Call Day #57, 4/27/11

During breakfast, Claire dances to Eleanor's birthday card. We listened to the Tigger song repeatedly.

Check out what's for sale at Home Depot!

Watching the fire trucks do some kind of training in the Costco parking lot.

Learning to drink out of water fountains (and tall enough to do so!).

Play kitchen = Highlight of Costco trip!

Sharing a sample. Neither balked at the goat cheese that Erik and I both dislike.

For those of you who have asked how one brings groceries to the third floor with two kids in tow... Step 1: Unload kids and all groceries onto the porch.

Step 2: Bring groceries into stairwell and shut front door.

Step 3: Bring groceries to up two flights to landing outside our condo. (Since Eleanor wanted to unlock the door, this was accomplished with Claire in one arm until the door was open.) Step 4: Send kids inside and close door so Claire won't get out and fall down stairs. Step 5: Finish bringing groceries to landing. Step 6: Bring groceries from landing to kitchen. Step 7: Put away. (Step 8, usually done much later in the day: Clean up messes made while kids were unattended.)

Eleanor's curls post-nap.

Eleanor and Claire play "What's that lump on the bed?" and Claire finds Eleanor hiding under her cover.

Eleanor's room post-nap. Currently, we have a rule about not reading books til after she sleeps (because then she tends not to nap). Clearly, not observed today. Guess she figured I wouldn't notice?!

Claire eats mango at the park.

I can't tell you how many "flowers" she has picked for me lately. If you looked in my purse, jacket pockets, etc, you'd find handfuls that I've forgotten to clean out.

Spaghetti. Enjoyed much better when given in little bits on a fork that she can control.

Eleanor deciding which candy from her Easter basket to eat for dessert. This literally took her 20 minutes or so as she looked at, handled, and mulled over all the choices!

Call Day #56, 4/23/11 Happy Easter!

Ready to hunt eggs. Some friends of ours organized an Easter egg hunt for some neighbors and invited us to come. Weather forced us inside at the church where we go for playgroup.

Let's go this way!

Finding an egg.

Excitement!

Claire attempts to chow down on a real, dyed egg.

The egg hunters show off their finds.

Checking out their eggs.

With eggs. Messy face from attempting to eat the dyed egg, shell and all.

Eleanor, Hannah, and Carolena after the hunt.

Making Resurrection Rolls. Cheesy name but effective imagery for little kids. Dip marshmallow in butter and spices. Representative of Jesus, wrapped in white cloths and spices applied to his body.

Wrap in dough. Representative of buried in a tomb.

Claire eats while we work on the rolls. Never would've known she liked hard-boiled eggs but we have so many on hand that I just handed her one and she was happy to eat it.

End result--marshmallow forces the dough open and leaves a big hole. Clearly, representative of an open, empty tomb. The marshmallow is gone just as Jesus was. Eleanor looked amazed. Asked me if I took out the marshmallow. Point made, I think. And a yummy treat for dinner. Happy Easter! He is risen!

Call Day #55, 4/19/11

Enjoying the new easel. One of Eleanor's favorite activites on it? Tic-tac-toe.

Playdate with our Bible study friends.

Claire found all the push toys!

Quick grocery run. Eleanor puts everything on the belt for us.

And returns our Redbox movie.

Claire in her cute raincoat, with runny nose.

Helping herself to my half-eaten apple that I sat down with the groceries. (Right after I took this picture, she scooted off down the hallway, attempting a getaway so I wouldn't take it back.)

Bath time.

Doing a good job getting the soap out of her hair! (Has been a battle sometimes.)

Claire was eager to take a bath too, but wanted out pretty quickly. Happy to watch Eleanor. She looks so long and lean!

Eleanor was splashing a lot because it was a "stormy night." Claire liked it!

Oh, my sweet girls! This started this morning. Claire, who has been learning to kiss, wanted to kiss Eleanor. (First making a smacking noise, then pointing and leaning toward her.) They were both thrilled with showing each other affection like this.

Bath aftermath. I don't think we need any more bath toys. :)

Call Day #54, 4/15/11

Today was Eleanor's 3rd birthday!!

Right away she wanted to listen to the princesses sing her happy birthday. Thanks to Nanny and Papa for the CD on which the Disney princesses sing a happy birthday song with her name in it.

Her choice of attire for the day: Fancy Nancy shirt and the Tinkerbell necklace she got a few days early from Nanny and Papa.

Discovering the Happy Birthday plate.

Blueberry muffin breakfast

Eager to start opening cards and presents. Above, from Mimi and Papa Jimmy.

From Tim.

Checking out her card (and Snow White button!).

Noticing stickers on the package from Aunt Linda and Uncle Buck.

Opening presents.

Great timing! We just watched Tangled a week ago.

Claire didn't care how long we took opening birthday things as long as I kept grapes in front of her.

Grape-stained face.

If you're not watching her, Claire will find the wagon and (sometimes) take off with it. We haven't even practiced this together, helping her do it!

On the bus. Eleanor's wish for her birthday was to "go to Daddy's hospital." She's been talking about it for weeks.

So we went.

Watching the great ball maze in the lobby.

Claire in the cafeteria where we had lunch with Erik.

Picture with Daddy. Wearing a princess sticker she picked out from the "sticker room" at the clinic.

Waiting to catch the bus home. Claire gets cuddly, meaning we wore her out this morning.

But at the library after nap, she's all over the place, scooting away when I put her on the floor. Also, bringing me book after book from the book bin. She made a whole pile, delivered one book at a time. On one occasion, a few independent steps.

Eleanor's other request when I asked what else she wanted to do today? JP Licks. Of course, her first response had been "Go to Costco" but she thought about it for a minute and settled on ice cream instead.

Claire signs "please" for more ice cream.

Sweet face, crazy hair, chocolate mouth, princess button, tinkerbell necklace, and Fancy Nancy shirt. This is indeed Eleanor at age 3. We love you!