October 17: :-

After a weekend of being sick and not being fully recovered, I was expecting this week's trip to St. Charles to be a little stressful and burdensome. But surprisingly, this was not the case! I surprised Monica in the hallway as she was heading towards the cafeteria. We had a short conversation about what she really liked today during school, and then she excitedly told me that her dad had sent in the letter saying she could come with us to Winona! We then did rock-paper-scissors to see who would read their journal first. She won and read through what I did during the week. I then read hers, and I could tell that each week, she tries to follow the structure of how I wrote my entry the week prior. I notice some of the same designs and coloring and also some of her own unique ideas. In each of my entries I try to include something that I liked from the previous week and some suggestions about what to do the day we are meeting. We then ate some cookies I had baked the night before, and I said she could take home the extras!

I remember from a few weeks ago that she really enjoys doing "I Spy" books, so today I brought one called the "Ultimate Challenger!" We looked at a few of the pages, often laughing when we found a funny looking object or something that we had been looking for for a long time.

Today she really wanted to paint, so we took out some paper and the watercolors. As she painted, I started to make a paper box, a paper folding activity my Grandma taught me when I was younger. Soon she noticed what I was making and asked if I could show her how to make one. Pretty soon I had Teal's little interested, so I showed them both how to make both a top and a bottom for their box. My little really enjoys doing crafts and working with her hands. I could tell that after I showed her how, she really wanted to see if she could do it on her own. We then made a box for Stace and put a secret letter inside of it! It was humbling for me to see how excited my little was to deliver our "gift" to Stace. She also made a box for one of her good friends at school and put a friendly letter inside.

My little also really enjoys playing group games. Today we played 500, and even though she is one of the smaller kids in the group, she still tried her hardest and could not stop smiling! It seemed like the time flew by, even though I was not feeling really well. My little seemed much more open and comfortable with me today. She seemed more motivated to get involved, and I think this is because we did some activities that she really enjoys.

After the next two weeks, I will try to think of some more hands-on activities. Maybe we could paint, but instead of using a paint brush, we could use different objects that would create unique textures. If I start brainstorming, I'm sure I could think of plenty of ideas. The ability to work hard and focus on what she is doing is something I also have, and I think this may be a way to help us better understand one another. I also want to see more of her creative mind at work!