happy birthday Rayna!

i can't believe how fast this last year has gone! rayna went from this tiny little armful

to this escapee!

at 12 months rayna is:

-eating everything in sight (including, but not limited to bark mulch, bugs, rocks, and cookies)

-crawling faster than she walks, but really very proficient at both

-mostly happy, but definately able to get her opinion across if crossed

-loving to type on the computer

(rayna inserted some comments:)

nnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. mmmmmm vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv rhhhnnnn c vc vvgxc vc c vbv76

-happy to play with her big sister, they are best friends, even when afton's grumpy and grouching at her

-not really talking or signing (despite my efforts), but "ba" is definatly a favorite sound, and spitting's pretty fun too

-so silly! she loves blowing raspberries on mama's arms. she also loves being tickled (she's even tried grabbing my hand and bringing it to her belly, then she laughs to get me started)

-sweet, when she's tired i pick her up and she pats my back as she nestles her head in my neck

-a water-baby, LOVES bath time, and playing in the water anywhere (ie, pools, the creek at the zoo, and the toilet

-a climber. she's learning to go up ladders, or at least she's trying. she climbs all over the nearby playground, and has no fear of falling, though i probably have enough fear of her falling for both of us, she thinks she can do anything afton can, though she hasn't quite got the motor skills yet.

-and she wants me to be done on the computer, go figure :)

toilet training trials

you've seen the title, please feel free to skip this post, i just need to get it out :)

we've been potty training afton on and off since september, mostly off, i guess. but the last few months has been intense, and i am so sick of it. people keep giving me really helpful advice like "wait til she's ready" and "you just have to find her motivation" well, afton would love to be in diapers for the rest of her life (or probably til she realizes it's not cool, say maybe when she's 16 or so), they really are handy. you don't have to stop playing and run to the bathroom for 20 seconds in the middle of your game. she's proven a couple times that she's totally capable of it, but she has no desire to keep going. and the motivations (candy, stickers, and special treats/events) are all wonderful, for about three days, then they lose their lure. i think we average 2.5 accidents a day, generally they come minutes after me asking her if she needs to go (or after me making her sit on the darn toilet--we've tried it both ways). the thing is, i've had 2 kids in diapers for almost a year now, and not only is it disgusting to change so many, it's really disheartening and expensive too. i realize this is a common problem, and everyone has to go through it, so perhaps i shouldn't complain, but i'm sick of it, and i figure it's my right to vent my spleen on my blog :). i keep thinking i've had some kind of breakthrough--three days with only 3 accidents or something... but no. grrrrrrrrrrr.

okay, i feel better, thanks for letting me get it all out :)

rainy day

what do you do on a rainy day (rather a rainy week)?

afton likes to splash in puddles. obviously this requires a complete wardrobe change, but doesn't she look happy? (ps, she's fortifying herself with bona fide grape juice first)
rayna likes to go for a more serene indoor walk, but with the stroller. sorry about the poor quality, it was dark, and the videographer had to help disengage the stroller from an unfortunate cabnet that jumped in the way... (and no, my baby doesn't usually walk around naked, oh well)

straight a's

just to let you know, paul managed to pull off straight A's for another semester (2 down, 8 to go...). CONGRATULATIONS PAUL!

saturdays... in the park

it's really been a blast having paul home the last few saturdays. we've missed him so many weekends with school projects (it's also nice that the weather is really cooperating with our outings), so we're taking advantage of it!

notice how the elephant is standing? afton & paul were being like it :)

afton and her friend joshua playing outside the reptile house.

there was some sort of event (aka free stuff) that afternoon too, so we got to play in some inflatables that afton LOVED!

and rayna found a new favorite too, she adored the kangaroos! i couldn't believe it, she usually gets rather bored at the zoo, wants to get out of the stroller and walk around, which is a little difficult for us, but the animals generally aren't quite worth too much attention. well... when daddy was holding her, and she could see those kanga's she was laughing and pointing and SO excited! she didn't want to leave them. i hope you can see her silly smile (her nose gets all wrinkled up)

also in the last few weeks we went to the arboretum with daddy (we'd been once before, but he hadn't yet) it was a lovely day!

we spent a lot of time wandering the formal gardens, but i didn't get many pics

they have a lovely display of little houses (representing different stories, and such) up right now, this is one of my favorites (to say nothing of the fact that i got both girls looking near the camera with one shot)

this house is covered entirely in purple flowers! (i know, paul says this is really cheesy, and he's probably right, but i'm a mom, therefore i have the right, and some would say responsibility, to be a little cheesy sometimes, and i don't think i abuse that right too often...)

you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince... or so some say :)

this was one of my favoirtes, i still can't really believe i got it on camera! we had just stopped at a picnic table for a few moments so afton could have a snack, and she stood up to point out where daddy and rayna had gone (looking at some flowers), and a little furry friend came right up to see if we'd dropped anything, you sure can tell they get a lot of food scraps there! he's almost directly under her

afton & the water...

afton and her friend joshua playing in the water at the zoo.

perhaps i didn't really need two pics here, but i loved this face! what a goofball :)

this was a fun day too... we've been working on potty training a ton lately (and working, and working... and working). anyways, one afternoon last week i was cleaning up a puddle off my carpet and afton was supposed to be sitting on the potty til i got back, imagine my surprise when i heard the tub running, and when i ran in to see what was going on, this was what i found! notice they've got the plug in the drain, and rayna got in the tub by herself (presumably without falling, since didn't hear a thump), i wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry--so i took a picture :)

and since i can't leave rayna out, here she is at the zoo water feature play thing :) she loved it too

i've been meaning to post this for a week or so now...

'cause Rayna's walking!

i know, i know, the video's not very good, but the meaning is there, and she's adorable! she's been toddling/falling as she goes since about april 23, but sh's getting much better, and she's willing to start out on her own now (she'll stand up at the couch and walk 3-5 steps to me, instead of just from daddy to me now). she gets very excited for this, and i must admit, i'm excited too, i'm so glad that i don't have to carry her absolutely everywhere anymore :) she's not going far, but i can't imagine it'll be much longer now.