Grade Card Time

(She really enjoyed the Japanese man cooking our meal on the hibachi grill in front of us. What a hoot!!)

Some may remember a year ago, when Shayla brought her first quarter grade card home as a second grader it was nothing to celebrate. Due to Christi's illness and death, she had missed about 12 out of 40 days of school, we didn't know she needed glass - nor the vision therapy - nor that she had a form of dyslexia (it affects her spelling) and she had two Ds on her grade card (one in reading and I think the other in English). Well, after getting glasses, receiving vision therapy and spelling instruction, and having a much more settled life the past year, Miss Shayla's grade card was filled with As this first quarter. She did receive a B- and that was in spelling. She said, "But it's not all As." I explained how she worked harder for that B- than she did for all of her other subjects put together and soon she was beaming and was so very happy.

It's amazing how much she really enjoys reading now (and how that reminds us to much of Christi). We've been reading many of the books to her that we also enjoyed during intense hospital stays with Christi. I won't say that I can even stomach the thought of picking up "Flush" the last book I was reading to Christi and of course never finished, nor the fact that Shayla has been reading the "Hank the Cowdog" books with Shayne and when she goes past book 18 - the last one Christi read, and yes she was reading them "in order" (such a Christi think) it won't make me cry, it will - but it has been wonderful to share the same joy of reading that we also shared with Christi.

After school today, we went to the post office to mail to CHOP a stack of duplicate "Hank the Cowdog" paperback books sweet angels on earth had given Christi during her last year of life. I contacted the social worker and ask her to put them out for the kids to enjoy and I really appreciated her emailing back saying she remembered how very much Christi loved that book series. I didn't tell her that Christi was buried with one of them, but she was. I hope they make some other kids smile, even if it was hard to get in to Chrsiti's room to get them out. It's something I know I have to keep doing.....and ordering that cemetery plaque - ergh! All in good time, I guess!

(PIC: Yes, much to the surprise and shock of the others sitting at our table, Shayla still loves her sushi!)To celebrate Shayla's wonderful grade card, we told her to pick a restaurant to take Grandma Nee Nee to on Sunday. She selected "Nagoya" a Japanese restaurant in Nee Nee's hometown. (Actually, I think she referred to it as the "flying food" restaurant, but we had a grand celebration. Check out her smile!)