Melts/Breaks My Heart!

Oh how Claire LOVES to follow around her older siblings and do everything they do. She laughs when they laugh, scream when they scream, and run when they run. 

I predict some heart break when they BOTH start going to school all day everyday next week! I will have to start being a much more fun mommy! I have looked up the local library's toddler story time and she got a new membership to the children's museum for her birthday from Grandpa and Grandma. 

This picture is from our library trip/walk/bike ride along the canal in Pittsford today. More Summer bucket list items for the kids. Doesn't Claire look so happy to have them got off their bikes and join her at the stroller? 

I'm going to miss those big grins too while they're at school. Maybe not the running and screaming and fighting, but definitely those big grins! 

First Day of Work!

Today is Dan's first day at Toptica Photonics as an OEM Applications Manager!

Dan has been working around the clock to finish his research and dissertation and is very, very, close! I am so proud of him! I wish he could have a well deserved break between finishing his dissertation and starting work, but I guess that's life! With a newborn coming any day now, he won't be catching up much on rest, either!

He decided to start at the end of August instead of next week for health insurance reasons. It's a big responsibility providing for all of us and he works so hard and does it very well!

Love you, Dan!

Birthday Photos!

Claire's birthday is well time to try out a new spot near my house for photos and my new studio space. I didn't make it to the studio today, but I did make it to this beautiful weeping willow! I wanted to get there first thing in the morning, so I left the family at home which was a mistake. Claire did not want the camera between us. She was full of grins as we sang songs and played and then as soon as I would lift the camera, she'd put on her grumpy face. Usually she is such a ham for photos! The grass was also fairly wet and cool, which didn't help.

This "codors" book is one of her favorites. Especially the "baby" page. They all have babies, but the pink baby is her favorite.

 The one time she even tried to smile. 

 Ok, she's happy in these running ones:

This is her telling me she wants to go to the car.

 and her reacting when I said "not yet".

We sure love our Claire in all her two-year-old glory! She has a great scowl, "NO", and foot stomp down and lots of opinions to go with them. She is still so fun and never fails to make us smile.

She had a "yes day" today. The kids tried to help her celebrate by giving her extra bottles of milk and letting her pick the cartoon in the car. I helped her celebrate by taking her to a farm with a corn maze and other fun activities. She loves animals so I knew she'd love seeing the farm animals. She squealed and laughed with joy feeding the goats and kept insisting that she wanted to "Hi doggies" instead of doing other activities at the farm. We'll work on her animal names before she turns 3.

We also got pizza for dinner since that is one of the few foods she loves enough to request by name almost every day.

She also threw a bottle of nail polish against the wall, splattering it on the paint. Then when James tried to get the bottle from her, she ran away from him in a circle splattering polish on our tile and hardwood floors.

I tried to put her down for a nap early so we could stay at the farm longer. Instead she stayed awake in her crib for her whole nap.

It was a great first day as a two-year-old!

By the time  we got home from the farm and ate dinner, it was WAY past her bedtime and we'd forgotten about birthday gifts, so the birthday continues tomorrow!

She does not consistently answer how old she is yet, but she can sing the happy birthday song!

We are so blessed to have our "Claire Bear" in our family and love her to pieces! As another of her favorite books/songs says, "I love what you are, I love what you do, OOOOOO, I love you!"

Potty Training?

At our last house, Claire got a candy anytime she just SAT on the potty seat. The goal was not potty training, but to get her interested in the potty instead of terrified of it!

Today I unpacked the little potty seat and she enthusiastically sat on it and demanded her "kenny" (candy). I told her that now she had to actually go pee in the potty to get candy.

For that, I got her patented 2-year-old-Claire GLARE.

After a short show down, I asked her if she was ready for her bath.

Claire GLARE again. Then, "No! Go potty!"

So she sat down on the potty and she peed!

Then she demanded a PUMPKIN shaped candy corn (weird candy, I know, but at least I'm not tempted to eat it!) and got in the tub.

I'm curious to see where this goes...

Straw Wrappers

After enough trips to Dunkin Donuts with Dan on Saturday mornings, our kids have learned how to tear the end off a straw wrapper and blow into the straw to shoot the wrapper at me and Dan. The other day, Claire got a straw, tore the end off, and blew the wrapper for a direct shot at Dan! She's still shy of 2 years old. That is some awesome skill for a one year old!