Happy 10th Birthday, kid! Double-digits!
Today, Anya is celebrating her tenth year with a sleepover with her buddy/honorary Lodwig, Eloise. This morning, we joined other members of the Scheuer clan for a 5k at Magnuson (for pancreatic cancer research, in support of Chris's Aunt Peggy). Afterwards, Grandma and Grandpa Lodwig (forever affectionately known as "Crappa Crappa") took her out for lunch and to pick out her birthday present. This evening, we'll all have dinner together at Crappa Crappa's like we have almost every week for the past ten years. Anya's request is cioppino, plus lemon curd cheesecake for dessert.
Next Saturday, we'll continue the celebration with her first full slumber party. She invited all the girls in her class, plus Eloise and Eva, and I think somewhere around 10 can come. Chris and I are either brave or stupid, but we'll get through it. I'd rather not think about it until I have to, so will instead focus on Anya's current stats:
School: Fourth grade is going well. Third grade more or less whipped her into shape. She's pretty good about writing down homework in her planner and keeping up with everything without too much parental harassment. She's overcoming some minor struggles in math and is doing well in all subjects. She says her favorite subjects are P.E. and Art. The classroom just got several crayfish and her job (not sure if it's just this week or if she will always get to) has been to clean out the tank and care for them - which she has been beyond thrilled to do - happily skipping recess to spend time with the class pets.
Socially, not much change. The kids in her grade are pretty clique-y, but she gets along with everyone for the most part. She and a few girls have started another fundraising group "Forevergreen Baskets" during recess, this time raising money for the Red Cross. They've been using recycled materials and making baskets and other items, running it like a small business. It's caused some problems, as 3 of the 4 girls (Anya being one of the 3) have strong opinions and want to lead. There have been arguments and feelings have gotten hurt -- to the point where their teacher put the group on hiatus. But I think/hope it's been a good learning experience for them (socially and entrepreneurially) and they raised some money. I also think taking a break was a good call.
She tells us that having so few girls in her grade - 9, including her - is starting to wear on her a bit, wishing there was someone that shares some of her interests or to at least get a bit of a break from her closest friend/"frenemy" in class. Her best friend is Eloise, but she's 2 years ahead and they don't really hang out at school. We love St. Catherine but might consider a change of scenery for middle school, after next year. We'll at least see what our options are. It'll be tough to beat what St. C. can offer, but the social stuff is important too.
Yesterday was the final game in girls soccer. Chris coached them again and it was another great season, Chris' favorite so far. Anya's big advancement in soccer this year was overcoming the urge to get angry as a result of the various injustices which occur during games, to the point where she would simply stop playing. This year I've heard her say that she needs to get back out there because the team needs her etc. She plays hard, she runs fast like her dad (when she remembers to do so) and has improved a lot. She's even won two of the "play like a champ" bracelets which the other team offers to opponents who show good sportsmanship. This, above all, is what makes Chris proud.
Other after-school activities this year: jumping rope (she is great at it and was invited to join a competitive team. Unfortunately, practices are way across town and traffic at that time of day is terrible. For now, she's taking an after-school class at a nearby-ish school. If she's still as into it in coming years, we can revisit the team idea). Coding: she's doing an after-school class, did a summer camp, and after-school classes last year. She loves it. Still learning Scratch, and at an intermediate-advanced level. Next up is Python when she's mastered Scratch and coding logic. Basketball season is coming up soon so we'll see how that goes. She was Snow White in the 3rd-grade play, so we're interested to see if she'll take a more active role this year in the school play. Then there will be volleyball, and track and field, which the kids get to start in 4th grade. She's especially excited about learning volleyball.
Future Job: I just asked and Anya says she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.
Likes: forever and always obsessed with animals. and fishing. She's the only girl we know who gets angry on a weekly basis if we refuse her the opportunity to go fishing. She watches shows about fishing, and we've even caught her reading Field and Stream. This also makes dad very proud...mom, not so much.
Her tastes lean toward the traditionally "nerdy". For
movies, she loves Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. She is a voracious
reader and will stay up late into the night reading books like the Hunger Games, and the Percy Jackson books (not letting her watch the movies yet...in a few years).
She's also a fantastic
writer. She loses steam after a couple of pages so she doesn't finish much, but she's always coming up with interesting storylines, and extremely detailed descriptions of things. She's a bit dark and likes to write spooky stories. Chris is writing a novel right now, and he has, on several occasions asked for help when he gets stuck, and she has provided some of the best ideas in his book.
Musically, her favorite genre is instrumental movie scores. She says they are dramatic and she feels a lot of emotion when listening to them. We canceled her piano lessons this year since we couldn't get her to practice. But she does watch YouTube videos which teach her how to play said movies scores and she seems to really enjoy that...plus its free.
Favorite
foods (as of this morning): Chicken and Bread Salad, Cioppino, Cheesecake, Pumpkin Pie, and Pumpkin Cinnamon-Swirl Bread. (She didn't say sushi, but we all know that's in there, and she goes through goldfish crackers like their time on this earth is running out)
Early this summer we bought her a wristwatch with a GPS tracker and speakerphone capabilities. This has afforded her a much greater range of freedom. She generally walks around the blocks alone (no other kids seem to share her freedom) or she'll take off and walk the 5 blocks to Dahl field to play. We're also more willing to leave her home alone for up to an hour, which she seems to love.
Adjectives that currently describe her: funny/punny, energetic, dramatic, moody, creative, and curious. Love her.
