1.31.19 - Joy statuses

1.29.19 - Kid snippets - No brushing teeth, Clara tucking Betty and Bobby in

Last night (as usual) Jane didn't want to brush her teeth, but this time instead of just keeping her mouth shut and moving her face away from me, she took her toothbrush and ran into the kitchen to try to throw it away. (I caught her in time.)

Apparently while I was gone last week, the girls were helping Jack clean up, sort of. He discovered later that Jane threw her tupperware in the trash and her diaper in the sink.

Also last night Clara was trying to get my attention (not always easy). Finally she said "Mommy! Stand up!" So I did, and followed her to the nursery. The door was closed and lights were off. She opened the door and said "The babies are sleeping!" She had tucked their matching bears--Betty and Bobby--under her blanket on her bed. Then we turned on the light and said "Good morning!!" and she went and gave them kisses. I just like that it was important to her that I witness this. Jane was also excited.

1.25.19 - Kid Snippets - self-check out, Jane doesn't want pants

Last night Clara and I were at a grocery self-check out. Clara tried to scan her ziploc bag of Kix. When the machine said "select payment method," Clara responded, "Alexa! Play Pentatonix!"

Later that night I was (trying to) talk to Neil on the phone and Jane was crawling all over me and generally yelling to herself. I stopped and said "Jane! JANE! ...Can you please be quiet?" and she quietly responded "No!" Later I had gotten her PJ top on, and I said "Jane, let's put on your pants!" She said "Noooo," grabbed the pants, stuffed them into one of her dresser drawers, tried unsuccessfully to close it, and waddled quickly away.

1.12.19 - Kid Snippets

Jane really likes being read to. She calls books "boop," and yesterday we sat next to the nursery bookshelf for a long time while she would pick a "boop," sit in my lap, let me read 85% of it, then get up and say "boop" and pick another one. We did this about 6-7 times. She picked "I'm a Big Sister" more than once but as soon as I get to the page about the baby sleeping she doesn't want to continue.

Today it's been raining a lot. I watched the rain out the window with Jane and Clara for a while and it made me think of "April Showers" from Bambi. So I pulled up the video of that song on Youtube, and Clara was really into it. It's maybe four minutes long and she watched it 4-5 times, each time pointing out the animals ("The mouse is under the mushroom! There's the mama bird!") and anticipating the lightning ("yigh-ing") and then announcing dramatically "It's okay!" as the animals are startled. She would wait until the part where the sun comes out and then hit 0 (start the video over).

Clara is definitely getting more vocal and articulate. I love when she asks Jack or me "What you doin'?" She usually seems to at least partially understand the responses too. Once while we were in Missouri and once at the airport waiting to fly home she had some form of conversation with other children around her age, and it really warms my heart. It's a halting and unsure conversation but at least at this age kids just kind of go with it.

This evening Clara started singing the Pentatonix version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" (her current favorite song apparently). Jane was sitting in my lap at the time and she turned and looked at me with an open-mouthed grin, then hurriedly stood up and started dancing emphatically to Clara's singing. I guess that's the hot song for toddlers right now.

A lot of times when I hug Jane she pats my shoulder.

Jane refers to Clara as "Air-rah!" She is often eager and happy to see Clara when they first wake up, although Clara usually doesn't feel the same way and wants to go back to sleep. This morning (1/12/19) is Saturday so they don't have to get up at any particular time. Jane woke up before Clara so I took Jane into the living room to let Clara sleep. Clara is occasionally coughing in the nursery and when Jane hears her she points in that direction and says "Air-rah!" as if she's making sure I know. It's very sweet how much Jane wants to do what Clara's doing and be around Clara.

1.9.19 - Kid snippets: angry rolling

Jane has started doing this thing where if she's mad she'll fall dramatically to the floor...and then roll angrily across the room.

1.2.18 - Missouri trip highlights

Other favorite parts of this trip:

• Watching Clara sing "Jingle Bells" for Christmas karaoke at the pancake breakfast. Also seeing her interact so much with other kiddos.

• Having dinner with the Bairds at Cappuccinos. Enjoying some great pancakes (recommended by Eddie) and generally good and funny conversation with them, as always.
• Getting some work done at Picasso's, sitting at the table in the corner where Grandpa and I once sat together, listening to old time Big Band music and thinking of happy memories with him.

• My 4-5 hour ongoing conversation with Aaron about religion and faith and science and atheism. It was such an amicable, genuine, respectful conversation, and it endeared me to him very much. And now we can joke about these things more easily because we've already discussed it.
• Playing Code Names at the Jackson New Year's Party with Julie, Katie, and others. Oddly satisfying game. Also playing Gang Beatz and crying laughing as I held on to a wall and Denny tried to remove me.

• Getting sushi with Jack, Don, Merlene, and Ricki. Ricki is very easy to talk to and full of interesting stories. Also the sushi was absolutely delicious.

• Scanning thousands of old photos and starting to organize some of them, plus having some help from Julie, Mom, and Linda to date some of the pictures and just generally put a family tree together.