Cloe

When I think of my niece Cloe as a little girl, a flood of sweet, funny memories come rushing back. Cloe wasn’t just any ordinary kid—she was a mini mom in every sense of the word. Organized, creative, and endlessly helpful, she had this innate knack for keeping things running smoothly, even among the chaos that comes with having a little brother and cousin around.

Cloe adored her little brother, Cort, and her cousin, London. She naturally took on the role of their leader and caregiver, making sure they were entertained, included, and, most importantly, supervised. Whether it was inventing elaborate games or making up new rules to old ones, Cloe’s creativity always took center stage. From “classroom missions” to “pretend restaurants” , her ideas brought endless laughter to their little trio.

But as much as we all admire her brilliance, there’s one thing about Cloe we simply can’t ignore: the Cloe face. It’s this wonderfully cheesy, frozen smile that she somehow has no idea she’s doing. Her eyes get wide, her teeth are perfectly visible, and her entire face just… freezes in place. It’s like her expression gets stuck in a moment of joy, mid-smile. The best part? She’s totally unaware of it.

Cloe’s mom, of course, teases her about this relentlessly. Whenever Cloe’s infamous frozen smile makes an appearance, her mom is quick to point it out and even tries to imitate it herself—which always ends in a burst of laughter. In fact, it’s become a family tradition for all of us to do our best version of “the Cloe face.” None of us can do it justice, though, because there’s just something uniquely Cloe about it.

To me, that frozen smile is a little snapshot of who Cloe is—bright, joyful, and absolutely full of personality. It reminds me of all the ways she brought happiness and structure to our family when she was young. Whether she was corralling Cort and London into another one of her brilliant games or offering to “help” her mom organize the pantry, Cloe was the kind of kid who left a lasting impression.

She’s grown now, but those qualities—the creativity, the kindness, the knack for leadership—are still there. And though she may have outgrown some of her childhood games, we’ll never let her live down the Cloe face. After all, some traditions are too funny and too precious to forget.