Team Mudgett: June 2012

Dear Anna,

I love you so much. I love you every every single single minute I love you. Just like the "I love you game" that we play. "Do I love you when you have a birthday?" of course! Happy Birthday!

This year has been one filled with all kinds of great things. You have really started to blossom. You are very curious and ask all kinds of wonderful questions. You also have a great sense of humor and love to joke and be silly. Knock, Knock, whose there? Monkey Face. Monkey Face who? Monkey Face you!

This year as you approach four you are going to be starting primary school in September. You are going to do great. Your natural curiousity and your innate cleverness will be and already are a great assett to you. You love books and it is very exciting that you will start to learn how to read them this year. You already like to play primary school and have had a great time the few times we you have been able to go and pick up your friends Mia and Ana from school. You are excited to get your uniforms. You have a practice day at school in just two weeks!

You started primary this year. You really enjoy it and have great insight into the lessons you learn. Sometimes days later you will bring up things about the gospel you learned in church on Sunday. You have sang in Sacrament meeting a few times and while you were nervous going up front, once you went with your dad (currently a primary teacher anyway) and once I sat up on stage with you. Even though you were nervous we could hear you all the way in the back. You know the words because you practice things until you have them down. This last time for Father's day you went up by yourself (bringing your transition toy with you). Your friend Ana was so kind and held your hand on the way up. In January they gave you a CD of the songs you will sing in September at the program and you listen to it every time we go some place. You always have a particular song you are practicing and know almost all of them now! You are going to do great during the program! You also said your first prayer during primary. You were nervous and I told you what to say at first, but then you finished it up on your own.. You had planned it out beforehand. It was quite quiet, but you still did great!

You go to preschool or playgroup everyday Monday through Thursday. You often have a hard time leaving me but you enjoy it loads when you are there. You have started going to playgroup all day on Tuesdays to get ready for what it is going to be like going to primary school. Also to make friends as 9 out of the 10 children in your class go to your playgroup. You really love your preschool even though, sometimes you say "it is so boring". How do I know? When I go to pick you up you often want to show me a hundred things and you want to stay longer. Too bad we have to leave quickly as your teachers need to get home!
During your Christmas play at preschool, you were a natural leader as everyone was nervous and no one wanted to do their parts, you directed everyone as to what to do.

Your swimming is starting to develop amazingly well. You love the water so much! You started blossoming in March when we bought you goggles. It was like they magically gave the confidence you needed. You started trying everything. You were moved to the next class level, a big step as it is the first class you have been in without me. You were nervous the first few times, but have gone and allowed me to sit with the parents and watch the last few weeks as long as you have your transition toy. Last week your teacher took your class to the big pool and you did great!

You have an amazing memory. Your memory shocks me sometimes. Although by now I really should be used to it. Just last night we were reading a book that I knew someone had given you but I couldn't for the life of me remember. I asked you if Grandma gave you the book and you said "No, Jay's mom." That was 6 months ago! You are able to correct me, when reading a story even if you have only heard it once or twice. You love books that are about children especially little girls, like pinkalicious, purpleicious, and the ladybug girl books.

You are often a bit shy when meeting new people although you really don't need to be as you are a wonderful friend and people like to be around you! You love your friends and have really developed some great friendships this year. Your closest friend is Winter and you look forward to playing with her every Friday. You girls will run off and play for ages and rarely, if ever, fight. You have also formed some close friendships at preschool with Jessica, Jamie, Joe, Alex and Ashley. Also, at play group you love playing with Tilly. In fact, you named one of your transition toys after her!

You don't like to be without me. You still often get upset when you go off to preschool or playgroup in the morning, although your transition toys seems to have helped a great deal.

You do a great job getting your job done in the mornings. You put the dishes in the dish washer for breakfast, when you do so on time, you earn your treat for the day. Treats are your most favorite motivator. Shows are your second biggest, you earn your shows by being ready on time in the morning. Your current favorite show is Blue's clues, but you still love Dora and Diego. You get tokens for making good choices and often use them to buy extra shows. You also have the option of doing laundry for which you get paid, so if you want to buy a toy, you buckle down and work. You also save 20% in your bank account as well as paying your tithing.

You love baby dolls, pretending, reading, doing projects, playing outside, feeding ducks and going on walks. Your bravery around animals has really improved. You touched goats at the zoo in Munich on our trip to Germany like it was nothing! You also picked up a ladybug (bird) the other day and let it crawl around on your finger, with anyone even suggesting it.

This year you have traveled to Whitby, Filey, Scarborough, Maryland, Utah, Arizon, Florida, and Garmish (Germany). You were able to go see Jay's grave and see his mother. Your were also glad to see all of your cousins in America and stay with your friends Emmeline and Hazel Wheeler.

Earlier this year you were taking classes at the Little Gym with your friend Jessica. But you decided to stop going this term. You had a really hard time adjusting to being away from me at all after we came back from America, even if I was just on the otherside of the glass, as I was at the Little Gym..

You do a great job choosing your clothes. You like to decide what you want to wear yourself. You love to wear the boots Aunt Niece got you for Christmas last year, although I think they are getting too small for you. At bedtime, you a while back you got your first night gown "night Dress" as daddy called it. So now, it has evolved into you wearing a regular dress most nights! I think it is adorable what you wear to bed!

Well, Boca mocs, we love you tons and are so happy to have you in our family! Lizzie is sure blessed to have such a great big sister who wants to be with her and includes her in your games. Once you went to the thrift shop to buy a toy and they had a buy one toy get one free sale. You bought Lizzie a toy and she loved it! That was so unselfish! Although you still have a ways to go in learning how to be a bit more gentle, you have learned a lot in the past year she has been with us. You are great at babysiting her while I take a shower.

You Have a Birthday Shout Hurray! One Year Older and Wiser too, Happy Birthday to You!

Love,

Mom and Dad