Making Sense of Scribbles

Recently, Anna is very into coloring, stickers and crafts, which really excites me. Secretly I love coloring books and one of my favorite smells is a new box of crayons.

This week Anna made (what I consider) a major leap in her doodling - as she was coloring one day she pointed at her paper and said, "Bunny!" She continued to draw the same scribble and repeated, "Bunny!", after each attempt. Then, she said, "Circle!" and started making large loops with the crayon. (The credit for the circles goes to her awesome nanny who has been working with Anna on learning shapes.) Now, the circles are by no means perfect, but I think they are pretty good for a 20-month-old! It is so neat to see that she now understands she can create a representation of an object through drawing. I do see, though, that I'll have to start making decisions about what "art" to keep and what to toss...

Bunnies & Circles

Here's a picture of her showing off her latest craft creation...it's alien Anna...

Baby Jason

Over the last few days I have received several baby photos of Jason in my inbox. The majority of his childhood pictures are in slide format (will Anna ever know what a slide is??) and Fa Fa Bergstrom recently got a new scanner that allows him to scan the slides and turn them into electronic images. Considering the boxes and boxes of slides I've seen tucked away in his office, I think he is undertaking a MAJOR project.

But, I have enjoyed seeing the photos and now, I am going to share them with you (much to Jason's chagrin, I'm sure)...Tell me if you can see a resemblance between him and Anna!

Nice wheels! (1974)


Consultant in training? (1976)


Construction Zone! (1976)


Paul & Jason on Cape Cod (1974-ish)

Comparison! Jason and Anna on Cape Cod (2009)

The Guys

Typically when Anna wakes up in the morning our conversation goes like this:

Me: Good morning, sleepy girl.

Anna: Hi. Out. Milk. Guys?? Guys?? Guys??

The "guys" in question are a motley crew of infant toys Anna inisists on toting around with her while at home. Their names are Neigh, Monkey, Moo, Octopus, Bug, Hayla's Bug and Jake (yes, after Anna's buddy Jake J.).

Given the creativity of their names you can probably guess what animal each guy is...except Jake (he's a "Whoozit" and you can see him nestled between Octopus and Moo in the picture below).

Membership in The Guys is determined only by Anna and tends to be permanent. New members have rarely been inducted (the two bugs are the only instances). However, Guys can be ousted for reasons abundantly clear to Anna but indecipherable to us. Take the sad story of Rooster.

Rooster was an original founding member of The Guys. You can see him in the photo below next to Moo. One morning, though, when we were picking up the guys, I handed Rooster to Anna and she shouted, "No!", and literally threw him across the room. Curious, I picked Rooster up and brought him back to Anna and she yelled, "No!" again and refused to touch him. I wish I could figure out what misdemeanor he's been accused of, but clearly he's been judged guilty and his sentence is exile from The Guys.


Jason and I will sometimes add Rooster to the mix when The Guys are huddled in a pile on the floor. Whenever Anna finds him, though, the reaction is the same. Although over time it's become less severe - she still says no but now instead of throwing him, she takes him to her toy cabinet and closes him inside. So, actually, maybe it's worse for Rooster - it's as if he's being put in solitary confinement.

Yesterday we were a little worried because Anna started to say no to Moo while gathering The Guys. There was no throwing or yelling involved, though, and eventually she started bringing Moo to Jason saying, "Here, Daddy." Several times during the day she gave him Moo and he eventually asked if Moo should go to work on the airplane with him. Anna enthusiastically responded, "Yes!". So, it seems he is not exiled, just being sent on a secret mission. Alas, while packing Jason forgot to include Moo, but we'll make sure he makes the trip next week.

If she had her way, The Guys would be with Anna 24/7. We've worked hard to curb this desire because keeping track of seven Guys (plus Bunny, her #1 lovey) while out and about is a nightmare. So, The Guys stay at home. When we travel she gets to bring 2-3 Guys depending on the duration of the trip and it is entertaining to watch her decide who gets to come. Neigh and Monkey, the ring leaders, are always givens, but the third Guy is always different. It's one of those times when I wish I could see what her little mind was thinking.

August Birthday Rush!

So, August is a BUSY month for birthdays in the Bergstrom household. In an effort to save my sanity, I'm doing one big shout out to our family members (and one special friend) with birthdays. It's nothing personal, this just ensures I don't forget to post as the month goes on...)

August 10
Happy Birthday, Jason!


Happy Birthday, Hayla!


August 11
Happy 21st Birthday, Maddie! Cheers!


August 19
Happy Birthday, David!


August 27
Happy Birthday, Mom/Gramma T!

Terrific Texas Trip

Anna and I recently joined my side of the family on a jaunt to San Antonio to attend a wedding and see our extended clan. The trip was a whirlwind but was SUPER fun. I only wish it could have lasted longer (darn work and responsibility!).

Before the wedding we were able to make time to get out and about in San Antonio, but as my dad said, "We've done and seen everything there is to do and see in San Antonio" (what with having lived there and all). Nonetheless, we decided to head downtown to the Riverwalk in search of delicious TexMex and happened upon a quaint little church/mission. Anybody remember this place? Ha ha.


The wedding we attended was a fabulous affair. It pains me to say, but I used to babysit the bride, Amy, when she was three years old! She is now a beautiful grown woman and I am so happy for her and her husband Paul.


Anna almost made it through the entire ceremony (we were supplying her with gummy bears, crackers, and - as a last resort - gum). With about two minutes to spare, though, she shouted, "Mommy, go!" Luckily it was outside and we were near the end of a row so I scooped her up and made a speedy escape before she could cause a scene.


She did cause a (welcome) scene on the dancefloor. As I have mentioned before, the kid likes to boogie, and I had to physically restrain her from crashing the bride's dance with her father. You know how there's always that one person at a wedding out on the dancefloor before anyone else? That was Anna. She spun and spun and danced and danced and well, just had a ball. It was wonderful to see her get so excited and truly enjoy herself while she danced. Her eyes were shining! And she enticed the rest of the wedding guests out onto the floor to join her. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get it on video because as you can see, my camera was on it's last legs just when the fun really started. :( So, Amy, if you're reading this, send the wedding video my way!


On Sunday we rounded out the trip with a family gathering at my uncle's house. Anna was enthralled because they have cows and horses and we were able to see a litter of two day old kittens (so cute). We also got to meet the newest members of the family, six week old twins Zeneia and Zaria. I'm really bummed my camera died because I have no pictures of the get together. I'm hoping to get some from my Aunt, though.

Like I said, it was a whirlwind but totally worth it. Here are some more pictures from the weekend.

Anna & Bunny eyeing the dancefloor

Mom & Dad

Maddie & Justin

Anna and her best pals Uncle David & Bunny - pooped after all the dancing (darn camera!)