When we were in Hawaii, Katie and Emily worked on some homework assignments – basically some worksheets. Maile was fascinated.
A couple days ago, she sat down and used Google to make her own English/Mandarin worksheet that was modeled after what Katie and Emily had in Japanese (yeah, a lot of languages in that sentence!). Basically, she asked Google how to say certain words (like “Mommy”) in Chinese and then drew a picture and wrote both the characters and the word down.
Maile hard at work crafting her first homework assignment
The next day, she asked me if I could find her some worksheets that she could use. We hit Google again (our new best friend) and I printed out some that I found. Today I asked her teachers at school for some help and they pointed me towards some good sites. Maile loves working through the problems (mostly math at this point) and then I help grade them – complete with a teacher-style smiley face at the top 🙂
She has a cute folder that she places all her assignments in and she’s been bringing them to school (unclear what happens with them at that point). So far we love homework!
(Click here for the video.)
This picture is the definition of curiosity to me - Maile and Lauren really leaning in...
Backstory – we hit up the Cal Academy of Sciences on Sunday and while in the rain forest area, this butterfly was just hanging out on the ground while a gaggle of kids inched closer and closer and closer.
With no school and no work on MLK Day, Mommy planned a fun adventure for her and the girls. She found a pretty cool tour at Mrs. Grossman’s sticker factory (some of you may remember that brand of stickers from when you were kids). The sticker factory was up in Petaluma, so first things first, the girls headed out for a special brunch (which Maile told me when I got home is halfway between breakfast and lunch!)…
Digging in to a great breakfast - Lauren matched Maile's every move!
Maile started drawing...
... so Lauren started drawing 🙂
After the brunch, they headed to the factory. They had a fun time learning about stickers and checking out all the different kinds that Mrs. Grossman’s makes. And, of course, they were very excited to bring some home with them (although I’m not sure how many of Lauren’s actually made it home – from the looks of it, most of them ended up on her body!)
Mommy crouched down here to try to angle the shot - of course, Maile and Lauren followed suit...
Maile and Lauren on the factory floor taking it all in and contemplating where to store all their new stickers...
Lauren doing some QA testing, making sure the stickers ... stick.
As you know, on Thursdays I like to click back through the archive and see what was happening on this day in history. Tonight my first stop was January 15, 2013 and I found a keeper right away – Grandma and Papa Boston meet Lauren for the very first time…
First meeting between Lauren, Grandma Jill and Papa Mike
One year earlier – and we have this smile of Maile’s lighting up your day…
Just a Maile smile to start your week...
And the year before that? Some silliness with Maile and her dollie in the stroller…
And we end our trip with this one…
I love you, daddy. I love you too, Maile girl.
A good day indeed.
She just keeps getting older and older – right before our eyes!
Maile's Kindergarten School Picture (5.5 years old)
And here’s the previous three years…
Maile's school picture for 2013 (4.5 years old)
Maile's School Picture 2012-2013 (3.5 years)
Maile's First School Picture (2.5 years)
With Daddy
With Mommy
The only one missing is one with her sister where she is likely hitting her because she isn’t getting her way 🙂
One last post about our trip to Hawaii before we return to San Francisco.
Lots of fun with Grandma and Papa Hawaii, Uncle Steve and, especially, Katie and Emily. It continues to amaze that despite the language gap, it really doesn’t seem to matter – the girls communicate with shrieks and giggles. They run all over, inside and out, splashing, swimming, laughing, creating fun projects with Grandma, coloring, playing games, dancing, singing – it’s a really nice way to end the year and start the new one.
Grandma Gail and Papa Cal with their girls, Emily (6.5), Maile (5.5), Lauren (2), Katie (8.5) - all in their homemade shirts 🙂
Thank you Grandma and Papa for a wonderful visit!
Today was Lauren’s second birthday! Will cover the festivities here in San Francisco a bit later this week, but before we left Hawaii on Friday, we celebrated Lauren’s birthday with Grandma and Papa Hawaii and Katie, Emily and Uncle Steve.
Yes, Lauren, that present is for you!
Mommy made the cupcakes and the rest of us took care of eating them ... after Lauren, Grandma and the girls blew out the candles.
As the video shows, Lauren hasn’t quite mastered blowing the candles out yet … maybe next year!
Per tradition we took a picture of Lauren in her kimono in front of the kadomatsu.
Previous kadomatsu pictures are here and of Maile here.
(Click here for the video.)
I thought I’d write a post about each of our girls tonight on New Year’s Eve. Lauren’s is here.
As for Maile – 5.5 seems to be the time where she is starting to figure out that even if she can’t do something right the first time through, with a little practice, she might actually figure it out. This is a beginning of a big change for her – she still needs to work at it, but it’s starting. We see it as the wheels on reading slowly, but surely start turning. And this video of her hula hooping is a good example – she makes it look so easy, but it didn’t start off that way.
The hula hoop is fun for me to think about – there was a time when I could hula hoop a bit. I try it now and it’s a disaster. Just a reminder that Maile is nowhere near the peak of the things she’s going to be able to figure out and do – such a fun ride to be part of as she starts to figure things out.
And while 5.5 has certainly brought its fair share of attitude and fights, Maile is still an absolute charmer – able to light up a room with her smile and her friendliness.
A big ol' Maile smile alongside some shave ice is a good way to end 2014!
(Click here for the video.)
by Papa K on December 31, 2014
New Year’s Eve seemed like a good time to check in with both our girls in turn. First, Lauren. Just a few days shy of two years old and the best way to sum up Lauren these days is through three words: “I do it.” Lauren is very focused on these days on being independent. If you help her do something (like get in the car or put on her shoes), she’ll say “I do it” and then back up to the beginning and do it again (yes, this means if you already have one shoe on, it’s coming right off).
And the range of things she tries to attempt for herself grows every day as she watches and learns from her big sister. Every move Maile makes she tries to immitate … and she increasingly does a good job too 🙂 So far Maile finds this hilarious. So far.
But despite her independence – she still is a ball of laughs – as long as she isn’t saying “I do it” – she’s often laughing and keeping a smile between those big cheeks of hers 🙂
After pulling the cart that far, a girl deserves a rest in the sun 🙂
(Click here for the video.)
