Happy Birthday (yesterday), Clare Bear!!!

Opening Presents!

Clare had fun opening gifts on her birthday!
Bright paper to tear to shreds. Endless fun!
What could it be??? I think I like the paper better than the present!

New shoes for the Barefoot Beauty

(Clare definitely prefers going without shoes, so this is her first pair.)

Another fun wrapping paper...the good old plastic bag.

Daddy helped her open the present from G&G Durham.

A brand new puzzle...her favorite gift of the day!

Sunshine Market didn't hold a candle to the puzzle...

and check out those new shoes.

Cake, Cake, Cake!!!

Yesterday, the 13th, was Clare's 1st Birthday! Singing "Happy Birthday!"
Clare was definitely interested in the cake.
Her own mini-cake...which didn't last long!
Oh Boy...this is FUN!
Naked, covered in frosting, and injecting pure sugar into her system.
This is a special day!

YUMMY!

Does it taste better if it's squeezed between every finger?

Sugar-induced BLISS!

You be the judge...

What's the story behind this picture?Submit your answer in the comment section.

A prize will be awarded to the most clever answer.

Results will be posted in a few days.

(Don't reveal the answer if you already know the story.)

Nooks and Crannies

Clare has a new fascination with tight spaces. She finds all of the nooks and crannies of the house and weasles her way into them.

Look what I found!
Hmmm...what's back here?
My big belly barely fits in here.

Another tight squeeze...with lots of gadgets.

I found another corner.

New Hair-Do x2

Clare's hair is WILD, so we've been trying different ways to keep it out of her face.

The pigtails are NOT Daddy's favorite. In fact, he hates them!

I also tried something new with my hair...getting it chopped.

Clare's not quite sure what she thinks of it.

Is there any resemblance yet?

Here's the side-view of the big chop.
No more ponytail (my STAPLE) for me!

How about this look?

She was electrocuted in the bath tub.

NOT REALLY! I figured that I better clear that up for the Grandmas who look at this blog (namely, my mom). :)

Clare does, however, give "bad hair day" a new meaning.

"Snake Expert"

Phil was on the NEWS last night. Check out this link to see the "snake expert" in action.

Worth a try...

I tried to create a scooping/measuring/dumping activity, but I failed to think through all of the potential downfalls.A tupperware full of multi-colored beans was intended to capture Clare's attention, and that part was successful.

The beans were not intended to be dumped all over the floor...

Or shoved into a little mouth.

Perhaps we'll have to try this again in a few months.

For now, we'll stick to more age-appropriate activities...
that don't involve chocking hazards.

First Masterpiece

Clare created her first masterpiece this week.We taped a piece of paper to the floor and gave her
a brand new box of crayons.

She colored with the crayons upside down, sucked on a few of them, and dropped a large string of drool on the paper.

The finished product was a one-of-a-kind MASTERPIECE!

Any bidders? :)