Adventure in the Snow

Claire and I set out on an adventure today to Turkey Hill! I know, very exciting. It is much more exciting when you're two and think that the only reason to go to Turkey Hill is for gummi bears. Knowing that Claire is not very fond of snow, I talked to her first to see whether we should just drive the two blocks or if she would be brave enough to walk. I knew she'd get pretty heavy in all of her snow gear. But, she seemed really excited about walking in the snow to Turkey Hill. So, we geared up (which took a good amount of time).



Okay, all set to go. As I'm openning the back door, Claire starts saying, "I don't like the snow. I'm scared to walk in the snow!" Hmmm.....maybe I should have just drove. So, we set out and I try to encourage her to walk since there wasn't much snow on the sidewalk, but she insists on my carrying her. It went fine on the way there (although my arms were getting pretty tired), but I was really concerned about the way back since the real reason for going to Turkey Hill was to get some milk. I'm trying to picture myself carrying Claire in one hand and milk in the other, and getting more and more tired by the second. Well, we arrived at Turkey Hill, and I convinced Claire to walk in the parking lot. I think she was so excited to be there that it didn't matter to her anymore that she was walking. We picked up a 1/2 gallon of milk (I was going to buy a whole gallon, but I thought I'd give myself a break) and the all important bag of gummi bears, and set off for home again. After about a half block, I had a little talk with Claire, explaining that walking on the sidewalk was just like walking in the parking lot at Turkey Hill. That didn't convince her. Then I resorted to bribery and told her that she could have some chocolate milk if she walked the rest of the way home. That did it!



She walked the rest of the way home, and enjoyed a cup of warm chocolate milk when we got there!! Here's the real prize, though...

Here's another good snow picture...

Happy Birthday, Jimmy!

Today is the birthday of a very special guy. We hope you have a great day, Jimmy!

My Little "Helper"

As Claire and I were getting ready to go somewhere today, Claire noticed that I didn't have my socks on yet. I asked her if she would like to pick out a pair for me. I told her to pick out a brown pair. After a few incorrect attempts to find the sock drawer, she finally found some. She came back with a black pair, however. Finally, she (with a little help) found a brown pair that would work. Then she asked me if she could help me put on my socks. Here is a picture of Claire "helping me put my socks on."

A Glimpse into the Mind of Claire Bear

My daughter says and does some of the most interesting things sometimes. I know a lot of it has to do with the fact that she is a 2-year old. Every day I'm excited to hear what she'll come up with next.

A week or so ago, I was vacumming the bedrooms in our home, and since Claire is not a fan of the vacuum cleaner, she decided to stay in her room with the door closed while I worked in the other rooms. I can almost always predict what she will say when she hears that the vacuum is turned off - "You all done, Mommy?" Not this time. She came out of her room as soon as I was finished and said, "Hi...I missed you." The inflection in her voice made her sound like a good friend I hadn't seen in years.

Another time I thought I could predict what she would say was when she asked me for a snack shortly after we had just finished eating. I told her that it wasn't time for a snack right now, and braced myself for the outburst of tears and anger. Her only reply was, "I just had a banana, silly!" like she realized she didn't need a snack and it was ridiculous to her that she had asked for one in the first place.

Just today, Claire told me, "I smell like popcorn." She doesn't like popcorn, and hasn't been around any for quite some time. I asked her why she smelled like popcorn, and her reply was, "Because I'm going to BE popcorn." Oh...okay

Last night, I was organizing some things while she was playing in her room. She came up to me and asked, "Mommy, what would you like to have for Christmas?" I replied, "I don't know." She asked, "A doggie?" I replied, "No, not really." She insisted, "Yeah, you want a doggie." She handed me her Pound Puppy and said, "Here's your doggie!"

Lastly, the other day I was putting makeup on in the bathroom, and Claire had found some chapstick (which she loves to put on herself). She was liberally applying her chapstick to her lips when she said, "If we put this on our eyes, we can see a hawk!" She is somewhat of a birdwatcher, by the way. I just laughed and made sure that she didn't actually put chapstick in her eyes.

Well, that's all for now. I'm sure there will be more silliness to come from my little creative wonder.