Favorite Things: Gymnastics! You’ve been taking for almost a year and boy, have you become a pro!! Maybe as a parent it sounds as though I’m bragging, but no, it is true. You have advanced 4 levels in your short year of training and been asked on numerous occasions to join the competitive and demo teams at your gym. You started with round-offs and cartwheels, then quickly advanced to front and back walk-overs, back handsprings, aerials and press hand-stands! It’s so fun to watch you out there... this is clearly a passion for you and you practice CONSTANTLY. Singing! You recently learned how to sing with vibrato and again, this has become a passion for you. You practice in the shower, in the car, taping yourself on my phone, with the piano, in the backyard, in bed, all of the time. You have surpassed any singing skills your mother may have and moved on to quite a lovely little singer. For the primary program, you sang “If the Savior Stood Beside Me” which brought this mom to tears. You are certainly a ham in front of an audience and you don’t even know the meaning of performance nerves. Piano! You are an excellent pianist and love to play (once you’ve learned your pieces). When it comes to the actual learning of the pieces... probably not one of your favorite things! But it is all worth it in the end. You are playing Sonitina by Clementi for your recital this month. It always brings great joy to our family to hear you play. We are proud of your responsible behavior when it comes to practice, although it is difficult to make time for it, you are great at prioritizing (with some incentives from mom!) Art! You love creating. We all notice you constantly folding origami creations, or working to create a new bracelet on your loom. And before the loom there was your clay sculpting, and your art illustration books. You just love art in all of it’s many forms. And your family members love receiving these special creations as gifts. You are so thoughtful to give them away and it makes our day when one of us is a recipient! School! I must say that you rarely complain about school. You are in third grade this year and you enjoy your teacher (Ms. Levchanko) very much. You love learning about geography, about poetry; you enjoy writing and reading. Math is not your favorite, but you are plenty good at that as well. You love playing with your baby sister and are such a huge help to me when it comes to her care. You love to dress her in the mornings, babysit her in the afternoons. She adores you beyond words and you are truly more like a second mom to her! Favorite Foods: chicken salad sandwich, spaghetti (no meatballs), gyoza, hamburgers, toffee, and hershey bars. Favorite color: blue Favorite TV show: Liv and Maddie, Ant Farm, Favorite Song: Better in Stereo (Dove Canyon), Favorite Book: Harry Potter series
Ways you have Grown: Evelyn, it is so much fun to watch you mature and grow each year. As a toddler, your feisty personality left me puzzled on many occasions as to how to handle you! But now as a big nine year old, you demonstrate tremendous leadership skills and contribute greatly to the mood and climate in our home. When you are feeling good- you make everyone around you happy... you are such a hoot! I love to hear all of your darling jokes and witness your upbeat, complimentary, helpful and kind behavior. Now on the opposite side, when you are in a bad mood, you tend to tease, or whine or create conflict. Luckily, that happens less and less these days.
I have seen you grow in your desire to be responsible for yourself and chores around the house. You recognize the impact you have on your brothers and I’ve been so pleased to see you cheer them on at their soccer games and support them in so many ways. They look up to you and adore you! They love when you play with them and include them in your world. I have noticed your ability to sense when your mom or dad might need your help and then watch as you step up to lend a hand. You are my little buddy and I feel so grateful for your company and help around the house. It is so nice to go out with you-- we love to get our nails done and to go to the mall. You have worked very hard this year to become more flexible and more of a positive thinker. I can see you changing your behavior for the good and I am amazed at your ability to work through these slight issues you have and make them more of a strength. You continue to love learning, love music and love the gospel. You work hard to memorize the articles of faith and love to attend primary and activity days. You are a great example to the rest of the family during scripture study and prayers. You are just such a neat little girl in every way and I don’t know how we ended up so lucky to have you in our family. We love you more than words can say and feel so blessed by your little spirit in our lives.
