Halloween!

Halloween was a big hit this year.  For the first time, Bethany sort of "got it," and was excited to put on a costume and go trick or treating.  Our neighborhood in general is a little nuts at Halloween - we're sort of a destination for folks from all over - but our street is pretty calm.  We decided to just visit a few houses, since it was frigid and we didn't really want a bag full of candy.

Here are the girls eating the traditional macaroni and cheese/hot dog pre-trick or treating dinner. 

Bethany has had enough pictures, obviously.

Costumes were a major issue.  For most of October, Bethany vacillated between being a penguin and a witch.  We had settled on witch, but the week of Halloween, the temperature dropped like crazy.  We actually had to turn on the heat, which is unheard of in Georgia in October.  The witch costume was not very warm at all.  Fortunately, our friends had loaned us the super-warm lion suit last year for our dress-up box.  Bethany loves it, and it wasn't tricky to convince her that she would be warmer and happier as a lion than as a witch.  (And of COURSE lions have purple feet.  Duh.)

Granny found Clara's ladybug costume on clearance, and we just added a turtleneck and leggings.  They both were pretty happy to be dressed up.

We visited about 6 or 7 houses, and Bethany did a great job of saying, "trick or treat," and then, "thank you."  Several people insisted on giving her a handful of candy, which I could have skipped, but she was polite and appreciative, so that was a relief.  When we got home, I taxed her candy, as per Blascovich tradition, and Lindsey was horrified.  :)   Clara did not actively trick or treat, and we did manage to convince the few people who tried to give her candy that she wasn't ready for it yet. 

Clara turns one!

 

Clara turned one on October 15th.  It's pretty hard to believe.  She started walking at 10.5 months, and hasn't looked back.  She's a lot more adventurous than Bethany was at one, so our lives are a lot more exciting. :) Here she is on the actual birthday, tearing into her presents from my Aunt Paula & Uncle David in Indiana.

She was very good at tearing the paper.  This was not surprising, as destruction is one of her spiritual gifts.

We celebrated Miss Clara's first birthday with family and friends here at our house the Saturday after her birthday.  She had a blast, and really enjoyed seeing everyone.  Through some genetic craziness I hadn't fully considered beforehand, it turns out our friends have a LOT of 5-7 year old boys, so I ended up sending everyone outside to play.  :)

We ate pizza, and then the birthday girl blew out her candle in a dish of ice cream.  Clara doesn't really like cake (horrors!) (how is she my child?), so we had make-your-own ice cream sundaes instead.  These were, not surprisingly, a hit with the aforementioned 5-7 year old boys.

As usual, my camera died halfway through the party, so I'll add more pictures when I get them from a friend who jumped in and saved the day!

Clara at one:

*Favorite book:  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  She will actually pitch a fit if she doesn't get this before bed, and can sing the first two pages in her own special language.
*Favorite food:  pasta  (no surprises there)
*Favorite game:  trying to run as fast as Bethany

Unlike Bethany, Clara loves milk in a cup, and will actually ask for it.  She also loves to play outside, and will walk to the front door and point to it when she wants to go out.  When she wants to do something someone else is doing (especially if it involves climbing or eating), she points to herself quite emphatically and says "eee, eee!" 

She is happiest when Bethany is with her, and also loves when Daddy comes home after work.  She runs and jumps into his arms, which is pretty great to see.  She loves to meet people and wave at them, and will even occasionally let non-family members hold her.  She's definitely got opinions of her own, but overall she is very sweet and loving.

Grandma G. G. Turns 90!

We were fortunate to get to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday at the beginning of August.  A big family celebration came later in the month in California, but we weren't able to be there.  My grandmother's brother also wasn't able to travel to California, so we all met in Jacksonville to have a smaller party.  Here, you see the birthday girl with the youngest member of the family.

Due to a carseat/stomach virus catastrophe, our first stop was at my cousin Amy's apartment to take advantage of her washing machine.  Naturally, Amy had a tiny guitar for Bethany to play.  They also made a beaded bracelet.  Amy is sort of like a swami for small children.  It's a gift.

Bethany and her new BFF, Amy.

We made a quick run to the beach, so that we could have the opposite temperature experience from our ill-fated February trip.  Yes, it can be too hot to enjoy the beach.

Bethany let Lindsey bury her feet in the sand, then she was pretty much done.  We headed to the pool shortly after this.

This may have been the only point at which Clara wasn't screaming.  She did not like the sun, heat, or sand.  Heaven help me.  How did I get beach-hating children?

Not screaming exactly, but still not happy.  (She also hated the hat.)

Back to Grandma's apartment before the big party.  Here is Clara with the infamous Santa pillow that Uncle Andrew made for Grandma in 7th grade Home Ec.  Why, yes it does remain on display year round.  How did you know?

Grandma G. G. made Bethany her very own tin of chocolate chip cookies, which she did not have to share.  These cookies are amazing, and everyone was a little jealous, particularly cousin Laura, who really only eats two things for dessert - these cookies being one of them.

Grandma did make another tin for everyone else to share, so the hurt feelings got a little better.

Bethany and Aunt Mary Beth - they almost look related.  (HAHAHAHAH.)

Laura & Clara bonding over their love of accessories.

Grandma G. G. and both girls - Clara was overtired by this point, so we don't have a great picture of all three of them.  Next time...

We had Grandma's dinner at the same restaurants where Laura's rehearsal dinner was, and it was just as excellent.  This cake was divine - you can see how impressed Uncle Chet is. :)

Post-dinner gymnastics with Cousin Laura.  (She will kill me for putting this on the Internet. Tee hee.)

The Florida & Georgia cousins with Grandma.  Guess where the height came from?  Hint - not the Blascovich side...

Cousins! Daddy, Aunt Mary Beth, and their cousin Jean!  (I think Aunt MB & Jean could be sisters.)

Grandma and her baby brother Chester.  We were so glad to see him.

Aunt Norine & Uncle Chet after I made them squish together over the furniture.  Not the best photo set up ever.

And one with Nana just for kicks.  The weekend was too short, as these trips always are, but we were glad to be together, celebrate, eat, and share some good stories.

Back to School.

Bethany headed back to preschool a few weeks ago. She and Clara wore matching vintage dresses for the occasion.  So far, being in the two year old class has gone quite well. She likes her teachers, and her classmates include some old friends and some new friends.

The school has added a little Spanish class this year, so she goes to that for half an hour a week.  So far, she's not saying too much, but we'll see how that increases as the year goes on.  The teacher is the mother of another little girl in her class, and is a big Bethany fan.  :)

While Bethany is at school, Clara and Mommy are hanging out, running errands, and Mommy is trying to learn to knit.  Another mom from Clara's playgroup is teaching me, and she's light years beyond any teacher I've had in the past.  (This is not my first rodeo with the knitting.)  I've finally learned to purl, so I'm hopeful I'll have a whole washcloth completed by Christmas.  No promises, of course.

Springishness.

 Nana and Bethany are armed and dangerous with the bunny darts! 

 Clara, on the other hand, is content to hang in the swing.
She'll spend half an hour in there if we let her.

 She's also very good at pushing up. On the bed, and sometimes on the floor, she can lift her entire body, so that only her toes and hands are touching the floor. I'm jealous. She can also sit up!

 We went to the Atlanta History Center's Sheep to Shawl program. Clara spent most of the time hanging out and watching things.

 Bethany enjoyed petting and grooming the animals in the heirloom breeds petting zoo. This is an angora goat, and there's a reason those sweaters are so soft!

 Mommy was particularly fascinated by this long-haired Scottish cow. That's a cow!

 Clara celebrated her six month birthday by eating banana. She liked it fairly well.

 She loves to feed herself.

 You can kind of see her tongue here - it's very pointy. We see a lot of it right now.
Here, she's playing on Daddy's chest. She likes any kind of game that involves bouncing.

 Here's Clara's first time in the high chair. Stokke Tripp Trapp = worth every penny. 

She loves being at the dinner table with all of us.

This is a very poor action shot, but it was supposed to show them both using spoons. Clara is eating avocado, which was also Bethany's favorite at this age. Now, she won't touch it.

Happy Easter!

We started the morning off with breakfast, and a sleeping baby sister!  Finally, it was time for Easter baskets.  This is Bethany.  {Note: She has had the doll for a while - the surprise was the new doll onesie and a carrier for the doll.  Now she can carry her doll just like Mommy and Daddy carry Clara!}

Happy girl with her new carrier.

Clara's basket was looking a little sparse, so the Easter Bunny added an old-as-mommy doll that Clara hasn't really played with yet.  Ahem.

Happy Clara on her very first Easter!

We hunted eggs at home before heading to church.  The bunny was a very good hider, which caused some confusion, but eventually we figured out the process.

Daddy and Clara at church.  The girls were a big hit.  We have recently started attending a new church, so it was nice to meet some new folks during the egg hunt.  There was also hat making (look at that bonnet!), and bunnies and chicks were there, too.  Bethany is in a super shy stage, so that was challenging.  She clung to us like a lemur, but did at least hunt some eggs.

Bethany is now all set for the next royal wedding.

Family picture in front of the flower cross.  This is a neat tradition, I think.  The sweet man who took our picture is apparently not a fan of the zoom feature.

Clara tried out the bonnet.  

After a lovely service, we came home and tried to take some sister pictures.

Some are better than others.  Don't the dresses look cute?

Clara is working hard on sitting up.  She might get there before her six month birthday this week, but I doubt it...

One funny Bethany thing at the moment:  at St. Patrick's Day, we talked about how St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the Trinity.  So, she knows the words "Holy Spirit."  However, she's still a little unclear on the meaning, obviously, since any time she sees a hole in ANYTHING she calls it the "holy spirit."  Not quite ready for seminary....