Camp Update

Emily absolutely LOVED her two weeks at French camp. It sounds like it was the perfect blend of structure and free time. Also, she said that everyone was really nice and the facilities were better than those at the camp she had attended in Texas for the past two years. She is absolutely committed to going back to French camp next year. 

On a walk around the lakes

She also decided that she would like to spend some additional time in Minnesota this summer, so rather than flying home and then flying back in August for the county fair, she is staying straight through. She says there is more to do there, which is probably true. Also, she hit it off with a boy named Atticus at camp (yes, his parents are English teachers and he is named after Atticus Finch). He lives pretty close to Chad, so the kids have been able to get together for movies, putt-putt golf, etc.

Sushi sisters

She has also been enjoying all the great food in Minneapolis. Sushi is one of her favorites, but she has also discovered the wonders of sweet-and-sour sauce in Chinese dishes, and appreciates the incredible pizza that is available. 

By the time Emily returns, a new school year will be just three days away! Where does the summer go? We ask every year, but never get a good answer. That said, Emily says she is happy to go back. Summer is great, but some structure is good, too.

Fifteen + One Week

I am overdue for a Happy Birthday post. Emily has already spent a week as a 15-year-old. It was a very laid-back birthday. She didn't want a party and even dragged her feet on having a special dessert. In the end, she opted for some macarons.

15-year-old Emily

Emily's one request was that we do some shopping. She loves going to the mall, so we did that and also made a stop at Target. I got her a few presents from her list, but nothing too exciting. She also has some presents waiting for her in Minnesota, so she has that to look forward to when she heads up there in a couple of weeks.

Although it looks like we went out for dinner for her birthday, we did not. The photo above was actually taken a few days after her birthday when we went for French food. It's proving to be a relatively quiet summer. Despite all the time on her hands, she hasn't started tackling her driver's ed course yet, so I suppose that is one less thing for me to worry about as she gets older. LOL.

School's Out for Summer!

Last day of school photo

As you can tell, Emily was pretty happy about the last day of school. She has really enjoyed the change and the friends she has made, but it is also nice to sleep in once in a while.

The last day concluded with an 8th-grade walkout, which the parents were invited to attend. Emily was horrified at the idea that I might show up, so of course, I made sure to be really obnoxious about it. LOL. There wasn't much to it; they just left the school and did a lap around the track. I was able to get video at both the start and end of her lap.

In the first video, you will see her appear in a green dress right at the end of the video and work very hard to ignore me. In the second video, she has braced herself and is ready to more actively put an end to my shenanigans. LOL.
 

Now that summer is here, we have been figuring out how her days will look. In her mind, she should do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. In my mind, there are opportunities for her to help around the house, learn to type, and finally tackle that driver's ed course. We'll probably find an equilibrium just in time for her to head up to Minnesota for three weeks (two of which will be at French camp).

Gearing up for summer

It is hard to believe that Emily's school year will end in just a few weeks. Her classes are already winding down. They have been doing standardized testing each week, but as soon as a given class is done with its required testing, the teachers lighten up and let the kids watch movies, etc. 

Now that the weather is nice, Emily has also been hanging out with friends at the park next to the school. She still has the same boyfriend, and sometimes he and his twin brother are part of the group that goes to the park, but her circle of friends is definitely starting to widen. The group meets at least two afternoons a week, and sometimes a friend or two will come home with her. Most of her friends seem to live within a mile of the school, but being practically across the street makes our house an easy hangout spot. Of course, that will change next year when she goes to the 9th-grade campus, but for now, it is great.

As for summer plans, there still isn't much on the agenda, but we did manage to sign Emily up for a 2-week French immersion camp at the end of June. Hopefully, that will get her back in shape for honors French this fall. It has only been a few months since she was in French classes at her old school, but she is already getting rusty. 

This weekend, we will trek down to Houston to bring Abbie some furniture for her apartment. Hopefully, Abbie and Emily will get some good sister time, and Emily will get a good look at college life. She has not been to the campus in over a year, so I think it will be fun for her to see Abbie's dorm room and her apartment for next year, not to mention meeting some of her friends, etc.

Spring Break!

Time has flown by and it is already Spring Break next week! Emily still loves her new school. She is so much happier and has so much more energy, but she is still looking forward to the break. We don't have any big plans. The weather is going to be lovely, so hopefully she'll get outside a bit. She has an anime show she wants to binge, and has talked about getting together with some friends, but nothing is firm yet.

As I mentioned in my last post, there was a school dance just before Valentine's Day. The guy she got set up with, Preston, is still her boyfriend and she says he is really nice. However, I haven't met him yet. 

As you can imagine, she was very excited about the dance.

And, as luck would have it, Abbie was home for a long weekend, so the sisters had some bonding time while Abbie helped Emily get ready.

Emily looked great, but the dance itself turned out to be pretty lame. Go figure, it's middle school. There was music and dancing in the gym and games, etc. in the cafeteria. However, everything needs to be G-rated, so the gym was lit up bright as day, there was no slow dancing allowed, and the music was way too loud. Definitely not what she had hoped for.

Emily is starting to think about what she wants to do with her summer, but we need to formalize the plan or the time will just slip by. I would like her to take a typing course, she has a driver's ed course she needs to take, and I expect she will spend some time in Minnesota. However, we need to arrange some out-of-the-house day-to-day activities. She has signed up to be a volunteer in the community, so that is one option, but we'll have to see what else we can come up with.

A New School

 

1st Day of School (again)

 

Emily started at her new school a few weeks ago and it has been a big change in so many ways. In addition to there being no uniforms, she has been pleasantly surprised to discover that she can eat in class, people are incredibly friendly, her teachers are nice, and there is basically no homework. Needless to say, she is much happier with the whole situation. She walks over in the mornings and walks back in the afternoons, which makes my life easier. She is allowed to bring a lunch from home so we can pack food that she actually likes, which means that she has more energy during the day. In the afternoons, she can get a workout in or just relax, depending on how she feels. It has been great and she is so glad that we decided to move mid-year. 

She has already submitted her requests for next year's classes and gone on a tour of the high school. It will be big -- 1,000 9th graders all on one campus together, but she doesn't seem to mind the increased size. Other excitement -- she is looking forward to a school dance that is coming up on February 13th. One of the girls set her up with a guy in her grade, so I guess she has a "date" for the dance. She doesn't know the guy much at all, so there is a bit of trepidation there, but I'm sure she will be fine. I'll be sure to get photos!