Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Of Kittens and Tricycles...

Ok, I need to tell you two quick stories that seem to have nothing to do with each other, but the final picture will tie them together. So, don't look at the picture until you've read the stories.

Story #1: A few weeks ago, some kittens randomly showed up at our back door. They were so skinny, poor things, so we decided to feed them. Well, ever since then, they've come back every day for meals. Sometimes they just lounge around the back patio. There are 7 kittens, plus the mom. So cute!



Story #2: I kind of already told you this, but I bought Claire a princess tricycle for her birthday. She LOVES it!



Well, one night, I parked the tricycle on the back patio and the next morning...


wait for it...


wait for it....


Ta da!

I just about died from the over-abundance of cuteness. With that being said, anyone want a free kitten?

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Birthday Party!

I had been debating on what kind of theme I wanted for Claire's birthday for several months and I finally picked Shrek because she's obsessed with the movies. I took her to Party City one day to see what kind of things they had and the first thing she saw in the window was a poster of Disney princesses. She went crazy! So, I took her inside down the "girl" aisle and she had so much fun pointing out all the cool princess stuff. So, I decided to ditch the Shrek party and have a princess party. We picked cute princess invites and party favors (most of which we found at the 99 cent store and Dollar Tree - sweet!) I spent very little on this party, but it was a big success! We invited some family members, close friends and nursery buddies to the park for some cake and ice cream a couple days after her birthday and all the kiddos enjoyed running around on the playgrounds. It was so fun!


On the evening of her birthday, we introduced her to Cinderella

The night before her party, after putting her to bed, I put together all the party favors

I think they turned out quite nicely

I distracted her with Winnie the Pooh so I could do her hair like a princess. Unfortunately, this is really the only shot I got of it

At the park swinging with Papa

Princess castle cake made by Grandma

Princess plates, cups and napkins

Pretty princess crowns for all the girls (and one boy) to wear

Party favors all ready to go

Time to open presents!

All the goodies

My pretty princess

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Happy Birthday, Claire!

Hard to believe my baby is 2 years old! I can't imagine life without her. She brightens my life more than I thought possible and these last 2 years have been an absolute joy. Happy birthday, Claire Bear!

New princess tricycle!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

4th of July Weekend

We had a busy time around the 4th of July. First, we had some family come visit that I hadn't seen in about 15 years. We got together for an awesome bbq, went to Old Town and had a big family birthday dinner to celebrate Douglas' (July 2) and Jordan's (July 4) birthdays. Then on the 4th of July, our little family got together with some friends for another awesome bbq, some sword-fighting for the boys and an amazing view of the fireworks from their front yard. The weekend was jam-packed with fun.


My cousins got Claire this beautiful outfit so she wore it to the family bbq

They also got her this pretty headpiece

Old Town: Jared and cousin M pretended to be asleep, so Claire decided to join them

There was free face painting, so we decided to go for it. Claire was so patient and sat in the chair the entire time without moving a muscle.

The final product (she picked it out herself)

I decided to join in on the fun

Jordan turned the big 2-1 on the 4th

He got golf clubs for his birthday

My only shot of the 4th of July pigtails - one is red and one is blue

She decided this would be her chair for the day - just her size

I LOVE this other hairpiece my cousins got her - so beautiful!

Chillin' with Daddy

Douglas is on the left

Claire enjoyed the fireworks. She kept saying "Whee!"

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Highland Games

We went to the Scottish Highland Games a couple weeks ago. Bagpipes and kilts galore! It was really fun, although we got too much sun (apparently sunblock and hats weren't enough) and poor Claire had a fever all the next day. She was back to her regular happy self the day after, though. Next time I think we'll go for a shorter period and spend more time in the shade. Besides that, we had a really good time.

Sweet Claire Bear all ready to go

Wicked Tinkers - this group is amazing! They are very entertaining and oh so talented.

They walk through the audience sometimes and will play in your face or sit next to you. The guy on the left came straight up to Claire and played whatever the heck that is right to her. It was great! What I would give to have a picture of that! I had my camera, but was at a horrible angle. I should have snapped one, anyway. Oh, well.

We sat up on a hill and had a great view of the parades. Imagine several groups of pipers and drummers all playing different songs and marching through merchant's row. It's quite a sight!

They had free caricatures, but Claire fell asleep as we were standing in line. We still got a really cute one, though.

She also spun the wheel at the boy scout booth - sound asleep - and won a patch!

Monday, July 11, 2011

30 weeks pregnant

Holy cow, I can't believe I'm 3/4 of the way done with this pregnancy! It has gone by really fast, much faster than my first pregnancy. I definitely feel very pregnant these days. I have mixed feelings about having this baby. He is very much wanted, but as he was not planned, I was not prepared physically, emotionally or financially before becoming pregnant. Heavenly Father knew I needed something like this to make me stronger and I definitely have become stronger through this process. One of the things I am looking forward to after having this baby is having my body back. I'm not talking about being skinny, although I would love that. I'm talking about after recovery, being able to walk normal again and not being in so much pain all the time. I look forward to meeting him and seeing what he looks like. I'm looking forward to breastfeeding again. I realized how much I missed the bonding experience after I weaned Claire. It's really a special thing. It's also going to be amazing watching Claire interact with him. She is obsessed with babies these days and loves to point out any baby she sees. She calls herself baby and also points to my tummy and says baby. Hopefully she'll keep that same enthusiasm when he makes his grand arrival. I'm scared of having two kids, though. I know that's hardly anything, but the thought still terrifies me. One kid is hard enough without adding another one. And then having to go back to work on top of it all. Plus, I'm really not looking forward to giving up sleep again. When Claire started sleeping through the night, I started feeling so refreshed in the morning and hardly ever have to take a nap during the day. Thankfully, I can still sleep well, although it is a challenge sometimes getting comfortable enough to fall asleep. Sometimes 10 weeks seems like an eternity thinking I have to be uncomfortable for that much longer (and it will only get worse), but other times I can't believe it's only 2 short months and he'll be here! Ready or not, I'm going to be a mom of 2 kids and I will probably have to rely heavily on help from others, especially Heavenly Father for the strength I need to get through this. When all is said and done, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be pregnant and to feel a human growing inside me. I love feeling this baby move and listening to his heartbeat. I love being a part of the miracle of life and assisting Heavenly Father in this great work - the work of bringing spirit children to earth. I know that this calling is so important and that I need to enjoy every minute I can because before I know it, my children will be grown and I will miss them so much. This is where I am meant to be and it is so worth it.

I'm not a huge fan of this picture, but it's the best one I have and it shows you my growing belly

P.S. This is my 300th post!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Offerings

Claire likes to leave random objects (which I call "offerings") for me in random places. Sometimes, it will be her diaper bag, other times it will be right outside our room. This particular day, she chose my shoes. She's never done it before and hasn't since. But, for some reason, she felt the need to use my shoes. And not just one pair. The first was in the morning and the second was in the evening. Silly girl.