She worked hard for this

One of the perks of being a 4th grader at Fishcreek Elementary School is that you are the "big" kids now.  They have two things 4th graders can be involved in - Student Council and Safety Patrol.  From the first day of school, Grace talked about wanting to be on Safety Patrol because she wanted to help the younger students.  Basically, students on Safety Patrol, help the younger children line up and board the school bus.

At the beginning of the school year, Grace wasn't eligible to do this because she didn't take the bus home after school.  Since I am at work and Kyle had soccer, she needed to go to daycare until one of us could pick her up.  Once she did start taking the bus home in the afternoons, she needed the recommendation of her teacher.  At that time, he felt that she needed to focus a little more on, well, "focusing" in class. It seems Grace was a social butterfly in the classroom.  She was disappointed, but decided to concentrate on her goal.  And, finally, at the beginning of January she made it!

January ended with two snow days for me - January 30 and 31st - so yesterday was the first time I was home when Grace got off the school bus in her Safety Patrol sash and badge.  She was so proud. Way to go, Big Girl!

Merry Christmas, Nana and Ba!

 We had a great time in Florida.  Thank you for having us!

The Little Mermaid

Growing up in New York where Broadway plays were easily accessible, has made me skeptical of community theater and high school plays.  But, over the years I have been pleasantly surprised and proven wrong over and over.  There are some really great performances in our area including high school, community, Weathervane Playhouse, and Playhouse Square.

Last night's performance of "The Little Mermaid" by the Twinsburg Community Theater was no exception.  In fact, it was an amazing show with excellent singing and professional-level costumes and sets.  It was fun for me to go, too, because I knew some of the children in the performance from Wilcox. 

Grace's favorite character was "Scuttle" the seagull.  He flew around and was very silly.  As soon as we came out of the auditorium, she wanted to find him to take a photo. 

We went with Jacob, his mom, and Gabriella and Marcella and their mom.  Everyone agreed, it was a great show!

Cheer camp

Grace and Maggie went to cheer camp with the Stow High School cheerleaders.  Then, tonight, they attended the varsity basketball game and did their cheer and dance.  For only practicing for a couple of hours a week ago, the girls did great!

Go Bulldogs!

The family that draws together....

A first grade class invited me to do some step-by-step drawings with them.  There is a YouTube channel called "Kids Art Hub" where a man and his children choose something to draw and then do it together as they explain.  I made a snowman with the class and then came home an introduced it to Grace.

We did a few together and then hung them on the refrigerator.  It is so cool how we each put our own style into the drawings.  (Max from "Secret Life of Pets" and the Shopkins "Lippy Lips")

Dancers on Ice

That title almost sounds like a Disney on Ice production!

Hudson Conservatory of Ballet hosted a holiday party for the girls at the Kent State Ice Arena.  Grace stayed mostly with Annalise since they were about the same level skaters.

I love that Eric and Sunita find ways for the girls to bond and build their friendships outside the dance studio.  Sometimes, dance class can be intense. They expect the girls to be focused on dance when they are there, so events like this are welcome ways to have some fun together.

What does a 9-year old think about her mom?

This was a Facebook quiz.  You were supposed to ask your child the questions without prompting and then write exactly what she says.  Here goes...

As answered by Grace, 9 years old:

1. What is something I say a lot? I love you
2. What makes me happy? Me!
3. What makes me sad? Sad movies
4. How tall am I? 5 feet (I am actually taller than that!)
5. How old am I? 47 (I'll take it)
6. What's my favorite thing to do? Play with me
7. What makes you proud of me? You work hard and we have a good family
8. What is my favorite food? Ravioli (not really...)
9. Do I have a favorite child? Yes! Me!
10. If I could go anywhere, where would it be? Paris (Sure. That would be fine but I think that is where Grace wants to go.  Greece, Portugal, and Portofino, Italy are top on my travel list right now.)
11. Do you think you could live without me? No!
12. What's my favorite song? Hit the Quon (Um, no)
13. How do you annoy me? Make very annoying sounds
14. What is my favorite movie? I don't know (Dirty Dancing, in case you were wondering)
15. Who do I have a crush on? Kyle
16. Where was I born? In Florida
17. What's my favorite show to watch? Big Bang Theory
18. Who's my best friend? Me
19. What scares me? Me being in danger
20. How do you describe me to your friends? Hilarious

My cutie...She did pretty well.

Welcome 2017

Well, another year is behind us.  Welcome, 2017! This is the year Grace turns double-digits.  It seems like that happened so fast but when I look back at those years, they have been filled with many big and small memories.  Grace likes us to tell her stories about when she was "little" so I am glad I have this blog to help me remember the milestones and the little day-to-day things that happened.

After a low-key New Year's Eve we had a lazy New Year's Day.  I think coming back to grey skies and snow after sunny, warm Florida made all three of us want to hibernate.  It is back to work for me tomorrow, so we made cookies, stayed in pjs, and took down all the Christmas decorations.

That's all.  And, that was enough.

Grace "painted" her cookies with food coloring.  Also, notice how pretty her nails are.  She and Nana went to have them polished when we were in Florida.