"Clare in the Air" AND "I in the Sky"

If you've followed our blog for any amount of time, you know that our children learn to "fly" as soon as they have trace amounts of neck strength.  We have SEVERAL "Clare in the Air" pictures from the last few years. 

Clare would do this ALL DAY LONG, but it's getting harder and harder to toss 33 pounds in the sky repeatedly.

Now we have "I in the Sky."

Our little Isaac loves flying as much as his big sister.

 This one is a bit different...but it kind of fits the theme...

"Eyes Like the Sky"



Ice Cream Junction

We tried our hand at making homemade ice cream last week.

 Clare LOVED the entire process.

 Patience was practiced as we waited for it to harden up in the machine.

And she somehow lost her skirt in the process,

although that didn't seem to bother her one bit.

Phil and I, who are BIG ICE CREAM CONNOISSEURS (we tend to go through a couple containers a week), weren't crazy about the homemade stuff.  We'll have to try again.

Grillin' in the Rain

Phil planned a huge feast for our anniversary,

and he wasn't going to let a thunderstorm stifle his plans.  

I LOVE THAT ABOUT HIM!!!

 He adapted his normal grilling routine, 

and Clare stripped down to help him.

Yep...I got a strip show from our two-year-old on our anniversary.

Phil loves it when I make cake because I use a secret ingredient (homemade pudding...the secret's out) with the mix.  Clare and I made a special cake for our anniversary, and we polished off the entire thing in less than 24 hours. 

This isn't how the cake looked upon presentation.  

We just have fun playing games with each other as we leave obvious clues as to who was the last person to indulge.  :)

Lubber Love - YEAR 2

Do you know what a Lubber (pronounced loober) is?

Perhaps you remember my post from last year...click here if not.

My sweet daughter has a ridiculous obsession with them.

RIDICULOUS!

 I can assure you (although I'm sure no one doubts this) that this fascination did not stem from me.  Not in any way have I encouraged this obsession...although the same can't be said for another adult in my house.

 Clare LOVES it when it's lubber season,

and it's lubber season.

They're everywhere...

Including our driveway, the gardens, our front door, 

and the ceiling of our garage.

YES...this is our daughter ON TOP OF OUR VAN...

with the ultimate goal of catching that lubber.

 Where might she get such an idea???

As aforementioned, I wash my hands of this...

although not so far as to refrain from videotaping it.

AND HERE IS WHERE THE OBSESSION 

HAS SPUN OUT OF CONTROL!

This little video is only a tiny glimpse of the absolute unraveling of my little lubber lover.  Daddy was at work, and Mommy wasn't as keen on playing with bugs.  Take a look.

8-Month-Update

Isaac turned 8-months old yesterday.

Whoa!

 Other than teething, getting over a little cold, waking up EVERY NIGHT to eat (a new pattern that makes me revoke the "best sleeping baby award" that I gave him months ago), he is a delightful little guy.

 ~ He's on the MOVE...all over the place.  

We can no longer put him on the floor and think he'll stay there.

~ He enjoys eating...although NOTHING with texture. 

He literally vomits with anything more solid than stage 2 baby food.  

This is a phenomenon we haven't quite figured out, but we'll give it time.

~ He loves babbling...and he seems to say, "Da da" over and over as he gets his diaper changed.  Haven't figured out the connection...
must be a boy thing.  :)

~ He's in the "drop it and watch Mommy pick it up" stage.

Over, and over, and over.  Fun game!  Ha!

~ He's had three hair cuts, and he's due for another one soon.

~ Just like his sister, he loves shoes.  He crawls over to them, wherever they may be, and he attempts to teeth on them.
Another phenomenon that may go unanswered.

~ He's probably 21-22 pounds...although that is based on weighing myself and then doing it again while holding the little tank.  Very accurate.

He's LOVED!

7/7 x 4

My sister called me today to read an excerpt from one of her old journals.  In 1996 she wrote, "Corrie has a crush on Phil Hillary, and they have their eyes on each other."  That was half my lifetime ago, and now we're married.  Four years ago marks the beginning of the best love story imaginable.  We were married on 07/07/07, and the journey gets better every year!

Here's the slideshow that my sister made for our wedding reception.
Fun memories!   

Happy Anniversary, Hubby...Best Friend...Dearest Love!

Seventh Generation

 "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."

 When Clare was born, we seriously considered using cloth diapers.  We bought a few "all-in-one diapers," and we really wanted to make it work.  I'm sorry to say that it didn't happen, and we resorted to using disposable diapers.  Every time I wad up a used diaper,
I think about how long it will sit in the landfill.  

Seventh Generation is different:

Their diapers "now have an improved environmental footprint, due to a redesigned core that is more efficient at absorption and uses less processed chlorine free wood pulp."

I've heard about Seventh Generation, but it wasn't until recently that we sampled this product.  Thanks to Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.com, I was able to try these environmentally diapers for FREE!  MyBlogSpark sent me a pack of diapers, and they're going to send a pack to one of my lucky friends as well.  They look a bit different than the diapers we are used to because they don't have anything on them: no pictures, no color, no prints, and no "fluff."  Considering the location of diapers, does that really matter?!  :)

What do you think of Free and Clear Diapers?

Why are eco-friendly/conscious products important to you?

  Please leave your thoughts in the comments section!

Here is some more information, and a link for COUPONS, on Seventh Generation:

Seventh Generation

 

Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diapers COUPON

Information about Pigments in Diapers

New Friends...Dear Friends

This is my sixth summer living in Florida.

My life has had some amazing twists and turns since I moved down here.  Overall, I LOVE being here.  I love the weather, I love the nearly-constant sunshine, I love the plethora of things to do, 

and I love that this is where the love of my life lives.  

The one thing that I didn't love about living in Florida was that it was thousands of miles away from my dear family and friends.  I missed having a close network of friends...REAL FRIENDS.  That prayer has been answered in BIG WAYS over the past few months.  God has opened a new door in my life, and I've been incredibly blessed with some new friends: 

like-minded, genuine, spirited, and fun new friends! 

(Here's a picture from our fun morning.  I don't have a picture of my mommy friends, but I love knowing that my littlest loves will grow up with these dear ones.)

I still miss my family and friends from Michigan, but I don't feel like that is "missing" from my life down here anymore.

Scalloping: 101

Phil and I (along with SEVERAL HUNDRED other people) went scalloping this weekend.  We didn't think about the fact that it was a Saturday on a holiday weekend, but it was totally worth it!

 Getting ready to test the water.

 Scalloping is one of our yearly traditions, and this made YEAR #6.

Here's a glimpse of what we do:

Despite my nervousness at taking our camera under water, Phil captured some awesome footage of catching a scallop.  It's like treasure-hunting.  As soon as you see one of the little buggers, you dive down and grab it.  Check this out!

While Phil was busy finding scallops, I had other matters to tend to on the boat.  Being away from a nursing baby for the entire day requires some creative planning.

No worries though...I did have my share of relaxation 

in between all of the scalloping, pumping, and eating.

Here's a peek at the cleaning/shucking process.

By the end of the day, we had over 50 scallops, patches of sunburn in random places, and refreshed spirits from spending the entire day with each other.  Can't wait for next year!

Scalloping 2008

Scalloping 2009

Shenanigans

These are some of the shenanigans that take place 

when Ninnie is in town.

On The Go...

We've been busy the past couple of weeks with family in town (Ann, a.k.a. "Ninnie," arrived on the 18th, and my parents arrived on the 24th).  Needless to say, we've been on the go!

These pictures are from Father's Day.

I know I'm partial, but my little loves have the best Daddy imaginable!

 The kiddos have been having a blast with Ninnie.

 She's makes both of them giggle,

and she's making up for lost time.

Isaac is moving and grooving.

He hasn't mastered the traditional crawl, 

but he certainly has the army crawl down pat.

Two Peas in a Pod

Clare Bear and her Daddy have a special relationship.  

They go on "Daddy-Daughter-Dates" a couple times a week, and I never get to know what they actually do.  As soon as they get home, I always ask, "Where did you and Daddy go?"  Clare has been trained to say, "Cruisin' for chicks."  That is the answer I get EVERY SINGLE TIME!  

Just the other day, I saw them working on the boat like this...

 Daddy had his shirt off, so Clare followed along.

 Here are some fun pictures of
Daddy and his girl over the past couple of years: 

 Cruisin' at a young age!

 

I can't wait to see all of the adventures that lie in wait 

for these two peas in a pod.

Tumble Time

I know that I've posted similar video in the past, but that was before Clare was 30+ pounds.  Phil continues finding new tricks that Clare loves, and I just have a feeling that she'll follow in his acrobatic (I wish we had some video of his MSU diving days) footsteps.

"I want to do it again."

7-Month Sweetie!

My little hunk turned 7-months-old last week.

I know I'm partial, 

but could he be any cuter?!!!

 Everyone told me that there's "something special" about a Mama with her boys.  I finally get it.  For those of you with boys, I'm sure you know about that "something special."

 After me, Clare might be Isaac's second biggest admirer.  

She loves him so much...

  That it hurts...literally sometimes.  :)

 My little ham-bone!

Isaac has been working on teeth non-stop.  His bottom two are old news, but his top two broke through this week as well.  As long as he's shoving something in his mouth, he has a smile on this face.
I suppose that's true of me a fair amount of the time as well...
although I prefer ice cream and sweets to blocks and feet.

 A little peek at my 2nd favorite guy on the planet.

 A few tid-bits about Isaac right now:

~ He prefers sleeping on his belly.  We always put him down on his back, 

but that only lasts for a few seconds.

~ He is comfortably in 12-month clothes...although not for long.  The poor kid has to use the same sleeper every night because we didn't expect him to be wearing this size so soon.

~ Unlike his sister at this age, he doesn't really care for the pacifier.

~ He scares easily with loud noises...

although Clare gives him plenty of opportunities to overcome that fear.

~ He LOVES all fruit-based baby food.
We literally can't feed him quickly enough.

~ Phil thinks I'm "turning him into a Mama's boy."  

I think that he just knows a good thing when he sees it.  :)

~ He's already had a few hair cuts (he now gets them along with Daddy every month...in the back yard),
and it seems like his hair is getting lighter and lighter.

~ He is LOVED beyond description.

What It Takes For a Family Photo

This sweet picture of the cousins 

didn't happen without some charades from the parents.

Here's what it takes to get a family photo...

That should leave you wondering 

how the feat of capturing the whole gang was accomplished.

The Happy Hillary House!