Claire
She likes to be helpful and has started to say "yes" more than saying "no" as long as it isn't for going to bed or coming inside. She is now not napping during the day except for rare occasions when we do something that takes up a lot of her energy in the morning, then she falls asleep drinking. The trick to getting her to not sleep is to have things to do besides relax on the couch in the afternoon, or ask if she wants to go to bed because she will always say "no" to that question. We have had to put our chairs and stools up away from her reach because she will climb up on our counters and destroy everything I have organized. I have a lot of cabinet space but I don't want to hide everything away! I'm still waiting for her to stop fighting me on potty training and want to pee in the potty...hopefully she can be bribed with cookies this next week! She is ammused by some funny stuff and I tried (and failed) to juggle and she loved it and tried it too. Although some of her words are still gibberish, she has gotten some phrases down really well, cutest new ones are saying "there, all done" in the video below. The other I can't wait to get on video because it is the "na na nah na na na" while wiggling her butt at you for getting away with something, I can't not laugh so hard when I see it.
Shay
She is learning so much about communication and learned new signs like saying all done when she finishes eating. She also likes to make choices about what she eats by pointing at things (even if they are green olives...) and likes green beans and broccoli! I like to do her hair now that she understands it is something I do and doesn't fight me every second so we get piggy tails a lot, but I would do a bow if we were dressing up for church. Whatever Claire is playing, interests Shay and she gets sad/mad when she is shut out of a room or closet that her sister is in. She still enjoys being put to bed and collecting kisses from sister, dad, and uncle David before holding my hand down the hall and into her room. In the morning is my favorite cuddle and cartoons time that she snuggles with me and watches her favorite show and I play my phone, its a great set up! I remember Claire jumping and landing on her butt when she was younger, and now Shay has started to do it on the ground which I hope isn't too hard on her little rear! She thinks it is so funny that she covers her mouth to laugh so hard at herself.
Sisters
The more time they spend together the funnier they are! I feel like they are starting to get along and just need to start talking to each other to start playing instead of fighting of everything. I heard from someone that as soon as the younger of their children turned 2, the kids played so much better so I'm patiently forcing them to get along until then. Shay loves to copy Claire and pick up toys right after she is done with them like my hat so I got a picture of both of them trying it on. Shay also loves climbing on anyone laying on the floor and has tried to ride Claire like a horse if she lays down. I sized them up on cloths recently so Shay is wearing cloths I'm used to seeing on Claire and suddenly Claire has some new cute outfits! Shay is also learning how to climb up the back of the couch and try to climb over the back so I have to keep a close eye on her these days. Along with being crazy jumping on the couch, attacking mom and dad, spanking butts, and so many fun habits...
Schooling and Socializing
Chris has now been in school for 2 weeks and it reminds me of when we lived in Rexburg and I was his study buddy who would help him review his notes. I think it is nice to have him home for it all with online classes right now, because I get to eat lunch with him and see him on his breaks. While he works hard to learn his new material, I hang out with the girls and meet new people! I've been able to meet a few people from our new church and had a play date with two sisters and their young children who are the same age as Shay. I'm hoping to make some good friends and be a good friend to the people I meet in our new adventure in California. I met another lady who was passing by our open garage as I worked out and it made me feel so great and welcomed.
Her new favorite thing is to be carried everywhere to touch our pictures hanging on the wall so I avoid standing still long enough for her to catch me. I think, she likes the height and the power of pointing and getting to touch things that are usually out of reach for her. She discovered a very adorable laugh with a bubble game we have had since Claire was little, on our iPad (enjoy the video!). When we play outside she likes to find the mud and smear it all over her so she asks to take her cloths off more often and gets really excited about being free. Luckily she likes bath time too so it is easy for us to get her cleaned up after her fun outside in the mud. I think the funniest moment with her this week is when she had a cup with a straw and walks back and forth between Chris and I letting us drink then waiting for us to "ahh" like we are refreshed. It is so much more funny when we wouldn't and she would make us drink again until we made the sound and she was trying to teach us how to do it right by making the sound for us sometimes.
After moving in to this house so fast, I've been starting to need projects and new things to busy myself with more and more. One think I love doing, like a crazy person, is organize things and get the optimal space and usage out of areas or things. My old recipe holder was falling apart after one too many encounters with Claire, so I organize my favorite recipes into a new photo album binder so they are more accessible and less able to be destroyed. I still have some less used recipes that wouldn't fit but I plan to get another album as I keep collecting recipes for my family. Eventually I will mostly likely have these for each kind of food: main meals, desserts, breads, sides, etc. I was excited to start this first one and it was fun going through my recipes and realizing some I haven't ever made, so now I have a few to see if it will make it in my collection.
