This is what daydreams are made of. Except in four short months, this reverie of mine will become reality, as we board a plane for a month in France. This is a photo of Annecy, the storybook town in an Alpine valley that will host us for the first two weeks of our trip.
A Poem by Chloe
It’s been awhile since we’ve had the pleasure of a Chloe poem.
This evening’s subject is “movies.”
Bring a friend, and popcorn to share
Bring your 3-D glasses and other movie-ware
Buy your tickets for ten bucks too much
Prepare to watch your movie and such, and such.
Pooling Money for Chocolate, Part II
I wrote yesterday about the girls’ decision to pool their money to buy chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Chocolate that Chloe asserted was intended for the two sisters, and not their parents. Well, it’s 24 hours later and I’m eating crow.
The girls bought the chocolate for us. And they managed to keep it a secret. Not so difficult for Chloe to do, but a rare achievement for 5-year old Sophie. I’m still gobsmacked. The girls actually pooled their money to buy chocolate for their parents. Apparently, it was all Chloe’s idea.
I love my girls.
Pooling Money for Chocolate
We now know how Sophie and Chloe can successfully bond. As we all got ready for the day this morning, the two girls were busy upstairs. It was eerily quiet for a good 15 minutes. Believe me, 15 minutes may not sound like much, but when your kids tend to scream at each other every five minutes or so, 15 minutes is a lifetime.
Books!
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Is it Friday Yet?
This week has been never-ending. I’ve woken up every morning since Monday under the mistaken impression that it was Friday. Wishful thinking. However, when I wake up tomorrow, it will be Friday. Finally.
I have a feeling that Sophie will make substantial progress with her reading over the weekend. It will start tomorrow because we made a deal. I will read three books to Sophie tomorrow night and she will read three books to me. Now that’s something to look forward to. Friday, where are you? Come quickly!
Sophie’s Reading!
I ran up the stairs when I heard the news. There she was, on her bed with her box of “Bob” beginning reader books. She chose two of them to read to me. And she grinned the entire time. She’s extremely proud of herself, as well she should be.
I will write more about her achievement tomorrow, but I just had to note the date for posterity. As far as I’m concerned, reading tops the list of all kid milestones. The discovery that letters form words and words form stories that transport you to imaginary and wonderful places, is simply amazing and chill-inducing. This is an exciting day.
Go, Sophie, Go!
Who Needs Showers?
Apparently not Chloe. I think she’d never take a shower if she had the choice. No matter when we tell her to go wash herself, it’s never the right time. After school, before bed, the morning – you name it, she has an excuse to avoid going under the stream of water. No matter how many times we remind her of her sanitary obligations, the response is always the same: stomping feet followed by loud harumphs, studious avoidance and several exclamations of “you’re so annoying,”you’re so unfair” or some variation thereof.
Slip Slidin’ Away
We had sun today. For the first time in what seemed like weeks. Sophie spent some time outside before the icy coating on top of the snow started to melt. She had fun until she didn’t have fun anymore. I filmed this while she was still smiling and not yet crying out of frustration that the sled wasn’t working.
An Evening With Sophie
Chloe is spending night at Grammy’s because they’re going to see “The Lion King” tomorrow, which means that my husband and I have Sophie all to ourselves. As much as I love spending time with Sophie and Chloe together, I cherish the special days when we get to hang out with just one of them.