Elise = 11

Possibly Elise's biggest
surprise: the Plankton book
she's been rechecking out
from the library since early
summer. Less expensive than
$200, even!

After warning me this would happen for more than a year, Elise finally turned 11! Go Elise!

Her party ideas were vast: "I want all of my friends to go camping together," "I want all of my friends to go on a trail ride," "I want all of my friends to do glass fusion at a pottery place." These were all big asks. Fortunately, Elise is actually a reasonable person, so we settled on pizza, a campfire, and a night hike in our backyard and on our trails. Totally doable.

She couldn't sleep the night before, which is nothing new, but did manage to get back to sleep after waking at 5:12 (she said). She's really growing up! The kitties came in to wish her a happy birthday, and very shortly, Elise had pinned on the Birthday Girl button and was  digging into the special cereal she wanted to try: Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters. And then Naomi's present, which I had admittedly underestimated: a cuddly stuffed moose that she adored, still being a huge fan of soft things and especially against her cheek.

Sometimes I feel like birthdays rocket off to a start. Very shortly, we were all playing a board game Uncle Tom had given her, and digging into a cross-stich kit from Aunt Nancy. Then Elise opened a scooter, and Kalina and I sent everyone off for a ride while we prepared her present--a "treasure hunt" complete with clues. 

Which worked marvelously! Elise pulled her final clue out of the minnow trap that had been lowered into the stream, and found... a giant water bear stuffed animal! If you don't know about water bears, you need to Google them now. Elise was delighted--especially since it's actually a pretty cute little guy.

Somewhere along the way, Elise also opened some Bertie Botts Every-Flavor Beans from Kalina/Harry Potter. She weathered "vomit" pretty well (Naomi cried when it got stuck in her tooth--but I have to give her credit for trying it! I was astonished, after licking my miniscule portion, that they hadn't somehow managed to make it taste good. Nope, not good at all. Ergh.), and actually enjoyed the light-blue "soap" bean. Later, she accidentally tried "earthworm," which was definitely not as tasty as the "cherry" she was going for. Lots of laughs, and a few good flavors (watermelon, blueberry, sausage, etc.).

After the now-traditional lunch of Matt's chocolate-pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles (I suppose if you can call Lucky Charms breakfast, you can call chocolate-chip pancakes lunch??), we Zoomed with Grandma and Grandpa and discussed all things Elise, including our recent trip. She opened a few more gifts, including a cookbook, an aquascope, and a beautiful plankton book she'd had from the library since mid-summer, and that had cost $200 when we looked it up on Amazon. Fortunately, we found it a good bit cheaper thanks to diligent re-checking, and Elise now owns her own copy. Which she still pours over even though she seems to have it mostly memorized. Elise enjoyed showing Grandma and Grandpa some of her most favorite critters.

One of the many expressions
of Elise

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying presents and getting ready for the crowd of Nature Club friends, plus a random new neighbor we're really excited about, that would be descending on our house.

And what a fun evening! Pizza and a shell-painting craft got everyone warmed up, and then we divided into teams for a scavenger hunt along the trail. Which somehow, fortunately, we wrangled into a tie.... After that, flashlights, a campfire, "Smoreos," (although most girls opted for traditional smores), and night games finished out an amazing evening. The girls have super fun friends, and the evening couldn't have been more beautiful. Best of all: Elise actually ate enough Oreos and Smoreos that she felt a bit sick. I feel like that's a win, in its own way.

Another amazing year for Elise! She's actually grown (we were wondering there for a while!), she's expanded her world into the micro-world, made new friends, and read her first Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet--which she finished while I was still trying to remember whether it's appropriate for youngsters). 

Elise has been loving every minute of being 10, except for the minutes in which she's doing math, practicing music, doing chores, singing in front of people (or dreading that event), visiting the dentist, and occasionally squabbling with Naomi. All the rest have been pretty great. And seriously those are pretty much it.

She's still a sweet, fun, talkative, easygoing and enthusiastic girl, and is channeling all those positive traits into her various pursuits. She loves her leadership positions with AHG ("It's so much more fun when you get to make the decisions!" and her role as "the adventurous one" in our family (their label, not mine). She tries really hard to get along well with people, and it usually works out for her. 

But then there's math. She's just fine at math but, well, it's just hard to finish something you so strongly dislike. Right? She enjoys easy one-digit long division (but NOT 2-digit or 3-digit), factoring into primes, any math that seems to have a purpose, and a new math game I bought to help improve her outlook, but that's her limit and, frankly, she's often been just a bear during math time. And not the snuggly furry kind. (Although a few new developments have made math go much more smoothly lately.... I'm still holding my breath to see if we've turned a corner, though.)

She perks right up, however, when given a complex writing assignment or freedom to "do her plankton book"--a super-fun curriculum I bought her over the summer--and readily forgives me for any math I've forced upon her. If she held grudges, I'm not sure we'd ever be on speaking terms.

Fortunately, she always seems ready to give people another chance, which gives her an advantage in the world of middle children.

It's nearly impossible to chat with Elise nowadays and not hear about various types of plankton, or her plan to create a unicorn using a few types of DNA. She now knows she wants to be some sort of a microbiologist when she grows up, or possibly a park ranger studying sea turtles. I think it's safe to say that water+life are in her professional future.

Elise embarks on the
treasure hunt created
by Kalina!

In fact she nearly cried when Matt tried to talk her out of grad school (as he does everyone he meets who's considering it). I had to reassure her later that we would happily help her make the best decision when the time comes, and besides, she'll be like 22 by then so.... She perked right up.

Elise also continues to enjoy theater, and voice lessons (but not voice practice!), hugs, pets, anything outdoors, and a little writing club she has with a few friends. She's dug into some great books this year, from Romeo and Juliet to The Hound of the Baskervilles, Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women. And loves them. Oh, and she still adores sugar, a little too much....

While not the cleanest person in the house, she at least does recognize the need for the occasional tidying up, possibly thanks to Kalina, who's a total pro. Recently, her desk went from unusable to quite lovely, so I know there's hope. When the girls is motivated, she achieves her goals. 

The end of the treasure hunt!

Elise is super sweet with Naomi on their good days, with a lot less squabbling than there had been for a while, and they've logged a lot of hours working on shows, drawing comic books, making up stories, and playing at the creek.

She has a great memory and enjoys telling us things she used to think when she was little, which also has the advantage of triggering Naomi's memory as well. She can rollerblade, play a little tennis, take care of poison dart frogs and other pets, bake/cook pretty well, sew nice things on a sewing machine, make friends with almost anyone (as long as they're nice, and at least slightly interested in nature), coordinate an outfit, 

The prize from the treasure
hunt: a stuffed water bear!

She wants to be taken seriously, and usually is, but still gets those crazy ideas that sound so very plausible to her, but make the rest of us smile. She's still Elise, for sure.

May she always be!

Eight is Great!

 Naomi had super exciting plans for her birthday! Like unicorns! And cake! And presents! Woohoo!

Apparently, a little too exciting--at 11:30 the night before, she was still awake, and stressed about still being awake, setting a family record for sleeplessness on the eve of a big day. I don't think even Elise has made it that late due to sheer excitement. Sheesh. (The thunderstorm that set in at about 11:10 didn't help.)

This happened only because Matt and I were watching a movie. Fortunately, Kalina let us know around 11:00 that everyone was still awake. Um, thank you? 

I told them all in no uncertain terms, but tempering my words with kindness, or at least confusing them because I sounded sugary sweet and yet very firm at the same time (because Naomi can sense the tension and then has even more trouble falling asleep because "you're mad at me"), that no one may wake up any sisters in the morning, despite it being a birthday.

I questioned why I'd put so much time into all the preparations when everyone was just going to be melting down anyway. Except, to give my kids credit, they actually do really well (eerily well, sometimes) on way too little sleep. 

For a while, I sat beside my 7-year-old, silently willing her to just fall asleep, before she dismissed me, letting me know she wasn't actually super scared of the storm anymore. I guess she's growing up after all (although in truth, none of my kids has been super scared of storms at night--or at least, they haven't let me know until just recently).

Despite my honey-drenched words of warning the night before, at 7:30 on Naomi's birthday, the children were all wide awake. Awake enough, in fact, to startle Matt and I out of our slumber by blowing birthday horns upon entering our room. Matt, not able to rocket into the festive spirit quite that quickly, only just managed to avoid ruining the morning by saying things he'd regret later. I only thought them, and squeezed out a disoriented "Happy birthday Sweetie!" that probably sounded anything but cheery, but was at least present. Usually the roles are reversed nowadays: the parents up and the kids sleeping in. But not on a birthday, no matter how late we were all up the night before!

All that to say, Naomi was pretty psyched about her special day!

Breaking about 10 years of birthday tradition, I required everyone to have a bowl of healthy cereal before diving into the Chocolate Lucky Charms "birthday cereal." "We can't have both sugar for breakfast and a poor night of sleep," I insisted. The guilty parties put up very little fuss, and grabbed the Cheerios without a fight. And then a present or two.

Naomi had been guessing presents (and coming up with last-minute new ideas) all week. And her first one was, as predicted, a stuffed animal and a book, both from Elise. She also opened up a lot of Playmobil this year, being super excited about it at the moment, and unicorn-themed items, like a unicorn stapler with rainbow tape for her brand-new desk.

The day before, we'd found a cake--a Wal-Mart one, with pink frosting and yellow shell borders that we knew we could doctor up a little. Sure enough, Naomi had the great idea of adding frosting "clouds," and placing stuffed unicorns (and a friendly dragon) in them. Plus a candy Happy Birthday. Plus unicorn sprinkles. And voila! A magical unicorn cake. I love home-making birthday cakes and I also love picking them up and checking them off the list. This felt like the best of both worlds and definitely not a cop-out. 

The morning was broken up only by a few presents and from the high-maintenance baby hummingbird we were caring for temporarily (long story!). Naomi played, the older sisters created a joyful environment, and I finished prepping for her impending birthday party. 

After a delicious lunch of Daddy's chocolate chip pancakes (a new tradition?), we video chatted with Grandma and Grandpa. We enjoyed catching up, and Naomi enjoyed showing off all her new gifts. Like, all of them.

Then it was about time for her mini-party! Naomi's 3 friends arrived amid neighbors mowing lawns and cutting down trees--not exactly a festive atmosphere when you have to shout and make sure no debris hits you. We ended up indoors for craft time (painting squishies) and a few games (pin the tail on the unicorn and outdoors again for a donut pinata). The pinata was the best I'd ever seen, actually spraying candy (and the non-candy items I insisted on, too) for each of at least 6-7 hits, and not needing a golf club and a grown-up to break it in the first place. I'd been unrealistically nervous about the pinata (and Naomi's expectations for things to happen over which she might have no control--like being the one to break it open), and was relieved that it ended so well. 

Since Naomi only had 3 guests, they each got to customize their own cupcake (frosting flavor and mini-plastic-unicorn-decoration color). I realized I also had mythical creature frosted animal crackers, and fortunately, this amount of treat actually filled the girls, even the one who literally devoured a 4-day-old corn muffin the last time she visited because she's always, always very hungry (yes, her parents feed her). 

I then hurried the lagging guests through painting the rest of their squishies, as Naomi had one last activity she was very passionate about: staging a play.

It was late in the game (i.e., two days before) that I realized not only did she actually really want to perform this play she'd been formulating, but that the stakes were going to be high. But, despite lots of pressure; lack of sleep; a guest for whom, as I had to explain to Naomi, acting in a play would be akin to Naomi touching worms, a simile she could begrudgingly relate to; and a severe time shortage thanks to all the other fun we'd been having, the girls managed to perform something. There may have been a mini meltdown that we managed to divert. In the end, the play happened and it was cute, it was sweet, and it covered many, of the story elements Naomi had wanted to include. She did a great job of formulating it so that people could be any character they wanted, making everyone (I think) happy--even the girl who ended up just helping out backstage (much to her relief--I learned later from her mom she'd been worried about the play all week!). Kalina goodnaturedly accepted being volunteered to be a stand-in, and Elise, who'd naturally been planning to perform all along, helped fill out the character list. Thank goodness for birthday girl sisters, who are always the heroes of all of the birthdays in our house.

The guests left and we crashed for a few moments before getting the house ready for birthday dinner with Grandpa and Marianne! I enjoy Saturday birthdays because you pretty much only have to clean your house once to do all the celebrating, but it really is a whirlwind.

For dinner, Naomi chose the traditional Jason's Deli, and then we dug into the cake, which was quite special for all the toppings. She's still a little nervous about birthday candles (fire!) so she shied away at first, but got them all blown out after a couple tries.

Naomi showed Grandpa and Marianne all the gifts, and then opened a few more. She was all ready to dig in and start putting things together, when bedtime happened. This was a tragic event, because it meant that the birthday was over. Really over. I agree, Naomi, it felt like it went too fast! Just like the last 8 years!

Naomi, at 8, is a sweetie who enjoys being young, but shows some sure signs of growing up, too! She can read just about anything, but often prefers a stack of picture books. She's equally at home discussing the Underground Railroad and the aftermath of the Civil War as she is making up imaginary dragons. She does her own hair, but insists on pigtails. 

Naomi still cares for and names all her stuffed animals, and many other animals, as well, her most popular being Oreo, Smores, Midnight, and Marshmallow (as it turns out, most animals are either black and white, various shades of brown and white, just black, or just white. The gray ones kinda stump her.).

She's intimidated by the idea of riding a bike, but flies on a scooter. She's pushing herself to swim underwater (and is totally getting it, one paddle at a time!), and I've watched her shoot baskets (at a slightly lower hoop, but still--considering she gets zero practice, not bad!). She doesn't really enjoy piano unless she's good at the piece, in which case she likes to sing along (and is asking to switch to voice lessons...we'll see).

And she's still very sensitive at the table, although she voluntarily licked a tomato this year and she's agreed to try to get used to spaghetti. We're determined to work more on it and ease her out of some of her anxiety Her favorite foods are all the sugary ones, and her least favorite is, assuredly, meat. 

Naomi can entertain herself for hours with craft supplies, and has trouble seeing a recyclable without thinking, "Hey, I bet I could make ______ out of that!" She's considering being an art teacher when she grows up, but mostly just wants to be a mommy. Which she practices for by befriending all the little girls who are younger than her, and keeping track of all those stuffed animals. I think she'd be totally fine with 30+ kids.

Naomi is much more of a trooper than most people would want to give her credit for, having hiked for miles over rough terrain, only about the first 30 minutes of which she enjoyed, and only complaining in earnest when I was about ready to as well. She constantly has to keep up with her sisters in this way, which is probably why she cried real tears when we suggested another Colorado vacation instead of our planned beach one. She'll take sand any day (she loves it).

Sometimes she surprises me with her knowledge--for instance, she had somehow internalized that plants and animals have different types of cells from one of the conversations I'd had over her head with Kalina and Elise. She put it on a poster she was making about animals. And then there's math and spelling... don't let the pigtails fool you--she's clearly not to be underestimated.

Naomi was the very first of all my children (not adjusted for age!) to figure out:

1. If you get all your schoolwork done before lunch, you have an entire afternoon of free time ahead of you.

2. How to swim underwater without getting water up her nose, and without face-mask goggles (although it's not a mastered skill yet, she's just made it further than either sister).

She recently managed to clip all her fingernails by herself (not sure what age this is supposed to happen, but she was good enough at it that I'm pretty sure we were overdue), and can sound out melodies on the piano, take care of some laundry, and take care of the bunny 100% by herself (she's super proud of this, and can also get him to cuddle up next to her).

Of the things she dislikes, worms, mentions of death in books, anything "human body" (blood, broken bones, major organs), most foods, and competitive games top the list. I can't blame her on a lot of these.

Despite her disgust at all things medical, she loves having loose teeth and, paradoxically, grossing me out with them, which she does quite well. She always leaves a nice note for the tooth fairy, with lots of questions.

It's beginning to be clear that the poor girl suffers from some real anxieties, but she does actually work on conquering them. Sometimes she ventures upstairs all by herself, she always calms down fairly quickly after being placed into a boat against her will, and, again, she licked a tomato. 

Naomi gets a huge kick out of puns and jokes, and enjoys making up her own. "All you do is find a word that sounds like another, or has the same meaning. Then, it's easy!" Showing even better taste, she adores the original Winnie the Pooh stories. Because they're amazing, and she knows it. And they really give her the giggles. She doesn't, however, like to be surprised by endings, especially if there's any suspense, and will happily read the last page/chapter before restarting the book from the beginning. Just to make sure there are no nasty surprises.

She's the most ticklish person I know, and Kalina's mastered the ability to "tickle" her from across the room, with Naomi begging her to stop. She still insists on dresses, although occasionally wears a skirt and shirt. The dresses are always cute, though, and she even has a dark blue one she saves for outdoor activities at which she might get messy. She's prepared. But she bemoans the fact that every place offering t-shirts (art camp, AHG) don't also make dresses. 

Most of the time, Naomi is happy to do her own thing, or play with her sisters, or complete a good worksheet (she loves worksheets, although she can't really admit it around her sisters). She loves word finds, codes, fortune tellers, and drawing lessons, plus any good book or little animal setup.

Naomi enjoys her friends and craves playdates, even when they've had to be outside due to covid. Fortunately, her two besties live quite close and their parents also highly support outdoor playdates, covid or no, so she barely suffered at all during the past year and a half. 

Naomi's a little sweetie, and we're all just delighted to celebrate her!