Lame Blogger goes to the Chalk Art Festival

I've turned into the kind of blogger I didn't want to be -- the kind who barely ever updates. But over the winter it seemed there was little to say. Now we're so busy doing stuff that I don't blog about the stuff we do. So much for record keeping.

For the next week or so I'm going to go back and revisit some of the stuff I missed. We did a snowmobiling trip in January with Alan's family that was a good time. We inaugurated the season by pulling out the trailer for a trip to Crystal Springs -- which quickly got shut down by the rain. We haven't been out camping since. Mason participated in a cute little Mother's Day program and finished school with a circus day. He's now doing his second round of swimming lessons, and I'm participating in a mom-and-tot splash class with Claire. During one of the first warm days, we took a hike up Rocky Mouth canyon that was a mostly good time. We also hit "Day Out With Thomas" again this year, although I think it will be our last year because while it was fun, it wasn't nearly as exciting as the first go-around.

Most recently, my mom and I took the kids down to a chalk art festival at the Gateway. It was pretty fun, even if the day was hot. I was sure glad she went with us! We love hanging out with grandma (especially when dad's at work). Mason was disappointed that I forgot his swimsuit (major parenting fail when you go to place famous for their splashing space). It's okay, we'll wrangle an other trip down there out of it -- I promised him we'd go back for the museum and take his swimsuit then.

So here are some sweet pictures of the chalk art festival. I think the kids enjoyed themselves and it was a fun way to see others' express their creativity.

12 Month Well Baby Check

Ironic they call today's doctor's visit that, then poke the baby with so many vaccinations that I think it'll take her week to sleep them off. Poor kiddo! Since I did the letter to Claire instead of the usual monthly post, I decided to throw all kinds of fun facts about her in here. Also just realized that we got new furniture and painted our living room and I haven't posted pictures. I'm a slacker.

(super excited to find these adjustable waist jeans for our tiny little ladybug-- her pants actually stay on when we pick her up now as long as I've pulled the waistband as tight as I can!)

Height: 29.5 inches (70th percentile)

Weight: 17.13 lbs. (5-10th percentile)

Head Size: 17.5 inches.

Likes: food, music, being chased, being tickled, being swung, being tossed, trying to walk, baby dolls, stuffed animals, blocks, reading books to herself, her Piglet blanket, swimming, crawling in the grass, grabbing, kissing, playing peek-a-boo, sleeping

Dislikes: face-planting, being put down, her carseat, hot sauce, birthday cake (especially if it's ON her), holding still, getting dressed

It seems her personality is emerging a little more every day. She is small, but her fury is mighty. Don't mess with her! Her latest and most delightful trick is that she likes us to grab her by the ankles and swing her, but she hasn't figured out that she has to release the death grip on our shirts/necks/hair before she can truly swing. So she'll grab on, toss her head back like she's already swinging and laugh. She's also started randomly pointing at things and "telling" us what they are. She'll nod like she's answering questions and grin. She will pick up anything that can serve as a phone, hold it to her ear, and chatter away. And if she gets a hold of a comb or brush she loves to "do her hair". Someday I'm pretty confident she'll get the bristles facing toward her hair. Or the comb actually on her head. But for now it's entertaining to watch her try.

Dear Claire, Today you are one year old...

... and it's been an amazing thing to behold, your growing up so far. You are the sunshine in this crazy world for me and I hope you truly understand that's how much I love you. We have been here before with your brother, and all the things the coming year will include for you are going to be so much fun. You think you've enjoyed exploring the world and getting to know it? Just wait until you can explore it on your feet. You're getting so close to walking and, even though it makes me a little sad that you're already gaining that much independence, I'm so excited to share it with you. For now, the middle part of the world is out of your reach. Soon, you will be able to touch and taste even more of it than you already have, and you're going to love it.

You have been such a good baby for your mama. You haven't always warmed up immediately to others, but they can buy your affections with just the right toy and a smile. I love that you don't have any expectations about people and it's only their interaction with you that matters. I hope you can stay this way, my love, and open up to those around you so they can share themselves with you. For now you hold their keys, but if you can keep this open mind and accepting nature, you can hold their hearts, too.

You are one hundred per cent original, and unabashedly yourself. You are sweet, bright, smiley, loud, exuberant, and you are not afraid to let us know exactly what you want. I imagine, even a year from now, you will be doing that with words rather than shrieks, points, leg kicks, and smiles. You babble nonsense now, but it's tone never leaves room for interpretation -- we always know exactly how you're feeling and it's usually pretty happy about something or other. I will do my best to make sure that's always the case. While I do want you to be happy, I also want you to experience just enough heartache that you learn how to survive it and let it roll off your back. This does not mean that I won't try to stop you from experiencing negative things and I will go to bat for you if someone tries to hurt you. Contradictory, I know. I'm still learning about you, too. I might protect you too much but it's only because I love you.

You have a huge network of fans, darling little Miss. Those friends and family that you have let into your heart will never be the same. We will be better for having been a part of you. I hope you know that. You have enriched our lives in ways we don't even know yet, simply by your sweet and steady nature. Your brother is one of your biggest fans, and even though he sometimes teases you and sometimes makes you cry, I know he is someone you can rely on to help protect you and help you explore the world. He will be there for you, as we all will, while you grow. He might even teach you things I don't want you to know, but that's okay, too. I guess.

Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl. You are getting so big and it's only going to continue. It seems impossible that it will go faster, but look at this year: in the blink of an eye, you've gone from a brand new little girl to a sweet little firecracker on the verge of walking and sassing everyone in your life. So here's to us for surviving a crazy year with an infant in the house. Here's to you for growing up so beautifully so far. Here's to every day that you've made better just by being in it. Here's to you, ladybug.

Love,

Your Mama

Eleven Months plus some

Hey, I'm turning into the kind of blogger I didn't want to be. I show up maybe three times a month anymore, so thanks to anyone who is still reading. Plus, hopefully I'll have something to blog about soon now that we're out doing stuff together. Amazing how we all hibernate through the winter.

Claire turned eleven months last Saturday. My camera had taken up residence somewhere in the car and was recovered just in time for a quick trip to the hot springs. More on that later. Today is about this bright little girl. She has five teeth now and is still getting more all the time, making her fairly miserable when she stops to think about it too much. That phrase is key, because I'm not sure she ever pauses when she's awake. She is a sound sleeper, still taking two long naps during the day and sleeping for 12 hours at night. She loves to laugh and really only cries if she's tired.

Likes: outside, being "gotten", hugs and kisses, being tickled, sleeping, eating (anything - including cooked mushrooms but especially fruit of any kind), sticking out her tongue, screeching, putting her head on mom's shoulder and "singing", music in general, listening to mom or dad's iPod with them, swimming, her ladybugs, shaking her head no, any sort of physical play, her mom, her brother

Dislikes: her carseat, things on her head or face (although she'll grin like an idiot as she pulls them off), swiss cheese, sitting still, watching someone walk away, her carseat, strangers (with a few sporadic exceptions)

Coming soon -- her first birthday! Is anyone as shocked as I am? It would be tough to say.

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny certainly made the rounds this year. Mason saw him at my work Easter egg hunt (turned Easter party because there was freaking snow on the ground -- in April). But he dropped baskets off and hid eggs at our house on Saturday, stopped in for the work party, then went to both grandparents houses for another egg hiding and more baskets. All in all, I think the holiday was a success. Claire was busy being sickly and slept through most of it, but I think she enjoyed what she was awake for.

We tried to hide eggs in somewhat obvious places. Who wants to find one a few months later?

Mason enjoying his Easter basket spoils. Mom..er, the Easter Bunny, needs to find a more consolidated hiding spot because when I got everything out, I realized that I spoiled the kids way beyond my intentions. Mason's basket included a new outfit (a Tyrannosaurus Rex polo shirt and shorts), a book (The Little Red Caboose), a kid-sized aluminum water bottle (finally found one that I didn't have to take out a loan on. He's obsessed with the one I bought myself a couple of months ago and I'm so sick of cleaning up water puddles!), a sandwich cutter that will cut a sandwich into dinosaur shapes, a toy lawn mower, and a "grabber". I'm sure there will be another post on the grabber toy, because it may or may not disappear on the community cleanup day that's coming to our neighborhood this spring.

Basically the only picture I have of grumpy little Claire. The day before we celebrated Easter, we had a puking incident in the car that allowed mom to become proficient at dismantling our carseat. If you ever need help with this kind of task, just call me. The thing looks brand new. Anyway, she was still spiking a fever of about 101 degrees and not in the best mood on Saturday. She got as much enjoyment as possible out of her basket, including these cute little sunglasses. The EB spoiled her with a swimsuit, sun hat, book, a little beach toy set, and a Melissa and Doug picnic basket.

This is an overhead shot of their Easter baskets. Didn't take up the whole table each like I thought, but still proof that I went overboard.

We colored eggs on Friday night. Mason really loves that activity, but there was something messed up with the pink dye this year. Oh well, I guess we have to have at least one issue with dying each year. Last year he mixed two color tablets together. I wasn't going to give him the chance this year, but we found a way around that.

We also had a really yummy dinner and spent some quality family time together. Hey, we have to do that at least two or three times a year, right?

And then it had been ten (months)...

I'm not really sure what has happened to the last ten months. It's just like anytime a child is small: you feel so mired down in day to day details that while you're busy living life, your life passes. Claire turned ten months old on St. Patricks Day, and it hit me how close her birthday is; she's already getting so big!

She has turned into this happy, sunshiney little chatterbox who is constantly on the go. It doesn't seem possible that we were still waiting to meet her at this time last year. My day would not be complete without seeing her smile and little jump from the crib first thing in the morning, all the way through to saying goodnight to her "ladybugs". Even with the grumpiness that has ensued with volume teething (she's getting FOUR at once, the sad little stinker), she's still such a sweet addition to our little family.

Engaging in one of her favorite pasttimes -- pulling every single DVD Mason owns out of the cabinet while he looks on shrieking "No, Claire!"

Likes: her brother, toes, being read to, taking a bath, clapping her hands together, being tossed, snuggling with her Piglet blankie, peek-a-boo and pattycake, her toy bongos, any stuffed animal, crawling around, being outside --especially on the grass, the ladybug wall hangings in her room, eating almost anything, singing along to almost any kind of music, tongues sticking out (hers or anyone else's), giving big sloppy kisses

Dislikes: being ignored, eating dirt,the dogs, being tired, teething, being rocked to sleep, the shower

Not the best picture of her, but you can see those top teeth poking through. You can feel one on the bottom that is through and the other middle bottom tooth is a forthcoming lump. We love, love, LOVE homeopathic teething tablets. I highly recommend them, especially if your baby is like Claire and won't tolerate any of the frozen/cold teething rings.