New Digs

I pulled out Stella's old walker/chair for Phoebe this afternoon. Happy, happy girl. She may be a tiny little peanut, but she's rarin' to go.

Everett & the Meerkats

Sounds like a great band, doesn't it?

We met up with Nathan and Sara this weekend at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Their son, Everett, is almost exactly the same age as Stella, and it was a joy watching the two of them run around the zoo while we caught up. Everett lead the way as navigator while Stella rallied our enthusiasm for the new Meerkat display. And Phoebe? She just smiled... and slept... and smiled.... a true charmer.

Don't you just want to ski off that perfect little nose? Edible. Truly edible.

Sisters, Books and Big Kid Undies

I love this scene. It's a common one lately. Stella has taken to sharing her love of reading with Phoebe, picking out her favorite books and "reading" to her with sweet little voices. Of course, Phoebe is totally enchanted with all things Stella, so Big Kid Scout feels pretty important and special.

And speaking of Big Kid Scout... Stella is potty training. Pardon me while I yelp a giant WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! She's a pro with just a week under her cutely-adorned-with-adorable-undies belt and is beyond proud of herself. (As she should be.)

As Good As It Gets

In Which Phoebe Smiles on the Porch

Mother's Day

It didn't even occur to me to take a picture of myself with my girls this Mother's Day. I really must get over my aversion to having my picture taken. I know how much I adore pictures of my mother and me from my childhood, and I suspect both Stella and Phoebe will want the same. So sometime soon we'll get our act together and capture the whole fam. (And check out Stella below. This was some kind of Mother's Day tribal dance on my behalf. :) )

Eat Your Heart Out, Robert Smith

Oh, how I tremble at the sight of an uncapped marker.

But oh, how I delight in seeing what the peanut deems a canvas.

Safe

The other day, Stella came around the corner like this. She told me that she was keeping her giraffe safe from the dinonicus and apatasuarus in the kitchen by keeping her close to her heart. She protected that little bugger all afternoon.

It's been really interesting watching Stella's fascination with dinosaurs grow. It's all coincided with her expanded view of the world and subsequent fears. They've been a great vehicle for learning about animals and the earth and science. And they've also been a great vehicle for talking about and addressing her very real and very valid fears. Sure, she may want to dress up like a dinonicus for Halloween (seriously), but the notion of running into one on her way to the kitchen table ain't so appealing. So we keep feeding her insatiably hungry brain while simultaneously reassuring her of the permanence of extinction.

Starved

Poor Vinnie.

(Fret not, beloveds. This is not a viscous claw here. This is one of those slow-motion, let-me-entice-you-with-a-supremely-adorable-claw-stretch-right-in-your-face-because-I'm-starved-for-attention kind of claws. Poor guy. Knocked to the back of the cute line yet again.)

Bath Time

Bath time just got twice as fun in our house. Both Stella and Phoebe love sharing a bath now that Phoebe is old enough to hold her own. Stella makes sure Phoebe has good toys to "play with" while Phoebe smiles non-stop as she watches Stella splash.

Filling Out

Ooooh, the rolls are a'comin'.

Delish.

Little Sister

Phoebe loves Stella. Every time Stella is in the room, Phoebe twists and turns to find her big sister.

And how could she not? Look at that goof.