…until she decided it’d just be more fun to cover the house with graffiti.

Better these cardboard walls than our real walls, though!

Look at that little mullet (Sherry has since trimmed it again).

At least she was having fun. A big empty box = limitless entertainment.

And thank goodness for washable markers.

Wish us luck! And perhaps cross your fingers that you’re not sitting near us on the flight.

CLARA: “That’s a man!”

SHERRY: “That is a man.”

CLARA: “That’s little girl.”

SHERRY: “Yep, and a little girl”

CLARA: “That’s little boy.”

SHERRY: “Uh huh, a little boy too.”

CLARA: “That’s a lady!”

SHERRY: “And yep, that’s a lady”

CLARA: “Lady’s pooping!”

SHERRY: “Uh… uh… yes, that is a firetruck painted on the wall!”

Wish we had a picture of our embarrassed faces to insert here. Just use your imagination…

I’m pretty sure Clara was clueless as to what she was witnessing (though she was entranced nonetheless). So we though maybe actually eating a donut would help connect the dots. And, um, how could we not indulge in a donut while we were there too? You know, in celebration of watching them come into this world from behind the glass. Clara picked a sprinkle-y one for herself, I decided on the dark chocolate creme, and Sherry went the classic glazed route.

Knowing how much she likes ice cream and cupcakes, we thought Clara would be all over this sugar bomb.

But instead she just daintily plucked off some sprinkles one at a time and savored each bite.

I think she maybe ate four sprinkles total (and 0% of the actual donut). Maybe the yogurt she had before we came filled her up?

No biggie. More donut for daddy! Clara seemed very content to just suck on her thumb and look around (she even saw a bearded guy and shouted “ooh, hi Santa!”).

And we all put on funny hats.

She had the best time.

And so did we.

Oh and magnetic letters are just as fun on the ottoman as the fridge apparently. Clara actually picked up an N and said “N for Nonna” which pretty much had my mom floating around 8″ off the ground. So cute to see them together!  I wish New York weren’t so far away so they could see each other all the time.

But imagine my surprise when I noticed I was replaced (REPLACED!) in our game of Ring Around The Rosie by a small stuffed monkey. The nerve.

Her two favorite stuffed animals had become pillows. Either that or they were victims of an attempted smothering. It looked pretty uncomfortable to us, but we let her be because she was, well, sleeping like a baby.

John thought maybe she was channeling Mr. T or preparing to do a Houdini-esque escape trick, but I (her New Jersery born-and-raised mother) know the true reason for her attraction to this blingy accessory. The Garden State is rich in her bloodline.

The chain was leftover from our closet light hanging project and Clara was immediately entranced by the sounds it made. Which is why she proceeded to run around the kitchen with it.

There was also some marching.

And spinning.

 And in case you’re unconvinced of her Jerseyliciousness, may I submit the following video into evidence?

John’s just jealous because her Virginia heritage is much subtler. Although I certainly wouldn’t mind if a sweet little Richmond accent crept in there too…

That’s her carrying (as we call them) Baby Lisa, Monkey Baby, and Monkey – a virtual reverse evolutionary chart of dolls if you will. And yes, there’s a monkey on her pjs too.

The big monkey was a gift from Sherry’s brother Dan and his wife Ali. Dan has adopted the nickname of Uncle Monkey, so he’s a big part Clara’s simian shift. In fact, this was their Christmas gift to her:

It’s a Skip Hop backpack (we attached the ribbon to girl it up a bit) that we’re now using as her diaper bag (it mostly lives in the car so we have diapers on hand wherever we are). If all this weren’t so darn cute, we’d wonder if we’re paving the way for our very own episode of Animal Hoarders. Seriously, how cute are those banana zippers though?