Nana Came to town

My mom was able to spend a week with us right before I went back to school. We really enjoyed having her, and the girls loved/ warmed up to her from the minute she gifted them ADORABLE sunglasses. We had so much fun....

We visited our old neighbors from Vegas that now live in Pyramid Lake. It was also really cool being at the lake because all the "burners" were driving out to burning man and you could see all the funky vehicles (and people) driving out there. ...

Lake Pyramid

Neil, Mom, and Neil's new wife Marilyn

on the way there, Cadence spent the whole time on her phone
:-)

We also ended up going to the Duck Races downtown. This is a unique event where they release over 10,000 yellow rubber ducks into the river, and the first and last ones win a prize. It raises money for the humane society here, and there are so many fun events to participate in.

Gourmelt Food Truck- best grilled cheese ever! 

And so it begins.... ducks floating down...

a sampling of some prizes

I REALLY wanted
 to adopt this dog (big soft spot for animals),
but he already had a home

our lovely Truckee River

Nana also helped out with Claire's 3rd Birthday, and it was nice having her here for a party since she lives so far away. :-) 

(more on the party and Claire's milestones in a future post)

Claire's B'day Party

So we had Cadence's birthday party in May and by the end, I told Jeff that I wanted to do Claire's party somewhere other than home. It takes A LOT of work to throw a party. I mean DAYS of work and planning. And I can't just do anything simple. NO SIR-EE! 

Not in my nature. I just love to ENTERTAIN! 

So we looked into having her party elsewhere. You are talking $300+ just to have it at a local pool or bounce house or elsewhere. Well, I am CHEAP too, so we had her party at the house. But man was it worth it! So much good food and so much having family and friends here. 

 

  My mom chipped in to get a bounce house (BEST. IDEA. EVER.), but it ended up being free because they were so late in delivering it Woo hoo! 

So we had a free bounce house, Rainbow food, and fun times. The party was a blast and worth all the work, not to mention our glowing 3 year old. (Of course until the next morning when she couldn't figure out where the bounce house went)

  

 Best present ever, Grandma! Claire's own vacuum:

***Thanks to my mom for helping get everything ready and to everyone for coming and showering Claire with love and gifts!***

My sweet, sweet three year old

Being three is not the same as being two. With it, comes different benefits and also different challenges. It seems as though Claire knew that to be three, she needed to speak more like a big girl, dress like a big girl, and do all the things a big girl does. She is a HUGE help with Cadence and she loves being a big sister!

Claire Happenings:

• Lately, we have been working on letters. She points them out and gets them mixed up but it's adorable when she spells the words out.
• She is obsessed with school busses. 
• Claire LOVES macaroni and cheese. If that's all she could eat, she wouldn't mind at all. 
• I have learned this summer that Claire is FEARLESS in the water. She is such a fish. I, however, am fearful! 
• Babies, babies, babies, all the time. As you can see in the pic above, Claire is always holding some baby or stuffed animal. She is so loving to her "playmates." 
• She loves shopping as much as mom does (uh-oh Dad :-)) 
• She is a very good listener and remembers so much now. 
• Potty Training is nearly complete, although changing caregivers while going back to school has been challenging. She is almost 100% daytime. We are working on night. 
• She loves her Grandma and Nana and talks about them constantly. it is so cute to hear her ask for them. 
• My favorite part everyday with her is tucking her in at night. Our little routine is so cute and she asks for me to rub her back. Even if dad does everything else, that job is solely for me. Makes me know that I am still needed and she's not too independent yet :-)
• She is just figuring out that her name is not really "Claire Bear." 
• She says the funniest, random things, like "Mom I want to buy a pink house. Let's tell Dad." What, where did that come from?!

We love our "Claire Bear" and are ready for the fun that 3 brings!  

Stats: Height 36 inches
         Weight 32 lbs.

Sierra Safari Zoo

Yes! Reno has a zoo! Well, sort of... It's on the outskirts of Reno and is about a fourth of the size of San Francisco's zoo (le sigh). But, the girls were ecstatic over it and that is truly what counts. It's more of a rescue center and a lot of the animals were endangered, or injured, or limited and I had not heard of a lot of them. They did have the typical zoo animals like a zebra and lion and tiger, and even a liger! We also had an interesting time in the feeding den. It's an open area where the deer come up to you and you can pet them and feed them with no gates in between you and them. I bought two measly cones of feed and later found out you can buy a whole bucket for $5! That is definitely what we will do next time so we don't feel like we are being attacked again We also listened to the peacocks going crazy with their squawking and saw baby turtles.