 |
| Here's Kalina, having overcome altitude sickness at Rocky Mountain National Park. I was proud of her for venturing cautiously back up to the heights! |
They also like to pester me about when she can drive. Also not fun, but I'm secretly relieved she seems to want to learn, ever (many teens don't really anymore).
Since Kalina is 13, it seems strange to blog about her. Shouldn't she be doing the blogging?
So it's a good time to revert to more of a highlights reel. Pictures are below. We celebrated well, including kind of a last-minute kayaking/paddleboating party with a few friends. Amazingly, the only major wetness was from the occasional very light rain on our chilly day. On Kalina's actual birthday, the rain kept us from a walk at the Arboretum, but we enjoyed extra time board gaming, so it all worked out.At 13, and aside from a few occasional lapses in judgment regarding treatment of her sisters and the cats, Kalina's hit a sweet spot of ultra-capable and pretty amenable, as long as you're not asking her to do anything unreasonable like sing on stage or join a basketball team. Is 13 one of those in like a lamb, out like a lion things?
Kalina's favorite hobby is still reading, and she sleuthed out Sherlock Holmes this year--a wonderful find that I enjoyed, too--plus an author that Uncle Tom loved as a kid (and who is still writing). But she'll read almost anything, from a few of Elise's current faves to the around-the-world books I'm pushing on everyone this summer as part of the reading program I created (because I'm that kind of homeschool mom).
 |
| Kalina's traditional ice-cream cake. Yum. |
Kalina's also been loving the orchestra she joined this year. She can often tell you what the other instruments are doing at various points in a piece, and is highly motivated to practice to keep up with the group. She was switched to first chair viola for the final concert, and is getting ready to audition for the highest orchestra in this particular program (just a homeschool program--don't get too excited) later this summer. She gets personally offended if people confuse her instrument with a violin.
She's also been enjoying tennis with Matt, lots of board games (the more complex the better, sometimes!), hanging out with kitties, biking, kayaking, hiking, and, amazingly, helping out at various activities. She would like it to be known that she enjoys science and the outdoors nearly as much as Elise does, just more quietly. Especially astronomy, meteorology (seriously, since she was 2), ecology, and anything involving animals. She's kinda interested in robotics, too, and definitely has the mind for it.
 |
| I try not to post pictures of other peoples' kids' faces, so here's my best shot! |
Around the house, Kalina can tidy up a kitchen (or desk, or drawer) like nobody's business (a newfound, much-appreciated skill, on the same level as toilet cleaning about 3-4 years ago), and organizes her books by personal favorite ranking. She enjoys learning about house maintenance, and doesn't seem to mind weeding. She'll cook if there's a purpose (like frying an egg on the days I decide everyone's going to make their own lunch), and is a good help on the (rare) occasions she volunteers to help with something.
She's developed a solid affinity for plants, with a happy little cluster (except the one that died, and the other one that's dying) under her grow lamp. She reports regularly on their progress. And through the winter she enjoyed her usual stint of crocheting, even delving into quilting because she loves their patterns.
Kalina has been taking on a leadership role as a newsletter editor and an honor flag ceremony member for our AHG troop, making a solid entrance into the middle/ high-school unit. We've discovered that she'll see several sweet friends both at our co-op and at AHG next year, which just seems perfect for her.
Kalina's becoming more serious-minded, and is happy to plan for her future. She still wants to be a science writer, and mostly is managing that by working pretty diligently, but still trying to do as little work as humanly possible. Who can blame her? She's pretty even-keeled, not usually losing her temper or getting as excited as either of her sisters. Which could easily mean she'd be overlooked, but sometimes I'm not sure she really minds....
Kalina's dislikes haven't changed much: dresses, being the center of attention, rhyming books that do a poor job of rhyming and/or telling an actual story, a packed schedule, anything out of tune or not lining up, fashion, broccoli, handwriting, and probably a few things she doesn't tell me about because she's fairly tactful. Although she'll definitely call me out if my logic doesn't seem to line up.
She dreams about cats, making a cat room, making a catio, making cat shelves, etc. Her happy place is on her bed with a book and a cat--especially the one who's become accustomed to ear-scratching and will cuddle with her.
Happy 13th birthday, sweet Kalina! So proud of how happy, healthy, and mature you're becoming! May there always be a cat.
