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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5eAnXIX_SI[/youtube]First, a video of CareBear so you can all get an idea of what a what an almost-three year old drill sergeant sounds like!

LiliBee did not make it to the playground, she conked out about 100 yards away.

CareBear is a big kid and went down the big slides all by herself.

She really enjoyed climbing up the “rock” wall to get up there, too.

The only slide she had reservations about was the enclosed one, so she asked me to go with her the first time.

After that, though, there was no stopping her.

We ended our trip to the park with a little swinging. We explained to CareBear what she needed to do to make herself swing and she actually got going a little bit without any intervention from us!

LiliBee woke up on our way back to the car. She was not amused by how funny we thought this was.

Happy Groundhog’s Day!

I hear that Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow, which would give us a few more weeks of winter… 

We started out this week with a bit of winter weather and almost an inch of snow on the ground. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was enough to entertain the kids and the dogs for most of the morning. LiliBee actually enjoyed it more this time as she had a pretty difficult time walking around in the deeper snow.

By the end of the week, it was practically spring-like! We took advantage of an almost sunny afternoon by taking a trip to the park. We did some walking and some playing at the playground. Unfortunately, LiliBee fell asleep during the walking and missed out on the playing. CareBear, on the other hand, declared herself a “big kid” and went down the big slides before swinging all by herself on the swings. She almost got herself moving, too! 

We’ve ended this week with our annual January cold. It’s a little late this year, but LiliBee started with a runny nose a few days ago and now CareBear has a cough. I hope it doesn’t last too long!

Chris is starting his new work schedule this week… he’ll be working later than he was, so we’re all going to have to adjust our schedules. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly!

We took a walk in the park on Friday… the sun was peeking out of the clouds, so Chris put LiliBee in the backpack and we headed into the park. It was really nice to get out in the fresh air and we even saw a woodpecker pecking away on a stump. 

CareBear insisted that she could lead the way so off we went. This particular park has a paved trail and you can choose whether to make a little loop, a big loop or take the longer trail over to the schools’ athletic fields. We took the big loop.

CareBear was quite the little drill sergeant  and trotted off yelling “hup two three four!” at the top of her lungs. 

Of course, she gets into her military trot and out paces us. I’m pretty sure she can go for miles at that pace.

Fortunately for us (not so much for her), she can’t help but break into an all out run. And then she sometimes wants a little break.. it didn’t last long, though, since the trail we took ends at a playground! But I’ll post those pictures later this week.

The couch cushions are a source of endless fascination for both kids… it’s quite entertaining to watch LiliBee manhandling something several times her size!

Usually, Chris or I get the honor of building the cushion “houses” for them, but today their favorite relative did it.

And, even better, he made a house with multiple wings!

No wonder he’s their favorite.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhwR7sbpVfU[/youtube]

LiliBee is getting the hang of walking in shoes (it’s kind of hit and miss) and she had a lot of fun playing in the snow with the puppies. We only had a little bit of snow (less than an inch), but that probably made it easier to practice walking outside.

 

I hope everyone is enjoying the new year… not too long now before it’ll be February and then it’s not a new year anymore! My resolutions (organizing my pictures as I upload them and posting a picture a day on the website) are still going strong. Four weeks in and I haven’t missed a day yet.

This week was mostly fun. We started our toddler gym class again and LiliBee is excited to be able to participate. Now that she’s a better walker, she can almost keep up with the other kids when it comes to chasing the balls around or jumping on the trampoline. CareBear even convinced her to climb into the big foam pit. CareBear is an expert at the obstacle course now and even participated in circle time for a few minutes (she’s never been too interested in sitting still for long).

Chris had his second swimming class and, despite his predictions, has not actually drowned yet. He’s doing really well, actually, and I’m glad that he’s learning before the girls do!

LiliBee decided that one molar wasn’t worth the discomfort, so she’s getting the other three too. Poor kid is pretty uncomfortable sometimes, but all four have broken through now so I’m hoping it gets better soon. She’s only really cranky about it when she’s tired, but her poor fingers get a lot of chewing. 

CareBear spent another week inside her “tent” in the living room. She likes to have her snacks in there and even invites LiliBee or the cat to join her. I complain sometimes about not being able to walk through the room (between the “tent” and the “playground”, sometimes I have to take a shortcut over the couch to get to my computer), but it’s too much fun watching them play to stop her.

We got some good stuff done this weekend… Chris put in the shower in our master bathroom so I was able to have a shower in my own bathroom for the first time in over a year! It’s practically a functional bathroom now. We also spent some time reorganizing the kitchen. It’s nice to feel productive.

Last night, I took a shower in my master bathroom! Showering isn’t usually a big deal around here (we do it regularly) but this was an event! It was the first time I’ve been able to shower in my master bathroom since before LiliBee was born.

Chris started the master bathroom project while I was pregnant and implied that it would be done by the time I was home from the hospital… of course, that was before they knew that they’d have to replace all of the flooring, plumbing, walls, ceiling and we even moved the door to a new location.

The point? I now have a functional toilet, sink, bathtub and shower! It’s quite a luxury to not have to share a bathroom with a couple of toddlers (one of whom is potty training and both of whom toss my stuff around the room). The bathroom still has a ways to go, but it’s very pretty. If I had a little storage and a mirror I’d be all set.

It’s already Thursday… I feel like I haven’t done much all week! That’s not entirely true as we’ve had some big advances in potty training and bedtime routines and everyone’s been fed and bathed and clothed, but I just don’t feel overly productive. Maybe it’s the mid-winter lull. It’s interesting to see how differently we all react to the winter season.

CareBear is a warm-blooded kid. She doesn’t like to wear her coat (or even clothes sometimes) no matter how cold it gets.  It’s the middle of winter and she’s become fascinated by the idea of sleeping in a tent and camping out. Chris made her a tent in the living room and she was an actual “happy camper”. I wonder if she’ll still be excited about it when we actually go camping in a couple of years.

LiliBee is a cuddle bug these days. She’s always been a chilly baby who likes to bundle up and snuggle. She’s thrilled that she can climb up on the couch or bed all by herself now to get to her blanket. She also likes to bring me stories to read… of course, I’ve been reading “10 Little Monkeys” for a couple of years now so all of the suspense is gone.

Me? I could go for one of those “long winter naps”.

Teething makes LiliBee chew on anything and everything. Usually, it’s her clothes and her fingers. Occasionally, it’s me. Sometimes, she gets more creative…

 

Another quiet week. Chris had an extra couple of days off (one of the better parts of working for the state is the holidays!) so we were able to get some errands and organizing done. Now if only I could find the time to ditch all of the clutter, we’d be in pretty good shape!

LiliBee is now officially 14 months old… she walks, runs, climbs, yells, waves… she’s not a baby anymore. She’s getting her first molar, so that’s been a lot of no fun. It’s messing up her sleep and making her chew on her clothing.

She’s thinking about starting to talk, though. She’s been focusing so much on learning to do everything CareBear can do that it hasn’t been a priority (and CareBear does enough talking for everyone). Still, she’s working on a few words that aren’t “mama!” now and that’s a nice change. And Grams taught her to blow kisses, which is beyond cute.

CareBear has become an expert pedal-er. She still has trouble getting going in the mud or gravel due to the lack of traction on the wheels, but she’s getting pretty good at going once she gets started. Steering is a bit more challenging… I hadn’t noticed that none of her riding toys to this point let the kids actually steer (I suppose it’s supposed to be “safer” or something) but I keep having to remind her that she has the freedom to decide where to go.

This week should be a bit more exciting as our toddler gym class (finally) starts up again. CareBear is looking forward to all of the running around and LiliBee will actually be able to participate in the obstacle course now that she’s a fairly stable walker. We also get to start planning our annual Seaside vacation (and Ham Radio pilgrimage), which is always lots of fun.