An Outstanding Student!

 

Today I attended a luncheon with my daughter at the school district offices. She was awarded the Outstanding Student of the Year Award for her Elementary School.  I was so proud of her!

Below is a letter from her teacher that was read to the audience when she was presented with her award.

"Emma is an outstanding girl. She is one of the kindest people you will meet and is always seen including kids who don't have anyone else to play with. She tries her absolute hardest at any task she is given, and usually goes above and beyond surprising her teachers with her extra effort. She has a wonderful combination of intelligence mixed with creativity and curiosity.

But what really sets Emma apart, is her dedications to issues that are beyond the thoughts of most 6th grade students. She is wholly dedicated to the environment and the misuse of our natural resources. She has started her own business that sells school supplies made of mostly recycled materials, and has even donated a portion of her profits to the school.

Emma is a wonderful person and will make a fantastic citizen of our country. No one who knows Emma will be surprised to see her succeed at whatever she sets her sights on. We are proud to have her as a student in our school!"

It's The Thought That Counts

In a day and age that is filled with materialism and selfishness, I was delighted to see my daughter take the initiative (without any involvement from an adult) and create a thoughtful gift for a classmate who was having a birthday.

Earlier this week the kids were getting ready for school and Emma presented the shoe box below which she had spent time creating in her room. As you can tell she put a lot of time and effort into finding common household items to create a miniature room complete with a welcome mat, a bed with pillows, her friends favorite book, a cute little throw rug, a clock on the wall, and many other creative touches.

I'm sure that her friend received plenty of gifts for her birthday, but I'll bet this shoebox will be the gift she remembers most.

 

Thursday in Emma's World

Today I was driving Emma to her chorus practice. They are preparing to put on the play "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". On the way there we had the following conversation.

Emma: "Dad...I don't want to watch movies with swear words anymore."

Dad: "Sweetie, what movies did you watch that have swear words."

Emma: "Remember that movie with the guy who is supposed to be a super hero, but he's not really a super hero." (Hancock with Will Smith)

Dad: "Ohhhhh yeah...that wasn't a very good movie."

Emma: "Yeah...those words are stuck in my head."

Dad: "Well, I just think of different words to replace them. Like Fahrvergnügen and Shitake Mushrooms." (Emma laughed)

Emma: "What about the "A" word?"

Dad: "How about Asteroids?" (Emma laughed)

Emma: "What about the "B" word?"

Dad: "The "B" word?"

Emma: "Yeah...you know, B...I....T"

Dad: "Ohhhh...Uhhhh...I don't know. Let me think about that one." (Emma got out of the car and went to chorus practice)

After chorus practice I picked up Emma and she jumped in the car.

Emma: "Did you come up with a word?"

Dad: "YES...Biscuit. Like Son of a Biscuit!" (Emma laughed)

Emma: "Dad...you know when it is Friday we like to say TGIF?

Dad: "Yes"

Emma: "Well I have a new one."

Dad: "What's that sweetie?"

Emma: "TBIT"

Dad: "TBIT???"

Emma: "Too Bad It's Thursday" (Emma and Dad both laughed)

Emma's World

Emma had a 4th grade book report due this month and so she decided to make a Lego movie. I don't know how much of this book she actually read...but her movie is probably more entertaining!

Emma's World

Emma: "Dad...I colored this picture for you."

Dad: "Thank You Sweetie!!!"

Emma: "Dad...you're holding it upside down."

Dad: "Oh...sorry honey. It's beautiful! Thank You!"

Emma: "You're welcome."

Emma's World

Recently we went on a trip to California so the kids could have a vacation before school starts. I put suitcases in their rooms so I could start packing when the laundry was finished. Emma decided to take matters into her own hands and pack her own suit case.

The following is a sampling of what she packed:

1. An old lunch box full of sea shells from our last trip to California.
2. A tape measure. (don't ask me???)
3. Her entire Pokemon collection.
4. Her Unicorn figurine.
5. A spiral of lined paper and a pencil.

The following is a list of what she didn't pack:

1. Shoes
2. Socks
3. Underwear
4. Swimsuit
5. Toothbrush

Emma's World

About 2 months ago Emma started taking violin lessons. Today was her first recital for the music school judges. These recitals are designed to check the progress of each student. Emma's performance was flawless and her stage presence was very entertaining. Shyness has never been a problem for Emma.

This is how it went...

"Hi! My name is Emma Ainge...Ainge spelled backwards is Egnia! My full name is Emma Michelle Ainge. Today I will be playing the D-Major Scale, Jingle Bells and Lightly Rowing."

Good Intentions!

Yesterday was Earth Day and my daughter came home from school with a cabbage plant. She eagerly went out in the backyard and planted her cabbage. It was inspiring to see a child who turns her nose up at the slightest sign of vegetables get so excited about a cabbage plant.

But Emma was not done celebrating Earth Day! She decided she would venture out into the neighborhood and pick up trash. I was very supportive of this idea, so I gave her a trash bag and sent her on her way. She invited some friends to join her and started picking up trash. I few minutes passed and I decided to check up on her progress. When I got outside I noticed that she and her friends were curiously looking at something on the ground. I asked Emma what they were looking at and she announced that they had found a dragon fly. Emma was flapping her arms and telling everyone that she was communicating with the dragon fly. The dragon fly would take off and Emma would follow it flapping her arms and telling everybody that the dragon fly was copying her. And her little friends were happy to play along and let Emma believe that she was communicating with the dragon fly.

I went back inside and about a half hour later Emma came back in the house. I noticed that she was not carrying the bag of trash, so I looked out the window and there it was lying on the ground. I said "Emma...what about picking up trash?" Emma said "Oh yeah...I forgot!" and then she turned to go downstairs and watch T.V. I said "Emma...you can't just leave that bag of trash out there! Go pick it up please." So she went out and got the trash bag leaving it on the counter. I looked in the bag and there was one piece of trash.

But I guess playing with a dragon fly is also a good way to celebrate Earth Day!

Emma's World

I've decided to start a new feature on my blog entitled "Emma's World"! Emma is my 8 year old daughter whose unique personality and perspective on life provides a wealth of amusing anecdotes! Emma has the energy of a humming bird and the attention span of a gnat. She only stops talking when she is asleep or watching television. Her two brothers find this extremely irritating, but I mostly find it amusing. There is never a dull moment with Emma around.

Emma's world is full of fantasy. She believes in unicorns, leprechauns and Santa Clause. In fact, last Christmas she woke up earlier than everyone else so she could turn on the Christmas tree lights. Then when we were all awake and ready to open the presents she exclaimed "Look Dad! Santa Clause turned on the Christmas Tree lights for us!"

Emma also loves to write letters. She will write letters to people occasionally, but mostly her letters are to fictional characters. Most recently she wrote a letter to Pluto. You know, the little planet that was recently scientifically declared no longer a planet. The letter goes like this:

To Pluto (The 10th Planet)

Dear Pluto,

I want to be you're friend. How come you are sad? I love how you look! I live on Earth. If Earth is being mean, ignore him!

Love,

Emma