Clara & Her Little Lamb

It is funny how kids are attracted to certain items over others. As hard as you may try to persuade them in one direction they still have items that they gravitate to on their own. Clara's item is her Little Lamb. This stuffed lamb is special because it was a gift from her Auntie and cousins when she was born. It matched her bedding and therefore it was in her crib back in the days when she was swaddled and didn't move around and get into crazy positions when she slept. If Scout had her way, she'd like to take Little Lamb around with us all the time, but we have made a deal that if she leaves her (Clara insists lamb is a girl) in her crib during the day, then she will be waiting for her each night. Plus, she will be "safe" from Davis or other pals that Clara is forced to share toys with from time to time. Because of this rule I have very few photos with Clara and her special snugly friend. She was in an extra cuddly mood the other day so I was quick to snap a few shots of her loving on Little Lamb!

2nd Haircut & Grandma's Visit

This past weekend Grandma Jan had an extra day off from work and so she decided to come up and spend some time with us! Clara was so happy to have her "GaGa," which she sometimes shortens to "Gog," come visit. We had beautiful weather and spent a lot of time outside at the park together. Scout's new favorite thing in the park is to find a flat surface and play kitchen with the wood chips. Last Friday she met up with her friend Christoph in the park and together (more parallel play they interactive) they made soup, carrots, cookies, ice cream and tea. Then Saturday, at a park in Bellevue she bee-lined past the swings (her previous favorite) right to the little counter area and picked up the with same game. Mom, Dad & Grandma all took our turn pretending that the wood chips she gave us were delicious culinary creations!

With Grandma in town and pictures a round of photos a week away, we decided it was time for a haircut. Clara's first haircut was just a trim at the end of the summer, but this time we decided to try a new style. Quite honestly, Mommy was more reluctant than I ever expected myself to be because hair cuts always make kiddos look so much older, but Grandma did a great job and while Clara does seem a little older with her new doo, it is pretty cute!

Scout looking so grown up!

Grandma & Clara showing off the new style!

Little Husky Fan

Clara in one of her MANY Husky outfits from Auntie Michele! She has so much fun watching us get excited watching UW sports and gets right in on the cheering!

We are one happy UW family as we watch UW advance in the tournament!

Taylor's 3rd Birthday - Zoo Trip

On Saturday, to celebrate Miss Taylor Alain's 3rd Birthday, we all met up at Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. It had been years since Mommy had been there and another first for Clara and Daddy. Being together is such a fantastic treat for Clara and Taylor and with so many fun things to see and do, it ended up being a grand day!

Spinning - when Grandma Jan helped Clara off this ride she underestimated how dizzy Scout would be and Clara took one circular step and biffed it!

This was a pretty big outing for lil' Brendan, who was not yet 6 weeks old. He was great alternating napping in his stroller and Bijorn carrier (therefore, Auntie didn't get too many photos of him).

Clara & Taylor touching the sea life at the Aquarium. Clara still talks about her birthday trip to the Seattle Aquarium and knew just how to gently touch the critters. She was a little disappointed that there were not any scuba divers at this aquarium. She fondly remembers Roberta from the previous trip who she got to talk to and touch hands with on the glass.

We lucked out and were able to catch a lot of the feeding times for the animals. We were very impressed with the polar bears diving for their fruit and the Walrus. This is the third time in the past few weeks that Clara has seen otter so she easily recognized them and again appreciated their cute little show.

It is amazing how fast little Taylor is growing up! She is so sweet and smart and a great role model for her Cousin Clara.

Cousins

The girls had fun riding the carousel at the zoo and Clara was proud to ride the UW Husky dog. She was excited to tell Auntie Michele about this part of our adventure when we saw her the next day!

Uncle Ryan and Tay going down the fun slide

Uncle Kevin and Niece Tay

We capped off the day with a fun birthday dinner for Taylor at Red Robin (complete with the sundae) and then headed our separate directions. Clara gave Taylor a camera just like the one Clara's cousins gave her for her birthday. Everyone was tired, but happy!

Weekend Picnic

Here are some fun shots of Clara and Kevin playing in a nearby park after our family picnic.

Clara was especially fond of this little train!

Dress Up

Examples of how Clara gets her sweet little boyfriends to play dress up with her!

Backyard Fun

We have been treated to such great weather this winter which has made for some fun trips to the park - not as many as Scout would like with Mommy feeling a little drained from baby #2 - but enough for some serious exploring to take place. When the sun is shining after lunch it is so hard for Clara to accept going down for a nap. I have resorted to some bargaining (which I always said I would never do, so let's frame it as positive reinforcement). If Clara takes a nap, she can go outside and play when she wakes up. Some days this turns into a grand playdate with all sorts of other kiddos in the park, while some days (like this day) we only get out to the back yard.

Clara is a funny combination (maybe similar to Mommy?) of being a girly tomboy. She enjoys playing with all her boy friends and when she is with them has no problem getting dirty playing in the mud and sticks - even eating mud with Davis a few days back. She must see this as a trade off because once she gets them clean and inside she coerces them into trying on the fairy wings, silly hat, jewelry and tu-tus in her dress up bin. Then there are days where she has to have her hands wiped off after merely picking up a rock!

The one thing that we are constantly impressed by with Clara is how well she is able to communicate. Once she hit two, it seemed that she went from knowing a lot of words and using simple sentences to stringing complex phrases together, using adjectives and understanding EVERYTHING we say! "This rock is too heavy for me. I will set it down! (Drop) Now I NEED to wash my hands, Mommy!"

Clara's Big Announcement

At her birthday party Miss Scout made an announcement to our close family and friends that she would become a BIG SISTER in September! Not that the news was too much of a shock - Our family and friends had been starting to ask us about a sibling for Clara, but still, it was very exciting news to get to share! Clara has a book about being a big sister and she loves to read it. She also understands (at least a little) that her cousin Taylor just became a big sister to cousin Brendan and thinks that it is pretty neat. When asked she will tell you that she wants a "brother" yet if you continue to ask whether she'd like a boy or a girl sibling she is adamant that she would like it to be a girl! We are pretty sure Clara will be a little shocked for a while once our precious "Gem" arrives, but are positive she will make a tremendous helper!

Due to this exciting development, the pace of our life has slowed down a lot! Mommy and Clara spend most of our days at home and have cut back on the number of playgroups and activities we participate in. Mommy has been extremely tired with this pregnancy and again has strange aversions to foods. As we near the end of the first trimester, we all look forward to Mommy having more energy so we can make the most of our time left as a happy family of three!