Elle turns DOUBLE DIGITS! #10

Elle, at 10 you are fun-loving, determined and love a good adventure.

Your birthday was on the first day of school at SFC. You were a trooper and woke early to celebrate. Papa and Nana were here, so that make it extra special.

There are two Elle's, an Ella and an Ellie on your soccer team. You asked Coach Bree to call you Bob while joking around and it stuck. Your new soccer backpack is even monogrammed "Bob". Coach Bree will yell "Elle" to get your attention, and when you don't respond she yells "Bob" and you look to her right away. It's helped you form a great bond with Coach Bree.

You continue to love soccer and are focused on becoming a better player and teammate. You don't appreciate it when your teammates goof around or are distracted.

You and Farrah are still very close.  You two are usually hilarious when you're together because you have so much fun laughing and being obnoxious... you allow each other space to be yourselves and that is gold in a friendship.

You now know about sex. Max and Elise were talking about watching the show, The Wonder Years. Elise said it was "highly inappropriate" because they're going through sex education in school.  You begged them insistently to tell you what they were talking about.  Elise finally said, "sex" and you then demanded they tell you what sex is.  They refused (thankfully), so you came home and demanded I tell you.  I took a deep breath and told you after I finished dinner and dishes. Dad was going to be home late, so I was on my own with this one! The next morning, you came out and ran straight to Dad and announced, "Mom told me about the sex last night!" You were so proud to know.

You continue to love music! You are influenced by your cousins and currently like to listen to Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, and our family favorite, Surfaces/Forrest.

You are beginning to notice style and trends. After spending time with your cousins, you asked for baggy sweatpants and sports bras, and want to wear crop tops.  For soccer you ask for the high pony braid Paityn wore during her Surf Cup soccer tournament here.

You are incredibly observant and notice everything around you more closely than most of us. This includes details about people around us in public-what they're wearing, doing, saying, and also things like specific songs that were playing in the grocery store. You'll bring these details up a few days later and expect that we all remember them too. This is definitely a gift you have.

Here's your 10th interview:

Nicknames  ElleBelle, Ellers, Belle, Belle-Belle, Eller-Bellers, Bob
What is your name? Elle
How old are you? 10
What is your favorite color? Pinkish-burgundyish, oh wait, ocean blue, just ocean blue
What is your favorite animal? A dog
What is your favorite book? Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz
What is your favorite TV show? I don’t know… sure I’ll just say… I don’t know…
What is your favorite movie? Home Alone
What is your favorite song? All of Surfaces and Forrest songs
What is your favorite food? Pizza
What is your favorite drink? Soda… (what kind?) Sprite
What is your favorite snack? Chips… (what kind?)  I don’t know, just chips
What is your favorite toy? What do you mean? Like tech? My iPad (and?) my soccer ball
Who are your friends? K this is gonna take forever… just say SFC friends and Ada Harris friends.  There are so many, you can’t write them all!
*We didn't finish the rest of the interview... oh well!

Reece is 11!

What a year! Shortly after you turned 10, Covid-19 hit. You spent the last year navigating stay at home orders, school from home, Zoom, FaceTime, and 6-feet of social distancing (we weren't very good at this!).

You are continuing your drum lessons with Glenn. They went virtual and you continue to practice via Zoom with him.  

Your soccer practices are also via Zoom. You use the iPad in the backyard and Coach Juan gives you juggling and ball work exercises to do.

You're playing tennis with Max and Julian. They wear masks the entire time. You don't.

You play regularly with Max, Elise, June and Elle and are always seeking time with Julian. Every once in awhile you get some time with Brooks.  In fact, you two had an AC/DC jam session this week.

You're becoming slightly more adventurous with food.  You love watching cooking shows with Dad.

Read, read, read! You love to read.  You started reading the Fun Jungle series and continue to love graphic novels.  I often find you reading those on Epic when you should be doing your schoolwork.

You also love watching Garfield and Pokemon, along with ocean documentaries.

You bought yourself a Leopard Gecko and named him Titan. He died shortly after he came home, so you bought a new one and named him Mellow Yellow.

You love people!  You especially love quality time with people. You're constantly planning out time with your friends and time with us.  If someone else is having a good time, you like to jump in, connect and enjoy the moment.  If you see Dad and Elle wrestling, you jump in! 

When you're upset or angry, you make a scrooge face with squinted eyes and put your hands on your hips.

You're adventurous and are growing more independent. You went off on your own skiing at PowMow. Fortunately, Dad followed you and just barely spotted your fluorescent yellow helmet. You were stuck in deep powder and he was able to help dig you out. When you fall or make a mistake you don't want anyone paying attention to you or laughing at you. It makes you angry. We still try to have fun with you to lighten up the moment.

You decided to grow out your hair and you get constant compliments on it.  The curls in the back are the best part!  It's almost long enough in the front to go behind your ears. You've declared it your Covid haircut... you're not cutting it until Covid is over!

You're learning the power of hard work.  You memorized your 5-paragraph essay on Eugenie Clark and recited it to your class.  You earned a *4* on it, and are so proud of your accomplishment.  Dad and I are proud of you, too!  Ms. Yant has been a good teacher for you this school year.  She holds you accountable, and you are beginning to make a stronger effort in school.

Here's your interview at 11 years:

Nicknames Reece’s Pieces (friends), Reecer

What is your name?  Reece (Elle, please go… mom, please tell her to go)

How old are you?  Eleven

What is your favorite color?  I dunno, maybe yellow

What is your favorite animal?  A Stargazer fish. It’s hard to explain what it is and what it does.

What is your favorite book?  Probably, hmm, ya, Calvin and Hobbes

What is your favorite game?  Probably Hide and Seek with my friends

What is your favorite TV show?  Probably Planet Earth because I like learning about the ocean

What is your favorite movie?  Probably The New Tom and Jerry. We watched it at Julian’s birthday party and I liked it a lot!

What is your favorite song? Probably something by The Chats.  They have a lot of good songs.

What is your favorite food?  Erg! There are so many options and I like a lot of places and foods. I like the Proper Burger (Salt Lake City) burgers and Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich.

What is your favorite drink?  Probably Coke-a-Cola

What is your favorite snack? Love Crunch Granola-Chocolate and Strawberry

What is your favorite toy? Hmm… Probably my Nintendo Switch

Who are your friends?  Jackson, Max, Julian, Brooks, Elise, Maddux and Ash

What is your favorite thing to do? Sleep and play-music, video games, Hide-n-Seek, bike riding… 

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Mountain biking!

Where is your favorite place to go? PowMow

What is your favorite restaurant?  The Proper Burger, Chick-fil-A and Jersey Mike’s

Where do you want to go on vacation? I dunno, I like it here

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A Marine Biologist… I’ve said that seven years in a row now!

What makes you happy?  A lot of things… almost anything! Being with friends…

What makes you sad?  My sister biting me (she did this week), not being with friends or being bored

What did you do on your birthday?  Had a sleepover with Jackson, Julian and Max.  We ate pizza, played video games, and had a Capture the Flag game at 11pm!

Elle is 9!

 Elle, you are NINE!  

Because of COVID, you chose to have a few friends join you at the beach to celebrate your birthday.  It turned out to be so much fun!  You were thrilled to be able to break in your surfboard, and got up on it right away!

You are a leader, strong-willed observant, and sensitive.

You always have to have the last say, even if it gets you into more trouble.  If you are told to "be done" and to go to your room for a break, you will stand firm in your place until you're able to find a way to have the last word.  It may be through a growl and stomp or a few words under your breath, but you will definitely find a way.

You love dogs and are fully convinced that our family is getting one for Christmas, mostly because you've told us so. 

You love to guide and nurture little kids.  You were so good with Cru at the beach recently.  You also love to spend time with big kids, girls especially.  You fit right in, and also observe and learn from them.

Speaking of being observant, you are gifted at taking in the world around you.  

Farrah is your closest friend.  You two beg for sleepovers every chance you get!  You've been in the same class in K, 2nd, and now 3rd. 

Coach Chad calls you Bob, and you two have a fun player/coach relationship.  We're hoping you get to play a few club games before the soccer season is over, or even just a scrimmage.

This has been a summer full of surfing for you, and dad is thrilled.  It's been his dream to push you and Reece into the waves.  Your passion for it has rubbed off on Reece, and now he's been riding every once in a while.

Russell Wilson is your favorite football player.

You love Reece, even though someone watching from the outside in might not know it.  

You asked about the Easter Bunny in June, well demanded that we tell you whether or not he is real.  You were very serious and mature in your asking, so we had to tell you the truth.  You paused for a long minute,  thinking hard, and then fell over laughing on your bed.  You had written the Easter Bunny a few letters and drew a few pictures, and were feeling embarrassed and silly about how you had believed.  We laughed together, and then you yelled, "Wait! So then Santa isn't real either? And what about the Tooth Fairy?" It was a big moment for you.  

Because some people don't believe in God, you keep asking us if he's real.  It's hard for you to trust what we tell you because you like to be in charge, and because you're still processing the fact that the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy aren't real.  In March, you'll be pretty disappointed that the Leprechauns aren't real either!

You are determined and a hard worker when you choose to be.  When you have a chore to do, you get it done right away.  However, if we ask you to do something that you don't want to do, you will whine, cry, and cause a huge disruption.  

You love to sing!  Even if you don't know the actual lyrics so a song, it sounds like you do!  We love to listen to Surfaces and have all of their songs on repeat.

Here's your interview:

Nicknames  ElleBelle, Ellers, Belle

What is your name? Elle

How old are you? Niiine. Mom, why didn’t you just put a number 9? Because that’s how you said it, Elllle.

What is your favorite color? Turquoise… I don’t even know how to spell turquoise.

What is your favorite animal? An elephant.  I love those now because they’re so cute… well, baby elephants are!

What is your favorite book? Humphrey. It’s about a pet hamster.

What is your favorite TV show? Family Reunion because it’s funny. I love when the grandma slam dunks the basketball.  She rips her clothes off to show a uniform and runs onto the court.

What is your favorite movie? Indiana Jones.  I want to watch them all.

What is your favorite song? Sail Away by Surfaces

What is your favorite food? Takis (said with a big laugh!) Why are you laughing? Because they’re so good!

What is your favorite drink? Soda.  Any kind? No! I like Dr. Pepper, root beer, 7-Up, Orange Crush, Coca-Cola, and lemonade.

What is your favorite snack? Goldfish, I just like eating Goldfish.

What is your favorite toy? This is easy. What is his name? Avocado!

Who are your friends? Lyndie, Isla, Dylan, Teagan, Stella, Luca, and Farrah

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play soccer… oh no, no, no, no… Surf!

What is your favorite restaurant? The place nearby the gas station, El Pueblo.  I like the Carne Asada burrito with guacamole and chicken in it. You mean Carne Asada? Yes!

Where do you want to go on vacation? Hawaii with the cousins

What do you want to be when you grow up? Umm… let’s see.  I want to be a vet.  No, no, no… a pro-surfer or a pro-soccer player, or a celebrity.  A celebrity is mainly a pro-surfer or a pro-soccer player or someone doing fashion model thingymabobbers.  And Paityn said if I am, she will do my makeup.  

What makes you happy? Being with my cousins, and surfing

What makes you sad? Reece being a bully and him not playing with me. 

What did you do on your birthday? We had donuts, then we went on a stroll and had some Starbucks, and then we had dinner and ice cream and that’s it. For my party, we went to the beach near Tower 11 to celebrate with my friends.  Those waves were good that day!