Elise's school progress report. Elise rocks!! We are now one month into school and you are doing great! You have had two spelling tests so far and you have gotten 102% on both, which means you got your six spelling words correct plus the two bonus words. Way to go! You have been bringing home books from school since the beginning, and so far they have all been way below what you are capable of reading. We joke about how "hard" they are. You have homework 2-3 days a week, and that is beginning to look a little more challenging. Our biggest challenge is taking our time and making sure our work is neat and our letters are going in the right direction. You hate to be corrected, but we need to work on your handwriting, and a b is a d if you don't write it the right way.

We now have another family vacation under our belts! We spent the end of our summer up in Mackinaw City. We rented a cabin at a big campground right on the shores of Lake Erie with a beautiful view of the bridge. You loved the cabin, and slept on the top bunk in your own room. Unfortunately, as was true for this whole summer, the weather was not very nice. We went swimming the first day for a very short time. Brrrrrr.... the water was cold! Lake Erie is also pretty rocky I came to find out. We spent the first two days hanging out around Mackinaw City. We bought some fudge, and checked out the shops. We found a hideous rabbit's foot in one store,

and you couldn't stop talking about how gross it was. We made Smore's and rode the campground fire truck. You helped Mom make a puzzle. We explored the campground, and tried out all the playgrounds. We ate at the Pancake Chef, and man was it good!

On the third day, we had some fairly nice weather. We took the ferry over to the Island. The boat was very cold, and I was glad we bought you a cool Mackinaw Island hooded sweatshirt. The island was very busy and crowded. You had to dodge horses, people on bikes, and horse poop everywhere. We walked up to the butterfly house and a butterfly landed right on you and you didn't even know it. We rented some bikes, and took a ride around the whole island. Mom on one bike and you and Daddy on a mountain bike with a tagalong. At first, you were very afraid of falling over, because the tagalong would lean from side to side when Daddy turned, but after a while you got used to it and like it a lot.
We rode to Arch Rock and climbed the steps all the way to the top. I was impressed that you didn't complain about the workout at all, and it was a lot of steps! After our bike ride, we walked up to the Grand Hotel to take a look. I was appalled, they charge you $10 a piece just to go on the property. I tried to take some pictures, but one of the employees stuck her hand out and told me we had stay back farther. I'm never staying there!

The last night we stayed at the Holiday Inn, because Daddy had a class there in the morning. You and I hung out and swam in the pool while Daddy and Hairy arranged their classroom. I wouldn't say this was our most exciting trip, but you seem to just love going new places and getting so much attention from Mom and Dad. I hope that lasts for many more years to come. Now I'm trying to decide where we should go next. I can't help dreaming of European tours, or other exciting trips when you get older. I hope you will always be my travel companion, since it's not really Daddy's thing. Maybe when you get older, we can go on adventures just you and I.

I wanted to quickly post this because I wanted to be sure that you knew how proud I am. Today, was a very trying day for you. Your first tooth finally came out with a little help from GiGi, and so enacted our agreement to end the figure sucking. A few months ago, after a visit to the dentist, we made an agreement. The dentist has been mentioning that your teeth are getting pushed out of place because you suck your finger, so we agreed that when your first baby tooth fell out then you would have to stop sucking your finger. It's something we had talked about for a while and this seemed like a good opportunity to have an end point. Well, the tooth finally fell out and you were very upset because your are very attached to it. You have been crying on and off all day, but you haven't not been sucking it. During bathtime, you had another burst of crying because you were sure you would not be able to fall asleep without the finger. We talked about habits and how hard they are to break. We also talked about that once you do break this habit, that you wouldn't miss your finger anymore. You seemed relieved that you weren't going to be this upset all the time about it. So before bed we painted on the nasty tasty polish and Mama laid down with you. I read you a book, then spent another 30-40 minutes reading to you out of my book. I had to put a sock on your hand because you kept accidentally putting your finger in the hole where your tooth used to be to feel it and then getting the bad taste from the polish. At one point, you said the sock was making your hand hot, but then decided to put it back on, so you would remember not to suck your finger. You were very calm and I just told you that I was sure you would be able to fall asleep and miraculously I think you believed me. And you did, you fell asleep without much fuss. You still have the sock on your hand, and I'm hoping that stays on the rest of the night.

Tomorrow I think will be a brighter day. You have your first day of day camp at Camp Manitou-lin, and I think that you will feel much better having your first night without out the sucking finger under your belt. It will help to know that you can sleep without it. I'm very excited to see your face. I am a little sad that this has completely overshadowed the excitement of loosing your first tooth. That wasn't good planning on my part. I put your tooth in your tooth pillow and put it under your pillow, but really I think you could have cared less. You had way bigger things on your mind that the Tooth Fairy, and I don't think you'll even remember to look under your pillow in the morning.

We found a really cool place to visit this summer. It's called the Critter Barn. I signed you up for a class there after I heard one of my friends talking about it. It's a children's farm where they let you molest all variety of animals. You got to bottle feed a baby goat, wash pigs and a goat, ride a donkey, hand feed Mr. Chops, the pot bellied pig, take goats for a walk, brush sheep, and play with cats, bunnies, and baby chicks and ducklings. You were in heaven. Unfortunately, the first day you were there, you started itching your eyes. The teacher mentioned it to me, and I didn't think much of it until we got the car and your right eye swoll up so much you almost couldn't open it.
Luckily, we happened to have an appointment with your doctor that day. When I brought you into the office, everyone kept saying, "Oh Sweetie!" You just looked at me and said, "Is it that bad?" I told you that we might not be able to go back to the Critter Barn because you were obviously allergic to something and you were very upset. But Dr. VanZee said that I could just load you up with Benadryl and see how it went. So we got some antihistamine eye drops for you eye, and the swelling came right down. We went back the next day, and you were fine. At the end of the class they gave us a free pass to come back and bring two friends. You want to bring Maddie and Nathen, so I gave it to Karrie to use sometime this summer. You just love to mother those animals. Just ask Rossi, the other day you had her strapped to the baby stroller with a bonnet on!

This week you went to the Cherry Jam for the Cherry Valley Girl Scouts. It was a two day/day camp that was held at Lakeside Park in Caledonia. You had a good time hanging out with some of your friends from school, and made a couple new friends too. I guess that's what struck me about the experience, how easily you seem to make friends. These little girls in the picture above all wanted to have their picture taken with you, especially the one with her arm around your shoulder. You went on scavenger hunts, learned new songs, and ate things you would NEVER eat for me (walking tacos?).

All in all, you seemed to have a good time and it was a good way to eliminate the constant "I'm bored" that I've already been hearing. Here are couple more cute pics, including one of you with your favorite troop leader called "William?" I guess she was making up silly names for herself both days and you guys thought she was hilarious. I could tell all the girls wanted her attention.

Great Grandma Worman, otherwise known as the Pocket Grandma, was here for a visit for the first time in 5 years. She was immensely happy to see you and is amazed by everything you do. She's a very sharp lady considering she's 94. While we were visiting Grandpa showed you how to strum his ukelele, and you fell in love with it. After you finished your dinner, you ran in the other room to get it and then serenaded us with the songs you learned at Girl Scout camp while you strummed. It was so cute because you were so serious about it. Now a ukelele is the only thing you want for your birthday. Daddy took some video of you playing it, I will try to upload it.

Today was your last day of Kindergarten. You are officially a first grader, can you believe it! I can't. Daddy had to get a picture of you getting off the short bus, because he thinks it's so funny. Plus today was the last day you will ever ride the short bus. You brought home all of these neat things from your teacher; report card, lots of pictures that were taken over the year, art projects, a draft book were you practiced writing and spelling, a memory book, and (my favorite) your "Look at Me" book where you drew a self portrait at the beginning of the year and at the end. Here's is what they looked like.

You got straight ones on your report card, with the exception of "recognizes and states the value of a penny, nickey, dime, and quarter". We can work on that over the summer. ;-) Along with your report card, your teacher wrote a little note telling about you and all you know.

"Elise is such a sweet little girl and has been a joy to have in class this year. She is quiet and shy but seems to have blossomed the past few months. She is kind, respectful, and cooperative. She has made new friends and gets along well with her peers. Elise knows rhyming, all 26 capital and lowercase letter names and letter sounds. She knows all 31 of the reading sight words. She uses the letter sound association to read leveled reading books and sound out words when writing in her Draft book. She identifies, arranges, and writes numbers 1-30. She counts to 111 by 1's and to 100 by 10's. She can practice couting to 100 by 5's this summer and to 20 by 2's. I encourage her to review letters, sounds, read and write this summer to maintain her skills. Elise always does her personal best in her work. She is ready for the challenge of first grade. I will miss her next year. Have a Great Summer!

Mrs. Bowman

Today was Field Day at school. Grandpa came and we had a blast! We had a sack race, relay, tug of war, long jump, and various other games. Your favorite was the tug of war. The first game we played was girls against boys, and the girls won! That was very cool. We also played adults against kids, and I was quite surprised by how strong you guys were. At the end, you guys were all hot and tired. We went to the gym for one more game, but noone played. Everyone got a participation ribbon. I hope when you get older they do actually let you compete. That was the most exciting part of Field day for me when I was growing up. The chance that I might ribbon in something. I realize Kindergarten is too young for that. Anyway we got lots of great pictures, so I'll post a few.

I'm so proud of you today. Daddy and I have been struggling to get you to ride your bike. You act like it's a chore any time we suggest a bike ride. We've been trying to get you to at least ride to the end of the cul-de-sac and back once or twice a week. Well today, you didn't want to ride that way, so we went the other way down Snow. The road is much nicer and smoother, so it was easier for you to ride even though it's hillier. You had a blast! We stopped and picked flowers every so often, but when you were riding Daddy and I had a hard time keeping up with you. Now you say that you want to ride every day, and I told you next time Daddy and I will have to ride our bikes too so that we can keep up. You were very proud of yourself.

School is almost out, and soon it will be summer. You are taking swimming classes at the YMCA still and you really enjoy them. I can't wait until Bob and Ann's pool is clean, so we can go swimming. You definitely have picked up swimming faster that biking. I'm a little worried about what to do with you for the whole summer. We've already had some "I'm bored." So we have you signed up for a week at Camp Manitou-lin for day camp. We went there last week for the open house, and you seemed very excited about it. I'm also signing you up for the two day Animal Adventures class at the Critter Barn in Zeeleand, and we have a vacation planned in Mackinaw City in August. It's going to be an exciting summer!

I just wanted to throw in a note about you and Patsy and Mini. As I'm sure you'll remember, they are your blankets and apparently friends too. Today as you left for school you gave each one a hug and kiss goodbye. Then for most of the evening you sort of forgot about them. You usually snuggle with them while we watch TV before bed, but tonight you didn't have them. I was going to say something, but I wanted to see if you would notice. You didn't. Then we read stories in bed, and you still didn't notice, so I finally said something as I was turning out the lights. "Ummm, are you forgetting something?" No, you said. "Are you sure?" Yes, you said. "Well, okay." Then you remembered as I started to walk out of the room, so I went and fetched them for you. When I brought them in you started to cry. I asked what was the matter, and you said you felt bad. I told you that Patsy and Mini don't care, and you said, "Yes they do!" It took quite a lot of snuggling before you had decided they weren't mad at you anymore. I don't think they hold a grudge.

It's been a busy weekend so far. Yesterday was the annual Kettle Lake Carnival, and it was the first time you attended as an actual student. I couldn't help looking around at the older kids who were grouped with their friends and thinking someday you're not going to want us to come with you. You didn't win any big prizes, but if it bothered you, you didn't show it. I think your favorite prize was the pink jet shaped kazoo you won at the duck pond.

Today was your last day as a Pike. Next week you begin a new session of swim lessons at the Y as an Eel. Your teacher said you were the most advanced kid in the Pike group. You wanted to know what advanced meant.

It was also kind of a dreary boring day. It rained on and off all day, with a few episodes of lightning and thunder thrown in for good measure. Thunderstorms didn't used to bother you really. I've always loved thunderstorms and tried to pass that on to you, but I guess I'm failing. The thunder got the song "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC stuck in my head, so I put it on the radio and you and I rocked out complete with Rock Band microphone and guitar. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we continued to rock out through "You shook me all night long" and part of "Hells Bells". I'm such a good role model.

Tomorrow to counteract your dosage of AC/DC, I'm taking you to church. Just kidding, that's not why. I've been looking for a church that we could attend. You've been to church exactly twice in you life, and I want to do more than that. This is something that I struggle with, because there are so many things that I dislike about church, but many things I like too. I want you to make up your own mind about it, but how can you make a decision unless you've seen both options. I can tell you, I will never force you to go to church, because I think that's the best way to get you to not like it. I want you to be there because you want to be, not because someone told you that's what you should do. That's how it happened for me.

Tonight was your Spring Concert. Grandpa came to watch and we had a blast. These things are so much more entertaining when you know kids from almost every grade. You did great! And you looked beautiful too. Your favorite song that you sang for the concert was Tingalayo. You've been practicing it at home for a month complete with all the dance moves. Your class also sang I'm So Glad to Be Here, The Tall, Tall Tree and I Can Do It. You were right in the front, and when you first came out on stage, you had your arms crossed over the front of you like you were trying to protect yourself. But once you got singing, it seemed like a lot of the shyness went away. You knew those songs!

My how smart you are! You have started reading. For you Kindergarten class, you have sight words to learn, so you know about 22 of the 31 sights words. But you are also starting to sound out words really well. We have some simple books that you are able to read with only small help from Mom and Dad. You get frustrated when I tell you to sound things out instead of just telling you the word you get stuck on. I get a little frustrated when you sound out a word perfectly and then look at the picture and make a random guess. We are working on it, and I'm scared to push you too much because I soooo want you to love reading like I did as a kid and still do.