Pies, Puzzles, Pots, Pans, and Polka Dots

This is just a conglomoration of recent pictures:

PIE

PUZZLES

POTS

PANS

POLKA DOTS

BFF

I apologize for my recent blog neglect.  We've had a busy few weeks!

My dad visited Florida and had some one-on-one time in "Clareville" (his name for the grandbaby-induced bliss that he experiences with Clare).  They read LOTS of books.

Clare helped Grandpa read the paper...

...and he taught her not to touch the sports page

until he had finished it.

They rode the carousel.

They ate pie.

And they PLAYED, PLAYED, PLAYED!!!

Grandpa took Clare to the park for HOURS every day. 

Literally HOURS!!!

My dad also treated us to some fun meals, date nights,

and ice cream galore!

(Anyone who knows my dad or me knows what's wrong with the picture below.)

My mom joined the fun a week after my dad,

and then Clare had 2 BFF's.

We had Thanksgiving dinner a few days early, and we celebrated with "Grandpa and Grandma" Treinen.

When they were here, Clare had 4 BFF's.

We are blessed to have such amazing family.

I had a REALLY hard time when they left, and Clare literally walked around the house looking for her buddies.  The distance is hard, but we know that we will see them again soon.

"Cheese" in a new outfit!

This post has dual purposes:

1. To show how much Clare loves cheese. 

It's a staple food item for her, and we don't leave home without it.

2. To show off her "new" outfit.

My dear friend, and former "Roomie", Kathi sent us this outfit shortly after Clare was born.  I LOVED it, but it has always been way too big.  She is finally able to wear it, so I had to capture some pictures.  Any excuse for pictures, right?

Sitting like such a big girl.

All gone!

"CHEESE!"

Run Wild For Wildlife

I used to call myself a runner.

After completing last week's 5K at Busch Gardens, I must reconsider.

My dad, the marathon man, ran next to me the whole time.

Clearly, he was unphased (waving and smiling) by the 3.1 mile run.  I, other hand, was soaked in sweat and completely out of breath when we crossed the finish line.

Clare was the youngest competitor.

She crossed the finish line with Daddy.

The crowd went wild!  :) 

She wore her medal with pride.

The 1st annual "Run Wild For Wildlife" was a casual "race."

Thankfully, there was no official time,

BUT they did award the top three male and female finishers with special "backstage" tours in the park.

I somehow managed to finish third...

which says more about the other runners than it does about me.

Clare and the Hippo

It's unlikely that we will ever have pets at home, but...

Clare has plenty of opportunities to "hang out" with animals.

This was a recent day at Busch Gardens.

She was mesmerized with the enormous fish tank and gigantic hippo.

The Carousel

Clare pointed to exactly what she wanted...

The CAROUSEL!

Who's having more fun?

Clare giggled with delight, but Daddy almost peed with excitement.

Little Miss Picasso

Clare LOVES coloring...as noted in several other posts.

She is happy as long as she has crayons in her hands.

So...what happens when we take the crayons away???

Clare, who rarely cries, strongly protests the removal of crayons.

We learned this the HARD way at church,

and we've had a few temper tantrums at home.

Today, she decided to be resourceful.

Since she couldn't find any crayons, she grabbed a pen...

and wrote all over the walls...the closet door...and her shirt.

This is only one of the displays of her art project on the wall.

Lovely.

Thanks, Clare.

Ann...don't even ask where the mother was during all of this.

What do you notice in this picture?

Does anything look different about Clare???

Yes, Phil and I both think that her face is getting rounder again.

She had BIG cheeks for a long time, and then they got smaller.

Now, they're big again.  What's up with that?

Oh...the gash on her forehead...

Yeah...that's new as well.

Mommy's Little Helper

Clare loves helping me around the house. 

I wonder if her checks will pay the bills?

She climbs on Mommy's chair and explores all of the piles.  Dangerous!

STUCK!!!

Clare found herself in a bit of a predicament the other day. At first, she thought it was funny. By the end, she was rather distressed...as evidenced in the video clip. I just wish that you could hear the sounds that accompany the video.

A Frog in Crocs

Since Phil works with frogs, we thought this was a fun costume.

Being that it was a hand-me-down made it even BETTER!

Clare wasn't a huge fan of the fleece costume

in the 90 degree Florida heat.

She wore Crocs to "honor" the reptile aspect of Daddy's job.

Her one and only stop was to see "Grandpa and Grandma" Treinen.

They are our local grandparents, and we love having "family" in town.

Happy Halloween!!!!