These are all posts in the Holidays & Traditions – It’s A Girl Day category in alphabetical order.
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Happy It’s A Girl Day!
May 11 is an official holiday in our home! We celebrate It’s a Girl! Day to commemorate finding out via ultrasound that we were at very long last expecting a girl. We had prayed specifically for a daughter all of those years and experienced a mixture of joy and tears and relief when the technician told us we were having a girl.
Our celebration is pretty simple. Caroline gets to choose whatever she wants for lunch. The past few years it was Chinese, but this year it was Taco Bell (?!?!?!?). Since we almost never eat out due to my health issues, Taco Bell is a treat. LOL!
She also gets to choose one thing she would like to do or buy ($25 max). Since her birthday is in late September, it’s a nice fill-in between Christmas and her birthday. There’s nothing like being a little girl on a trip to Meijer to choose whatever you want! Inexplicably to me, she chose this. Our tastes are just so different! LOL!
We’re so thankful for our girl! Caroline is funny, clever, thoughtful, and compassionate. She brings so much joy to our lives. We’re thankful God chose to answer our prayers and send us this wonderful daughter.
Happy It’s a Girl Day!
Our Yearly Celebration: It’s A Girl Day!
Through the many long years we prayed for a child, we prayed specifically for a girl. I had always known I wanted a girl and David was also inclined to pray that way. When we found out on our ninth anniversary that we were finally expecting a baby, we were naturally very excited.
But the wait to find out what we were having at the twenty week ultrasound was tough!
By the time we went to the ultrasound, we had made peace with the fact that perhaps God would send us a son and not the girl we had long prayed for. We knew that if God sent us a boy it had to be for some very specific reasons. We believe that God delights in giving us the desire of our hearts as often as possible and to send us a boy instead of a girl meant He had special plans for that boy. We had even talked about some boy names to prepare us for the idea of a son.
When the ultrasound technician told us it was a girl, I felt so many things. Joy, relief, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude. We asked the technician if she was sure it was a girl. She told us that they aren’t allowed to guarantee anything, but if it wasn’t a girl it had some serious problems. LOL!
Each year we celebrate It’s a Girl Day on the day of our ultrasound. We thank God again for giving us the girl we had prayed for all those years. We take the time to remind Caroline how special she is to us and how she is a specific answer to prayer. And not just our prayers, but the prayers of many people who interceded on our behalf for literally years.
More than anything I desire to impress upon her that she is the child God sent to us at that particular time. He has reasons for sending her to us when He did, especially after we waited so long. In her room still hangs a sign from her nursery that says, “i am a dream come true.” She is both a dream come true and an answer to prayer.
We celebrate It’s a Girl Day a bit differently each year. Usually it includes going out to lunch and either doing something special that she would like to do (like going to a museum or other place) or buying her a small gift. We don’t throw a party or anything that involves other people. It is a special day just for the three of us.
We use the time to remember that God answers prayer. Not always in the way or timing we expect, but that He does hear us and for that we are thankful and celebrate.
Celebrating Our 15th “It’s a Girl! Day”
Fifteen years ago today, David and I learned that our prayers of many years were answered. My twenty week ultrasound confirmed I was pregnant with a girl. I’ve written before about our long journey to parenthood so I won’t go into it again. However, we had always prayed for a daughter and God chose to answer that specific prayer.
Each year on May 11, we celebrate our own family holiday – It’s a Girl! Day. Caroline chooses a favorite lunch (usually Chinese take-out) and a small gift. She looks forward to this day just as much as any other holiday. Perhaps even more because it is her own special day.
Over the years I haven’t shared many pictures of our family. I’ve found it hard to walk the line between sharing too much and not sharing enough. Balancing privacy issues in general and also protecting Caroline’s privacy online overall were struggles for me. I decided this year to do a little collection of photos over the years. Okay, maybe not little. I ended up choosing quite a few, but since I rarely show pictures I thought you might enjoy seeing them – especially those of you who have been reading since before I even became pregnant. (Yes, there are some!) If you are a newer reader, you can get a peek into life thus far.
I hope you enjoy celebrating our girl with us today. She is a truly delightful blessing from God.
Caroline looks like a dolly in this one.
From early on, Caroline liked to look at the world differently. LOL!
The day of her first birthday in late September. She loved pictures and videos of herself.
Caroline enjoyed playing with her first birthday cake! I don’t think she ate much of it at all. To this day, she doesn’t like overly sugary foods like this.
Learning the alphabet. This is one of my favorite pictures of her.
Creativity and imagination all day
Matching dresses with her doll, Bonnie Lou, at my parents’ home. She was so cute at this age. This is another one of my favorite pictures.
During the Play-Doh phase. This is a birthday cake.
Enjoying a family outing to an apple farm. Riding in the piggy train!
Enjoying tea time with friends
The Tinker Toy phase that went on for quite some time. We have three huge containers of these. Because Caroline is gifted in the area of spatial things, this was so in her wheelhouse. I could write an entire post just about all of the things David and Caroline built with Tinker Toys over the years.
First day of homeschool co-op. We were blessed with a wonderful Christian co-op. This is when Caroline started the first year. She loved her teacher.
Fun outside raking with Daddy.
The Hundred Acre Wood Gang. Words cannot explain how much she enjoyed her stuffed animals. My mom bought her the Pooh when she was not very old. For her fifth birthday she received Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo from my parents. It’s still one of her best birthday moments.
We took many trips to the Meijer Gardens. This is the pioneer cabin in the children’s garden area. The pictures in my post about field trips include more from the Meijer Gardens. If you are ever in West Michigan, it is definitely worth your time.
Our budding artist showing off one of her cards for a cousin’s graduation
Visiting my parents
Caroline’s first American Girl Doll. She named her Daisy.
This is Caramel. Caroline had looked at these large bears each time we went into one of the local stores where a Starbucks was located. She never asked for one, but was obviously enthralled by them. I was standing in line and asked her if she wanted to bring him home. Her eyes lit up and she could hardly believe it. Neither could David when we went in to get a coffee and came out with a bear that was almost as big as Caroline at the time. LOL!
Christmas Eve during the big bow headband stage. No, I did not make her wear them. She had three of them from Children’s Place I think – lavender, pink, and cream. They were sparkly and gauzy. She loved them.
Easter 2014. With the pink bow headband.
The duck tape phase. She made anything and everything out of duck tape.
First day of co-op. Note the Minecraft themed bag. Minecraft had arrived. (It has never left.)
For Christmas 2014, Caroline received the Caroline Abbott American Girl Doll from my parents. She was so thrilled and had no idea she was going to get it. (Curious George photobombed in a bit of jealousy.)
Stuffed animals. I’ve shared a picture of this before in my post 6 Ways Having a Gifted Child Changed My Life. There’s a reason there is a tag on my site for stuffed animals. Some creative kids love them. A lot. And they truly serve a useful purpose. I cannot even guess how much time David and Caroline spent playing with and making up stories about the animals. They all have names and the majority of them have personalities and a story. We should do an updated shot. The stuffed animal family has grown since this picture was taken.
Caroline won two fish at the big carnival that comes to our town each year. She purchased the little white one with the red spot on his head. They are still around and huge.
Happy Birthday 2017!
Christmas 2017 at my parents’ home. We purchased a nice telescope for Caroline with my parents. I had it shipped to their house so they could also see her open it. (Details about the telescope are in my post Nature Study for Indoor People)
Archery class. She wants to try skeet shooting this summer.
Meijer Gardens at Christmastime
We have a picture of Caroline sitting with the Christmas stuffed animals every year since she was fifteen months old.
What you see…
Reality
More reality. Honestly, we do laugh a lot. We are a fun family in our own geeky way. LOL!
Behind that grown up, confident pose…
Behind that sweet pose…
Reality
Another Christmas picture with the animals
Big Bear. The most important animal ever.
Happy Birthday 2019
Caroline’s 14th birthday in 2020
Christmas 2020 with the animals (in a new location!)
So there is a little peek through the years. I hope you enjoyed sharing this celebration with me!
Presidents’ Day Unit Study
Presidents’ Day is a wonderful American holiday celebrating two of our great presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I’ve gathered up books, printables, activities, worksheets, and resources I think you will enjoy as you plan your Presidents’ Day unit study. You can see all of the printables specifically for Presidents Day in my shop: Presidents Day Printables & Activities.
If learning with themes and doing a unit study is new to you, see my post on How to Create a Unit Study. It’s full of practical ideas for the planning process.
Planning A Presidents’ Day Unit Study
Theme Planner: Print off my Unit Study Planning Pages if you don’t already have a printable you like. You can use it to begin making your plans as you read through the suggestions in this post.
Presidents’ Day KWL: Start your unit study with a Presidents’ Day KWL. KWL stands for Know, Want to Know, and Learned. Your child tells you what he already knows about the topic, what he wants to know, and what he has learned at the end. KWLs are a great way to document your child’s learning, especially if you use a more relaxed approach to homeschooling. See more about KWLs here: Using a KWL in Your Homeschool Unit Study.
Books, Printables, and Activities
Presidents’ Day Lapbook: This Presidents’ Day Lapbook is a great way to learn about the holiday as well as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It is especially designed to work well with reluctant writers or children who struggle with writing so it is focused more on content than writing. This is a low-key, easy to assemble lapbook and it looks great when it is done.
Presidents’ Day Writing and Notebooking Pages: Do some creative writing for Presidents’ Day! Presidents’ Day Writing Pages includes both standard and primary lines in each design.
U. S. Presidents Fun Fact Cards: If you and your children want to learn about many of the presidents this month, check out my U.S. Presidents Fun Fact Cards. This is a collection of fascinating facts that you won’t find anywhere else. I guarantee you will learn some fun things along with your children while using these. If you do a morning time with your children, these can easily be added to your basket.
U.S. Presidents Copywork: Your children can also enjoy practicing their handwriting with the fun facts in copywork form in the U.S. Presidents Copywork.
Presidents’ Day Unit Study Picture Books
Here are a few books for children specifically about Presidents’ Day. You can see more book suggestions in my Amazon Presidents’ Day shop section.
Facts About Graphic Organizer: Your child can use my Facts About Graphic Organizer to keep track of her favorite facts related to Presidents’ Day. Young children or children who struggle with writing can draw pictures in each shape to represent the facts.
Venn Diagram: As you are learning about these important presidents, have your child look for ways they are similar and different. You can add those facts to my George Washington vs Abraham Lincoln Venn Diagram.
Spelling, Vocabulary & Word Search
Spelling & Vocabulary: Choose several spelling words that are appropriate for your child’s ability. If you don’t do formal spelling, you can use this list for vocabulary discussion.
- Abraham Lincoln
- George Washington
- inauguration
- slavery
- president
- American Revolution
- Civil War
- Delaware River
- Mount Vernon
- Ford’s Theater
- Martha Washington
- Mary Todd Lincoln
- Illinois
- Virginia
- senator
Word Search Puzzle: Use the words in the list above to create a word search. You can make it for your child or your child can make it for you! Here is a Word Search Template.
Presidents’ Day Writing
Write a Biography: Write a short biography about Washington or Lincoln using Write a Biography (Early Elementary) or Write a Biography (Upper Grades) printables. Illustrate with a drawing or print a picture from online to glue in the oval.
Newspaper Article: Pretend you could interview either Washington or Lincoln. Who would you choose? Write down 3-5 questions you would ask him. Then write a newspaper article with what you think their answers would be.
Presidents’ Day Geography
Map Skills: Use a United States map to mark important places in the life of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as you learn about them.
Presidents’ Day Recipes
Cooking is a great way to add math and science to your learning. Explore some of the favorite foods of President Washington and President Lincoln. Here are some your child can make and try!
George Washington’s Favorite Foods
- Information on Dining at Mount Vernon
- Hoe Cake
- George Washington Great Cake, 1780 recipe
- Mary Ball Washington Gingerbread
Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Foods
More Creative Learning Ideas
Postage Stamp: Design a postage stamp to celebrate Washington, Lincoln, or both using the Design a Postage Stamp Worksheet.
Role Playing: Role playing can be an effective ways to learn. Check out the fantastic children’s costumes for George Washington, Martha Washington, Abraham Lincoln, colonial girls, Civil War soldiers, Civil War nurses, southern belles, and other relevant people during these historical periods.
Word Searches, Coloring Pages, and Other Pencil Activities: There are many to consider in my Presidents’ Day Amazon Shop.
List It: How many Presidents’ Day words can you come up with? Keep a list as you are studying or use the List It printable from the unit study pack as a final activity to review everything you’ve learned.
I hope you enjoy your Presidents’ Day themed study!