Christmas time is here...

...and gone. The first year ever that I was prepared, finished shopping, baked the treats and made plans, and it was all foiled by the silly snow. I couldn't drive myself anywhere, and didn't want to take Clara out driving in it anyway. Then we planned to walk around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights, and we ended up getting 1/2 inch of ice over the 9 inches of snow! Foiled again!! Unreal. Clara loved the snow so much she started crying when she saw it had all melted. I was just happy we got to get out of the house together again. First stop? Target!! Yay for after-Christmas clearance sales!

Pretty little Rose...

Clara really can be patient with me and all the pictures I take of her. Nights like this one though, when I dressed her up and tried to make it all girly, the best shot I could get was one of her yelling "cheese" and standing in front of the bathroom. She manages to look beautiful though...

Maybe it's the time-change...

Clara has been that text book version of a 2 1/2 year old. "No!" and "Why?" and "Go away!" are becoming her favorite phrases. I really have to watch myself, because from what I can tell, she loves my horrified reaction, therefore is prompted to say them more. She told a little girl at the library to "go away!" because she was going to sit on a LOOOONG couch Clara was on. She's such a loving, sweet child... where did this come from? My answer from anyone I ask? She's two! Welcome to the wonderful world of experimental toddlers pushing their boundaries. And here I thought I was immune...

Halloween 2008

Halloween was successful. It came a little after the three of us had all been sick. I was nervous about taking Clara out, because Wednesday she had a fever. She made a full recovery just in time to dress up as Yoda and go trick-or-treating for the first time ever. And she did well!

She's normally shy and doesn't say hello to anyone she doesn't know, or even to those she does know! But on Halloween night, she really took up character and came out of her shell. She was shouting "Happy Halloween!" to anyone she walked by. It was so much fun. We came home with a bucket of candy. Clara even got to go back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to hand out candy to the remaining trick-or-treaters of the evening. She had a very cool night.

A few memories...

I kept saying "I have to write these down or blog about them." But I never have. I'm doing it now, even though I'm out of order with the dates, and that drives me crazy.

* Alex, Clara and I had dinner at our favorite Chinese place here in town, probably a year ago or so. It's usually quiet, and the food is really good. We were finishing our meal when an older woman and an even older woman sat at the table next to us. We overheard them tell the waitress that this was her mother, and she was 100 years old! She wasn't on any medication, and other than a hearing aid, had wonderful health. It was impressive! She was visiting her family and had requested Chinese food for the night. Clara couldn't seem to take her eyes off this woman who was a century older than her. When we got up to leave, the woman waved at Clara, and instead of shying away like she normally would, she marched right up to the 100 year old and gave her a hug!! It was as if Clara appreciated the remarkableness of the situation. It was such a wonderful feeling... I was proud of my little girl! The daughter said that probably just made her whole visit!

* Clara and I were shopping at Target one night earlier this summer. As I pulled the cart outside and started to unload, it began to rain. I said "Uh-oh, it's starting to rain!" to Clara, and pulled up her hood. She stuck both her hands out to feel the drips. I set her on the ground, gathered the bags, and that's when the sky opened up. It was pouring!! I squealed to Clara that we'd better run, but she was giggling, and holding out her arms. Then she saw the light that's embedded in the sidewalk of our Target store. She got this amazed look on her face, because with the rain coming down and the fog swirling around this light, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen! Her eyes were huge and her mouth was wide open in astonishment. We stood there for quite some time getting soaked, but reaching out to try and touch what looked like sparks coming from this light in the ground. Wow...

* One night a few weeks ago Alex and I were playing with Clara in her room. Alex laid flat on his back with his feet propped on the floor to make a slide with his legs. He lifted Clara high above him so she was laying in the air, then he placed her on his knees and she slid down. She loved this so much she said "Mommy's turn!" I looked at Daddy and asked if he could hold me above his head like that? "Heck no!" he exclaimed, making me feel like a sumo wrestler. Thanks a lot Alex! "I only meant I'm a weakling," he backpedaled. "No, you mean Mommy's a heifer." Before he could object, Clara says "Heifer!" AAACCKK!!! She then proceeds to point to me and say "Mommy, heifer!" I've lost it, I'm laughing so hard at this. "Daddy, heifer. Clara heifer! Heifer heifer heifer!" I know at this point she's repeating it because we're laughing so hard, but oh man... I'm glad my two year old makes me laugh so hard at things I wouldn't normally laugh at. And yes, that was the awakening point where we realized she really does hear everything we say.

Rain rain....

We love the rain! After a long dry summer, Clara was finally able to use her new umbrella in today's downpour! We were very excited. She ran to get her rainboots, her coat, and finally, her brand new yellow umbrella.

Milestone number....

It's been a long time since I've updated about Clara, but this is how big she is... she's in her toddler bed for the first time tonight!!! We emphasized to her today about how she's a "big girl" and she even helped Daddy assemble her "big girl bed" just like Bob the Builder! :) She was thrilled that she could climb in and out of it, and wanted us all to climb in bed with her too! She ran around the house yelling "big girl bed!!!" I'm so proud of her. We sat her down and talked to her all serious-like about how important it was for her to be a big girl in her new bed, and that she couldn't get out of it until morning. She arranged her stuffed animals just the way she wanted them (all laying down on her pillow with her) and snuggled under the covers and we didn't hear a peep out of her! She didn't try to get down or anything! Beginners luck... we'll see how the night goes. I just checked on her for the last time before I go to bed... even though she's sleeping nearly sideways, she's still in her bed! Way to go Clara!!!

Cold January days

It's been so cold lately! 20's and 30's. The sun has been shining beautifully, but it's hard to explain to Clara why we can't go outside to play! She wants to run around somewhere other than the house so badly. I tell her it's cold outside, and she wraps her arms around herself and strains her face, trying to shiver! It's the cutest. She's a big 19 months old, and has a check-up with our health nurse next week. Lately she's been spending a little time with her cousin Ryan. He's a year older than her, and a loud boy! :) He loves dinosaurs and trucks and yelling, so Clara takes a while to adjust to him. They should both have some good influences on each other though, and I hope they get to play together a lot this summer.