Annie

Clara and Emma watched the movie Annie last year at some point and quicly forgot about it.
It was on tv over the holidays and Mommy recorded it. And they watched it.

Now, they are completely obsessed with it.

They love acting out the Molly/Annie scene where they sing "Maybe," and the Annie/Punjab scene where she is saved. Emma can't get enough of singing and loves "A Hard
Knock Life," but sings "A Hard Not Life."

The show was put on by the Riverdale Children's Theater and Mommy took the ladies. They sat for the full 2.5 hours and loved every second.

Mommy also got them the cd - and now, it is all they ever want to listen to in the car!

The Tooth Fairy Visits Clara

Last night, late in the evening, when it was very dark, the Tooth Fairy arrived to check on a sleeping Clara. The Tooth Fairy spread a bit of blue fairy dust (glitter), grabbed the tooth box and placed Clara and Emma's notes and gifts on the shelf by their beds.
Clara got a small coloring pad, princess stickers, a pencil, five single dollars, two hershey kisses and markers. And, just like Mommy got growing up, she got a quarter, a dime, a nickel and a penny.

There were big screams of joy this morning in the house and both kids got right to work on coloring on their new coloring books. Clara couldn't have been any cuter or more excited showing off her toothless smile. And, she brought her note from the Tooth Fairy to share at school.

Clara's note says the following (on blue construction paper, of course):

"Dear Clara,
Last night, while you were sleeping, I looked under your pillow and found your tooth!

Congratulations, I see you've lost your very first tooth. I had so much fun coming to your house to look for it.

It is a very special tme for a little girl like you! I see you have been taking very good care of your teeth. I am very proud of you and know you have been brushing your teeth everyday.

Pretty soon, a new tooth will move in where the old tooth used to be. It is a sign you are growing up. Being a grown up means you need ot remember to brush you teeth at least twice a day to make sure they stay nice, clean and shiny.

By the way, I love your new glasses.

Keep being a good girl. I can't wait to see you again. Make sure to say hi to your dentist for me!

Thanks again for your tooth. I left you something special in place of your tooth. Enjoy.

Love, The Tooth Fairy

P.S. I love blue too!

The Tooth Fairy decided to give Emma a note too and a little gift- she got a small coloring pad and a pencil.

Emma's note says the following (on pink construction paper):

Dear Emma,

I came to get your sister's tooth and wanted to say hi. Keep brushing your teeth and be a good girl. I'm sure I'll see you soon. I left you a little something because you are so special."

And, there was also a delivery from a friend of the Tooth Fairy in Maryland. A package arrived with little treasure chests and tooth boxes- in blue for Clara and pink for Emma.

"Hi Clara! Pop-Pop just told me that your bottom two teeth are loose. I have worked with your Pop-Pop for over 40 ears to bring joy to those boys and girls who lose their teeth. That is great. You are growing up. I just wanted to tell you that I have you on my list. Your sister Emma should not be far behind. I am sending two Tooth Fairy boxes- one for you and one for Emma when she looses her teeth. Please do not worry if you swallow it. I learned a long time ago how to retrieve them and you will still get presents from me. Good going, Love The Tooth Fairy over the United States."

The Things They've Been Saying

In the car this morning, Clara and Emma were examing their lunchboxes- both from Pottery Barn- with their names.

Suddenly, they were discussing big letters and small letters (aka uppercase and lowercase letters).
They noticed that the first letter was a big letter and the other letters were small and had a full discussion on why they thought not all the letters were uppercase.

They've also been obsessed with Annie. They love role playing the scene where Annie finds Sandy the dog and singing "Dumb Dog." The best is listening to Emma belting out "A Hard Knock Life" but singing "A Hard Knot Life." And, yes, they keep saying "I love you Ms. Hannigan." Emma also found a little puppy she's had since she was a baby and started carrying it around and calling it "Sandy."

Another favorite is Emma calls her Polly Pocket dolls, "Pocky Pocket." You can tell her the right name and she still says it.

They also LOVE discussing their boyfriends. Yes, that is right. It is the thing in the 4s this year at school. Who is this one's boyfriend and who is that one and if someone broke up. All the parents think it is so funny that they act like their in 6th grade. They confidently talk about it and share it with people (they gave a full run down at therapy this week).

The Tooth Fairy Is Coming!

After a full week with a very, very wiggly tooth, Clara finally lost her first tooth tonite. Mommy was taking a look at her tooth and then Clara wiggled it a bit and suddenly it was out. Yes, there was  little blood, but after a quick rinse, Clara was excited to show off her new smile.

She couldn't wait to call her grandparents and share the news. And, she kept jumping up and down in front of the mirror exclaiming "I'm so proud of myself."

Clara helped Mommy put the tooth in the blue tooth chest (courtesy of the Maryland Tooth Fairy) and put it in the tooth box and then under her pillow.

The ladies were excited to read the Fancy Nancy and the Too Loose Tooth book and the Tooth Fairy Peppa Pig book too.

Everyone is very excited to see what the Tooth Fairy will bring tonite!

Ice Skating

Today, Auntie Alyssa and Uncle Ryan came to go ice skating!

And, happy birthday Grandpa David!

Nursery Notes

This Week in the Fours Jan. 20, 2012

No school on Monday! Tuesday we made snowmen to celebrate the anticipated first snow of the season. (October's was not anticipated!) The fours talked about what they know about snow, and then we learned a little more about how it is formed and falls to the ground. Ask your four to tell you all about snow!

While making their snowmen, the children cut out their own circles and painted to make their pictures.

On Wednesday, we had the Trike-A-Thon! The fours put forth their very best effort for the sake of the sick children. We made a list of how the children that are receiving the money might feel, and how the children who did the Trike-A-Thon felt after giving. The children thought that the sick children would feel happy, excited and good that someone cares about them. Our fours said they felt happy, proud and super to be able to help others. Since so many children were out on Wednesday, we will be running an extra Trike-A-Thon during playground time one day next week. Everyone will get to participate, and the children who were out will have their laps counted. Every child will receive a mitzvah leaf for their good deed.

On Thursday we read Going On A Bear Hunt and made bears to hibernate in the winter. We also made dens for the bears to stay cozy in.

 

Shabbat Shalom everyone!

Joyce and Tara

Gearing Up For The Tooth Fairy

Yep. A few YEARS earlier than expected.

At about 4 pm today, Clara was hungry so Mommy gave her an apple. A few minutes later, Clara screamed "Mommy, my tooth is moving." Mommy looked at Clara's tooth, and there was her bottom tooth, wiggling around.

Mommy called Clara's dentist (and Daddy to fill him in) and after a few deep breaths, realized that even if it was going to fall out, because she was almost 4.5, there was probably nothing to do. Well, it turns out, it wasn't the apple. The dentist (confirmed by Grandpa Frome, aka Dr. Frome, the dentist), confirmed that kids can have teeth fall out this young AND that because the other tooth right next to it is loose as well, that she is just one of those kids.

Clara lit up when Mommy told her that the Tooth Fairy would come visit when the tooth fell out. She looked at Mommy with the most innocent face and said "Mommy, the Tooth Fairy comes at night and takes the tooth and leaves you a present and a note, but you'll have to help read me the note because I can't read yet." Okay, so Mommy shed a few tears on that one.

When Mommy mentioned she'd call and tell her about the tooth when it falls out, Emma jumped in an said, "Moooooom, the Tooth Fairy will just know, you don't need to call her."

Clara walked in the bathroom to show Emma her wiggly tooth and all Mommy could think about was the Norman Rockwell picture that hung in Grandpa Frome's office with the little girl showing her tooth.

This is happening too fast and Mommy really isn't ready for this and is working on what the Tooth Fairy gives these days since a bag of chips and a few coins is probably not going to cut it like it did 30 + years ago.

Nursery Notes

Nursery Notes and This Week in the Fours Jan. 13, 2012

 

In Music with Marcy we played the metal triangle. We learned that the lighter you tap, the better it sounds!

 

We read The Mitten by Jan Brett. The children decorated their own mittens and gave the teachers words to describe how their mittens feel. It is all on the hall bulletin board, and the fours are quite proud of their work.

While reading the book, we used a parachute to create a mitten that the children could climb into one by one to get warm. We made a list of how they felt inside the "mitten". They said comfy, cozy, snug, warm, stuffed, crowded and squished!

For share time, Leo brought in seeds from a pod. The class guessed how many seeds were in the container. The guesses went from 10 to 100. There were 31 seeds and Jared guessed the closest, with 26. The children are getting better at "guesstimating"!

Monday is Martin Luther King Day, and we have been reading all about what a great man he was. We read about the speech he made about freedom and how he said, "I have a dream...".The children painted a blue sky, put their hand prints on it and told us what their dreams are for the world. They cut out their own clouds and the teachers wrote their words on them. They are in the hallway for all to see.

One of the books we read in conjunction with this theme is What If the Zebras Lost Their Stripes by John Reitano. It's a wonderful story of what might happen if some zebras lost their black stripes and some lost their white. Ask your child to tell you about it.

Nature came with a tortoise named Egor, a tree frog who eats bugs and has sticky feet, and a corn snake who smells with his tongue and eats only once a week! Andrew from the Nature Center also brought our favorite - a chinchilla whose name is ChiChi who has big ears and eyes to see, since she is nocturnal. The class agreed that she has the softest coat ever.

We celebrated Shabbat - feel better Emma!

Shabbat Shalom! See you on Tuesday!

Joyce and Tara

Haircuts and Pigtails

After ballet, Mommy took the gals for a quick trim.

And She Loves Them!

The glasses were ready by this afternoon, so Mommy picked them up at the store. They probably need a bit of adjusting, but Clara was very excited to wear them. Truth is, the little lady looks older in glasses- crazy! She really has an amazing attitude and is helping to make Mommy and Daddy feel okay about it all.

And Emma would still like to know when she is getting her glasses.

Clara's Newest Accessory

Clara visited the eye doctor for a very early appointment- 7am - no wait!

Turns out Clara needs glasses. The doctor was great and told Clara she got to go shopping and she was excited about it. She came home and told Emma and Daddy and made sure to tell everyone at school too.

Two stores visited and one perfect pair found. As a friend mentioned, finding a pair of glasses for a 4 year old isn't so easy and there isn't a huge choice. Many pairs were just too big, but she picked a pink pair with "sparkles" and was very happy to wear them, which is a good thing.

She'll also need to wear a patch on her eye for an hour a day to help strengthen her weaker right eye, but that is only until April.

Yes, Emma is a smidge jealous and has asked all day about when she is getting glasses!