sweet, fun, funny, smart, loving, and charming little dude. I'm so happy you chose me to be your mama. Thanks for letting us celebrate you. And, I look forward to having a pool party with you next year. Fingers crossed for no more stitches! Love you, Buddy.

Preschool party.

Sawyer's last day of preschool was Wednesday. His end of year party included all things three- and four-year old kids love -- GIANT bubbles, playground time, snacks, and popsicles.

Mrs. Bonney (with her two favorite Anderson children).

Mrs. Bonney is one of Sawyer's two teachers. She's a good balance of organized, fun, silly, and genuinely caring. 

Boys having snacks in the tiniest piece of shade on the playground. Thank goodness there was room for five kiddos!

Popsicle faces.

Everything in life is better if it includes a popsicle. It might have been warm but it was a fun send off to Summer. I guess you could call this our last day of school picture!

Happy Summer, everyone!

Kindie program.

The last day of school is almost here. Sawyer's last day was actually today. (See post to follow.) Madelyn's last day is tomorrow. But, today was the long awaited Kindie Program.

"We all had a vacation and we grew, grew, grew into first graders!" 

There were four songs and a "play". Each kindie made their own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom shirt so they were dressed appropriately for that song. Madelyn got to be an A! 

The top picture shows all fifteen of Madelyn's classmates from this year. They have become such a close-knit group of kids. The assistant principal commented at the opening of the performance on how amazing it was to see how much these little people have grown over the year. And, it's so true!

Proud Papa.

Proud Grammy and Papa.

Seriously, how is is our Mile High Madelyn done with kindergarten already?! Only twelve more years until high school graduation. I don't even want to think about that!

Mrs. Murray.

I might be biased but Mrs. Murray is the world's greatest kindergarten teacher. We've had such a great year and she does an amazing job with her kindies. I thought it was going to be hard to top our experience with Madelyn's preschool teacher from last year but Mrs. Murray is right up there. 

Mrs. Preciado.

Mrs. Preciado is Mrs. Murray's aide and an ever present figure in the kindergarten classrooms. We'll absolutely miss her, too, next year.

I'm hopeful that when Little Brother enters kindergarten (in two years) that he can have the same wonderful guidance as Madelyn did this year.

One more day, tomorrow, but it's just the year-end party. Then it's well earned time off for fun, sun, and fun in the sun! Thank you, Ben Franklin Academy, for an awesome year. First grade, we're ready for you...in three months!

Friday funny.

Friday night = sleepover for these two (or three) besties. BYO sleeping bag!

Mummy cat.

Beware of the mummy cat. Original artwork by Sawyer Mally Anderson.

Please note the cat is saying, "FFTFFT," as in he's hissing. :)

Madelyn speak.

The new Star Wars trailer debuted last week. Griff and the kids watched it to which Madelyn replied, "Why is Han's hair all gray?"

Well, Madelyn, even a Jedi's hair turns gray after 30 years.

Steamboat Springs or bust!

Spring break for us was the last full week in March. Yes, this post is late. But, better late than never! We decided to take a break from Arizona and try our hand at skiing.

For me, it had been seven years and two children since the last time I skied. Honestly, I was pretty nervous about taking the little ones up. Below are several of my freak outs and anxieties -

Freak out 1: I'm older and a stay-at-home mama. Being injured will really mess up our normal life.

Answer: No injuries! I may be older but apparently my legs are a lot stronger than they used to be. Griff still skies faster than me but I can keep up and actually even ski better than I remembered.

Ski date.

Freak out 2: Will my gear which hasn't been used for seven years fall apart?

Answer: No.

Freak out 3: Skiing can be exhausting and requires a lot of gear. Are the little ones really ready? Am I ready for them to be ready?

Answer: The kids were totally ready. Steamboat is known to have one of the top rated learn to ski programs and we were not disappointed at all. Madelyn and Sawyer had a blast both days. And, while Sawyer wrapped up day number two in tears of exhaustion, they're ready to go again.

Sawyer riding up the magic carpet.

He looks so tiny!

Madelyn riding up the magic carpet.

Yesterday, we signed Madelyn up for the Epic School Kids Colorado Pack so we have an excuse to get a few days in next year, too.

Practicing turns.

After lessons on day two, Madelyn, Griff, and I rode up on the real lift and came down a real run...TWICE. She did great! That girl is so brave and so determined. Once again, I found myself wanting to be more like her and embody her spirit. Way to go, Madelyn!

Future Olympians.

You saw them here first.

Freak out 4: It is going to stink if it's cold. I've skied too many cold, windy days in January and February. It's tough on an adult let alone on little kiddos. So this one really freaked me out. 

Answer: Fortunately, the weather cooperated for late March and we definitely had Spring conditions. Mornings were cool but not cold and the afternoons were warm and slushy. Sawyer even skied one afternoon without his coat because the kid was HOT.

From our balcony.

There's a lot of brown but still plenty of white.

Lunch with a view.

In spite of it being Spring break, and maybe this is the beauty of Steamboat, it really didn't seem that crowded. Which was nice.

We stayed at the Sheraton Steamboat right at the base. Grammy and Grandad went with us but did not ski. We had separate rooms that were connected by a living room with kitchenette. The set up could not have been better. All we had to do in the morning was take the elevator down, pick up our skis at the ski valet in the hotel, and walk right out the door to the lifts. It was awesome.

It turns out that freak outs were unnecessary. Next time we'll stay longer and ski an extra day or two. What a trip!

Friday Funny

Start 'em early. Like father, like son.