Who Loves Elmo???

Elmo, and the Sesame Street Gang, is a new feature at Busch Gardens!

I can't even begin to explain how excited Clare was to see Elmo in person. It literally brought tears to my eyes to see her so happy!

She wanted to touch the characters and make sure they were "real."

Here's a little video of Clare dancing with the characters. At the beginning, she is trying to get her new friend to dance with her, and then she just takes off. At the end, she nearly crawls on the lap of a total stranger. I had to tell her, "That's not Daddy." She just knew that he was one step closer to Elmo...so it didn't matter who the guy was. :)

A Quiet Child = Trouble

In the 90 seconds it took me to go to the bathroom, 

Clare found a way to get into the snack cupboard.

As I walked back towards the kitchen, and heard nothing, 

I knew that something was awry. 

Clare found the Gummy Peaches and the M&M's, 

and she already had a mouthful. 

THIS is how she did it!

I've gotta give her points for resourcefulness.

We know she takes after her Daddy in more ways than one!

Smoothies and Suckers

Smoothies are a summer favorite for us.  Since it's "summer" for about nine months, we have our fair share of smoothies.  Clare doesn't mind!

Some things just taste better from your fingers!

Clare was wondering why she had such a little bowl compared to mine.

This girl will do anything for a lollipop.  Seriously!  I may buy some stock in Dum-Dums...knowing that we could single-handedly keep them in business over the next few years.

Who loves Clare?

Daddy!

Clare shrieks with delight when she hears the garage door open every day.  As excited as she is to see Phil every day, I think he's even more excited to see her.  

How many men voluntarily dress-up in pink hats...

and have tea parties?

Clare is blessed.

I am blessed!

Believe it or not...Phil actually wants another girl.  :)
What do you think it will be?
VOTE on the poll at the top of our page.  :)

Dancing Queen

No matter where we are, or what we're doing, Clare BUSTS A MOVE at the first sound of music.  Seriously!  She turns on the radio by herself so that she can dance in the living room.  As soon as she gets strapped in her car seat, she starts asking for "songs." 
She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to dance. 

It's hard to capture her movin' and groovin' with a still photo.

We went to a concert at Busch Gardens, 

and she found a mini-dance floor to bust a move.

Her dancing bones are DEFINITELY a Hillary trait.

With Daddy teaching her new tricks every day, she'll be trying out for "So You Think You Can Dance" before she's writing her own name.

I Knew This Day Would Come...

After hearing some stories of friends with older kids, I knew that it wouldn't be long before I walked in Clare's room to find her completely NAKED.

She took off her clothes and diaper, and she peed ALL OVER the bed.  When I heard her yelling, "Pee pee...Pee pee..."
I knew that something was fishy.

She looked at me as if to say, "What's your problem, Mom?"

I may have had a different look.

The Hiding Place

As I mentioned in my last post, we saw "The Hiding Place" when we were in Chicago.  It was the theater version of the book that was written over 35 years ago.  The book, about Corrie Ten Boom, was written by my great-aunt and uncle (check out this link).  Corrie Ten Boom and her family hid Jews in their home during WWII until they were captured and sent to concentration camps.  Corrie survived and lived to tell her story about faith, perseverance, and love.  My dad met Corrie when he was in college, and that's when he knew he wanted to name his first daughter after her.  Ta Da...that's me!

The book has always been very special to our family.  It was turned into a movie several years ago, but the stage performance was something new.  We had a terrific evening with our friends, Sara and Don, in Chicago, and seeing the play was one of the highlights of our getaway weekend.  If you've never heard of the book, you should check it out sometime.

Here is a trailer for the movie:

Chicago Getaway

Phil and I had a terrific getaway weekend at the beginning of the month.  Other than the 50 degree temperature swing from Florida,
it was a fun trip.

Sears Tower amongst the gray, windy sky.

Nice and cozy in our many layers.

Lincoln Park Zoo

(You wouldn't expect us to go to another city without visiting the zoo, would you?!)

46 Degrees...and rainy...and windy!

Brrrr.......

"Breakfast in Bed"

We went down to a local restaurant, ordered breakfast, and brought it back up to our room on the 19th floor.  We sat in bed, watched Cable TV (a total luxury), and enjoyed a lazy morning.

Ed Debevic's Diner

It was a GREAT weekend...just what we needed.  Among the many highlights was seeing "The Hiding Place" in the theater.  See my next post for more details about that.

Starting to POP...

 This picture was taken last week...

at 14 weeks pregnant.

 

I certainly feel as though I'm popping much earlier with this pregnancy.  I had to go buy some new clothes because my old maternity clothes didn't fit this season.  A few things I forgot about being in the early stages of pregnancy:

* Bizarre cravings: 

RED MEAT, eggs, cheese, Honeycomb cereal, licorice, cake, and mangoes....basically protein and sugar.

* Weakened bladder:

Waking 2-3 times every night...ugh!

* Nausea:

God has a wonderful way of helping us forget the terrible nausea and vomiting, but it is VERY clear in my mind right now.

* Fatigue:

I remember being tired when pregnant with Clare, but this is completely different.  I'm sure the addition of Clare, my ACTIVE little toddler, doesn't help with the extreme fatigue.

* Excitement:

Amidst all of the less than appealing aforementioned side effects of pregnancy, there is tremendous excitement and joy.  Clare "knows" there is a baby in Mommy's belly.  We pray for our little one every day.  We anxiously await doctor's appointments where we get to hear the heart beat or see the baby move.  What a blessed time! 

More Fun with Mema and Papa

 Clare refers to Busch Gardens as the "Big Park."

It certainly has enough to keep her (and Grandma and Grandpa) 

busy for an entire day.

She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the hippo tank.

"Feeesh, Feeesh, Feeesh."

Papa has his hands full...and he loves it!

All smiles (and a little sweat) on the sky ride.

Thankfully my dad doesn't have the stomach of a pregnant woman.

Color-coded with the stilt-walker.

My mom just brought down this special dress.  

My grandma made it, and both my sister and I wore it.

We miss having Mema and Papa here!!!!!

While Mama's Away...

While Mama's Away...

It's PLAY all DAY!

Phil and I were in Chicago for the weekend (post to come),

and Clare got to stay home with Grandpa and Grandma Durham...

A.K.A. "Sugar Mema and Papa"

Our little fish got to spend hours in the 

kid's play area at Busch Gardens...

Staying hydrated with chlorinated water...

Giving herself an enema...

And learning to pee like a boy.

(Doesn't it look like that???)

Whatever makes 'em happy, right?

Muffin Mistake Maker

I wish that I could say our first baking experience 

as Mommy and daughter was blissful.

BUT...

- More batter ended up on the counter and floor than in the pan.

- In addition to cleaning the kitchen, I had to clean my "helper."

- The whole process ended up making me late for Bible study.

- Clare kept whining for, "More more...more more!"

Would/Will I do it all again?

ABSOLUTELY!