Brigitte's Book Reports

     Every month, my littlest sister, Brigitte, has a book report that is due.  They have to be colorful, artistic, and academic all at the same time. Brigitte's got the academic and colorful thing down, but as for the artistic part, it doesn't go so well for her. That's why she recruits me.  At the end of every month Brigitte comes to me.  Our conversation goes like this:

Brigitte: Maddie, I love you so much.

Maddie: Brigitte, what do you want?

Brigitte: Can you draw a picture for me for my book report?

Maddie: I guess.  Are you sure it's just ONE picture?

Brigitte: Okay, it's actually four, but don't worry they are small.

Maddie: Okay.  Let's go.

     After I agree to help Brigitte draw some pictures for her book report, we go downstairs to complete the job.  As soon as we get down there, Brigitte and I have another conversation.  It goes like this:

Brigitte: I'm sorry, Maddie, but I lied to you.

Maddie: About what? (even though I already know what's coming)

Brigitte: This month, we have to make a board game and each piece has to have a picture that goes with            the book. I have about twenty spaces.  (Then Brigitte laughs and says "Sorry").

Maddie: Okay, I'll help you, but you have to tell me what to draw, where to draw it, and all about what piece I'm drawing because I need to know that you actually read the book.

Brigitte: Fine.  Hurry up! It's due on Friday.  (It's usually Monday that she comes to me).

Brigitte and me smiling for the camera.  I am on the left, Brigitte is on the right.

     I then draw all of the pictures that Brigitte needs me to, and in return, Brigitte usually voluntarily helps me with the dinner dishes.  Sometimes I get annoyed that she asks me to help her, but it's my job as an older sister to help her siblings that are in need.  I love my job and will never give it up.

Here's a link to my favorite place to look for inspiration for my drawings. 

Family History

Family is really important in my family. We try to find out as much family history as possible. 

Park City Family Tree Center

My mother was born in France. Her parents moved to the United States with her when she was six years old. My mom is fluent in French, and she speaks it often with her parents. She doesn’t have an accent when she speaks English, but when she switches to French, you can tell that she originated from there.  

My mom has a lot of history in her family. My favorite story that my mom told us is about her aunt. Her aunt was one of the people who helped people travel to safety during World War II. My mom’s aunt was a very brave and smart person. This is her story.  

My mom’s aunt and uncle both worked to help people flee from the dangers of World War II. They traveled in small groups, and didn’t associate with each other at all during the trek. Every so often there was a check point where military men would strip the travelers of their clothes and search for maps and papers leading to safe houses. They would look in the lining and pockets of everything. My mom’s aunt, Yvonne, saw many of her friends killed because they found the papers. Yvonne and some her other friends became smart. Instead of putting papers in the lining of their coats, they printed a map with a secret code on silk scarves. That way, when the guards asked them to take off their clothing, they would take off the scarf and the guards would not even take a second glance. Only the women wore the scarves, and one day, Yvonne’s husband was caught. He was shot dead right before her eyes. She couldn’t cry out or react at all because if she had, the soldiers would have killed her too. All she could do was say a silent prayer, and continue on her journey. Yvonne never got caught, and my mom has her scarf framed in our house.  

Another story my mom told us is of another woman in her family. This woman was also her aunt. This aunt was Jewish, but the rest of her family was Catholic. One night, a neighbor turned her in. The soldiers came by my mom’s aunt’s house, and her husband protected her. He told the soldiers that he was the Jewish man, not his wife. He was taken to a concentration camp where he spent the rest of the war. Luckily, he survived the concentration camp and went home safely at the end of the war.  

My grandma, Catherine, was alive during this time as well. She was only a little girl, but she remembers the war very well. My grandma said that whenever there were bombings, her mom would take her to the basement and tell her that there were fireworks going off in a nearby area. My grandma also told me that soldiers would come into her house seeking shelter at night. They would sleep in the attic. Other soldiers from the other side would come in later and poke the ceiling with their bayonets. She said that some of the soldiers came down and some she never saw again.  

There are many other stories that are also amazing. Somewhere in my family line, there is a line of royals. My mom’s cousin owns a castle in France where people can visit. If family visits, they can stay in the servants’ quarter of the castle which is really cool. My older sister, my mom, and I are going to France and staying there in the summer of 2014. I am very proud of my ancestors, and I hope to do something great too, so that the future generations of my family will hear my story and be proud.  

         My church has a website in which you can do some of your family history.  It is really cool to see all of the relatives that you had, where they lived, and what they did.  

Ready, Aim, Fire

     On Friday, April 4, 2013, my dad took my sister, Katie, and me to a shooting range with Katie’s friend, Lexi, and her dad. Our moms also came along. It was mandatory that we all shot at least one gun. I’m okay with that. I’ve shot guns before, and it doesn’t bother me. What does bother me though, is the noise. Guns are really loud, and I don’t like it. My ears mean a lot to me because I am a singer, and without my ears, it would be really hard to sing. So, whenever I shoot I wear a pair of sound proof headphones. When I’m done shooting, I get in the car, shut all of the doors, and keep the headphones on. The headphones aren’t sound proof though because I can still hear the boom of the guns.  

A 9 millimeter pistol like the one that we shot

Another problem that I face with shooting guns is how small I am. Guns with little  kick have a lot of kick for me. When I first went to shoot some guns with my dad, brother, uncles, and boy cousins, my dad told me the gun I was about to shoot had very little kick. Well, my dad was lying.  I shot the gun, and the next thing I knew, I was staring at the sky, and my arm was bleeding. The kick from the gun had knocked me to the ground, and I had dropped the gun on my arm, which is what made it bleed. Luckily, it was just a scratch. After that first shot, I was considered “dangerous” and had to go sit in the car all alone.  I watched everyone else shoot.  

The next time I shot, I couldn’t aim the gun very well, and I kept missing the target. That same summer, my extended family went on a camping trip together. Again, all of the boys and I went shooting. That time I could actually hit the target, but that was after a couple shots. The first shot, I shot a branch off of a tree. The second was very far from hitting the target. Finally, the third shot made it onto the target, and after that, I could hit the target somewhere all of the time. That’s when all of the boy cousins decided that I was cool and could be a part of their “gang.” I was honored because none of the other girls could be a part of their gang. We had a secret handshake and everything. It was cool. I was their double agent because I could get in and hear gossip with the girls and then tell the boys. That was a couple years ago, and now I’m more of a girly girl. Back then, I was a tomboy.  

The most recent time that I went shooting was with my neighbor, Brayton, and my dad. It was really fun. We shot at cans and targets, and that day, I felt good because I was finally better than a boy. Brayton was having a hard time hitting the target, and since he’s like a brother to me, I made fun of him. I brought up what had happened the last time he went shooting with my dad. They made a detour on their way to a campout for church. Brayton shot my dad’s 30 yat 6 with his eye still on the scope, and the kick pounded the scope onto his face, and he had to get six stitches. They then went to a campout with all of the boys from my church.  

The shooting with my sister, Lexi, and our parents was really fun. The sound wasn't too bad either. I wore a pair of ear plugs and sound proof headphones. Lexi's dad taught us about gun safety and how to protect ourselves by using them.  We went to dinner afterwards and got to talk and mess around. It was also really fun to watch Lexi and Katie shoot their first gun. Their faces were priceless. They closed their eyes and scrunched up their faces. They didn’t even look at the target, so they completely missed. It was a great day. I felt experienced and proud of myself.  

Natalie's Birthday Surprise

      On April 3, 2013, my little sister, Natalie, turned eleven years old.  She was so excited about this because when the kids in our family are eleven or in fifth grade, we get our first cell phone.  Natalie started the countdown until her birthday in January, and when the week before finally arrived, she was overjoyed.  Natalie looked online at all the possible phone choices for her. My family doesn’t let any of the kids have iPhones, so Natalie was looking at all of the other possiblilities.  She knew that she wanted either a blue or a black phone, and she wanted a full keyboard.  

Natalie’s birthday finally arrived on Wednesday, and Natalie was super excited.  Before school, Natalie went to get a bagel with my dad.  When she got home from school, all she wanted was her present.  Being the older sister, it’s one of my many talents to pester my little siblings.  I told Natalie that since I had been home sick from school, I knew what her present was. I then went on to tell her not to get her hopes up because it wasn’t a phone.  Natalie knew I was trying to mess with her, but she also began to believe my words as the night went on.  At around five o’clock that night, we all went out to dinner at Panda Express because Natalie really likes that place.  Then, we went to Coldstone Creamery to get ice cream. It was there that we gave Natalie her present.  

Natalie's new phone

Natalie was getting a phone.  My mom had it in her purse, and when we were about to give it to her, my mom had her best friend from California call her on it.  The phone started to ring, and my mom took it out of her purse and gave it to Natalie.  Natalie was so excited especially when she answered the phone and her best friend sang the song “Happy Birthday” to her.  After dinner, my parents, my brother, and my older sister went to mutual where they played dodgeball.  I stayed home because I wasn’t feeling good, and my little sisters and I watched a Barbie movie.  My youngest sister, Brigitte, loves them, and Natalie said that even though it was her birthday, she would let Brigitte watch it. 

Every night before my little sisters go to bed, I read them a book and sing them a song. On Natalie’s birthday, I read her the end of the book The BFG written by Roald Dahl. I then sang her two songs. The first was an original song of mine, and the second was a lullaby my grandma always sang. The lyrics are:

How I love my little (insert name here)

Sweet and tender little (insert name here)

How I love my little (insert name here)

Honest and truly I do.

Sleep tight, Sandman’s a comin’ 

And he’ll be here mighty, mighty soon

And if you don’t cry,

He’ll be coming by,

with the great, big yellow balloon.  

After I sang that song, Natalie looked at me and said, “This is the best birthday ever.”  When I went back to my room upstairs, I texted Natalie. She responded very quickly with a “Thx.”  The last thing I thought before I went to sleep was, “My little sister is growing up.”