School is Fun

Ally is having a great year in first grade. Her teachers have both commented on how much she is participating in class lately. She is happy to go to school every day and this week was disappointed to have a snow day, since it was scheduled to be pajama day at school.

Art projects – Ally’s is the one on the bottom right with lots of yellow and the single multi-colored heart.  As part of homework this week Ally had to answer some questions about the “lovey/special thing” she was bringing in for pajama day and draw a picture of it. Ally chose Snowi (that is how she chose to spell her flashlight penguin who she named Snow-ee) we talked about all the different ways to make the long e sound at the end of a word. of course that meant acknowledging how confusing it is in English and I think its so practical of Ally to spell Snowi with an i because in Spanish the I makes an ee sound. I thought she did a great job on her picture of Snowi.

She also answered all of her questions about him all by herself, and then when I checked it the spelling was atrocious. She was really a good sport about re-writing all 5 sentences to correct the spelling. We talked about how now in first grade its important to get the words spelled correctly.

 

Today was the rescheduled Pajama Day. It was pretty fun for Ally to get up, take a shower, dry her hair and get dressed in clean pajamas to go to school. Her teacher is really playing it up – slippers were encouraged for the classroom and they are having hot chocolate with snack this afternoon.

I can’t wait to hear all about it.

Guat Girls Go Bowling!

We missed Roxie and Gabi, but Ally, Rosa and Alice has lots of fun bowling at our January get together. Afterwards we had pizza together. Look at Ally and Becky throw that ball!

Alice preferred to bowl in the “grown up” lane that had no gutter guards! Ally and Alice.

Ally & Rosa and Cheryl & Julie.

Mommy & Ally – Rosa had lost a tooth the night before and was happy to show it off with a big smile.

Can you tell Becky has new glasses? Even I bowled a little.

The girls! Cheryl and Alice.

After eating while the moms talked the girls had a blast playing around on a bench in front of the pizza oven. They are so fun!

Swimming Lessons

Ally is still taking swim lessons. Now she does them on Fridays after school with Erik. I pick them up after school and we drive over to the pool. They have a lesson for 30 minutes and then swim together for fun while Erik’s little brother has his swim lesson. Then Ally takes a shower in the locker room (her least favorite part of the whole thing). And then we head home for movie night.

One week we were early for lessons and I let them play on my ipad. Erik was pretty enthralled with the American Girl Doll balance beam game. He asked how come there wasn’t a boy one!

Sometimes Ally wears her goggle so tight her eyelashes stick to the glass! Standing on the rock has always been a neat thing.

 

Cuddled on the couch with popcorn watching a movie.

HUGE milestone–First tooth lost

Ally lost her first tooth.

One of her bottom front teeth had been getting really wiggly. One night at dinner I took a few pictures -  to remember what Ally looked like with all her baby teeth. Ally was a very willing participant in the documentation.

You can see her adult tooth coming in behind it.
And 3 days later her tooth came out – at school! I picked her up at a friend’s house that day and she was so excited to tell me.  Her friend Max and his sisters were all excited to be a part of the momentous day as well.

The tooth came home in a baggie with a very nice note from her teacher who documented the event.

On January 9, 2014 Ally P__ lost her tooth during Math class. We were just about to count backwards from 100 when she announced “I lost my tooth!” Congratulations Ally, you’ve lost the 30th tooth so far in in your first grade class! (Since the first of the year)

The new smile!



After dinner Ally wrote a long note to the Tooth Fairy it said:
I don’t care if you leave it or not can you bring something because it is my first tooth can you leave a note to me. I was waiting for my tooth to fall out I’m excited for you to come. Love Ally

That night she put her tooth and the note inside her (my old, from when I was a little girl) Tooth Fairy pillow.

I was a bit afraid she would  never go to sleep. But she fell asleep very quickly, and in the morning Ally was very excited that the she got some money and a note from the Fairy.



The note told her that since she was so patient for her first tooth that she got $5.oo but in the future she could expect a gold coin.

There are currently 3 other wiggly teeth. My how grown up Ally is!

New Years Eve

Stella’s family hosted a new years eve party for us and a couple other families.

Nancy was so hungry – she sat with the kids while they ate in the first shift. Liem, Andy and Erik had a “big boys table” and no Andy is not that small – but he was sitting on a step stool.

Andy, Stella, Ally and Charlotte on Stella’s bed. And Andrew hiding with Ally and Charlotte during hide and seek.

Group shot – on the left is the normal and on the right is the silly faces.
Top row – Nicky, Kai, Charlotte and Stella.
Middle row – Violet (in the mask), Erik, Ally & Liem,
Bottom row – Andy (in a mask too).
It was a really fun, relaxing, enjoyable party. No kid melt downs, lots of adult conversations, good food. All in all a wonderful way to celebrate a new year.