Birthday, birthday, it's her special day! Even at 8 she's a joy to buy gifts for - just look at the delight on her face with every. single. present!
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| Stickers from Sam. |
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| Water shoes. |
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| Scripture case. |
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| Scriptures. |
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| Books. |
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| A ream of paper. (Yes, really!) |
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| Some fun surprises just from Sam. |
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| A (his) jumprope, ball, and $1. |
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Sew Zoey book 2 (the library doesn't have this
one but she's read every other book in the series) -
from Auntie Heather Wihongi. |
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| A watch - also from the Wihongis. |
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We thought the example time in the instructions
was just too funny - this is the exact time Cal was born! |
After presents, she had the rest of the day scheduled out. (Literally!)
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| She requested blueberry muffins - yum! |
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| Cake decorating time! |
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| Pat's for lunch! |
After lunch she went on a golf ball hunting date with Dad at the Wolf Creek Course. Every time we go play disc golf, she hunts in the weeds below the driving range for balls she can keep and bring home for her collection. This trip was specifically for that purpose, but unfortunately, as soon as they got there, people started using the driving range. That never happens! So the hunt was cut short.
We also got a fun facetime with Grace and her mom and brother. And we finished up the pinata that Cal wanted to make to look like a strawberry.
We had grandparents and Megan come over for dinner of lasagna, fruit, funeral potatoes and jello (Cal's menu, and she helped make it all!). She got more fun presents and got to smack the pinata and eat ice cream and cake.
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Grandma and Grandpa Elwood gave her an
entomologist barbie! |
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| Plus lots of fabric to sew little creations with. |
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| And a tennis skirt! (Tennis camp is next week!) |
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And a cute glitter flip butterfly shirt and more
rocks and grit to tumble. |
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It was fun to have Mugs there - she just got
back to Utah after graduating from Ohio State
in May! |
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| Pinata time! |
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| And it's open! |
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Cal filled it with confetti from an art kit
plus exactly 20 pieces of her own candy stash
(10 for her and 10 for Sam). |
I'd say it's pretty great to be eight!
And now, for the part that takes a while, but I'm always so glad to have to look back on, a little "all about Cal at age 8" list. A lot of things from last year's list are the same this year (which was the same as the year before), but some new things I don't want to forget are:
- independence! - she wants to do it (everything!) by herself (specifically: clips toenails, walks/rides bike to the park, makes cookies or entire meals, can pull her hair back in a pony, is teaching herself how to float and swim, ran her own business at the children's biz fair)
- started piano lessons from me and is cruising along (the reason we're still going is entirely her- she begs for a "lesson" and to pass off songs/play duets as she moves through the book, and she practices all on her own without any hassle from me!)
- super into clothes design (thanks to her fave book friend Sew Zoey) and is dying to actually make and sew her own something (anything!) (I admit I am the one dragging my feet here - I am intimidated by sewing clothes, but she has two grandmas who are excellent at it, so we need to set up a lesson with them!)
- sewing other things - she actually is getting pretty good at running the sewing machine by herself for other (non-clothing) projects, and is learning a ton just by reading every sewing/quilting/knitting/corking/braiding/crafting book she can get her hands on from the library
- likes to rearrange her room every few weeks to find the best set-up for her stuff
- all her adult front teeth are fully in (and it makes her look SO grown up compared to last year!!), one more is missing, and three more are loose (she HATES losing teeth, so it's a loooong process to get them out once they get loose)
- survived a year of homeschool, and did it with a mature attitude, especially as we're looking ahead into the next school year and uncertainties around COVID and potentially doing the same again. It's been hard on her to miss out on friends at school, but she's been a remarkable sport about it all.
- loves to push her bedtime later and later by reading and coming out for some one-on-one time (her mind definitely doesn't turn off as quickly as Sam's at bedtime - and it never has!)
- loved her tennis camp lessons and is improving quickly even just a few little practice sessions at the park later
- loves to swim - LOVES it!
- started scrapbooking photos she has taken and even got hired by Grandma B to catch up her birthday scrapbooks that are years behind
- saves her money, but also not so attached that she won't buy things she really needs/wants (like a lifejacket and photos to scrapbook)
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