Eight.Seven Years Old

 8.7 Years Old

• We got another cat! Dad had a co-worker who knew someone giving away kittens. They had a orange and white one, my favorite. I asked you to come do an errand with me. I didn't tell you where we were going. The place was 20 minutes away, out in the country on a dark night. We we finally pulled up to someone's house, you guessed that we were getting a kitten. He was so friendly. You felt very special for being the first person to snuggle with him. We named him Hobbes. I did not want an indoor cat, but he loved being indoors. I just installed doggy doors which Hobbes figure out very fast. Each of you were so good about going outside to play with him each day. One night, I brought quilts outside so we could do our reading out there with Hobbes. He was so snuggly that night. Sadly, we went to church one Sunday and then quickly to the Prices for dinner and when we came back, he wasn't home. He could have been eaten by a raccoon, but he could be in someone's home as an indoor cat. We were sad to see him gone.
• Oh my gosh, you are so crazy. You came home from church with a beard and mustache drawn on your face. At the end of class, you all color a picture, and you decided to be the picture this time. I love your sense of humor.
• You have a friend at church that's family needed a working car. Grandpa was so kind to find one for them. You worked really hard and helped me detail the inside of it. I love your giving and service focused heart. 
• We snuck in one more trip while the weather is good. We went up to Mt. Rainier and Seattle for the weekend. We left Thursday morning and made our way up to Mt. Rainier. It was overcast when we rolled in, which was a bummer because Mike said seeing the mountain makes it majestic. As soon as we started on the trail, the clouds started to part and we could see it. The mountain was awesome. We hiked up to a ridge. We saw waterfalls and marmots on the way up. The view was beautiful. Out towards the valley, the clouds were think so it looked liked the clouds were floating on top. we were debating to finish the loop or not. None of you kids wanted to, so we just turned around. The moment we do, the fog rolls in and by the time we get to the bottom, we can't see 6 feet ahead of us. We ended the day with hot cocoa from the lodge and we stayed at a place near by. The next day, we look the longer way to Seattle, so we could ride the ferry over. We spent most of our time at Pike's Market, shopping the different stands, putting gum on the gum wall, and eating at Ivar's. We had your try the raw scallops (not your favorite) and sampled all the different flavors of Apple cider (you liked that). We then took the monorail over to the city center where we saw the Space needle, toured the Gates Foundation, and played at the cool park. We headed up north for the hotel because the next day, Dad was competing in the Spartan Beast. While we was racing, we visited the Reptile Zoo, ate lunch at a park, and played in the river. We were able to catch the very end of Dad's race and watched him cross the finish line. 
• Volleyball is starting. This is a whole new sport for you. You have mostly done dance so it has been fun to see you try something new. You are on a 3/4 grade team with mostly Sublimity girls. Maddy our neighbor and Lizzie from church are on your team. It has been great. You got a great, consistent serve that helps get your team points. With each game, you are getting more aggressive with going after the ball. Our Saturdays have been full of sports with you and JoJo playing in the morning and then Sam playing two games in the afternoon. 
• Your school hosted their jog-a-thon. The weather was great this year. I dressed up as the Wildcat this year, but all the other PTC member were in inflatable costumes. When you were running, Maggie's grade got to go out and cheer your group on. I was impressed that you ran I think the whole time. 
• Lately, you have been turning into a porcupine. You have not wanted to snuggle or give hugs. I told you that you have to give me at least one hug each day. This has sparked me into thinking what is your love language. Part of me thinks that you might be a gift person, being a middle child who gets lots of hand-me-downs. So I want to try and find a test to give you and see what is your language. 
• So each week, you bring home a slip that tells how you did in school that week. For the first few weeks, you told me that you weren't doing them. Then, I found one in your backpack. It has a 2 out of 4 on listening to directions and participating in discussions. I guess you have been getting them, just didn't want to show me them. I read the note. It said that you weren't playing attention during direction, watch what your peers are doing, and then get the work finished. Honestly, you do go into your on lala land, but if you are getting the work finished, I am going to be okay with your day dreaming/thinking time. As far as discussions go, you told me that it was easy stuff they were talking about. I told you that you should speak up and add more depth. So, in conclusion, i don't care if you get 2s in those areas and you have been showing me them afterwards.










• you knew the