Staying afloat in a sea of sickness

It's been quite a few weeks for us. Matt started off April with a cough/cold that is still lingering. Then I came down with bronchitis a week ago. Lucy and Clara didn't want to miss out, and both have come down with bad cough/colds over the weekend. Thankfully my parents' visit has been perfectly timed for them to come to our rescue. Now we're hoping for some fun times together before they leave!

Here are some pix from before the illnesses hit us, showing what the girls are into these days.

Clara loves reading/pointing.

And carrying around dolls (seems like just yesterday she was the baby!).

Clara has a deep passion for all grown-up electronic things, like the sound machine, phones, remote controls. She really gets absorbed in them!

Lucy learning about the human body. She's very curious, and it's so fun to teach her about the world.

And they always love hugs!

Adventures abroad- part 1

I've been wanting to post some pictures from our visit with Mimi and Papa Jack. With 3 cameras going, and a month there, we came away with quite a few photos, so I'll do a few separate posts.

These are some shots from around the house, to get a feel for what their place is like.

The girls throwing/munching on lemons in the walled front garden

Clara in a local outfit for our delicious couscous meal! This picture is in the salon, which is lined with long couches.

The back garden- the girls loved playing out here and sitting out on the back porch.

The view from our bedroom.

The view from the upstairs patio. You can see goats in the foreground, and then some of the walls from an ancient fort on the left, and beyond, the city and the ocean.

Matt and I enjoyed breakfasting upstairs on our own while my folks watched the girls.

Lucy waiting in front of church.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!

Easter fun

We had a wonderful Easter celebration. Matt was home in bed with a bad cold :(  but the girls and I were glad we could join my grandparents and extended family and friends after church. Lucy hid eggs for Clara in the morning at our house, and then I hid eggs for all the kids (big and little) in the afternoon.

I asked Lucy to tell me captions for the pictures- here they are.

"You took a picture of me sinking an easter egg into a water bowl. I liked the different colors and I liked looking at the different colors. I like the picture because it's pretty with all the easter eggs."

"I'm helping Clara find an Easter egg."

"I'm giving Clara her Easter bag."

"I'm helping Clara find a Easter egg under the table."

"I'm like giving a hug to someone and I'm smiling with my pink dress."

"Clara is smiling with 2 Easter eggs."

"I'm showing Clara [and Aunt Katy] my Easter eggs with my eggs in it."

"I'm running with my braid and my pink coat and pink tights and black shoes. That's all I want to say."

Joy-riding

 Whew, hard to believe we've been back for almost 3 weeks already. We had a marvelous time with my folks; I'll post some pictures from the visit soon.

In the meantime, here are a few recent pictures.

 Lucy having fun (safely with her new bike helmet).

Gosh, aren't they cute together?

 Enjoying one of the recent sunny days.

 

The girls are getting along really well, on the whole. Clara has started sitting at the big kid table for snack.

 

Quality time reading with Papa.

 

We spent last weekend with Matt's cousin, Sarah, plus 3 dogs and a cat. It was a wonderful weekend and the girls actually did well with the pets! By the end of the visit, Lucy was going up to them to pet them and have them lick her.

Sunny adventures with Mimi and Papa Jack

Much has gone on in the past month or so. We were sick for most of January and early February with colds and stomach bugs (not fun!), but then had a wonderful 4th birthday celebration for Lucy, including a party with friends and another with my grandparents. And now we are overseas, visiting my parents! I didn't get a chance to post pictures of Lucy's party before we left, but will do so when we get back. 

It is beautiful here- sunny and in the 60s during the day, and a bit colder at night. We've been soaking up the sun and having lots of outdoor adventures- such a treat to be able to do this in late Feb/early March. Mimi and Papa Jack are wonderful hosts, making delicious food (I deeply appreciate the break from cooking), entertaining the girls, and taking us to lots of fun places.

Here is Papa Jack with his koala bear. Clara is really bonding with Mimi and Papa Jack, and even reaches for them to hold her when I'm around, and rests her head on their shoulder.

I got to celebrate my birthday here, and had a fun lunch out with dad and Lucy. More pictures of my coffeeshop time are here.

The girls continue to love making each other laugh.

Although the water is still too cold for swimming, we've been to the beach a number of times to watch the waves and play in the sand. Lucy, our little hot box, went around in her swimsuit the other day, even though most of us were wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts!

 Clara holding Papa Jack's finger- so cute!

Lucy and Papa Jack being silly together.

Lucy reading in the special hammock chair. She's adapted really well to this very different culture. She has learned how to say hi and goodbye and thank you in both languages spoken here, and often finds playmates when we're out at the park.

For some reason I can't get these next few photos to load right, so please bear with me and tilt your head.

Lucy and I went to get pedicures last week, which was so fun. She ended up getting the full treatment (45 minutes) and sat so patiently throughout- I was amazed!

Mimi has been so great with the girls. The 3 of them have quality time together each morning, while I sleep in or have some time to myself (such a gift!). They often have dance parties after breakfast, which sound like lots of fun!

Juggling/eating lemons in my parents' front garden. This photo captures how beautiful and sunny it is.

Clara, after enjoying some yogurt. She's been growing so much, even in the week and a half that we've been here. She has a few new words, including "ot" for "hot", "at" for "cat", and "bah-pah" for "back-pack". And she's really been working on climbing on furniture and going up and down stairs (with our assistance, of course).

Clara says 'Mama'

Here's a video of Clara saying "Mama"- Lucy makes her debut as the videographer/director (you can hear her saying "Mama" to show Clara near the beginning).

Happy Birthday Clara!

Clara is 1 years old!! (actually, 1 yr and a few weeks- sorry this is late, my little sweetie!)

She is such a treasure, and we are so blessed to have her. We love everything about her; her sweet, mellow spirit, her curiosity, her emotional expressiveness,  her love of music and dancing, her cuddles, her grins. 

It's amazing how much she has grown in this year, from a helpless baby to a walker/dancer/explorer! She says a few words now, too. Her first was "buh-buh" for her bunny lovey, and then "Mama" (so precious to hear!), and then "Dah" for duck.

1 week old

1 year old!

She has such a beautiful smile.

Lucy and Clara together. They are different from each other in so many ways, but have such a sweet and special connection.

We celebrated Clara's birthday out west with Grandma Judy and cousin Sarah. Judy made a fun snowman cake, which Lucy and I helped to decorate.

 

Clara loved her first taste of cake!

There were balloons.

And party hats and music- lots of fun!

Here's a video of me chasing Clara- she has such a wonderful laugh.