Have a Seat

There's something about the ottoman with Katie. She constantly rocks it back and forth when she sits on the couch. When it's not rocking, she usually leaves it on end. 

Isn't this how most people would sit on the ottoman?

After School Work

 After Katie finishes her school work for the day, she loves to watch Full House and relax.

I'm so happy that Aunt Jennifer got me this series for my birthday!

Time with Bingle

Our oldest cat, Bingle, doesn't get along very well with our younger cats, so they are kept separated. Katie spends time with the younger cats in the morning and during the day, and evenings are for Bingle.

Bingle loves to have her jaw rubbed!

A Favorite Treat

 Katie loves a special type of black grapes called Moon Drops. They have been her favorite for a couple of years, but they aren't available for most of the year. When she heard they were back at the store, she was so excited!

There's lots of special things about Moon Drops...their name, their shape, and their delicious flavor!

Just watching TV

 Just caught Katie relaxing on the couch again while she watched TV.

I don't know why my mom thinks this is funny when I relax like this.

VIrtual Reality

Katie was trying out a virtual reality set to see if she liked it, but I don't think we got it going quite the right way.

I had big plans for what I might see in this set, but I was a little disappointed in it.

A Slow Morning

Sometimes when you wake up on a school day, you just need to take it slow with a waffle, a cozy blanket, and an iPod. 

I just need relaxing time before the busy day begins!

Her Ladder

Katie loves to have a ladder as part of her bed. She has fun with it all the time - even if she's just hanging on it.

I'd much rather just hang around than clean my room!

A Sleepover

After working hard to keep in our own space for months, Katie was invited to a sleepover at her friend's house. I knew her friend had been as careful as Katie, so I agreed to let Katie spend the night. She was so happy to spend time with Libby that she asked if Libby could spend the night at our house the next weekend. Of course, I was happy to have Libby over!

Libby and I made our way to my room as soon as she arrived!

We also spent time in the living room, which we turned into Barbie Central.

I love Libby so much! We're trying to decide how we can live together for a month!

A Long Awaited Necklace

 When Katie had gotten an Amazon gift card, she used part of it to buy a turtle necklace. It had to ship from China, so she had to be very patient while she waited for it. She was so happy when it finally arrived!

I loved my necklace when I opened the envelope!

Twist and Turn

 On one of Katie's long school days, she decided to move down to the small couch in Jennifer's office. She decided to make herself comfortable to type in a position that most normal humans would not choose.

To me, this is a comfortable way to type. I don't see anything wrong with it!

Just a Hug

 While Katie was at Jennifer's for her school day, she decided to spread some love.

Sadie looked a little scared in the picture, but her tail was wagging when I hugged her!

The Smoke

When we had the wind storm, it swept the horrible, thick smoke into our area from all of the wildfires up and down the west coast. Our air quality was beyond the hazardous air levels, and it didn't take long for the smoky smell to start getting into our houses. None of us enjoyed the smell, but it hit Katie first and the hardest...not too surprising considering her allergies. She mostly had a sore throat for the first days of the smoke, and she would try to escape it in any way she could.

I tried to block myself from the smoke smell by covering up in my blanket. Little did I know that the cats had been snuggled up in this blanket, and my cat allergies started up too!

The smoke looked worse in person, but our beautiful blue skies disappeared, and they're still not back.

The Wind Storm

It's never good when you look out your window and see your fence on the road next to your house. Katie had been worried that a tree might fall over during our windstorm with 50-60 mph winds, but it was our fence instead. It happened sometime during the night and we found it in the morning.

I couldn't believe when I saw our fence on the ground!

Sharing

 It didn't take long before Katie had to share her box!

I'm always happy to share with Mr. Limpet!

Enjoying a Classic

Katie started watching the Full House series pretty quickly after my sister gave it to her for her birthday. It didn't take her long before she decided she loved it!

My box gave me the perfect viewing spot for Full House!

Nothing Like a Box

 Katie still loves when we get large boxes in the mail. They always become a toy for her.

I think a box is a lot more fun to sit in than on the couch!

A Girl and Her Cats

 Katie, General Washington, and Mr. Limpet love being together!

I love my cats!

A Tomato Update

This summer, we planted some tomato pieces to see if a tomato plant would grow. Katie and I planted grape tomatoes, and my sister planted a full sized tomato. We never got a plant at our house, but Jennifer had really good luck!

Aunt Jennifer's plants sprouted really fast!

After waiting for several weeks with nothing happening, I decided to look under the soil.

All I found were some dried up tomato slices.

It's too bad ours didn't work, but I can't wait to see Aunt Jennifer's plants grow!

Even More Birthday Surprises

It's always fun to find birthday surprises in the mail!

I got this cute card from my cousins, Ian and Eva!

Grammy Noreen sent me a card with money!

I loved the stickers she sent too!

I was so excited when I go some string art!

Also, Aunt Debby sent me some Mickey Mouse earrings with sapphires in them and a necklace she had when she was my age! I felt so lucky! Thank you, everyone!

 

An Outside Break

Katie has been working on her school work at my sister, Jennifer's, house during the day since I'm teaching. She has been taking an outside break to help walk the dogs.

I like to run up ahead with whichever dog I have during our walks!

Time for Cake

One of the things that Katie was able to control on this strange birthday year was her cake. She chose a cake online and was so happy with how it turned out.

I love cake time!

My birthday wish was that a solution could be found to get rid of Covid19.

This is what my full cake looked like!

Another Birthday Surprise

Not long after opening gifts, we got a text from Garyldine to let us know that Jim had dropped off their birthday gift for Katie. It made Katie so happy!

The first thing I found was a gift card for Amazon!

Then I found my balloon and favorite cupcakes! Thank you!

Opening Gifts

 Once Jennifer got to the house, Katie got to open the rest of her gifts.

I was pretty happy to get my own iPod.

Grandma got me some wireless headphones with lights!

It was fun to get the next Land of Stories book.

Aunt Debby sent me a game to keep me active!

She also gave me some fun craft paper!

Aunt Jennifer made my dream come true when she got me Unicorns vs. Llamas Monopoly.

I also really liked this cat that Kai made me himself out of foil! He's a good artist.

This summer I discovered Fuller House on Netflix and loved it, so Aunt Jennifer bought me the Full House series so I could see how it all began!

Just One Gift

While Katie waited for my sister to come for dinner, she asked if she could just unwrap one gift early. I chose a gift that would help her pass the time.

I was so glad to open just one gift!

This gift kept me busy until Aunt Jennifer came over!

A Birthday Surprise

 Katie was so happy when Kai surprised her on her birthday by bringing her some birthday balloons! Afterward, they took a trip to the local Farmer's market for a brownie and some fresh strawberries. In such a strange year, it felt good for her to see her friend for her special day!

I loved seeing Kai and Kathy!

A Birthday Delivery

Katie turned ten on Wednesday, and since I had to spend the day at school, I had flowers delivered to her to make her day feel special while she waited for cakes and presents.

My flowers were in the shape of a unicorn!

Being a Fourth Grader These Days

 Being a fourth grader these days looks a lot different than when I was a fourth grader!

I am glad to be back at school and I understand why I have to be home, but I wish I could be with my friends in person!

And She's a Fourth Grader

Yesterday Katie started her 4th grade year in school. Like so many other students across the country, Katie is taking part in remote learning. Even though Katie misses seeing her friends in person, she was so excited to begin her year and see everyone at least on the screen. She has such a good attitude.

One of the things I was most excited about this year is that my best friend is in my classroom!