Mazie James, this might have been your best year yet. You LOVED first grade and had an amazing teacher who loved and appreciated your smart, funny, caring soul. She called you a leader, remarking on how you had a clear sense of who you were and how you wanted to be in the world, and how your classmates admired and respected that and followed your example. Here's one email she sent us this year:
"Oh my gosh, Mazie has kept me in stitches with her writing in her Let's Chat journal. She reads these funny entries to me with such inflection. It really brightens my day and of course, makes me laugh. What a wonderful (and funny, kind, clever, caring, reflective, smart-the list could go on and on....) person you are raising!"
You are an athlete and an entertainer. This summer you are loving being on swim team, and you've also loved your jazz dance class and your role as Bert Healy in Annie recently! In each of these endeavors, your enthusiasm and commitment are wonderful to watch.
You are incredibly kind and playful with both of your little sisters, and have graciously accepted your role as the oldest and often least paid-attention-to child. Your independence and ability to entertain yourself (the reading skills you've developed this year are really helpful here) are such a huge help to us as we work to meet the needs of all three of our kids, but I'm also hoping to work on strategies for getting to give you more undivided attention, for my sake as much as for yours: you are so much fun to be around and I miss getting to focus on just you! I love you, my big kid. You're a special one.
