Trophy Daughter

We went to Maryn's swim club banquet Saturday, and this is what we saw in the backseat when we arrived home. This is what two and a half hours on a dance floor will do to a person, any person. When it was time to pull the pin on all the fun, I stood up at the table and while looking at the dance floor between the heads and legs blocking my view I was saying in my head, "Hey, someone is break danc...it's Maryn!" She was spinning like a bug on it's back, doing a good job of cleaning that spot on the floor in her new outfit. It made me laugh, and it let me know it really was time to go home.
Maryn sat at a kids' table with her cronies, while we sat at a different table with two nice couples we had just met. The highlight of the evening was the distribution of trophies. They were participation trophies, all the same size, every child received one, and as the head coach called each child up, one at a time, he said something nice about that child. We heard him say, "This next person always has a smile on her face. She is happy all the time, and she makes me wish I were the coach of the red team...Maryn." What he said was really great and what was even greater is that during that pause before he said her name, from the table next to us we heard another child say "Maryn." That was better than getting a trophy.
We knew she would be asleep as soon as the car started to move so I asked her if she wanted me to hold her trophy. Nope. I didn't need to anyway because she had a pretty good hold on it. The next morning the first words out of her mouth were, "I got a trophy. I never got a trophy before." Every child loves a trophy, and every parent likes to hear something nice about their child.
The trophy looks good on her shelf, and she's on to the next thing.

Playing Around

I know, he looks ridiculous, and she looks adorable like she always does. I want to remember the two of them just like this. It was a big moment: Maryn-initiated, imaginative play. She had come home repeating the word "action" as if she had practiced a play at school, and she was eager to get to work on her own play. While I made dinner, Maryn got paper and a pencil and wrote her play, copying the same words on two pieces of paper. There were correctly spelled words. There were complete sentences with subjects, verbs and punctuation. There were costumes. There were calls for "action". There were parents wordlessly marveling to each other about how far she has come, and there were smiles.

Book Report

What are the chances Maryn would be lucky enough to be given China for her most recent book report about a country? Chances are excellent, when you have a savvy teacher like she does. With parental assistance, Maryn read the book, took notes, wrote the report with the help of those notes, and then practiced, practiced, practiced reading the report before presenting it to the class. We gave extra attention to new words such as crops, protection, and population that don't roll right off the tongue of an English language learner. And, we all know how hard it is to say spaghetti when you're new at it, but, in any good book report about China, you're going to have to say it since it was invented there.

She wore her new qi pao, a traditional Chinese dress, and taught the class to say hello, goodbye, thank you, mom, dad and teacher "in Mandarin, the national language of China." Does a quote taken from a second grader's book report require citation? Well, I give all the credit to Maryn. Once again, she wowed her teacher and class, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the progress she is making this school year.

Only One Fish in the Sea

This is what the 100 yard backstroke looks like to adoring parents. Our eyes are on only one swimmer and there are no other fish in the sea. Maryn is on a swim team, and this is how she has spent two nights per week and the occasional weekend since the season started back in September. She loves it, and so do we. Being part of a team and all that exercise are so good for her. Watching her go off the block and do flip turns makes us smile. We aren't rabid about times, ranks or ribbons, we merely delight in watching her do something she enjoys. She wants to do it next season, and we'll be there watching.

Hail to the Chiefs

Happy Presidents' Day from George Washington herself. Maryn's class did biography book reports recently, and I was thrilled when she came home and announced her report would be about George Washington. I knew a good costume could make a huge difference for a second grade report, so I went right to the phone and told Ame to borrow the colonial man cuffs, jabot, hat and wig from her friend Helen. Helen's 19 and 15 year old sons wore the costume when they were in second grade, and I'd seen Jen in it when she was George Washington in third grade. Just as I suspected the costume was a huge hit with her classmates and teacher. It really made us proud knowing our daughter would be president (for) one day, and you'll be happy to know the father of our country got an A on her report. We're already practicing for the next one - all about China.

Playing Through

Maryn's school is doing a week of special events as a fund raiser for a children's hospital. Tuesday was pajamas, slippers AND stuffed animal day, and she really loves that. Friday is ice cream day. Today was dress as your favorite book character or sports star. That was a puzzle. She doesn't have a Curious*George costume, and she doesn't have a favorite sports star. Last night it was Tom's brilliant idea for her to dress like a golfer. This morning the two hour weather delay for school gave us time to dig through the summer clothes for a costume, so we looked on the internet for the latest fashions in professional golf. When I saw pictures of Michelle*Wie with her long, dark hair, I said, "Perfect." I told Maryn, "If anyone asks you who you are, you can tell them you're Michelle*Wie. She is a fabulous golfer." As I worked to get her ponytail just right for the cap, I quizzed her asking, "Who are you?" "Michelle Fabulous," she said. As I zipped up her winter coat and sent her out for the arriving bus, I coached her a few last times calling down the driveway, "Have a great day, Michelle*Wie. I Love you, Michelle*Wie." With one last, "Mooommm!" Michelle*Wie got on the bus and off she went to a fabulous day of second grade.

Groundhog Day

Without a single ray of sunshine today our little groundhog did not see her shadow, so we're predicting an early spring or at least we're hoping for one after the shoveling we did today. Who knew there were so many people holed up in the houses in our neighborhood during the long winter when the sighting of another human being can be rare. We were all out today putting our snowblowers through their paces and helping those who tried to do battle with only shovels. To clear it today you had to have more than mere muscle power. Now there's all the fun to be had playing in the snow. There are piles to climb, hills to sled and forts to build, and that's all before the next round comes.