Cousins!

We love living in Florida, but it's hard being so far away from family!

Phil's brother, Keith, and his family were here for the last week.  We had a GREAT time, and we were sad to see them leave last night.

We spent a day at Busch Gardens...always a HIT!

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The kids (most of them) loved the Sesame Show.  

We arrived early enough to get seats in the very front.

Hard Core Elmo Fans!

We spent another morning at a local park.

Snack time!

I was off the hook for a few minutes because 

Clare only wanted Gabe to push her on the swing.

These pictures were taken after church on Sunday.  

Church, with four munchkins under 6-years-old, is a totally different post.

Maria has the pose down perfectly.  

The rest of them are still working on a peaceful "Cheese."

This was as good as we were going to get!

Clare and William...just three months apart.  

They had a great time together!

Thanks for heading down here, Keith and Wendy!

We miss you already!!!

Can You See Why Phil LOVES His Job???

Phil was on the news again this morning.  

Check out this clip:

Pink or Blue for Baby #2???

There you have it!

Clare's jumping for joy at the thought of a baby brother!

20 Weeks = Half Way!!!

 This picture was taken today...

20 weeks pregnant with Baby #2!

 This picture was taken in March of 2008...

20 weeks pregnant with Clare.

(Click on the link above to see post from 2008.)

What do you think???

We find out the gender tomorrow.  Any last predictions?

Sesame Place

Clare would spend all day in the water, 

and Busch Gardens' Sesame Place is no exception.

Running through the fountains!

Trying to stay hydrated.

Learning to use the water sprayer with Grandma.

Dodging through the water web.

Looking around for Grandma....

Mommy was sitting in the shade.  :)

Lubber Love

These nasty (probably not the same adjective that Phil would use) little vermin (definitely not the same noun that Phil would use) were all over out backyard a few weeks ago.

 

Phil's love for all things bird, reptile, insect, and otherwise nasty seems to have rubbed off on my sweet little girl.

She wanted to touch them, pick them up, play with them, 

and show them to Mommy.

Pure fascination!

As gross as they seem in these pictures, they have at least doubled/tripled in size since then. 
That makes them even more nasty and verminy.

A Snuggle Bug...She is NOT!

Clare is mobile, active, inquisitive, full of energy, and curious.

She is NOT a cuddler!

Doesn't she look thrilled???

UNLESS...

She's with Uncle Tory...

OR...

the bribe (ice cream in this case) is powerful enough.

Whose Belly is Bigger???

Sometimes Clare thinks that she has a baby in her belly too.

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.  :)