Sophie's 9 Year Old Birthday Interview

Wow, I feel like 2015 was a big year for Sophie.  She started 3rd grade in September and I learned immediately that 3rd grade is NO JOKE.  We just happen to go to a very competitive school that pushes students hard.  While I'm grateful to live in an area with such an awesome public school, I can see all the problems with this style of education.  And, of course, this just means more work for me.  Sophie & I work on homework for at least an hour every night AND THIS IS 3rd GRADE!  

Last Spring she also tried out for and gained a spot on a competitive soccer team.  This means 4 days of soccer every week.  Now you know why I haven't been blogging!   It's been a whirlwind since school started.  I spend a lot of time thinking about how kids grow up these days and, the majority of the time, I'm thinking I don't like it at all.  When I was nine, I was playing in the creek and building forts in the woods.  Sophie goes from one activity to the next and every single activity requires hard work from her.  I am constantly wondering which activities to continue and which to drop.  This might possibly be her first and last year on the competitive soccer team.  We shall see.  

Sophie also came home a few weeks into school and told us she wanted to run for Student Council.  As someone who always took part in Student Council and loved it, I was excited.  She wrote her own speech, made her own poster and spoke in front of ALL the 3rd, 4th & 5th graders.  And she made it!  Alain & I were both so proud of her!  It was also obvious that she was very proud of herself.  Her teacher confided to me that Sophie won "by a landslide".  I wasn't surprised.  Sophie is a social butterfly if there ever was one!

 As you'll see, when I interviewed Sophie, she said she hated school.   This broke my heart.  I always loved school.  Still do....even when I'm not the student.  And I know it's because she is being pushed constantly.  Learn more, be more, do more.  One of my goals for 2016 is to slow this ship down some.....if it's even possible.  

Anyway, I could talk about my Sophie all day, so without further ado, here is the birthday interview for our lovely, colorful, lively, passionate Sophie:

What's your favorite color? 
Seafoam Green & Turquoise

What's your favorite food?
Mac & Cheese, Burritos, Spaghetti, Rice & Beans

Who are your favorite friends?
Kaylie & Summer

{I failed to mention that we also do Girl Scouts.  I say "we"because I'm the troop leader.  Our troop went to a local hockey game in January.  Sophie is here in the center with two of her friends.}

What's your favorite thing to play?

With Millie, with friends.

What's your favorite animal?

A puppy/dog, dolphin, elephant, black-footed cat.

{I adore this picture and it was just one example of many, many where she was being a wonderful big sister to Clara.}

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
New York City & Hilton Head

What's your favorite letter?

S, C, H, N

What's your favorite number?

9, 2, 5, 12 & 22

{One of our favorite events of the year is the St. Patrick's Day parade where we march with The Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte.}

Do you like school? 

Hate, hate, hate

What's your favorite subject in school?
All the "specials" (Art, Music, PE, etc.)

{At a friend's roller skating birthday party.}

What's your favorite book?
Magic Treehouse, Puppy Place

What's your favorite word?

Flexible

What's your favorite song?

Anything by Taylor Swift, Adele or Katy Perry.

{Watching the women's final in the World Cup.  We were beyond elated at the outcome!}

What's your favorite thing to do?

Swimming, Soccer, Tennis

What makes you happy?

Grandma, Crystal, ,my puppy and you Mom.

{In at least half the photos I took of Sophie this year she was wearing her soccer clothes.  I had to include one here.}

What would you like to be when you grow up?
A puppy trainer/sitter.

When you close your eyes, what do you see?

Darkness & Hubbell.

{First day of 3rd grade}

What is your favorite pet?

Dog, kitten, bunny.

What's your favorite treat?
Reeses, Ice Cream Sundae, Banana Split

{We took a group of Sophie's friends rock climbing for her birthday.  Wow, Sophie is an awesome climber}

What five words would you use to describe yourself?

Playful, restless, girl, flexible, joyful.

{Without question, my favorite photo of Sophie from 2015.  I took this while we were sitting on these rocks watching the dolphins feeding at Sunset.  It was an intensely beautiful moment.}

I can't wait to see what my beautiful girl accomplishes in 2016.  She recently expressed a strong interest in tennis.  That's MY sport and I feel so at home and very much myself on the tennis court.  My intention is to play a lot more tennis with Sophie in 2016!  I look forward to it.  The tennis and everything else!!!

XOXOXO,

Audrey 

Sophie's Eight Year Old Interview

Yep, it's that time again.  How on Earth do these interviews keep coming around so quickly?

We celebrated Sophie's birthday earlier this week so we sat down to do her birthday interview, one of our most favorite family traditions.....

What's your favorite color? 
Green and blue

What's your favorite food?
Spaghetti and burritos and mac & cheese

Who are your favorite friends?  

Emilia & Chandler

What's your favorite thing to play?
Freeze tag

What's your favorite animal?
Dogs, dolphins & elephants (and bunnies)

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Honduras (two of her cousins live there!) and New York

What's your favorite letter?

S and H

What's your favorite number?
9

Do you like school? 

I don't like it that much, say "kind of".  I have fun seeing my friends at recess and I like some of the learning things. We're doing some fun writing at the moment.

What's your favorite book?
Magic Treehouse, Junie B. Jones, Berenstain Bears and Curious George

What's your favorite word?
(That is like the weirdest question ever.)

Color

What's your favorite song?
Am I Wrong?

*such a great song*

What's your favorite thing to do?

Go outside for recess and see my old friends.

What makes you happy?
Seeing my old friends when I'm at recess.  Seeing when other people are happy.

What would you like to be when you grow up?
A dog trainer and I'm going to be in the World Cup.

When you close your eyes, what do you see?
Seeing people who have passed away, pets too.

What is your favorite pet?

Dogs, bunnies, hamsters, cats.

What's your favorite treat?

Every treat.

What five words would you use to describe yourself?

Smart, cool, funny, beautiful, fun.

All past years can be found here.  Each year we go back and read all of her previous answers and she cracks up.  I just get all teary.

Sophie's Seven Year Old Interview

As is our annual tradition, I interviewed Sophie last night.  While still fun, she was careful to choose her answers this time.  One of them made me teary....I'm sure you can figure out which one....

What's your favorite color? 
Green

What's your favorite food?
Spaghetti

Who are your favorite friends?  

Megan & Aiden & James

What's your favorite thing to play?
Boys chase the girls

What's your favorite animal?
Elephants, cats & dogs and dolphins

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Switzerland

What's your favorite letter?
F, H , M & A
(for friends, Hubbell, Megan & Aiden)

What's your favorite number?
7 & 5

Do you like school? 

Not really.  (mean look from Mom) Okay, kind of.

What's your favorite book?
Fancy Nancy
 Any one in particular?  

Not really, I just like all of them.

What's your favorite word?
Friend  

What's your favorite song?
Firework by Katy Perry  

What's your favorite thing to do?
Swim with Daddy 

What makes you happy?
Seeing Megan & Aiden  (and James)

What would you like to be when you grow up?
 To paint nails

(Insert groan here from Audrey & Alain!!!!  Until this very second, she has always said a doctor, a farmer and a teacher.  Paint nails????  Really???)

When you close your eyes, what do you see?
Hubbell's face

What is your favorite pet?
A bunny and a puppy

What's your favorite treat?
Everything


Oh girlie, please stop growing so fast.  I'm trying so hard not to blink.

Previous interviews can be found here.

Now if you'll please excuse me....I'm going to find a way to inspire my daughter to be something other than a manicurist.  Wish me luck!

Sophie's Six Year Old Interview

Let's try to look over the fact that this post is almost three months late and just celebrate that it's being done at all!  This little tradition has quickly become one of my most favorite things and Sophie is now at an age where she really enjoys it as well.  Here we go:

What's your favorite color?  Green

What's your favorite food?  Mac & Cheese

Who are your favorite friends?  Aiden & Megan

Sophie, with Megan, at their classroom's Thanksgiving Feast

What's your favorite thing to play?  Playmobil

What's your favorite animal?  I kind of have three.  I used to like elephants but now I like cats but I'm starting to like dolphins.

Sophie, while dolphin watching, on her birthday trip to Hilton Head

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?  New York City

What's your favorite letter?  H, because Hubbell begins with H.

What's your favorite number?  7 and 13. 7 because it starts with "S" and I just like 13.

Do you like school?  Yeah

What's your favorite book?  The Berenstein Bears.  Any one in particular?  No, I like them all.

What's your favorite word?  Me

What's your favorite song?  I Like To Move It, Move It

What's your favorite thing to do?  Swimming

While grainy, I love this picture ~ this is Sophie at the beach. She never removes her swimsuit!

What makes you happy?  Having playdates with my friends

What would you like to be when you grow up?  Three things ~ a doctor, a farmer and a teacher.

When you close your eyes, what do you see?  My friends

Sophie, with her friend, Jaylon, at school

What is your favorite pet?  A dog.

What's your favorite treat?  Ice Cream


After interviewing Sophie, we went back and read through her five and four year old interviews.  She laughed at some of her answers and could not understand why Clara played such a big role in last year's interview.  How funny!  I love how some answers have stayed the same every year.

Sophie's Five Year Old Interview

In continuation of our annual tradition, below is Sophie's five year old interview. My questions are in bold and any explanation by me is in parentheses.

What's your name? Sophie

How old are you? Five

What's your favorite color? Green

What's your favorite food? Mac & Cheese and Cucumbers

Who are your favorite friends? Rex and Davis

What is your favorite thing to play? With the baby sister

What's your favorite animal? Funshine (formerly Blue Man, her stuffed blue elephant)

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go? New York City

Do you have a favorite letter? N, R and D. Is there any reason in particular you like those letters? Yes, my favorite friends start with those letters. (Nathan, Rex and Davis)

What's your favorite number? 7, 4 and 5

Do you like school? Yes, a little bit.

What's your favorite book? Where's Waldo is my favorite "find book". And Ladybug Girl Goes to the Beach

What's your favorite word? duck

What's your favorite song? Party in the U.S.A.

What's your favorite thing to do? Watch the baby sister play.

What makes you happy? Ice cream

What would you like to be when you grow up? A doctor and a veterinarian, to take care of pets and people, even kids.

When you close your eyes, what do you see? My drawer (points to her bedroom at the beach), the one with all of the clothes.

In typical Sophie fashion, she asked to add some of her own questions. Her questions and answers are below:

What is your favorite pet? Dog, hamster, bunny and cat

What is your favorite treat? Ice cream

The Four Year Old Interview

Recently I came up with the idea to interview Sophie each year around the time of her birthday. One day we can look back at them but we can also give them all to her to see how her tastes, thoughts, etc changed over time. Sophie and I completed the four-year-old interview yesterday. I was amazed how my sweet girl with the teeny-tiny attention span LOVED sitting at the table answering all the questions I was throwing at her. So here are Soph's responses. My questions and comments to her are in bold. Any explanation by me is in parentheses.

What's your name?: Sophie did provide her full name (which I won't post here!)

How old are you?: Four

What's your favorite color?: Green, Blue & Pink. Plus Red, Lellow (yellow), White, Brown, Black, Grey and Purple

What's your favorite food?: Yogurt, the chocolate one. Oh, and cucumbers, mac & cheese, and the square things (ravioli)

Who is your favorite friend?: Rex and Nathan and Aadi

What is your favorite thing to play?: Choo-choo train, with friends.....and cars.

What is your favorite animal?: Ducks & Chickens & Baby Chicks

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?: New York City

Do you have a favorite letter?: H, because Hubbell starts with "H"

What's your favorite number?: 7

Do you like school?: Yes, I like playing on the playground.

What's your favorite book? : Curious George Any one in particular?: The one where he goes to New York City

What's your favorite word?: the jumping place

What's your favorite song?: The Puppy Song I don't know that one. How does it go?: I made it up, Mommy (she then proceeded to sing her made-up lyrics)

What's your favorite thing to do?: Jump with Mommy at the jumping place

What makes you the most happy?: when Mommy says we can go to Plaza Fiesta and the roller coaster.....I like when you ride rides with me

What would you like to be when you grow up?: A builder. What would you like to build?: A playground, a car, a boat and a truck and a house. And paint them. And plan a big party at the house. And paint lots of birdhouses.