Writing

We are regular writing machines lately.  Rachel has a journal that she writes in every day at school.  Sometimes she even illustrates her entries.  She received a blank storybook for her birthday and is in the midst of writing the tale of the princess Alison who rides in a giant ice cream cone.  She wrote all her own thank-you notes for the first time this birthday.  And check out my cake:

Nathan, too, has suddenly begun writing things.  He did all the writing in the birthday card he made for Rachel--surprised me, as I'd never asked him to write any letters besides the ones in his name.  And he wrote his friends' names on his party invitations.  We're writing!

Party animals

Rachel's birthday party was Saturday.  It was a pizza-themed party--each guest made her own mini-pizza.  (One unclear on the concept: Nathan is now asking for "a macaroni and cheese-themed party."  Or sometimes "a carrot-themed party."  I think we'll be having a regular party, possibly with macaroni and cheese and carrots.)  Everyone seemed to have a great time.  I think the highlights were making the pizzas, going on a cool treasure hunt with photo clues, and playing freeze tag in the backyard.  All of the girls Rachel invited were very sweet and fun to be with, and they did a great job of sharing and taking turns, even readily following Nathan when it was his turn to lead to the treasure hunt clue.  It's nice to see your kid finding nice friends!

I took a few photos during the party, but the best shot--everyone holding up their pizzas--was completely backlit from the window, unfortunately.  So here's a cute photo from the treasure hunt.

When Mommy's away...

My family sent me away last weekend for some time off with my girls.  It was delightful and relaxing and fun.  And when I came back, they had lots of stories about the fun things they'd done.  (So did I.) Some of the stories were confusing--something about art that was cones and a room filled with balloons--until I saw the photos.  They sure don't look like they're pining for their mother, do they?  That Daddy, he is one fun guy!

Skater Sixer

Rachel is six today!  She had a good day at school, gave out pencils to her classmates, played on the playground for a long time after school--amazing her mother with scads of daring feats--helped frost a bunny-shaped cake, and tried out her brand-new roller skates in the front hall.  I think she had a pretty good birthday--check out the smile while she's skating!

Our Rachel Baby has grown up a lot in the last year.  There's no baby left on this girl.  Besides being way taller, she's grown so strong and capable--she really does amaze me with the flips and twists and feats she performs--and thoughtful and bright and fun.  She thinks a great deal about things, asks terrific questions, and feels everything very deeply.  She is a tremendous blessing to our family, and we celebrate her birth and her life with great joy!

New career

Nathan announced to me last week that he has changed his mind about what he wants "to be for a grownup."  (At first I thought he was changing his plans for a Halloween costume, but this is much bigger.)  He no longer plans to be a train engineer for an Amtrak Texas Eagle train.  His new career aspiration is a crossing guard.  Very important job!  And the good news is that he already has an orange vest.  (He thinks he might need a bigger one when he's a grown-up, but this one will work for practice for now.)  Not sure what the deal is with my children's recent refusal to cooperate with photos, but perhaps you can take all these parts and imagine them together.  Doesn't he look concerned with traffic safety?

Mum's the word

Guess what's blooming in front of our house!  Two fall sights--Rachel after soccer practice and glorious mums.  We're still working on getting her to look at the camera!