Annalise Turns 6!

Annalise turned six this weekend :) Her birthday was Sunday and we had invited some friends over for lunch.  We planned a friend party for Monday, so I told her we wouldn't have cake, but she could pick the dessert.  She thought for a moment and declared she wanted Christmas cookies!  She is pretty well known for changing her mind, but she was totally decided in this, so that is what we made :)

C and N helped her decorate the cookies.  I decorated a couple too, but I saw pretty quickly that they didn't need my help!

Taste the Rainbow!

After our friends went home, she opened her family gifts.

Her #1 request :)

Mako does this sometimes when everyone is on the floor.  He just decides he needs to be a part of what is going on.  The kids were all sitting inside the track of Caleb's train, so Mako sat down inside too - just like this, totally acting like he wasn't at all interested in what was going on, yet so completely happy to be included.

The next day we made her cake - her request was a 6 shape with "those decorations they sell at the store".  I iced the cake and she arranged "those decorations".

Her party was at a nearby park.  That snazzy Cinderella pinata behind her was a hand-me-down from a friend (a family that is very careful not to damage things - this is not our family's M.O.).  It survived the party and Natalie looks forward to using it next summer!

I have lots more pictures, but don't like to post recognizable pictures of other peoples' kids.

Pinata time!

Annalise is getting to be such a big girl!  She is a big help around the house and she is as sharp as a tack - she reads like a ticker tape.  She even reads silently.  She sometimes reads my emails - be forewarned!  I don't know why it is so easy for her, but it is a neat thing to see.