Being Nine

Katie, Emma and Ally on the last day of third grade

 

I was organizing photos on my computer when I ran across this scanned photo of me at age nine playing the Piano. It's the same piano that sits in our living room now. I am about the same age as Emma is now so I thought that was neat. I can remember being age 9 and 10 and fourth grade really well so it's natural for me to compare my experience with Emma's now. She will be in fourth grade in the Fall. For comparison I posted the photo of Emma from this past Memorial Day.

As I type this I can hear the sound of girls playing in our finished basement. Emma had her two best friends over for a beginning of Summer sleep-over. They just finished watching the movie "Matilda" all curled up on the couch together under the polartec blanket in their PJs. Looked like so much fun and I didn't want to spoil the moment for them by taking photos. Last night they ate pizza, ice cream and watched episodes of Little House on the Praire -- the TV show from the 70s -- while they all piled on the blow-up mattresses down in the Basement room.

My best friend in third grade was Heather from around the corner and I remember sleepovers at her house and being annoyed by her brother who always wanted his GI Joe to rescue our Barbies. Just like Emma, we played pretend all the time, we were in to Elizabethan England and made costumes and head dresses. Emma and her friends are more into "old fashioned school" (think Little House of the Praire). They pretend their bikes are horses and tie jump ropes on them for reigns.

This is a great age -- I hope they stay "innocent" for as long as possible.