Claire Bear - 2 Years

Where do I even begin....

I guess with Claire's 2 year portraits. I always take Claire's photos, but I usually have the help of my Mom. This time, due to some circumstances I will blog about later, I had to do them solo.

It was such a nightmare! I couldn't even get her to look at the camera, let alone smile. I was

breaking a serious sweat taking these shots and I am so glad I got two,

absolutely adorable images to result. Thankfully, that's all you need.

Doesn't her body language make her look so grown up in these shots?

Where did the time go?! Claire Bear turned 2 years old last month

and she has officially transitioned into toddlerhood. Yikes!

• at her 2 year check up she was 34.5 inches tall (68%) and 26 pounds (41%) - based on a personal method of predicting height, her pediatrician estimates that she will be 5'6" tall as an adult
• she is officially no longer a baby and is wearing toddler clothes
• when asked what her name is she'll reply "Care Bear"...this is so funny because we have never told her that is her name
• she is obsessed with taking pictures and will hold almost anything up to the sky and say "cheese" (in the picture to the right she is holding up the TV remote) - she has even begun demanding that I take pictures of her...she'll find my camera or phone and say "picture of care bear" and then of course, she always has to see the result
• went through a phase of wanting to take her diaper off
• says everything is tight - her diaper, the seat belt, you name it...and she won't let up until you pretend to loosen it
• wearing Mommy's "suckas" (necklaces) - she says 99% of her words correctly, but for some reason necklaces and sunglasses are both pronounced "suckas"...her favorite is Mommy's yellow one and she gets very upset when you make her take them off
• has become very OCD - everything has to be exactly how she likes it...you have to dry her water bottle before giving it to her, you must cool her food down by putting it in the freezer and the fridge won't cut it, her baby monitor that plays music has to be placed in the right direction on the floor...it goes on and on and on (AND DRIVES ME CRAZY!)
• is learning the names/locations of states - her favorites are California (b/c that's Crew's house), Nevada (Ashlyn and Avery's house), Zona (Arizona - Brooklyn's house), Washington, Oregon, Texas, Alaska, and Hawaii...as you can see we've yet to venture out of the western United States
• her latest obsession is to "open up bankie" - she demands that you lay her blankie out on any surface she chooses...Khloe's bed, the couch, the chair, over her stuffed animals...and she insists that she can't do it herself
• she thoroughly enjoyed having a huge snake wrapped around her neck at Draper Library - she's scared of flies, but apparently not snakes
• is obsessed with ants - she points them out everywhere and one of the ways I have gotten her to wear shoes outside most of the time is by telling her she is going to step on an ant :)
• can count to ten all by herself
• always wants to watch a show - and the only show she will watch is "Signing Time"
• is constantly testing Mommy's patience and by late afternoon I have usually lost it
• but then she'll say "wuv you Mommy" and make up for it...momentarily
• has grown to like copying what someone does or says - in this picture she is copying my Dad...he was holding up his hand to block the sun so he could see a bird in the tree above him
• knows a lot of colors and will say something is a "blank one" - blue one, purple one, pink one, etc.
• loves hanging out with her cousins and will usually give them hugs and kisses upon first site
• she likes to close doors behind her and if she leaves a room she will always say "bye" and usually add "see ya"
• insists on getting in the car and her car seat by herself - which drives me crazy because it takes her like an hour to do it
• loves getting stickers or stamps wherever they are given (stamps at the library and stickers at Target)
• one of her favorite snacks is "boobies and cheese" (blueberries and cheese) - she is even particular about what kind of cheese it is (white is string cheese and yellow is a cheese stick)
• is very into saying "thank you" and sometimes adds "you're welcome" too
• she is obsessed with phones and our phones aren't even fancy iPhones so they really do nothing - they are always locked so the most she can do is push a button and make the light come on
• finally getting the hang of using a fork and spoon although it usually results in an even bigger mess than if she uses her fingers
• constantly is requesting "capes" (crepes) for breakfast - I had to start telling her we didn't have them to which she'll give in and say "eggs", toast", or "ogurt" (yogurt)

This little one is such a joy and a nightmare rolled into one. Everyday I am in awe of a new thing she has picked up or the fact that she'll sit and watch her show (Signing Time) and repeat words back to the TV. Her personality has definitely developed and I am so excited for the future. Some days, she seems to dictate every little aspect of our day and it really irritates me and on others, she is a totally delight and says "okay Mommy" after I tell her to do something.  I am so grateful to have her in my life and hope we can continue to learn from each other everyday. We love you so much Claire Bear!

2 Year Bear Picture

(all bear pictures are here)

(this is evidence to the fact of her "particularness" if that's a word....she would not allow me to put the

bear on the other side of the chair where it has been in every single picture to date...so frustrating!)

Family Vacay - Final Day

Our final day was spent at the beach. We rode around the boardwalk on beach cruisers, which was something we had never done and thoroughly enjoyed! I could seriously do that everyday. It was beautiful! Erik and I both liked picking out our favorite houses and people watching as we pedaled by.

At first, Jeremy pulled Claire and Crew in the wagon, which was a little cramped for her comfort. Soon after, I tried to ride with her on the back of my bike. It was way harder than it looked. I seriously pedaled about 10 yards and had to switch because she completely threw off my balance. I guess I'm not that great of a bike rider. :)

Claire was eventually moved to the back of Erik's bike and she absolutely loved being on the baby seat and wouldn't let go of her helmet. I'm sure she enjoyed the scenery as much as we did. I don't know what could be more beautiful!

After we rode around for a while, it was time to stop and enjoy the beach. One thing I had never realized was how wide the beaches are in L.A.. I was so used to seeing the narrow beaches you find in tropical places. Claire was excited to finally play in the sand and just like the first day, she was nervous about getting too close to the water.

As you can see, Claire really enjoyed herself. What could be better than eating yummy kettle corn out of Mommy's hat and sand out of beach shovel? Mmm....delicious!



Later, Erik and Jeremy played around with a kite while Claire and I looked on. To be honest, it took them forever to get it in the air and provided some good entertainment for us girls and Crew on the sideline. Later, when they had enough of the kite, Erik found some little crabs to entertain Claire. Spending the morning at the beach was a great way to end our vacation. We packed so many things into our short weekend; it was amazing! I was so grateful we were able to spend time as a family in such a beautiful place.

 

 

Unfortunately, our plane ride home wasn't as enjoyable as the days before. Claire threw a HUGE temper tantrum and would not stop screaming. She was so exhausted from our weekend of no naps and late bedtimes and nothing would calm her down. After about 10 minutes she was able to console herself and ended up falling asleep on my knee while standing up. That was definitely a first!

Family Vacay - Part 2

On Saturday, in order to do something we love, we had to do something we hate. The four adults woke up bright and early (yuck!), left the kiddos with a babysitter (yahoo!), and went out on the water for a morning jet ski run (yay!). I was extremely nervous leaving Claire with someone I had never met before because (a) I didn't know who she was and (b) it was going to be for half of the day. Since my friend Terra trusted her, I figured Claire would be in good hands and to our surprise, she didn't mind being with a stranger. Uh...that could be a bad thing though. :)

As we headed out onto the water, I started to feel bad for Erik. There were two jet skiis for the four of us and so we had to ride together. Erik is such a dare devil and I get very nervous/skittish when on a small motor craft in the middle of the ocean. It was a cold morning and I knew I was going to be freezing, which added to my guilt of wanting Erik to drive about 5 mph. Thankfully, we met in the middle. Erik gunned it a few times so I screamed in his ears to stop :) and the rest of the time he drove at a comfortable speed we could both enjoy. Jeremy guided us up and down the coastline and we got the best surprise ever! For a short time, we were riding along with a school of dolphins. Amazing! That was definitely the highlight of my day and I could have gone home right then. We rode around a while longer and made sure to visit some nearby sea lions perched on a buoy. The males were very protective as we got close and were barking for us to go away. A couple of them jumped in the water, which made me nervous that they were going to come attack us and we wouldn't be able to get away in time. I am such a scaredy cat! I am still waiting to get the pictures Terra took of Erik and I on her camera so for the time being here are Terra and Jeremy (just picture our heads on their bodies):

Once we finished jet skiing, we grabbed some lunch at a really cute cafe called "Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market". We sat around a table and chatted while we enjoyed our yummy pulled-pork sandwiches. While we were eating, I noticed a very old man sitting on a nearby bench. He was holding a leash to his big dog who looked very hot and thirsty. The animal lover in me made me very concerned for the dog, so I got some water and took it over to the pup. The old man was very nice and out of no where said "do you want to buy my dog?". I was a little taken back at first. He went on to say that he was in his nineties and wanted to see his dog go to a nice family before he passed away. So sweet! Erik thought I was ridiculous for interrupting his lunch to give his dog water, but it was clearly appreciated and it brightened up my day.

After lunch we headed back to the house to pick up the kids. Crew had a birthday party to go to at a nearby park so we played with Claire on the playground while we waited. Of course, she had so much fun and went down the slide about a hundred times.

This was day two of missed naps and late bedtimes, so by the time we hopped back in the car to begin our evening in downtown L.A., Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, the kids were pooped! Claire NEVER falls asleep in the car so the fact that she completely zonked out to the point where she couldn't hold her head up was hilarious!

It has been almost 20 years since I have been back to Los Angeles, which is funny because I've been to California many times in those 20 years. One thing that I had never done on my trips to L.A., was go to Beverly Hills. Here we are in front of the Beverly Hills sign as if you couldn't tell already:

Erik was a trooper as we drove around looking at all of the expensive stores and cars that drove by. Of course, I had to make them take us down Rodeo Drive and when we got to a stop light I acted like a stupid tourist and stuck my head out of the sunroof to take a picture. I probably looked so retarded! Oh well. No one would let us stop so I could walk around so that was the best I could get. Beverly Hills is gorgeous! Later, we drove through some of the neighborhoods to look at the incredible mansions and they really were amazing! There were palm trees and beautiful green hedges everywhere! Erik and I kept asking ourselves "how do all of these people have so much money?". What a beautiful city!

Up next was Santa Monica Pier, another place I had never been to. It is such a unique place. Muscle beach to the south, a mini-amusement park, and a beautiful beach to the north. I have always wanted to ride the Ferris wheel so that was our first stop. Thankfully, we made it before the sun went down and while at the top, we got to see a beautiful sunset. At first, Claire was amazed that we were so high in the air, but then all of the noise around her made her a little nervous and she wouldn't let go of Erik. I had to pry her out of Erik's arms so I could get a picture with her. All in all, it was really fun!

Claire was too small to go on any of the rides by herself so Erik took her and Crew on a kiddie hot air balloon ride. Claire was scared to death! She sat there next to Erik and it looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. Afterwards, I realized it was probably a little too adventurous for her first ride being that it went around in circles and flew in the air all at the same time. We probably should have started with the little cars that stay on the ground. To our amazement, when the ride was finished Claire was furious. She immediately screaming because she wanted to get back on. So funny!

Below is a short video of Claire's first kiddie ride:

We spent a while wandering around the pier and then headed over to "Bubba Gump" for a delicious dinner. It was a great end to our very fun and busy day. Probably the cutest thing that took place was on our drive home. I looked over and Crew and Claire were holding hands. Too cute!

 

(Post about our final day coming soon.)

Family Vacay - Part 1

Only a few days after Claire and I got back from "Zona" (Arizona), we headed out for our first real (real means an airplane was involved) family vacation. Claire was very excited to go on another airplane and she insisted we were going to "Zona" yet again. Every time I told her we were going to California she would reply with "airpanes zona!". It was so nice to have Erik next to me to help us get through the two hour flight to LAX. Toddlers just don't understand "don't put your feet on the chair in front of you". :)

By the time we got to our friend's house near Redondo Beach, it was almost midnight. Claire had a very long night and I knew that wasn't going to pose well for the next day. A few short hours later, Claire awoke in the new surroundings and we informed her that we were at Crew's house. The two of them had never met and are about two years apart, but they still managed to have a great time together. Firefighter and Batman costumes, toy trains, and our iPad all kept them entertained for a couple of hours. Soon, we were off on our first excursion; exploring some nearby tide pools. We took a little hike down to the beach and told Claire about the ocean. The one thing I was looking forward to during this trip was the opportunity to let Claire see and feel the ocean for the first time. I only wish she would remember what took place. She loved the hike down to the water but as soon as she heard the waves crumbling over the rocks she got nervous and didn't want to leave Daddy's arms. It turned out to be a wonderful Daddy-Daughter bonding experience.

Unfortunately, the tide was in so it was very difficult to hike over to the remaining tide pools, but we managed and Erik even found Claire some tiny crabs. She loved looking at them and to my surprise, wanted them to stay as far away as possible. She'll put a five-foot snake around her neck (post coming soon) but is scared of a one-inch crab? Strange girl!

At this point, Claire still hadn't set foot on the sand or in the ocean. It was very rocky near the tide pools so once we walked past them it was time to pry her out of Erik's arms. We took her shoes off, set her on the sand, and waited for her reaction. Immediately, Claire was very unsure of the sand on her toes, however, a couple of steps later, you could tell she was starting to enjoy the feeling. We strolled along the sand for a few minutes and then decided it was time to head out for some lunch and get on with our day.

What fantastic, trendy restaurant did we hit up for lunch? Good ole' Trader Joe's. Yes, the grocery store. We like our meals extravagant and our booth must always be private. J/K :) Our salads and sandwiches were delicious and the nearby grocery carts provided wonderful entertainment for Claire and Crew. It was a great way to spend lunchtime catching up with old friends.

After lunch, we headed back to the house to gear up for our evening ahead. Before dinner we stopped at the beach for some quick family snapshots taken by my friend Terra. I was so happy to have beach photos taken and may just have to use them for our Christmas card this year since they turned out so cute.

As we headed back to the car, Claire couldn't ignore the new and exciting sand beneath her feet. It only took a moment for a handful of sand to make it into her mouth. Yuck! 

Probably the best part of our vacation was all of the quality time Claire and Erik were able to spend together. You could really tell how much Claire loved all of the rough-housing and exploring day after day. So adorable!

It was a long and eventful day and we were all dying to get some food in our bellies. Unfortunately, the restaurant we chose had a very long wait, but we made do.

By the time we sat down, we stuffed our faces with bowl after bowl of chips and salsa. Yum! Erik and I had our usual chicken enchiladas and Claire pretty much filled her tummy with chips and Crew's french fries. It was such a well balanced meal. :)

Our first day in Los Angeles managed to turn out wonderful despite a late bedtime the night before and a missed nap. We crossed our fingers that the remaining days of our weekend trip would go so well.

Me and Terra