This Girl

We were talking about Staley's upcoming Living Museum that she is doing for school.  She asked if she could wear eye make-up for her presentation, but then noted, "I'll take it off as soon as I'm done with my presentation.  I wouldn't wear it all day for school."  To which Adelie replied, "Why not?  Don't you want all the boys to fall in love with you?"

Oh, this girl!  Always keeps us laughing...and a little worried.

10 Years Old

Staley is officially 10 years old.  My tween-ager is 54.5" tall (50th percentile) and weighs 68 lbs (34th percentile).  She wears mostly size 10 and 10/12 clothes and size 2 and 3 shoes.  She has gotten her braces off and has had to stop wearing her upper retainer because of some loose teeth.  She is scheduled to get her bottom retainer out in a few months, and then her mouth will be primarily metal free (except for an upper glued-in retainer) for the first time in several years. 

Staley and her metal-free smile

Staley is in the 4th grade with Mrs. Mickna as her teacher.  She is on the school news team, and is also involved in Stage Kids, Broadway Dance, and takes singing and piano lessons.  She is also scheduled to play a short season of volleyball later this month.  She also attends a special STEAM group through school one morning each week.  Staley goes to bed around 8:15 on school nights and 8:45 on week-end nights.  She gets up easily with her alarm clock at 7:00 on school days, but often sleeps in until around 8:00 on week-ends.

Likes:  Staley's favorite activity is reading.  She reads ALL THE TIME and devours books at an alarming pace.  Current favorite series are the Harry Potter series and the Land of Stories series, but she reads many different kinds of books and often has several books going at the same time.  She especially enjoys fantasy and historical fiction.  Staley also loves creative pursuits like singing, dancing, acting, writing, and drawing/painting.  She recently completed her first novel and is working on her second one.  She also writes plays for her cousins and her siblings to perform.

Staley loves to perform with her siblings.

She also loves to create.

Staley enjoys active pursuits but even outdoor play time often ends up with Staley reading a book on the porch swing.  She does enjoy swimming, bike riding, roller skating, climbing trees, and trying out different sports.  Staley does not play with toys very often anymore, but does still occasionally enjoy playing with her American Girl dolls (especially doing their hair) and playing Barbies in the bath tub.  She will also engage in active or imaginative play activities with her siblings.  Staley also really enjoys board games.  Some favorites include Clue, Dragonrealm, Ticket to Ride, Disney Color Brain, Monopoly, and Apples to Apples.

CLUE!!

Staley is a good eater and is growing more adventurous in her eating pursuits.  She really likes cheeseburgers, tacos, pizza, brunch foods, and sweets, but will generally eat whatever I make and (when we used to go out to restaurants) preferred to split something with me off the adult menu rather than order the typical children's menu fare.  Staley also prefers live action movies rather than cartoons.  Recent movies that she has enjoyed are the live action Disney movies, Parent Trap, The Princess Bride, Newsies, and the parts of Hamilton that we have showed her.  Staley loves to listen to Broadway musical music, like the soundtracks to Hamilton, Wicked, Into the Woods, and Frozen.  She still prefers to wear comfortable clothes with her new Harry Potter t-shirts and her new Hamilton t-shirt as her favorites.

Staley loves her Hamilton shirt!

Staley is social, but prefers smaller get-togethers and spending time with a few close friends.  Her closest friends are Lilian and Josie, but she also really looks forward to spending time with her cousins.  Staley gets along well in most situations and can adapt to spending time with those who aren't close friends or spending time alone.  She has older friends through Stage Kids that she really enjoys, as well as enjoying playing with and watching out for her younger siblings and younger cousins.  Staley does not have any close friends in her class at school this year, but still finds others to play with and looks for opportunities to spend time with her closer friends outside of the school day.

Staley loves spending time with her friends...

...and her cousins.

Dislikes:  Staley has outgrown many of her sensitivities, although some of them still linger.  Staley does not like to wear denim or anything stiff, tight, lacy, or uncomfortable.  She dislikes almost all veggies.  She can still get overwhelmed in new or chaotic situations.  Staley is good about including her siblings in activities, but has more of a preference lately for spending time with her friends without her siblings involved.  She still occasionally feels carsick and gets light headed at the sight of blood.  She also freaks out about shots, getting teeth pulled, splinters, and anything she thinks might be painful.

Only comfy clothes for this gal!

Skills:  Staley works hard and is persistent when she sets out to accomplish something.  Although competitive athletic pursuits do not always come easily to Staley, she works hard to improve with her skills.  She has become a proficient swimmer, roller skates well, and consistently improves with each sports season she completes.  Staley writes well in cursive, has gotten good at drawing, and enjoys cooking and baking.  She can independently follow a recipe and make things from start to finish in the kitchen on her own.

Muffins, anyone?

Staley is very responsible.  She gets schoolwork and homework done without prompting, practices her piano, helps out around the house, and gets herself up and all ready for school without any supervision.  She is able to do her own hair and enjoys practicing hair-dos on herself and her dolls.  Staley is proficient at ponytails, pigtails, and braids.  Staley is very good about looking out for her siblings.  She helps them with things they can't do on their own, makes sure to keep an eye on them when playing outside, and entertains them when needed.

What a great big sister!

Staley is very bright.  School comes easily to her.  She can memorize things quickly.  There is nothing she can't read and math skills make sense to her.  Staley gets all A's on her report cards and generally tests in the top percentiles for reading and math during standardized testing.  Staley enjoys playing the piano and continues to progress through her books.  Her singing and dancing skills also continue to improve with her lessons and dance class.

Devouring books is what this girl loves to do!

Personality:  Staley is growing and maturing quickly.  She is responsible and obedient, although we are getting more eye rolls when asked to do things she doesn't want to do.  Staley is inquisitive, persistent, and hard working.  She likes to learn new things and challenge herself.  She has confidence in her abilities and loves to perform on stage.  Singing, dancing, and acting in front of a crowd is her comfort zone.  Staley is thoughtful, sweet, and helpful.  She reads her Bible and devotional book on her own.  She is a rule-follower and prefers when others follow the rules too.  Staley loves doing more "big kid" things like ditching the booster seat, going on roller coasters, reading older kid books, and watching older kid movies.  She is growing up faster than I am ready for!

Sure do love my 10 year old!!

Homework

My kids didn't have school on Monday, but all 3 of them had some homework to complete.  My kids and their response to doing homework is so telling of their personalities.

Staley:  I'll do it right away, but I'll be done quickly because it will be easy for me.  When I'm done, I'll just start working on my biography book report that is due in a couple of weeks.  And then maybe I'll read for another 3 hours or so.

Adelie:  It's too HARD!  I can't do it!  Can you help me with this...and this...and this...and this...  Have I mentioned that it's too hard and I can't do it?  (insert lots of tears and whining and sighing and moaning)

Briggs:  I'm not going to do it because it's not fun.  School is so boring!  Homework is the boringest!  (insert throwing fit and then lots of huffing and stomping and yelling about being made to do it)

Have I mentioned how thankful I am that my kids are in school?  Although we found our groove for those couple of months in the spring, I'm not sure how we would survive a whole semester or school year of remote learning.  It would definitely be so hard and the boringest...and I'm sure I would be doing my fair share of whining and crying and throwing fits about it too.

Aladdin, Jr.

Although it was scheduled to be performed in December, the kids' winter Stage Kids performance finally made it to the stage.  The kids got to perform in a beautiful new venue with some new friends.  This was also a new adventure for Briggs as he made his stage debut.   Aladdin, Jr. was a triumph!

The Eureka cast of Aladdin, Jr.

It was fun to have all 3 of our kids involved in an activity that they could do together throughout the fall.  My girls did a great job of helping Briggs learn his lines and know what he needed to do throughout practices and rehearsals.  My niece, Lila, also joined the kids for this session of Stage Kids which made it even more fun!

It's a family affair!

All three kids were pleased with their parts.  Staley was cast as Iago, the evil sidekick to Jafar.  She has really found a place playing comedic roles.  She is so at home on the stage and truly shines.  We were talking the other day and I asked her if she ever gets nervous.  She said, "I am the opposite of most people.  I have backstage fright.  I'm a little nervous before the show, but once I'm on stage I'm not nervous at all."  I think that says it all.  She was born for this!

Jafar and Iago

Adelie was cast as a begger and as part of the ensemble.  She had one line to deliver and knew it well.  She also got to showcase some of her gymnastics talents as she cartwheeled and did handstands down the aisle during the Prince Ali song, as well as ended the final show number in the splits.  She always enjoys being in the shows no matter what part she has.

My little begger spending time with one of Jasmine's maidens

Briggs did great in his first show.  He was cast as Prince Abdullah and a member of the ensemble.  He had about 6 lines that he had to memorize with big words like insignificant, impertinence, unfounded, and amiable.  He looked so little on stage, but knew all his lines and delivered them perfectly.  Although he decided that he didn't want to sign up for the next show, I felt like his stage debut was a success.  He seemed to have a good time, and his sisters loved having him join them.

My kiddos with their friend the Genie

Even during the time of COVID, my kids had so many people come to support them during their show.  Since the shows were moved to a MUCH larger venue, there were plenty of tickets even while maintaining social distancing.  I didn't get pictures of all the people who came to support them (especially since there was not the typical meet and greet time after the show), but I love that my kids are surrounded by such love and support.

We invited the kids' teachers to come as our guests and they ALL came.  Although I didn't get his picture with Mrs. Doty, both Mrs. Doty (Briggs' teacher) and Mrs. Davis (Briggs' student teacher last semester) came to see him in the show.

Mrs. Khattar came to see Adelie, and even told Adelie that she didn't have to do her homework for the next two nights because of the show.  For Adelie, that's about the greatest gift anyone could give her!

Staley was thrilled to have Mrs. Mickna come as well.  The girls' teachers even brought them celebratory roses for after the show.

Both sets of grandparents came, although I didn't get a picture with Uma and Papa.

Zach's Aunt Jan and his Aunt Sandi never miss a show.  And, of course, Lila's family came both nights so the kids also had another aunt, uncle, and some cousins in the audience as well.

Miss Vickie joined us for the show one evening.  Another neighbor couple as well as one of my mom's friends also saw a post I made on Facebook and came to see the show as well.

Briggs' little friend Dava came with her mom to see the show.  Apparently after the show, her mom asked her what the best part was.  She said, "When Briggs said his lines and then all his other parts."  She also brought him a little gumball machine as a gift.  He was thrilled!

I'm so glad my kids had the opportunity to do something they enjoy that provided purpose, focus, and socialization during this crazy time.

What a great activity for my kids!  What a nice opportunity to enjoy a night out at the theater! What a great show!!

Things to Remember

 There are often many little things that make life with my kids unique at any given moment in time.  Often these are little things that I might not remember if I didn't write them down...and so I write them down.

I want to remember...

...how Adelie and Briggs don't say chicken nuggets.  They call them chicken "nunnets."  Always.  

...how Adelie STILL refers to night time as "bed night" and mispronounces privilege as "prigileve."

...how if Briggs is wearing anything with a hood, he puts the hood up.  Inside.  Outside.  Around the house.  At the dinner table.  If the shirt (or coat or bathrobe) has a hood, he's putting it to good use.

...how all 3 kids have gotten into the habit of taking 'play baths' lately.  When life was busier, we were a shower family.  In and out, clean up and move on.  Since we have way more time in our life, all 3 kids have been taking play baths on a regular basis.  Staley and Adelie tend to play with Barbies in the bath, while Briggs has been playing with Little People and Legos.  It's not uncommon for any of the kids to spend up to an hour in what I'm sure becomes quite a cold bath, just enjoying the solitude and play time.  The only downside...we only have one tub and 3 kids who are vying for its use.

...how Adelie is a SLOW eater.  I can't pinpoint when this began evolving because I don't remember this always being the case, but Adelie is now always the last one to finish a meal...by a long shot.  Typically we are all done eating, have cleared the table, and have the kitchen all cleaned up before Adelie has finished her meal.

...how Staley often feels the need to let us know when she is going to use the restroom.  She will still seek us out a few rooms away just to let us know.  Or if she gets up in the night, she'll come in our room to wake us up and tell us she's going to use the bathroom.  I'm not sure why we need this specific up-date on a regular basis, but she seems to think it is something we should know.

...how Briggs is still sensitive to scary things and before we watch any movie or show, he needs to know if it has a "bad guy."

...how when we tease Briggs about something, he'll often get huffy and say, "I don't like that joke!"

...how life is so much richer and fuller with my 3 little loves!

Staley's Birthday

Despite COVID shutting things down and keeping people apart, Staley still had exactly the birthday she wanted.  Her request:  I just want to have Lilian and Josie over for movie night and a sleepover.  Easy enough.

We decided to have her birthday sleepover before the kids went back to school to limit the exposure and decrease the chance for illness or quarantine disrupting the plans.  To make it extra special, Uma and Papa took Adelie and Briggs for the evening and a sleepover so the "big girls" could have some time to themselves.

Staley with her two best friends

The girls had a great time just talking, giggling, and playing board games.

After pizza for dinner, they settled in with their dolls to watch 'The Parent Trap.'

The sleeping part of the sleepover didn't start until close to 11, but the girls all slept well and enjoyed a fun morning of hanging out, playing more games, and eating cinnamon rolls.

With COVID limiting the time my kids have had to be with their friends, Staley LOVED soaking in some quality time with her sweet friends to celebrate her birthday.

The sleepover was just the beginning of the fun.  The next weekend (right before the big day), we had a cousin sledding party with my side of the family to celebrate Liam and Staley (and Evan too.)

All the kids had a great time sledding at the college soccer fields.  We were out there for 2.5 hours straight...and the kids all had a blast!

There was sledding...

snacks and hot chocolate...

and presents.

Although my feet were frozen by the time we left, it was still a great cousin sledding party.  Who says January birthday parties can't be outside??

On Staley's actual birthday, she got to bring treats to school and then Uma and Papa came over for Staley's dinner of choice (cheeseburgers on the grill), dessert of choice (Oreo balls and Oreo Overload ice cream), and presents.

Adelie and Briggs both made Staley birthday cards and gifts.  Briggs made her a book (all in pictures) about a tree that starts as a seed and grows into a tree, as well as some bookmarks.  Adelie recorded herself singing an original song that she and Staley made up (Rodent Rock Band) and Zach helped her burn it onto a disc.

Staley also got roller blades, an activity-tracker watch, and some Harry Potter clothes.  Her most exciting gift, however, was that we gave her permission to read the remainder of the Harry Potter books.  Because they start to get a little darker after the third book, we initially let her read the first 3 books and then we had her wait to continue the series until she was a little older.  To say that she has been anxiously awaiting this opportunity is an understatement.

We rounded out the birthday celebrations with one more cousin play-date the week-end after her birthday.

It sure is good to be 10!

He Says...

The other day Briggs found 2 marbles that had rolled under the front of our entertainment center.  Excitedly he said, "These can replace the 2 marbles I lost from my marble run."  Ummmm...okay.  Not sure "replacement" is the right word for 2 marbles magically appearing after losing 2 in the same room a few months ago, but I didn't want to burst his bubble.

Briggs told me, "You know what the worst thing about school is?  When I see Adelie at school because it makes me miss her."

Although that sweet sentiment might not always be evident in all their interactions with each other at home, it made me smile.

Love this boy and the cute things he says.