Catherine at Seven

My Catherine Cat,

Where did the past year go? I feel like you just finished preschool and suddenly you're nearly done with first grade! I'm grateful we're able to homeschool this year: I feel like even if the time is going quickly at least I'm not missing it.

You are still the unique, independent and creative soul you've been since you were a toddler. It's hard to pin you down in any categories. I love it. 

You are my helper, my assistant. If I need something done, you're there. If Elise is into something she shouldn't be (which is most of the time), you'll take care of it. My life would be a lot harder without you. 

When you come down in the morning I never know which Catherine I'm getting: snuggly Catherine, grumpy Catherine, head-straight-to-the-art-supplies Catherine, or iPad Catherine. You are still a cat: you decide when you want affection and how much. 

I love you. I love your creativity and your wonder. I love your independence and confidence. You are amazing. Happy birthday, Sara the Catherine.

Here's what you're up to at age 7:

*Pictures. All the time pictures. Generally you would steal my phone, but I remembered I had an old point and shoot which is now yours. You fill up 16 GB really quickly.

Selfie!

*You like your device time, but you're not ruled by it. Many mornings you'll come down and get straight to work on some project you dreamed up in the night. This particular day you made a fort for Aaron & Elise:

*You are an outdoor cat. If the weather is decent, you are out. Winter has been long, cold and wet, so any sunshine means we need to get out. After lots of rain and snow, we had a sunny day. We ditched our schoolwork and spent the day at the park:

*Closely related: you are still not a fan of hair ties, but are getting better about letting me put one in your hair in the morning. You still ask for short hair frequently. 

*You finally hit 40 pounds. Huzzah.

*You're loosing teeth like crazy. 

*You finished your first grade math halfway through first grade. We'll see how far into second grade math you get before the end of May!

*You like your space. You also tend to get lost in your little world if left alone to clean your room or get dressed.

*You are a great reader. Elephant and Piggie books are your favorite, but you also love Phobe and Her Unicorn and will steal Seth's graphic novels. The other night you went to bed with the scripture stories.

*You can be quite sassy and standoffish. 

*You loved your Primary teacher, Brother Garver. Your heart was broken when he moved away. 

*You could play creatively all day. School is generally a terrible interference with your plans. 

*You have lots of friends at co-op, but don't generally play with them during lunch recess. Instead you tend to play independently. So not much of a change since preschool.

Happy seven, little one!