Dress Codes

Didn't you get the memo? High heels are all the rage for cartoon watching and slipping and sliding through the kitchen. Stay tuned for more of the latest toddler trends!

Okay, seriously...Claira walks better in high heels (that are way too big) than I do!

Here's another one...just because this girl rarely smiles for the camera! The girls tend to camp out on the couch in the early evening while they're waiting on Daddy to come home.

The Professional Shopper and the Bookworm

We have one of each taking up residence at our house now. Those are Elsie and Claira's current professions. Elsie's favorite thing to play right now is house...whether it be with the dollhouse or with her baby dolls. Claira usually fills the role of whomever Elsie needs to boss around. Today, Elsie has been very busy with important phone calls and keeps reminding Claira to make her appointment at Target where all the best shopping is. Then, she sighs and goes on and on about how much work it is.
Really though, the Target love? She gets it honestly, from her Mama!
Claira has fallen in love with books over the past few months, and they are now her constant companions. We read the same 3 or 4 books 87,000 times a day, until she falls asleep with at least one of them in her arms. It's not so cozy nursing her to sleep with a board book or two wedged between us, but I'll admit that it's pretty sweet so she gets away with it.

The Circle of Life

If you have a four year old, you must know by now that it's quite a chatty age. All of that talking inevitably lends itself to interesting conversations. Today, we sat around the kitchen table, Jason and Elsie eating their "pasta and red sauce" while Claira and I ate shells-n-cheese with andouille. The food was delicious, but the real entertainment was our four year old. For some reason, Elsie was talking about chickens...

Elsie--"Farmers give their eggs to the chickens. That's how chickens get eggs. The farmers have to give them the eggs."
Mommy--"Where do the farmers get the eggs?"
Elsie--"From the store. If they run out, they have to buy some more."

So, there you have it...the circle of life according to a four year old city girl. Oh, and don't worry too much...Daddy made sure to enlighten her with new revelation about where eggs really come from, where the farmer gets them, and where the store gets them.

Right this moment, Elsie's sitting behind me painting a card for her great-grandma Eileen, and I asked her where eggs come from. Her response was, "Eggs come from chickens, and then they give their eggs to the farmers so we can buy them." See, homeschooling!

16 months

Last night, Jason brought in a tote of Elsie's old clothes for me to try on Claira so that's what we did this morning. Let me tell you, there's nothing like opening a box full of things that don't fit your "baby" anymore to bring on the memories like a flood! This was one of my favorite outfits on Elsie, and I have to say that Claira looks just as cute!

Elsie, 16 months:



Claira, 16 months:

My girls

I know I have some catching up to do. We've had a busy week, and it's not quite over yet!
In the meantime, here are pictures of Elsie and Claira from yesterday and today. Just thinking of all the grandmas...

Observations: Week 1

I'll admit that I was a bit surprised for so much activity the first week of our planting project, but we're thrilled about it here. I especially love that it really gave Elsie a good opportunity to try out her observation skills, comparing and contrasting. I was even more impressed by her ability to make observations and compare the different plants all on her own. All I had to ask is, "What do you see?" and she gladly told me what she saw in each pot and how it was alike or different from another pot. I love this kid. She's really going to make this homeschooling adventure of ours a joy for me. Anyway, here are her observations this week, in her own words.

Zinnia: I see a plant. It growed. A zinnia growed! It's green. One zinnia is bigger than the other, but they both have two leaves.

Isn't this the cutest illustration of zinnia you've ever seen? I think so!


Sunflower: I see nothing. It's just dirt.


Basil: There's just dirt. The basil and sunflower aren't growing yet.


I'll update again when there's more growing to report!

Photo Wall

If you don't have one of these in your house yet, you might want one soon! If I could choose only one theme to decorate my entire house in, it would undoubtedly be photos of our little family. I'd say I've always been interested in photography, but starting a family with Jason and being blessed with our two daughters has given me a greater desire to capture all of our little moments of life on camera. Of course, the digital age has left me, like many others I'm sure, with a computer full of images and very few prints. So, what could be better than printing a few pictures you've taken and hanging them on your wall? I'll tell you...print them BIG! You won't be sorry! This is by far my favorite wall in the house now. I LOVE to look at it.

I got a bit of inspiration from my friend Jennie and printed up a few of my own pictures to start a photo wall of my own. I'll admit that I just picked a few favorites and didn't think much about how they'd all look together. Once they got here, I ran to Ikea for the photo ledge and several frames, trimmed the photos a bit, and put it altogether. I did have a little extra room so I grabbed that black and white photo of Elsie at 8 months, that was actually taken by Jason's Aunt Christina, and it fits in perfectly. I'm already brainstorming for ideas for a wall in the kitchen and one in our hallway that you can see from the living room so feel free to leave some ideas or links to the photo displays you have at your house!