Annie Is Growing Up

Yesterday the children were playing outside. Annie came running up to me exclaiming with great joy "Mommy, my tooth is loose". She opened her little mouth to let me feel. Sure enough, her bottom tooth was very loose. Just barely hanging on, I knew soon it would come out, marking the next maturation phase of her life. When she proudly ran off to play, I just cried, as it has come so fast. Today, I was just attempting to absorb that my little Siberian Princess had a loose tooth, when at bedtime snack she ran to me with her little tooth in her dainty hand. Annie is all tucked into her bed and anxiously awaits the Tooth Fairy...aka...Daddy!!! She still makes a beautiful photo. Here is Annie with one less tooth;-).

Ring The Bell

My flowers are beginning to bloom. Aren't they lovely!!!

Beautiful Annie rings the bell with her last paper finished on her desk;-).

Next handsome Christian gets his turn!!! Big 3rd graders;-)

My beautiful Karissa is proud to end her school year!!!

The Arctic Princess...Katie Aunna rings the bell...now for some dessert...LOL!!!

Well the end of school has finally come for us. Only, Casey will be working, during the summer months...on MATH!!!! He is not too happy that I did not let him "off" the hook. It was so funny...Katie Aunna closed her last school book and said: "Mama, we have to ring a bell to say good-bye to the school year!" She wanted to know why we did not have a school bell and how would we celebrate this accomplishment.

I then did a little research and soon discovered that in Russia a bell is rang by the children to indicate an end to the school year and also it is rang for graduations. There is usually a big celebration of food, drinks, and desserts. Now, Katie has such a sweet tooth, that any excuse for cake will do;-). She was sure to add that after the bell rings they get cake and foods to eat.

Duane and I took Christian, Karissa, Katie, and Annie out for dinner at their favorite restaurant with dessert included!!!

It was so nice to be with the four of them. Before dinner we went to Mass. It was so cute as they discussed what they were going to eat as we drove to the church. The bell they rang belonged to my grandmother from her childhood school in Oklahoma. Her school teacher gave it to Grandma and my mother gave it to me when I graduated from college!!! I never dreamed at that point in time that it would be used for my children to signal an end to their school year.