Smith Family Weblog

21 Aug

Dance Fever

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family, Olivia, Rebecca. 3 Comments

Ava and Olivia start ballet, jazz and tap classes this week. The 36-week session culminates with a recital on May 11th, and the girls are already VERY excited. Ava will attend class on Tuesdays, and Olivia will go on Wednesdays.

When we walked into the wardrobe filled with leotards and other apparel, I spied the sparkly pink dress below and just KNEW we wouldn’t be leaving without it. It’s a bit big, but Livie will have some room to grow in the coming months.

The girls already have a few moves of their own, of course.

When I mentioned the classes to my mom, she was reminded of another ballerina and her little sister…

20 Aug

Olivia Fix

Posted by Rebecca in Olivia. 4 Comments

18 Aug

When seven-year-olds Google

Posted by Rebecca in Ava. Leave a Comment

Recent search history on the iPad:

How long are sleepovers?
Do babies see in color?
Do bumble bees sting?

16 Aug

Owen Fix

Posted by Rebecca in Owen. 2 Comments

15 Aug

Overhead: First day edition

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Overheard. 3 Comments

Ava: “Well, we spent the first hour on procedures. Procedures for recess, procedures for going home, procedures for everything. Then we had recess. Then more on procedures. Then we had lunch. I had a hot dog with ketchup. Then we talked about procedures again, then music class. Then, more procedures. Basically for every time I just said ‘procedures,’ we talked for an hour about procedures. That was the whole day. Procedures.”

15 Aug

Look out, second grade.

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Parenting. 5 Comments

Ava started second grade today. We made a back-to-school breakfast casserole from a recipe Ava clipped from the paper, and she prepared her summer reading report, which included a whopping 144 books. Tears were shed, but only by Olivia (unrelated) and me (related).

I love the shirt she selected, as I think we both are pretty hopeful this year will be smooth sailing. Ava seems very self assured and grown up, and so I believe we stand a pretty good chance of a remarkable year filled with progress and growth. We’re not longer elementary school rookies, at least.

I walked her up the hill to class, baby nestled in a sling and with a cup of coffee in hand. I have to admit, the pace of the morning (which didn’t include me rushing off to my monthly strategic communications cabinet meeting at 9 am) was quite nice. I can’t say I’m ready to permanently trade in my heels for these flip flops (not to mention sparkly purple nail polish and a much more relaxed daily schedule), but I do feel really fortunate to have this time at home.

School ends early today, and I’m looking forward to meeting Ava this afternoon and hearing about her first day.

14 Aug

A Little Birch Baptism

Posted by Rebecca in Owen. 2 Comments

I wasn’t the only one that thought the water was a bit cold…

13 Aug

Back to school preparations

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Olivia, Rebecca. 1 Comment

We’re counting down—classes begin on Wednesday for our second grader. We ran a few important errands this morning, and everyone has new haircuts and sparkly toes—you know, all the back-to-school essentials. We can deliver classroom supplies and meet Ava’s new teacher this evening!