Thanksgiving 2015

We struggled a little filling out our Thankful poster but here's what we did write down.

Jillian
My home and UNC
My sweet loving family
School and my classmates

Lucy
Family
TV
(and she drew some cute people on there too)

Kevin
Leftover pizza

Peter
Piano
Book of Mormon
UNC (this one he signed Peterina)

Chelsey
Slow mornings with my girls
My smart, cute, sweet kids

Hadley
My friends on missions
Sawyer
Family
My license

Auntie Em
Music
(then the kids told her she was supposed to write them, so she obliged:)
and my nieces and nephews

Pete Lit

Morning Route (Routine and fun insight for mom into his day)

I plege alligence to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for wicth it stands one nation under God indivisible for libirety and justice for all.

Plege of the eagles: Eagles are leaders, eagles are bold, eagles soar to great heights. As a creekside Eagle I promise to Show self control. I promise to Offer peer support. I promise to Actively listen and learn. I promise to Respect people and property. (SOAR) Today and every day I promise to be the best that I can be because I believe in me.

Finish morning work. Song. Greeting. Morning Meeting

The First Drawing

Imagine you were a caveman in the time period ice age. You have a pet wolf. You and your father go hunting for arrowheads. You see something, you go and tell your dad. He says "Nonsense." You go back to the cave and your family is sleeping. Then you realize the fire is moving. You tell your family and they say in chorus "Go to sleep." You say "No really." You grab some paint and start to draw a mamoth and your family says in relief "You just made the first drawing." Then all of the start to draw. They draw saber tooth tigers, cave bears, and weapons. Then you all go to sleep and all you dream about are your memories when you saw what you drew on the day you went stone hunting with dad.

Untitled 

When I was on a family beach trip my Aunt Hadley and my Uncle Adam saw a shark a little bit smaller than a dolphin jump out of the ocean. When they told me about the shark I said: I'm glad that I wasn't with you when you saw that shark. Usually there was two trips to the beach a day. In between the two trips was a lunch break. I only went on the second trip once or twice because we had a pool and obvisly a pool is more fun and safe than the ocean. I went with the Powers side of my family and my one generation away Zimmerman couisins named Paige, Norah, Halley and Addy, who was at girls' camp. On the family beach trip I loved the boogie boarding and the skim boarding. When I was at the beach we also got to dig a hole and the people who wanted to dig got 30 seconds to dig. When we were playing in the water I saw 6, 7, 8, or 9 shark copters and my 9 year old sister said that she saw some fins. So when I saw the shark copters and the episode of the fins I ran out of the water!

Hawkeyes Vs. Badgers

One fall afternoon me and my dad went to a football game, which was a hawkeyes vs. badgers game. Me and my dad got to train ride on the top layer! When we got to the football stadium there was free tootsie rools. Sadly to say I lived in Iowa and the Hawkeyes lost. Well, meanwhile at home, my grandma, the three sisters and my mom went to a movie theatre and saw the movie Free Birds. I was darned when I missed the movie. One of my dad's work friends gave my dad the tickets. My dad asked someone to take a picture of us. I wore my hawkeye joursey, a hat, a swechert and a coat. That's what I did at the Iowa Hawkeye Wisconsin Badgers game.

Peter's Goals for 2015

Written on February 2, 2015
-practice derby
-if lacking wisdom on a talk when you get home ask and pray to see what it means
-10 minutes of sports when dad gets home
-make a 2015 goals thumbs up chart
-practice my testimony
-practice the proclamation
-practice swimming (during the summer)
-build a kurby car

Primary Parts 2015

We just had the most lovely primary program! Our good friend Brittany McBride is the music leader and she had someone write a violin part to accompany the song "Come Unto Me." She also taught the kids sign language to the final song and that was so neat. The Primary presidency asked that everyone fill out comment card so that they could read positive feedback to the kids afterwards. Jillian and Peter's after school art teacher is also her primary teacher and she had each of her kids draw and color pictures of their own baptisms that they showed during their parts. It was SUCH a sweet and strong spirit from beginning to end. I know the Savior loves those kids and is proud of what they are learning. Primary really is where it's at!

Jillian: "Baptism leads me closer to Jesus Christ. When I was baptized, all my sins were washed away and I felt like a better person." (Not 100% sure that doctrinally correct since technically she didn't have any sins because she was baptized at age eight but there were a few weeks between her baptism and her birthday:) Also the presidency let the big kids write their parts, so I'm glad she was able to keep what she wrote herself.)

Peter:

Lucy: I follow Jesus' example by sharing my toys with my brother and sisters.

10 Reasons Why I Should Hold Molly

A little over a year ago, Jillian wrote me this list of reasons why she should hold Molly. I loved it and have kept it up on the fridge for that long as a sweet reminder. Having a large family can be hard...but so worth the hard work.

10 Reasons Why I Should Hold Molly

1- I need to practice being a beter mom.
2- So you can talk to Peter
3- What I have babys I need to know how to take care of them.
4- So you can help make dinner.
5- So you can talk to your friends.
6- So you can anser the door.
7- So you can help Lucy and Peter get ready for Gabby's baptism. (Apparently that's what we were doing later that day.
8- So you can pay atenten to the other children beter.
9- So you can talk and help dad.
10- I want to hold Molly becuse I love her and she's cute and fun to play with.

Father's Day Tribute

We love Dad because...
He reads stories to me. Lucy
He helps me swim. Lucy
He chooses good movies on Fridays. Peter
He helped me to build our Lego sets. Peter
He cheers for me at swim meets. Peter
He says I am beautiful. Molly
He helped me build the tree house. Peter
He initiates potty training. Mom
He puts me to bed. Molly
He sang me to sleep. Jillian
He helps with piano. Jillian
He is handsome. Lucy
He taught me how to dance. Jillian
He praises and encourages his kids often. Mom
He teaches me French. Jillian
He cheered for me at basketball. Jillian
He helped me when I had pink eye. Peter
We like to bike together. Jillian
He is kind. Mom
He makes dinner and does dishes. Mom
He taught me to ride a two wheeler when I was four. Lucy

Peter's first and last days of 1st Grade

My best friends in first grade were: Heath, Robert, Curtis and James. My favorite subject was science. My favorite special was art. My favorite food is cheese pizza. My favorite colors are gold and blue. I learned tp play mysterie box wall ball. My favorite first grade event was field day. I am looking forward to going fishing with brand new fishing rods.

I love these photos of his first and last days of school. He looks so much more confident and happy on the last day, so I'd say it was a successful year!

Found

Hi, This is NRR TV. We're glad to see you this morning. Today we will be talking about version 2 of Yankee Doodle. It's about when he leaves the town called Yankee Doodle. See you next time on NRR TV.

Today we'll be talking about the invisible ink pen. On the top it has a blue light so you can see the writing. See ya next time on NRR TV. Send questions on nrr.co.

by: Peter

Summer 2015

Here is Peter's Summer Bucket List for 2015:

I plan to read the book...The Mysterious Benedict Society.
I plan to play...with my Legos.
I want to eat...plain and pineapple pizza.
I want to go to...Target.
A friend I hope to play with this summer is named...James and Heath.
On hot days I think I will...ride my scooter.
On a rainy summer day I will...read.
This summer I definitely plan to...finish The Mysterious Benedict Society 1.

Mother's Day book from Jillian

This made me laugh so hard! I want to remember it forever.

To: my loving Mother
From: Jillian Rose

Dear Local Radio Station,

Listen, I mean, my mom has to be the BEST of all moms. She is soooooo funny, plus loving. I mean WHY shouldn't a child love their own mom? Do not answer that question! She is...loveable, respectful, amazeing, funny and of all things the best of all. (Family history written on the back of this sheet.)

Dear Mom,
I love you so much. I love you because you gave me life. You are the funnyest mother ever. I love you because you fill my heart with joy, you gave me a name, that makes me a person. You could never be loved more. You are full of commpation and love. You have bravery and care for your children. You do a mother's job and love. You are in every happy thought I could ever have. You could never be more loveable! You take care of my needs. You care for me and my siblings. Thank you for your care, thanks for your attention.

My nicest or funniest memory of you is when you were playing the piano and you would let me play with you and (at least my memory book from when I was little says) I got all the right notes, or keys.

You know, maybe the most of edvise was...in pictures when your little too, look good, or else you WILL be inbarest, when you are older.

I cannot believe how much work you do! I would go crazy if I had to do your work. I mean, WOW, and you stay up intill 3 o'clock in the morning? I would have take care of shoping and blah, blah, blah, blah.

Work

Mom, I can NOT believe how you posebly actully do all of this work?! Life, how ALL at the same time? Taking care of Molly, driving Lucy to pre-school and get me and Peter to the bus stop on time? I mean, in ONE hour? 

Socks, money, and bones, what do these things have to do with a mom's job? Well, you have to pick up socks, all the time, money you use to care for us, like buying food, clothing and stuff like that. Bones, so, you've got some little bones dancing all throughout the house during the day time. 

OH, and the money (there might be some hiding somewhere in the house) where would Lucy put it? Hmmm.....

Well, anyway, back to the work. Come on, you have to get more REST! Sereosly, you do! Because you only get like, let's see, 5 hours of sleep! The limits for adults is...like 8 or 9 hours of sleep. We could, um, switch!? 

I know what I'm doing! Ok, ok, fine, I would get a little tired. Fine, REALLY tired. 

Back to work...again.

If I were you, I would be like a nonstopable working machine! Especially if I stayed up intill 3 o'clock. 

Reasons

I HAVE to make a list of REASONS why MY mom is the BEST...

Responsible

Respectful

Commpationit

Loving

Loveable

And even more, she is the BEST of all Moms! But there are more reasons, so I'll list some more...FUNNY. 

And in my dad's thoughts...A good wife. 

I do NOT read my dad's mind but, lot more reasons. And NO, I DON'T want to read his mind (because he's an eye doctor). 

A GOOD MOTHER

Some things that makes a good mother are changing diapers, responding to children, good cleaner, good/great with children, good reader. Too many things to list but way more. I LOVE YOU, MOM!

I don't even think I got the full extent of it the first time. Such a funny and thoughtful girl. 

Peter's Summer Bucket

Last year Peter made a cute little bucket with a list for things he wanted to accomplish over the summer. He wanted to

• go camping
• go on vacation
• learn to fish
• go swimming
• read!!!!!
• bubbles

With the exception of fishing we did all of those things. We'll have to learn to fish this summer! I thought that was such a sweet list of a boy who is easy to please. 

This Happened on May 8, 2015

On Friday, I woke up at six and I went to school for a field trip. When we got to Charlotte, we got wrist bands for white water rafting. The first activity that group 4, my group, did was the obstecal corse. It had rope ladders, big rocks, a climbing wall, swinging steps, tunnels, a small zipline, tire swings and a rope with knots that you would climb. When we got back to the tent, we had lunch and our group did a class building activity. First for the activity we walked into the woods till we got to the wires (we were looking for). There was a wooden box in the middles of the wires. We would put one of our feet on the box and helped the other person walk accross all three wires. Next we walked on some more wires, we walked across with a partner, and then two partners. For the rest of that activity we did some more partner things. Finally it was time for white water rafting. A guide talked about rules on the raft. I eventually found a helmet, a life jacket and got a paddle. Next me, EllaBrooks, Hanna, Mackenzie, Claire, my mom and Justin went to find Wes, our guide. When we got off the boat at the end of the ride, we were so-oo wet! And boy was it cold! Me and my mom changed and left about 45 minutes earlier then the rest of the third grade. I had such a great time!

Hippity Hop

A funny little story by Peter Gertsch:

Once a poun a time there was a bunny. Named Petey Hoppy Bunny. He had four bffs, a duckling, piglet, chick and sheep. Theyre favorite thing to do was eating. Chick ate worms, sheep ate milk from her mother, pig ate like sheep, duckling ate like chick and Petey went to the fields and ate his favorite veggies. After they fed they all met in the hen house to get a plan. The hens had a map of the farm. Chick was the captin so he told what they would do and who would go where in the yard. This time they would spy on the farmer. Not even one got caght. That's what happend to the five Bff's. The end.

If I had $100.00

By: Peter

If I had $100.00, I would buy a manchen (mansion). Maybe with the other money I'd had before. But what I really want would be the Kings Castle! I would also get a few video game contrls and video games and the right disc player for the espeseiley. Totally two dogs. That is what I'd buy if I had 100 dollars.


Ummm...I hate to break it to him...$100 probably won't stretch that far!

Reverence

We've been working on reverence during the Sacrament at our house. Actually, it's a continual, on-going effort. Peter made this cute booklet, stapled together with all different sized pages called "This story is things that you can thingk of when waiting for Sacroment." I just spilled water all over it on my night stand so that's why I am recording it here instead of saving it. He drew very cute photos to go with each thing though. The things he listed were: the temple (picture of Angel Moroni), house and car (picture of a house on a car), Holy Ghost (no picture), light, church, trees (pictured), family (stick figures), Him at death (Jesus on the cross). Sure love my serious and spiritual young man.

Seminary Graduation

The kids just got out my old seminary scriptures and I found this sacrament meeting talk I wrote about seminary. Just thought I'd record it, as a piece of me as a teenager.

Good afternoon, Brothers and Sisters. Early morning seminary is a program the church puts out for youth. Every morning before school, here in Pennsylvania anyway, we meet for 45 minutes to learn about one of the four texts of scripture. This year we studied the New Testament. My favorite thing we learned was about Christ. He was smart, brave and even sarcastic. He risked so much every time he took the less popular side, like the woman who had committed adultery. He called for the person without sin among the persecutors to step forward and cast the first stone. Of course, no one could.

In Matthew 22:37, he gives us the commandment to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind, along with loving thy neighbor as thy self. He knows there are going to be trials so he tells us to come unto Him, he will lighten our burden. In Mark 8:35-37, it reads:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Don't these scriptures seem to lay it out straight for us? Love the Lord, Serve Him, and your fellowmen and endure. In seminary there are also 25 important scriptures that we focus on and try to learn, called scripture mastery. My favorite scripture mastery has to do with this (Not sure which one it was?) One thing I find interesting is that Satan isn't physically going to be bound but that the saints will be just too strong for him to get to them.

I'm glad that this year I was able to learn so much more about Christ's characteristics and personality.

I'd like to bear my testimony that going to seminary will strengthen your testimony of the gospel and Christ. I'm grateful Bobbie was willing to come and teach us every morning. I'm glad to know God loves me and for my family and I'm grateful for friends that I can come here and see every Sunday and Sarah during the week who will support me in the decisions I make to become who I am.  

Happiness

I really enjoyed a continuing ed class I took to renew my nursing license on HAPPINESS. One idea shared was that happiness is made up of two elements, pleasure and meaning. I'll go a step further and offer that often we spend our time in search of pleasure, which can bring more immediate gratification, but put meaning on the back burner, when we should occasionally seek pleasure and regularly seek things that will bring long term meaning into our lives.

While there are many benefits of health mentioned, one I found interesting is that happy people have lower levels of cortisol, and therefore better immune systems. Happiness is a predictor of long-term health and long life as well. Those who are happy are also "more likely to have community involvement, fulfilling marriages and relationships, high incomes, a long life, superior work performance and robust health. Positive emotions and sustained happiness are often associated with characteristics that parallel success, including altruism, energy, optimism, originality and sociability."

The author also found multiple sources that said about 50% of one's happiness is genetic, so that's considered a "set point." After that 50%, 10% is due to life's circumstances, and another 40% is determined by factors that are under our voluntary control, like if we seek meaningful activities, keep a gratitude journal, etc. I liked those numbers!

Strategies for happiness that are listed include:
Connect socially
Keep a positive attitude
Tend to your body
Leave baggage behind. "Forgiveness is the feeling of peace that emerges as we take our hurt less personally, take responsibility for how we feel and become a hero instead of a victim in the story we tell."
Be grateful. One study actually showed that "writing down three things that went well each day and their causes every night for one week increased happiness and reduced depressive symptoms for six months." That seemed very remarkable to me!
Be kind to your mind
Pursue goals (The most beneficial goals are positive. Instead of not getting into an argument, make a goal to make a new friend.)
Live a meaningful life (Identify character strengths and virtues on which to focus.)

And I liked this thought for a tangible plan to become more mindful and happy.

One way to start is to track your time for a week or two and then create a table that lists your activities, the meaning and pleasure (on a scale of 1 to 5) you assign to the activity, how much time you spent on it and whether you want to spend more or less. Remember that it takes time to change behavior. As many people point out: “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”

Things Dad Loves About Lucy

There are LOTS of reasons to be in love with this girl. Here are a few Kevin wrote down for Lucy for Christmas:

Spunky dresser
Doesn't take no for an answer
Great hugs! Loves to cuddle
Loves helping Dad and Mom cook
Great sense of humor
Loves to help Molly
Always remembers to read scriptures
Willing to try new things! Like holding a snake! And new foods!
Always comes running with things Dad needs

We love this sweet girl!

Thing Dad Loves About Jillian

Here's Jillian's list of things Dad loves about her:

Super smart
Great friend
Very artistic
Confident
Love sewing with Mom
Awesome at piano
Always helping Mom
You are beautiful
Avid Reader
You love to laugh

The Sound of Moousic

I love his little play on words. And if his writing isn't legible, it says:

Once apon a time alittle non named Mooreia singing in the fields like a nun person. She was late for church because of herself. (On the next page) She's always late. 

More writing from Peter

Maybe one day I'll think it's silly that I write all this down. But...for now I don't think so. He is just the smartest little boy I know. He is our fact man. If anyone can't remember something we ask Peter. He remembered a remote character's first and last name from a movie we saw over a year ago just a few nights ago. Not uncommon for him. It's just one fun thing about this kid. Anyway, here's what he knows about dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs lived 52 million years ago. They died from the biggest volcano erupshin that almost filled the entier land. The king's arms were so short that he couldnt scrach his neck. He was the scaryist and bigest carnvor. The kind had two claws on each hand. He had at least 100 teeth he was a ferce enamy of all the other dinosaurs. They are 1000 of different colors. All the other dinos have protecsins to protect them from the king.


Another time he wrote about all different animals:
I love monkeys because they go bannanas and they are funny. I love alagaters because they're scary and camaflash in theyr habtat. I love sharks because they are fast and cool. I love panthers because they are sly and fast. I love orcas because theyr gigantic and amazing. I love blue whales because theyr thonge (tongue) is the size of a elafaint itself and they're blue. I love dragons because they breth fire.

He only got a 2/3 on it, so when I went in for his conference I asked his teacher about it. It seemed okay to me for a first grader. She said for anyone else they definitely would have received a 3 but for him she held him to the original direction, which was to write facts about one animal not one fact about lots of animals.

Another paper that made me chuckle:
I help when I moe the lawn. Moing the lawn is fun and eazy. But I can't do it alone. Here are some rules to moe the lawn.
1. Do not put your hand underneth walle going.
2. Be carful.
3. Moe your lawn only becuse the peple who own the lawn miiht get mad.
(It was news to me he was mowing the lawn...apparently with Dad's help.)


Then he randomly writes things like "The Moon News":
On December 2, 2014, the moon was not out. The night before Halloween 2013, the moon was an unusual color. It was yellow or orange and black clouds around it. It was scary A LOT!

At school he wrote:
In my culture I have certain things...like a house, shelter and food. I celebrate Veteran's Day.



On thanksgiving braek, i visited my mom's side in Virginia, mary etta lane. I played with my Grandma's legos. She has a big red ship. I usualy use it and make armes with swords, bow and arows and a little guns. Flying ships armed with guns, wheels on the bottowm for take off. it was all at her house. At the lunch there was so much food we had to eat on Friday and Saturday.

Study, Study, Study

Jillian wrote this poem and did the accompanying drawing. If you can't read it, it says "Study, study, study. That's how it's always been. Never taking a break, always staying inside. Never going out in the afternoon. Such a busy day." When I read I looked at her and said "Really? Is this how you feel?" She just laughed and said, "No, not really. I just made it up." So hopefully she doesn't really feel like this. Then Peter made his own version. It reads "Lisson, lisson, lisson. That's how you learn and get things right. Like 8+8=14. If you weren't paying atention, you wouldn't get that right." Bahahaha. One day I think we are all going to have such a fun time with this.

Our Nutcracker

Kids make everything fun. And they're smart too because it makes me want to buy them things at Christmas time. Like the $3 nutcracker in the Target section by the front door. Lucy named him Pistachio. Here is the write-up Peter did about him.

My name is Pastashio (Pistachio) Nutteiy (Nutty) Gertsch. My nicknames are nutcraker, Golden Cap and my favorite story is the nutcracker. My favorite song is the dance of the sugar plum fairies. I once saved a little girl from the rat king and his army with my army. She saved me when the rat king was charging at me. She throo her shoe at him. That was quit(e) nice. Right? 

Funny Peter-isms

Some fill in the blanks from schoolwork...

My face is peach. (Haha, I think they were asking for some sort of emotion or facial expression.)

I ride my bike to exsuresize. (Haha, creative spelling.)

Learning Compassion

One of the awesome things about being a parent is getting to watch your kids minds and hearts stretch and grow. This year Kevin and I tried hard to do several service projects so the kids would be prompted to think outside of themselves and feel the joy that comes with helping others in this season that surrounds Christ's birth. One night Kevin and I were discussing a friend's family in a way that we thought was discreet, but I guess Jillian picked up enough of what we were saying. The father and husband has essentially decided he is leaving the family. The wife and mother pleaded to make it work but her husband really isn't interested in that. Anyway, the next day Jillian came up and told me "I think we should have a sale." "What type of sale?" "I think we should have one of those sales where you sell things outside of your house. Then we should give the money to that mommy you were talking about. Because if her husband is leaving, how will she take care of her kids and have the money they need?" Phew! Blew me away. In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to have conversations with our kids about alimony and child support. But I'm grateful that Jillian is starting to view the world in such a way that she sees others hardships' and tries to think how she can alleviate them. 

Peter tends to be very sensitive, though you wouldn't know if by the tough front he puts on. He'll cover his ears if he hears something mushy being said about him because he feels awkward. He'll also react in a silly or rejecting way, oddly, when he feels vulnerable. So in an effort to contribute to helping others, he threw us a note down from the balcony. It said "From: Peter, To: Family. I've got an idea. We can give a little money on Wednesday. Tell me if it's a good idea ." When we didn't fully get what he meant, he shouted down from above "When we go to the store, we can give money to the person outside ringing the bell!" Yep, good idea. 

Things Dad loves about Peter

My kids have a great dad. Anyone who knows him, knows that. For Christmas he gave the three older kids "Things I love about you." Here is why Dad loves his boy:

Very smart
Good at playing ball
Helps me with yard work
Makes me a better person
Great memory
Independent
Talented and artistic
Great dancer-you've got moves
Great smile
Fast runner - like a cheetah
Creative
Not afraid to stand up for what's right
Deep love/concern for others
Hilarious sense of humor
Awesome reader
Great laugh

For the record, Mom seconds all of these reasons why you're wonderful, Peter!

Clever

Does everyone think their child is wildly clever? Because I think mine is. Well, I think all of them are, but right now I'm writing about Peter. He's at that age where he's starting to write tons and it is FUNNY! He wrote his teacher the funniest note and told her to fill it out. Here are the particulars, with her answers:

Your name sheet

Name

Natalie Winslow

Grade

------

How hard is it being a teacher? 

Yes   or    No 

Your favorite sport game

football and basketball

Doctor's Name

no doctor

Favorite basketball team

Duke Blue Devils

Favorite Game

Connect Four

Phone Number

----------

Home number 

----------

All of your family's names

Kathy, Will, Rebekah, Charlie, Jackson, Nash, Theo, Clint, Brittni, Brooklyn, Sarah, Kyle, Hannah, Nate

Age

:)

She said he was persistent about the phone number. WHY wouldn't she write it?! And why didn't he have a doctor's name to write down? He also told me that when the Duke Football team came to talk to the kids and the kids were getting autographs, he asked if the players could please write their position in addition to their names and numbers. Ms. Winslow said "'Now you're just being particular, Peter.' But really she thought it was genius." WHO IS THIS GUY? 

I love his teacher, by the way. She is a first year teacher and has so much energy and love for the kids. I think I expected her to be more nervous having other adults around but she is very comfortable in her skin and welcomes parents and grandparents in the classroom, even to take a turn teaching a science lesson. She genuinely enjoys each child and has funny stories for all the parents when we come in for parties and involves her own family members in getting to know about her students when she can. She plays music in the class when the kids are waiting to be called and says that Peter gets very into it. Peter and his two friends, James and Heath, are enamored with her (She's beautiful and athletic. She even played college soccer.) and collaborated to write her a love note, signing it with "Remember we love you, and their names." Peter is also not shy about making suggestions. He mentioned they should watch the movie "Freebirds" before Thanksgiving and they did. He told Ms. Winslow we had Polar Express and they watched that too. I love that she is open to ideas and feedback from first graders!