Anniversary Cake?!

Our anniversary was in July, BUT our cake topper was frozen in Michigan. We were anxious to give it a try, but we had to tear through the multiple layers of aluminum foil and saran wrap before we actually made it to the cake.Our wedding cake was made of different varieties, but the top and bottom layers were carrot cake. It was designed that way so that we would celebrate with the same type of cake that we cut into on our wedding night.
We've come a long way in the last fifteen months. Little did we know that we would enjoy our anniversary cake with a munchkin in our arms. If all truth be told, we couldn't ask for more. We are both happier than we've ever been!!!
Yes, we actually fed each other the first bite. We don't want to lose our dork status!
Believe it or not, it still tasted pretty great. Nice work, Notos!

Time with Family and Friends!

Our highlight of the trip to Michigan was seeing all of our family and many of our friends. These are only a few of the pictures, and the rest can be viewed on our Shutterfly site (http://hillary777.shutterfly.com/958). This is the Hillary Gang! Grandpa and Grandma Hillary in their glory...with the six grandchildren.
All of the spectators and photographers watching the grandchildren on the laps of Grandpa and Grandma...very entertaining!
Our attempt at a family photo was futile because our little one was hungry and COLD. Other than that, she looks THRILLED. :)
Daddy with his Clare Bear. There's something priceless about babies in blue jeans. This is Grant...our godchild. He is almost one year old already (http://hillary777.blogspot.com/2007/11/blog-post.html), and he's a big boy!

Grandpa Durham with the Chunky Monkey. This is my dad's first grandchild, and it brings me tremendous joy to watch him interact with her. I've never seen this side of him, and it's very special!!!

Grandma Hillary with Clare Ann. I think this pictures was just moments before a good burp.
The Durham Gang (minus Auntie Ann)...a bit smaller than The Hillary Gang.

Lunch at Mancinos with both families. It's great being from the same hometown.

Clare had to wait 6-8 hours before she got to eat Mancinos. :)
Clare's other "aunts." Lauren CLAIRE and Kaitlin ANNE are like sisters to me...thus making them like aunts to CLARE ANN.
Pam enjoyed her snuggle time with Clare.
Daddy-daughter time...we could just stare at her all day long!

Our afternoon in Mattawan

Clare, Phil, and I went to Mattawan on Friday afternoon. We were blessed to see many of my dear friends, and I was so excited for Clare to meet all of them. The first picture is with "My Three Dads." I was on a team with Dave, Smiddy, and Dean while teaching in Mattawan, and they took care of me as though I was their own daughter. They enjoyed meeting their "granddaughter." All of the girls with our little girl. These are some of my former students. It was great to see all of them: Sara, Kaisa, Laura, Rachel, Hannah, and Liz. :) Dean with Clare. His peaceful spirit helped Clare fall right asleep.
Smiddy with Clare...practicing to be a new grandpa in February.
Hannah (the person who correctly guessed Clare's name while I was still pregnant) with our Little Pumpkin. :)

Five Year Hope College Reunion

This past weekend was my five-year reunion at Hope. It is VERY hard to believe that I've already been out of college for five years. The whole group met at The New Holland Brewery for the "official reunion festivities," and then we went back to Rachel's house for some more time together.All of our significant others thought it would be funny to do a "boy picture." They were troopers to endure the evening of girl talk and unfamiliar faces.Clare enjoyed meeting Brooke and Teagan (who was born in January). Will they be the next generation of Flying Dutchwomen? :)
Clare also enjoyed meeting Rachel and Jabin (born in December).
Rachel and I are working on an arranged marriage for Clare and Jabin. :)

Our Little Babe!

Our good friend, Stacey Clack, took some pictures of Clare this past weekend. She is a very talented photographer, and you can view some of the other shots on her blog: http://staceyclackphotography.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-girl.htmlClare was stripped down to her diaper, and it was pretty cold in the basement where Stacey took the pictures. She snapped a few great shots before Clare was no longer interested in playing along. Thanks again, Stacey! It was GREAT seeing you guys on Friday!!! :)

A few days in Michigan...

We're still in Michigan right now, but we leave tomorrow afternoon. It has been a BUSY couple of days, but we've had the joy of seeing MANY SPECIAL people. These are only a few of the pictures from this weekend. We will post more pictures when we get home. This is in the Chicago airport. We had a four hour layover, and then our flight was re-routed. It made for an exhausting day, but parenthood is teaching us how to roll with the punches.
Clare is proudly wearing her wings. Doesn't she look excited?
Clare FINALLY got to meet Grandma Hillary!
Enjoying some snuggle time with Grandpa Hillary
Clare loves making eye contact...especially with people who wear glasses. Several people have told us that she looks like my mom...Grandma Durham.

All bundled up with Grandpa Durham
Playing with Uncle Adam and Aunt Elissa. They are Clare's Godparents. :)My Aunt Jan (Clare's GREAT Aunt) visited us as well. :)
We also had a wonderful lunch with Grandma Hahn.
Stay tuned for more pictures and stories of our weekend in Michigan!

7 weeks old ALREADY!

WOW! Where does the time go? It's hard to believe that it has already been seven weeks since these pictures were taken. Clare has changed SO much since the day she was born, and SO HAVE WE! Life will never be the same, and we are completely okay with that. We have a whole new understanding of love and the power of God's miraculous timing and plan.
We are leaving tomorrow morning to bring Clare up to Michigan. It's time for her to meet the rest of the family and many of our friends. YEAH! This will probably be our last post for a few days, but I'm sure we'll have lots of good pictures when we return. :)

Auntie Ann's Place in Florida

My sister, Ann, bought a townhouse in Florida. Even though she lives in the Middle East, she figured that this would be a great investment. She got a fantastic deal, and my mom and dad plan on enjoying it as part of their "snowbirding" in The Sunshine State. Phil and I have been taking care of some of the basic needs...since it would be a bit of a commute for Ann. Phil changed the locks, so now it's safe and secure.
Clare enjoyed a nap while mommy and daddy worked at the townhouse.
We used the fancy granite counter as a changing table. Thanks Auntie Ann! :)
I washed the dishes and tried to arrange them in logical places. I'm sure that Ann will make some adjustments when she gets here in December. She has TONS of storage space, and I was just a "tad" bit jealous of all the shiny, new appliances and special features.
We can't wait for you to be here, Auntie Ann!

World's GREATEST Hubby and Daddy!!!

I had a Discovery Toys booth on Sunday, and it was an hour away from home. Phil happened to have the day off, so he and Clare joined me for the day. It was SO NICE having him there because he significantly reduced my work load. We love spending time together...even if it means working at a D.T. booth.

We didn't realize that the booth was a special event for ladies. There were several vendors (make-up, Pampered Chef, purses, candles, massages, manicures, etc.), and it was a "Spa Day" for women. Phil was the ONLY testosterone in the whole place. I kept looking at him and thinking, WOW...my husband is amazing. He is spending his weekend in a house full of women, and he's doing it with a smile on his face. He took care of Clare as I took care of the booth, and I'm fairly certain that they received much more attention than my toys. I suppose I can't blame people for checking out my handsome hubby and adorable Chunky Monkey. I love you, PMH!


Clare Ann loves time with her daddy. He is SO, SO, SO GREAT with her, and it brings me such joy. Not only do I have the world's BEST HUSBAND, but Clare has the world's BEST DADDY!