Stoney Ridge 2010

This year Cam and I decided to visit Stoney Ridge on a week day. We wanted to avoid long lines and visit the pumpkin patch at our own pace. So we took a day off last week and hit the pumpkin patch during a lucky break in the rainy, windy weather!
Clem explored all the rusty old farm equipment,
participated in all the photo opportunities,
played cowgirl,
measured her height,
climbed fences,
and saddled herself a hay horse.

We took a wagon ride through the Christmas tree farm down to the pumpkin patch.
This year we decided we weren't leaving until we found the perfect pumpkin. Clementine's focus on this lasted less than a minute and she was off in the Christmas tree Wonderland, picking dandelions and blowing their puffs every which way.
I finally lured her back over to us with promises of lollipops and wheelbarrow rides.
Even though this picture is out of focus, I love it so much. This picture totally captures their dynamic of loud, rough-housing silliness.
After we found the perfect pumpkin, we headed back up to the farm for pie and ice cream, rope swings and tree-climbin'!


A great day was had by all of us. We lucked out with the weather. Everyone was in good spirits and we found ourselves a great pumpkin to carve for Halloween!

Farm Tour

This girl of ours loves cows. I mean she really really loves them.
Last weekend I found out SUPER last minute (like 3 hours before it ended) that the Skagit Valley Farm Tour was going on. I quick threw this girl in the car and we headed south to Bow. We only made it to one farm before the festival was over but it was a good one!
We made it to a dairy! I had read online that this one would have a petting zoo but it totally exceeded my expectations.
I love doing fun things with this kid but something I love even more is doing FREE fun things with this kid. And the festival was completely free!.
She got to "milk" a synthetic utter (she LOVED it!)
And play with baby goats,
and a newborn calf,
and several stinky, grunting pigs! (She LOVED the pigs' curly tails)
Then waited patiently for our turn to take a ride on the FREE hayride through the cow pasture


and there was a farm dog named Tank who asked for FREE belly rubs.
When we left (with FREE popcorn and ice cream, by the way) I asked Clem what her favorite part of the day was. I expected she'd say the ice cream or the petting zoo but it's what the picture above this just missed that she loved the most: this baby calf tried to eat my sleeve. She laughed and laughed and thought this was so funny!
We will definitely do this again next year, h0pefully with more warning. I learned my lesson on this quick trip to Bow: Croc sandals are not a good idea to wear on the farm.

Before and After: Playroom

The closet under the stairs had become our catch-all room. It was storing so much junk we didn't need. Christmas bows, laptop cases, old files. None of this stuff belonged anywhere really.

A few weeks ago Clementine started opening the door to this room and running in to explore. We figured if we could find a home for all the other junk, this room could become hers. It's in the perfect spot, just off the main room, under the stairs.
The thought of never again stepping on the sharp hoof of a plastic toy pig/horse/cow filled me with wild energy and I knocked this project out in one night.
So everything found a new home (mostly in the garbage) and this is what we ended up with! TA-DA!
Clementine has my old toybox in the back corner of the closet to hold some big stuff, a cushion to sit on and read, her toy bins and mailbox.
I don't know who was more excited, Clementine or me! We let Clementine stay up a bit later than normal bedtime so she could play. When she woke up the next morning the first thing out of her mouth was "TOY ROOM?! Come on Mama!"
This little project is one that's been in the works for awhile, and it probably will go on for much longer. It's a plastic Target shoe organizer that I hung on the back of this door. I got the inspiration from this looking through a teacher catalog that had a similar organizer where students could spend time during their literacy centers practicing letter sounds. Only this company's organizer was over $100.
I bought this organizer for less than $10 and have been gradually filling it up with happy meal type toys and (my favorite!) stuff from the dollar bin at Target. I used some old scrapbooking letter stickers to give each pocket a letter (XYZ share, of course) and then we find stuff to stick in the pockets.
Here you can see Avatar guy in the letter A, a ball in letter B, a cat in letter C...you get the idea. I think this is something that Clementine will grow with as we ad more to it later. Right now she can only reach "/p/ /p/ Pumpkin."
I also hung up some of her art work we recently brought home from preschool
And this canvas thing I made for her ages ago.

I am still toying with the idea (get it??? TOY-ing??) of painting the whole playroom yellow w/ maybe a square of chalkboard paint. I don't know, it's a work in progress!

This Week in Pictures

We have been extra busy around here this week!

Clem and I started taking swim lessons--she loves it!We went to Kyah's birthday party where Cam had a tea party with all the little girls

And Clem wore herself out in the jump-jump.


Then she got her second wind after snarfing down a cupcake

and came home looking like this!
I found the cutest dang Gap dress at a consignment store ($4!!) and wanted to take Clem's birthday card pictures in it. This is what is what I got instead.

And we finished this hectic week with this:
While Cam and I made dinner, Clem played quietly (I should have known) in the office. She got into my stamp pads which were on a high shelf under a tight lidded jar. Yeah, we need a new system. Luckily, this time she only got her skin and hair!

Is this 3?

We have several more weeks until Clementine turns three but we have seen another sudden change in her (just as we did about this time a year ago). I am constantly amazed at the person she is evolving into and always on my toes with these new firsts. I want to remember these Clementine-isms forever.

Clementine has started talking up a storm. It's constant chatter around our house. But now, instead of mostly babbling, her chats are mostly interpretable! She also gets stuck on repeat sometimes. Today she asked me "Baby Mumble Movie?" 37 times in less than a minute. She's not looking for a "Yes," response, she wants me to confirm message received by repeating "Baby Mumble Movie."

My FAVORITE Clem-ism is when she wants me to pick her up. At the top of the stairs and in parking lots she wiggles her fingers and says "I'll hold you." There is something so endearing about this phrase that I immediately have to respond yes--and I don't even mind lugging that 40 pound, long-legged girl on my hip. I'm reminded as her shoes dangle dangerously close to my knee-cap that carrying her on my hip won't last much longer.

She also likes to take charge. As soon as she wakes up in the morning she takes roll; "Daddy shower, Jack potty" she'll say, knowing this where our family members are first thing in the morning. She never hesitates to let me know when she's occupied, needing privacy. She sweetly chirps "GO AWAY!" while using the loo. Or "NO SINGING!" while she's playing or reading. "CLOSE YOUR EYES MAMA!" when we play nap--a long standing favorite pretend play.

We have always steered away from Princess paraphernalia with Clementine but last week at her school they studied Fairy Tales. Now dressing up as a faerie has no meaning to her. She declared this was a princess outfit and her whole being transformed as she put on her dress up clothes. She swayed, holding the hem of her faerie dress, put a headband on like a crown and declared herself Princess. She crooned in front of the mirror smiling like a cheese-ball and twirling. Cam and I just stared in slack-jawed amazement. Then we all got a turn wearing Princess crown.

While everyone knows my sister as Sissy, she has only ever been Nolan's Mommy to Clementine. She's called her this for months. Yesterday she saw a picture of Sissy and I on the fridge and said "Thitthy and mama are smilin'!"

I love this almost 3 year old. We can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Mt. Baker

Today we took a little drive up to Mt. Baker. Neither Cam nor Clem had been there before! It was quite the adventure!

We scoped out the side of the mountain and did a short little hike. We found pine cones to add to Clem's sensory bin and looked for signs of fall.
I was scoping out the flora and fauna. I thought this looked like a cozy little den! It's where I would want to burrow.
I don't know what this plant is called but I need it in my life.
The trails have lots of these stone steps. I'm fascinated because they are so even and so enormous. Whose job was it to put these there? That's some serious work.


Some nice ladies hiked right by us and took our picture on the little bridge. It's pretty rare we get a picture with all three of us in it!

And just like that....

...my baby is suddenly a little girl .