On the move...

Clare has suddenly become VERY mobile. She crawls ALL over the place, and she likes to stand up whenever possible. It seems like these big milestones happened overnight. She insists on tasting EVERYTHING!

BIG GIRL!!!

On the move...and HANDS-ON EVERYTHING!

Her tricky little eyes saying, "I just made another mess, Mommy!"

Teeth Brushing

Now that Clare has some pearly whites, we've included teeth brushing in the daily routine. As you can see, she loves it!The toothbrush keeps her entertained for several minutes. Anyone with young ones understand the blessing of sustained engagement. :)

Million dollar SMILE!

Our trip to Washington D.C.

We spent a few days out east so that we could be with family during the visitation and memorial services of my dear Grandma. This was on our flight there. Clare loved looking out the window.We were snuggly crammed into our little space.

Grandpa and Clare had some reading time.

We went to the National Zoo on Thursday afternoon,
and then we had the visitation.

This was at the visitation.

Clare enjoyed playing with a few of her cousins...
or second cousins...or first-cousins-once-removed.
Does anyone know how that works?

I enjoyed seeing my cousins, Shannon and Nick, as well as the rest of the extended family.

Clare snuck a little nap in between all of the activity.

This was on Friday...after the memorial service.

Playing in, and with, the flowers.

Dissecting the flowers.

Eating the flowers.

Clare was covered in wood chips and dirt,
so she had to be picked clean by Daddy and Grandma.

Family Photo!

I LOVE Grandpa! Amen!

This is in the airport on our way back home.

Where's the water?

This doesn't seem to work either.

Frequent Flyer!

Almost home!!!

Even though it was hard saying goodbye to my Grandma, we know that her legacy lives on in all of us. We had a great trip, and it was wonderful seeing my family.

Updates Galore!

We've had quite a week down here in the Sunshine State.

Here are a few updates...
Clare is 8-months-old TODAY,
and she is officially crawling ALL OVER THE PLACE!She also has FOUR new teeth. Her top teeth started coming in last week, and we hope that her pain has subsided for a while.

Even with an endless supply of Discovery Toys, she is drawn to cords, outlets, and dirty shoes. Here's a picture of her on the move towards one of her favorite gadgets.

We celebrated Easter with our dear friends, Sarah and Tory.
This is Clare's bunny robe (for after a dip in the pool).

We spent a lot of time with extended family down in Ruskin.

Uncle Mel taught Clare how to golf.

Kim (my college roommate) and her husband, Chad visited for a few days. It was TERRIFIC seeing them, and we enjoyed playing games and spending time together. See their blog for more pictures and stories of their visit.

Clare had fun with cousins.

She also got to spend time with Aunt Marcie and Uncle Brian.

My Grandma Durham passed away on Saturday morning. She was a special woman, and she will be dearly missed. We are traveling to Washington D.C. this week to attend her memorial service. We look forward to seeing our extended family and celebrating my grandma's life. We love you, Grandma!

Life's a BEACH!

We spent an afternoon at the beach, and Clare loved the water.
She even took home a load of sand as a souvenir.

She also enjoyed spending time with her cousins, Jeb and Grant.
All smiles!

Despite the toothless grin, she is working on her third tooth right now. Her first top one broke though last night.

FAMILY time!!!

April is the month of family and friends. Living in Florida means that we are blessed with lots of visitors during the spring, and the past few weeks have been a lot of fun.

Grandpa and Grandma Hillary are in town right now.
As you can see, Clare is pretty happy about that!
Grandma enjoys cuddle time with her "Southern Belle."

Aunt Delores is trying to turn Clare into a hat girl.

Clare loves her Daddy!!!We had a fun day, and a terrific meal, with some of the Hillary Gang.

Just the three of us! :)