Bella managed to fit in the phrase "Birthday Girl" about 30 times in the first hour she was awake this morning.  She was so excited about her big day at Ontario Place with one of her best friends, Wid, as well as the gifts and birthday cake, of course.  We had a really hot but fun day, and she was really happy with all her gifts, including a bike, rollerblades, books, clothes and a piggybank, since she is old enough for an allowance now.  The only disappointment was that her VERY wobbly tooth is still hanging on!

At 6 Isobel is independent, thoughtful and energetic, and the blending of Iain and I has created a unique little creature.  She can run faster, jump higher and bike farther than most kids her age, and would play at the park all day if we let her.   She is interested in everything, asks a lot of questions, and loves to look at books about other cultures, the universe, animals, etc.   Reading is a new skill, and she was excited to receive her first 'chapter books' for her birthday, although it will probably be a while before she can make it through them.  Since the arrival of Violet, and the corresponding loss of our complete attention she has begun to occupy herself much more than she ever did before, and can play, colour or read by herself for quite a while now, although she still doesn't have a very long attention span!  I thought she would have outgrown her girly-girl stuff by now, but she is still very into dress up, princesses (fortunately not the Disney ones!) and fairies, and she would happily wear a dress every day.  Which is fine, because she has stretched at least 3 inches in height this year, without putting on any weight, so pants don't stay up!  We tape her favourite show for her every week, "So You Think You Can Dance", and she loves to listen to her Ipod and dance.  Happily, we can say she is a content, confident, and curious little person, everything we would hope for.  Now, we just have to work on the thumb sucking...