Playtime at Port Royal Park

Day at the Beach

Pismo Beach

We stopped at Pismo Beach on Monday to give the girls (another) break from the car on our way to Carpinteria.

Juliet and Michael being frogs:

Here is Adeline showing off her new walking skills:

The photos I took today (5/27) may be the last ones I capture for a while since Juliet threw my camera in the sand at the beach this afternoon and the lens is now stuck (she did this once before and after lots of banging, we were able to get it working again, so there is still hope, but it really seems like it might be beyond "repair" this time).

Adeline Jumping

This video was taken February 17th and I am just finally getting it posted (don't mind the hamper in the hallway). We are off to Carpinteria for some beach town fun and should have lots of fun photos to share when we return in June. Adeline is walking now, so I definitely need to capture some videos!

Lil Miss Impossible

The conversation this morning:

"Okay, time to get ready for gymnastics class. Can you pick out some underpants?"
"No. You."
"Okay." (handing over a pair of perfectly nice undies with blue guitars) "Here."
"Not those ones."

AAAHHHHH!!!

Someday when she is a teenager, I guess I will miss this stage.

1-2-3 Magic for Baby Sister

I read a book on discipline called 1-2-3 Magic. One of their strategies for getting your child to cooperate is to punish them by taking toys away when they are uncooperative. We have been using this strategy on Juliet with varying results (she hates having stories at bedtime taken away, but will happily send a whole slew of other toys to be hidden away for a week - clearly this means that she just has too many toys to even notice that some are missing).

It seems that Michael and I aren't the only ones trying out this disciplinary strategy. The other day I heard Adeline fussing in Juliet's room and went to check on her just as Juliet was exiting the room with several wooden toys in her hand. I asked Juliet if she had taken the toys away from her sister and she replied, "Adeline wasn't listening". It took a lot of effort not to chuckle. I explained to her that Adeline doesn't have to listen to her, because she isn't the mommy and doesn't make the rules. Do I think that sank in? No, but it was worth a try.

Adeline Graduates to Biped Movement

Adeline is really getting around these days. She started cruising around the ottoman and couch for the first time last weekend, and now she has moved on to bigger and better things: walkers! She goes up and down the hall with her Radio Flyer wagon. The kid is going to be walking on her own in no time. She wants to keep up with her sister, I guess. Adeline is just 9 months old and Juliet didn't take her first steps until 12.5 months, so it's looking like Addie is going to walk a lot earlier than her big sis.