So long 2013. It's been a year very full of ups and downs, challenges and triumphs.
Clara learned to sit, crawl, walk, run, talk, sing, and climb (along with MANY other new skills).
Bryan and I moved houses to be much closer to his office.
I accepted and started a job teaching at LPCA.
I found out I'm pregnant with Tiny Two.
The dogs have learned to drink from the toilet bowl (ew), and that they will spend time outside if they wake up the baby or steal her food.
I've made some wonderful new friends - coworkers, mommy friends from MOPS and play dates, and from church.
I've had to lean on family, friends and God heavily during this season as I have faced health concerns.
I've had the chance to spend time with almost everyone in my extended family, and lots of time with close family!
I am very much looking forward to meeting our newest munchkin and watching Clara continue to grow and learn as a big sister in 2014.
And who knows? Maybe I'll learn a little more about parenting! :)
Happy New Year!
I think I may be ringing it in in my dreams though because now that the hairy A&M vs. Duke bowl game is over I am drained and sleepy! (We won though! 52-48. Wasn't sure that was going to happen.)
Mary came to our rescue today and watched Clara for about 2.5 hours so Bryan and I could get a trip into Lowe's without wrestling Clara and feeling lousy on top of it.
SHE'S AMAZING.
Mary emailed me these adorable clips of the two of them singing while watching the Sound of Music. They slay me they are so cute! Love love love!
Thank you Mary! For watching Clara AND the videos!
Today was an interesting day. I'm having the worst R.A. flare up I can remember in a long time, and so my hands aren't opening and closing properly, and when I try to I get painful spasms up my arms to almost my elbow. Can't get Clara's shoes on, or open her snacks or grip a toothbrush - it's really ridiculous. It's also taking me an insanely long time to type this since I'm doing the hunt and peck method with 2 fingers.
BUT on a positive note we got a lot done around the house, we had fun at Henry's birthday party (post to come), and I managed to capture this cute video of Clara attempting to play fetch with the dogs.
Home Depot can be a stressful experience if you're not 100% positive exactly what you need.
Add a busy and inquisitive toddler = definitely stressful as multitasking between reading signs and keeping her away from saws and falling lumber becomes imperative.
Add a frustrated spouse = downright painful!
BUT Mommy kept the child from being injured and Daddy from exploding, AND the craft room is about to begin its organizational make over!
Today Clara and I had a rough morning. It was probably 50% her and 50% me. I'm feeling really yucky (sinus infection & throbbing headache) so a crabby toddler probably seemed worse than it was. Either way, I knew after nap time we needed to get out of the house to do something fun. Our friends Michelle and Zachariah were game for trying out this place neither of us have taken our kids to called WonderWild, per Kristin's great suggestion. It's probably a little over priced, but it was a lot of fun and definitely worth it for days like today. Plus, adults are free so that's nice compared to the Children's Museum or places where they charge the adults for a kid's play place ... weird right?
Anyway, Bryan and Logan ended up joining us which is great! Michelle and I are both in the almost-third-trimester range and I'm technically supposed to be on "modified bed rest" so it was really nice to have our husbands there helping keep up with some active toddlers! Although I'm not in a single picture, I swear I was there! But I had the camera put away for the most part so I could just have fun with Clara, and Bryan doesn't usually think to take any pictures even when Clara is being extra cute or fun (which is pretty much always, I know.)
Okay, enough of my rambling. Here are some picture and videos! Many of them are blurry, but like I said, I didn't have my camera out much so it was pretty much a snap and run to catch up!
The first thing she saw after we removed shoes was a dinosaur! You may remember how much she enjoys "riding" them :) Bryan got a kick out of seeing it for himself.
Then it was just in and out of the ball pit.
Ready to climb up and check out the slides!!
I couldn't resist taking a video of this, because she loved it so much! We went up and down and up and down and up down, you get the idea. Thankfully after a little while Bryan and I traded places and I waited at the bottom while he climbed up to the top.
"weeeeeeeee!!"
Video:
Then we checked out a little area underneath the big playscape that had all sorts of different foamy type pieces for the kids to climb all over and build with. There was also a little hanging swing thingy (not sure exactly) that Clara really wanted to play with but was neither tall enough nor quite strong enough to pull off.
Don't worry, she wasn't too upset. She comforted herself with the slide :)
By this time our friends joined us! Zachariah ran over to slide with Clara for a little while.
There was another giant foam thingy with holes and all sorts of stuff to climb on.
This place is like an active toddler Heaven!
Michelle and Logan were about to take Zachariah up the Crocodile slide when Clara came running up so she could go too!
Video:
Up on the second level of the playscape
With Daddy! Love these two!
One of the ways down the playscape is to come down this really big twisty slide. Clara panicked a bit so Bryan had to go with her. Unfortunately it's really meant for kids, not adults, and he got a little bit stuck a few times on the curvy parts :)
Such a good sport! (Better him than me, haha)
Sweet girl loved riding all of the tricycles and ride-on toys. She really, really, REALLY wanted to ride in the Cozy Coupe but there was an older (ill mannered) child who kept running away with it whenever she saw Clara or another small child want to play on it. (Apparently it was a hot commodity?) She couldn't fit inside, and didn't want to push it. She just wanted to keep it away. This child was a sibling to another little boy who liked to push smaller children over and take toys from them. Runs in the family I guess? Everyone else there was really nice or their parents would intervene. Bryan and I quick to remove Clara from situations where she is misbehaving, or demonstrate how to behave properly. It's not that hard to do! End rant. Sorry.
Anyway, she had to fight hard for an opportunity to play in the Cozy Coupe, so she kept an eagle eye on it, and when the girl walked a few steps away and wasn't looking, Clara made a mad dash and hopped in before the girl could push it away again. Clara never pushed, whined, or anything. Just waited patiently for her chance, and then nabbed it. I can't fault her for that! So when the girl tried to take it back, I told her sternly that it was Clara's turn. And then some of the other little kids would probably appreciate a turn. She sulked over to her parents and they shot dagger looks at me the rest of the time we were there. Sigh. Geez I'm long winded tonight. Maybe the aspirin is kicking in?
Bunnis family slide!
(Note the little boy of that same family crashing into Zachariah as he slides down.)
Video:
Up the rolling steps:
So fun!!
Video:
Play kitchen - Clara liked it but Zachariah REALLY liked it
Bouncing pillow/trampoline thing
(you can see the giant inflatable crocodile slide in the background)
Video:
Pushing a toy around the little kid area.
Having fun!
Randomly doing the obstacle course with Daddy with limited success :)
Video:
Clara & Zachariah on the jumping pillow thingy
Video:
Riding along
After all that play time, we were all very hungry. Fudruckers was about a 2 minute drive away, so we reconvened there.
Brag moment: This is the best behaved Clara has been at a restaurant in MONTHS!!
It's not that she's usually badly behaved, but tonight she sat in her high chair the entire time (almost an hour) while eating her food, and checking things out. It was amazing. The amount of food both of our toddlers put away was pretty amazing too actually. I guess they worked up an appetite with all of that playing!
Huge chicken tender getting tucked away in her little belly :)
We will definitely be back! Maybe not regularly, but definitely again sometime.
Last post for the Specifically Christmas series :)
Bryan and I delayed our big Christmas gifts for Clara until after we got home from the Evans' and she took a nap. She has no idea what Santa is anyway, and I'm not even positive we'll do "Santa" in the future (although we'll definitely meet him and talk about him!)
She received a small toddler sized kitchen and teepee from us. The kitchen was even more fun for her after receiving all of the play food!
We had a great time playing together while Daddy put together the Little People Castle from Meemaw and Papaw. We ate a lot of pretend food, washed lots of dishes, and fried many an egg :) She also loved using the water/ice thing on the refrigerator. If it was real we would be very full and plenty hydrated!
The only time she got upset was when she couldn't peel the banana. I figured she was getting hungry and got her real food and everything was okay again :)
Checking out the teepee for the first time:
I put her little lion mat and musical table in there to give her some ideas of what she could do.
Pretend eggs are tasty?
Pretending to eat with buddy Maverick nearby
Book break
Cooking up a storm
One fried egg, two, three, four, five ...... lots of fried eggs!
Daddy working away
So much fun, Mommy!
Oh Goose
Funny picture Clara took on accident :)
phew. another book break.
Maverick, always on guard. Or asleep. Either one.
What is she playing with?
She was so pleased to wake up this morning and get right back to playing where she left off last night!
Should the princess be on the tower? eating dinner? or upside down in the doorway?
While this is not a Christmas present, I have to brag on Clara anyway. She's always enjoyed this puzzle that Natalie Ford gave her, it makes sounds whenever you put the animal back in its spot. But Clara has never really gotten the hang of doing it herself. HOWEVER, this morning she finally made the connection that if she looked at the piece and then looked at the puzzle board she would figure out where it goes!! That doesn't mean it was easy for her to get some of the trickier shapes back in the holes like the snake or penguin, but she's so much closer to figuring it out! I was really proud and she was SO proud of herself :) (Yay's all around!)
Not in the mood for a bath, it took some Ritz Bitz to make her happy afterwards. The ever hopeful puppies watching.
Weee weeee, round and round!
One video from this morning of Clara playing with the diaper bag that came with MeMaw and Paw's gift yesterday:
