In 3 Hours...

...a toddler's outfit may change drastically. This is not how he looked when we arrived at church, but this is how he looked when we went home. Pictured below is all of Clark's outfit that was not wet when I picked him up from nursery. Lesson learned: change diaper before nursery.

Airplanes v2

Add an iPhone game while flying, and does airplanes get any better?!

*this also serves as proof that I actually do dress my child in more than just a white onesie 

Airplanes

One of our new favorite games around here is "airplanes."

After lift-off, Clark is never afraid to "put his arms out" or "flap his wings."

Food Critic

I've been busily cooking and baking my way through a couple books I've wanted to try out for a while: The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook and The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, both by Cybele Pascal who I greatly admire. I'm trying to introduce new foods into Clark's diet and find meals we can all safely eat together to reduce the risk of cross-contamination during cooking and mealtime. This past week I've offered Clark potato kugel, Jell-O, quinoa, rice noodles with red sauce, homemade corn tortillas, salsa, banana "soft serve", turkey burgers, and sweet potato fries, to name a few. Most were received as follows:

Each time this happens I ask myself, "why am I doing this again?" It must be my secret love of spending time and effort to make everything from scratch and washing the dishes that accompany these endeavors, only to be disappointed...

These pictures aren't backwards: this is Clark taking a burger out of his mouth, not putting it in. Steve seemed to enjoy the show of sour faces, whining, and hiding his face to avoid eating the horrific foods he was offered this day. I'm glad someone is having fun with this whole process.

In the past I've run out of patience and given up on new foods, but I'm really determined to eat the same dinner together as a family so I'm going to keep trying! It helps to know I'm not the first person who has ever dealt with a picky eater.

A Case for Au Naturale

I'm a wears-makeup-every-day type of gal, but I've been skipping the makeup routine every few days. You see, when Clark sees that Mom is about to get ready he insists on being right by me on my vanity bench. then borrowing my makeup and brushes (he sported a nice hue of bronze a few days ago). then removing everything from my drawer. then dumping bobby pins all over the counter and floor. then using my toothbrush. Some days it seems like putting on makeup isn't worth all that effort!

Chopped

We played Mop Top Hair Shop on Monday night here. Steve said the curls had to go. sniff, sniff. Neither of us are hair cutting experts so we watched a couple of YouTube videos and got to work. We took turns chopping and trimming until we created something that looked quite like a home-spun hack job. Sadly, I predict it will be the first of many bad home haircuts until barbering becomes one of my skills. Clark didn't mind getting a new 'do, but after a couple of minutes he minded having to stay still.

Thrill of the Hunt

My favorite part of Easter came in the evening when we were winding down for the day. Steve and I "hid" some empty plastic eggs for Clark and he had a blast finding them and putting them into a makeshift Easter bucket. I promise he was smiling more than he is in these pictures. ha ha. He really got into the hunt and moved furniture around and got down on his stomach to check for any eggs he might have missed. 

Happy Easter

Happy to help

Clark is my eager little helper in training. When he finishes eating he usually points to the mess on the floor under his chair and toddles off to get the broom. Haphazard sweeping ensues, usually all over the kitchen, living room, and stairs. Whenever he sees our outside broom in the garage we have to take a few minutes to sweep before getting into the car. He's a seasoned pro at emptying the dishwasher, carefully taking each plate and utensil out and handing them to me or putting them away. The other day he forfeited his naptime to hang out with me. I had planned to clean the bathrooms during naptime that day, so I proceeded as planned and got help! Clark scrubbed the tub, the door, the shower, and the toilet. Having a tiny helper, in almost every instance, increases the length of time I spend on a job, but it makes me happy to see he wants to help so the extra time it takes for him to learn is worth it.

18 Month Well Check

Clark had his 18-month well check today, though he's closer to 19 months now. Here's how he's growing:

Weight - 26lbs. 14oz - 59^th percentile

Height - 31½" - 19^th percentile

Head Circumference - 19½" - 88^th percentile

He's still small, but I appreciate that he can't reach ALL the drawers yet.
However, he's picked up climbing so really nothing is safe.

The doctor seemed concerned that he isn't speaking yet. There's a lot of babbling going on, but not any real words. I guess he's taking his time, since he just barely picked up a few animal sounds in the past month. I've noticed a determined effort on his part in the past couple of weeks to try to form words. I can see the wheels turning so it's only a matter of time before we'll have a little chatterbox on our hands.

*Clark was mistaken for a girl again today at the doctor's office by a nurse. I had him in a manly striped no-frills romper and tough guy sandals, but maybe that face is too cute that people get confused. ha!

Conference Weekend

I feel so uplifted after watching General Conference this weekend. The inspired messages brought a wonderful spirit into our home. Clark smiled every time President Monson appeared on screen and sang along to many of the songs. 

In other news, every time I took Clark somewhere this weekend in a white onesie everyone remarked at how cute she is. I love his curly locks so much but maybe it's time to start considering a haircut.