June Elizabeth: TEN!!!!

My June! You are TEN today! WOW!! I am so thankful I get to be your mama and know your heart and love you and be the one to walk you through hard and celebrate wonderful with you. you are the best. and you are my little best friend and I just adore you and love the time i get to spend with you.

you got bangs for your 9th birthday and you are just at the point where you're ready to grow them out. I will miss them. they make you look younger, so all of a sudden, you're looking more grown up. your hair is so beautiful- this shiny blond. you love to spend so much time on it before we go anywhere! you do it and redo it and redo it. you love to braid it especially! you think it is very thin, like mine, but you are working hard to try to make it thicker by trimming the edges every so often as Ita suggested.

You got moved up to level 2 in gymnastics right before we left for our month long trip to Mexico this year. We took a few months off for our travels and the holidays and got you started again beginning of January in level 2!! that was your birthday wish last year and you accomplished it just in time! i am so proud of you. you are loving the new level and learning new things, although you feel that your teacher is a bit too serious ha. your friend from JAM youth group, Lori-Ann, just joined your class a few weeks ago so that was a fun surprise! You are wearing one of my old leotards and i love seeing you in it (the purple and black one!) you were working on back-walkovers last week and you complained about your neck being soo sore for days afterward ha. you also started ballet in January, which you've wanted to do soo badly forever! we were actually just going to do ballet, but then an opening on the boys gymnastics opened up and it was just 15 minutes before the level 2 class and then Jo's youth group timing changed and it just felt like it was all lining up so perfectly to do it, so we did! we'll see how long we continue- youth group nights are wild and kind of hard haha. but you're loving ballet too! we found this wonderful sweet little school out in the country and a class on Friday mornings at 11am, so you're with all these other homeschooled girls your age. God also provided for us there in there being only boys in the class for Zeke's age, so he got to join in on the fun too while you're doing your piano classes as the same little studio. You're enjoying piano too! I don't know much about it, but I am so excited to hear you all practicing and you'll have your first recital this summer. You look so cute in your ballet outfits and I love peeking in on you- so graceful! you complained about sore feet the first few weeks, but seem to be settling into it now! you are doing both classes with Jo, so I hope you two reminisce fondly about these times as adults ;) dad would really love it if you would golf 1x/week, so we'll see if that gets added in during the warmer months!

You're doing great in school! You really enjoy your language arts. you are such a creative writer- I often find little tidbits of story starts laying around. and you love to write notes to us! you still use your cursive from time to time. You are a bit sloppy in your handwriting- you love to write really tiny and you often throw capital letters in the middle of words and forget punctuation, but we are working on it ;) you are not loving your good and the beautiful math this year. you say it just takes too long, so i am trying to cut down on the review problems. we will see what we end up using next year... it is just so hard changing curriculum because there will always be slight learning gaps, etc. But, you had your first day of GMC today (as I am writing this!) and are super excited to have that on Wednesdays til the end of the year. We waited to start so long because of Aunt Alisa's wedding and then Mexico and then Grandma was traveling all of December and January. but here we go! we also started a new co-op (Arcadia) and you are loving it! We do that on Thursday mornings and this 8 week term you're taking "Crochet a Bag", "Sew a teddy bear", and a science course. you are actually making friends which is fun- you ate lunch with friends instead of with me this last week so hooray! we try to join the co-op at Monkey Park after classes end, but it is kind of hard with Zak's nap. We have one more 8 week term starting in April and I will be teaching an American Girl Doll history class (Kaya), so maybe you'll take that! We are doing BiblioPlan Ancients for history this year and I think you're enjoying that. It is mostly focusing on Bible history actually, so that is awesome and really summarizes and explains history through a Bible focused view-point, so loving it for this year. homeschooling 3 kiddos is hard and next year, I'll have 4... so we will see how we shake out moving forward. for now, this season feels SO busy and maybe unsustainable...but we're having fun and trying anyway!

You still have some wonderful friends, but this past season has brought some hard and heavy feelings to work through in friendships. The Tasa fam and Mones fam started attending church together now that Athey had a Hillsboro campus and so they were seeing each other every weekend as well as for Wednesday night Bible studies at their church- in addition to the youth group and LSSC (Little Sister Swim Club) on Monday nights and any other things like sports or Grace Girls or just playdates we were doing together. you and Jo were definitely starting to feel a bit jealous and like they were getting closer with each other than with us and we introduced them haha. At one point, Emilie and Olivia started a bracelet making club and wanted it to be just them and I guess Jo told Elliette that you were super upset about that and cried about it and so the next week in the car, they apologized and asked you to join... I heard all this from Rosie weeks after the fact. you were mad at Jo for saying anything and Jo said she didn't mean to, but Elliette had asked you...blah blah blah drama! but in general, you girls were just the best of friends and each of those relationships was so special. This last month, the Tasa fam moved to Idaho and that was a big blow for you... you had to really work through that with tears a few times. We will miss them so much! but it is only a 6 hour drive, so we're hoping to see them a few times a year. and now you have GMC with the Mones girls! and there is no LSSC these next 2 months as the Athey ladies have some group on Monday nights, so Emilie came home with us this past Monday and you had the best time stair sliding and writing a worship song together- precious! Miss Janie invited a bunch of other friends from Athey Hillsboro into the LSSC, so we will see how that shakes out... they're all very nice girls, but we don't go to Athey... anyway, you also have Alberta and that is still just as fun and precious as ever. we just did a night at Great Wolf Lodge with the Brooks last week and you had the best time! and then a few days later, the superbowl at their house. and it is so funny watching the dynamic shift between the girls and boys... a few weeks ago you had an after church playdate at Alberta's and you had all been playing some game together- Anton and David Shephard and you and Jo and Alberta. I commented on how you weren't at war with one another and you hadn't even realized it. and then at the superbowl party, Jo had thought for sure you'd play war...but instead I came upstairs to find you all playing "What Do You Meme (family)" together! I think it might have something to do with Anton having a cruch on Jo and you having a crush on David... ;) ;) oh yea, and you have lots of crushes, which i'll include under friends for now because you're far too young to have boy drama! just so you can laugh about it later, i'll list what I know (which is a lot less than what Jo knows! you girls are frenemies- you fight like crazy, but at night, you go sit on her bed and confide all sorts of stuff to her!) the Mobley twins- but you don't know who is who haha. david shephard. someone who's mom's name is Jamie Gram... he is also a twin (boy/girl) and his mom was in BSF with me! you do vbs with him. and someone gomez from church- he has an earring, which i'm not too sure about, but dad says he is really nice.

you moved upstairs into your own room this year! we kept all your clothing downstairs in our family closet hallway (ha!) so that I could monitor the mess and make sure you weren't hoarding or leaving bits of paper everywhere ;) you are doing a great job keeping it clean! we did go ahead and separate your and Jo's Barbie stuff into your own rooms because there was a lot of fighting over who was making all teh mess... the barbie room was always SO gross. lots of creativity and crafting and imagination, so i loved it. but your ita did not. she would come up there and get so angry. i just couldn't deal with it anymore. but i am so sad about it... now that your Barbie stuff is separate, you're not playing at all. Jo moved her houses out of her room entirely and you started using your house as a bookshelf. like what?! I am so hopeful that you dad will finish cleaning the garage soon and we can move the Barbies out there and hopefully you can start playing again- at least with Eleanor- Jo might be moving out of the imagination stage *cue the tears*. you hung white Christmas lights around your room and in the evenings, you turn the lights off and just use those to make it cozy and we moved a desk in for you and you spend lots of time crafting. you have some coloring pages up on your walls. i love seeing your sense of style and personality come out through this space! anyway, you mostly got a new room because you also got your very own CAT! Avocado St. James III. why the third? who knows? but so cute. i love your sense of humor and how you wind it into even your cat's name. he is a peach! kind of annoying... but cute! he is really just the best personality we could have asked for. he is so cuddly and friendly and tolerates all the little kids man-handling him. but he loves to sneak into the laundry room where we keep Jo's chicks and stare at them and try to pounce. he loves to run outside anytime someone opens the door. he comes down and meows incessantly until we feed him in the morning. and he has butt worms- nasty! you really wanted one in Mexico, but we said no and you and Jo ended up pressuring us into getting him the week after our MX trip- we were not ready! Ita cried- another cat in her house. the poop has been a process, but I think we're figuring out a rhythm to cleaning all 3 litter boxes and keeping it clean and not smelly. the pine litter is way easier and less stinky and frankly a lot cheaper, so we are moving full time to that and I just have to suck it up and clean all 3 boxes once a week. but you and Jo clean the boxes every time a cat poops and do most of the other work yourselves. you love to have your kitty sleep with you, but you don't spend that much time with him other than that hah. we get frustrated with you because you don't spend time playing with or training him and he is kind of a bother. always getting on the counters and eating our food and drinking from our cups, etc. we will all be happy when the spring sunshine comes and he is big enough to start going outdoors to spend his energy ;)

We went to Mexico for a whole month this year! it was for sure a highlight of your year. we really enjoyed all the beach days- going out in the waves with the intertubes and just relaxing! we also loved the water park and rode the slides on our tubes until they broke- so fast! you loooved the churros and ice cream ;) it was SO hot and all the kids fought over who's turn it was to sleep in the cots in M&D's room haha. so much sweet family time- see pics below! you also got your hair braided!

i feel like you're starting to grow out of your toys...and it makes me sad! you spend most of your free time crafting- lately crocheting! and drawing and doodling and painting quite often too. but not playing per se.. you enjoy your dolls every now and then when your friends want you to bring them to LSSC, but other than that they sit. your Barbie house has turned into a bookshelf... you don't really play legos- just build the set in the proper way and display it. for your presents this year, you got 3 coloring books, a fountain pen, some new pajamas, and sweater/shirt with Scripture on it.. so grown up now! stay little, lady! i know Jo growing up so much is going to impact you, but I pray that your littler siblings will encourage you to slow down and still play until you hit the teen years.

i love you so so much, June! You are so beautiful- inside and out. and it is an absolute gift to watch you grow up and to be your mom. i cherish the nights when i tuck you in and get to hear your heart. I cherish the way you love me. i hope to take you on more 1:1 dates this year- even if its just a snack picnic outside or a quick errand together. you are my favorite little girl in the world (well..your sisters too!) you are absolutely adored and I pray the Lord continues to work in your life to bring you to Him and that you strive to honor Him in all you say and do.

Fav toy: I haven't been playing with too many toys... probably my American girl dolls.
Fav fruit: pomegranate or just like a perfectly ripe mango. maybe a teeny bit overripe.
Fav vegetable: carrots & cucumbers
Fav movie: urrrr i don't know!
Fav outfit: jeans with a little heart sewn on with my camp Tilikum t-shirt and any one of my sweatshirts!
Fav game: i've been having a lot of fun playing the rock paper scissors tic tac toe hand game with Alberta! (tic tac toe give me an x give me an o give me 3 in a row. johnny got hit by a ufo and landed in new mexico. *play rock paper scissors* winner says "I win, you lose, now you get a big bruise". loser says "not fair not fair. now i've got to pull your hair." winner says "not cool. not cool. now i get to push you in the pool." and actually do it!)
Fav food: BLTs
Fav animal: cats
Fav song: Whisper in the Wind or Dusty Bibles
Fav book: urg
Best friend: Alberta Brooks
Fav dessert/treat: brownies. like the really deep rich brownies. and plain vanilla ice cream. like the kind you get at the fair. the super creamy kind.
Fav thing to do outside: play on the big rainbow swing

Fav drink: water or pink lemonade from Red Robin

Fav holiday: Christmas or my birthday

Fav thing: Avocado St. James III

Fav homeschool subject: LA

Highlight of your year: Mexico!

Goal for next year: to be in level 3 in gymnastics

Most excited about right now: my birthday!

What do you want to be when you grow up: an artist! and also kind of like... i wanna design kids' rooms or rooms. i don't know what they're called (interior designer)

What has God taught you this year: I felt like he's taught me a lot about noticing the little details. like every day, when i'm trying to go to sleep when i'm bored i'll try to think of 5 little details from my day that I really enjoyed.

How did we celebrate: We had your birthday party really early this year because the Tasas moved away :( and you really wanted to include them in your celebration. You were super smart with your $100 budget and were able to do a canvas painting and cupcake decorating party and it was so cute. You only invited Hannah and Olivia Tasa, Elliette and Emilie Mones, and Jo. the littles got to decorate some cupcakes too ;) we had leftover cupcakes for days and days haha. I think we made 4 boxes worth and had well over 60! You painted your canvas to say "Friends" and asked me to print 2 pics of the 6 of you together <3 you really wanted the actual day to be special, but it just wasn't the best day ever ha. we were going to Great Wolf Lodge and getting home on 2/4, so we actually spent the day before playing at a water park so that is something special! but anyway, we got home and had to get everything ready for Thursday Arcadia and Friday dance/piano and dad was working late on your actual bday and grandma and grandpa were bringing dinner on Friday, etc. etc. etc. so we didn't do donuts for breakfast, but we did swing by and pick some up after Arcadia and park play with your friends! and i was going to do Annie's mac'n'cheese for dinner, but your Ita swept you off to Tacos Fita for a bday dinner! and G&G are bringing broccoli cheddar soup from Panera tomorrow and stuff for ice cream sundaes (and not for your bday, just bcuz its national froyo day and half off and all your friends were doing it, we are getting froyo mid day tomorrow after ballet!...so 2x ice cream in one day yikes!) and we will do your bday dinner request maybe on Saturday- BLTs! We had a bit of a rough morning with dad finding out you left the car door open all night and then Jo pitched a fit about not wanting to stay in the car alone while we ran out to grab donuts and the baby was napping... so not my favorite memories of your day. but we talked about how a day is just a day and we can celebrate any day and any time! so, all in all i hope you felt super loved and celebrated <3 <3

your party!

your new room with your cute kitty!

we mixed the red, green, and white from the Christmas play-doh kits to make V-day colored playdoh- chocolate and strawberry ;)

you crocheted him a scarf ha

Olivia, Geneva, June, Emilie, Avery, Lily

Little Sister's Swim Club fun! you sometimes bring your dolls and all play together. in this pic, you were having ice cream sundaes- a goodbye party for the Tasas on our final time with them. it was sad and sweet!

Avocado and Sparkle are good friends! Starlight hates him and hardly comes inside anymore- she is the definition of "scaredy cat". Your cat has fallen in the bathtub...3x? i think. and as I was working on this, someone left the laundry room door open and he killed a button quail. ARGH.

you had a great time at Aunt Alisa's wedding to Uncle Jake!!

i don't know if these daddy/daughter dance pics made it into last year's blog, so putting them here too ha. this year, 2 of the families from last year moved away! and alberta can't make it because we accidentally did it on men's retreat weekend... sooo we will see how it goes ;)

you and Jo looove to tag along with Ita wherever she goes. probably because she stops and gets your treats ;)

i love your style

vbs!

we went to see many plays at Theater in the Grove this year!

wearing mom's old leotards

Christmas socks from Oma

you got these from "Ita" for Christmas (Ophelia's daughter is a TikTok influencer and got them for free while they were here for 3 months haha so she gave them to Ita). they're loud and annoying, so you can't use the motor, but you're enjoying them!