This girl

At 16 months old, Lyra is a little bundle of energy and spunk. This curious, excitable stage is quite a lot of fun. When Lisa was this age, I really let communication barriers (ie. screaming every time she isn't getting what she wants) get in the way of having fun. This time I am trying to have more patience and realize that sometimes babies are just going to yell and scream. We have made more of an effort to use a few signs with Lyra with hope that it will alleviate frustrations that accompany limited language skills. She is imitating more of everything she sees every day. Her recent favorite is to be an elephant, waving her arm next to her face while letting out a high-pitched squeal. She loves being read to and is very creative in her play-time. Her face often lights up when she first sees Lisa in the morning and it is heart-warming to think a special sister bond is being formed. She really loves her sister, despite the teasing that already takes place. She definitely shares Lisa's love of music and it is fun to watch them dance together.

Getting creative with those rings. She does sometimes put them on the stand.

EARTHQUAKE!!! That is how Lisa deals with Lyra's attacks on her dollhouse. 

Favorite silly face. Tuck in the upper lip and open your mouth as wide as you can.

Mom, you are seriously interrupting my downward-dog. 

Hey, what's for dinner?

Christmas Vacation 2010

Nothing like being unable to locate your camera as you are walking out the door to drive to California for Christmas vacation. We took a few pictures the night before we left, but we did not take any while in California this year. Sometimes that can be a good thing because then I just enjoy the moment instead of taking tons of pictures. Grandpa Lee did email a few pictures he had taken at the cabin, so I'm glad to have those.
Although this trip was a little shorter than usual, we enjoyed the time spent visiting with family and friends. We were able to stay with Karl for the few nights we were there and had a great time hanging out.  I was very grateful for the special arrangements Katie helped to make so that Grandpa Joe could be with us at the Fieth family Christmas Eve dinner.  He has been staying at a care home since his recent decline in health and is not able to get out very much. On Christmas morning we gathered at the Terry home to share gifts and eat breakfast together. Then we met up with the Fieth family at Grammie's to visit with her for an hour so that she wouldn't have to travel to Yuba City. It was great to see her smiling and I think she was glad we came. When we got back to Yuba City, we had our usual time at the Fieth house opening gifts and eating great food. We made sure to head over to the Terry's before too late so that we could say hi to Grandpa, Lonna and Afton. I've always considered it a luxury that our families live in the same area so that we can see everyone each year, even if it does mean a bit of scrambling around on Christmas day. After spending 4 days in Yuba City we drove up to Truckee to spend one night with the Terry Family before driving back to Twin Falls. Lisa was excited to see so much snow, much more than we have in Twin. We all went out and played in the snow and Gramommy even went sledding down the road with Lisa. It was super fun to watch them play together. Lyra loved just sitting in the snow and tasting it's frozen goodness.
When we got back on the road to go home it was definitely nice to have a shorter drive going from Truckee to Twin Falls.

Lisa's gift to daddy-to count the days until vacation

Lyra loved her book from Lisa

Lisa has been watching all the musicals we can get our hands on that we think she'll enjoy and one of her favorites  is The Wizard of Oz. She saw a Dorothy doll at Barnes and Noble she wanted badly enough that I decided to make one. Not too shabby for my first doll making attempt. Now if she only wanted to play with it. :)

Gramommy receives critical instructions from Ryan on steering the sled down the hill. I crash into the snow bank on the side of the road every time!

Snow of Twin Falls

We are realizing that here in Twin Falls we have to get out and enjoy the snow while it lasts because it doesn't stick around very long. Last weekend it snowed a little, so we threw our snow clothes on and invited Lisa's friend, Alexus, to play with us. The girls did a great job rolling the big snowballs for the snowman. They both have a tendency to want to take charge, which doesn't always result in the friendliest playtime, so it was lovely to see them working so well together. By the time we were getting ready to go inside, it had pretty much changed from snowing to raining, so it was no surprise that the snow had all melted by the next day. Lisa is looking forward to playing in lots of snow at Truckee while we're in California for Christmas vacation. 

Christmas party, cookies, lunar eclipse, friends

Last Saturday's Christmas party at Ken and Kyi Kyi Whiting's house was a lot fun. We got to visit with friends and also went caroling at two care homes in their neighborhood. Lisa loved hanging out with Karen Fathergill. She is so good with kids. I love being around people who have so much patience with kids and seem to genuinely enjoy their company. It's a good example to me to lighten up and let kids be kids. Lyra loved the Christmas tree and made it her mission to get those shiny ornaments. As I looked around the room that night, I soaked up the warm, fuzzy feeling that always seems to show up when surrounded by such great people.

Yesterday, we also had our own little cookie party. Donna brought Ollie over and decorated cookies with us for almost 4 hours! It has been a long time since I really baked like that and it was a blast. Now that Lisa is older, I actually get to sit and decorate my own cookies for real. Lyra made it super easy too by taking a FIVE hour nap. I was starting to get a little worried at the end and had Ryan go in and wake her up when he got home. She must be having a growth spurt or something. While Donna and I were visiting, she mentioned that she and Tony were going to view the lunar eclipse at the CSI Planetarium and invited us to come. We called our new favorite babysitter, Mary, and she agreed to watch the girls last minute. First we joined them for dinner at the Rock Creek Restaurant and then headed over to the Planetarium around 11:30pm, when moon was just starting to eclipse. I don't remember ever seeing an eclipse before and it was cool to look through the big telescope for a close-up. We watched until about 12:45am, when it appeared to be mostly eclipsed and turning that orangey-brown color. Apparently this is the first time in 500 years that a lunar eclipse has fallen right on Winter Solstice. Being in Idaho for this December event made it a rather chilly experience, but I'm glad we got to spend the time with each other and in such good company. 

Science with dad

Lisa and I have not been doing as much "Home Preschool" lately, mostly because she has such a fun time playing and pretending by herself and doesn't want to stop to sit still and write things on a paper. Imagine that. And I've been too lazy to come up with really fun activities, so I haven't been pushing it as much the last few weeks. 

But last week Ryan found a great opportunity to get sciencey with her. He brought home an extra from dissecting sharks with his class so that Lisa could take a look at it. I could not believe how interested she was in touching, cutting and exploring that stinker. I learned a few things just listening to them talk while they cut at it. It was kinda cool how everything was dyed different colors to make it easier to see each part.  And the smell was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Ryan said he thought it was cool I would let him bring a shark home to dissect on our kitchen table. I told him HE was cool because he would do that with our daughter! 

Shhh...

Lyra has recently become quite the copycat. One of our favorites that Ryan taught her is "shhhhh". Sometimes her finger makes it up into her nose which really makes her giggle. She also just learned the sign for "eat".
We finally made it to the doctor for her 12 month check-up yesterday. Between moving to Twin Falls and not having a car very often during the day, it has taken me awhile to get with it. They had SIX shots to give her, one in each arm and two on each leg. She let us know how unimpressed she was with that business, but didn't cry as long as I thought she would afterward. At 18 pounds and 29 inches, she is no longer in the "0" percentile like she was at her last appointment in July. Her small size doesn't slow her down too much, although she is taking her time with walking. She has taken a few steps, but still usually prefers to crawl. She loves babbling to herself and anyone who will listen, especially while admiring her reflection in the mirror. Looking at books keeps her entertained for a good while and we have also noticed her trying to sing along when Lisa is putting on a show, which is quite often. Lisa is trying to learn to be a patient older sister, as Lyra loves to get into whatever she is working on. This little sister has become rather feisty and puts up a good fight when challenged. But that doesn't mean we have lost the cuddles. When she gets very tired, she lays on the floor and rolls around, or is content to just snuggle up with mom or dad. Ryan commented that this is one of his favorite stages because she is becoming even more curious, but everything is still so new and exciting.

Thanksgiving, somewhat untraditionally

This Thanksgiving we decided to keep our kitchen intact and go out for lunch at a restaurant around the corner from our apartment. I actually do enjoy cooking for special occasions, but it was nice this once to sit down to dinner without having worked up a sweat in the kitchen and to not have a mountain of dishes to conquer afterward. The restaurant had advertised a Thanksgiving buffet, so we still ate all of the traditional foods. I guess the only difference was the country western music playing in the background and the fact that perfect strangers were subjected to my dorkiness as I bobbed my head to the music with Lyra and fed Lisa her last few bites of sweet potatoes. Oh-and no leftovers. That was a slight disappointment, but it was still fun to get out. I didn't bring the camera, for which I am sure Ryan was very grateful, so no pictures this time.
In the afternoon, while Lyra and Ryan took a nap, Lisa and I went to visit some friends, Rachael and Korth Petersen, who also just moved here from Rexburg. The Hawkins had driven up for the day to have Thanksgiving dinner with the Petersen's, so Lisa also got to play with Kyler and Lyndee.
That evening, Lisa and I put up our little three foot Christmas tree and our stockings. We turned on some holiday tunes and enjoyed a quiet evening. We are so thankful for each other!