Look At Your Own Risk, It's Grimm

Michaela is a reading fool. 

I think she may have read 7000 pages just since the beginning of this year. 

I made that number up, but a lower number didn't sound high enough, and a higher number just sounded ludicrous. 

She can be found buried in a book if she is not otherwise engaged.  This here is a whopper of a book, too. 

It's the Grimms' fairy tales, at least one of the editions; I got it at the library, thinking it was cool because I really wanted her to read the "real" fairy tales, not the watered down versions.

Can we say "engrossed"?

She reads while she eats!  She can't get enough.  She's read through a lot of the American Girl books (I'm not sure what I think about that-it's fun reading for her), and she loves Magic Tree House, although she is way beyond those books as far as her ability.  Again, it's fun for her.  But the other day she tore through a book I checked out for our section on Japan in history, "The Boy and the Samurai".  I had the intention of reading it with her, but she's already done with it. 

I love it that she is such a reading fanatic.  I remember reading like a crazy maniac too, around the same age.  I loved books in a series (Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden and the Black Stallion books) but I read poetry (Christina Rossetti-we have the same name, how cool!), and I loved the Rats of Nimh for example, as well as other works of fiction (like a book called Magic Elizabeth which you can't really find anymore except for mucho dinero on Amazon, used, but which I discovered in a box at my parents' that they had set aside for me to go through, and can I just tell you I screamed I was so excited?!). 

I love watching her read.  She curls up in one of our chairs ("the green chair") under a blanket, and enters into another world.  But in a good way.  She could stay that way for hours if I were to let her.  In fact, my mom told me about a conversation they had on the phone the other day about travels (we are far away from them)...Michaela was talking about how she could at least read on an airplane ride which helped (as opposed to Eliana who could not read and had a really hard time just being able to go back and forth between the two of us for three hours), and that she could read for three, four, five, or even six hours!  And based on what I've seen these last few weeks, I believe it.

Convo

I found this on my cell phone...a text from Michaela to her dad.

How are you doing on your "you know what!?"

Micky

This is precious on so many levels.

The "you know what" is a dissertation.  In the getting-it-finished stage.

"Micky" is short for Michaela, or what she calls herself when with her cousin and they make up names for themselves.

The punctuation...are you kidding me?  How priceless is that?

She's thinking of him as he's working so hard to finish this up...and wanting to encourage him.

She's texting her dad?!  That is something I can honestly say I never did when I was 8.

She's so adorable.

Gourmet Chez Nous

Michaela has been wanting to try out her Girl Gourmet cupcake maker ever since she opened it at Grandpa's and Ms. Susie's.  She asked so pleadingly, so sweetly, and so often the other day that I said okay, and we opened it up and cleaned everything up and got it ready.  She even washed the parts herself.  She wanted to do it, and who am I to stand in the way of someone wanting to wash the dishes? 

We made sure we had all the pieces and read through the instructions first.

Michaela carefully poured out the cupcake mix and then blended it with water, as the instructions instructed...

Would you believe that you then put the batter into a special little cupcake cup and into a special little cupcake baker which goes into the microwave which cooks this cupcake in 30 seconds?  How weird is that?  It actually makes me a little nervous, and I hope she doesn't sprout an extra arm or grow hair out of her bellybutton because she ate this crazy cooks-fast-in-a-microwave cupcake.  My brother would probably have a good rant about this...

But look, here it is, in all its chocolate cupcake glory...

Now, here's the part I really can't believe.  The main point and fun of this cupcake maker is to frost it.  There is a special froster that spins your cupcake around and dispenses the frosting at the same time!  And I forgot to take a picture of her doing that part!  So, we'll have to do that next time.  But here is one happy girl with a sweet treat from sweet grandparents.  Thank you, Grandpa and Ms. Susie, for a special afternoon! 

January 2, 2009

Life flies by and we hardly have time to blink and all of a sudden eight years are gone.

When I think back to January 1, 2001, and remember giving birth for the first time it is so hard to believe that it was really that long ago.  I can remember hanging over the back of our couch thinking,"This is really hurting.  OWWWW," and things like that.  I remember throwing up my dinner (because I was oh-so-foolish and actually ate dinner that night) as my contractions got stronger.  I remember pushing and pushing and finally hearing that she (we knew we were having a girl) was around the difficult bend.  The relief of it all.  I lost too much blood.  The medicine that made that okay in the end.  Passing out the first time I went to the bathroom.  Holding that tiny, tiny little girl and being amazed to see her next to my belly.  Watching Mike hold her and rock her and stare at her. 

And now...she's eight.  Eight seems so old.  Very big.  Oh, my. 

Here's something special...she shares a birthday with her Grandma Diana.  And since we are in Florida right now staying with her, she took "the girls" out to lunch.  Michaela's cousin, Michaela, and Grandma had a wonderful afternoon together.  And that was just the beginning.

We celebrated the two birthdays with dinner and cake and ice cream.  Michaela got to blow out the candles.

They both opened cards and gifts, which was a sweet time.

I'll just say it one more time...I can't believe she's eight...

She'll always be our "baby girl."

Season Finale

Michaela's team finished up their soccer season this week.  It is bittersweet at the end, because they really start to play well together as a team just as the playing season comes to a close.  But it's wonderful to see them interact as teammates and friends.  They end up with cupcakes and trophies, but the rewards are far greater than those.

Before this final game, they had team and individual pictures taken, and then a little time to warm-up. 

Once they had the starting players chosen, the game began!  Our team did very well, keeping the other team in defense mode.  They were not afraid to go after the ball, or to try to get it back if the other team had it.  They played aggressively, and had a lot of fun.

The second set went in after the first quarter; they played hard, and were able to score.  It's so exciting to see their enthusiasm and joy when they accomplish a "goal."

Just before the game ended, the ref let ALL the girls from both teams play.  It was a little crazy and a lot funny.  I think they all loved that part.  And the cupcake part...

This was a great season for Michaela.  She learned a lot, gained some confidence and had so much fun with her friends.  Delightful!