Jane turns 9

Jane has really thrived in Hawaii. She loves the pool, ocean, the hiking adventures, the chickens. She has made some really sweet friends at school, church, soccer, and summer fun. Jane loves the Sanrio characters- especially Cinnamoroll. She is excited about our trip to Japan, so she can stock up on merchandise designed with his logo. Jane is such a thoughtful individual. She makes the sweetest notes for her parents, teachers, and friends. She loves reading graphic novels. In fact, I think she has read the Wings of Fire series 5 or 6 times! She continues to play the ukulele and piano. It is always so fun to hear her playing both in the morning before school. Sometimes, I have to double check which child is playing because Jane is slowly gaining on her big sister! I've noticed a little more nervousness- like climbing the ropes course or being assigned to a different classroom than her friends. She also is preferring to do inside activities like reading, playing video games, and watching TV. It is hard to see your kids grow older and not need their parents as much. Jane has been a delight to watch grow. I know she will do amazing things this coming year!

Kate at 9

She may kill me for posting this picture, but I kind of like it. My sweet little Kate is growing up. She is a sucker for rewards or prizes. She works really hard to get good grades in school and please her teachers. She continues to amaze me with her memorization skills. Kate can hear something, read something, or see something once and is able to repeat work for work. I feel like she would be excellent in a musical, play or the drama club; however, she hasn't pursued yet because it makes her nervous! She has a drawer full of candy in her night stand. She loves art projects and helping me bake (especially eating the batter). She is really in to fantasy book series. She still likes to tie up blankets and use them as Rapunzel hair when she plays with Jane. She is sensitive and sometimes has a hard time calming herself down, which reminds me of myself. Kate is really good at asking hard questions. Sometimes I have to tell her to ask "Alexa" because the questions are so odd and only an encyclopedia would know those kind of answers. I am not sure she is particularly interested in a certain sport. Right now we have her in Taekwondo and Brazilian Jujitsu and she seems to like that for now. She has her 4 little school friends- Hadassah, Averie, Jana, Samantha- but still calls Emily Webster her best friend (from kindergarten/first grade).