Friday, 20 June 2014

Summer's Eve

I'm writing this on June 20th while I have a little reprive from packing. It's been a very busy past few weeks. I won't spend too much time talking (especially because I don't have much time - still a few things to do before we leave tomorrow!) and let the pictures speak for themselves. Can't believe that this time tomorrow we'll be on the flight to Vancouver!

Beating the heat with our little collapsible pool
Lots of splashes
Having way too much fun

It's so much better with the
tongue sticking out
Giggling together
Fun with stickers
It's much more entertaining to
put them on yourself than on paper
Very proud of her new backpack! This
will be her bag for the trip and maybe
even for preschool in September
Playing in the tent that Mimi (Pet
name for Carlos' mom) bought them
Crawling through the tunnel
Even Alixe tried crawling through!

Wednesday, 18 June 2014

End of May, early June

Busy busy busy. The end of May was a bit cool but the weather heated up nicely and we've been in summer clothes ever since. As you can see from the pictures, we got our jogging stroller/bike trailer in working order and have been using it regularly. Carlos and I are getting pretty good at running with the girls in there, and Aimy sometimes asks me if we can go in the "wheel" (her word for the jogging stroller). We also went to visit Carlos's family from June 7-9 and had fun despite the heat - it got pretty warm! Aimy wasn't very happy about having her own big girl bed at her grandparents' house though, so I ended up having to sleep next to her in a single bed. Not very comfortable, especially with the nights being so warm! The girls loved going on the swings and playing with their cousins. Around this time, Alixe started refusing to eat baby food and now will only eat what we eat. She likes to feed herself with her fingers too, so now I let her eat half on her own and spoon feed her the rest. No pictures of that though - we all eat our meals together (mostly) now. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Hanging out in the baby's bed with their stuffies
All dressed up and ready to go!
Girls in the jogging stroller/bike trailer
So cute
Smiling at big sister
Wearing the shirt I knit (and trying out
the camera!)
Sweetheart
What happens when Daddy tries to
dress the baby for bed. Legs in sleeves,
and crotch showing through the
neck hole
A photo I forgot from the deck-
building phase: Aimy out in her
booster seat, drawing while
Daddy works on the deck
Another shirt picture
On the swings in Lescar. They would stay there
all day if they could!
Picking cherries!
Too fun.

Thursday, 12 June 2014

Slipping into Summer (temporarily!)

Still very behind in blog entries. This one takes us to May 18th.

The weather was very nice at the beginning of the month of May - it even hit 26 degrees on my birthday! It didn't last, though, because right after we had almost 2 weeks of unseasonably cold and wet weather. Still, we've been outside fairly often enjoying the deck when we can, and the girls are growing and exploring all the time. After much frustration at not being able to follow us around the house, Alixe figured out how to crawl on the 18th, though she isn't completely down on her hands and knees - she puts one foot out to the side to help her push, so it looks a little awkward, but she got pretty fast very quickly. So funny to think that at this age, Aimy was zooming around the house on her bum. Both Aimy and Alixe love the neighbour's cat, and Alixe even tries to imitate its meow, though it usually comes out "Meh!" It's not always easy to get good photos of them right now, since they are always on the move, but when I do get a good one, it is definitely worth sharing.

Birthday flowers!
Beautiful
Dancing to the music
Posing while dancing
Sharing dress-up time with her sister
Puzzles! Really loving those right now
Cuddling with Daddy
Standing! Can't quite pull herself up
yet, but she does love standing and
walking with support around the house
On the knees...
Ready to push up and have her arms
on the table!
Trying to figure out how to climb back inside the house
Aimy finally let me do her hair again!

That lasted about 30 minutes
Two little readers
Playing peekaboo
Smile with teeth!
Look, the umbrella!
Aimy has her own deck chair too
Crawling!!

Monday, 9 June 2014

End of April and early May

Late April and early May brought a few changes around the house. Aside from the deck, which looks fabulous and which we use whenever we can, Aimy graduated from her crib to her "big girl bed" as she calls it, which is basically her crib with one of the sides with bars replaced with a plank so that she can climb in and out. She is totally enamored with it and asks me often if it's time to go in the big girl bed, or will proudly tell me she had a nap in her big girl bed after she wakes up. There was no danger of her climbing out of her crib (thank goodness) but since she will be in a bigger bed at my parents' place when we visit, we thought it was about time for her to move up in the world. The first few nights we left a foldable mesh bed barrier up so that she could get used to the idea of the bars no longer being there, but still have something to prevent her from falling out (and it was a good thing we did, because I found her pressed right up against it that first night). After we stopped using it, we had a few nights of her testing out her new-found freedom and getting out of bed to come see us, or turn on the light, or play with her books. That still happens occasionally, but she is getting better about staying in bed once it's bedtime. Aimy is also able to climb up on the highest stools and chairs in the house, which makes me a little nervous, but she usually still asks if I'll lift her up, thankfully.

Alixe started to participate more in her meals during this period. She would get frustrated at mealtime if she couldn't have her own fork or spoon to play with. She's definitely grown a lot in the last little while - she's now into the 12 month pyjamas! She figured out how to push herself backwards with her legs and turn around in a circle on her bum, and is getting very good at reaching for objects that she wants. Still no crawling at this point, but she started to seem interested in following Aimy and me around the house and would cry out if she wanted us to stay with her or to follow us. She is starting to show real personality too - if she doesn't want to eat something, she closes her mouth and shakes her head, and when she does want something, there is a lot of pointing and "AAAAHH!"-ing until we give her what she wants. She had more teeth come in and was a bit cranky as a result. And, the part that gets me the most excited, is that she now regularly calls out "Mama" or "Mamama" when she sees me or wants me to pick her up!

Otherwise, the two girls are able to play together more and more often, especially in Aimy's room with her toys. Aimy isn't always great at sharing, but she does seem to be able to entertain her sister fairly easily. I often hear the two of them giggling at each other. It's pretty sweet, and hopefully a sign that they'll be good pals when they're older.

What Aimy does when you tell her to go to sleep. What
a ham!
So excited to pretend to nap in the big girl bed.
Happy
Good aim! That doesn't usually happen
Practicing for later
Hoarding all the blocks. (though
truthfully, it was Aimy who gave them
all to her)
On hands and one knee to reach
Listening to Aimy read a story
Playing "Pat-a-cake"
Clapping. Well done, Aimy!
SOOOO BIG!
Hanging out on one of my new
deck chairs!
I got down from my seat to grab a cloth to wipe Alixe's
face and before I know it, Aimy has climbed up and was
feeding her sister the rest of her yogurt!
Yum
Very happy to be feeding her sister
Notice the yogurt on the tray, on
Aimy's sleeve, on Alixe's face...
but what's a little mess if they're having
fun, right?