Bare Feet or High Heels

Claire has a one track mind lately....shoes. She either wants them on or off, and it doesn't stop, once they are on she takes them off, etc... They ALWAYS come off in the car, the stroller (you better be watching or you will have to go back and look for it), and this week she even sat down in the middle of the street to take her shoes off as she was on her way to get the mail! She got some new outdoor/waterproof Keen shoes this week which she seems to like and tolerates on her feet much longer than most others. They are also a bit harder for her to get off so it slows her down a bit too. Once inside, she likes to put both Mike and I's shoes on, usually just our flips, but as you will see, she has learned to walk around in my heels! The weather was great this week, so much of our evening time was spend outside. Here are some pictures from the week, enjoy!

Cali Hugs

Claire has always loved Cali, but lately she really shows affection to her. Every morning when we are leaving for the day Claire tucks Cali into her bed and gives her a hug. Here are a few pics and some of the affection I caught on video today, Cali was giving her hugs back which made Claire laugh like crazy!

Rainy May

So I think Mother Nature got April and May confused, it has been rainy and cool for most of the last week. Not so good for being able to play on that swingset that just stares at Claire from the backyard! She just keeps saying "outside", "shoes" and "slide". Good thing we have a long summer ahead of us to spend swinging and sliding! I had a good Mother's Day weekend, Mike, Claire and Cali spoiled me on Sunday and just had a good time spending time together. I introduced Mike to Spin Pizza and he is now a fan like me, yummmm!! On Saturday we headed to Topeka for a Mother's Day lunch with the Barkemeyers' and Mom and Dad. It was a great visit and Ellen and Claire played together which usually doesn't happen, it was cute to see. I am so proud of Miss Ellen, moving into her big girl room, two more months and she will move to the big girl bed to make room for baby who will be arriving the end of July! Claire's 2 year molars are back at it this week as evidenced by lots of hands in her mouth, low grade fever and a bit of unpredictable crankiness : ( I promise to get some recent pics up this weekend, it's past my bedtime now and I don't have the motivation to go get the camera an upload photos...stay tuned!

This is FUN!

"This is fun" is what Mike said Friday night when he came in mid-swing set installation. He liked using his tools and putting soemthing together! He worked on and off through the day Saturday and my late afternoon it was 95% done, enough for Claire to use it. Although she didn't say it, the HUGE smile on her face also told us she was also thinking "This is FUN"! Saturday evening was filled with LOTS of swinging, sliding and just running around. Today Mike put the finishing touches on including putting the rocks on the rock wall, hanging up the rope ladder and installing the tire swing. At one point we had 4 neighbor kids + Claire playing, what a fun day! The last pic is dark because I just took it, but it is 100% complete!

Swing Set - Day 1

The Hochberg swingset arrived today, and Mike couldn't help himself and got right to work. What an amazing guy, patient with the process, patient with a nagging impatient wife, and building the swing set with all the care in the world for his little girl. Is there a better Daddy out there, Claire doesn't think so?!! Claire and I are both lucky to have such great dad's! Here's the progress after a couple of hours with lots of interruptions!

Lots of Little Thoughts....

I have lots of disjointed thoughts and blogger is not good at formatting, so here they go, good luck following me! Mommy's little helper What a little helper I have. Yesterday I got home while Mike was gone picking up Claire and I decided to take the opportunity to try to quickly get my annuals put in the ground that we bought the day before. The get home, she runs over sits down next to me, picks up the hand rake and starts helping. Tonight we watered all my annuals. On Sunday she was Grandma's helper and dusted and put away silverware! Madi and Taylor Claire has seen Madison and Taylor on a pretty regular basis, and like all other people she knows well, she has started saying their names, at least for a day or so after we see them. Sunday she did spend some time with them, and we were practicing saying "Madi and Taylor" in the car. Sunday came and went, and then yesterday I didn't hear their namese all day until we were saying bedtime prayers. After I got through the list of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, Claire looks at me and says "Madi and Taylor". So cute that she included them in prayers too, obviously they are special to her. Breakfast time When Claire wakes up a bit early before I have eaten breakfast on weekday mornings, I usually give her a few cheerios to nibble on while I eat breakfast, as she eats breakfast with her friends at Kim's house and I don't want to give her two full meals. Well this has been happening more and more and I have started to use this time to practice sitting on a booster chair not strapped in vs. her high chair. This morning was one of those mornings, and I just looked over at her, thought to myself how big she has gotten and more importantly she is feels like my friend, someone I can talk to, be with, and someone who get me. The Mother/Daughter relationship is an amazing one. Blessed to have both my mom and my daughter as best friends! Rain, Rain Go Away This weekend was rather rainy and cold which meant much more inside time and even a bit more TV for Claire. We had an episode of Dora the Explorer on in the background and Dora was singing rain, rain go away with hand gestures. Being very relevant for us, I joined in and helped Claire with the gestures. We really have very little Dora in our house, but after dinner she had some Dora stickers, and our potty seat happens to have Dora on it, and both times she broke out her new song and dance of Rain, Rain Go Away!

Bye Bye....

Bye Bye..we hear it 100 times a day. Claire always wants to go somewhere, mostly just outside. On Monday she kept telling Sharon, our parent educator, to go bye bye. She wakes up and says bye bye, I believe asking if she is going to Kim's that day. We have been working on saying "bye bye Cali" every morning, the closest she has gotten is bye bye.... (long pause)....cali. This morning Bye Bye Cali rolled off her tongue as she was running down the hall...amazing what they can learn in their sleep in one night! : ) We had a better week, although I still think about Anna all the time. Other things that Claire has graced us with this week include; taking her pants off repeatedly, using the potty like a big girl, lots of hugging her moms and dads legs while saying hiiiiiii....., tucking Cali into bed, putting a significant portion of her dinner including her fork and spoon down her shirt,temper tantrum when we left the swing set warehouse (thank goodness we ordered one), getting in and out of her car for 30 minutes straight saying hi and bye each time, and the list goes on. What a fun age this is she brings such joy to us! Here are few pics from the last several weeks. A special thanks to Uncle Dave and Aunt Kathy who gave Claire her apron and have influenced her cooking "naked"! : )

Morgan is our Angel....

This was a really tough week. My good friend from college, Anna and her husband lost their precious little girl after a 8 month battle with Leukemia. Miss Morgan would have turned 2 on May 29th. Although I know Morgan is a much better place an no longer has to fight that horrible disease, my heart aches more than I can describe for Anna. Morgan was an amazing little girl full of spunk and happiness. The last time I saw her was in December and all though in remission at the time she was still being treated for chemo just in case. I visited her and Anna at the hospital and you would not have known she was sick, in fact I noted to myself at the time that Claire who was at the time teething was much whinier than Morgan. She was happy, smiling, and playing games in her nightgown and ugg boots. She showed me her "tubbies" the ports that were coming out of her chest where they administered her meds and chemo. I was only there 30 minutes or so but left feeling so inspired by a little girl who was in the middle of a week long chemo treatment. Not only did Morgan touch my life, but her story gives me perspective. Life is precious and we must appreciate it. She has taught me to have more patience with Claire, she has taught me to focus on what is important in life and not the trivial things. Now on to Anna, nothing other to say she is an amazing woman, mother and wife. Her strength, perspective and reliance on her faith through this all have given me examples to model my life after. If you want to read her story visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/Morganknoblock/journal

It's been awhile....

....since I have posted anything, but we have been busy! Had a good trip to Virginia over Easter weekend, flew home mid week, and have had a short week at home. Although we had a good trip, Claire is so happy to be home, and back into her routine. She is a super Happy girl and is sleeping like a champ! Kim even commented on how happy she was this week, just running around and bouncing on furniture! On a separate note, it's official Claire is bedding obsessed just like her mom. I noticed a couple of months ago that Claire often stands next to our bed and lays her head agaist our down comforter. As she has essentially outgrown the blankets in her bed, I decided to order a toddler size down comforter. Well we got it and it was scratchy fabric (I told you I was a bedding snob), so I have since been obsessed with finding a discontinued PB Kids duvet cover. I finally found a brand new one on Ebay, it arrived this week and Claire loves it. When we put Claire in bed, she pats the comforter and then lays down, wanting to be covered up. She rubs her face against, it, etc...she loves it! I guess there are worse things to be obsessed over. Can you blame her, who doesn't want to be comfy and cozy! We have a weekend full of outdoor projects ahead of us and I am looking forward to being outside. Claire's grandma and grandpa gave her garden tools, a watering can and a bucket for easter, and since then "digging" and putting dirt and rocks in her bucket have become favorite outdoor activities. In addition she helped her Nana water the plants on the deck and so she "waters" my tulips several times a day with her watering can. I am just glad she is not dirt and grass phobic like I was when I was little! Here are some photos from our trip....

Good Hot and Bad Hot

I LOVE warm weather, today was gorgeous...80 degrees and sunny. Not too hot, just perfect! So that's the "Good" Hot. The "Bad" Hot was Claire's 99.9 degree borderline fever. She had a rough afternoon, and we could tell she just didn't feel good. We are pretty sure it is those darn molars, as she has had random low grade fevers over the last 3 weeks and goes through bouts of being inconsolable. Today it happened again it a bad way after her nap at daycare, nothing could make her stop crying! It is not fair that little ones have to go through such pain. Daddy and Cali made her feel better by going on a long walk to the park. Poor baby.....

A Spring Week

We had a good week, the weather is teasing us and some days is kind of warm, but other days just rainy and cool! In addition to the "iffy" weather, Claire's mood has also been "iffy". She is working on her two year molars and you can just tell her mouth hurts some days and she can be quite moody! Thank goodness these are the last teeth for a long time! Also, some good potty progress is being made. She is able to go most times that she sits on it. I know we have a long way to go, but it's a start! Today we had a fun day hanging out with my parents, Emily, Ellen and the Wilkins girls followed by some quality time outside at home! Mike assembled "The Cozy Coupe" that Claire got for Christmas from Emily and Brett and she had a great time racing up and down the sidewalk! She also continues to enjoy exploring the backyard. Here are some pictures from the week and weekend.

Mike's Birthday

We had a busy week, just getting caught up! On Mike's Birthday we celebrated with gifts, cake and BBQ beef, I think he had a good day. Here are a few pictures!

I forgot something really important.....

...........Claire tinkled in the potty tonight! She has been sitting on it every night for about a month, and tonight she did the deed. I am sure it was just luck, but we still had a major celebration! She was pretty proud of herself!

Celebrating Mike's Birthday

We had a great end to the week and then a fun weekend celebrating Mike's birthday. Thursday and Friday were gorgeous outside and we had some good evenings in the backyard. Claire was pulled around the backyard in her wagon for about 20 minutes by her Daddy, and then went to play with the neighbor girls (both 3 years old) who asked her to play "princess" with them. They dote over her and it is only a matter of time before she starts looking up to them and following them around. Saturday the snow came, but it didn't ruin our fun. Claire, Grandma and I went to Disney on Ice and Claire had a great time people watching and enjoying the show. Mom and I might have enjoyed the show more, so we will be back next year. Then we had a birthday dinner at my parents house on Saturday for Mike. Claire thinks her Uncle Jake is pretty great. Meredith (Jake's girlfriend) and I noticed that Claire was mimicking Jake at dinner. When he coughed, she coughed; when he crossed his arms, she crossed her arms. Once we all caught on, it became a game and he got her to do some fun things until it finally turned into a staring contest. We didn't vote, but I think Claire won! I have never seen her pay so much attention to anyone before so they must be special buddies! Today Mike and I got out for a "date" for lunch and some shopping, we had a great afternoon! Here are some pics from the week and weekend!

She never fails to amaze me...

Happy Friday to everyone, it was another beautiful day, but here comes the snow! This little girl is loving life and I love watching her experience new things and come up with new ways to entertain herself. This evening we had both! First she helped me to make her Daddy's birthday cake. She held the electric mixer with me and had a grin on her face the entire time, what a sweetie. Then up to the bath and she decided to turn the bathtub into a dunk tank. Claire kept dunking her face under water, all while trying to "get a drink". Each time she came up with big eyes and a face full of water, it finally went down the wrong pipe causing her to choke a bit so she stopped. I said "I told you so" for the first of many times...... Tomorrow another first...Disney on Ice!

Claire's 1st sentance...kind of

So tonight at dinner Claire said "Outside, Shoes, Bye Bye" all while pointing outside and totally clear on what she wanted to do....go put on her shoes and go outside. It was so cute and we were so proud!

Little Girl

Claire likes all things "girl". Putting on, taking off and organizing her jewerly happens many times a day. She also likes to brush everyone's hair and put on makeup (just pretend) with me. Here are some video clips...

Bedtime

I love Microsoft Movie Maker, it is so easy to make little videos. Here is a slide show of Claire getting ready for bed last night. I had an early meeting yesterday so Mike woke her up and took her to daycare in the morning, resulting in some pretty crazy hair last night! We put it up in a little ponytail and put her "soccer headband". She kept running back and forth between looking at herself in mirrors and our room to show her Daddy what a pretty girl she was, all while brushing her teeth!

What a Wonderful Weekend

It is amazing how nice weather can make a weekend. We were able to be outside most of the weekend and Claire had a blast exploring the yard as a kid vs. a baby. It has been since fall that we were able to play outside, and it's a whole new world for her. We played with neighbors, ran lots of laps around the yard, took a walk to the school playground and spent time swinging! Saturday was a girls day while Mike worked. Claire and I went shoe shopping to get her some "outside" shoes at Nordstrom, and Claire got her 3rd haircut. Her hair is getting curlier and curlier, but is still really thin baby hair and needed some of those straight ends cut off. She sat in the chair by herself this time and thought she was pretty hot stuff We also celebrated Emily's 30th birthday this weekend with a night out Saturday night and a family lunch today. It was fun to spend time with everyone! Here's a few pics from the weekend.

Family Time and Word Count

Not much out of the norm this week, but wanted to share a few Claire highlights. As you might know, we took the daybed out of Claire's playroom and just have the twin sized mattress on the floor. My intent was to literally have nothing in that room that she could get injured from, but it has turned into a fun place to read books and lounge as a family. Claire now insists that we all sit on the mattress together. She sits on it and then continues to pat the mattress until we are all sitting on it with her, EVEN Cali. Its sweet that it makes her so happy for us to be cuddled up together! Sharon, our Parents as Teachers Educator came this week as well. Claire generally warms up pretty quick to her because she always brings fun new toys or activities for her to try out. This week included a box for her to practice stepping up on and jumping down from and a laundry basket full of bean bags. We had a great visit, and Claire sure was showing off to get Miss Sharon's attention! One of the things Sharon always asks Mike and I is how many words Claire is saying? The last couple of months that has been hard for us to answer, because it seems to change everyday. I started making a mental list, it's hard to keep track, here's some that I can think of right now to give you an idea....Mom, Dad, Cali, hair, coat, jacket, mail, dog, horse, duck, cat, milk, nose, NO, bye, hi, chair, baby, shoes, hat, Grandma, Neal, Nicholas, night, dirty, go, car, bus, ball, etc... We can't forget all the animal noises she makes too!!!