An Apple a Day...

Clare recently showed an interest in biting off of my apples. It didn't take long before my apple was covered in Clare juices and slobber, so I just turned the whole thing over to her. Double-fisted, she shows the apple who's BOSS!

Making progress!

Devouring the whole thing!

This is a test to see of this video works!

Not Afraid Anymore!

Clare and I go to playgroup on Tuesday mornings. They have a tunnel that she refuses to crawl through. She crawls next to it and around it, but she doesn't' like to go through it. Therefore, we created our own "practice tunnel" at home.

Checking things out...

Getting a little closer...

Success!

The FUN news was that she actually crawled through the real tunnel this past week. I don't have any pictures of that, but I was pretty excited. Oh...the little things! :)

The NEW Discovery Toys

Discovery Toys (educational toys, books, games, and music) have always been a part of my life. I grew up with them, and now I sell them. They've always been GREAT, but now they're even BETTER! If you've never heard of Discovery Toys, or you haven't seen them in a while, check out my website.

Be sure to check out the terrific SALE as well. Let me know if anything catches your eye OR if you have ANY questions.

If you contact ME with an order of $25 or more, I will give you 10% OFF your entire order!

Showing off...

...my cleavage!A bit scandalous, eh?

Golden Rule!!!

The Golden Rule of parenting:

NEVER wake a sleeping baby!!!
This face, and Medusa hair, was the unpleasant result of
breaking the golden rule.

There have only been a few RARE occasions that have required us to wake Clare up ahead of her body's natural alarm clock.
Hopefully we'll keep it that way.

Many of the comments we've received on our blog mention something about Clare's perpetual smile. While that is usually the case, we wanted to show you that she does have another side.

Homemade Jerky

Phil had a hankerin' for beef jerky, and he wanted to make it from home. Here is the tale of our homemade jerky.After all the meat was prepared, and the smoker was hot, Phil realized that we didn't have any skewers. Fear not! My eagle scout husband went into the backyard and clipped some bamboo to fashion his own skewers.
He measured and cut the skewers to fit perfectly inside the smoker, and Clare watched (oh so intently) from her throne.

He skillfully filled the skewers with the meat...

Then he strategically lined the shelf with one slice per opening.

One row done...a few to go...

This was just a little while before the finished product.

The waiting game...

First bite...YUMMY!

Second bite...even better!

Snacking on jerky!

And they all lived happily ever after!

Woodchuck!!!

Notice the HAPPY mouth FULL of teeth...
Notice the position of her mouth in relation to the crib...

Look carefully at the side of the crib...

We don't have a dog!
Our little Woodchuck, Clare Ann, christened the crib with her very own chompers.

We literally found Clare with crib shavings on her pajamas one morning. This is one of a few spots that looks like this, and we now understand the purpose of crib guards.

Making Mischief

Clare's new favorite game is unrolling the toilet paper and shoving it in her mouth. Who taught her that?
I've learned two things: 1. Close the bathroom door at all times. 2. If it gets unusually quiet, assume that I forgot #1, and head to the bathroom.

You can see a piece in her mouth. Yummy! You would think that she was underfed or something. Yeah...look at those gaunt cheeks.

BUSTED!

Playing in Daddy's Car!

Clare had a blast playing in Daddy's seat of his car. He was running a quick errand, so we stayed in the car. Who knew she could have this much fun in a matter of about three minutes?!
This doesn't seem so hard.

Hmmm...what's up here?

Of course, I have to put something in my mouth!

Showing off my teeth!
I had my 9-month appointment this week, and I only cried a tiny bit during the shots.
My weight was 19 lbs. and 13 oz. = 75th percentile
My length was 29.75 inches = OFF THE CHART!

Trying to escape! Don't I look like I'm being held against my will?

What will Daddy think when the volume is turned up ALL THE WAY!

Beach Bunny!

We spent a day, with The Clacks, on Anna Maria Island. As we've said before, Clare thoroughly enjoys the water. If it weren't for her pruned fingers and toes, and sand-filled diaper, I think that she would have stayed there ALL DAY.

A little slice of paradise!

Catching some waves!

The water was VERY warm, so she thought it was a big bath.

This sand feels neat...

I think I'll eat it!