"Talking" to Grandma!

Grandma Durham wanted to talk to Clare today, and Clare wanted to eat the phone. They were both happy with the arrangement. :) The phone was on speaker, and Clare was fascinated by the faceless voice coming from out of nowhere.

She kept getting one step closer to her ultimate goal...something to put in her mouth!

VICTORY! "Hello Grandma!"

Teeth Time!

Miss Clare Ann has teeth. You can't really see them in this picture, but they're there. Her two bottom teeth started breaking through last week, and now they are visible and sharp. She actually bit Phil's finger last night, and it left a mark. I'm nervous for the day when she bites me while nursing.

Home "made" Sushi

Phil and I LOVE sushi, and we have a little "kit" for making it at home. We've created beautifully delicious rolls in the past,

but something went wrong this time. Sampling some caviar on a cracker.
This was still in the early stages of our creation.
My first roll turned out to be more of a sushi salad. We didn't have the seaweed paper to hold it all together, so it all fell apart.
Despite the appearance, it still tasted GREAT!

Fashion Show

The following pictures portray adorable outfits

given to us by family and friends.

The first outfit is a Spartan cheerleading dress

from Uncle Keith and Aunt Wendy. Clare is already working on her routine.
She's perfected the toe touch.Phil is a proud Papa of his future Spartan
Mama knows that she's a Flying Dutchgirl at heart! :)

The second outfit says "FBI Kid" and it is from Stefanie Mason.Yo, Yo, Yo...Wuz Up?!Can FBI Agents have teddy bears?The third, and final, outfit is from Grandma and Grandpa Hillary.It was a cold week, so Clare got to bundle up in her warm fleece.Her first words were, "I love warm weather, and I don't think snowy Michigan is the place for me." Smart Girl!

Rice and Fish

We haven't gotten the high chair out of the attic yet, so this is the easiest way for me to feed Clare. Clare definitely loves eating...she comes by that honestly. She watches us eat and mimicks the motion of chewing, and she grabs for anything within reach. We can't hold her and eat at the same time anymore because she tries to get a hold of whatever is in our hands. I suppose she wasn't satisfied with the lukewarm rice cereal. She wanted some fish with that.

Let me tell you...she showed that fish who was boss!

All Bundled Up!

We're in the middle of a "cold front." I know that all things are relative...especially considering our dear friends and family in the arctic north. We, however, are not used to such chilly temperatures, so we have to bundle up!

Clare's not quite sure how to move beneath all of the layers.

She kept trying to squeeze her little hands out of the cuffs of her jacket.Even our fruit trees needed some bundling. We covered our lime tree (that we bought on our honeymoon) and our mango tree (that we received as a Christmas gift from Grandpa and Grandma Hillary). Minus the blanket of snow, it almost felt like Michigan as it reached low-30's in The Sunshine State.

ABC Weekend!

Here's the little ABC Story of our Weekend!

Our weekend was Awesome! We took a Big step in our journey of parenthood. For the first time in five months, we left Clare with someone other than family, and we went out on a Date. It was a wonderful day...which started with Eating at one of our Favorite restaurants. We then drove to Tampa to see David Copperfield, one of the world's Greatest illusionists. Holy Smokes...it was an amazing show!

Following the show, we went to Coldstone for some Ice cream. Just in case you were wondering, it was delicious! We felt like young Kids in Love as we Made our way from one part of the evening to the Next, and we knew that Our little Clare Bear was in good hands. Parenthood has changed our marriage in Quite a few ways, but they're all for the better. As we Reflect on the last year, we see that we've been Showered in blessings, and we are Truly grateful for God's Unending provision and protection.

After our Very special day, We were ready to get back to our little squirt. She was eXtra cuddly, and we were happy to be back together as our family of three. :) You'll have to stay tuned for more adventures from the Mama and Zookeeper.

A bit of this and that...

This picture is at Ann's new townhouse.

We check on the place every few days. In won't be long before she's too big for the swing.

That will be a sad day.
Phil working at home. This was his temporary make-shift office. Snuggle time...the best part of the day!

Happy Birthday, Uncles!

Today is "Uncle" Tory's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! All of Clare's blood relatives live FAR AWAY,

so Tory and Sarah have become her (and our) Florida family.

Clare can't wait to celebrate with "Uncle" Tory! :)Yesterday was Uncle Adam's birthday, and Clare is saving a BIG HUG for the next time she sees him!

Jail Break!!!

This is how we found Clare after her nap the other day. She kicked off the blankets (even the one hanging from the crib...as seen on the floor) and had both legs through the same set of bars.
Clearly, it was all fun and games for our little Stinker. :)

5-months "old" TODAY!

This is Clare Bear at 3-weeks old. This is Clare Bear at 5-months old. She is growing so quickly, and we love every stage of the journey!

62 or 26???

By the looks of how Phil and Clare are dressed, you would think that it was 26 degrees outside. The temperature (as displayed by the handsome weather man), however, was 62 degrees. Even though we are Michigan natives, our blood has officially thinned out to the wimpy Florida levels. We bundled up for our chilly 62 degree walk, and our Southern Belle stayed nice and warm in daddy's arms.

You would think that Clare's genetics would point her towards tennis, diving, swimming, or running, but she is clearly preparing to be a professional ski-jumper. Good form, huh?!

I Love My Auntie!

Hi Auntie Ann! I miss you...and I love you. My pajamas even say so! Please come back SOON!