Beautiful Busch Baby

We spent the whole day at Busch Gardens, and it was GREAT! The weather was perfect (low-70's and sunny), the crowds were manageable, and the company was unbeatable! We snapped a few family photos throughout the day.

Auntie Ann loves getting her hands on her niece... ...and Clare loves getting her hands on her Aunt. WATCH OUT!
Grandpa and Grandma in their element!!!We were thrilled to have Mari, a dear family friend, with us for the day at the park! :)

Grandpa has quickly become the new "baby grabber."

Grandma couldn't let Grandpa have all the baby time.This is Phil doing a "Gator Talk." Even though he's done this for YEARS, I loved watching him in his element. I was the proud wifey of the handsome zookeeper. :) Notice the gator in the background.

The Hillary 3

Smiling with the babe!

Some random shots of the week...

We've had a good week down here in The Sunshine State. We certianly don't miss Michigan, or all of the snow, as we've been soaking up temperatures in the low-80's.

Clare is thinking about solids,

but we probably won't start her with Edamame.

Clare enjoyed meeting Mckinze last week. :)Grandma and Auntie Ann (to be featured in upcoming pictures) played dress-up with Clare.

Clare wasn't a fan.

These are a few of her favorite things...

Clare seems to prefer her thumb WITH the index finger. She sucks on the two of them together. It's kind of cute. :)Clare has been having a lot of fun with her feet lately. She attempts to pull off her socks, she sucks on her toes, and she grabs her feet every time we change her diaper. She's working on something serious!
She also likes the Tangiball and Jangles.

But her FAVORITE toy of the last few days is a bag of bread. (Yes, we understand the risks of playing with a plastic bag.) She loves it!
Who needs Discovery Toys when you have Pepperidge Farm?

Little Trooper

Clare had her second round of immunizations today, and she was a little trooper. I'm certain that it was harder on mommy and daddy than it was on her.

Here are her four-month percentages...for those of you who care:

Length = 26 inches = 95th%

Weight = 15 pounds 4 ounces = 95%

Head = 16.5 inches = 75th%

(I'm sure that her head would be in the 95th% if it was measured around her cheeks.)

This is using Auntie Ann's countertop as a changing table. It works!

Papa Loves His Little Lady...

...and she loves him too!!! Clare is always happy on Daddy's lap...
...and on Daddy's back...
...and in Daddy's arms...

...and in Daddy's dreams!!!

4-months-old

Miss Clare Ann is 4-months-old today. WOW! It's hard to believe. She's getting so big, so expressive, and more and more fun every day.

Happy Birthday, Dearest Sister!!!

Today is my sister, Ann's, 25th birthday. As usual, she's in the middle of another adventure (traveling from Korea to China on her birthday), and we are SO EXCITED to celebrate with her next week. Ann climbed the Great Wall of China THIS MORNING! Crazy, huh?!CELEBRATE!!!
PLAY!!!
SMILE!!!Happy Birthday, my dearest sister!!!

Thank you, Liz!!!

Clare wanted to say thank you to Liz for her very first nativity set.

It will be a special memory for years to come. Thank you, Liz! Clare enjoyed playing with Baby Jesus...
and then trying to eat the manger.

Sweet Baby Girl

It was exactly a year ago, today, that we learned that we were pregnant. WOW! It's amazing how drastically our lives have changed in the last year...for the BETTER! Clare is such a special gift to our family, our marriage, and our day-to-day lives. What will the next year bring?

Our Sweet Baby Girl...Singing...
Smiling...
Inquiring...
Focusing...
Just another day of joy in the life of Miss Clare Ann!

Happy Little Girl

Clare is such a happy little girl, and we love her spit-soaked smiles!Checking herself out during tummy time.

Having sweet dreams...with a sweet little smile in her sleep.

Welcome, Shane!!!

My dearest cousin, Kelly, had her baby yesterday. Shane was 8 lbs, 8 oz., and we are SO excited to welcome him to the family. CONGRATS, Kelly and Josh!

Daddy's Little Girl

There's no doubt that Clare LOVES her daddy. I think the feelings are mutual.

Our non-traditional Thanksgiving!

Phil had to work on Thanksgiving day, so we celebrated a few days later. As you can see, Phil woke up VERY early to start smoking the turkey. Since he didn't take this picture of himself, you can only imagine who else woke up VERY early. Yes, Clare was ALSO awake VERY early.
Hard at work throughout the day.

Look at that beautiful turkey and handsome cook.

We enjoyed our feast with Sarah and Tory...our local family!