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When Anna was little, Aunt Tracy was the coolest source of all things girly and pretty and sparkly. She was the very first person to teach Anna about "little boxes". Every girl knows that good things (like, oh, say JEWELRY) comes in little boxes. So, Anna took to this lesson well. But she eventually began to believe that Aunt Tracy was the source of EVERYONE'S jewelry. She even commented to me once, Aunt Dani must have been visiting Aunt Tracy a lot, because she has a lot of pretty jewelry.

So, when Zach was born, we wondered what Aunt Tracy would teach ZACH, since she did such a good job teaching Anna to appreciate jewelry. Without missing a beat, she said, "I'm going to teach Zach how to BUY pretty jewelry." Well, it looks like he has already taken her sense of sparkle to heart, as he has become seriously attached to the beaded purse Aunt Tracy brought Anna on her last visit. He carries it all around the house with him, all day long. And I know what will make her the proudest when she sees these pictures...his outfit is COLOR COORDINATED with his purse! Way to go, Aunt Tracy! ;)

Anna starred in her class play this evening, and totally nailed it. We had so much fun watching her. The whole class did such a great job. Very impressive!

Short video of her favorite scene, when Anansi gets tricked into saying the forbidden magic words:

A few months ago, Anna started karate lessons at our friend and neighbor's karate school in town here (Sonoma County Martial Arts). We weren't sure what to expect going into this, for a number of reasons. First, Anna is allll girly girl, and I didn't know if she would go for an activity that didn't involve pink or glitter in the uniform. Second, she has not really wanted to stick with any of the sports that we have tried so far. We've just been trying lots of things so she can see what she likes, but nothing has "stuck" yet. And we have tried a LOT of them...soccer, softball, basketball, gymnastics, dance, etc. Usually, the conversation after the practice/game/event goes like this:

ME: Great job! You are getting a lot better at XYZ now that you are practicing/learning!
ANNA: Thanks! I feel like I'm getting good at this!
ME: It looked like you were having fun!
ANNA: YEAH!!! I was!
ME: That's great!
ANNA: Yeah!
ME: Great, we'll sign up for this again next season!
ANNA: No, thanks.

I have pushed the issue just once, thinking that once she got past her perfectionism (Where in the WORLD does she get that anyway? How annoying.) she would enjoy it more. That was with soccer, and I decreed that she WOULD play a second season, just so she could see how she liked it now that she knew what was going on. The resulting happy, chipper little voice saying, "Well, when we play soccer, because you're forcing me to..." made me cringe. (Don't get me wrong, I'm still forcing her now...I just made her think it was her choice.)

But then came Karate. Our friend finally got me to squeeze it into our too busy schedule, and Anna fell in love. Tuesdays start with happy squeals from her bedroom, "It's KARATE DAY!". She practices at home. Then, after finally earning her first belt the other day, her thrill turned to gloom and we had this conversation:

ME: What's up? You were all happy a minute ago?
ANNA: I'm sad for when karate is going to be over.
ME: What do you mean? We'll have it again next week.
ANNA: I know, but when does Karate Season end?
ME: Ohh! There is no Karate Season. You just keep going and earning belts.
ANNA: Forever?
ME: Yes.
ANNA: When do you have to stop?
ME: You don't have to stop.
ANNA: Isn't a black belt the highest there is?
ME: Ummm...sounds right. ???
ANNA: So, after your black belt, you have to stop then.

*sigh* This went on for awhile. I think she's convinced that there is no Karate Season, but only AFTER she asked Mr. Herb. ;) I guess I have no Karate credibility. Anyway...for now, she's having fun and learning a lot!

This cracks me up. Zach is quite literally busting the seams of his clothes. He's getting so BIG!