Matthew at 6 Months

Height: 27.5" (83rd percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs. 5 oz. (79th percentile)

Head circumference: 44 cm (80th percentile)

What he likes: Getting his toes in his mouth, soft toys, toys that rattle, being part of the action, being tossed around, naps, his sister, cuddling, watching television, being sung to (specifically pat-a-cake and the pony ride song), and most importantly being talked to.

What he can do: He's a strong sitter and can hold and play with toys. He jumps in his jumperoo, but never stands. If you hold him out in front of you to stand in your lap he pulls his knees up. Your arms get tired and... he wins. :) He has also discovered babbling and screaming.

Sleep: He wakes up at 1 and 3, but will accept a pacifier and go back to sleep without nursing. By 6 he's ready to eat though, and may or may not go back down to sleep more. He naps very easily and well, and can change his nap schedule around to accommodate our schedule without getting fussy for the most part.

Other information: He has a big grin and he knows how to use it, although unprovoked he will also sit indefinitely with a solemn look on his face... watching quietly. He does not, however, appreciate being left alone in a room and will immediately start fussing for some company!

This month he's eaten both squash and peas. The squash seemed agreeable. The peas on the other hand produced some hilarious and rather sour faces. I'm not thinking he is going to be much a pea eater, but we'll keep trying anyway.

More on Clara

More on Clara (from summer 2013)

Quotes
"Mmmm... delicious!"
"All day long!"
"Ta-da"
"Let me see... (thinking)"
"Let me getchya some _________" when asking me to get her something.
"I can wipe you off." when asking to be wiped off.
"Mommy, I need hold you!" when asking to be held.
"couple-two" books (usually about 7)

Stories
Scenario: She demands something (i.e. milk), we tell her to ask nicely. So she rephrases it to say, "I like some milk peese... Okay!" filling in our normal response.

Scenario: I accidentally got Clara in the nose with my fingernail as we were heading back to the car. We both stop short, turning our full attention to her nose. She grabs it and begins rubbing, with brow furrowed and a befuddled look on her face. I watch her closely, waiting for her reaction before giving one of my own.  After a few moments she looks up at me and says, through a pinched noses, "Mommy? ...didya hurt me?" 

She definitely salvaged the moment with that one. And she was pretty pleased when everyone thought her comment was so funny.

She loves wearing her fancy shoes everywhere.
She counts in Spanish thanks to Dora, and cracks me up when she says "cuako" for 4.
She also likes to say a cheery "Come on, 'Vamenos!'"when she wants to get me moving.

She's doing great with potty training.

Clara at 2.5

QUOTES
"I want to hold you"
"That would be nice and good."
Asking the obvious, "Mom, are you drinking your water?" "Dad, are you taking a shower?" "Mom, are you feeding Matthew?"
"Rawr! I'm a tiger!"
"I got a snotty, bergy nose."
"Do you like that Matthew?"

She loves putting together puzzles. She can do puzzles meant for an older child, such as her 20 piece jigsaw puzzle, with ease now. She doesn't get frustrated. It's amazing to watch her work through it.

She also loves having pretend picnics.

She's independent at the playground, which is nice. Although she does like playing up the damsel in distress at times. She will intentionally get herself stuck on something that's a little too hard for her and then sweetly cry out "help! help!" After doing this once, three preteen boys ran over and escorted her the rest of the way up the ladder. She was quite pleased with that outcome and attempted to repeat the scenario a few more times. I chose to intervene because those boys were being sweet, and I didn't want to see them taken advantage of. :)

Canned green beans are arguable her favorite food. She'll eat about too adult servings of them at dinner and then want more. We find ourselves saying things like, "Eat some pasta first, then you can have more green beans." Strangely backwards... but diversification is good, right? If unchecked she will polish off a whole can.

She is very meticulous and organized. She systematically works through her play. For example she creates a stack a books, and then reading one at a time, page by page until they're all organized into a separate "finished" pile. Or she colors with her crayons one at a time until they've all made their mark and been arranged in a neat row. She doesn't appreciate being interrupted from these tasks. She likes to accomplish.

She can sing songs, identify her letters, spell her name (verbally), sort, recognize quantities, and all kinds of other amazing things. Her sentence structure and vocabulary are very good for her age. She amazes us in new ways every day. She's sweet too and good about "thank you's."

She also likes to say, "mom says I have to...(fill in whatever she wants to do)." There are other variations of this too. I've heard about commands from dad, nana, and grandma as well.
My favorite was a few days ago when she very dutifully told me, "dad says I have to go to Chick-Fil-A." I made the mistake of checking with dad, only to discover that he, in fact, did not say that. I missed a window of opportunity there...

Some good Clara faces. She's quite expressive.

So fun.

Matthew at 5 Months

Weight: 19 lbs

Height: 27.6"

What he can do: Belly laugh, sit in a highchair, sit on a hip, hold his toes, put things to his mouth, bounce in his jumperoo like nobody's business, and hold and manipulate toys.

What he likes: Blankets, pat-a-cake, itsy bitsy spider, being thrown up and around, sitting on a table and looking at you eye to eye, baths, and when you eat his belly (that one is hysterical).

Sleep: He has digressed in this department. He wakes up at least once in the early morning and maybe another time in the night. He also cried quite a bit at bedtime and naptimes until we figured out to give him something soft to hold. That solved that.

Other information: He's so cuddly and sweet. Just the best baby.

Matthew at 4 Months

At his 4 month doctor's appointment the nurse nervously re-measured him after comparing his height to a growth chart, indicating that the doctor wouldn't believe she'd done it accurately and she'd have to measure him again anyway. Sure enough, same measurement...

Height: 27.3" (100th percentile)

Weight: 17 lbs 12 oz (87th percentile)

Head Circumference 17" (87th percentile)

What he likes: His jumperoo, the pat-a-cake song (or any song with actions), being tickled, flying, looking at books, being talked to, being a part of the action, his paci, sucking his thumb and fingers and hands, cuddling, kicking around in the bath, and sleeping. :)

What he can do: He can grab his feet, hold his head up, spin around in his crib, laugh (of some form), track with his eyes, and make spit noises with his lips. Also he's getting to be a stronger sitter.

Sleep: He's a sleeper. Our pediatrician jokingly warned me not to tell anyone just how great he is and so lose all sympathy... but here are the beans. He's been sleeping 12 hours in a row at night for the last month. Not only that, but he's usually good for 3 naps a day, the afternoon nap being around 3 hours. Apparently all this growing is hard work... and he's certainly been doing his share of that!

Other information: He rolled over once just after he turned 3 months but has yet to repeat that feat. He continually amazes me and everyone else with his easy-going nature. He's definitely a good baby and has made the transition from one kid to two quite pleasant!

Clara is so sweet to her brother. And he tolerates the affection quite well!

All Boy

Last night during his bath, Matthew was busily kicking around in the water when suddenly he paused and looked over at me.  Our eyes locked.  He proceed to paste a smug smile on his face, and with perfect comedic timing began peeing a little fountain into his bathwater. He appeared QUITE pleased with himself.

Oh, Matthew, you're such a boy.

Fortunately I happen to think little boys are pretty darn cute: love for peeing in unsanctioned areas and all.

One day I might be less than humored by these actions, but for today... hilarious.

The best picture I can find to represent his little smile in that moment.

Matthew at 3 months

I love those twinkly eyes. :)

Weight: 16.5 lbs (90th percentile)

Height: 26 in. (between percentile 90 and 95)

What he can do: 
He's batting at objects, smiling a bunch, and even trying to laugh (more of an excited hiccup). He can bring his hands together, make great eye contact, and find his thumb.

What he likes: 
He likes being talked to, his sister, being left alone when he's fussy, sleeping, playing in his baby gym, the elephant rattle, and baths.

Sleep:
He's a sleepy fellow. He takes 3 naps each day (ranging in length from 1-4 hours each) and sleeps 8-10 hours in a row at night.

Other information:
He's so relaxed. It cracks me up that when I put my hands under his armpits to lift him out of his crib he gives me no help. Except for a coy little smile he remains totally limp, allowing his head and shoulders roll backwards while his arms and legs hang down until I flop him onto my shoulder. His eyes twinkle like he thinks it's funny that he can get away with that.

Hilarious. SOOO different from my little go-getter Clara. She has always done at least half the work of being lifted or held... all muscles engaged.

He also continues to be a quiet guy. Sometimes I put him down in his crib thinking he's tired, only to peek in on him after 30-45 minutes of silence and find him quietly wiggling away, looking all around. In our conversations I find myself doing the vast majority of the talking. He does coo, but seems to prefer, and quite enjoy, listening. He's going to make a great husband someday!

"I sweet"

The other day Clara woke up from her nap all smiles. She strutted into the kitchen where I was, threw open her arms in a grand fashion and in a loud voice proclaimed, "Dad!  I love you!"

She then made a dramatic circle around the island and stopped near where I stood, and shouted into the house again, "Dad! Come here please!"

Unfortunately I had to bear the news that dad had left for softball and was not home.

Thankfully it didn't totally crush her enthusiasm. I don't know what she had planned, but I know dad missed out.

Clara is becoming a sweet, loving, appreciative little girl, and it warms our hearts.

In fact, she informed me of that herself this morning. After deciding I needed a hug, she administered one and then began patting my arm and saying, "I sweet" with her chin down and head tilted sideways.

Yes. Yes you are.

It's fun. Two-year-olds are beyond cute. And it doesn't hurt if one happens to have curly blond hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a spunky personality either.

An Interview with Clara

Clara, what's your favorite animal?

Cowboy. 

Cowboy?

Cow! Moooooo!

What's your favorite food?

Eat!

No, what food do you like to eat the most?

Cheese.

What's your favorite color?

Yellow

What's your favorite letter?

2, 3, 4, 5

What's your favorite number?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

What's your favorite toy?

Elephant! 

What's your favorite book?

Elephant! 

Who reads to you?

Ummm.... Humpty Dumpty?

Who's your best friend?

Jacob.

What's your favorite song?

ABC's.

Who's your favorite person?

Clara!

Cowgirl Clara at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade. Photo credit: Crystal.

There you have it. Clara, according to herself, at age 2 years 4 months.

Was There Ever Any Doubt?

Look who found is thumb this weekend! And he's pretty happy about it.

Apparently when two notorious thumb-suckers get married and have babies, they're destined to all do likewise. Just another way this baby boy is shaping up to be like his father. That makes me happy. 

And, although I would prefer a pacifier (less germs, less orthodontics, easier habit to break), it is pretty cute. We'll see what happens!

Little Sidekick

I have a little sidekick. Her name is Clara. She loves to follow me around and put her two cents into everything I'm doing.  And it's adorable.

Whether it's caring for Matthew, working outside, folding laundry, cooking, pushing the stroller, decorating, or even making a shopping list, she's right there assisting me.

Unloading the dishwasher.

We work as a team to change Matthew's diaper (she hands me a diaper and then climbs up on her chair to supervise), water the tomatoes (I use an adult sized watering while she uses a kid-sized watering can), change over the laundry (she knows how to move it from washer to dryer), soothe Matthew (she pats his head and says "it's ok baby Matthew, it's ok" while I hold a paci in his mouth), and mix up some brownies (we use two spoons to get it really good).

Tonight I had the task of putting both kids to bed by myself, which can be a challenge. Matthew was crying while I was trying to get Clara in her pajamas. Suddenly she bolted out the door saying something about a baby. A few moments later I heard a "bump-clunk, bump-clunk" noise coming down the hallway. She had gotten Matthew's bouncy seat and was rushing it to him as fast as she could, which wasn't an easy task for her. So, we set it up, put him in it, turned on the vibrations, and he was happy. She proceeded to kiss him on the head sweetly. I told her she made me happy. She grinned. And we got to read our books in peace.

She looooves her baby brother.

She's a great little sidekick, my helper and buddy in this season of life.

Matthew at 6 Weeks

Weight: 12 lbs 10 oz (80th percentile)

Height: 22.5" (56th percentile)

Head Circumference: 15.4" (68th percentile)

What he likes: 
Matthew likes his paci, his swaddle, and sleeping. Other than that I'm not really sure. He's my solemn guy. Although he's very easy going, he has yet to crack his first smile. Not unusual or a concern according to his pediatrician, but it makes him seem more serious... and even mature somehow.

He does seem to like Clara. He tolerates quite a bit of her patting, hugs, kisses, rocking, trying to shove a paci in his mouth, and delighted screaming without protest. In fact, her presence can have a calming effect if he's fussy. His personality is definitely the perfect compliment to hers, just as is Mitch's. Now if she can only find a husband equally as mild-mannered, she'll have it made. :)

What he can do:
Make good eye contact and look somewhat in the direction of a noise. He can fall asleep in his crib by himself about half the time.

Other information:
I've quit eating most dairy for now because it seemed to bother him. Giving up cheese and ice cream has been sad... but not nearly so sad as seeing my baby cry in pain for two-three hours in a row of an evening.

Matthew is a quiet-natured baby. He doesn't coo or grunt or make many noises at all. We wouldn't even know he had a voice if it weren't for his occasional fussiness, specifically when he's tired, needs to burp, or has tummy discomfort.

Matthew is also still-natured. He does move his arms and legs around quite a bit throughout the day, and definitely when he's upset about something, but also spends plenty of time relaxed and and tranquil, moving his eyes back and forth to take in the environment while remaining totally at rest.

As I've mentioned before... he's awesome. It's fun getting to know him.

An Idealistic Fourth of July

We had a great Fourth of July. So, so much fun.

Some of Mitch's 2013 fireworks photography.

It all began on the 3rd, when we more or less happened upon the Twin Oaks Concert in the Park and Fireworks Festival. We were supposed to meet at the park for Bible Study, but instead enjoyed the festivities with our Bible Study group.

It was great to sit on picnic blankets, listen to music, eat snacks, and enjoy the company of some of our closest friends. Not to mention that we've all had babies within the past 3 months. Hannah (on the right) is our newest addition, at only 10 days old.

The guys played with the kids in an open field near our picnic blanket. I found this activity particularly humorous. The dads passed the ball back and forth by swinging the toddlers through the air.

Later that evening we watched a great fireworks display. Clara was adorable. She was kinda scared and kinda loved it, which resulted in her cuddling up close, wrapping her arms around my neck, and repeating, "Whoa! Fireworks! Aren't dey pretty?" over and over again (which she had heard me say). :) So cute. So fun.

Mitch was busy trying some new photography techniques, which turned out really cool.

The next morning we met together again for the Kirkwood Fourth of July Parade and were joined by Ryan, Crystal & Anna.

 It was awesome. Clara and Matthew experienced their first parade, we all got lots of candy, Mitch and Gordon shouted supportive yet hilarious comments to all the passing floats, eliciting some funny responses, and Kristi cheered loudly for everyone giving stuff away which landed us all lots of goodies (combined with the fact that we were sitting with two toddlers.)  :)

The Reddicks joined us back at our house where THEY cooked us a wonderful, grilled, all-american Fourth of July lunch, which was fabulous.

Later that evening we ventured downtown for Fair St. Louis. We set up a picnic at the City Garden and, after eating, put Clara in a swimsuit to run around the spray grounds.

The wet ground was very reflective.

It was all fun until Clara pooped in her swimsuit...

After a while we made our way to Kiener Plaza to watch the fireworks display. Why Kiener Plaza? Mitch was on a mission to get this shot:

Want to know how he did his fireworks photography this year? Check out his new photography blog post.

All in all it was an idealistic way to pass our Fourth of July holiday. The weather was perfect, the kids were fun, and the company was great. 

Taking the Plunge

...the plunge otherwise known as "potty training."

One morning a couple of weeks ago I tested the waters. Clara and I talked things over and then put her in "big-girl underwear" and played out the morning. We spent considerable time on the potty. Nonetheless by mid-day the score was Potty:0 House:6

So I put things on hold to spend time thinking it through some more.

Then, on Thursday, with Dora Potty Doll to aid us, we began again, this time with conviction. I elected to reward Clara with an M&M every 5-10 minutes she remained dry. The concept was effective, but by evening-time she had that wild, sugared-up, look in her eyes. However, the final score was Potty:4 House:5. I was exhausted from the effort of it all, but pleased with our partial success.

On Friday things seemed to click. Not only did she take initiative to put herself on the potty twice when she needed to go, she only had one accident all day. And I switched my reward to fruit snacks, which bore better results. 

Today we are three for three as of nap time.

I'm excited for the success we're having and hope it continues! She getting to be such a big girl! It makes me happy and sad at the same time.

Clara's potty set up.

Drinking plenty of juice to keep things "flowing."

Matthew: First Impressions

I first noticed it months before he was born. Matthew was a chill dude. His movements were gentle "re-situating wriggles," not the bruising, passionate kicks I'd experienced only two years prior.

My initial impression has yet to be discredited. His demeanor is relaxed, very much mirroring that of his father. He'll cross his little feet at the ankle (a happy accident no doubt), and quietly look around. So much like Mitch I have to laugh.

He's also the "less-vocal" type. Quite a contrast to baby Clara, and, again, quite similar to Daddy. When he's upset, he'll spend about 10 seconds scrunching up his face before the first actual "waaaa" errupts. And that sounds more like a spoken word than a true cry. If I can anticipate and address whatever is bothering him within those first several seconds, he never actually makes a peep.

Upon meeting him, many people say, "Wow! Those are some big hands! He's either going to be a tall guy or a piano player." To which I say, "Maybe he'll be both..." :)

He's content for the most part. The only struggle he's had is falling asleep. That becomes a fussy, messy process at night and nap times when he's so tired but can't quite get there on his own. I bounce him, give him a paci, rub his tummy, burp him, but refuse to put him all the way to sleep in those moments. I know I will pay for it later if I teach him to rely on me to get to sleep. However, we've started some good bedtime routines and are seeing improvement already.

Overall, he's awesome. We love him. He's a great fit to our family and SO sweet!

Reflections on Our First Weeks

After 3 weeks together as a family of four, all I can say is my "cuteness tank" is overflowing!  I don't think I could stand any more.

Matthew peeking out at the world.

Clara is absolutely adorable as "big girl," "big sister" two year old. Her hair is curlier than ever in this summer humidity, and she says and does so many charming and hilarious things.

Serving pizza at the Magic House

And Matthew is an awesome newborn: content, cute, sweet, and cuddly as all get out.

I am praising and thanking God for the overwhelming blessings He's given me in my amazing husband and these two precious little ones.

So far, in his first weeks of life, Matthew has:

• road-tripped to Eldon
• attended a wedding
• met all his cousins
• visited the zoo
• visited the Magic House
• visited the pool
• gone on multiple shopping outings
• gone out to lunch
• gone to Fritz's... twice
• and attended to two different churches

"my kids" and me :)

It's amazing how the life of a second born varies from that of a first born. By three weeks of age I believe the sum total of Clara's experiences were a lone trip to Target and a couple of walks around the subdivision. Matthew has taken everything in stride beautifully.

Clara had a bit of a rough transition. She had a 103.5 degree fever and Strep while we were in the hospital with Matthew, cut two back molars, and then got a mother who couldn't do much more than lay on the couch and recover all week instead of playing. What's more she was suddenly forced to share the lime light.

So for many reasons, Clara was an emotional mess for about a week, but now seems very pleased with her baby brother and very interested in seeing that his needs are met. She's a sweet big sister. It's heart-warming to watch her love on him and fun to include her as an eager "helper" in his care.

We've had lots of visitors, which has been awesome and a great distraction for Clara. All of her grandparents and cousins have been up to see her and her new brother, along with some of her aunts and uncles.

Clara and Matthew with their visitors!

Fun, fun!

 We've had a great introduction into our new reality. Here's hoping it continues to be so smooth!

Toddlers Are Funny

Some things Clara does that make me laugh:

• She gets out of bed at nap time, plays in her room until she decides she's ready to sleep, and finally slips her books out under her door before falling asleep right in front of it. One day she didn't have books available to her, so instead she took off her socks and shoved them under the door. It's like a little flag of surrender. Or maybe it's something fun to do that then removes all her entertainment so she succumbs to sleep.

• Clara seems to feel quite "bullied" by young babies who may reach for a toy she's playing with or pull on her in some way. She screams, pulls her toys in close, and runs to mommy, proceeding to climb on my lap and glare at the offending baby (who's happily toddling along, oblivious to the situation). It's a comical sight considering she's often far bigger than the "culprit."

• She loves "coloring," which more or less consists of handing mom or dad the crayon of her choice and commanding them to "draw tree"... over and over again, until we have pages and pages of trees in every color in Clara's personal notebook.

• When she gets in trouble, she tends to take it very seriously. As a result, she often spends time rehearsing what she's been told earlier that day. While we were driving a few days ago, I'm hearing the little voice in the backseat say, "Do not 'frow" it --milk! Don't do dat!" over and over again. Today I overheard her saying, "Look at me. Time out!" 

• When Clara wakes up in the morning she comes out of her room to find us. As soon as she sees me she gives me the brightest smile and the most affectionate, "Hey mom!" you can imagine. If she sees Mitch first, he gets an excited "Dad!" squeal. It's a great way to start off our day. It always makes me giggle.

So fun. :)

Conflicting Emotions

"Clara, do you know the meaning of 'confused?'" Mitch asked last week.

She had just spent 5 minutes whining about not wanting her oatmeal and being "all done," then proceeded to burst into tears when I finally removed it from her. Upon returning it (in confusion myself), she grabbed her spoon and dug in.

This type of scenario is common with Miss Clara. She has many conflicting emotions and will push for something, realizing the moment she gets it that she didn't actually want that after all... or maybe she did she later decides.

Like when she takes her shoes off in the car and then cries because ...her shoes are off.

Or yesterday when she got herself a yellow spoon at breakfast. I had already gotten her a blue spoon, but she really wanted the yellow one, so that was fine. Unfortunately she kept changing her mind. Eventually she was alternating bites with each spoon and at one point tried to take a bite using both.

Or today when we went outside to play, she wanted her jacket on, then off, then on, then off, then on. And when I finally made her decision for her in an effort to get us out the door, taking it away, she was quite genuinely upset about it.

I try to encourage and allow her to make her own decisions about things that don't really matter to me. I want to give her a sense of control and independence when I can, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous when she can't make up her mind.

Mitch likes to be funny and call her a "typical woman."

It makes me chuckle, because I know I'm the main woman he's referencing.

However, I think the root of the matter is that it's just SO hard to live with any decision when you're two!

Clara at Age 2

Height: 35.25" (84th percentile)

Weight: 31 lbs. (91st percentile)

Head size: 51 cm (99th percentile) ...I'm thinking this is why she bonks it so many times a day...

What she can do: Form 3 word phrases, climb playground equipment, steer her tricycle somewhat (but not peddle), use the potty some, navigate the iPad proficiently for her own purposes, help unload the dishwasher, clean up after herself with prompting, count to 12, and attempt to sing her favorite songs (Itsy-bitsy Spider, Jesus Loves Me, Wheels on the Bus).

What she likes: Reading books, eggs, ice cream, oranges, green beans, puzzles, bubbles, Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse, coloring, attempting to say the A,B,C's, the iPad, babies, baby dolls, swinging outside, playing Ring Around the Rosie, and being silly.

Other information: Tantrums are her go-to when she doesn't get her way these days.
Fortunately for Clara this involves mostly crying and occasionally stamping her feet or becoming grabby. Unfortunately once she gets worked up, it can last awhile. Usually after 5 minutes or so I will offer her some distractions. Disappointment is a hard emotion for a little girl.

Every day after being laid down for her nap she gets back out of bed and plays until she falls asleep on her floor.

Clara had her first real hair cut recently (by mom). Her hair twirling habit was proving long hair to be impractical as she pulled out hair ties, and broke many hairs off, and knotted it terribly daily.

Also, she's been more clingy to me recently for no known reason. Maybe she realizes her life is going to change somehow within the next 5 weeks? Hopefully this won't make our upcoming transition as a family any more difficult for Miss Clara!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

You've gotta love the firsts.  

Yesterday we took Clara to the park to fly a kite for the first time.

 She was fascinated for about 5 minutes.

She even did it all by herself, although that included dropping the line twice.  No big deal, mom's pretty fast (ha!).

There's no doubt it was a great day to be outside enjoying time as a family. :)

Birthday Partying

 It's official. I'm 26 and Clara's 2. We've had a busy week of birthday partying around our house.

It began on Monday, my birthday. Mitch made us a special breakfast, and my choice of dinner. It was fabulous. Mitch is a very good cook. Hence why he makes dinner on both our birthdays :)... seriously.

Afterwards we went to Fritz's. Since it was my birthday I got 2 mix-ins... so I was pretty excited.
Sometimes it's simple joys in life. And of course I shared with Mitch and Clara.

As a result, Clara was on a total sugar high (at 7:30 at night no less), and was cracking us up "dancing" to the music in the Fritz's picnic table area and running back and forth like a crazy child. It was all pretty funny until she was still up at 10:00 pm after being put back in bed like seven times.

Then it was Tuesday. Clara's birthday. She'd been practicing for it for a long time with her pretend birthday cake (you can even "blow out" the candle). In the morning she helped me mix up her birthday cupcake batter. I chose chocolate because that's her "usual" when we play birthday.

Afterwards we headed to the zoo. She was a bit tired after her short night of sleep, but was overall excited about the animals and happy. Since the trip she's talked most about the elephants, cheetahs, hippos, zebras, and monkeys.

 
We picnic-ed in Forest Park and headed home for naps and to prepare for Clara's birthday party. Instead of going "all out," we opted to have a little birthday celebration for her with our Bible Study group prior to our regular study time. Clara and her friend Will kicked it off with a treasure hunt in the back yard (which strangely resembled an Easter egg hunt).

Then we sang happy birthday.

Between the marshmellows, chocolates, homemade ice cream, and chocolate cupcakes, Clara once again got pretty sugared up.

Clara also got to open some presents. She and Will had a great time playing outside on this beautiful, warm spring evening.

And once again, it all ended with about a 10:00 pm, VERY drawn out sleep-time. I think we're going to take a long break from the sweets. But hey, a girl only turns 2 once!