Playful and Happy Girl

Clare is really starting to explore her surroundings. We love watching her figure things out and soak in life around her. This is such a fun stage!

SO BIG!

This smile, and drool, was accompanied by enormous belly laughs.

She has loads of fun with her Measure Up Cups!

I'm sure you can figure out how this game works:
Mommy and Daddy build the tower, and Clare plays, "TIMBER!"

Moving, Shaking, Thumping, and Rolling Around!

Clare is becoming more and more active. She isn't officially crawling yet, but she is definitely "scootching" all over the place. She rolls onto her tummy within seconds of being laid down, and we've found her on her belly in the crib several times recently. We can usually hear her thumping her feet from the other room. It's fun watching her learn new things, and it's hard to believe how big she's getting. Just the other day, Phil said, "She's not a baby anymore...she's turning into a little girl."

6-month STATS!

Clare is 6-months old today! WOW!
We just got home from her 6-month check-up.
Everything looks GREAT! Her weight (18 pounds) is at the 90th percentile.
Her length (27.25 inches) is at the 95th percentile.
Her head (17 inches) is at the 75th percentile.

She had to get four shots, but she was a trooper.

She's sound asleep right now (still in the car seat),
but I'm sure she'll be back to smiles by this afternoon.

ACAPULCO!

We had a fabulous trip in Acapulco! Discovery Toys treated us like royalty, and we were blessed to have my parents there as well. Phil and I were able to "vacation" in a way that we've never experienced before this trip. It was wonderful!This was one of the amazing views.

On our way to one of the FIVE pools. :)

This was on the balcony of our room.

Banquet Night!

Grandpa LOVED his one-on-one time with Clare-Bear!

Sitting up all by herself now.

Little Surfer Girl!

What a good looking duo!

Clare's first taste of a lime. Thrilled, huh?!

She prefers her toes!

After a long day, Clare crashed in Grandpa's arms.

Enjoying the view from The Cathedral of Peace.

This cross, at the top of one of the mountains, could be seen from many places around the city.

She would rather look at Grandpa than the ocean view.

Phil and I enjoyed this view during a sunset dinner on Saturday.

This was the spot where we watched the cliff divers. All of the boats are there to watch the big show as well. The divers dove from a 30-meter cliff, and it was pretty incredible!

Enjoying another round of chips and guacamole.
We feasted on that at least once a day!

This was our view of the cliff divers.

Grandma helped take good care of our little one.

We had a great trip, and it's hard getting back to reality. I will post more pictures on Shutterfly for those of you who care to see them.

Off to Mexico!

This will be our last post for a few days. We are off to Acapulco, Mexico. Corrie earned the incentive trip with Discovery Toys, and the three of us are ready for a vacation! We will have pictures and stories to share next week.

Computer CRASH!

My computer crashed on Saturday, and I can't even turn it on to recover my files or pictures. Therefore, I have to use Phil's computer...which isn't entirely reliable either. In case you needed a baby picture "fix," this will have to do for now. This is Phil at approximately the same age as Clare right now. Equally as cute...cheeks not quite as chunky! I went through Phil's files of pictures, and these were in the archives. Both of these pictures were taken years ago...on the same deserted island where Phil proposed to me.
Isn't it obvious why we live in Florida rather than snow-covered Michigan?!

"Talking" to Grandma!

Grandma Durham wanted to talk to Clare today, and Clare wanted to eat the phone. They were both happy with the arrangement. :) The phone was on speaker, and Clare was fascinated by the faceless voice coming from out of nowhere.

She kept getting one step closer to her ultimate goal...something to put in her mouth!

VICTORY! "Hello Grandma!"

Teeth Time!

Miss Clare Ann has teeth. You can't really see them in this picture, but they're there. Her two bottom teeth started breaking through last week, and now they are visible and sharp. She actually bit Phil's finger last night, and it left a mark. I'm nervous for the day when she bites me while nursing.

Home "made" Sushi

Phil and I LOVE sushi, and we have a little "kit" for making it at home. We've created beautifully delicious rolls in the past,

but something went wrong this time. Sampling some caviar on a cracker.
This was still in the early stages of our creation.
My first roll turned out to be more of a sushi salad. We didn't have the seaweed paper to hold it all together, so it all fell apart.
Despite the appearance, it still tasted GREAT!

Fashion Show

The following pictures portray adorable outfits

given to us by family and friends.

The first outfit is a Spartan cheerleading dress

from Uncle Keith and Aunt Wendy. Clare is already working on her routine.
She's perfected the toe touch.Phil is a proud Papa of his future Spartan
Mama knows that she's a Flying Dutchgirl at heart! :)

The second outfit says "FBI Kid" and it is from Stefanie Mason.Yo, Yo, Yo...Wuz Up?!Can FBI Agents have teddy bears?The third, and final, outfit is from Grandma and Grandpa Hillary.It was a cold week, so Clare got to bundle up in her warm fleece.Her first words were, "I love warm weather, and I don't think snowy Michigan is the place for me." Smart Girl!