best friend…big sister… berry picking… branch climbing… and a bed partner – what?!?!? sleepover in the middle of the week?!?!? That friend of yours must be pretty special!!

Really doesn’t get better than this

You put this picture under your pillow with some money you had received from the tooth fairy:

Early May your cousin made promises of purple hair – and you were inspired. For her birthday, she was blessed with purple hair and purple glasses. Beautiful.

Meanwhile, back at our home site, you were giving your Dad a VERY hard time about brushing your hair. While doing that, you started mentioning that you would like purple hair also – same bottom four inches as your cousin.

Hey Peanut Butter –

I haven’t written you in a little while, but I have thought about it a lot. Let’s start with today.

You had your 9 year old well visit today. And you are well. So very well!
73.8 pounds
53.5 inches
Blood pressure of 104/56 (which is guess is normal for a kid).

You are slightly taller than an average kid your age, and you are the weight of an average kid…following the same growth curves you have been on all 9 years. Dr. Shipley thought you were doing an AWESOME job taking good care of yourself – eating well, staying active, making good relationships, sleeping well, doing great in school.

You told Dr. Shipley that your favorite subject in school is art. When she pushed you to pick a second subject, you chose Science and told her that you pulled apart a lima bean today. 🙂

We are so very proud and happy with how you are growing up, Baby Girl. So in love with you!!!

Your Daddy and I have both been to every one of your well visits. We are so happy to share all the things you are doing. We are both SO HAPPY to help you grow in EVERY way we can!!!

Love you Baby!
Mama

Here are some pics from the day:

Jump Rope for Heart gave you a super awesome opportunity to join your classmates to contribute to something much bigger than you. You created a website, wrote some emails, raised a lot of money, and joined a team to jump! You wrote very thoughtful thank you notes to all those who helped you, and we sent this picture with the notes:

I sent the picture below to school with Maya – This is my best friend, Angie (3rd grade teacher) and me in 1989 on a normal day (hmmm…). Posted on Facebook by an adult – who was, at one time, one of my 7th grade students.

“If I have a boyfriend, he will have to be…
Funny…
Gross.. At least sometimes (as you just slurped up your spaghetti into your mouth)…
Oh – and he has to like to play outdoors.
(melt)

Oh my goodness! I am so proud of you. Coolest thing? You are MORE proud of yourself!!

A few weeks back, at a relatively stressful time, I took you to piano lessons. It was Nov 14. The week before your piano teacher, Jenn, had told Daddy Jim that we needed to help you pick out a Christmas song for your holiday recital. I wasn’t there on Nov 7 with Daddy Jim, and I really didn’t know how this all worked. So I stressed out a bit trying to help you find a song you liked at your level that “wasn’t taken” by someone else whom Jenn teaches. We got to piano Nov 14 with a piece you liked and had practiced a bit and it was “taken.” Sigh.

So, Jenn (somewhat frustrated) played some pieces out of the book I got you to help you make a new selection.

You chose “Deck the Halls.” But then, when she asked you to try it, you said No. Jenn encouraged you, and you kept saying no. You were nervous – and rightly so, as it was much harder than anything you had done before. Deep sigh. Finally, you tried it. (And on the way home, when I asked you to tell me what you thought the “good things” and “the things you would change” were from you lesson, you said that you would change that you didn’t try Deck the Halls when Jenn asked you to.

Fast forward to tonight.

First Piano Recital.
Rock Star.
You.

Here is a video of you – click here

Today is Friday – our

Thanksgiving day – you were with your Daddy and his family at Kate’s house yesterday on the official day. You came to see Daddy Jim and me this morning at 9:30a. We started our day with a trip to Wegmans to pick up a few things and a meal for my graduate student Swagata and her family. They are from India, so they don’t know too much about Thanksgiving. On top of being far from home, Swagata and Baby Sharanya have been really sick forever! They needed a little love…

To help them celebrate, you and I created Holiday Craft #1: Place settings

This is the email they sent to us at the end of the day:

Dear Maya, Madeline, Daniel, Jim and April,
It was a real treat for us. We were all so touched. We invited quite a few of our friends and had a gala time. We even showed our parents the spread over skype. They were so excited and happy. Please tell Maya that her handiwork for the oranges was adored by all our friends.
The food was sumptuous. Sharanya also loved it.
We couldn’t have hoped for a better Thanksgiving. Thank you for everything.
Thank you for making us feel a part of this culture.
Attaching a couple of snaps.
Best!
Sharanya, Wreeto and Swagata

This picture is for my Dad, your Opa – I love him so much, and I miss him…

Who’s the turkey now?
Hey Baby Girl –

Slightly disturbing:
leraz.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/distrubing.jpg”>

Hey Baby Girl –

Highlights from Thanksgiving 2013 –

You and Siobhan prepared and gave me “Spa Day”