The Week in Review

Chris continues to amaze us at his rapid growth and development. He loves his jumping chair and one of several videos I have taken of him jumping can be seen here. Once again, I spent much time trying to upload it to the blog and finally just put it on YouTube.

And if you want to see Chris getting his first solid food, you can click here and see a video that Mike sent me via email.

Chris is now part of the story-telling time. He sat for the longest time while Papa, once again, by request, told stories of his life on the farm and his dog Butch. The girls never tire of hearing them over and over.
Papa and Grandma did a bit of indulging this week. We don't do it very often, but speaking of "solid food", Chloe and Claire often talk about their Daddy taking them to Dolly-O's, a local doughnut shop in their town. We loaded them all up in the car and decided to get them a special treat. According to Papa, (I stayed in the car w/Chris until they had made their purchases) the girls used very good manners and didn't hesitate a moment when making their choices. They seem to be good friends with Dolly so Daddy must take them there more than occasionally. :) Dolly always gives them each a tiny little sack with their doughnut treasure inside. The rule was that they had to wait to eat them until after their lunch but that they could hold their sack as we drove to their house. Papa and I kept hearing the paper rattle and knew that it was torture for them to hold, smell, see, and not nibble. Eventually Claire wanted Papa to hold her sack until we got home. Even at that, it appeared that a tiny little mouse must have been in the sack as well.

Claire chose a cake doughnut with chocolate frosting and yellow and green sprinkles on it. She ate the top off and left the rest.

Chloe chose a pink/strawberry frosted cake doughnut and approached hers very much the same way. Top eaten and the rest tossed.

I'm happy to report that the sugar overload didn't really bother them that much. They had eaten a high protein lunch and I think the two balanced out very well. Both took good naps and had a great day overall.

If all goes as planned and anticipated, a fun weekend will be in store for the girls next week.

Stay tuned!!

Briefly.....

Another picture, Grandma? Noooooooooooooooooooooo.... but well, maybe,......okay, just a little smile before school, or maybe we will just laugh out loud!!

Hmm, what's that strange thing hanging over my crib?

Can I reach it and not let go of my foot?


There....got it!

Happy Father's Day!

A Few Pictures, A Few Words

Handsome Chris on his tummy after doing a quick rollover. From my experience, most babies roll from their tummy to their backs first, but Chris is doing it the hard way and has started out going from his back to his tummy.

Papa and Chris sharing a moment while Chris takes his milk.


Fun time creek side. Task for the day, make a concoction to water Daddy's plants!!!

Sure sign of a good time, dirty hands~!

Up the hill and to the bathtub.

After their bath, Daddy arrived home with a new camouflage hat for each girl.

So thankful the weather has turned and we are getting sunshine and warm days.

Somewhat Housebound

It is a very good thing that the girls NEVER tire of Papa's stories and the time he spends reading books to them. The past week was once again quite cold and rainy off and on. All three "C's" had coughs and runny noses at times, so on the two days we were around, we mostly hung out inside the house. Papa tells many stories from his life growing up on a farm in Kansas and Nebraska, some a bit graphic for my taste, but the girls make these stories their own. Often when they take a turn to tell a story they have incorporated some of Papa's experiences into their own creations. Chris had a great week. He is growing and advancing so fast. The picture below of him sitting up in his Bumbo chair looks very much like his Daddy Mike when he was a baby. It is as if Mike has been cloned.

He loves the bouncing busy chair that once belonged to the twins.

Nonie came on Tuesday with some fresh baked cookies. The girls were very excited to try them out. What a treat!

Claire and Chloe and I had a conversation about the fact that they were twins but that Chris didn't have a twin. So, we gave him a "twin".

The girls really enjoyed their play-dough. They were creative and busy coming up with new ideas and creations.

Let's hope for more sunshine and warmth this week. The forecast looks promising! Whaa-hoo!

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!