Christmas Break

It has been a busy week in the Smith house.

Isabel has decided to return to St. Annie's. She is so excited to start school which is a welcome change. She keeps asking me how many more days until school starts. She is excited to see her old friends, have Mrs. Hofmann for 1st grade, and have a longer bus ride! It was cool. The last day before Christmas break, I took Isabel over to St. Annie's to register and meet her teacher. Mrs. Hofmann appeared excited to have Isabel joining her class. She told the class that they were all getting an early Christmas present and that Isabel would be joining their class after the Christmas break. It was really cool to see the kids reaction and Isabel's face. The kids jumped up and down, yelled, and even a few girls gave Isabel a big hug. Isabel was glowing! I am so happy that she will be wearing a uniform again. That should make life much easier.

We took the kids skiing in Camelback. It was awesome. All of the kids loved it! We had two pairs of skis and three kids that wanted to ski. Isabel finally moved off the bunny slope and did an easy run with grandma and grandpa. Chloe is still using the racer vest, but has great balance! Brady looked so cool on his skis. He had amazing balance for a 2 1/2 year old little boy. Every time he reached the bottom of the hill, he yelled, "Again, again, again!" So stinking cute! After an afternoon on skis, we returned to the mountain house to warm up with some hot chocolate and "whoop" cream as Chloe says.

For New Years Eve, we took the kids into Philadelphia to see the light shows at the Comcast building and Macy's. It was a fun afternoon. We took the train from Bryn Mawr Train Station. Certainly the train was a highlight for Brady. He asked me if we were going to ride Thomas the Train.

Chloe loves her Pink Clappers

This week Chloe received a new pair of shoes from Autumn, a pair of bright pink wooden clogs. Chloe adores them!! Although, she cannot walk in them very well, she just loves the noise they make. I am so worried she is going to fall down the steps or twist an ankle in these shoes. Chloe loves the shoes so much that she has even given them a name, the Pink Clappers! Whenever she is sitting, for example, in the car, she starts tapping the shoes making a loud clapping noise! I think I might know why Autumn gave these shoes away despite having four girls to potentially wear these fun shoes!

The kids are growing up so quickly

Isabel

Isabel you are a social little girl. While you do not love school, you do love the opportunity to see your friends. As soon as you get home, the first thing you ask me is, "Can I have a playdate?" You love parties and all social gatherings.

You are taking dance again this year at Art in Motion. You love dancing and you love music! One of your favorite songs this year is "Dynomite" by Taio Cruz. We all love dancing to this song in the kitchen - even Brady! You also love to wrestle with Daddy when he gets home and play the trap game.

You are really blooming as a reader. You enjoy reading the Fancy Nancy I Can Read books and also the Pinkalicious I Can Read books. You have been learning lots of new sight words at school. Daddy has made this a fun activity for you while at home. Whenever you get a difficult word correct, you and daddy say in unison, "Boom goes the dynomite!" and smash your fists on the table. Lots of fun!

One obstacle in our relationship this year, Miss Isabel, is clothing and picking out clothes. You are a very independent little girl and have your own sense of style. You and I do not always agree on what makes a great outfit. Oh, how I miss the school uniform.

Isabel, I love to look into your big beautiful blue eyes. I love it when you curl up in my arms and tell me that you love me. You are a joy!

Just this past weekend, I dropped you off at a party, and you told me, "No kiss, just hug!" My little girl is growing up (so fast)!

Chloe

You are a free spirit Chloe! You keep me on my toes as a mommy. I am always unsure of myself when I am parenting you. You bring me great joy. I love your confidence, vivid imagination, and your curiosity. However, it is these very things that I love about you that give me the most trouble. Chloe, while you are the queen of asking for forgiveness, you rarely ask for permission.

You are a very bright girl, Chloe. You ask great questions and love to share interesting facts you learn with others. Just this past weekend, you shared with Sean O'Reilly, that people are at the top of the food chain on land and that sharks are at the top of the food chain in water.

You are really enjoying school this year. Each week we work on your homework together. For each letter, you have to find or draw pictures of words that begin with those letters. You are able to do the homework independently. You are also learning sight words and developing as a reader. You love to color and draw pictures.

This year you are very excited about Christmas! Probably the most enthusiastic in the entire house. You have made lists and lists and lists for Santa. In fact, today, while working on your homework, you got sidetracked and started cutting out more pictures for your list.

You love putting together puzzles. You will sit for an hour and work on putting puzzles together. It is not unusual for you to put together a 100-piece puzzle several times in a row. It is a delight to watch your mind work.

Chloe, I want you to know that no matter what you do, I will always love you! You are a light in my life. You are a unique little girl that is destined to do great things. I love you, Chloe May.

Brady

Hugs and Kisses!

Mommy

Chloe loses her 1st tooth....with a little help from Grandpa!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the beach this year with Mary Ellen and Fred (aka...grandma and grandpa). Isabel was excited about the prospect of her sister losing her first tooth at the beach, while Chloe was terrified about the thought of her tooth being yanked out. Isabel can be a persuasive one and somehow managed to build Chloe's trust and convince her to let grandpa pull her first tooth.

After dinner, grandpa counted....one, two, three and pulled out the tooth. Within seconds, Chloe let out a wail and tears were streaming down her face. It was awful, she was so upset. A moment mom has captured on video.

Chloe looked at her sister and said, "It hurt. You said it wouldn't hurt!"

Fortunately, the tooth fairy would be coming that night and leaving a note for Chloe and of course, $$$$. A crisp, new dollar for the first tooth. The tooth fairy did not have any gold coins that night.

Interestingly, both of my girls lost their first tooth while at the beach house, and both of them, had it pulled by their grandpa. Chloe swears grandpa will not be pulling anymore of her teeth!