Guest post by: Emmy

Getting ready for skating lessons 

Emmy and I started this post together a long while back.   She helped me pick out some things to share. She has rather lost interest in helping me with it further, so I'll share some other fun Emmy stories and news.

First time on the ice in new skates! 

Emmy's class started swimming lessons in January, finally! She loves to swim and she has been waiting for this all year. She likes going under water and she says she can now float on her back without her floatie, she has learned how to relax herself. (As of late February, I'm sure there have been a lot more strides since then!)

The primary grades also had three skating lessons. The first time we sent her with money to rent skates at the skating rink, but the skates hurt her feet A LOT. So, off we went to the sporting good store to buy her a pair of skates. They are white with pink and blue and she liked skating a lot better with her own, more comfy skates. They are adjustable, so she can wear them for a couple of years.


Recent school field trips included a trip to the candle making factory, and as a special end of term treat, the movies! The kids movies here are always dubbed, since most small children cannot read, so we don't get to take her to the movies.  The school arranged with one of the cinemas to play The Good Dinosaur in it's original language. It was a fun treat! Emmy says she really liked the movie. They also have been to a Lego exhibition where she saw an 11 meter model of the Titanic and a science exhibit. She really enjoys all the field trips.

Ready for a sleepover (18 Jan.)

Her best pal is Freja, her Danish-American pal. She is about 6 months older than Emmy but a grade ahead. They get to play together during their breaks, and since her mom, Sarah, and I are good friends (and her dad is Charles' Danish soulmate), we spend a lot of time together outside of school, too.  She also enjoys having friends in her class from all over, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, and China!

Masks her class made for Chinese New Year.

Emmy's dream catcher.

One a recent visit to Emmy's school, her teacher showed me a a project the class had just completed making dream catchers. She pointed out how nicely Emmy had done hers, how she had carefully wrapped the wire. After she was finished, she had helped some of her friends finish theirs. She really does love doing art projects! For her birthday this year, we are having an art birthday party. It is going to be a lot of fun to plan.

Emmy is apparently a rock star speller. It was a bit tough getting used to spelling words each week when that was added to the "schedule" mid-fall, but now she pretty much memorizes all four on Monday and we just review them through the week. It's impressive!

The whole class of completed dream catchers. 

Emmy still loves babies and playing with her dolls. She loves being a big sister, and she really is a wonderful big sister. She and Matthew play together, she shares with him so well. As a parent, it is amazing to watch. I love how much they love each other and I pray that their relation will continue to grow and they become good friends. 

When baby-lover and good big sister meet: baby-wearing her little brother.

Baby wearing duo on the way to supper the last Sunday in February.

Holding our friends' baby girl, Hannah. 

I don't have any pictures to share yet, but Emmy is in a drama class at the barracks this spring, and in June they will be putting on a play, an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. She seems to be enjoying it very much. In addition to getting ready for the performance they do crafts.  It has been a fun extracurricular activity. Hopefully we'll add in some gymnastics or ballet again, soon, too.

It's hard to believe that in just four weeks this girl will be seven years old. Six has been challenging, but then we did go through a big transition. We're all working on listening more and being patient (and by all of us I mean Charles, Emmy, and me).  She is funny, smart and stubborn always keeps us on our toes!