Saturday, September 4, 2010

Float Trip 2010

Parents weekend away!!!...but we all missed our kiddos! We had a blast floating the river in Broken Bow and having parent play time last weekend. The river side cabin was perfect with a fall breeze huge porch, shuffle board table, bunk rooms, etc. We have such a great group of friends and I wish we could spend more time together...we don't all live in the same town:( We had two new mommies with us both who were missing there itty bitty babies pretty bad so next year it is going to be kid friendly...Claire is going to have a blast!!! I can't wait!...lots of laughs and wonderful memories to be made! Late night Friday night
A few of us girls


Break time


Me and my dear friend, Ashley (Claire loves Miss Ash ee)



A stop at a gravel bar


Caroline, Ashley, and Me...love these two!



We lived on the porch...it was so peaceful!


Game ON!


Sad we did not get a big group picture but I think there were 22 of us! Made for fun trip and never a dull moment!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Just Us Girls

Claire and I had a wonderful long weekend at the lake house a couple weeks ago....just us girls!!! We met my mom and Claire's aunts (my sisters). We went to the pool, the lake, went shopping, went to local fish hatchery, and just played and relaxed. The lake house is one of my most favorite places in the world. My grandparents bought it when I was Claire's age and I have so many memories growing up here....and I can't wait to make so many more memories there with Claire. We love you Mimi, Emme, and Biz!!! Oh, so special!













Monday, August 30, 2010

Claire's Video

My sister, Elizabeth, made this video last year for my Christmas present...it could have not been more perfect or more special...it is one of my priceless possessions, so I thought I would share!....I can't wait for my present this year...I have hinted pretty heavily that I would LOVE Claire 2010!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Lately, Summer & School

Movin on up...that's right, Miss Claire is officially in the Toddler II room. Her new teacher has been the teacher aide in Toddler I so we already know her and love her!

Welcome to Ms. Misha's Gumball Room!

Nick's Grandma...who Claire has renamed "Ganma" recently suffered a slight stroke so for the time being she (and her dog) are living with Nene and Pep paw.

Claire has found a new reading partner and LOVES her, plus reading these books is helping Ganma with her therapy.



Our little cook....working on some chicken and dumplings



Drawing with Pep paw...

Nene painting her toe nails

Cousin Gavin, Claire, Claire's pound puppy, Granma, and Sugar having a party....



Just playin with her toys

The BIG slide...all by herself!!

She is getting so big...and oh, so brave!

This is what I mean by BRAVE......

Nick has a friend that has some chickens and baby wild hogs....

Miss Claire had no fear!!! "Cock, cock"

Petting a chicken and feeding the little pigs



She loved throwing the corn....she kept trying to walk all around the pin.

Petting a wild baby pig...did not hesitate or think twice about it!
Finally, jumping on the trampoline with Sweet Kendall!
Claire would thrive as true Country girl...her love for animals, being outside, playing in the dirt...she loved every minute!!!
I wish I had taken some pictures of her swimming this past weekend...she has mastered jumping from the driving board!!!...like I said she has No Fear, which is a little scary for this Momma!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

2 Months Away from 2

claire claire on hanny manny
full speed ahead with the wind in her hair:)


...or you could say 22 months! That's right, she crossed this mark this past weekend. Which completely blows my mind! I cannot believe I am in the planning stages of Miss Claire's 2nd Birthday Party. I love planning her birthday and looking forward to the fall!.. her birthday month, football season, Halloween, nice weather and all the other holidays that follow shortly thereafter!!! Each month birthday is so bittersweet...now when people ask how old Claire is, I say 22 months, but soon its going to be 2...not 25 months, not 28 months....but 2 years old. It is funny to me that when you are pregnant your time is weekly...12 weeks pregnant, 20 weeks pregnant, 40 weeks pregnant...then out comes baby that soon becomes...3 months old, 6 months old, 18 months old...so I guess we are about to enter the next stage...years! Oh my!!! But for right now, I will focus on the now and savor my little girl being 22 months old!

Which means Miss Claire is:
-Refers to herself as "claire claire"
-Beginning to talk in sentences...putting 5 & 6 words together
-Wears a size 6 shoe
-Goes Potty in the potty every morning
-Wears a size 4 diaper and is working on potty training (have not pushed the issue yet)
-Weighs 26 pounds, 33 inches tall
-Wears 18 months, 24 months, and some 2T clothes
-Loves, Loves books
-Wants to"read" her Bible every night
-Says her prays
-Brushes her teeth
-Loves swimming and swims by herself with her floaties on

-Has an excellent memory; she remembers names, places, etc.
-Runs, skips, sings, and rides "Hanny Manny" everywhere (I know its really Handy Manny)
-Her favorite movies right now are "Hanny Manny" "Ariel" "Toy Story"
-Goes to time out when she is not nice - when time out is over I always say "let's talk" about what she did, well now I put her and time out and she sits there for a couple seconds and then says "Momma, let talk"...time out always ends with "Sorry, wuv you" and a hug and kiss from Claire...it's hard to keep a straight face sometimes
-Favorite Foods: Ice Cream, Pizza, "Moo Cow"-hamburger, cheese, mac mac cheese, apple juice, sprite, water, milk, green peas, strawberries, bacon, french toast, popcorn.
-loves Dora and Mickey Mouse
-loves going to the deer camp...every time we pass a thicket of trees she says "deer camp"
-still addicted to her "pap pap's" - pacifiers
-loves school and church
-just a few of my favorite things!!!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Not just another fall...

Toddlers fall and bump their heads that is just part of being a toddler. Well, I get a call from Claire's school around 9:30 that she fell off a stool and I could come check on her if I wanted to but she had already calmed down and stopped crying. Given that her school is 2 blocks from my work (this is one of the reason's I love living in a small town) I head out the door to go check on her. She hit the back of her head but there was no huge knot or bump. She just kept saying "Mommy bump head", I was going to run to the pharmacy (again around the corner) get some Tylenol and bring it back...well she would not have it, she would not let me put her down. So, plan B...I am going to take her to our house, give her some Tylenol and bring her back. Let me just say she did not look right...as a mother you know what I mean, her coloring was off, she could not hold her eyes open and about half way home she threw up everywhere....Plan C, straight to the doctor (I have always heard if you can't keep them awake or they threw up after they hit there head...go to the doctor). By this time, I am having to sing and talk to keep her from shutting her eyes. The doctor gets Claire right in. Her balance is a little off and just seems sick...the kind of sick where they won't move, they just want you to hold them. Through all this I am trying to stay very calm...and I think I did a pretty good job, then came the words cat scan and Children's...what??? The doctor called our local hospital had a cat scan ordered and pending the results would make the decision of whether or not the send us to Children's. I immediately, start talking to God about this!!! Praying for everything to be ok...we get to the hospital (again around the corner) and as we are waiting she eyes a puzzle, so she and Nick go play with the puzzle...within minutes she is acting like the normal Claire. They call us back for the cat scan in which, I let her Daddy do the honors of holding her still, while I waited in the hall....or should I say paced the halls, praying for the scan to come back normal...over and over and over. This was the same hall I paced the night she went to the ER because she could not breath. God and I have had some serious talks in this hall....I don't want us to ever meet there again. The results came back and everything was normal!!! Praise Jesus!! The scan was clear!! However, some times head injuries won't show up on a cat scan for 5-6 hours after the injury...it had only been 2 hours since the fall. So, we had to be on watch for any unusual behavior, waking her up every hour....but I can handle that. Claire has been doing great since the turning point. All I know is she went from very sick to very normal....It's just one of those times where God stepped in.

Thank you Lord for watching over Claire and making sure she was healed. Thank you for allowing us to play with her at our house, give her a bath in our bathroom, read her a book in our bed instead of pacing the halls of Children's hospital!!!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

More of the Firefighter...

More pictures from Ryan's graduation at the fire academy...








Insisted eating lunch with her foot on the table...she keeping us laughing:)