Sleeping with the Fish!

  

 

Kate and I had the most amazing weekend getaway for her 4th grade field trip. Kate, from the moment your teacher walked you out to me at noon, to our talks over crepes and long ride listening to and gushing over Anne of Green gables, everything was just right. It was amazing experiencing the aquarium at night and waking up to a hammerhead zipping by and a globe of fish chasing each other endlessly. It was so fun keeping up with you as you made sure we kept to your ideal schedule and even made the 10:30 otter movie, where I almost stayed awake with you the whole time. And I loved lingering with you the next day (after we got our car jumped by the nicest couple ever!) and having ice cream at 10 am at your insistence, and taking our time checking out the Mission in Carmel, reminiscing over our Dublin apartment where you turned one, and eating some seriously large pizza (but seriously unamazing, you know a good pizza when you have one) and watching you roll down the grass hill. It was pure heaven to have my Kate all to myself for a whole two days.

Kate is 10!

Kate, your birthdays never seem to last long enough for me. I always enjoy watching you soak up every phone call, enjoying every birthday card, insisting on your birthday party wear, and otherwise knowing just how to celebrate, from your subway lunch to getting your homework done at recess so you'd have plenty of time for go carts and milkshakes. (In fact, I felt a little jealous dropping you off at school! And missed you right away.) We love our big girl, and can't believe you are a 10-year-old. But we are loving this stage of hanging out with you and chatting and having your help us out. So I guess we'll take it. You are such a caring and responsible big sister, such a good friend and grounded girl, and you have such great taste in books to boot, we have no idea how all of us lucked out so much.

Danny is 8!

 

 

We love our Danny so dearly. You are growing into the responsibility of big kid so well. You are so sweet, you’ll often get distracted during a task, and then you always own up to it, and then try to get right back to work after, and usually get distracted again, but are patient in getting back to work and usually get the job done in time. You still walk on your tip toes sometimes. I love to watch you read when I come into your classroom, you often twirl your hair as you are engrossed in your book (Mrs. Grannes agrees, you are a voracious reader). You have taken to the habit of reading once you go to bed, and love to keep your book under your pillow, always with a stretchy red book cover over it. You take great care of your little brother and big sister. You continue to have a keen interest in music, and are a complete pleasure to sit down to a practice piano with. You dive right into sight reading and if you dawdle it is because you are testing out some new song you are trying to play by ear or you are composing. You continue to be so inquisitive, you love and adore science things and inventions. You are also quite the artist, and are very good at imagining and drawing characters you think up. When I need to explain something serious to you, you listen gravely and understand. You are very compassionate, and always act ready and willing to take on the responsibilities that come to you as you continue to grow up. It is a new stage in life for you, and as with every stage, I feel the privilege to get to watch it and be a part.

SLC (and ALT) with my little sis

Last month I took a trip all by myself. Kinda crazy. I headed to Salt Lake for a super fabulous blog conference. In fact, it was just as fabulous as I could have dreamed, I got to meet many talented and wonderful woman. And best of all I got to have sister time with my little sis (she just rented out a gorgeous house in the avenues and was still unpacking!) Who is quite the amazing person.



We ran through the rain for a breakfast together before we both headed off to our full days, we had sushi sitting on our tushes totally japanese style at 11pm, we chased the light rail to two different stops action-movie style, we sat in the sunroom of my sis's favorite vegtarian cafe and ate wintery food while looking out on the wintery Salt Lake evening, we scarfed down a basalmic tomato pizza that Julianne brought me that I am still craving and then we we hit the conference's clue party together (this is my sis rocking the Miss Scarlet look), and we hung out with the adorable Sammy and Julianne's also adorable foster puppy for the weekend, Doc.

It was so great to just be a part of my sis's life for a few days. I really got to see just how she is the most giving person, a complete dedicated professional to her work, and still somehow has plenty of energy left for her friends and multiple artistic loves and hobbies and her foster puppies. Love you little sis! I don't know how you do it all, but am so glad I got to come be a part of it. Thanks for letting me crash.