Back In Touch!

After several days of being without a working modem, we are back in service. It's amazing what a new modem can do for a person's spirits. I felt I had lost touch with the world.

Below are some of last weeks photos. Chloe has a pony tail....two days in a row...for about 30 seconds each day. I think she looks adorable, but apparently she prefers her "flowy" (rhymes with Chloe) hair on her neck.
Cuddling with Papa, Choe's favorite pastime when he is around.

Claire taking it all in...and playing with the pop-ons.

Chloe squishing herself into a little container. She seems to love small spaces and hiding behind things.

The girls are trying out their table built by Great-Grandpa Ove. Cousins Brandon and Jesse handed it down to Claire and Chloe.

Chloe uses her right hand to color.

Claire is still deciding which hand colors best.

Grandma was lucky enough to have nursery duty last Sunday when the girls were there. Below Claire is entertaining herself.

Chloe and a friend check out a toy.

Down the slide...Claire, followed by Chloe.

Claire rocks the baby-dolls in the baby swing.

The girls enjoying their cups of fish crackers.

Next post I will be posting girls who have turned 18 months old. Can't believe it!

Playin' Around

For several weeks we have been working on the other half of the duplex where Claire and Chloe live. Papa (and others) have been there many, many hours each week. Claire and Chloe have begun to expect to see Papa any time they exit their own front door or return from a walk or car ride. It is always the same thing, as they look towards the neighboring door, "Papa? Papa?", they say, hoping they will see him. Now that the painting has been completed and the carpet installed, it makes a wonderful change of scene for them to run and play. This past week we took advantage of the empty apartment several times. Here Aunt Suzie and Mommy watch Claire stroll around in her fairy skirt.

Chloe loves to be at the front door, watching what ever is going on OR trying to open, shut, or otherwise work the door over.

To touch or not, Claire is contemplating after Papa "suggested" that she shouldn't touch the non-hot heater.

The girls brought along their Kleen Kanteens to keep themselves hydrated. They are wonderful water bottles that originated in Chico. The community is very proud of them.

Chloe and Grandma play "hide and seek" in one of the empty bedrooms.

The girls now are very bold about urging you "out" of your chair so that they can sit in the big chairs. Here they had convinced Papa to get "out" of his chair. They both promptly scrambled in. Earlier in the week it was the rocking chair in their own house. They wanted Grandma to get "out" so they could sit in it and rock. Their vocabularies are so increased that they now have no trouble getting across their point, whatever it may be that they want or need.

Below Claire demonstrates her jumping skills.

Claire and Chloe do some twirling....part of every day it seems.

Can't wait to see what this week will bring.

A Sunday Afternoon

Mike, Paula and the girls came to Papa and Grandma's for a little swim time and then Claire and Chloe stayed with Papa and Grandma while their Mommy and Daddy went out for dinner. We enjoyed our time with them so much, as usual. The girls played in both pools, but seem to have just as much fun in the little pool as in the big one.

Chloe, our button pushing girl, likes remotes ( and telephones, and air conditioners, and TV's) very, very, very much. She calls them "motes" and always uses every opportunity to work one over. Here she is finding "motes" and other stuff in Papa's junk basket by his chair.

I tried again to get the singing girls on video. I'm going to keep trying until I get it right!

A little piano concert.

Not shown in pictures, but quite funny, was watching the girls watch a HUGE black widow spider outside our front window working on a web. They made noises, waved their arms, and kept telling the nasty spider to "go away". Hopefully it will, sooner rather than later.

17 Months Old and 4th of July!

One very precious moment this past week happened early in the morning. Chloe had gotten up about 1/2 hour earlier than Claire. When I brought Claire up the steps, Chloe was waiting for her and the interaction between the two was amazing. First Chloe touched Claire's face (of course the camera was across the room) and they smiled and giggled back and forth. The pictures below aren't the best but I am sure you can get the idea.

Above is a little video of the girls "holding hands" a little later that same day.

Yesterday, on the 4th, the family got together at Papa and Grandma's house. In addition to the immediate family, Great Uncle Larry and Great Grandpa Ove were with us. The girls started out in the wading pool with Daddy close by and eventually progressed to the big pool.

Claire and the ball.

Chloe in her hat and shades with Mommy behind, and then maneuvering in and out of the little pool.

Time for a little nap on Grandma's dining room floor.

Claire just after her nap.

Aunt Suzie and Chloe when Chloe wakes up.

Uncle Jon and Chloe with the zoom car.

Mommy and Claire.

Chloe peeking in the front door later in the afternoon.

Time to use Grandma's retirement present....bubble machine. What fun!

Chloe confiscated Aunt Suzie's water bottle.

Uncle Jon works the bubbles.

Claire checking out the flowers.

Chloe with her flower.