Viva la Revolución!

Clara makes a clear political statement this Sunday morning. Choosing to buck the trend of mainstream ideology, she organizes her own tea party rally. Listen closely and you can hear the libertarian whispers. Viva la revolución!

Thpppttt...

Enough said.

Mordecai Friends Unite for a Summer Swim

A few months have passed this crew of Mordecai friends have gathered for our early evening events. Clara, Ada, and Olive keep their parents on a strict schedule. We get together at 4.30, let the kids play while we cook dinner, try to sit down to eat (spending twice as long as normal chasing the little ones around), catch up, watch the children break down in rapid sequence as the clock approaches 6.30, and call it a wrap.

Tonight was plenty warm, giving us a chance to break out the kiddie pool. All three children delighted in the summer's first swim.

Somersaults & Grandparents

Paul spent the weekend in Boise to celebrate the baptism of his goddaughter, Fiona. While Paul was enjoying the company of the Prince Family, Kate's parents came down to Raleigh to lend a hand.

As per usual, they leave behind a new trick for Clara to perform. (A crowd favorite has been the "excited face.") This time...somersaults! Now, how do we teach Clara that she can't use this new skill to get from the couch to the floor?

You're So Vain

This is quickly becoming an addiction. You may have noticed that most of the videos we post here end with Clara rushing toward the camera. Her preferred form of entertainment is watching brief clips of herself on Paul's phone. If we deny her, she throws a fit (which she rarely does in any other circumstance). We suppose there's an element of toddler vanity involved here. Our bigger interest (and perhaps the topic for a longitudinal psychological study) is the affects on a child of watching her life in instant replay.

Becca & John Visit

Kate's cousin Becca came to visit this weekend along with her friend John. Becca is enjoying her last week of freedom before starting her doctoral program in physical therapy in Boston. We all had fun exploring Raleigh together, and Clara was glad to enlist two more members to her burgeoning fan club.

Below, we skype with Jim and Betsy. They got to see Clara for the first time since Christmas, and they gave us a tour of their fancy new barn/garage/man cave/yoga studio. Ah, the wonders of skype!

Clara's Hiding Place

Clara's imagination has blossomed over the past several weeks. She pretends to feed her stuffed animals, pretends she's a ghost, and plays hide-and-seek with her parents. This is her latest hiding spot...an odd choice seeing that she seems to share her father's claustrophobic tendencies.

Friday Night at Seaboard

The last time we did Friday Night at Seaboard, it was all fun and games until Clara pooped all over Claremont. Things are different this Spring. We've finally learned the proper way to attach a diaper. And, as you'll see from the brief video, Clara is a bit more interactive than she was a year ago.

Circles on the Green

We had a family date night this evening, enjoying some seasonal weather at Raleigh's North Hills. The mall has an astroturf green where kids of all sizes and ages enjoy running, tumbling, and dancing. Clara is always eager to join in.

Her spatial skills remain in an early developmental stage, making it entertaining to watch as Clara interprets the movements of those around her and mimics them. Here she does circles, her translation of some older girls doing cartwheels.

Close enough for us.

Kamikaze Ghost

An inexplicable tendency...Clara has a fascination with being a ghost. She covers her eyes with her wee hands, a blanket, or (in this case) a dish towel and becomes invisible to all. Why she insists on running at top speed whilst in ghost mode remains baffling. It results in brief giggles. But more often than not, those laughs turn to teary eyes when mom and dad aren't quick enough to prevent nasty spills.

She is kamikaze ghost.