Savannah turns Seven!

Seven?! How can she possibly be seven?!  Where did this last year go? It seemed like a blur of school functions and after school activities and then it was summer and camps and now it's fall and she's turning seven.  She's a kid now.  Not quite a big kid but not a little kid either.  She's right in the middle which is kinda a tricky age.  She thinks she's big enough for sleepovers but I know emotionally she's not there yet.  And I know that I often tell her to stop acting like a baby and be the big kid which then makes me sad as soon as I say it.  As much as I get annoyed when she tears up at school because I have to leave after volunteering, I smile inside.  She does still need me and she does still want me around.  There won't be many more days like this.  One day she will be embarrassed of me and not want to be seen with me.  I really need to savor the days while I still have them.  It all passes so quickly.

Savannah's birthday fell on a Tuesday this year so unfortunately she spent most of the day at school.  She did wake up really early so that she could open her presents before heading out.  Then Walker and I had lunch duty that day so we were able to eat lunch with her and her class.  Her party was held on the following Friday which was a school holiday.  It was a slumber party without the slumber part.  The girls all came in their pajamas and we had pizza and cake, watched a movie with popcorn, roasted marshmallows for smores, busted a piñata, and sent them each home in time for bed.  It was my most unorganized, loosely planned party yet and it was so much fun.

birthday morning before the sun rise

heading to school

lunch with the birthday girl

birthday cake after dinner

party time

Special milestones since last year: 

~she started first grade which means she is reading books on her own, has homework most every night, has spelling tests, and is solving math problems.  I really am amazed at what they learn in first grade now.  She is a perfectionist and a teacher's pet.  She is a stickler for routine and she wants to make sure that everyone else is following the rules.  Her teachers love her despite her bossy attitude towards her table mates.  

~she is back in speech therapy.  She had a few sessions with Ms. Ann and then switched to a lady who comes to her school and pulls her out of class weekly for 40 minute sessions.  She really is improving especially with her "w" and "r" sounds.  

~she still isn't an adventurous eater.  She eats pretty much the same things that she ate this time last year.  

~she is participating in the junior golf program at the country club and she loves it.  She is the youngest player and the only girl in her division.  I am so proud of her for sticking with this and she's actually really good.  

~she still participates in tennis even though she would rather not.  I would hate for her to give it up since she has such skill.  The coaches keep trying to convince her to join the junior league so she can play in matches but she doesn't want people to watch her.  

~she participates in rhythmic gymnastics and lego club at school.  She is the only girl in lego club and as much as I like her participating in it and learning new skills, I don't think she will want to reenroll after Christmas break.  I know she enjoys gymnastics when she's there but at home she's constantly wanting to quit even though 2 of her best friends are in it as well.  

~she is a second year Daisy scout which just means this is her final year before Brownies.  Meetings are going much smoother this year and the girls seem to pay better attention when I'm talking.  All except Savannah.  Maybe it's just because I'm the leader so she thinks she doesn't have to follow the rules.  I often leave meetings furious with her but happy with all 17 other girls.  

~she still has quite the fiery personality which leads to her getting into a lot of trouble at home.  Her and Walker fight constantly over any and everything.  

All About 7 Year-Old Savannah

1. Favorite color: pink and purple
2. Favorite song: any KidsBop song
3. Favorite toy: roller skates
4. Favorite food: spaghetti and meatballs
5. Favorite drink: chocolate milk
6. Best friends: Emerson, Grace, Lila, and Evia
7. Favorite game: CandyLand
8. Favorite book: Fairy Magic series
9. Favorite place to visit: Texas
10. Favorite place to eat out: Jason's Deli
11. What do you want to be when you grow up?: a mom
12. Favorite Holiday: her Birthday
13. Favorite dress up costume: Disney's Elina of Avalor
14. Favorite movie: Trolls
15. Favorite tv show: Sofia the First 

Height: 47 inches 

Weight: 57 lbs

Clothing size: 7

Shoe size: 13

Happy Birthday to my sweet, sassy, and spunky Savannah!  Your laugh can brighten my darkest days and nothing makes me happier than seeing your smile.  Everyday you're becoming more like the person you're going to be and I'm so excited to watch you accomplish amazing things in life.  Love you to pieces, sweet girl!  

Savannah at 6 and a Half

I haven't done an update specifically on Savannah since her birthday so it's time to document what she's been up to this year.  Between kindergarten, Daisys, and after school sports she's been quite the busy bee.  This little girl has an abundant amount of energy that never seems to stop.  She's bouncing off the walls from the moment she wakes up until she passes out at night.  One would think that an entire day at school plus an activity afterwards would help her to crash but if it weren't for a sleepy pill (aka melatonin) at night then I don't think she would ever stop.  She's the real life Energizer Bunny.

Six is turning out to be quite an interesting year---mostly interesting to me. She's still so little and yet it seems like all the little girls her age are on the cusp of adolescence.  She says things that often stop me in my tracks and I think "where in the world did she hear that?!".  Most of her friends have older sisters who influence them and that gets passed on to Savannah.  I'm not ready for my little girl to be a big girl yet!!  And the drama that goes on between these girls is just too much!  One day they're best friends and the next day they're enemies.  Poor Savannah is so sensitive that she is crying at least once a week over a falling out with one girl or another.  It really is just too much at this age.  I know it's only going to get worse but I was really hoping that this wouldn't start until at least fourth grade or so.

A few new things have happened since November.  She started back with Ms Anne in January for a couple of months to work on her R and TH sounds.  She seemed to quickly grasp that with just a few intensive sessions.  She decided she wanted to try out soccer in the spring.  I signed her up with the YMCA and she was on a team with a few of her friends from school and Daisys.  By the end of the season I think she was already over the sport.  She has continued playing tennis which she doesn't love but I force her to stick with it and she's actually really good.  The coaches have tried to get her to join the jr league but of course she refuses.  We attempted swim team again but after a few battles going to swim practice I pulled the plug on it.  And lastly she has started attending jr golf clinics.  She started back in March as a beginner with several other little boys and they had a 45 minute lesson every Saturday afternoon.  At the end of the session her coach recommended that she move up to the next level even though she's a year too young.  So now she is in the newly formed jr league at the club and she is loving it.  I thought after yesterdays practice in 99 degrees she would be done but no.  She had a great time and is looking forward to next week.


Current Favorites:
1. Favorite color: pink and purple
2. Favorite song: Confident and Stitches
3. Favorite toy: Shopkins
4. Favorite food: spaghetti and meatballs
5. Favorite drink: chocolate milk and water
6. Best friends: Grace, Victoria, Cameron and Emerson
7. Favorite game: Chutes and Ladders
8. Favorite book: Turkey Trouble
9. Favorite place to visit: Great Wolf Lodge
10. Favorite place to eat out: Panera
11. What do you want to be when you grow up: a mom
12. Favorite holiday: Christmas
13. Favorite dress up costume: Elsa and Anna
14. Favorite season: Fall
15. Favorite movie: Sleeping Beauty
16. Favorite tv show: Shimmer and Shine
17. Favorite sport to play: field hockey (in the kitchen)

she really wants to wear glasses so these are her pretend ones

dentist pulled her first 2 teeth March 24

gap in the center bottom

first season playing soccer

Saturdays were full of golf and soccer

practicing in the back yard

at the driving range

art show at school

heading off to the Father/Daughter Dance at school

Field Day at school

taking selfies

I can't believe she will be turning seven in just a few more months!  The older she gets, the faster the years fly by.  I want to freeze this time---the years between toddlerhood and adolescence.  Where the days are a little easier, her temperament is a little more manageable, she's becoming slightly more self-sufficient, but at the same time she still wants to sit in my lap and will occasionally cry when I have leave her.  It's that perfect in-between spot where I still feel like I have my little girl and a mini big girl all at the same time.  I sure love this sweet and sassy Savannah Grace!    

Savannah turns SIX

The days are long but the years are oh so short.  I'm pretty sure that's on the Mom Contract somewhere.  When you're baby is first born you wonder how will you ever make it through the newborn stage.  You get little to no sleep and you spend your days in a fog most of the time.  And then one day the fog lifts and your baby is now a toddler.  Then during those toddler years you're pushed to your limit mentally and emotionally.  Your baby has become a little devil child and you feel like it will be miracle if you and/or she make it through fully intact.  And then the days become a little easier, the bad behavior isn't as frequent, and you've realized you have an adult in the making on your hands.  That's where I am now.  Savannah is becoming my little lady.  I'm excited and heart broken all at the same time.  I miss the days of being in the fog and I even long for those days when her personality was starting to take off and she literally drove me crazy.  It all slipped by way too fast.  I look back at this collage of photos from birth to now and I wonder where has the past 6 years gone?!  

My sweet sassy baby girl is now a sweet sassy little girl.  She can and actually wants to be left alone for quite a while.  Sometimes an hour or more will go by and I realize that I have no clue where she is or what she's doing.  Usually she's just playing quietly but there have been a few times when I have found her at the neighbor's house.  Of course this is totally not allowed without permission but the point is that she can and has done it.  All by herself.....just like that.....without any thought or help from me.  I'm not ready for this.  I'm not ready to have a big girl.  She's turning six today and tomorrow she'll be twelve and the next day she'll be 18 and then she's gone......just like that......in the blink of an eye.  Oh how I hate these short years!  Obviously I did not fully understand that line in the contract when I signed six short years ago.  But ever since the fog lifted I've tried really hard to embrace the long days and cherish my time spent with my children.  Because it really will be over soon.            

Now enough of the sentimental stuff and on to the yearly update.  This past year Savannah grew so much both physically and developmentally.  She finished her last year at Westminster preschool and said goodbye to most of her friends and teachers.  She started kindergarten at St Thomas More in the apple classroom.  She had a few old friends at her new school but unfortunately they were all in the other classroom.  So she went in to a new school with new people and within minutes she had befriended her entire class.  She even came home the first day and said, "It's okay that Lila is in the other class. I'll be okay. I found new friends."  I'm always amazed at how quickly she opens up to new people.  It's such a wonderful quality to possess and one that I don't really have.  That's probably why I'm surprised at how she makes a new best friend wherever she goes: the mall playzone, Chick-fil-A, playgrounds, anywhere.
She's doing really well academically in school.  She is learning to read and write properly.  We get such a kick out of reading her notes and seeing how she is sounding out words and trying to spell them on her own.  She is also taking an interest in math and wanting to learn how to solve simple addition equations.
She and I are both in the Girl Scout Daisy troop at her school.  Savannah has been wanting to be in scouts for over a year now so with the help of another mom we started our own troop for the kindergartners.  There are 17 girls in the troop and we meet every other week.  We earn badges by learning the Girl Scout oath and promise which is the foundation for scouting.  Savannah is learning the importance of fairness, honesty, bravery, considerateness, helpfulness, friendship, responsibility, and respect.  All things that we try to teach at home but it's been so helpful to teach and encourage these qualities from a platform other than as her parent.  Sometimes I feel that she ignores me, the mom, at home but as a scout leader at school she listens and responds more.    
She has continued playing tennis and even gave swim team a try.  She really enjoyed the practices and she did wonderful at her first meet but it was all downhill from there.  She would attend the meet but refuse to swim.  We decided not to push it on her and instead we hope that she'll gradually come around on her own and want to give it a try again this summer.  
We thought that she was finally equal with her peers in the speech and language department but I learned after my parent-teacher conference that it would beneficial if she started back her sessions with Mrs. Anne.  Unfortunately there were no open slots after school until just recently so we will resume our weekly sessions soon.
Her interests have pretty much remained the same.  She loves anything involving arts and crafts.  She enjoys playing with her Barbies, baby dolls, princesses, and stuffed animals.  She often wants to play with Walker but that usually ends in screaming, hitting, and hair pulling.
She still very much has a temper.  She easily gets upset and loses control.  She is very type-A and she has a difficult time admitting when she is wrong and apologizing.  These are things we have been constantly working on with her for the past several years but every day continues to be a struggle.

Here are a few pictures of Savannah's sixth year:

Valentine's Day

first father-daughter dance

afternoon mother-daughter tea parties

finally caught a butterfly

she loves doing the monkey bars

obsessed with face painting

and taking selfies

preschool graduation

swim team awards

tennis award

last day of summer camp

illustrated selfies

first day of kindergarten 

the little mermaid

Anna for Halloween

All About 6 Year-Old Savannah

1. Favorite color: pink
2. Favorite song: Shut Up and Dance with Me
3. Favorite toy: Bunny Bear (stuffed animal)
4. Favorite food: spaghetti and meatballs
5. Favorite drink: white grape juice
6. Best friends: Mercer Anne, Katerina, and Emerson
7. Favorite game: Candy Land
8. Favorite book: Olive my Love and Turkey Trouble
9. Favorite place to visit: Great Wolf Lodge
10. Favorite place to eat out: Panera
11. What do you want to be when you grow up?: a mom and a teacher
12. Favorite Holiday: Valentine's Day
13. Favorite dress up costume: Princess Aurora
14. Favorite movie: The Good Dinosaur
15. Favorite tv show: Doc McStuffins 

Happy 6th Birthday my sweet Savannah Grace!  You bring so much joy to all who know and love you.  May this year bring you more laughs, more smiles, and abundant happiness.  We love you more than you can possibly know!