Snowy day activity!

What do you do on a freezing cold, snowy day?

SWIMMING of course!!

And "dry land," which is usually exercises including running, sit-ups, etc., was sledding today! The coach brought his kid's sled for the kids to "exercise" on!

He's a very popular coach!

Ballerina Dishwasher!

It's hard to do dishes when you are short!

So, it's good to get help.

Quilts on the bunk beds

So, Pink and Purple meet the East! It works, surprisingly! And the girls are proud!

Shoes at the party....

Perhaps not obvious...but the girls who came wore tennis shoes, silver flats, suede boots, canvas slip-ons, etc. What a variety!

And yes, if you thought there was a boy in the previous picture, you would be right. Kyle invited himself to her party because he likes her.

Miranda's Birthday/Sleepover

Just a few of the faces who came to Miranda's 13th birthday. It was LOUD and GIGGLY. Brent was rolling his eyes...what an education in teen-age girls. How quickly they change!

I missed every squeal episode because it was SO loud that I was shocked into paralysis!!

Alan drove up and the house was closed, his van doors were closed and he could STILL hear the girls squealing!

Miranda and swim teammate, Bethany Aban

Miranda has grown a lot in swimming, partly from swimming next to Bethany (who is a year or so older). Miranda loves the challenge of competing. Today she said again that she wants to swim more days a week because she loves to swim and she loves to socialize with her friends there.

We were told that swim team was a great activity for teenagers...kept them out of trouble, gave them focus and provided a safer group of friendships to choose from. I think there is some truth to this.

Miranda from 2002

Barn Owl at High Desert Museum

This little guy would turn side to side, gently rocking his shoulders from left to right and back again. The caregiver told us it was his way of warning us off. That it was HIS perch.

She TOUCHED a snake !!!!!

I can't believe it! She TOUCHED a snake. It's true it was not a poisonous one, but it makes me break out in hives to think about it.

Mom and Daughter on vacation in Central Oregon

Miranda on the barque "Eagle"

Returning from bookstore

Returning from the used bookstore in west Salem where Aunt Bev lets us use some of her credits towards buying "new" books to read. Miranda has this habit of going to the library and getting an enormous stack of books. When she was little-er, and the books were shorter, she often would be finished with several of the books by the time they got home from the library.

Reading at lunch

Miranda always seems to have a book. Patti, Bev, and I all grew up reading and it's great to see her also loving the world inside a book.

Miranda on Field Trip

We went on a field trip today to the Fredrickson Wilderness park.

Um, It was fun. Caleb was there. Mom says, he is very cute and seems smart. He got into Agate proram. (mom inserted as Miranda thinks what to say next!)

We looked at bugs under microscope. We did some tests on water.

We saw some salmon in the creek we had released here last week. They are fry, which doesn't mean to cook them, it means they are just a couple inches long.

Miranda

Miranda and yoga

Photos taken November 2003. Miranda was in school for one day a week in Seattle and one of her classes was yoga. I was pretty amazed at what that kid could do at 7 years old.

Test

This is a test of the MMPH blog. I'm trying to see if MMPH actually READS her blog. If she does, I know she'll post a comment. If she doesn't....well, the comment section will be blank.

Miranda and Alan communicating

Ah, it is a wonderful thing to see a child and her father communicating.

Photo: September 13, 2004

Miranda and Grandma

It warms my heart to see how
Miranda likes to cuddle.

Miranda and Eyore

It's nice to see that Miranda still enjoys characters from her childhood. (I still have two rabbits in my livingroom that are in little costumes.) And it cracks me up that sometimes Miranda talks with the same cadance that Eyore does.

Miranda and Anna December 1996

I love this photo....and I love how she is holding onto my thumb.

The thing ya gotta know about Miranda is.......

The thing ya gotta remember about Miranda is that what she does not have in physical height, she more than makes up with attitude. That is one feisty, opinionated, intelligent, spunky, kid.
I know she's going to grow up to be an amazing woman. And I've know some incredible women who are not tall. (Dr. Lacayanga, the pediatrician, was under 5 feet tall. Dr. Glantz, the neurologist, is just over 5 feet but she wears heels.) Height is not what makes a person interesting to know or fun to be around.

I hadn't noticed!

I know you had to be there to appreciate this, but I busted a gut this week and have to share this. We're looking at growth charts and plotting where the kids are now. Miranda, again, is below the third percentile. WAAAYYY below. I explained to her about the many lines on the chart and that the bottom line meant that 97% of girls her age were bigger.


She thrust her hip out to one side with hand on top, tipped her head, and said with a snotty voice, "Gee, I HADN'T noticed, Mom!!"

positional happiness...

Miranda reading upside down

Miranda reading

A blog of Miranda would just have to have a few photos of her reading....as this is one of her favorite hobbies.

Miss Fashion-Sense

Note how she is able to pull together jewelry, colors, etc to all come together and look totally chic. My niece, Miss Fashion-Sense. If we ever get her into quilting- she is going to come up with some awesome colors!

Frenchman

Drawn March 14, 2008.

Drawn during history.

Miranda

Miranda doing push-ups

"Miranda has some serious definition going on!"

Tom, Silver Swim Team Coach

Jan and Miranda

Notice how Aunt Jan challenges MMPH to greater heights....maybe MMPH should return the favor and encourage Aunt Jan to create her OWN BLOG!!!!!

Miranda with glasses

It is a life lesson to learn ---that beauty is something within and when your light shines ---this is the real beauty. Glasses, makeup, fancy feathers---oh, they can make one FEEL beautiful, but when one smiles,

I mean REALLY smiles genuinely....AHHH, that is real beauty. (like the smile she has in the tree at Buck Lake photo) and it just makes one want to smile back and feel good about the world!

And my niece is one beautiful girl.

XXXOOO,

from Aunt Bev

Miranda 2002 - ish

I think the concept of a blog could be fun and Miranda is full of interesting facets....like being so peaceful with the dogs and cats that she interacts with.....and the photography she has shared with her family. I look forward to her contributions!

love,

Aunt Bev

This girl warms the cockle-burrs of my heart!!

Ya gotta love a kid who takes to a gift so enthusiastically. Several years ago, when she was much younger, I sent her this book, apparently a classic children's book on Greek mythology (according to Amazon.com) At the time, I thought it was perhaps too advanced for her. The vocabulary might be too difficult or the stories too unsettling for her. But she LOVED it. She's read it multiple times and entered a phase of reading mythology and fairy tales.

Albert Einstein said "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be VERY intelligent, read them more fairly tales.

Miranda: The Water Girl

June 28, 2004
Miranda and the Nevada "twins" at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon. Miranda loves water and it's almost like a native environment for her. She is in the silver team at the Poulsbo Swim Team and has excellent times in her meets with the ribbons to prove it.

Starting a blog for MMPH

Well, the Hoffers have a family blog and 3 of the kids have their own, but Miranda doesn't. Now she apparently said she didn't want one, but I just think it's wrong for her not to have one, so I told her I was going to start one for her and she said OK (not with a lot of enthusiasm but at least she didn't say no.)

Here's a photo to start with taken Nov 4, 2004. It seems appropriate since this week Patti took the ENTIRE family one afternoon to the opthamologist for six (!!!) eye appointments. Miranda apparently has some sort of nerve thing....I can't remember, but whatever. (That's what Miranda would say: "Whatever") Anyway everyone is getting new glasses. She looks pretty cute in this pair from 4 years ago too.