Kyler and Jeanette: Calista Year Seven Retrospective.

31 August 2018

Calista Year Seven Retrospective.

Calista is now seven, as I mentioned previously.

She is a joy and a blessing to our family.

One of the biggest ways she's a blessing to our family is in her role as a big sister.

Man, is she an excellent big sister (most of the time)!

Caleb absolutely loves her, and loves when she's home to get him out of his crib at naptime or to read to him.

Craig almost always wants to play with her, more than she wants to sometimes, but she's good with him, and they love each other.

I worried last year about us moving her to a new city, school, and friends. I really shouldn't have. Calista is doing very well in school, making friends and adjusting to the new school and city. Homework is sometimes a struggle, mostly just to get her to sit down and focus on it. Once she does, Calista does well there, too. She was the "Terrific Kid" one month at school because she was kind to the poor in spirit, and got reader of the month, as well.

Speaking of reading, this girl reads fantastically. Her teacher was shocked at how well she could read, and people at church are often surprised, too.

I have to say, it is 100% her doing right now. Calista loves to read and loves when we come home from the library with a stack of new books.

Extra-curricularly, Calista has active and busy. Throughout the last year, she started gymnastics and continued curling,

swimming,

and dance at various times.

We've seen her try hard and improve in each of these, gaining confidence and ability. She even completed her first badge in gymnastics, and is ready to start learning the skills for the second badge in September.

She has plenty of free time to play a be a kid, too, preferring to ride her bike,

play piano

and sing her own songs, play with her brothers,

and draw in her free time.

She also loves to play games with Daddy and watch videos, sometimes getting a little annoying when she doesn't get to.

Actually, Calista can be a little bit whiny about many things, including doing her hair and cleaning up. Pretty sure that's par for the course, though, and we're managing most days pretty well. Until the day comes that I lose my cool and slap her or something. Until her teeth fall out.

Kidding, kidding! But she has had her teeth begin to fall out.

So grown up, with the missing teeth!

As we watch Calista get older, it has also been a pleasure to see her grow and mature. For example, she contributes well to spiritual discussions at home and church, beginning to understand and ask really good questions. She has been very excited to turn 7, because she would start preparing for her baptism next year. And we are so excited to help her prepare, too.