Clare's first day at Busch Gardens!

Clare loved her first day at Busch Gardens, and Daddy was happy to show her off to his friends at work. We had a nice lunch with Phil during his break.We (Elissa, Adam, Margaret, Bill, Clare, and I) had fun walking through the park.

Phil enjoyed seeing his girls in the middle of the day. :)

Grandpa gave Clare a little ride on his scooter.

Where is Grandpa? He was swallowed by the one of the crazy creatures in Jungala.

It was a long day for Miss Clare, and she crashed in Grandpa's arms.

Clare Ann...Chosen by God!

Clare was baptized this weekend, and it was a very special celebration. Uncle Adam and Aunt Elissa are Clare's godparents, and they flew down (from Michigan) to be a part of the special day. Thank you, Adam and Elissa!!!

Clare wore the same baptismal gown that I wore when I was baptized AND my mom wore when she was baptized. Oxy-Clean helped spruce up the half-century-old gown.Clare was surrounded by her by her earthly family as she joined the family of God.

Our happy little family!!!
"Uncle" Tory and "Aunt" Sarah are our Florida family, and they joined us for the celebration.

The whole gang hung out at our house for the rest of Sunday afternoon. We ate lunch, played games, opened gifts, ate cake, and enjoyed fellowship with one another.

Aunt Sarah cuddled Clare into a cozy little nap. It was a big day for our little squirt.
Grandma Hillary is known for her delicious cakes, but all of her cake supplies were in Michigan. She still provided a tasty carrot cake that was devoured throughout the afternoon.

This was Clare's third dress for the day. She made a mess of the first one, she was baptized in the second one, and this was covered in drool within a matter of minutes.

Grandpa and Grandma in Florida!!!

Grandpa and Grandma arrived on Thursday evening. Clare is getting baptized on Sunday, and some of the family is heading down for the celebration. Clare enjoyed some great snuggle time with Grandpa and Grandma, and we're glad that they will be here for a few days.

Clare wasn't being naughty...this was just a new cuddly position for her. This was in the first few minutes of their arrival, and Clare was trying to figure out who was holding her. It didn't take long for her to cozy up with Grandma. :)

Sleepy Girl

Clare rubs her eyes when she's sleepy, and I find it very endearing. She's trying to say, "Mommy, I just want a nap."

Smiling for the camera!

Just in case you were worried...she still has her chunky cheeks and multiple chins. :)

Forget the pacifier...she prefers her entire fist!

Ooo...maybe there's a thumb on that fist.

Big eyes, wild hair, rosy cheeks, clenched fists, happy girl!!!

Unexpected Sushi Surprise!

First of all, I apologize that this post doesn't contain a picture of Clare. We've quickly learned that she's all that really matters on this blog. Anyhow...Phil surprised me with a plate of sushi- grade salmon this evening. We bought a nice fillet to grill for dinner tomorrow evening, but it was so fresh that we could eat it raw. After months without sushi, I gladly welcome any form of it.

Growth spurt!

I think that Clare is hitting a growth spurt. She's been eating MUCH MORE than usual, and she's been sleeping a lot at night. Watching her smile, laugh, play, and learn brings us daily joy!

Little Miss Drools-A-Lot is Learning to Roll Over

Clare proudly wears a puddle of drool on every outfit these days, and she's constantly making spit bubbles. Despite her soggy clothes, and our wet shoulders, she's still full of smiles. She giggled for the first time of Friday, and she's been doing it ever since. Phil has the magic touch when it comes to making her laugh, and it truly melts my heart EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!

Notice the drool.

Clare has never really been a fan of tummy time, but she's starting to tolerate it a little bit more. We've been working on rolling over, and here is the sequence of movements.

Record LOW temperature!

We woke up this morning to temperatures in the high 30's. YIKES! It feels like Michigan. The morning news reported that these were record-breaking low temperatures for this date. The good news is that it will still be a nice day, and we'll be back in the 80's by Friday. Since we JUST turned off the AC on Monday, we refused to turn on the heat. Therefore, Miss Clare needed to be all bundled up to say warm.

Pretty not Princess

We think that our little squirt is awfully cute, and it's fun getting her all dressed up. You should know, however, that we are hoping to avoid the pretty princess phase. I've never been much of a girly girl, and Phil grew up in a home with all boys. We're hoping that she will steer more towards nature, adventure, and athletics rather than the alternative. We've quickly learned that she has her own personality, and every day is a new adventure.

Either way, our little Clare Ann is as precious as they come. We're not even biased. :)

New Landscaping???

Not quite! Our pool has a leak, and Phil spent Saturday evening looking for it. After LOTS of digging, my exasperated husband threw in the shovel. He couldn't find the leak, and that leaves us with holes in the ground and a rapidly declining pool. What next?

What do you think, Miss Clare? What should daddy do next?

GREAT, Fun, Going, Going, GONE!

We introduced a new gadget this week. We found it for $8 at a yard sale (which definitely beats the $89 at Babies 'R' Us), and Clare seemed to really enjoy it...for the first few minutes. She was still having a good time at this point,

and she especially loved staring at the sun.She started losing interest and found more excitement in her hand.Going...

Going...

GONE!!!