*Margaret (Curtis) McDaniel + Curtis McDaniel = Curtis.Squared

March 3, 2022

All About Anna

Our firstborn daughter turned 9 on February 23. She is growing up so fast!

My mom made her LOL doll birthday cake! We decorated and prepared for our celebration:

I think it was safe to say that these LOL dolls were her favorite gifts!

We surprised her with a little birthday dessert at the restaurant she chose.

Not only did my parents join us, but also my brother Ben. We had a really memorable time together!



I was excited about the blessing of celebrating birthdays with family when we moved to Florida, but I didn't think about the opportunity to chaperone trips! (This is something I only got to do once while we lived in Indiana because of childcare issues.) My parents watched Drew so I was able to go on a walking tour of downtown Jacksonville with Anna's 3rd grade class. I learned a lot - I didn't even know that Jacksonville was named after Andrew Jackson!
We interpreted murals,...
...learned about the Modis/Wells Fargo building that I used to work in,... 
...went in an underground tunnel and walked through an old bank vault, and so many more things!
The best part, without a doubt, was the time with Anna. I'm so thankful for her!

Life in Florida

 As I look through my pictures since my last blog post, many of them are all about how we're slowly putting our house together. We are giving away furniture, buying furniture, fixing broken windows, buying a termite bond, hanging pictures, and fixing the refrigerator. The joys of decorating a new place and homeownership!  

The girls used their imaginations for these words in their school's vocabulary parade. Kate chose "window" and Anna chose "creative." They seem to be acclimating to their new school pretty well!

One other exciting milestone to note here - Kate learned to ride her bike without training wheels! I don't have a picture, but she was motivated and did it on her own without our help. Sometimes her strong will works to her advantage.

I'm so thankful for MOPS! I dressed fancy and went to a murder mystery party! It was my first activity with new friends here.


We also had an amazing Galentine's party at MOPS where I was able to learn how to create my own charcuterie board and arrange flowers. Curtis enjoyed the benefits from this! 

Speaking of Curtis, he was transferred from the Central Indiana Presbytery to the North Florida Presbytery for his new position. He did a great job and I am so proud of him!

Drew may not be in preschool since the move, but he gets a lot of special time with me!
These first two pics are from a fun MOPS playdate.


He also gets time with my parents! They take Drew on Tuesdays for "grandparent time." We all look forward to it every week! I get some time to myself and my parents get to develop a special bond with Drew. It's a win-win! Plus, I bring the girls after school and we all have dinner together.


I'll finish with a fun Valentine's pic!