Sep. 9/11

..... her physical strength

This girl is strong!

All this taekwondo training has made her so strong, physically, and very fit too, I think.

Anyway, she was awarded her blue belt last week, and is already thinking about the next belt (High Blue - blue with a black stripe)

Sep. 10/11

..... how she's not growing up too quickly

She still loves bouncy castles and face painting, and fairs and pretend play.

I love that she isn't trying to be older than she is, and that she is staying innocent.

There will be many, many years for her to be more grown up.

Sep. 11/11

..... her memories

Every year since Jaymi was very young, we have gone to a fair called Metchosin Day.

It has always had this thing where you line up FOREVER to take a 5-minute turn on a mini-excavator and you get to work the controls, dumping and scooping and turning.

She has always wanted to do it and remembers it as a tradition now.  I wasn't sure, now that she is almost 9 years old AND not into construction at all (like she was when she was little) whether or not she would want to do it this year.

She did!

Sep. 12/11

..... her academic ability

She is so smart and such an academic little girl.

She is in Gr.4 this year, and her first spelling test went well - 18 out of 18!

Sep. 13/11

..... her whimsy

New t-shirt she picked out from Zellers :)

Sep. 14/11

..... her endurance

Sep. 15/11

..... the way she wakes up in the morning

If I have to wake her up for school, it's actually quite nice.  She's so cuddly and warm and cute.

And now she wakes up with Socks purring in her ear as well...she opens one eye and pulls him close to her to give him a big hug.

:)

Sep. 16/11

..... her excitement about moving up in levels.

She was excited about getting her new ballet clothes to begin grade 1 ballet.

In another 2 months as well, she'll begin rehearsals for the Nutcracker Ballet!

Sep. 17/11

..... her responsibility.

She is excellent at taking care of Socks (and Cookie too).

It's routine for her now.

In the morning, she cuddles him, checks his dry food, changes the litter, puts his collar on, and feeds him his wet food.

After school, she greets him as soon as she gets home, plays with him, feeds him his dinner later, and sometimes even trains him.

At bedtime, she takes his collar off, puts him into her bedroom, checks his water and dry food, changes his litter, and settles him down for the night.

Once or twice a week, she gives him a sponge bath.

The final days of summer and back to school

So, the last few weeks have come and gone, and were mostly full of fun.

We went to Vancouver for Jaymi's MRI, and got good news - her tumour is stable.

What that means, is that the MRI looked exactly like the last one, 3 months ago, and we don't have to back for another one until January.

So, we decided to have some fun and enjoy Vancouver.  It was kind of a celebration of the good news and I think, we deserved the fun.

And after the last couple of weeks of August were over, of course, it was time to get ready to go back to school - Grade 4 this year!

So...on with my 365 project.

--------------------------

Aug. 16/11

..... I love that she likes to go to plays.

We don't go to nearly enough of that kind of thing, and I have always had a love for theatre, so it's so much fun to take her to see a play.

Aug. 17/11

..... I love that she doesn't mind getting wet.

Aug. 18/11

..... her collection of reading medals.

She has quite a few of these, from the library summer reading club.

She does it every year, and always gets the medal at the end.

She also has tons of reading medals from taekwondo - they award them for filling out reading charts every day.

Aug. 19/11

..... her ideas

This waterpark has a big puddle in the middle, at certain times.  And Jaymi just loved jumping from the play structure right into the puddle.  It was pretty deep, too!

Aug. 21/11

..... her opportunities

While we were at Ronald McDonald House, Jaymi got to meet an author named Candace Weimer.

Candace was diagnosed with leukemia 4 years ago and was given 2 years to live.  She made the decision to fight it and get better and beat the cancer, and she did!

She wrote a book that is basically her journalling, and tells about her feelings from diagnoses through treatment to recovery.

Jaymi got a free book which Candace autographed, and they talked a lot.

It was a fantastic opportunity for Jaymi.

Aug. 22/11

..... how she helps me remember how to be a kid!

In the Ronald McDonald House, she just loved her bed!  It was a tiny room, but her bed was like a little fort, and she invited me up there one day.  Fun!

Aug. 23/11

..... her choice of toys

We got passes for Science World, from the Ronald McDonald House, and after having a lot of fun there, Jaymi got a stuffie platelet and a mango popsicle.

She reeeeallly wanted the stuffie platelet, after seeing how cute they were and learning what they do (clot blood).  Even now, when she gets a cut, she yells, "Platelets!  Do your job!"

:)

Aug. 24/11

..... her lack of fear

She has no fear of heights, which is awesome, because she thoroughly enjoys things like this Vancouver Lookout, where the glass elevator rides along the outside of the building.

Aug. 25/11

..... her connection with animals

Jaymi is in love with cheetahs right now, and when we went to the zoo, she was ecstatic that they had a cheetah!

He came right over to us, laid down and purred as loud as he could.

She just purred right back at him, inspected him, adored him, talked to him, and sat there for over 1/2 hour, until I dragged her away.  (We visited again later, and he was still there!)

Aug. 26/11

..... her fishiness ;)

She is such a fish.  Always has been.  She loves water, loves swimming, and will stay in there all day if she could.

She swam every single day, and sometimes twice a day.

Aug. 27/11

..... her childhood wonder

This was taken as she ran back to me after going on her first ride at the PNE in Vancouver.

She loves fairs so much!

She especially loved going on the roller coaster and all of the spinniest, scariest rides.

Aug. 28/11

..... her love for hotels

I love that there is so much about staying at a hotel that she loves.  It makes the vacation so much fun, before we've even done anything!

There's the ice machine,

building forts in the room,

watching a movie in the evening,

room service,

riding the elevator to the top of the building,

the front doors (if they're rotating or automatic)

the pool,

the hot tub,

exploring around the hotel,

practicing using the room key card in the door

and of course, bed jumping!

Aug. 29/11

..... her daring

We found this great free suspension bridge just near Abbotsford.

We even happened to be there while a large group of firefighters were doing some practice rescues down below.  So much fun to watch!

Aug. 30/11

..... her ability to make me experience things out of my comfort zone

Jaymi so badly wanted to ride the chairlift when we went up to Grouse Mountain.

So, we did it.

We had done a chairlift before, but it was way smaller.

I didn't realize this.

This one was long (about 15-20 minutes) and HIGH!

I actually got pretty nervous on it, and I don't usually get like that.

It was freaking me out a bit, and at the same time, I was thinking how awesome it is that I stepped out of my comfort zone to do this so that she could experience it.

Aug. 31/11

..... her willingness to pose for pictures ;)

Sep. 1/11

..... her new obsession - cheetahs

Sep. 2/11

..... her love for home

Home, sweet home!

Sep.3/11

..... her love for twirling

This is her new 'character skirt' for ballet.  She needs a character skirt for Gr.1 ballet this year, as well as ballet shoes, character shoes and her leotard.

She thinks this skirt is amazing, and loves to have twirling contests with me.

Sep. 4/11

..... her new food obsession - mangos.

Yuck.

I do not like the taste of mangos.

But Jaymi does.  Mango anything.

Mango smoothies, mango ice cream, mango juice, mango yogurt, fresh mangos, dried mangos, mango popsicles......

Sep. 5/11

..... how cute she is! 

;)

Isn't she cute?

I just love this picture.  It was her last swim of the summer, before school started up.

I just thought she looked cute, with her goggles, swimsuit, towel and flip-flops.

Sep. 6/11

..... that she likes school.

She started Gr. 4 this year - wow!

We always celebrate the first day of school by going to Dairy Queen afterwards.  This year we deviated from our regular tradition of ordering dipped cones, and she wanted to try a milkshake.

Sep. 7/11

..... how she makes me laugh.

Sep. 8/11

..... her empathy for Cookie

Cookie got into some kind of fight outside recently, and came home with some injuries.  They seemed to be fine after a few days, but about 2 days ago she was limping.  It seemed to be getting worse today so we took her to the vet.

Jaymi was very concerned about Cookie.  She kept reporting new symptoms to me, like her breathing rate, etc.

So the vet gave us some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medecine because she has an abscess.

Hopefully she feels better soon.

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!

July 16/11

..... I love her toughness. 

Jaymi got to be in the parade for Langford Days in July, with her taekwondo school.  It rained pretty hard that morning and it was still raining (although, barely) during the parade, but this group didn't care.  They walked through the whole parade, soaked by the end, but wearing t-shirts, no jackets, and no umbrellas!  So many of the other groups were huddling under umbreallas or with hooded jackets protecting their heads from the sprinkling rain.  Not my kid - she's tough!

:)

July 17/11

..... I love her endless imagination.

We bought a new garbage can and before I knew it, she was begging to play with it before we began to use it.

It was hilarious to see this blonde ponytail flopping around at the end of a rolling garbage can.

She had the best time with it!

July 18/11

..... I love the 'girl' things I can share with her.

When she asked me to blow-dry her hair recently, after a bath, she asked me how to keep her hair from flipping up at the ends.  She likes her hair very flat and straight.  

I found myself teaching her (while lying in bed) how to flip her hair from one side to the other, and smooth it down, so that it doesn't bunch up at her neck.  

It's fun to teach her 'girl' things. :)

July 19/11

..... her good reasons

Jaymi attended an SPCA summer camp last week - a full day, week-long camp.

She loved it so much.

But even more, she loved a couple of cats that were up for adoption.  She begged us to adopt one of these cats.

But these aren't just everyday, cute cats.  They were the ones she felt that no one will adopt because the kids even called them "ugly".

One cat had one ear.

And one cat was born with brain damage.  His brain has trouble with the message the tells him where the floor is, so he stumbles a lot.

But get this - here was her completely serious reason for why she should adopt him.

She said, "we have kind of the same thing in common - with the brain.  And I can help him because I understand."

How's that for a good reason for adopting that cat?

July 20/11

..... her compassion for animals.

In SPCA camp her group learned a lot about animal testing, and the companies that do it.

She is constantly checking products now, and telling us all about the companies we have to boycott and the ones that are okay to buy from.

July 21/11

..... her simple interests

I love how something simple like an inflatable oblong exercise ball (that cost us 50 cents) was the source of so much fun last week (and still is)!

She found a ton of different things to do with it!

July 22/11

..... the spot in her heart for her daddy.

When he says yes to dancing with her, or doing one of her made-up games, or watching a performance of hers, she just lights up.  She loves him so much, especially when he does something that an adult doesn't usually do (like dancing on the front lawn).

July 23/11

..... I love how everyday things can be exciting when you change one thing.

We found this 2-person tent for $2 at a garage sale and it made everything so much fun for Jaymi!

She wanted to eat dinner in there, start a club in it, play with the kitten in it, eat freezies in it.........

July 24/11

..... the way she's growing up

No, I hate that she's growing up - way too fast!  But, sometimes I look at her and I just love how she's growing up so beautifully.

July 25/11

..... her consistency with what she care about.

She has been amazing with this new kitten, Socks.

And she insisted on helping him out by comforting and holding him during his vet visit for vaccinations.

I know that she had a hard time doing this, because she doesn't like watching any animal get hurt AT ALL.  But she did it!

July 26/11

..... her sense of humour (again)

Jaymi had a playdate with a friend (at our house) and they were outside playing together.

Suddenly, my doorbell rings and I open it to be faced with this - a walking, giggling garbage can.

This went on quite a few times.  They thought it was hilarious, and especially when they walked around and bumped into things.

:)

July 27/11

..... how well she plays with her friends

July 28/11

..... her friends

She has such a variety of friends, and she plays with them all so differently.

Some are quieter, some are louder.

Some are leaders, some are not.

Some like to play "doggie" or "cats", some like to colour, and some like to bounce or build forts.

July 29/11

..... her willingness to stop for a picture once in a while.

I've been taking pictures of Jaymi since she was born, so of course, she's sooo used to me snapping pictures of her.  And I like the fact that if I ask her to stop for a second and look over at the camera, usually, she will.