Waiting for her cupcake.
Make a wish!
Yummy!
"Doesn't this hat make me look tall?"
We took a day-long break from birthday celebrations, and then finished her birthday with a dinner of Norah's choosing (Cheerios), presents, and cake & ice cream.
At our parties, pants are optional.
We Little Smiths all got haircuts today.
For Maren, it was "business as usual." She's a haircuttin' pro, and just needed a little bit off the ends to make her hair shimmer and shine.
For Harry, haircuts are torture. Unlike all other human beings, we think his hair has nerve endings in it, and he cries and says "ow, ow, ow, ow, ow" the entire time he's in the chair.
This was Norah's very first haircut. She sat very still, looked at the duckie in her lap when she was told to, and seemed to enjoy her trip to the Salon. She's all ready for her 2nd birthday tomorrow!
said at 3:00 a.m. after waking up from a scary dream
"Mom, Dad... I had this dream, and there were monsters on i-Carly and I was Sam, and I'm kinda freakin' out..."
Dad spent too much time on the computer over the weekend. He was writing some sort of comments about his student advisees at school. This is what we think he would write if he had to submit a comment on each of us....
Maren Elizabeth Smith
It is a pleasure to have Maren as one of my children. She plays an important role in the family as a big sister by helping to clean the house, cook meals, and discipline her younger siblings. She is one of the few people in her household without a fear of the vacuum. I would encourage her to continue developing these skills and trying new activities such as changing diapers and cleaning toilets. Maren is an outstanding reader and writer. She is very creative in her story telling however she could be a little more patient when she gets frustrated with her homework. She should remember that her parents are much more interested in the value of her efforts than the outcome of her work. She is creative in her play but could be more thorough cleaning up her messes, particularly around the baseboards and other edges where bits of crafts pieces, small legos, and scraps of paper tend to gather. Maren has beautiful long hair but should brush it more often so that her mother will stop threatening to cut it short again. It has been amazing to watch Maren's amazing growth this year and I look forward to seeing many great things from her in the future.
Harrison Andrew Smith
Harrison is a happy boy. While his attitude can quickly turn toward whining and complaining about the injustice of stolen toys, bed time, or careless bumps from his siblings, Harry is getting better at using his words to describe his concerns. He has made great strides in recent weeks with the pronunciation of the second consonant in consonant clusters such as "spy" or "sport." Spider Man is much cooler than Cider Man. He has also increased his vocabulary with words such as "accurate" and "apologize." Harry has gone for a long stretch without an "accident" but needs to work on not using his pull-up at night and wiping himself more confidently and thoroughly. Like his older sister, Harry is very imaginative in play and particularly enjoys games involving knights or Star Wars (previously Sar Wars). His energetic play is exhibited best by his many bruises and the holes in the knees of his jeans. Unlike his sister, his hair does not suffer from tangles but it could desperately use the the skills of a fine barber. I encourage Harry to broaden his interests in food or at least try the broccoli cheese soup before asking for a peanut butter sandwich. Harry is quite a dancer and has developed a particularly fine booty shake. It is an absolute delight to have Harry as a part of our family and watch him learn, explore, and enjoy the world around him.
Norah Anne Smith
Norah has clearly breached the wall of babyhood, zoomed through toddlerdom, and is banging down the doors to gain full rights of being a kid like her two older siblings. While still overcoming an irrational fear of the rabbit puppet, Norah generally explores the world bravely and courageously. I appreciate her growing awareness of the body and its functions but encourage her to not take off her diaper in the middle of the night, especially when it's stinky. Norah has a sense of fashion uncharacteristic of her siblings and has mastered the "coat flip" perfectly, allowing her to prepare for cold weather quickly and independently. Norah is particularly interested in food and has found many new opportunities to test her palette since learning how to open the refrigerator on her own; she should now learn to close the refrigerator. Norah is an excellent sleeper and generally goes to bed with very little fuss. She is also expanding her musical talents with repeated performances of classics such as the "ABC's" and "la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la." Her speech is developing at a stunning speed and she is using her new words well to communicate her needs. Improved communication skills have also allowed Norah to begin her own attempts at being intentionally funny through gestures, actions, and now even words. Although it is a little sad to not have "baby Norah" anymore, it is very fulfilling to have such a wonderful, silly, and happy little girl in our home.
Our kazzoo and whistle have become our favorite instruments lately. After awhile, they make Mom's eye twitch. We think we rock!
We had winter break this past week. Dad was in Utah for a few days getting ready for his new job. After he got back, we went into the city, and had a great time at the Natural History Museum.
Playing on the steps in front.
Inside the Hall of African Mammals
Visiting the Dinosaurs
We finally found the Easter Island Head. ("Dum-dum" to fans of "A Night at the Museum.")
It was a great day and we all fell asleep and snored like pirates on the way home. Thanks to our friends at Pure Gold for inspiring us!
A classic difference betweens boys and girls....
Man, I love that kid!
We had a little "Family Pajama Dance Party" last night. Beyonce was the featured artist. We sure do know how to have fun around here!
It is perfectly obvious to us that this is not a mess.
Our neighbor Amanda sent a Pink Panther clip to mom and dad that made them laugh and laugh and laugh (even though they had seen it before). I thought I would try too.
Here is what I was copying.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
Opposites, by Eric Carle
We're glad we had some friends come and help us ring in the New Year, or else Dad would have made us play boardgames and Mom would have sent us to bed early.
We love it when Grandma Jan comes to stay. We got to spend a day in the city, playing in Riverside Park
storming the castle at the Cloisters
and then Maren, Mom and Grandma got treats at Zabars before seeing the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center.
Even though we do fun things with Grandma, the best thing about having her here is that she loves us more than anyone. We've got her fooled!
Christmas morning was the BEST!
Norah with her Fancy Nancy Pocketbook
Maren with Books
Harry playing his Leapster under the laundry basket
Three happy kids
We hope your Christmas was just as merry!
On Christmas Eve we always have a Danish Dinner. We have pork (yum), potatoes (yum), green beans (yum), rolls (yum, yum, yum), homemade applesauce (eh), and braised cabbage (gross). Mom and Dad love it all, but us kids just eat the good stuff. 
After dinner, we have a dessert that has a hidden almond in it. If you find the almond in your dessert you win a special prize. Our Grandma always makes a real Danish rice pudding, which Dad likes best. But, Mom thinks that putting sugar in rice is disgusting, so she's always trying to think of a different dessert to put the almond into. This year we had banana cream pie, and Harry found the almond! He won Hungry, Hungry Hippos.
After all the yummy food, we have our little family Nativity. We read the Christmas story, and sing lots of songs, but for us kids, it's all about dressing up! This year Maren was Mary
Harry was Joseph (and a shepherd)
and Norah was a "Wise Woman." 
Our Mom liked it that Joseph wanted to hold the baby all night. 
Then, we FINALLY got to open some presents that came all the way from Utah. It's always fun to open presents from Grandma Veloy and Grandpa Dennis and our cousins. Harry and Norah kept fighting because she wanted to play with his R2D2 toy and he kept stealing her Little People Princess Castle. Go figure.
Right before bed, we left out cookies and Diet Coke for Santa. We know how to butter up the Man in Red! 
