Making a Plan

Planning

There is only one week until Shay turns a year old!! We are freaking out just a little and I've been preparing by planning the party with decorations and presents. We made Claire's big, yellow letter C before she was born, but since we didn't have an in person baby shower when I had Shay she didn't get one. I made one for her 1st birthday party though, and we are going to have people sign it to match Claire's. I also have the same idea for cupcakes and frosting that Claire had for her 2nd birthday since it was yummy and easy to share.

Claire

She got a few new dresses when I went to pick out some for Shay and she looks so cute, as always, when we get dressed up for church. The cutest happening this week was when we played hide and seek and she kept finding me and saying "I see you mama!" Then of course I would run away and hide again then I tried to get her to hide and she is terrible and picked jumping on the couch as her hiding place. We are getting better with having her pick up her toys before we let her have what she wants which is usually to play with something else, or watch a show. Soon, she will be asking to go outside to the park again and we can use that too.

Shay

She is getting so cute and fun! She can now stand for a long time on her own, even though she hasn't taken the first step, we know she will be walking soon. She likes eating noodles, cereal, rice, canned fruit, and chocolate! She is learning to organize and put objects into containers or, like in the picture, on containers. I love that her hair is getting longer and she will have beautiful hair that she probably won't let me play with, just like Claire. She is right on the verge of growing out of her 9m cloths so I'm excited for the outfits I haven't seen for a year to come back out and be on her.

Household

Chris is still working, but biding his time until he gets to be done and we move on to his masters program. I am picking up work as often as I can but we have days that we get to spend together and we always seem to find time to workout together. I feel like I'm getting so much stronger even while losing weight because I was able to bench 100lbs 10 times which I could only barely do 5 times when we moved here. Being the math genius I am...(not) I'm the one of us that usually does the financial tracking and therefore the taxes which I was able to get done this week.

Valentine's Love

Valentine's

Everyone got a card and box of chocolates from Grandpa and Nana Cox and Claire got some stickers that she decorated the envelopes with. Shay enjoyed her chocolates and spilt them on the floor too many times to have me trust her with the box anymore, even for a picture. Chris and I gave each other a personalized homemade gift and had a steak dinner together as our celebration. Claire made the cutest Valentine at church with heart stickers and a picture of her smiling with a "I love you" heart and gave it to me when I picked her up! Seriously, my heart almost couldn't handle it and I put it on our fridge as soon as we got home.

Claire

Enjoys building big towers and creations with her Legos and is really good at posing for pictures now! She gets too excited and you have to take a lot to get a good one but it is cute and she knows when pictures are being taken. This week has been weird with her naps since half the days she takes one and the other she doesn't but I never know what kind of day it will be. I hope t it will get normal soon and I can expect no naps at all so I don't have to wonder and we can plan more days out as it gets warmer. She has learned how to open the doors we have on her own...dun dun dun! Now we are in trouble.

Shay

She has learned so much in the last week! Climbing up on the couch, getting down from the couch feet first, drinking out of a cup, and standing up without holding on to anything. She hasn't taken the first step on her own yet but any day we are expecting to see it and hopefully catch it on camera! There are some good cuddles when she gets tired and is getting used to pillows now and likes cuddling with them. We just can't stop falling more in love with this cute girl, and we are amazed that she is going to be a year old soon!

Visiting Grandparents

Grandpa and Nana Cox

Chris had drill this last weekend and since they went all the way to Boise I stayed home with the girls and we were able to have a good weekend since grandparents came to visit. It was probably a split between seeing us and the birthday/goodbye lunch for my uncle who will be going on a mission. It was nice to see them and the family we saw on Saturday as well, to be able to catch up on our life changes. Answering the same questions over and over is something I'm okay with even if Chris doesn't like that part of seeing family.

Claire

Nana brought a set of magnetic dress up dolls as a present for Claire and an early birthday tent for Shay that Claire immediately claimed. There are certain toys I want her to be able to play with but she likes things to work out perfectly and they don't so she only gets them when she isn't cranky. She has a new best friend in Kidcare at the gym that plays with her almost everyday because she is the daughter of one of the workers. I'm glad she is excited to go play and we don't have separation issues with either of our girls yet. They are just too cute and happy to be upset, and everyone there loves them too so they have lots of friends. Claire is still learning new words and has her own language when it comes to talking in sentences.

Shay

Shay is still getting cuter by the day and even though she isn't as interested in her new tent as Claire seemed to be, she likes going in there if her sister is in there. There is a lot of following her sister around and trying to join her in whatever she is doing even if Claire doesn't always want her. There are always such funny things to see if you hang around Shay, like when she wants to drink out of a water bottle so I loosen the lid a little so she can get some and she sucks on the lid. Then there are times she just reaches for things with a squeal and looks at you like you are the only person who can help her. Just so great! I wish I had taught her some signs earlier than this because she is ready to communicate.

One More Month

Shay

That's right, Shay is the star of the show this week because she is now 11 months old! I was expecting her to be walking by now since she learned how to crawl so early, but she seems fine blazing the trail on all fours. She seems to care less about learning to balance and take steps since she is so fast crawling, but I know she will get there when she wants. She does kneel quite often as she is playing with things or reaching up for snacks, of which her favorite right now is graham crackers. We are trying to find more variety of food she can eat with her 6 teeth, but she started being picky in the last month. She is still growing and is happy so I think we are alright and we are more in love with her every day which her happy smiles and giggles.

Claire

I'm glad we broke that fork stealing habit, but she is still fascinated with "helping" in the kitchen when I'm putting away dishes and cooking. She found a new place to store her blocks in the kitchen, but only the 2x2 blocks because the others are different. At least she can sort...She still loves her sleep and will sleep in unless Shay ruins it by being too loud. There are times when they sleep in a lot, but that only seems to be the days that I have work and dad is in charge! She is getting really good at her tantrums after half a year of being 2, but seems to get over them pretty quickly. She is pretty good at trying new foods but has her favorites like sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and milk. The best part about her is when she is happy to see us and yells "mommy" and comes to hug me when I get home. She doesn't seem anxious to be apart, but is very happy to see her mom or dad when pick her up from the gym.

Working

This applies to both Chris and myself because we are getting into a system of working at watching the kids when we don't work so they other can. I sub on days he is off and it is working out pretty good for us so we can have a good cushion of money when we move to California. As much as we wish we would have known to apply for scholarships before being accepted, we will have to make it through the first two semesters without. We are applying for a Navy HPSP scholarship that we might get and have help starting in December, if not we plan on doing it on our own and being good about paying back the debt. I just hope I can continue to work some how like subbing or at a daycare where I can bring the girls with me.