{a brand-new nine year old with her cool new glasses!}
{enjoying some tea (hot chocolate) on her birthday}
{her official cast photo from the school play}
apologies for the absence here on the blog with updates! It’s nearly the end of summer and I am feeling so behind. And a little uninspired. I’m thinking of changing from a blog to a (family) newsletter instead? So, stay tuned. But I wanted to share Eloise’s annual update before the end of her birthday month!
{year nine} NINE. I just can’t believe our girl is nine. And she feels like such a big kid and a little kid at the same time. I’ve heard it’s called the “pre-tween” which makes my heart break just a little (if I’m being honest).
Eloise is such a cool kid. But she is so, so ready to be a grown-up and I hope that she will learn to be patient with being a kid and really enjoy these years before she’s an actual grown-up! She loves Taylor Swift and Harry Potter, and spent her birthday celebrating with two of her oldest and dearest friends (who she’s known since birth) having High Tea at the Queen Mary Tea Room and getting mani/pedis.
Eloise just finished her third grade year at school and really did well. School felt so normal this year with all of the extra social happenings and extra-curriculars. She joined a (big) Girl Scout troop last fall which was so fun for her, and extra special because a few of her old friends joined her (she doesn’t go to school with them, so it was great to see them at meetings). Her troop is entirely a Junior troop (it’s grades 3, 4, and 5) and her smaller third grade “patrol” were really close. Eloise, our niece Charlotte, and Aaron were solidly committed to selling Girl Scout cookies over the winter. They sold at the train station, Green Lake, and even at a local LA Fitness (ha!) and crushed their goal of 1,000 boxes by selling roughly 1,200!
This year at school Eloise decided to join the annual school musical production of The Wizard of Oz. It’s open to third through fifth graders, and after seeing the play last year, she wanted to join in on the fun, opting to be part of the backstage crew. It was so much work for her (quite a few weekends and then hours of tech rehearsals for the week before the play) and she did so well. She helped create some of the costumes and backdrops, as well as moving scenes and props during the show.
At the beginning of the year, I was finally able to get the girls back into regular swim lessons. Eloise had done pretty well with the lessons last spring, but had picked up a few bad habits and just needed some more time in the water. Eloise’s new instructor was so great and had her swimming so well within a few lessons. (The lessons are just 15 minutes, so it was pretty impressive!) And by the end, Eloise was confidently swimming the entire length of the pool, learned how to side-breathe, and was mastering new swimming strokes.
Eloise has been growing her hair out for well over a year. It was so, so long and most of the way down her back. She was determined to grow it long enough to donate it (to a charity that makes wigs for kids) and needed 12” in length. When I took her for a hair appointment in the spring, we weren’t sure if she was going to get a trim or a huge cut. Eloise was a bit nervous about having really short hair, but with a little encouragement and support, her hair stylist cut 12” off, leaving Eloise with the most adorable bob. It was a few inches shorter than I think she wanted, but she’s grown to love it! When I sent in her hair for donation, I was surprised that the organization offered a Girl Scout patch for the donation. Eloise was absolutely elated and was so proud to have the patch join her others on her Girl Scout vest!
When I started planning for summer camps last winter (yes, in January and February I have to find and pay for camps for the summer!) Eloise wasn’t really interested in any camps. She did the same Girl Scout camp that she participated in last year (and had so much fun, again!) but the big one was sleepaway camp! There are a few really well-known sleepaway camps in Seattle, and Camp Orkila is one of them. It’s a YMCA camp that is out on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. I signed Eloise up to go with a friend (which was key) so that she knew who her bunk-mate was and would have at least one friend at camp. Some of the details are pretty murky (getting information out of a 9 year old is like pulling teeth sometimes!) but based on the little bit I was told, the letters, and the photos sent from counselors, camp was a hit! She spent the week signing songs around the campfire, kayaking in the Salish Sea, and swimming and crafting with her new friends!
Birthday Interview:
What is your name? Eloise.
How old are you? Nine.
What is your favorite thing to do? Read. Play games.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Hmm. A singer and a writer.
What is your favorite food? A lot of things. Hamburgers, hot dogs, Mac and cheese.
Who do you like to spend your time with? My family.
What do you do really well? Watch movies. Read. Roller blade, a little bit.
What makes you laugh? Things that are really funny. Um, like the Harry Potter Weasley twins.
What is the best time of day? When school gets out!
What are you afraid of? The dark?
Who is your best friend? The Pagoagas. [our neighbors that live around the corner from us and go to the same school]
What do you like to do with your family? Play games, watch movies, read Harry Potter.
What do you love to learn about? Writing. And drawing.
Where do you like to go? My house. Mimi’s house. The movie theater. The nail spa.
What is your favorite book? A lot of them. The Boxcar Children, Harry Potter.
If you had one wish, what would it be? That I could say anywhere that I wanted to go, and I could say “1,2,3” and snap my fingers and be there!
Happy, Happy Birthday Kiddo!
M