Eat Fresh, Buy Local

Our state has really been pushing the above mantra and Claire and I along with a few friends were happy to oblige on Friday! We checked out Donaldson Farms and their VERY delicious strawberry patch.

I have to say that while Claire enjoyed picking the berries, the eating of her harvest or maybe the baby goats on display were her favorite part of the day. I wish I had a great picture of her biting into a juicy red strawberry like this one I took of Isabella - but Claire would snatch one off the vine and then run away to enjoy her spoils.

Another missed photo-op was Claire playing with her barnyard friends - I was too busy making sure the fearless toddler didn't get her fingers bit off. Did I mention she is fearless when it comes to animals? Claire wedged bits of straw, pebbles, grass - whatever she could get her hands on - through the enclosure to the goats....who she called Buster. (Buster, is the name of our neighbor's dog and apparently all furry friends about knee high).

Speaking of feeding critters - Claire's newest hobby is feeding our cat Raymond. Not that he needs any help in that department, Ray-Ray, as Claire calls him, is pushing 20 pounds and enjoys quite the sedentary lifestyle. I can't help but let Claire bond with Ray in any way she can, so I let her enjoy feeding Ray his "yum-yums" one at a time.

A slideshow of all the images is below. They're saved rather small so if anyone would like a larger version, please email me. :-)

Big Girl!

"Wooooooowww, weeee-weeee! " Is Claire's newest phrase, can you guess why?

Well I wanted to wait a week to be sure, but I can now officially announce Claire is "potty trained!" We've been almost 2 weeks now with NO diapers at all...even at night! Remember when we started potty training back in January? We were just trying to catch the...errr..."solids." Since the weather was warm recently, I let Claire spend a few days naked below the waist and she took quickly to using the potty for all her needs. My diaper bag looks a bit odd nowadays with a potty shoved inside, but there's nothing better than not changing diapers!

Obviously she's too tiny for public toilets, so while traveling I just make a point to stop and use the bathroom with her every hour or so. I can dump everything right into the toilet after she uses her potty or if there is none available I've been keeping a stash of ziplocs and paper towels for later disposal. It's been going so well, she'll drop her drawers if she really has to go but for the most part she's stretching about 2 hours.

This was one of those daunting tasks of parenthood I was dreading but I was really surprised at how easy it was. I really liked this article: http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training-in-three-days-or-less_10310078.bc?showAll=true AND after reading the it I don't feel so bad about Claire's lack of underoos! After searching high and low I can't find anything in her size so she's just wearing comfy cotton pants she can pull on and off herself, problem solved!

So pass along your congratulations to our potty superstar, we're so proud!

Wee Beastie Spotted in Woods!

Wee Beastie Spotted in Woods!



Oh wait, it's just Claire running away from a fresh change of clothes...

I got burned last time I posted "second-hand" photos of Claire but I'm risking your wrath and sending you here to Lauren's blog where she summarizes our trip to Stephens's State park. Claire and Isabella (you might recognize her from our roller rink adventures) really enjoyed some water play and mud squishing at the creek. I got a bit more wet than I anticipated but it was so much fun and a great way to cool off! Happy splashes if you are making your way to the beach this weekend!

I have some videos to post of the girls that I'll try and get up asap - they're really sweet.

Outside outside outside...

Can I reiterate again how excited I am that the weather is warm and we can get back outside?! I took all these pictures last week and didn't post them because we've been enjoying the outdoors so much, who has time for blogging?


Judging by Claire's interest in our veggie garden this year (the watering at least) I can guess she has inherited her Mommy and Daddy's outdoorsy genes. Any doubts? Visit here for a peek at all the other blog posts labeled 'outdoors' - major flashback alert, you'll be shocked how much she's grown and changed since last spring!

I threw in some garden photos too so everyone can see what's blooming right now. Of course everything is a week outdated already, I'll have to get back outside today with my camera! We've got tons of spinach and chard in the ground and have just sown the
seeds for two varieties of string beans and peas. The tiniest little sprouts are now poking out! Claire loves the bamboo teepees and I'm having a hard time keeping her out of the spinach bed...just wait until she realizes there are real, live STRAWBERRIES growing in her garden. Also in the garden this year: brussels sprouts, bok choy, yellow cherry tomatoes, some striped heriloom tomatoes, onions and zucchini. This is going to be a great learning experience for Claire and an enjoyable harvest for me, yum!
Don't miss the slideshow below, there are some pictures of Claire "helping" in the garden and showing off her soccer skills. As always, click if you want the full sized version for enhanced cuteness :-)

Why My Glass Door Is Dirty

Ahhh...but isn't it worth it for these sweet smooches?!

Fork and Spoon

Her hair may be messy but look at this big girl eating her morning oatmeal with a spoon! These little Gerber utensils are so cute and perfect for Claire's toddler hands. I love the fact that they came with a knife too for practice...it's all so "grown up!"

I have a sneaking suspicion that Claire might be going through another growth spurt. She's been ravenously hungry these past few days and has been climbing into her high chair impatient to eat. Or maybe I'm just a world class oatmeal chef...heehee.

Here's a few more play by play photos - just look at that spooning technique!

Deduction!

I water plants with Mommy to help them grow.
If I water cousin Michael he will grow too...right?

Without Markers...

Without markers.... I wouldn't be able to cook because a toddler would be yanking on my pants

Without markers...I wouldn't be able to use the bathroom - a toddler would be splashing in the bowl

Without markers...I could never answer the phone - a toddler would be yapping along with me. (Not that the grandparents or aunts could mind; the bank lady is another story).



Really, without markers...there would be no peace in this house.


Without markers...I probably wouldn't have marker footprints smeared all over the kitchen floor right now, but where's the fun in that?!

All the way home...

Have I mentioned how much Claire loves to play "piggies?" Driving around I'll hear her in the backseat :

<<thump, thump shoes off>>

'dis

'dis

'dis

wee wee wee wee

<<manic toddler laughter>>

She certainly has the first part of the phrases down. Leave no toe exposed when Claire is around...or face the piggy fiend yourself:

Spring Cleaning the Blog

I was trapped on the recliner with a sleeping baby in my lap so I took the time to "spring clean" the blog. It definitely needed some sprucing up - and a name change. It's hard to believe how fast the time has flown by...no more baby blog...Claire's a toddler now! I hope everyone likes the new look!

And just in case you weren't ready to say goodbye to the sweet butterfly from the old header or were feeling nostalgic, here's a blast of headers past :-)

Launderer!

Is laundry truly a chore when you have such a sweet helper? Claire LOVES to help hang out clothes and since it's so warm and sunny lately I think we've only run the dryer once. This week is a bit of a wash though, it's been raining for days and days. I was running out of indoor play ideas when the basket of dress up clothes and some yarn gave me some inspritaion - an indoor clothesline! Claire hung up her cloths (and took them down, and hung them up...) for a solid 20 minutes. If you're a parent - you know how long that is! Hopefully the sun will show its face again soon and we can get back outside to our real line soon.