Proof

The girls were caught cuddling and snuggling on the couch this week...

Just proof that our they do get along (from time to time) and love each other very much....!

Sullivan's Birthday Party...

Sullivan had her 7th birthday party with her friends last week. I bravely took 6 little girls to paint pottery at a studio up the rode from our house.

The girls truly had a good time painting...

The birthday girl was beyond thrilled to have her dearest friends with her to celebrate her big day.

(I knew Sullivan was small for her age, but didn't realize how small she was until I looked at this picture!)

After we painted pottery, we headed back to our house for cupcakes and presents!  

The party was quickly over after we had cake and opened presents.  Everyone headed on their merry way, and then...

The after party converged!  The neighbors came over and Quinn's friend was here, so they snatched up the remaining cupcakes and juice and celebrated Sullivan's birthday with her too! 

Here is Sullivan's final pottery project - a crayon piggy bank!

Turned out great!

May Day...

Happy May Day to Everyone!  

The girls were excited to put together a couple of May Day baskets for our neighbors today.  They discussed and plotted and schemed how they were going to deliver them without getting caught!  

The nerves kicked in when Quinn and Sullivan went to deliver them, but they were successful! The girls were not caught delivering the baskets! Yay!

Hope you had a fabulous May Day too!  

Interview with Quinn - Age 10

Here is the interview with Quinn - all her favorites from this past year.  All the answers in green stayed the same as last year.  Check out her answers below...!

What is your favorite color?            Turquoise
What is your favorite toy?              Stuffed Animals
What is your favorite fruit?            Apples
What is your favorite TV show?      The Thundermans
What is your favorite outfit?           Athletic Capris
What is your favorite game?          Skipbo
What is your favorite snack?         Cheeto Puffs
What is your favorite animal?        Dolphin
What is your favorite song?          Piece by Piece (Kelly Clarkson)
What is your favorite book?         Nightmares 2
Who is your best friend?               Maddy P.
What is your favorite food?          Chipped Beef on Toast
What is your favorite thing to do outside?       Four Square
What is your favorite drink?         Lemonade
What is your favorite thing to take to bed?    Blankies
What is your favorite candy?         Jelly Bellies
What is your favorite holiday?       Christmas
What is your favorite season?     Summer
What is your favorite movie?       Star Wars

What do you want to be when you grow up?    Dolphin Trainer
The thing I do the best is...             Art
The coolest person on Earth is...      Taylor Swift
Three words that describe me...     Dramatic, Funny, Awesome
One food I really do not like is...         Spinach 
One wish I have is....                      To swim with dolphins

This is how Quinn writes her name when she is 10...

Click on the following links to see Quinn's answers at Age 9, Age 8, and Age 7.  

It is fun to see how her answers have changed over the years!

 

Quinn is the BIG 1-0!

Quinn has finally entered the double digit club... she is already 10 years old!  

Holy Moly!

As tradition in the Pooley house, the birthday girl gets to decide her birthday breakfast.  That said, my children are not fancy breakfast eaters.  So Quinn said to me the night before her birthday, half-jokingly, "I wonder how you are going to get a candle in my cereal tomorrow morning?"

Well, her mother didn't disappoint....!

Anyone that knows Quinn, knows that she can dawdle with the best of them.  Morning routines are painful at our house.  But not yesterday morning.  We told Quinn if she was able to get ready in a hurry, she was allowed to open a present before she went to school!  Man oh man, did she get ready fast!!!

The birthday girl enjoyed her day at school, and was even serenaded by her track team with birthday wishes!

Quinn was allowed to choose the meal of her choice for supper - any restaurant, any meal.  This sweet sunshine of mine decided she didn't want to go out for supper, but instead wanted chipped beef on toast! That is her all time favorite meal - a meal we just don't have very often around here.  So it was a royal treat for her!

Can you see how much that cake glows with candles?!  

She is getting old, I tell you!!!

She opened her presents and enjoyed every last one of them...

Her 10th birthday was a huge success!  She has officially entered into old age - never again to be in single digits again!

*********************************************

Dear Sweet Quinn,

I look at you and the past decade flashes before me.  I know it sounds cliche to say, "where did the time go?" but I honestly feel that way.  It seems like yesterday that you entered the world - creating a presence with your strong cries and screams for attention in the hospital nursery. It was yesterday that your mom held back tears as she walked you into school on your first day of kindergarten.  It was yesterday that you were as proud as punch for FINALLY losing your first tooth - earning you the title as the last person in your first grade class to do so!  It seems like yesterday that you bravely learned how to ride a bike on your own - proving once again that you were becoming more independent and less dependent on us.  It was yesterday that I looked at you on your 10th birthday and realized I am losing my little girl, but in exchange I am gaining an amazing young lady as my daughter!

This past year has brought many changes.  You have acquired a whole new set of friends this year - true friends - that love you for you!  They embrace you for who you are (quirks and all!), and you do the same for them.  My hope for you is that you continue to foster amazing friendships with this group of girls! They truly love you!

Your sense of humor amuses me.  It is apparent that you now TRULY understand sarcasm and can use it pretty wittingly.  Your main target of your sarcasm and your humor is your dad - as you love to rile him up and poke fun at him!  As much as you LOVE to dish out the humor, you don't always appreciate getting back what you have given.

You melt my heart with your kind spirit and inclusive heart.  Your teacher boasts often about you - that you give 100% of yourself to all that you do, that you are an amazing friend and helper to your classmates, and that you are a person of amazing character and a great role model.  You are a passionate individual with a very strong will - both qualities that will benefit you later in life!

I have seen that you have matured so much this year.  Not only do you look older and act older, but your relationship with your sister and your cousins has shifted.  The activities that you once liked to do as a young girl, are being exchanged for more mature activities.  All signs that you are growing up! It both pleases my soul and makes me sad all at once.  I want to hit the 'pause' button on life and keep you little for just a bit longer!

Quinn McKenna - as you enter this 10th year of your life, please remember how much you are loved!  We love you more than words can describe and are so incredibly blessed that you are in our lives.  We celebrate you, not only on your birthday, but all year long!  Happy 10th birthday, my love!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Latests....

Spring has sprung, and we couldn't be happier!  There is something about the sunshine beating down on you that warms the soul!  

We've been busy soaking up the sun and spending time outdoors....

You know it is also spring, we you can enjoy ice cream season outdoors...!

Some other indoor happenings lately include a slumber party in our bedroom one evening.  Sullivan created a fort around herself with her stuffed animals staring at her face-to-face...

 

Quinn chose to sleep without her stuffed animals staring her down...

We also celebrated my dear friend Cheryl's 50th birthday last week! She is such an incredible person...and I am blessed to not only call her a neighbor, but a dear friend!

  

And finally, here are the girls at a Fun Friday event after school recently.  I was 'fortunate' enough to be asked to help with the event, so I got to see Quinn and Sullivan with their friends.

Travel Indiana

Quinn's class has been studying Indiana - not only it's geography, but it's history as well.  As a culmination activity, they were split into groups and given a region of Indiana to research in-depth.  

Quinn was given the East region, which if you are not familiar with Indiana, includes cities like Muncie and Fort Wayne.  

After each person in the group researched a specific attraction within the region, the class held a "Travel Indiana" open house.  They had to become travel agents, and "sell" their parents on their travel attractions.  

Quinn's group called themselves the "Talented Travelers Tour Agency."  Here are the business cards that Quinn made for her group...

The talented travel agents selling their region...

These sweet ladies didn't even discuss their outfits before the open house... turns out great minds truly must think alike!

Quinn's attraction was a fancy restaurant called Club Soda.  If you are ever in Fort Wayne, the restaurant comes with great reviews and recommendations from Quinn.

The best travel agent that I've ever encountered.  Probably the cutest too!

The entire class did an amazing job with this project, and I loved learning more about the state we now call home!