Hey, everyone. Time for some updates on the kids.

Claire is turning one this week (cry, cry). She is sooo cute and fun and funny. I could just sit and watch her all day long. She is very cuddly and a great crawler (and she cruises a bit on the furniture also, but there's not usually anything there of interest to her). She has definitely said her first word-kitty. We thought perhaps she had been saying it for awhile now, buuuuut, now I can say it for certainty. She says it like "iiitttt-eeee." She sort of squeals it in a falsetto voice, copying the way we say it when we talk in our baby voices. She loves to play games, like peekaboo. She loves to look at books. Everything, absolutely everything is of fascination to her, and it's like she just can't get around enough to check it all out. There have been no issues with her getting around the house. Lara understands to keep her little things up on her bed, or keep her bedroom door closed. The house was still baby-proofed. Claire has not really started opening cabinets and taking anything out yet. She usually likes to follow someone around the house. Also, Claire will say "choo-choo" and pump her hand up and down like she is blowing the whistle (a train goes through Atlanta several times a day). Of course, it comes out more like a grunt "ehhh-ehhhh." But she's got the concept. (Also, a disclaimer here: I am writing all of this to simply have it recorded and because I know some people will really want to know all the new little things. I am definitely not writing any of this in a "see how smart my kid is" capacity.) Claire sunburns easily, has been sick-free for the last few months, doesn't like the nursery at church, and is a picky eater. She is so gosh-darn cute!!I'm working on getting things ready for Claire's one year photo shoot.Here is Claire eating some mud.

Lara is beautiful. She is growing like a weed, and is very tall and skinny. My mother tells me I was just that way when I was little as well, which I'm sure comes as no surprise to people [that Lara gets those long legs from me]. (In my defense, please remember that I gave birth to a 10.3 baby last year :).) She is so skinny that she can only wear 3t pants/shorts with an adjustable waist, with the strap pulled and tightened on the inside as much as possible. Sometimes, a 2T waist is what fits best, but then they are too short! I tell Lara she needs to eat more and fatten up, but she doesn't listen. She eats like a bird. Sometimes, she will just skip meals and be fine. Eating is of no interest to her, and she will only do it well if she is really, really hungry. But she is never that hungry, because she eats lots of fruits and veggies..and also, because she is three. :) Lara is not really a picky eater. When she does eat.

Okay, so, at the expense of making me sound like a crazy mom, I will tell you: I've decided to start being serious about teaching Lara how to read. Yes, I know she is only 3 1/2, and no, I am not interested in giving Lara a "head start" in her education...I guess it's just because Lara loves to read so much, and is quite good in the general literary/vocab/writing arena. A long time ago, a friend gave me Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I put in up on my shelf for several months, and recently decided to take it down and give it a go. My thought was that I'd try a few lessons, and if it wasn't working, we'd try again later. So now we are on lesson 5. This is a phonics-based program, with literary comprehension and writing skills built in. I think she is doing well so far. The lessons take 10-20 min. every day, and you just follow the lessons in the book word-for-word. I've two other friends who are currently using the same book. I was hesitant about doing the writing, but Lara is actually doing pretty well. She loves to draw, so I think that helps. I was teaching her how to make a lowercase m the other day, and was about to give up or throw the pencil across the room, whichever. Thankfully, my teachery-creative side kicked in, and I taught her how to do an m in about 2 minutes flat. You walk down the road, very good, then go back up, and make a hill for the lady in the Sound of Music to sing on, yes, that's right, go to the top of the hill, the hills are alive with the sound of music....then walk down the hill because we are all done with singing, no wait, we need another hill, so go back up, yes, that's right, right there, and do another hill for her to sing some more, now let's walk down the hill, and all done!! Okay, so a tad more involved than "down, over, down, up, over, down," but I'm okay with that. You teach the way the child understands. I'm not crazy. At least, I don't think I am...

We also do Lara's yoga about every day. Quite hard, but she is definitely getting better at it. I'm relieved to see her progress.
In other news, the gardens are doing splendidly. I recently had a strawberry spinach salad, made with the spinach from my garden. As you can see, there are a lot of spinach salads in my future.

Well, I think that's all for now. I've a lot to do this week-Claire's birthday is Saturday, and I've decided to make a spectacular cake, I can't wait to show you. I've been painting, and packing. And the photo shoots have begun. Have a great week, everyone!!