Nora Evelyn

Nora talks with her hands.

Nora’s friends sang to her at school today (if someone brings you a cupcake, you sing for them. it’s one of the central rules of any civilized society right after not killing each other and using turn signals). It’s not quite her actual birthday yet, but it’s always nice to get in a little candle practice in a safe, nurturing environment.

To be honest, I don’t think a girl should have to do any cleaning on her birthday, but Miss Renee runs a pretty tight ship and even the birthday girl has to pull a little Cinderella duty.

At Nora’s new school kids bring in cupcakes for their birthday, parents get to come in and celebrate with them, everyone sings, it’s awesome. Here are some pictures of Nora (in her super fancy baking outfit) helping us make the cupcakes for Nora’s fourth birthday. 125,795,704 seconds on Earth surely deserves chocolate cake and fluffy pink frosting. Don’t you agree?

Here’s a drawing Nora and I recently did of, she explains, a mermaid. I added the eyeballs and drew the hands, but it was all under her strict artistic control.

The last couple of years we went to this really terrific (free) kids event at the University of Michigan’s Pierpont Commons. It’s happening again this year and we appear to have been used as part of the advertising materials!

I love that Nora and I have the same concentration face.

http://gonorth.umich.edu/article/221

We went to Nora’s class Thanksgiving feast today. The teachers asked each of the children about the Thanksgiving turkey: where you buy one, how you cook it, what you eat with it. They compiled the responses in books for us; here’s Nora’s recipe:

(“sticker work” means playing with stickers in Montessori speak. She’s suggesting that Miss Melissa get an adhesive-backed paper turkey for her Thanksgiving dinner)

Turkey a la Nora:

Nora: Get a turkey from the sticker work!
Miss Melissa: But what if I want a real turkey?
Nora: I don’t know where you get one because I’m a plant eater.
Miss Melissa: So what will you eat on Thanksgiving?
Nora: Macaroni.
Miss Melissa: Okay, how do you make the macaroni?
Nora: I watch my mommy and daddy make it. First get some water and wait til it’s bubbly. Then put the macaroni in. When it’s done, add cheese. Serve broccoli and that’s all. Me and mommy drink milk. Daddy drinks water. Probably candy or chocolate ice cream for dessert.