A day at the park!

We had a GREAT afternoon at the park.This seemingly inquisitive shot is actually just moments before she licked the slide.

She LOVED the swing....

...and the slide!

WEEEE!!! I did it...with some help from Mommy.

Can I have an underdog?

This is the life!

Clare LOVES...

Clare is such a happy girl,
and there are so many things that make her smile.

She LOVES... playing Patty-Cake with Grandma (Patty) Durham!She LOVES her corduroy ducky.
That little guy is used as a diversion in many situations.

She LOVES helping Mommy with laundry.

She LOVES the phone.
Even when she is surrounded by tons of bright, age-appropriate toys, she prefers the phone.

She LOVES hearing voices on speaker phone.
Grandma Durham, Grandma Hillary, and Auntie Ann talk to Clare, and she is mesmerized by their voices.

She LOVES putting EVERYTHING in her mouth.
I mean EVERYTHING...including my shoes, flip flops, and anything else that she can get her hands on. :)

WHAT is Daddy doing???

Life with my hubby is a wonderful adventure!!!
He keeps me on my toes, and every day is full of laughter and silly surprises!

This was the afternoon that Phil and Clare decided to play hide-and-seek. I did the seeking, and this is what I found in our guest room. Phil was trying to "shhh" Clare so that they wouldn't be found.We were visiting Grandpa Hillary,
and Phil took a nap with Care Bear instead of Clare Bear.

Looking for bugs? Doing the army crawl?
Playing hide-and-seek with a terrible hiding spot? Who knows?!

This was when Phil strapped on all of his climbing equipment
to go on a grapefruit mission. He climbed "our" big tree and came back down with 30 grapefruit. :) This has become a yearly tradition (click here).

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my dearest husband!

Time with Mommy!!!

Clare and I enjoy our days together. We have several "routines" throughout the day, and one of them is reading lots of books.Clare loves helping me turn the pages.

Daddy always calls on his way home from work,
so he gets to read with us too. :)
Clare takes advantage of any opportunity to eat the books.

We play silly games...

...and we give LOTS of kisses!!!

I wouldn't trade this for ANYTHING in the world!!!

Shuttle Launch

There was a shuttle launch a few evenings ago. It appears to be just beyond our tree line, but it was actually on the other side of the state. It was neat to watch the colors change, and it was hard to believe that we could see it all the way from the other coast.

Irish Jig

Phil's brother, Brian, created this eCard for St. Patty's Day. It is hilarious, so I thought I would share it. Check it out!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Irish Girl

Clare is our Little Irish Girl.

The Hillary Family loves St. Patrick's Day,
and it is definite cause for celebration.

Clare, decked out in GREEN, got to experience her first St. Patty's Day feast of corned beef and cabbage. We had a special meal with Grandpa Hillary, and he filled our bellies with all of the family favorites (corned beef, cabbage, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, and carrots...with key lime pie for dessert).

No pinches for Grandpa or Clare Bear!

7-months-old TODAY!

Clare Ann is 7-months-old today, and we can't believe how quickly the time is passing. She is full of energy, and she learns something new every day. She's working on waving. :)
What a BIG GIRL!

Clare enjoys practicing her gymnastics while in the highchair, car seat, stroller, bath tub, and anywhere else that allows her to grab her feet. This is why we find applesauce between her toes.

Just lounging around...waiting for more food.

Kisses for Clare Bear from her new Care Bear.

Bath Time Bliss

Clare Ann LOVES bath time.

She especially loves her new Discovery Toys bath toys.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Brian!!!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Brian!!!These pictures were taken a long time ago, but I still remember having a GREAT time with you. I hope that you have a really wonderful birthday, and I can't wait to see you again in a few weeks.

Make your day a GREAT one!!!

Two Front Teeth

As you can see in this picture, Clare's little teeth are now visible. She loves gnawing on carrots and biting on bananas, and she's also taken a bite out of Mommy while nursing. YIKES! Those "cute little teeth" are more like razor blades.We had a temporary "cold front," and it dipped into the low-40's. Brrr... We had to bundle up to stay warm. Don't all of you northerners feel badly for us?

The Last Week...

My Little Dutch Girl!!!We've had a busy week!
Grandpa and Grandma Durham are here, so we've all been spoiled.

Clare is still nursing, but she is enjoying her new diet of carrots, bananas, and all sorts of vegetables.

Eating is SO MUCH FUN!

If you look carefully, you'll understand why we have so much laundry.

I don't know who is the happiest out of this bunch.

Mama and her girl!

Play time with Grandpa!

Clare likes turning the pages of her favorite books.