Best Hubby Ever :)

I normally keep this blog simply about Clare for a lot of reasons, but mainly because I know that is all people are really interested in :) But today I can't let the moment pass without praise to my husband for his great secret keeping skills and grand planning expertise (also, I want to make sure this event is documented!) Are you in suspense?

Last Saturday my mom had planned to come to visit for a week when some friends of hers were planning a trip to visit some of their relatives in the Carolinas. So she hitched a ride with them and was excited about a long trip. Sunday was Valentines Day and I have told LD since we were first married to just get a card. No matter what holiday or event if I have a card waiting for me I will be happy. So Sunday morning...no card. I had cards and little gifts for everyone (including mom) and received not as much as a mumbled "happy valentines day" all day long. Needless to say by the evening I was a little bitter and happy to discuss it at great length.

Monday morning I woke up and LD told me to go get a suitcase and pack for 4 days...WHAT?!?! My serious type-A personality was so thrown off that I started spouting about needing to do laundry and the list of meetings and activities I had planned for the week. After about an hour of getting organized and packed (kind of) we headed off to an unknown destination. We ended up in Charleston, SC, which if you have not been there, it is beautiful. We don't do luxury often, so when we do, it is a huge treat. We stayed at French Quarter Inn, had breakfast in bed, wine and cheese in the afternoon, homemade cookies and milk before bed and Kilwin's chocolates on our pillows. Our days were spent roaming the beautiful historic city and walking town cobblestone roads to see the harbor...it was bliss!! We saw Avatar in Imax 3D, did some shopping and ate at wonderful restaurants. LD made it very clear that this was not a Valentines gift it was a belated 5 year anniversary gift so I should not expect something like this again next year...maybe in 5?? :)

Of course we really missed Clare, but it was great knowing she was in great care with "Grammie" and they had a wonderful time together. They visited the Nature Museum, did some shopping, went to a library class and the park. When we got home on Thursday Clare would yell "GAMMIE!" when she was ready to get up from a nap and they had definetely formed a great bond!

Life gets so busy and time spent with my husband is so extremely precious! I am so thankful for him and thankful for the way he makes me a priority in his life. I am incredibly grateful for the many many blessings God has poured over my life...two of the best, Clare and L.D.!

Busy Little Bee

I have been a really bad blogger the last few weeks and my goal is definetely to get better!! Clare is 16 1/2 months and is now a big girl about everything she does. I was just talking to a friend and saying I thought boys were the ones that were all over and into everything and Clare most definetely is all over and into everything. She is so fun and has the funniest little personality. She has started really testing us and we have no doubt she will be the traditional strong willed first child.

Last weekend was a monumental weekend for us as I met 6 high school girlfriends in Ft. Myers Florida for a few days and LD's mom came to have special time with Clare. It was my second overnight away from Clare, but this time was two nights so I didn't see her for two days. We both handled it like champs :) I had a very fun, relaxing, refreshing time with the girls and I know Grandma and Clare had a ball together! It was fun to come home and see her doing a few new things like babbling and pointing at things like she was telling full stories and she learned to say "miss you" which is really cute.

Clare's new favorite thing of the week is babies. We have had babies for a few months but she has shown no interest at all. This week she carries this little doll around with her everywhere, she even goes in the car with us. She sings to her baby, reads to her and shares her milk :) The funniest thing was when Clare wanted to take off the dolls ridiculous amount of hair. She kept pulling it and saying off. I kept telling her it was stuck on her head just like her own hair. So now Clare thinks hair is called "stuck" and walks around pulling her own hair saying "stuck."

The other funny thing Clare has learned is how much mommy loves purell. As soon as she gets out of her class at the Y she runs straight for the purell container or as soon as she gets into the car after her library class she holds out her hand and says please. I am definetely not hoping Clare will have my crazy behaviors, but I am not minding this desire to be germ free!!

This week my mom comes to visit for a week and I will do my best to blog and post pictures of our adventures together, as there are always adventures with Grammie!!

"Amen" for Clare!

The newest part of Clare's life has been her vocabulary...she's really talking and repeating everything we say. It is fun, but you really gotta watch what you say around her because it will be repeated. One thing I never realized how much I say is "oh man!" Now everytime Clare drops a toy or falls you can hear her yell "oh man" but she has somehow picked up my Michigan accent (thats what people in the south say I have) and it sounds more like "oh MEEn!" Her other new favorite word is "amen." She has learned that at dinner time we fold our hands and thank God for the food, ending with Amen. Last week she started standing in the kitchen with her hands folded saying "amen please" when she wanted a snack. It is so incredible to watch how their little brains work!

Since the new year Clare and I have a brand new place to spend some time, which is extremely exciting when you are a stay at home mom of 1! We joined the Y, which is literally at the end of our street. At first I was feeling a little guilty about putting her in childcare for an hour a few times a week while I went to cycle, step or yoga class (a few of my favs), but thankfully she loves playing in the childcare center so it has become a treat for her. One of her newer favorite words is "no" and when you ask her any question that is usually the answer you get, unless you prompt her that the answer should be "yes." So most days when we walk in I ask her if she is going to play with her friends and the answer is always "no." But when she sees all the toys she can barely contain her joy and walks right in without even a quick goodbye wave to her mommy! It is a blessing that Clare has quickly learned to adapt to new settings and people and it helps with the mommy guilt a whole lot!

In Charlotte when you join the Y you are members of all the Y's in the area. Last week Clare and I went to a different Y that has a beach style inclined pool (I don't know the proper name), a few water slides, and some spray areas. We were the only ones there and Clare just walked up and down the incline with her little cup for over an hour. I have a feeling that is going to be one of our favorite hang out places.

The other cool place we have been spending some time is the uptown Children's Library called ImaginOn. It is quite an incredible place with a lot of room for moving around. We went two weeks ago with a great friend and her little boy, Ayden who is the same age as Clare. We rode the light rail uptown (in FREEZING weather) and let them play. It was seriously one of our best playdates yet!!

Life could not be much sweeter as we are all healthy and so incredibly blessed in more ways than we could ever count!!

An Unexpected Christmas

So I will admit my blogs are usually pretty cheery and centered around our beautiful little girl. And as much as I wanted to skip blogging about Christmas all together, it was an event I dont think I will ever forget. So, grab a cup of coffee and prepare yourself for a Christmas story you won't believe...seriously.

We planned on heading to Michigan for Christmas for one week from Sunday to Sunday. The first half of our trip was spent at LD's parents house and the second half at my parents house. The first half of our trip was uneventful (which is a good thing!). We spent time with family, had lunch with LD's high school friends and their families, opened Christmas presents and Clare saw a ghost (yes I'm serious, but that is another story).

On Wednesday we headed to my parents house and stopped halfway in Chelsea to meet all my college roomies and their families at a childrens play place called The Treehouse (I personally think is where the curse began). After a fun time we headed to my parents, which is an hour away. Two blocks from my parents LD hit a patch of ice and we slid into a tree. Poor LD was so upset, but we were all unharmed, just my car suffered some damage. We went to my parents a little annoyed, but it was not going to ruin our day. That night we went to sleep and I was sick all night, blaming it on food posioning. I didn't feel sick, but I was up all night. The next morning I realized Clare had also been sick and figured we must have eaten something because she also did not have a fever....ready, here is where it gets crazy. From there 12 of my family members and friends (including Vanessa and LD) ended up with this "little bug" that was later identified H1N1. My poor sister who flew from Vegas never left her bedroom and never opened 1 present. By Christmas night LD was sick as well as my dad. When my dad got sick his blood pressure dropped and he passed out, which of course was a HUGE scare for us and we called 911. So my mom and I got Vanessa and LD situated on couches to take care of each other, Clare to my aunts house and spent Christmas night at the hospital, with only one other very big scare with my dad. They admitted him and my mom and I sat at the hospital laughing so hard we cried in between the actual crying. How does this stuff happen???? By the next day the "bug" had gotten to my older sisters family and the ambulance made a stop at their house that night.

My mom somehow skated by without ever getting sick. While she was getting my dad from the hospital I tied a scarf around my face, found some gardening gloves, a bottle of Lysol and went on a mission to kill this dumb bug that had ruined our Christmas. During my cleaning episode I had a few "ah-ha" moments. One is that God's mercies are new EVERY morning. It was very scary when my dad had passed out, and I am still thanking Jesus that He had the outcome he did in store for us and him. But I also was reminded that no matter what the outcome ever is in any situation, His mercies are still new every morning. I was also reminded that simplicity is so important. It's not about how far you drive, how many family members you see, how many presents you have or how many parties you attend...its about the simplicity of celebrating Christ's birth and spending time with those God has blessed me with.

Clare did great in the car, great through the sickness, and was a trooper. I continue to be very proud of her. Some of her favorite presents this year were a shopping cart, a puppy named Violet and her first doll house. We are blessed to have my sister with us this week and will spend this week celebrating our time together.

Though I pray we never relive this Christmas, God has taught me a few things along the way. I pray that your Christmas was spent SIMPLY celebrating the birth of our Savior with those you love.

My favorite things....about my little girl!

Here are some pictures of our trip to see the singing bears uptown...

Looking back over the past year its really hard to think about what has changed because it seems everything has changed. A year ago Clare was three months old and we were still struggling with sleep or lack of it, and caring for a newborn. Fast forward a year and it is amazing how our life has changed. Life with one toddler is simple compared to a year ago! Clare and I are in a great routine, our days are predictable with added adventure when necessary. We were at the park today and I told a mom that right now life is just good with Clare.

I have learned that Clare will quickly become my favorite person to talk to as her language develops. We have so much fun together and she already cracks me up! Clare has developed a fun and quirky personality...here are some of our favorites.

- Clare loves waving to the bell ringers and as soon as we get out of the car she is looking for them and waves as big as she can until we are inside of the store.

- At about 11 months Clare started winking, and she's really good at it. She winks at people in the grocery store, at church, walking down the street...to her its just as good as a wave, only cuter!

- Clares favorite word is "please" and it sounds like a squeak when she says it so most people don't really understand it. She also thinks that if she says please she should get whatever she requests. Just this week at the mall she said "please mama" about 1500 times until the lady behind me was laughing so hard.

-Clare LOVES the show "Yo Gabba Gabba." We never introduced her to shows but this one is truly her favorite. She is allowed one 30 min show a day and if you even mention the words "Yo Gabba Gabba" she sits in front of the tv immediately.

-Clare LOVES her lammie....a LOT. I dont know how she learned this, but she never never sucks her thumb until she sees her lamb. At this age it is not allowed out of her bedroom, but if she gets her feelings hurt or falls down she asks to go night night so she can have her lamb.

-Clare loves to skype. If she sees a computer she tries and tries to talk to it from all of her conversations with her grandparents. In this same category she also loves to talk on the phone and talk in general. When she talks she doesn't say one word, she tells a whole story and has more hand movements you ever thought possible. Yes, she takes after her mom in this way.

-Clare loves men....any men! When we go to the park she seeks out the first daddy she can find and books it to him with her arms up winking the whole time. Yes, its a problem! ;)

-Clare loves music and loves to dance in the kitchen. As soon as the ipod goes on she wants someone to dance with her and if you shut it off, she sits (or lays) in the middle of the kitchen floor and cries until someone turns the music back on (its sad, but LD and I have turned it off for entertainment purposes in the past...her reaction is so funny!)

I just can't get enough of this sweet little girl! I have already decided she is going to be a mover and a shaker. She is busy and knows what she wants! Every day I get to spend with her I am in awe of the love and joy she brings into our home!

-

Thanksgiving in Michigan

Clare is a true traveler and has been seriously inducted! We left last Tuesday at 2pm and drove til 12:45am, making great time and only stopping twice. We did with only watching 40 minutes of our favorite show "Yo Gabba Gabba", which I thought was pretty incredible. The last few times we have traveled Clare has struggled sleeping in a new place, which has made our trip tiring for everyone..but not this time..she is a big girl!

We went straight to Reading, MI, LD's parents house and I was so excited there was no snow. I think it is the first time since we moved that there was no snow during Thanksgiving and I was thrilled. We did get a little on the ground, but not even enough to count by my standards. LD's parents set up a crib and high chair so we were ready to camp out. Everyone came to see us so we literally did not leave the house in two days which was wonderful! Clare's favorite toy at her grandparents house was glass bells that Grandma let her walk around the house with. Every time they knocked together we all closed our eyes, but they stayed in one piece throughout our little stay.

Then we headed over to my parents house and made a pit stop along the way to visit some friends who just had a new baby. They have a cat named Grady and Clare, though a little timid, really loved the cat. She would just watch him until he pounced at her and then turn around and run. At my parents house Auntie V was also in from Vegas so the whole family was together. Friday night my mom decided to have a photog come and take pics of the entire family (ALL 25 of us). They moved all the furniture, set up a backdrop and lights..it was insanity. Clare decided she was not going to participate and we now have pictures with her finger up her nose, pulling Auntie V's hair, screaming and sucking her thumb. I was not happy about any of it, but we all survived, even though I am quite red faced in the pictures I'm sure from man handling my daughter while LD told me to just relax. Needless to say it was not the highlight of my trip...I'm just glad Grammie got her pictures!

The rest of the weekend was very fun and my mom pulled out our old kitchen set and Clare had so much fun, practicing saying "hello" into the phone over and over. My nephew Jayden turned 1 and we were able to go to his first birthday, a few of my high school friends came over to visit and my sister and I had a date night!

It seemed way to fast to pack up and come home, but it is so hard to believe we will be headed back on that ridiculous 12 hour drive in 3 short weeks. Clare did well on the way home and as soon as we got out of the car she had jello legs and fell on the driveway, landing a big raspberry on her chin....we will not be doing Christmas pics!

Hope your Thanksgiving was fun and filled with family and memories!

On the mend....

Whew what a rough few weeks we have had. Clare's little body has been fighting something fierce and after an allergic reaction to an antibiotic (see lovely pics of our spotted girl below), ridiculous amounts of testing, lots of crying (on both mommy and Clare's part), I think we are coming out of the funk! We have spent two very long weeks mostly at home (which is why we have been doing activities like folding laundry together!), had 4 trips to the doctor, one trip to the hospital for chest xrays, a major "Food strike" on Clare's part, and a few sleepless nights. I have learned that both getting a urine sample from a baby and giving a baby a chest xray are two things I never want to be a part of again in my life, and I'm pretty sure Clare would agree.

I have also been reminded very clearly that my role as Clare's mother is to surround her in prayer, lay my requests for her life at Christ's feet and walk away allowing Him control, which is incredibly hard. As I look back at my life I know I have felt the power of prayer surrounding me in a lot of situations and I know my parents were always praying for me. I desire that same protection over Clare and it is mine and LD's responsibilities to ensure that happens. We are still waiting on some test results to come back, but I am confident that her elevated white blood count is nothing to worry about...its in God's hands.

I'm so thankful today that Clare played happily today without asking to go "night night" and actually ate a half a piece of bread and a small helping of mac and cheese...more than she has eaten in 4 days. So as always God is seeing us through the small things which at the time seem like mountains! Thank you so much to those of you who have surrounded us and our sweet baby girl in prayers!