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Wow, its been a while since there has been a significant picture post. So, enjoy the photos of the kids this month.
little something to eat before swim lessons.
washing the car, somebody really likes her ‘hello kitty’ swim suit.
ahh…sweet sleep…with a ball…why not?
‘I look like my dad.’
I’m sleeping on the floor of the garage because I tired myself out after a temper tantrum.
we’re just two guys, hanging out on the table.
sharing a snack with Pooh.
relaxing after kids yoga.
somebody needs his own mouse ears.
today I’m a carhart boy for my dad and my cousin Travis.
Hello, I’m Ranger Smith!
a boot, perfect for holding a sippy cup to drink from.
going out to help dad mow the lawn.
the rocks needed a good washing.
making birdie soup
Claire’s first day of soccer school.
Two years ago (almost exactly) we debuted a video of Claire walking with Lola.
Below is a clip from our weekend hike, you can see how in two years Claire has improved in her communication and her dog handling skills.
March zooms in and our house is continues to be plagued by coughs, sniffles, and crabs (crabby kids to be more precise). Conor has had the worst of all of this with a litany of symptoms dating back to the middle of January. Claire finally seems to be truly on the mend. This past week my sensitive to noise little darling has to put up with crying baby and screaming toddler. She has handled all quite well, only lashing out a little bit.
For a couple of years now, Josh and I have been discussing how when we had multiple kids we would begin to take them on individual dates to give them some 1×1 time. With all that has happened in the last couple months (sickness, visitors, new baby, etc.) we finally made it happen! First it was a morning of errands, one of which happened to take us to the mall where it happened to be customer appreciation day at Auntie Anne’s pretzels (free pretzels for all!) and then to Icing so Claire could pick out some nail polish for our date later on in the day and finally to Trader Joes for grocery shopping.
After errands and a decent nap for all the children, the boys headed off to the dog park with Lola while Claire and I relaxed at home for our date. What did you do? Made guilt free brownies from Trader Joes (mom is desperately trying to be good and lose the baby weight and the kids don’t know the difference) and Claire got her first manicure and pedicure compliments of the mom spa aka me.
First we (she) made the brownies…
Then we licked the spoon (egg free batter for those of you who were concerned).
Then they went in the oven and off to the mom spa we went.
This place even has complimentary beverages.
and then the brownies were done…
and of course we had to taste them.
Lovely date with my girl and some much needed time to connect with her without any other distractions. Wish I would have written down the funny things she said during the course of our time together but I forgot. I’m usually pretty good about that kind of thing – at least we have the pictures to document our time together. Special thanks go to Josh for taking the boys and Lola for giving them a fun and legit reason to be at the dog park.
Though we spent much of January and early February battling a nasty cold, we are gaining our groove as a family of five. Surprisingly to me, the week preceding Kieran’s arrival were more difficult for me than just about any day we’ve had since then. I don’t do well with the waiting game and awaiting his arrival definitely falls into that category.
this picture, completely set up by my children, they love holding the baby, in fact, I have to regulate so Kieran doesn’t end up being pass the potato.
Claire and Conor continue to be enamored and loving towards Kieran. They each have their own ways of coping with their transition. Conor hauls off and whaps Kieran from time to time though it doesn’t seem to be malicious. He is also a trifle more mommyish and loves to share my lap with Kieran. On some occasions all three like to share my lap, giving me good reason not to lose my babyweight (thereby decreasing my lap size). Claire fares a bit better, I’m guessing having been through this song and dance before. She does at times resort to baby talk (e.g. Daddy becomes DA…DA…) and temporary bouts of helplessness.
Before Kieran arrived I had a short list of things I anticipated I would not be able to do with all three in tow simply by logistics. I am pleased to report that we have attempted several things on that list and had a successful outcome, not to mention a good time. We’ve braved Target, Trader Joes, Raleys, the park, playdates, walks around town, and the beginning of the kids’ swim lessons.
the kids playing Marine hospital (Claire’s words, not mine). Dr. Claire and her assistant Nurse Conor.
Our mornings can be a little chaotic. I’ve learned to do multitasking that I never thought I would be doing like nursing the baby and pulling Conor’s foot out of the toilet or nursing the baby and taking Conor off the kitchen table, or nursing and chasing after Conor who has run outside at 7am in his pjs…notice a theme? Things seem to go haywire while I am feeding the baby.
In another development, Claire has turned the corner in potty training. I had stopped posting about our journey because the three of us were discouraged and there was not anything going on. Josh and I had backed off but it still did not seem to be important to Claire. So we allowed the whole thing to be Claire directed, if she wanted to wear a pullup, she wore a pullup, if she wanted to wear undies she wore undies. So it has been for months with no noticeable improvement and all of us sad at the issue it had become. Then one day we decided to drop the option (once again of pull ups except for nap and night. That day Claire asked to wear undies at naptime and we have not looked back since. We have an occasional accident but that is all. Its like the experts say. It will click with them one day and for Claire it did with a lot of prayer and some time.
And so it goes. Each day we get our groove and off we go!
We have been making a concerted and unsuccessful attempt at getting Conor to at least try a protein with his dinner. This child rarely eats protein unless it comes in the form of dairy. Last night we were allowing the children a special treat of a little ice cream after dinner. Conor had eaten little and nothing resembling protein, Claire had finished her meal and was enjoying her ice cream. Conor became frustrated when his bowl remained just beyond his reach. As we tried to coax him into trying just one bit of sausage, he waved it away and demanded the ice cream. Claire interrupts our discussion with Conor and says, “Daddy, just give him a little time to eat his sausage.” When the meal was over and Conor had still not been awarded his ice cream Claire asked if she could save some of her ice cream so Conor could have it, she then proceeds to Conor’s chair and does her best to coax him into trying a bite.
We celebrated Claire on her birthday with Pizza at Meme and Pop Pop’s and a little party with friends and family on Saturday. The kids seemed to have a ball. Claire left with a black eye (more under the eye than around) and a smashed toe but having had a wonderful time with all her friends.
Claire’s actual birthday was warm and the kids enjoyed playing in the backyard clad only as necessary.
turn on the water and Conor becomes like Auntie B’s cat, Stu, racing toward the sound.
crafting on the deck with Meme
Claire’s Mickey Mouse party complete with mickey mouse head cake pops provided by Meme.
Claire and cousin Aiden playing in the ball pit.
and the fearless wonder, Conor.
some of the kiddos enjoying snacktime
Conor the dancin man enjoying a ribbon dance.
Laura and Aiden playing trains.
future bakers of America? The kids playing with playdough.
future Picassos?
Happy Birthday Claire. Notice where Claire is looking here…she’s keeping her eye on Davis who was eager to assist Claire in blowing out her candles.
Conor was making sure that Gavin didn’t feel left out.
and…Claire and her girlfriends. Their mommies happen to be longtime (since highschool) friends of mine. Thankful how that has worked out.
Happy Birthday Claire!
She’s 3 today and its been an adventure every step of the way. We are so thankful to have this healthy, beautiful, smart, precocious, loving and stubborn little girl in our lives. She keeps us laughing or sighing “awww” in even her most difficult moments.
so, aside from becoming more and more like a little girl, Claire has finally sprouted hair!!! Happy 3rd Birthday! We love you so very much!!!!!
As a follow up to this post I wanted to let you all know that we followed through with Claire’s request for Clifford. I have rarely seen a Claire demonstrate such determination. The deal we proposed to Claire was, keep your undies dry for three days and Clifford can come home. Unfortunately it took much longer than three days, more like three weeks before Clifford was able to come home BUT since then “Clifford” lets us know when Claire needs to use the potty and generally does a pretty good job. In summary, this whole thing is still a work in progress but, Clifford seems to be helping. He’s been home for two weeks now and we are pleased with the progress Claire has made.
This summer has included quite a bit of spontaneity, as will be evidenced by this and subsequent posts. This plot, hatched by meme, revolved around a last minute overnight trip (which turned into a two night trip) to Monterey – not that I’m complaining. The two night deal seemed to be sealed when our room included a large walk in closet which shouted “little man’s bedroom!” Claire and Conor got a yummy taste of luxury as we stayed on cannery row in a gorgeous hotel with a deliciously comfortable king size bed that Claire made herself right at home in.
doesn’t that look like a great bed to nap in?
she was even generous at times to allow Conor some time on the bed.
The focus of our visit to Monterey was of course the Aquarium. The kids loved the aquarium and I think we were surprised at how much Conor enjoyed himself (especially if he was allowed to toddle around on his own). Claire seems to be taking a page from her father’s notebook pausing at each tank only long enough to utter the words “let’s see something else.” If Claire were tour guide, bathroom breaks would not be tolerated and the only places one would be able to stay long enough to take a breath would be the touch pools and the children’s section.
Overall, I was impressed with how the kids handled themselves in restaurants, with crowds and in the hotel. Of course we had some toddler moments but really, the kids did well.
Great trip, thanks to Meme who made it possible! Claire still weekly asks to go to the aquarium and this time bring daddy who was holding down the fort at home working.
What distinct personalities these little ones are getting!
Claire at almost three (in three months) continues to be both a ball of energy and a little girl content to page through books on her bed. These days, when we leave the house she wants to know if her friends will be there? Friends is a broad term she applies to both her little playmates “Let’s go get ice cream with Decklyn and Mia) and like today “my friend daddy.” She adores imitating people, especially her brother. She likes to imitate his walk and the funny sounds he makes. Claire has begun to blame things on her brother in a it wasn’t me, it was him type of thing. My strong willed mini me can both delight and aggravate me in a matter of moments. “Mommy? Are you sad? I make you a card to make you happy.” There are days where she is not Claire, she is Shouka the whale or Pongo the Dalmatian and you must refer to her as such in order to receive any sort of response from her. Part of her bed time ritual has expanded to accommodate her desire to “read” books on her own. Her little voice can be heard down the hall as she flips pages by night light telling what she remembers of the story. Claire loves playing with her brother whom she has nick named “buddy boy.”
Conor, 13 month old Conor. He is all boy, or at least that is my assessment. Perhaps he will have a different temperament than his big sis but that does not mean this child is no less busy. Josh and I are finding ourselves baby proofing the house all over again because Conor is into things Claire never was. He knows little fear and will throw himself at you if he thinks you’re close enough. Turning by back on the little man means finding him on top of the toilet, in the cabinet, outside eating dirt, on top of the picnic table or tearing about the magazines. Now that he is mobile, his days are spent exploring from a new perspective. His gait makes him look like he just got off a horse. He seems to be drawn to what I would classify as all things boy: dirt, tools and banging things. Claire is often my Conor alarm if I’ve stepped out of the room like yesterday morning I heard her saying “no buddy boy, put that down!” I came running into the kitchen to find Conor’s face painted bright red, like a clown, his entire face. He had absconded with the red stamp pad Claire had been using. I was torn about getting a picture but when I saw he also had ink on his hands and feet and was quickly making his own masterpiece on the carpet and wall, clean up won out. (I am regretting
that decision today).
