Clara's Big Story

Today Grandma Sunny and I took the girls to Lone Pine Farm to feed the animals. Clara had a lot to say on the subject.

The Oregon Coast

We took a last minute trip to the Coast on Saturday. Lucy asked if we could go to the beach and we're fortunate enough to live only an hour and a half away from one right now so we decided to take the opportunity and head over. It was not terribly warm (59), but there was no wind and so with fleece jackets on we were perfectly comfortable. 

When I went to download the pictures off of my phone I came across this one: 

I didn't even know my phone could DO that! And the funny thing is that Joel took the picture, and it was on accident, so I'm sure it will take us quite a while to figure out how to do it again. But it makes me laugh (and also a bit dizzy), so I thought I'd include it. 

Lucy had a BLAST. She giggled and ran around pointing out things (sand!! Crabs!! Seaweed!!) and made sand castles and splashed in the waves.

She was even brave enough to take off her jacket for a while and get really wet. 

Clara and I were wimps and stayed clear of the water. But Clara seemed to really enjoy the white noise of the waves and happily took a nap on a towel for part of the trip.

Its so pretty there, even on a foggy day!

We're a chatty family

Clara has recently found her voice, and I'm pretty sure that she already feels the need to compete with her older sister for attention. Ever since she learned how to roll over (at 11 weeks, sheesh!), whenever I put her on her back she instantly flips over onto her stomach. But apparently she doesn't like being on her stomach because she starts to complain straight off the bat. 

And, not to be outdone, Lucy requested I take a video of her singing one of her favorite songs from the book-on-tape version of Peter Rabbit. In case you're wondering, these are they lyrics she's singing: 

"My name is Mrs. Rabbit, my house is underground. Friends and relations are living all around. I work for them and care for them and always try to be a most respected member of the bunny family. We're a happy family, yes a happy family, and we live at the foot of a big FIR TREE! Flopsy, and Mopsy (how could they be sweeter?) and funny little Cottontail, and Peter."

CHEEEESE!

Where we've been part 3

Here is my last little bit of playing catch-up on where we've been. Maybe then I'll get around to posting pictures of what we're doing now. Depends on how the littlest member of our family naps. Fingers crossed.

We have a lot of friends back in Moscow, and, as it happens, our friends have kids Lucy's age. Which makes get-togethers so much fun. Here is a shot of Lucy with some of her friends. I'm not sure what they're all looking at. Certainly not yours truly the photographer who was shouting "Look at me kids! Look at me!! Say CHEEEESE!" The things we do to make our kids smile.  

And here is another photo from that same shoot that sends me into fits of giggles every time I see it. Lucy was apparently fed up with the photo session. I can't get over the look of abject boredom on her face. And the hands. It's just too much, really.

She wasn't bored often on our trip, though. Especially since the weather was just incredible. She spent a lot of time playing in the field next to my parent's house:

And swinging at the park ("Papa will push me," she would always tell me confidently. And he always did.)

And there were several play dates at her friend Lucy's house. 

She even calls her "my friend Lucy". Perhaps so she doesn't confuse herself. I think it's adorable. And I love that they are as good of friends as their mothers (although Morgan and I are a bit better, I suppose. We don't dissolve into hitting matches when a coveted toy is taken from us) :

And here she is (in that signature Minnie Mouse dress) eating ice cream wit her friends on their back porch. Summer at its best.

She made muffins with Nana:

And visited Moscow's Renaissance Fair.

Clara was with us on all of these adventures as well, but usually in the front pack which makes it hard to take her picture. So here she is testing her neck strength in Nana's exersaucer.

And giving Papa advice on road travel for their upcoming Europe trip:

So there you have it! The last of our Moscow trip. It was so fun. Lucy still reminds me of it, saying fondly: "Remember when we went on that BIG LONG trip to see Nana and Papa?" 

Where we've been part 2

As promised, pictures from our time in Moscow! The first installment being pictures of Clara meeting her extended family. They were all kind enough to drive to Moscow from Spokane to see the newest baby, even though she wasn't always on her best behavior:

She was, in fact, happy in Aunt Lynn's arms for a while, but not before I remembered to crack my camera out. Here she is with cousin Kenzie:

And with Aunt Julie (who spoke her language, apparently):

And with Gran and Papa:

 

Lucy also enjoyed seeing all of her family again, and she even snuggled up to her great-Papa for a bit:

And of course, Clara spent a lot of time with her very own Papa and Nana:

I spent three of the more difficult weeks of Clara's life up in Moscow with my parents. Her stomach seemed upset most of the time, she cried a lot, and she came down with a nasty cold. Which is why I was so grateful to be up there with my parents, who tirelessly held, bounced, rocked, and sang to the little unhappy wight in attempts to keep her happy. Or, if all she needed was her momma, they entertained Lucy so that I could focus on Clara Beth. Thanks Mom and Dad! And you'll be happy to know that her digestive system seems to have evened itself out and she is a much happier child these days.

Clara talks herself into the hiccups

While you're all waiting with bated breath for Where We've Been Part 2, here is a video of Clara Beth talking away. We love this smiley, chatty gal!

Where we've been, part 1

What happened to us, you ask? Well, first we had a baby.

Turns out she is pretty fun to have around. Even if she only naps in 30 minute increments. We forgive her because she's so cute. But it does make blogging a little more difficult. 

To get us through the end of tax season, Joel's parents came and stayed with us for three weeks. They were a huge help. Grandma Sunny perfected a method of rocking cranky Clara to sleep that we dubbed the Grandma Rock. 

But, along with the help of being extra hands to hold children and keep the house from falling apart, they also threw themselves wholeheartedly into our house renovation projects. Once we got them started they just kept going. Painting:

Installing new light fixtures:

And many more such projects. It was incredible and made a somewhat daunting list of house projects seem much less daunting. Now we have a dining room that has transformed from this:

Into this:

Along with the dining room they also painted the family room (farewell baby-poop-green walls!), the downstairs hallway, the stairway, the play room, and the guest bathroom (adios John Deere wallpaper!). I will have to get pictures at some point. But let's all pause and give them a collective round of applause.

Also, they brought with them this wonderful table that's been in the family for quite a while. It will be our dining room table at some point I imagine, but right now it looks terrific as a side table. 

So that's a quick recap of the Cohen grandparents part of our blog silence. After they left, Joel and I got the wild idea to redo our downstairs laminate. So I headed up to Moscow while he worked on that, and ended up staying for three weeks. Pictures of that trip in the next post, but meanwhile here are pictures of the new flooring. 

Isn't it beautiful? Sometimes I have to look at pictures of how the house looked when we first moved in to remind myself of how far we've gone. So here's one from last March:

And then today:

Quite the difference!