Keeping Up With the Three C's

Chris who just turned four months old this week is becoming quite involved in the activity and noise that is around him. Below you see Chloe, who was at that moment, telling him how much she loved him. She is very maternal with not only Chris but with her dolls. It is fun to watch. Here are a couple of shots of Chris, sitting up in his Bumbo seat and enjoying the independence. Below that, is a little film of him reacting to Claire when she is trying to get him to "talk".

One morning during the week before last, I was doing Claire's hair. I should have had a clue that this phase was on the way, when she had me re-do her hair three times before I got it right. This past week she and Chloe decided they wanted to do their own hair in the morning. Claire, however, re-did her hair every time she went to the potty or did anything near the bathroom. If she ran or played hard she would ask me if she had "messed up her hair". Pretty funny at this stage of life...... Chloe combed her hair several times during the day but it wasn't quite as much of an issue as it was with Claire.

Claire has told me a cute little poem about the Bible that she has learned at pre-school several times and so this week I was able to get it on film.

If you remember, back in mid-April, I put a link to Youtube that showed Claire telling an original story to me one day. It was so spontaneous and funny but wouldn't upload to this blog. I have been waiting for the right moment to give Chloe equal time and this week it happened. After Claire recited the above poem, Chloe asked if she could tell a story. I was very happy to oblige her since she isn't as thrilled with the camera as Claire sometimes is. Anyway, it too would not upload, so I have placed it on Youtube if you would like to see Chloe's original story about her bear and a monkey.

I was able to pick the girls up from pre-school this week and was so happy to have multiple teachers tell me what special little girls they are and how well they are learning. It is always great to hear reinforcement of what you already feel. We are very blessed.

Sunny Days Bring Lots of Play !!

Last Thursday we had a wonderful experience at a park (new to us) in the town where Claire, Chloe, and Chris now live. The girls had been there several times but we had not, and we were really in for a treat. It was so clean and fresh and beautifully maintained. The girls enjoyed the slides and met some new friends that came after we had been there for a while.

After playing for a time we stopped for a yummy picnic lunch. Chloe, who is now the best eater of the twins, really chowed down. Their roles have reversed some because at a younger age, Chloe was not interested in many foods, but now she has turned the corner, and Claire has taken on the role of a little more "selective" eating. Claire's basic choices aren't really so bad...if you always include string cheese, carrots, and apples you will do OK. Both girls love beans and rice too, so overall they are doing fine.



Chloe and Claire seem to make friends very quickly and comfortably. When another family group of cousins arrived with another sweet little "Claire" in their group, our girls immediately began interacting with them. The older children in the group included and encouraged Claire and Chloe to try some new things.


After some more play time we went for a walk down a beautiful nature trail. Here we are stopped looking at a daffodil garden (blooms are gone) that was created in memory of a girl named Molly. After reading the plaque inscription the questions came......

The only disappointment of the entire time at the park was when Chloe found out after we read the sign, that you were not allowed to throw rocks into the creek/waterfall. She was crushed. Mike reports that you can give them a pile of rocks and a creek and they will play forever, picking up, sorting and throwing rocks. Pretty simple entertainment.

Back at the house, Chris welcomed us back with his precious smiles and "talk". What a chatterbox he has been the last few days. He is discovering his voice and using it!

Chloe and Claire ready for school on Friday.

Chris, in the jumper for the first time. Of course the chatter stopped when the camera started.

Nonie Kathy and I worked as a team again one day this week. Here Chris is showing off and holding his own bottle.

Playtime outside again......

They marched up the driveway and back.

Enjoying their mid-morning snack with Papa.

All in all, it was a fun filled week. We are so fortunate to be able to spend time with our grandchildren. A blessing that we do not take for granted!

Transition Week

Paula's maternity leave ended this past week and the transition of having Mommy working again began. I am happy to report that it went very smoothly. Chris took his pumped milk, as well as formula, very well from a bottle. He was super happy to see Mommy when she arrived home in the morning as well as when she got up from her sleep in the afternoon. I will be helping out with the childcare mostly for Chris but also for Chloe and Claire when they are not in pre-school.

Chris really enjoys looking at himself in his mirror as you can see below. He also keeps track of the girls wherever they happen to be in the room. They are rarely quiet and he takes in all of the conversation and antics with eager eyes.

Papa and the girls spent some time reading as usual.



When Papa wasn't there one day and I had to postpone reading for a few minutes to tend to Chris, Chloe decided that she would read the child's dictionary to Claire.


One of the funny moments of the week was when both girls decided to be Mommy birds. They made lots of eggs out of clay and then with Mommy Paula's permission, placed those eggs on a sheet of paper on the floor (carpet) and sat on the "nests". They were busy gathering worms and berries to feed the babies as they hatched. I innocently asked where the Daddy birds were and why they weren't helping. Chloe instantly responded, "A big tree fell and killed my Daddy bird but Jesus is going to do a miracle and bring him back." Claire picked right up on that theme and told me that her Daddy bird had been hit by a car but that Jesus "would do a miracle" and bring him back too. Not sure where all that came from....maybe the Easter story??? Anyway it gave me a chuckle.

On Friday, Nonie (Paula's Mom) came, and the two of us had a great time with the girls and Chris. We seem to make a good team and believe me, we were both continually busy between the baby and the three year olds. I look forward to the upcoming week and gaining a bit more experience on the baby tasks. I felt a bit rusty figuring out when and how to keep Chris content and well fed. A bit more practice will help with that I am hoping.

It appears that some little fingers must have been on my camera lens when you look at the smudges on several of the pictures. I will be lucky to be able to even get pictures given the pace of activity, but I'll certainly do my best.

My two days of childcare coming up this week will be the highlight of the week I am sure.

Week in Review

This week my pictures are few and far between. We had a great visit on Tuesday with Chloe, Claire, Chris, and Paula. Aunt Suzie had the day off and joined us for a fun time. Aunt Suzie made yummy smoothies and we had pizza, salad and smoothies for lunch out on the deck. What a beautiful day it was! When I did have the camera out, Claire announced that she was "done with pictures" so I didn't push my luck on that one. Christopher seemed happy to pose for my pictures as he lay in his "jungle" on the floor. Claire and Chloe always enjoyed that jungle experience too when they were babies.

The grandchildren and their parents took a long weekend trip to the coast before Mommy Paula returns to work from her maternity leave. Sounds like they were having a great adventure based on the phone call Papa received while I was away. Can't wait to hear the stories when they return.

Papa and I celebrated Mother's Day with Suzie, Eric, Jon and his friend Lisa. We enjoyed brunch out at one of our family's favorite restaurants. Hope your day was filled with great moments as well!