Call Day #42, 2/27/11

With some snow on the ground and more falling, I didn't have the energy to face getting out and to church with two kids today. We stayed home and it was a nice, restful day (Yes, Eleanor stayed in her pajamas all day--she seemed to think it was that kind of day too).

Eleanor displays her books like in the library. I asked her if she wanted to be a librarian. Her response? "No, I want to be a dentist."

We talked about where milk comes from recently. She wanted to show me the udder she found in a different book. (Improvement since our conversation a month ago when she told us milk comes "from Costco.")

Eleanor enjoys the blanket Grandma and Grandpa sent in a package. She was so eager to lie on it that she turned the coffee table into a bed.

It really is cozy.

They had some game going, putting it on and off the table.

Claire thought it was funny.

Playing with zhu zhu pets while Claire naps.

Eleanor had fun jumping over them, chasing them, etc.

Eleanor with her Play-Doh "Eleanor the Elephant."

Claire can hold a phone up to her ear and say "Ha" (Hi).

She loves the vacuum cleaner and follows it around to grab onto it.

Eleanor usually gets her toy vacuum cleaner out when I vacuum. She was playing with hers and thought it was super special when I asked if she wanted to use the big one. I didn't realize I'd never let her use it before. I'll be glad to let her use it as much as she wants!

Call Day #41, 2/23/11

We're back home after taking advantage of Erik's two-week vacation and heading south. We were so thankful to find that most of the snow had melted while we were gone! Since the sidewalks are passable again, we walked to the library.

Eleanor reads Dora and Thomas books

Claire checks out the bins of board books, picking some to look through.

Eleanor and Claire both liked looking at pictures from our trip. Claire reached for several of them, which means she wanted to see the people in the picture again. She also named "Dada" in a picture as well as a "baw" (ball).

Happy picture watcher.

(Loving pictures seems to run in my family--my grandmother, my mother, me. Now Eleanor and Claire too!)

Post-dinner cleanup crew.

Call Day #40, 2/8/11

A trip to Target. What's Eleanor doing by the front door?

Watching herself on the monitor. As we walked in, I heard "Mommy, look at this. It's my shadow!" and had to backtrack to see what she had found. She moved around and watched herself for a while (and got the attention of the Target workers).

Waiting on laundry to finish. Claire climbs all over me and Eleanor plays "going to Harkin's house," the new game since we spent Sunday evening there watching the Super Bowl.

Hanging out on the bed

Tickle laugh!

Eleanor's all-day long (even nap) potty reward choice of the day, a bear cookie. This one was "Daddy" and did such things as go to work, walk home, take a nap, etc.

Claire loves getting into the drawer where Eleanor's dishes are kept. Eleanor helped her don this "crown," the rim to one of her plates.

With one of the cups she got out of the bottom drawer (and many other things scattered on the floor behind).

Counting to figure out her new puzzle. You count the things on one piece and find the piece with the corresponding number.

Call Day #39, 2/4/11

Eleanor in the car wearing Fancy Nancy sunglasses from Aunt Linda. There may be snow everywhere but it was a pretty, sunny day.

We've been at home most of the week and snow is supposed to come again tomorrow. We had to get out of the house! We ventured out to a mall we hadn't been to before. They had a small playspace. Eleanor and Claire on the airplane. Getting ready for vacation?

Claire watches everyone. (She is wearing the same overalls at almost 11 months that Eleanor was wearing at 18 months! As I dressed her this morning, I remembered this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm5wiohS_9g. Claire is tall!)

Running around the mall a bit and discovering a toy store.

A chalkboard! Eleanor loves to draw, and especially erase, on the one at JP Licks so she headed straight for this one.

Train tables are even more interesting these days as she has started watching Thomas and learning train names.

At Finagle-a-Bagel for lunch. After nap this afternoon, she asked me if we can go there all the time. She kept talking about how we had gone on an "outing" today, even though I know I didn't use that word to describe it. She must have just been excited to get OUT of the house!