#1

Cat's having a great year so far.  She loves being in Young Women, she loves her new soccer team, and she's had a blast joining her school's drama club and preparing for an upcoming Shakespeare competition.

Cat has been trying her hand at photography lately, and she has decided to share her love of baking by creating her own cooking blog.

Cat started babysitting for other families last year, and still does when she can.  But she's also had the chance recently to earn money for helping her aunt with her business, which she's loved.  This has been particularly helpful as Cat has been earning money for the aforementioned Shakespeare competition.

Cat has tolerated piano with a better attitude lately, perhaps because she's now part of a piano quartet and she's excited about the pieces they're working on.  When I found out that the American Piano Quartet would be putting on a concert at BYU and that they'd be performing one of the pieces Cat's group is learning, I decided to take her to the concert for a date.  The performance was great and even got her excited about choosing some of the pieces they performed for her group's selections for next year's competition.

Cat is an enthusiastic student, to the extent that she has started to resemble a certain Harry Potter character.

Cat is so eager to participate in class that three of her teachers have told her to give other students more opportunities to answer questions, and two other teachers have stopped making eye contact with her in class.  She complained at dinner one night, "Mom!  My teacher told me to stop answering questions!"

On a related note, when Cat found out that the principal at Jack and Eliza's school refers to Eliza as "Mini Cat," she was absolutely thrilled.

 

Cat is a great gal.  She's fun to be around and makes friends easily.  She has a great combination of natural talent and intellect with ambition and a willingness to work hard.  She has a variety of interests (so one of her challenges is to not over-commit herself).  I could add several more great qualities to this list, but I'll just finish with one.  With all of the things Cat has going for her, I think I'm most impressed with her humility.  She is proud of her hard work and accomplishments, but doesn't brag or seek attention.  I truly appreciate that about her.