Yesterday was your 8th birthday. We spent the day together as a family, splitting up for a bit so the girls could go get lunch and get Olivia's ears pierced, and the boys went to help Charlie spend his birthday gift card. He chose three Minecraft figurine sets and a glowing light saber. Then we all came back together to see the movie Moana and spend some time at a park. It was cold, but we had so much fun!
We are now looking forward to Saturday when you will both be baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What a special day that will be.
Now that you are both 8, I am going to adjust my yearly letter format. I am so glad that I wrote you each your own letter every year, or every few months. You were developing and changing so quickly that it made sense to do it frequently. But now you are a bit older, and development is happening at a slower pace than it has in the past. For this reason, I am going to write one letter to both of you, emphasizing individual things as necessary. Then, I will follow the letter with a few questions about you at your current age. I am hoping this will capture the things we want to remember, and allow you to participate a bit in recording those memories. :)
This has been a wonderful year of growth for you both. It has been such a pleasure to watch you enter Love of Play, which is the latter end of Core Phase. There are these sparks of learning and interest that have pushed you along this past year of life. Charlie's interests have been Great White Sharks, money, building, math, and copying, illustrating, and occasionally writing books. Olivia, you have enjoyed gymnastics and learning about Shakespeare this year. Both of you are coming along with learning to read at your own pace. You are enjoying books and making progress, and we are so proud of both of you. There has been a lot of excitement and exploration as well!
Both of you are great helpers around the house and I can count on you to help out whenever I need it and to complete the daily tasks that are yours. It has been rewarding, and a bit of a relief, to see you taking on these responsibilities so well.
As you move into this next year of your life, there are some exciting changes coming. Charlie will be starting Cub Scouts and Liv will be starting Activity Day Girls. Both you of have been invited to attend those activities this month, even though you weren't yet 8. But in January it will be official, and you will begin attending weekly. I think it will a good opportunity for each of you to develop some friendships outside of our family. While our family relationships are the most important right now, you are beginning to take steps outside of these walls of our home, and I am excited for you. There are so many wonderful lessons to learn and relationships to form.
Every year, as I take a look at who you are and how the past year has continued to shape you, I am ever more grateful for both of you. There are challenges, both individual and as a family, that we face all the time, but we are doing it together. It may look messy, and we may not always get it right, but we are moving forward with the Lord's help. I could not make this journey without either of you, and I love you both to the moon and back.
Happy 8th birthday to my Bear and my Peach!
Love,
Mom
Olivia
I am this old: 8
My favorite TV show is: The cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas
My favorite book is: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
My favorite movie is: Pete's Dragon
My favorite thing about homeschool is: Playing a game together
The thing I am best at is: gymnastics
If I could change my name, it would be: Abigail
My favorite color is: black and white
My favorite toy is: Bunny
When I grow up, I want to be/do: a missionary
I like to take these to bed with me at night: my snugglies - Bunny, my kitty, and my tiny pillow.
My favorite season of the year is: Winter and Fall
A food I really like is: cake and ice cream
My favorite animal is: cat and dog
My favorite sport is: gymnastics
My best friend is: I have five. Addison, Annie, Jordyn, Kaylee, and Logan.
My favorite holiday is: Christmas and Halloween
My favorite thing I did this year: getting my ears pierced
I really love to: do cartwheels
Something I want to stop doing next year: hitting when I'm angry and telling on people.
Something I want to start doing next year: do things without being asked.
Charlie
I am this old: 8
My favorite show is: The cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Odd Squad.
My favorite book is: Winnie-The-Pooh stories
My favorite movie is: Pete's Dragon
My favorite thing about homeschool is: building with our blocks and using my Minecraft figurines with them
The thing I am best at is: football
If I could change my name, it would be: Carl
My favorite color is: every single one
My favorite toy is: my Minecraft figurines
When I grow up, I want to be/do: the best football player ever
I like to take these to bed with me at night: my froggy, lizard, Pikachu, and Jackie's Nemo fish.
My favorite season of the year is: Summer
A food I really like is: block cheese
My favorite animal is: the Great White shark
My favorite sport is: football
My best friend is: my Dad
My favorite holiday is: Christmas
My favorite thing I did this year: buy my Minecraft figurines for my birthday.
I really love to: play with my Minecraft figurines
Something I want to stop doing next year: hitting. I'm going to try.
Something I want to start doing next year: start saving my money.
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