Two Weeks in 2022

 Claire

We have a had a pretty uneventful two week here in California, but Claire's excitement when we have our friends over is still through the roof. Even when someone just visits to drop something off both girls run to the door and unlock it so they can see who or what is there. There has been really nice weather so we were able to go to the park and they play outside a lot longer. It hasn't been warm enough to have water out yet which they keep asking for, and Claire randomly decided on Thursday that "We are going to the swimming pool tomorrow" which was a surprise to me. She was convinced that we were all going to the swimming pool even when I told her we can't go when we have two other kids over to hang out. When it gets a little warmer we will be able to get our small pool out and play in the sprinklers, but she just has to wait a little longer!

Shay

Last week at church she was the only other kid in nursery besides the leaders daughter and they had a lot of fun playing. They got a picture of them playing in the raining bubbles and it looks just like when we all play at home! She is so good at being in nursery now and doesn't have accidents or crying wanting me, the bitter sweetness of her being more independant gets to me. Shay loved having a baby friend over and was so helpful whenever I was sitting with her sleeping on me or feeding her and needed something. She would constantly say "oh so cute" and pet her baby head, then they started playing mommy with their own baby dolls being like mommy!

More the Merrier

 Claire

She enjoyed having a different friend over this week when we helped out a family from our ward so they could still go to work while waiting for some COVID tests with their parents. Luckily it was negative but it was nice to have a new friend the kids could be excited for since she is the youngest they were very nice. At first, Claire called her cousin, because she knows her cousins from our vacation were about as young as her. Since we started learning with our fancy felt set about the scripture stories as our scripture reading at night, Claire likes to share what she has learned with Sage some days where she gets to be in charge. My mischievous plan to teach Claire about having a 'mommy dot' on her forhead has finally paid off and Claire keeps coming up to me and giving her lies away by covering her forhead. She did it for eating her carrots when she would rather have more strawberries, and when Shay fell down and came with a booboo. 

Shay

She copies Claire now wanting to wear her Frozen dress most days and I brought out the shoes that have Elsa and Anna on them that she wants to wear. They are too big for her and constantly fall off, but she loves them too much to mind. Sage was only visiting Friday for a little and after he went home this magical thing happened. Chris offered to let me go for a run while he hung out with the kids and he cuddled them to sleep while watching cocomelon. They stayed asleep for while too so I was able to stretch and take a shower with plenty of time before they got up. Shay is back to taking naps (usually on the couch) every day so maybe she is going to grow a few inches and be as tall as Claire soon if its a growth spurt. They are fine but she ususally wakes up pretty upset and is hard to console and I don't know how to make it better.

Moved back in

Claire

Now that we are back home, Claire is getting back into the grove of dumping all toys all over the playroom and never cleaning! She is dressing up as a princess again and collects everything in her toys that are pink and purple and calls them her pretty things. She has to have a flower in her hair with two barrettes and her necklace, bracelet, and ring to be fully a pretty princess, oh yeah...and pretty socks. I wish we had some friends her age to play with because she spends so much time with her younger sister and friend that she seems to think yelling is a better way to get what she wants. We got to go to the park today and she wanted to play with everyone, but that is only for an hour not regularly, I started thinking, maybe she should go to preschool.

Shay

She is more obsessed with being a kitty and playing with her PJ Mask toys, but she does like some of the pretty things like a bracelet and ring when Claire gets her stuff. Whenever Claire is doing some fun or new, Shay likes to try and help but is usually rejected so I always have to facilitate help or games together. We got a matching game that is helping with taking turns, but they can never play without one of us because they don't handle the turns very well. I would say she is being clingy but it is very spotty and random when she wants to cuddle and wants me and just me. I do love her sweet spirit and I love that both Shay and Claire will say "I love you" to me so much! It makes me happy that they know I love them too and hear it so often that they say it too.

New Years and Home

 Claire

When we woke up on Saturday and told her we were leaving she said she didn't want to leave nana because she would be lonely and it was sweet. She has had so much fun with our vacation and got to be close to her cousins again which I love seeing. I'm slightly glad we had to stay longer because of the weather because we were able to have one more party with the cousins that live in Idaho. The two girls helped me make the fruit pizza by spreading the cream cheese frosting and the fruit all over the big cookie. If we lived closer she would probably have a best friend in her cousin that is close to her age, she doesn't often play with people her age. I love that she has enough understanding to listen to me even though she will ask why and try to change my mind by giving me other "newdeas" (ideas).

Shay

She has eaten a lot of the candy off their gingerbread houses and then started biting the house to get more. There has been a lot of times she has played by herself during this trip and made her own entertainment and I don't know why! Even when we go over to the cousin's house she was playing on her own in one room while everyone else was in other places. Maybe it comes from always being with her sister and wanting some alone time? There is also more of a case of the terrible twos when she tantrums and just yells and screams with no calming down. I've learned that as long as she is far enough into her tantrum if I can get her to come close to me I can calm her down with hugs and cuddles. The first few times were in the car as we were leaving places and it is hard to have her screaming in such a small area and there was no consoling her. I hope she grows out of it soon!

Lava

We went to the Lava Hot Springs indoor pool with the girls as our end-of-the-year celebration and they were very excited. First, we went to eat and they could not stop asking to go swimming and trying to run away as we were talking to friends and eating. Once we got there they were very good at listening, and even though it was packed, they had a lot of fun. Shay found this ball that we kept trying to figure out who originally owned it, but no one claimed it so she kept it the entire time there, and now it is her souvenir. Chris and I got to be in the hot tub part a few times, but since the girls wanted to come too we couldn't stay in very long or it would have been bad for them. Claire surprised us by going all the way in up to her neck and not being bothered by how warm it was!

6 Years

Chris and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary this week on Friday and got to go shooting while the weather was sunny and clear. We went through a whole box of clay pigeons and a lot of shotgun bullets! The snow cushioned the fall of some of the clays that misfired or we missed and was able to reuse a good number of them. Our shotgun holds 6 rounds and I was able to do 5 out of the 6 one time which was very satisfying! He was way better than me but I feel like I was getting at least half of my shots once I got the hang of the sight and my shoulder doesn't even hurt. I also celebrated our new year by starting to read our old e-mail conversation from when we first started talking, but I didn't get far into it and will have to keep going when we are back home and I have more free time. We packed up a lot of our stuff to prepare for travel on the 1st and tried to watch Black Beauty with everyone but the kids were too noisy to get all the conversations.