♥ Chapter 10: Extraordinary Stories ♥

On the car ride home, Olivia has some great stories to tell her parents. Let's read (for the last time) below to find out what she says about her amazing summer vacation!

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Olivia's dad hopped in the driver's seat followed by her mother sitting in the passenger's seat. Olivia then sat behind her mom. "What did you guys do? Tell us all about it!" Dad begin the conversation with curiosity.
"Well, the first day, we went to Tulip Valley and picked some beautiful tulips for the girls: Aunt Rosemary, Hope and Julia."
"But what about Emily? Did you forget to get some for her too?" Mom asked.
"No, actually, she picked some out for herself. The other gals were cleaning so they couldn't make it to Tulip Valley."
"Oh, OK," Mom said as Dad turned left. "Go on."
"Then, Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Ken announced that they're having a baby! Josh, Julia, Hope, and Emily were so excited! I was too! I'm gonna have another cousin!"
"Oh, that's awesome! Another neice or nephew!" Mom exclaimed.
"That's neat!" said Olivia's father. "I hope it's a boy! They've got a lot of girls already and only one boy."
"But wait! There's more!" Olivia continued enthusiastically as she remembered a fact that she had forgotten to say. "The following week, Aunt Rosemary had a check-up appointment, and we found out the gender of the baby. Mom and Dad, guess what! They're having a boy!"
"I knew it! Josh'll love being a big brother!" said Dad.
"Aww, how sweet!" Mom chimed in. "That's..." she quickly counted on her fingers. "Emily - one, Hope - two, Julia - three, Josh - four, and baby boy - five. They have five kids!"
"After that, we went to the zoo!" Olivia exclaimed. "Mom and Dad, it was so much fun! Could I visit them again next summer?"
"We'll see, honey, we'll see." Mom replied.

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A Sneak Peek at the Next Book in the Series
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Olivia hurriedly grabbed her backpack for school and slung it around her shoulder. "I'm headed your way!" she called out to her mother, who was also her English teacher.

"English is starting in 5 minutes!" her mom announced from downstairs.

Today was the first day of homeschool for Olivia, and she didn't want to miss it. Although she was excited about starting a new grade, she got butterflies in her stomach. There was something about school that made her nervous. Maybe it was answering questions in class. Maybe it was the spelling bees. But whatever it was, it was nerve-wracking.

Taking a seat at her school desk, she sat next to her best friend Shannon. Shannon's mom taught math, science and history. Since she had enough time to talk right before class began, she said, "Hey, Shannon! It's so good to see you again!"

"Oh, Olivia, it's great to see you, too!" Shannon replied joyfully. "I have a surprise for you ... 'cause your birthday is coming up!"

"Aww, that's so sweet, Shannon! Thanks in advance!"

After homeschool lessons, the two "besties" walked up the stairs and headed for Olivia's room just like they normally did as soon as class dismissed. Olivia -- anticipating a birthday surprise -- flipped on her bedroom light switch. All Olivia could see was twenty smiling faces -- friends, family and neighbors -- crowded around her room, screaming, "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday, Olivia!"