I like cheese!

I have also learned to open the refrigerator.

Easter

We think the Easter Bunny is a pretty sneaky rabbit. He shows up at strange times and only if our rooms are clean. How does he know?

Here we are all dressed up for Easter. It was cold and our crazy Mom made us stand outside even though we were all freezing.


Norah loves her chocolate bunny. Well, she did until she ate him.

Thanks Easter Bunny. We'll catch you next year!

Baptism Day

My baptism day was last Sunday. It was a really beautiful Spring day. I was excited because I got to wear two dresses, one to be baptized in and the other to be confirmed in. Lots of members of my family were baptized in the same dress I was baptized in. Grandma T. said that it would be really heavy after it got wet, and she was right!


Then I changed into my dry dress, and I was confirmed a member of the church. There were lots of people from our ward there, but best of all, Grandma Jan and Grandpa Win were there! Because I was baptized on Conference Sunday, we even got to have a big pot-luck dinner to celebrate!

Harry would only stand by himself when our friend Sam came to take pictures with us. Thanks, Sam!

When the day was all done, I told Mom that it was the most perfect day ever!

Eight

In our family, March is all about celebrating girls' birthdays. We've been celebrating Maren's for the past two weeks.

It started with her quiet family party complete with Strawberry Shortcake....

It continued with a sleepover party with friends, food, movies, playing the wii, and lots and lots of giggling....

It will culminate on Sunday with Maren's baptism. We'll post more about that after the day.

Boy, is she two!

Norah turned two last weekend. She had a "Red and White" party at daycare (because she loves Olivia) with her pals, and then a little family party on Sunday.

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.

Haircuts

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!

Lipstick

We think that Norah is such a little lady. Isn't her lipstick lovely?

A Quote from Harrison

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's Assessment

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.

Music

Our kazzoo and whistle have become our favorite instruments lately. After awhile, they make Mom's eye twitch. We think we rock!

A Poem by Maren

Winter Poem

As I stand still every day and night

the snow falls gently down on me.

And when the last snowflake comes upon my branch,

I know that spring is here.

A Day at the Museum

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 found the backward pointing extension of the pubis bone absolutely fascinating.

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 Note From Mom

A classic difference betweens boys and girls....

I'm washing winter coats tonight. Here's what was in Norah's pockets.

Here's what was in Harry's.

Man, I love that kid!

Maren the Magnificent

I am Maren the Magnificent. I love to do fancy magnetic magic tricks. And, my hat's cool too!

Single Ladies

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!

Sometimes Mom just doesn't get it

It is perfectly obvious to us that this is not a mess.

This is a carefully constructed set up. We worked for hours on it.

Then Mom let Norah-zilla loose in the room. She doesn't appreciate the creativity and artistry that we exhibit.

(Please excuse Norah's diaper. At least you can't see her crack!)

"I would like to buy a hamburger"

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.

Smith Family Book Club

It's been a little cold here and Mom and Dad won't let us out of the house. So, when we're not watching Zac and Cody, and driving our Mom nuts, we've been doing lots of reading. Wanna join our book club? Here's what we've been reading this week.

Maren:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick

Harry:

Good Night, Good Knight, by Shelley Moore Thomas

Norah:

Opposites, by Eric Carle

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Give Norah a little time alone with a stack of boardgames and see what happens!

New Year's Eve

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.