I am so glad picture day is over. Chloe and I almost went to blows yesterday morning trying to get her ready. I had to make her sit in her closet while I went to cool off. I think I actually hurt myself yelling at her. Granted, she has a walk in closet, so really, it wasn't like major trauma or anything. I asked her why she wanted mommy to go insane. She had an outfit she really wanted to wear, but it was pants and a long sleeve shirt. Cute as sin, but she was afraid she would get hot. So, I gave her some other ideas, and I even went to the little sweet peas store here in town, (which is resale, but they have some killer things) and bought her two shirts that would also work with the pose and color of background she wanted. (jeez, like we had that choice when we were kids) So, she went round and round with me, nothing was right, all her clothes suck, she looks horrible, everyone will laugh at her, she looks like a dork, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah........................my blood pressure had to have been high.

Finally, I call Craig, because I just really had had it with her. He told me to give her two choices, and if she couldn't pick one, then she could wear whatever she wanted and not get her pictures taken at all. Really, why hadn't I thought of that? I had given her the two choices (I wasn't getting anywhere with that) but I hadn't thought of the no pictures at all thing. So, that just made her cry and fuss and roll around on the floor awhile longer. Finally, I told her she was wearing the pants and shirt outfit, she could put shorts and t-shirt in her bag, and that was the end of it, I wasn't going to play the game with her anymore. Finally I get her dressed, her hair done and so on and so forth. I even let her wear a pair of my dangly 14k gold heart earrings I have that were a gift from Craig years ago. Man, I'm a softy.

Needless to say, I think they will turn out ok, she looked way cute. She said she refused to smile with her teeth showing, because they are just really in need of some help right now, but her teeth grow in so slow, it is going to be awhile before we can do anything about it. She said she didn't want to be remembered forever with ugly teeth. Made me laugh.

So, I really just can't wait for the teen years.

On a side note, I am just really happy I don't have Bryan's step daughter, who has been expelled from school already this year (8th grade) for taking a knife to school. Story goes it belonged to a friend and she was returning it to them. Whatever, regardless if that is true or not, why would you be stupid enough to wave it around and get caught? Duh. Home school for the rest of the year for her. Maybe she wanted to go out of jr. high in style. Maybe one day she will realize it just made her look like a tard.

Here is Chloe's list from her new reading group this year. She has to spell each word, and then match up the definition to them each week. On top of that, every two weeks she needs to read a book that is at least 1oo pages (and it has to be something she has never read before) and then write a review on the book.

Spellbound
Anecdote
Speculation
Potent
Rustic
Elegant
Epitaph
Pedagogue
Grievous
Dominant
Itinerant
Ingratiate
Magnanimous
Supernumerary
Voluntary

I have to tell you, there were a few there I couldn't remember the definitions for. It has been a really long time since my advanced vocab class in highschool. I could spell them all, but I couldn't remember what magnanimous and pedagogue meant. I take it this means she is in the advanced class? Don't really know. I know last year her teacher had her stop spelling half way through the year because she had already completed the third grade and half the fourth grade list. I thought it dumb that she didn't keep challenging her, but hey, I wasn't overly fond of a lot of things that happened with that teacher last year. I'm hoping this year will be better.

But really, I don't remember having words like that in the fourth grade. Do any of you? Well, I do feel stupid while watching Are you smarter than a 5th grader, so maybe I just forgot it all.