Cora turns 8

Cora is growing up and surprising and amusing and amazing us all the time. Her reading skills are incredible; she can basically read anything meant for the general public. She is as creative and organized as ever, always making things and involving the rest of us in her ideas. Lately she likes finger knitting (which she learned from Lucy Eldermire at our camp in VT last summer), making environmental posters (Please Recycle! Don't Litter), and creating habitats for her stuffed animals (there are two bird perches currently residing in the kids' room where their talking robot birds now live). She is maturing in surprising (to us) ways--with crushes and love letters and special boy friends who seem to not understand what is happening but are happy to trip all over themselves to follow Cora's lead when it comes to "love". The latest victim is Jesse at school, but Cole Girvetz was the first (including first kisses!). Now Cora and Cole's relationship has evolved to special friends who discuss their love lives with each other in "secret" when our families get together.

She continues to excel in all subjects at school, where her teacher occasionally pulls me aside to show me something especially funny or descriptive or otherwise impressive that she has written during class exercises. In art class she comes home with "Art Awards" every other week or so. She is a great swimmer but doesn't have much competitive spirit, so she enjoys playing and learning but not racing. And she's enjoying the rounders and field hockey games they play with other schools in special matches.

We celebrated Cora's 8th birthday today with cupcakes at school and dinner out at her favorite sushi restaurant (as she wrote to Aunt Karisa: "tonight I am going out for sooshie").

At school, Silas was allowed to join her and hand out cupcakes after her year 3 class sang "Happy Birthday":

On Saturday, she wanted to go ice skating and have a sleepover with 5 friends for her party.
She invited 4 school friends--Rameen, Nina, Yula & Evie--and one ILRI friend, Matilda.

Nate baked the birthday cake and Cora decorated it herself. She made a red and blue monster "with wavy fingers" that lives in "marshmallow land". The raspberries were seated on yellow thrones because they are so good.

Some of Cora's friends had never ice skated before, but they all really loved it.

L-R: Silas, Nate, Cora, Evie, Yula, Matilda, Rameen, Yvonne

We brought hot cocoa and popcorn for after skating.

Back at home, the kids played outside while I made fish fillets, green beans, and pasta for dinner.

Sorry the video below is blurry. I guess it was too dark for my phone camera to focus.

Cora cut her own cake

The night was a loud one, but everyone was asleep (including us) by 10pm. I was suffering from food poisoning all day, so Nate handled most of the going-to-bed issues. The next morning, the girls and Silas were up by 6am and making beaded bracelets and crowns. We had French toast and fruit for breakfast.

Just before pick-up time,  I took the girls and Silas to the pool.

Cora said her birthday was just as she hoped and expected, so I guess it was a success!