Fall is on it's way

We just returned from spending a week in Southern California. It was a fantastic trip! Pictures will follow soon. We returned home to Logan to find cool weather and signs that fall is on its way in. Here is Miss Claire, walking and all!


Since learning how to walk, Claire consistently looks like a zombie. Almost all of the pictures of her are zombie-esque.




PS Claire LOVES her smoothies and insists on having her own cup and straw.

Claire's Summer Adventures

Claire learned many, and may I stress MANY things this summer.
She started the summer with Aunt Allison teaching her about swimming pools during our last minute trip to California in June.

She learned that Papa Jimbo has lots of fun flowers in his garden.

Feeding the dogs turned into a daily activity. (The result of which is that Claire now loves to "feed the floor" at home)

Eating "Real People Food" is WAY better than baby food, especially when it is Spaghetti.
She even mastered the art of noodle sucking.

Sunglasses are make me look cool!

You can climb into the drawers/baskets where the toys are kept. Why play outside the drawer when you can sit WITH the toys? (Thanks Judd)

Climbing ladders open up a whole new world, even in your own house.

When you yell into a cup, it sounds really cool. (Notice my teeth that finally came in)

Daddy's tools are awesome.

It is fun when Grandma Jo and Grandpa Frank come to visit.

They bring fun toys that play music and have a monkey inside!

When you get big enough Daddy lets you ride on his shoulders. The best is when he lets you use his ears as handles/a steering wheel.
Cameras are really cool close up.
Playing in the dirt is awesome. It is fun and it insures that mom will give me an extra bath, a win-win!
When you get older your hair gets long and crazy!

We had a pretty great summer. Claire has been learning tons this summer and we have been loving it. We can't believe we have a 1 year old now!

My Adventures this Summer

This summer was definitely busy. Here are just a few of the things that made it busy, but fun!

Wedding cake - My good friend Shari got married in July, and this is the cake I made from her.

Crafting - Mike and I discovered the USU Surplus store where we purchased these lovely napkin holders, which were originally chrome and black, but we painted them with the help of Amber. I think they turned out cute.

Destruction - Claire's new love has been what has kept me the busiest, but I wouldn't trade it!

And its a ...

BOY

Claire is going to have a little brother in November!
We had our ultrasound today and we are excited to have a little boy this time. It will be a big change, but we are very excited. Everything is great with our little one. We couldn't be happier!

Warning

It has been quite a while since I have last posted, therefore, I have marathon posted to catch up. First, here are a few cute pictures that Aunt Charley took of Claire.

Claire Bear

Mike and I occasionally like to go to Yard Sales. We decided a couple weeks ago to try our luck. All in all, most would say that coming away with a .50 cent stuffed bear is a fairly unproductive hour of time, but after we realized what we had, we know it was well worth our time.

As showcased above, Claire loves her new bear. We fondly call it her "Claire Bear". You can just ask her where Claire Bear is and she will search until she finds it. "She" as Mike insists, is the only thing that calms Claire down when she is irrational. She absolutely loves Claire Bear. By far our best purchase of the year so far!

Bath Time is still a favorite

(Bath Time with Grandma Jane)

She may be in the 20th percentile in weight...

(Check out how big she opens)

But boy does she know how to eat! Claire has been eating a BIG bowl of cereal and a container of baby food about 4-5 times a day lately, with cheerios in between. You would think she would be a bit higher on the charts. She is still trying to get back to her 6 month weight! Every since she started crawling she has lost weight, now we are at least maintaining.

When Daddy Dresses Me...

I look Like a Rockstar!

We missed Daddy

Mike spent last week in Tempe, AZ for the National Collegiate Racquetball Tournament. (In which he did quite well, I must say) Claire and I missed him a lot! When Mike got back, Claire got to do a few of her favorite things with Daddy again.

1. Claire-a-flying

2. Napping with Daddy

3. Reading Winnie the Pooh

Bath Time with Bath Buddies

Claire now loves her daily baths. She will play for 15-20 minutes with her "bath buddies" as Mike likes to call them.

Naked Baby

Claire has officially started crawling away from us when we are changing her diaper. Gone are the days when she stayed still...

CIF Exchange

So, I will be the proud recipient of a Craft via Alison , So I must also offer free crafts.

Craft it Forward Exchange.... (1st 3 people to respond)Craft It Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it forward". I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the CIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and sent out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive!

What you need to do in return, is craft it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'CRAFT IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL CRAFT IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you? Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Craft It Forward recipients. Come and join me who doesn't love a gift or giving gifts???This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2- What I create will be just for you.3- It'll be done this year.4- You have no clue what it's going to be or when.5- The catch is that you must post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. also If I don't know your address you have to email it to me. THANKS.

A Few of Our NEW Favorite Things...

1. Riding in our new "big girl" car seat.
Claire was getting very close to the cut off for length on her infant seat, so a couple weeks ago she got a new car seat.

2. Wearing our hair in a ponytail!

3. Playing in the mirror.
4. Standing up in her crib.

5. Getting into anything within reach.
She even learned how to get herself high enough to reach the next shelf (Note: Claire is standing on the yoga mat to boost her another 3 inches).

6. Lounging with my fingers in my mouth. She has officially learned to suck her thumb and only her thumb.

Belated Birthday Present

This year for my birthday Mike made me a quilt rack for the wall in our living room. We finally got it up a couple weeks ago and I love having our wedding quilt up to look at! Thanks Mikey!