Three of Jaymi's favourite things - school (& friends), cats, and taekwondo!

Oct. 12/11

..... her flexibility

She is so physically flexible and energetice, and fit.  It's awesome!

Although I really hate watching all of the new things she discovers she can do on the monkey bars with her friends.  It makes me nervous!

Oct. 13/11

..... her seriousness about schoolwork (while in school, anyway)

Jaymi takes her work seriously while she is in school.  When it's time to do schoolwork, she can always be seen with her head down, pencil working away.

Oct. 14/11

..... her braveness

She is putting her hand up in taekwondo to answer questions now.

She is speaking up when she wants to ask the teacher in school a question.

That's awesome - she is getting much braver now.

Oct. 15/11

..... the effort she puts into taekwondo

They are taught at taekwondo that you should always do your best.

They are taught that you should be "happy but not satisfied" with each accomplishment.

And Jaymi gives her all in the class, for sure.

She does what she is supposed to do, quickly and with as much strength and speed as she can.

She recently entered her first taekwondo tournament.

She entered in the sparring category, the forms, and the weapons category.

She had a fantastic time, and won three medals!

Oct. 16/11

..... her decision to grow her hair this year.

Mark and I have always liked her hair longer.

But in January she wanted it short and we finally said yes.

Now she is trying her hardest to grow it...very impatiently....and it is.... slowly.

Oct. 18/11

..... her nuturing nature.

She came out of her room one night and was worried that Socks had possibly swallowed something he shouldn't have, and was in pain.  She heard him crunching something, then she said his eyes were very wide.  She worried that he was hurting.

I checked him and he was totally fine.

I love that she worries about him like that.

Oct. 19/11

..... her imagination

Jaymi has begun writing a book of her own.  She is fascinated by the Warriors series by Erin Hunter, and has read almost all of the books, and recently she decided to write her own story, using the Warriors characters and history.  I just love the vocabulary she is using and the way her imagination comes out in the story.

Oct.20/11

..... her excitement about her birthday.

Jaymi is planning her birthday.  She isn't letting me do much on my own - it's all her!

It's a Warrior Cats birthday party.

And she DOES NOT want presents (from her friends).  She wants her friends to bring a $3 donation and an item for the SPCA.  None of the money will go to her - it's all for the SPCA.

I love her idea!

So we are making sure that she has a fantastic birthday party and gets presents, of course, from family members.

And we will go to the SPCA and give in the donation, visit the animals and 'tell' them about it, and Jaymi says that will be her present - the warm fuzzy feeling she'll get from making the animals happy.

Oct. 5/11

..... her unconditional love for Socks (her kitten)

We got Socks back in June, and Jaymi is still so in love him.

Every day when she gets home from school, she immediately looks for him in the house, cuddles him and says hello.

Oct. 6/11

..... her love for board games

It was hilarious watching Jaymi and her friend Zoe play Bedbugs together recently!

Oct. 7/11

..... that she's my kid!

Oct. 8/11

..... her changing style

I love watching her figure out her style, and what she likes to wear.

It frustrates me that she doesn't like dresses or skirts anymore (again!).

But oh well.  I do want her to be her own person, right?

She likes pants and shirts.

She loves shoes, especially flats.

She doesn't really like to wear pink that much.

She likes comfortable clothes..pants that stretch - no cords or jeans.

She likes her hair straight and smooth - no poofiness or waves or curls.

She still likes to mismatch her socks, most of the time.

Oct. 9/11

..... her curiosity

Jaymi helped me with the Thanksgiving turkey this year, and also made her own pumpkin pie.

I am always quick to help her learn new things, so when she asked me if she could see the giblets, and inspect them, I jumped at the chance to teach her something new.

We marvelled at how the heart looks just like ours would.

We cut open the heart and noticed the blood vessels and arteries.

We noticed how the liver looks the same on the inside and outside.

We cut apart the neck and saw that there were vertebrae just like ours.

Oct. 10/11

..... her long-standing friendship with Gareth

Jaymi has known Gareth since somewhere around age 3...before preschool!

They went to preschool together, and then when it was time to go to kindergarten, they went to separate schools.

Since that time, they have had a weekly playdate.

They have always been at each other's birthday parties as well.

Gareth turned 9 the other day, and Jaymi was happy to choose two Warriors books for him - she knew which ones he would enjoy.

They both have a love for "Warriors" by Erin Hunter.

They discuss the series endlessly, in detail.

They love to pretend they are warrior cats in a certain clan, and they act out whole scenarios.

Oct. 11/11

..... her interest in planning her own birthday party

Since about 2 years ago, Jaymi has wanted to be in on the plans for her birthday parties.

Here she is, planning her upcoming party (a cat party) while eating leftover pumpkin pie.

:)

More things I love about Jaymi:

Aug.12/11

..... her gentleness

She is amazing with Socks (our new kitten) and with Cookie as well.  She is just so gentle and good with animals, naturally.

She wants to work with animals when she gets older, and she also is convinced that she is half cat!

:)

Aug.13/11

..... how she is so carefree.

Aug.14/11

..... her love for little things,

like bubble tea and mini-donuts!

Aug.15/11

..... the thoughts she comes up with.

She has said recently that she wants to be buried next to Grandpa (my late-father-in-law).  She has never met him, but we do talk about him with fond memories, and she knows how important he is to us.

When I asked her why, she said, "because I never had the chance to meet him."

Lots of catching up

July 30/11

..... her thoughts

Jaymi always amazes me with what she thinks about.  I love hearing about what goes through that beautiful, intelligent head of hers.

July 31/11

..... her playfulness

We went to a park that we don't usually go to, and she had so much fun just playing and being a kid!

Aug 1/11

..... her love of water

Ever since Jaymi was a baby and we had her floating in the bathtub with a baby "swim vest" on, she has loved being in the water.

When she was a toddler in the pool we constantly had to remind her not to just dunk under the water without letting us know first.

She basically taught herself to swim, and always preferred to be under the water most of the time.

She has been swimming without a life jacket for many years now, and still loves to be in the pool.

Aug 2/11

..... her fantasies

Jaymi and I went to a costume sale at a local theatre's costume rental place, and this is what she picked out.

She wanted this wedding dress to add to her dress-up box, so that she can pretend to get married.

She immediately tried it on when she got home, practiced spinning the bottom so that it twirls out around her, and asked Mark if they could 'get married' that evening.

She even got a ring from the costume sale as well.

Her only complaint about this dress is that is doesn't have a big, long train.

:)

Aug 3/11

..... her change in style

Jaymi's style is definitely changing, and so are her interests.  She is still very 'kid' but is starting to be a bit interested in some 'older kid' things.

She still loves stuffies, but not quite as much.  There are many times when I realize that she didn't bring a stuffed animal with her, and it used to be all the time.

She is not so much into sparkly clothes anymore, and not really into dresses and skirts (unless it's for a very special occasion).

But she likes this type of shirt (especially in the heat) - this is actually my shirt.

She cares very much about her hair.  You'll constantly see her brushing it and asking if it looks alright.  Even as she's heading into a taekwondo class!

She still loves pretend and reading and especially shoes (dressy ones - not runners)

Her main interest right now is definitely CATS!

Aug 4/11

..... her uniqueness and how she's not afraid to do things that are different (sometimes)

She requested that we go to the Bug Zoo recently, and after holding all of the bugs and listening to the whole tour, we entered the gift shop where she told me the true reason that she had wanted to go there.

She wanted me to buy some 'bug snacks' for her to eat.

So we did.

We bought cheesy worms, salt & vinegar crickets, bacon & cheddar crickets, and chocolate-covered ants.

And she loved it all!

Aug 5/11

..... Once again..... her beauty

Aug 6/11

..... her relationship with me

I love our mother-daughter relationship.

I love how much fun we have together, and I can help her discover so many new experiences.

Aug 7/11

..... her ability to get me to do things

We were downtown last week, and came across this Russian Tall Ship (a training ship) which was temporarily docked here in Victoria.

After finding out that there were tours on the ship, I wanted to go on one, but was also told that the lineup was about 45 minutes long, to get on the ship.

I figured that was way too long to stand there and wait in a lineup, so I began to leave the area.

Jaymi said that she wanted to lineup and wait, so after asking if she was sure, we did.

And she was fine!  The wait actually turned out to be about an hour and it was very hot and sunny.

But we got on the ship, and it was worth it.

So many awesome new things to discover.  What a fantastic experience!

Aug 8/11

..... our redo of her room

We are gradually redoing Jaymi's room to make it into a cat room.

Whenever she comes across a cat statue or decoration in a thrift store or at a garage sale, if she likes it, she picks it up for her room.

We found the coolest shop downtown recently called Cleopatra's Bedroom.

Since Jaymi has read all about Cleopatra, she wanted to go in and look at everything.

It was full of beautiful, authentic items shipped from Egypt.

Among the jewellery, clothes, vases, etc., there were these gorgeous painted portraits on real papyrus!

This one is of Bastet - the Egyptian goddess of music & dance.

Of course, cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt, so Jaymi has always loved that.

Aug 9/11

..... her developing friendships

Jaymi is realizing that she really clicks with Zoe.  They have been having many playdates this summer, and each playdate ends with the two of them asking when the next playdate will be.

Aug 10/11

..... hew she challenges herself

These are the books Jaymi chose on a recent trip to a used bookstore.

She wants to see how she likes the Narnia series,

she, of course, grabbed up the one Warriors book they had, that she hasn't read yet,

she loved the Cleopatra book so much, and wanted another in the collection, so she got one about a girl king from Sweden,

and she likes the Canadian Girl series, and grabbed the collection of Penelope.

Aug 11/11

..... her ideas

I turn around to see Jaymi coming out of the house, walking around with a canvas tote bag with a kitten head sticking out.  The kitten actually didn't look like he minded at all!

I am 6 months into my 365 project about my daughter, Jaymi.

So here are more of my daily things that I appreciate about her.

July 3/11

..... her fearlessness

I was watching a video with her (from one of our favourite sites - www.dump.com - with family-friendly videos) of the world's steepest (and one of the fastest) roller coasters (in Japan), and she was thrilled watching it.  As soon as it was over, she exclaimed, "I want to go there!"

July 4/11

..... her accomplishments

I love that she has completed 5 belts in taekwondo so far, and is still committed to going all the way to black belt.

I love that she has earned a role in the Nutcracker ballet.

I love that she learned to read at age 3, and is still an avid book lover.

I love that she is always learning new things and looking for new things to accomplish.

July 5/11

..... her complete 8-year-old-ness.  I made that word up, obviously.  ;)

What I mean, is that when she is with her friends, it's so cute to see her getting excited about playing 8-year-old games and talking about things that 8-year-old girls talk about.

July 6/11

..... how her sense of responsibility is so strong when it comes to cats.

Our new kitten is her responsibility - her kitten - so she is in charge of changing the litter every day, feeding the kitten wet food twice a day and keeping the water fresh and dry food bowl filled.  She also makes sure the kitten has play time and recently, "Cookie" time (time to meet our cat Cookie to get used to each other).

She also has learned (by doing it with Mark) how to clip a cat's claws.

And she scours her room weekly to make sure that there are no choking hazards or anything else that can hurt the kitten, since it lives in her room most of the time.

She takes her responsibility seriously.  She left us these specific instructions when leaving for a two-night stay with Gramma.

July 7/11

..... her nurturing instinct

..... The day she came back from Gramma's house, she slept for part of the night like this, with Socks curled up against her arm.   They were so adorable together!

July 8/11

..... her independence combined with caution

I have always loved the fact that Jaymi has always been a cautious kid, but not overly cautious.  She isn't afraid of much at all, but is cautious and has always obeyed the rules about sticking with us, not wandering away, not running through parking lots or across a road, etc.

I asked her to walk to the car while we were at the library, across the parking lot to get books from the car, and I was testing her.  I watched her as she looked both ways a few times, made extra sure that no cars were coming, walked properly and alertly to the car, and did the same on the way back.  I was very proud of her.

July 9/11

..... her courage (again)

Jaymi ran into a pole in a playground last Saturday afternoon and ended up needing 3 stitches in her eyebrow area.  It was a pretty deep cut and we had to go the ER to get it stitched up, for many reasons.

She was pretty scared when it came time to put the freezing in and the stitches, but she stayed still (squeezing my hand like crazy) and she was awesome.

I think she learned that it wasn't quite as scary as she anticipated it to be.

July 10/11

..... her playfulness

She is a great age to have a kitten.  The kitten needs to be played with and Jaymi is quite willing to do this, every day.  She told me that running around with Socks is actually good exercise for her!

July 11/11

..... her sympathy

Jaymi gave Socks a 'sponge bath' (with a wet washcloth) but didn't wring the cloth out AT ALL, so Socks ended up entirely too wet, and shivered for quite a while.  Jaymi was so caring and helped him dry off, comforting him while he did.

July 12/11

..... her appreciation for being thrifty

Earlier this month, I came across a deal at www.clearlycontacts.ca where they were offering any pair of glasses for free - just $10 shipping (plus, about $2 handling charges).  I was skeptical, but thought it seemed worthwhile ordering an extra pair for Jaymi.  I have her prescription in my purse, and just plugged in the numbers on the order form, chose a cute pair of glasses, added a scratch coat (an extra $10) and submitted my order.  I didn't say anything about it to Jaymi, in case the glasses didn't turn out right or didn't show up.  Less than a week later, they showed up.  And they're perfect!  She can see perfectly through them, they fit wonderfully, they're so cute, and she loves them!

AND, they came with a nice little case, a cleaning cloth, a drawstring bag, and a teeny tiny screwdriver.

What a great deal!

July 13/11

..... her sentimentality

My mom has had a Sit 'n Spin at her house since Jaymi was a baby, and every time we visit out east, Jaymi loves to play with it. Even though it's a toddler toy, she still loves it and managed to figure out how to have fun with it. So when we saw this one at the Salvation Army for $2, I said 'okay' to buying it. She loves playing with it!

July 14/11

..... her thought process

We have been learning about Cleopatra at home, and it has brought up quite a few new topics and questions!

For example:

- Cleopatra married her brother (which made Jaymi comment that 'they' wouldn't let her marry Daddy, in that case, would they?)

- Cleopatra's younger sister got married, got bored with her husband, and had him strangled

- people were regularly beheaded (she thinks this is incredibly mean, and at the same time, incredibly funny)

- people can leave things to people and instructions, in a will

- they mummified the dead to preserve their bodies

These last two points, prompted Jaymi to announce that she wants her body to be preserved, along with our cats (if they're dead by then) which will be preserved and laid one on each side of her body.  She also would like to leave her electrical tape & clamps to Mark, her hairbands to me, and donate half of her money to the pound and the other half to the SPCA.  

And she wants to be buried next to Grandpa (Mark's dad) - she says this is because she's never had the chance to know him.

July 15/11

..... her ideas

Jaymi has been dancing with Socks recently.  She puts on music, holds him, bounces him around a bit and he just goes completely limp!  His head droops down, his paws droop down, his legs go entirely limp, and he just hangs there.  It's hilarious!

The end of Gr.3 and the beginning of our summer

June 19/11

..... her similarity to her dad!

Jaymi is so much like Mark.  And although it drives me crazy sometimes, I love that she is like him.

They are both perfectionists.

They are both extremely stubborn.

They both have the same sarcastic streak and sense of humour.

They are both so smart!

They are both disorganized and scattered sometimes.

They are both so distractable.

They are both the loves of my life.

:)

June 21/11

..... her love for school.

She especially loves being with her friends, now that she is older.  This picture was taken on a field trip to a garden, during the last week of school.

June 22/11

..... her love for pretty things.

These are new shoes Jaymi just got.  She is wearing out shoes more than anything lately!

June 23/11

..... her courage to try new things.

Jaymi auditioned for a ballet this year, and she got a role!

She will be in a real ballet with a real ballet company in December.

She will be a snow flurry in The Nutcracker.  She went through an hour-long audition process and was so happy when she got in!

June 24/11

..... her recovery this year.

Her teacher awarded her a certificate of courage at the awards ceremony.  It is still unbelievable to us that she had her second brain surgery, still lives with a brain tumour, and has now graduated from Gr.3.

She has accomplished so much this year, besides recovering from surgery.

She has run a 1.5K, earned a role in a ballet (and finished her Primary year in ballet - ready to move on to Gr.1 ballet in September), made up for 3 months of lost time in taekwondo and has now earned her purple belt, and has also done a lot of growing socially & emotionally this year.

June 25/11

..... her enthusiasm

Ever since we discovered McHugh Rd we just HAVE to visit it when we are nearby!

June 26/11

..... that she likes to get wet.

It's so much fun to have a water balloon fight with a kid who WANTS to get wet.

June 27/11

..... her fun ideas

We declared this week "Fort Week" after Jaymi built this fantastic fort.

She has hung out in it, read in it, played in it, and eaten meals in it.

We ate dinner in it on this day.

June 28/11

..... her adaptiveness (recently)

Jaymi has never been great at accepting other people's ideas, but this year she has improved so much with it.  She let me change up her fort and tweak her ideas, and she liked the changes too.

June 29/11

.... her perseverance

I have been wanting to do a study of Virtues for a while now, and decided to do it this summer.

We began with Perseverance for two reasons.  One - because she used a lot of perseverance building her fort (it took hours and kept falling apart).  Two - in taekwondo right now they are discussing perseverance as well, so it fits right in.

One of the activities Jaymi is doing is lifting these cans (as weights) a certain number of times every day, and increasing that number.

June 30/11

..... her sense of responsibility.

Okay, here is the newest member of our family.

We adopted the cutest, tiniest kitten two days ago.

Jaymi named him Socks.

He is nine weeks old, he is very playful and very cuddly.

He is a rescue kitten (he was fostered after he was born from his mother - a cat found in the wild).

He is Jaymi's kitten and right now (until he is big enough to meet the other cats) he lives in her room.

She feeds him his wet food twice a day, she makes sure his dry food is filled up and his water is fresh, and she empties his litter every day.

She loves him so much, and is so amazing with him!

July 1/11

..... her sense of tradition.

She insisted on going to Fort Rodd Hill as we do every year, and we always take this family picture as well, on Canada Day.

She feels that tradition is very important.

July 2/11

..... her artistic ability

Jaymi has been wanting to be an artist for years now.  (She also wants to be a black belt in taekwondo and to work at an animal shelter.)

She loves to paint, draw, and colour.

She is turning her room into a cat-themed room right now, so she painted two canvasses for her room.