Second birthday!

Clara and Lucy celebrated their birthday on Saturday.  Actually, the celebration kicked off on Thursday when Stacey invited three other mothers and their kids from our apartment complex over for a little birthday gathering.

Their actual birthday on Saturday was pretty low key.  We had planned a special dinner since Grandma Dalea was supposed to arrive earlier in the week, but due to some mishaps she was delayed until Saturday night.  So, on Sunday morning the girls were quite surprised to find Grandma in the next room, even though we had been telling them she was coming.

We had a really nice celebration day on Sunday.  The highlight for the girls was playing with Grandma, but they also got new scooters and we had cupcakes after their nap.  

Today (Monday) was the celebration at school, which I believe is the final installment.  They have a nice tradition at the school where they light a candle representing the sun and have the birthday child (or children) walk around the sun with the earth, representing the passage of a year.  They do one rotation for each year, naturally.  

Here are Clara and Lucy with Stacey at school.  They are holding the globes to make the loop around the sun twice.

Stacey and Grandma brought treats for all the kids.  Part of the tradition is also for the child or parent to reflect.  Stacey brought a photo of the girls last year and told what big changes have happened since then.

Discovering Grandma:  they did not know what to make of finding Grandma in the playroom.  They were very cautious.  When Grandma started talking Clara ran to grab a wooden giraffe and headed for the door.  We imagined she scanned the room to see what she could save in this situation.  It didn't take long for them to appreciate how much fun Grandma is.

On Sunday afternoon Clara was the first to discover something very interesting in the living room.

Lucy wasn't far behind.

The girls had used neighbors' scooters before, so they knew exactly what to do.

Post nap snack and birthday cupcake.

Here's Lucy taking a taste of her cupcake frosting.

An enthusiastic response from Clara!

Working hard at opening a gift from Grandma.

It's a tiger.

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Lucy got a lion.  Perfect gifts since both of the girls love roaring like wildcats to scare us.  Somehow, even when they do it softly, it manages to get a reaction from us.

Testing out the new wheels.

A break at the koi pond.

Riding double (we've seen this before).

Clara and Lucy did not want to put on their birthday hats, so Dalea and Stacey showed them how it's done.

Maggie.

Adoption anniversary and beach weekend

June 6th was our one year adoption anniversary.  Since I actually traveled on that day, we had a celebration the evening before.  In the photo below we took our one-year photo in the garden outside our apartment.  We then went out for dinner, which was nice since the girls were in good spirits and we had a pretty nice meal.

This is a fairly recent picture of the scene before bedtime.  I think this was just after teeth brushing and before milk/story time.  

This past week I took a couple of days off and we spent a long weekend in an area called Puerto Galera.  Getting there requires a two-hour car ride from Manila to the south and then a 90-minute boat ride from Batangas.  On our way we had a private boat that dropped us off right where we were staying.  On the way back we took a much cheaper and more difficult ride on a public boat.  The worst part was we were delayed about 30 minutes and had to sit in the hot boat with people climbing over us while the girls cried.  It may sound glamorous, but it wasn't as fun as it sounds.

The place where we stayed was in a pretty location, but I don't think that we will probably go back.  It was outstandingly mediocre and the clientele (not us of course) were an odd lot.  It all worked out pretty well, but for a rare escape from Manila we were hoping for something special.  

The girls were not very interested in the water, but they loved playing in the sand.  The hotel provided baskets of beach toys and they loved them.  

There were two hammocks under the palm trees by the water where Stacey and I sat while the girls played in the sandy area between us.  They would take breaks from their work to sit with us.  

The rainy season has officially started here, so we were really lucky that the weather was good for us.  On our first full day the rain started just as the girls went down for their nap and ended just as they were getting up.  That was about it.

Clara (L) and Lucy (R) having their morning glasses of milk by the water.  They were thrilled that they had small chairs and tables they could use.

Lucy busy at work.

Clara planning her next move.

Clara enjoying breakfast by the water.

Lucy in her trademark relaxed pose enjoying her toast strip.

Who can resist?

Outdoor dining. 

Ahhhhh.

End of May

It has been another stretch with no postings on this blog, so I thought I should put up some new photos and a video:  Clara and Lucy riding rocking horses  Both of them have become avid equestrians and especially love the rocking horse Grandma Dalea gave them.  The horses in the video are a far second best, but do the job.  This is from the playroom near our apartment.

Our condo complex has a number of indoor playrooms for kids of different age groups.  The fire truck is a favorite of Clara and Lucy.  There is a seat on the back that one of them can sit on if there is an adult who will push, but otherwise they push each other.  It is also fairly common for one to try to commandeer the driver's seat from the other, which rarely ends well.

Clara decided to bring a little stool up into the playhouse in the indoor playroom in our complex.  She really enjoyed sitting there and the vantage point it gave her out that little window.

These little scooters are very popular here.  But we do not own one.  Luckily, some other kids are nice enough to let Clara and Lucy take a spin.  I love in the photo above the peek around.

Although most of the photos on this blog are of fairly happy moments, there are those rare occasions, at 2-minute intervals, when the girls are upset about something.  I think this photo of Lucy captured her displeasure at my taking a photo of her rather than taking her out of her crib immediately after coming into her room at the end of her nap.  Such offenses can be punished with great severity.

A few blocks from our apartment there is a little train (as you can see) for kids.  It just rolls around a little courtyard area in the pedestrian shopping area called High Street.  In honor of Mother's Day, I let Stacey take photos of me with the girls on the train.  I also let her hold Maggie during our ride.  The girls did not seem impressed with the ride while they were on the train (as you may tell from their blank expressions) but when it stopped they acted pretty proud to have been on it.  They walked around the train to inspect the exterior.  When we strolled by the train this weekend they both pointed to it with some excitement, so this may be a good outing to repeat.

I should add another photo to this to show the flower water fountain that is shooting water out - and the girls are reaching for it.  This is part of the outdoor play area where we live.

At some point in recent history, the girls both spontaneously decided that riding in the stroller is the cruelest of punishments.  They thrash when we try to put them in.  This is odd since before they loved getting in it.  Anyway, what they find much more acceptable is to ride on the footrest of the stroller rather than in the actual seat, where we can strap them in.  This works fine unless, say, you hit a bump that stops the stroller and sends the girls tumbling.  Not that it has ever happened.  The bottom picture is from the day we took them for a free photo shoot at a nearby photo shop (also the day President Obama was in town just a mile from our place).  We spent about an hour with the two photographer who were 100% unsuccessful in getting the girls to smile.  As we were walking away from the store they climbed into the fun seats in the stroller and began to laugh.  I actually ruined a family photo shoot when I was a kid - my gym teacher was the photographer and he remains my nemesis.  I don't know that the girls had any ill will toward the photographers, but if they are uncertain of a situation they are not likely to give up a smile easily.

Curl management has become an issue as the girls' hair has grown longer.  As you can see from this photo, those curls can really impede one's vision.

Moments later a transformation in which you can see her face.  Although neither of them would tolerate it at first, they are starting to accept the use of hair clips.

Here is Clara sporting an "up-do."

You can see their faces!

Taking a water break at the outdoor playground.

I wasn't around for this, but I guess that one day the girls were resisting putting these bibs on, so Stacey put one set of bibs on their legs, which they loved, and then the second where they belong.  These bibs are actually smocks from Ikea, but they work really well for messy meals.  The girls will still occasionally request to wear these on their legs, which is much more entertaining.

Just to prove we have not completely forgotten:  Maggie is such a good dog, but her adjustment to living in Manila has been a challenge at times.  She is not a big fan of the heat and it has taken a while for her to begin to relax in our new surroundings.  It seems like she is making some progress even though it is not as ideal as her setup in Maryland.  She still has it pretty good.