It has been awhile since my last post, so I guess that I need to get you caught up on Emily's holiday season. In short, it was a good one! She definitely enjoyed the time off from school, and all of the usual routines that go along with the holiday break, which usually involve food. Most important to her, there were desserts galore - her advent calendar, frosted cookies, desserts with ice cream, etc.
Although we did not go ice skating this year, we did get a chance to see Santa and Emily was very clear about her list - an American Girl doll and a giant giraffe were two of the big items. Perhaps needless to say, Santa came through on everything. The giraffe was too big to wrap, though, so it was just standing in the living room waiting for her on Christmas morning. She was so excited when she saw it (it is taller than she is) that she practically started hyperventilating. As for the American Girl doll, it looks just like her and Emily has named her Ann. As you can see Emily and Ann also now have matching PJs. :)
Emily also had her first public violin performances (the same performances that Abbie had) during the break. She accompanied the group on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Lightly Row, and Jingle Bells.
Now that she back to school, we are back to the usual routine. She continues to do well at school and received a number of awards during a lower school award ceremony this week - one for creative excellence in art class, one for athletic excellence in P.E., one for her performance in social studies, one for obtaining the most AR points in her class, and one for exemplifying engagement (one of the school's core values). She tried to play it cool, but I think she was happy about it. Although, that night I did find her entry in her journal in which she wrote about the awards that she received. She said, "My mom was so excited, but I was NOT!" Ha!
