Claire Turns Three!

Our Claire is now three years old! Or "free," as she says. Such a big girl now!

A busy girl at three

Such a sweet face...!

Birthday parties are much more of a big deal at three - she got to have two of them. The first was for friends and family, and we all went to the Loose Park Spray Park. Normally she enjoys the water, but we think she was a little overwhelmed being the center of attention, so this time she stayed pretty dry but still had a great time.

Partying with her friend Andrew

The second was at school, where we brought cupcakes and snack and the kids all sang for her. (Very cute - see video here.) She doesn't actually eat the cupcakes, but enjoys licking off all the frosting. ("My favorite favorite part!")

Waiting patiently with her friends for the party to start

The big three-year-old during the singing

Lots of milestones this year! She is now potty trained, mostly dresses and undresses herself, and just learned to pedal her tricycle today. Her vocabulary is astounding, and she's learning quite a bit of Spanish words, too. She loves to tell us stories, either from real life, books, movies, or, increasingly, from her imagination.

She knows all her colors in English and a few in Spanish, and can count to at least 20 in English (haven't asked her above that) and to 12 in Spanish. She started in the "big kid room" (for 3-4-year-olds) last week and loves it so far. She comes home very tired at the end of the day from all the stimulation.

At her three year well-kid checkup she was pronounced healthy and on the small side - she weighs 25 pounds (3rd percentile) and is 35 1/2 inches tall (12th percentile). She had to get two shots, which was VERY unpopular, but those should be the last ones until she turns five (other than the seasonal flu shots).

Claire is interested in just about everything these days, which we love. Among her favorites:

• BOOKS!
• Winnie the Pooh
• Diego and Dora
• Ice Age 3
• Clifford the Big Red Dog
• Corduroy
• Berenstain Bears ("Steen Bears")
• Sesame Street
• Fancy Nancy
• Little Critter
• Ice Age 3
• Go, Diego, Go!
• Schoolhouse Rock - adjectives is her favorite - she thinks it's hilarious when the turtle says, "Boy, that was one big hungry bear!" (he actually says ugly but we like her version better)
• Making pretend picnics and cooking
• Littlest Pet Shop animals
• Dinosaurs
• Duckies (a.k.a. Patos)
• The Jungle Book (especially Mowgli)
• Running fast in her new running shoes
• Kicking her new soccer ball with Daddy
• Singing

Her favorite meal is "crab" - California Roll bowls consisting of crab salad, avocado, cucumber, and brown rice. She eats an adult-sized portion every time... 

For your amusement, here's a three-year edition of "The Forman Babies":

Graham at three

Claire at three

Mindee at three

No new news on the house or the move to Costa Rica - we're just waiting for the house to sell so we can go. Actually, Graham's car and our dogs just went to his brother, Bart, in the DC area, which is the first real step in us being able to go. Had we sold the house before we would have had to find a temporary home for the dogs until Bart got settled, so it was nice that it wasn't an issue. Bailey the cat will come with us when we make the move. It's very quiet around here without the mutts...

Love to all,

Mindee, Graham, and Claire