Halloween Preview Continued

Introducing the sweetest puppy dog in the world.

Not Dead Yet

And I even remembered the password to get in and post. I've got some catching up to do. First, though, a Halloween preview....

Our Seventh Anniversary?

It was technically yesterday, even though the day had the appearance of a normal day. I met my mom for coffee first thing, then we forgot about swimming lessons (it's never a good feeling to look at the clock and realize you were supposed to be somewhere 10 minutes previously), took Mason for a haircut, took the kids for a picnic at one of our favorite parks, then took Mason to see a movie while grandma watched "baby" Claire, then home again for dinner and bed. After dinner and bed for the kids, mom and dad made a "fancy" dinner and ate just the two of us.

A hot meal, with no interruptions, and candles at the edge of the table. We finished off by watching our wedding video as we do each year. It's amazing how things change and all at once how they stay the same -- there were people in the video that we miss and it was good to see them again, kind of frozen in a happy place. Most of us are a little older, a little wiser (in theory), and hopefully still happy.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite a normal day.

(sorry about the photo quality -- our wedding pictures are difficult to scan as it turns out)

Lame Blogger goes to the Chalk Art Festival

I've turned into the kind of blogger I didn't want to be -- the kind who barely ever updates. But over the winter it seemed there was little to say. Now we're so busy doing stuff that I don't blog about the stuff we do. So much for record keeping.

For the next week or so I'm going to go back and revisit some of the stuff I missed. We did a snowmobiling trip in January with Alan's family that was a good time. We inaugurated the season by pulling out the trailer for a trip to Crystal Springs -- which quickly got shut down by the rain. We haven't been out camping since. Mason participated in a cute little Mother's Day program and finished school with a circus day. He's now doing his second round of swimming lessons, and I'm participating in a mom-and-tot splash class with Claire. During one of the first warm days, we took a hike up Rocky Mouth canyon that was a mostly good time. We also hit "Day Out With Thomas" again this year, although I think it will be our last year because while it was fun, it wasn't nearly as exciting as the first go-around.

Most recently, my mom and I took the kids down to a chalk art festival at the Gateway. It was pretty fun, even if the day was hot. I was sure glad she went with us! We love hanging out with grandma (especially when dad's at work). Mason was disappointed that I forgot his swimsuit (major parenting fail when you go to place famous for their splashing space). It's okay, we'll wrangle an other trip down there out of it -- I promised him we'd go back for the museum and take his swimsuit then.

So here are some sweet pictures of the chalk art festival. I think the kids enjoyed themselves and it was a fun way to see others' express their creativity.

12 Month Well Baby Check

Ironic they call today's doctor's visit that, then poke the baby with so many vaccinations that I think it'll take her week to sleep them off. Poor kiddo! Since I did the letter to Claire instead of the usual monthly post, I decided to throw all kinds of fun facts about her in here. Also just realized that we got new furniture and painted our living room and I haven't posted pictures. I'm a slacker.

(super excited to find these adjustable waist jeans for our tiny little ladybug-- her pants actually stay on when we pick her up now as long as I've pulled the waistband as tight as I can!)

Height: 29.5 inches (70th percentile)

Weight: 17.13 lbs. (5-10th percentile)

Head Size: 17.5 inches.

Likes: food, music, being chased, being tickled, being swung, being tossed, trying to walk, baby dolls, stuffed animals, blocks, reading books to herself, her Piglet blanket, swimming, crawling in the grass, grabbing, kissing, playing peek-a-boo, sleeping

Dislikes: face-planting, being put down, her carseat, hot sauce, birthday cake (especially if it's ON her), holding still, getting dressed

It seems her personality is emerging a little more every day. She is small, but her fury is mighty. Don't mess with her! Her latest and most delightful trick is that she likes us to grab her by the ankles and swing her, but she hasn't figured out that she has to release the death grip on our shirts/necks/hair before she can truly swing. So she'll grab on, toss her head back like she's already swinging and laugh. She's also started randomly pointing at things and "telling" us what they are. She'll nod like she's answering questions and grin. She will pick up anything that can serve as a phone, hold it to her ear, and chatter away. And if she gets a hold of a comb or brush she loves to "do her hair". Someday I'm pretty confident she'll get the bristles facing toward her hair. Or the comb actually on her head. But for now it's entertaining to watch her try.

Dear Claire, Today you are one year old...

... and it's been an amazing thing to behold, your growing up so far. You are the sunshine in this crazy world for me and I hope you truly understand that's how much I love you. We have been here before with your brother, and all the things the coming year will include for you are going to be so much fun. You think you've enjoyed exploring the world and getting to know it? Just wait until you can explore it on your feet. You're getting so close to walking and, even though it makes me a little sad that you're already gaining that much independence, I'm so excited to share it with you. For now, the middle part of the world is out of your reach. Soon, you will be able to touch and taste even more of it than you already have, and you're going to love it.

You have been such a good baby for your mama. You haven't always warmed up immediately to others, but they can buy your affections with just the right toy and a smile. I love that you don't have any expectations about people and it's only their interaction with you that matters. I hope you can stay this way, my love, and open up to those around you so they can share themselves with you. For now you hold their keys, but if you can keep this open mind and accepting nature, you can hold their hearts, too.

You are one hundred per cent original, and unabashedly yourself. You are sweet, bright, smiley, loud, exuberant, and you are not afraid to let us know exactly what you want. I imagine, even a year from now, you will be doing that with words rather than shrieks, points, leg kicks, and smiles. You babble nonsense now, but it's tone never leaves room for interpretation -- we always know exactly how you're feeling and it's usually pretty happy about something or other. I will do my best to make sure that's always the case. While I do want you to be happy, I also want you to experience just enough heartache that you learn how to survive it and let it roll off your back. This does not mean that I won't try to stop you from experiencing negative things and I will go to bat for you if someone tries to hurt you. Contradictory, I know. I'm still learning about you, too. I might protect you too much but it's only because I love you.

You have a huge network of fans, darling little Miss. Those friends and family that you have let into your heart will never be the same. We will be better for having been a part of you. I hope you know that. You have enriched our lives in ways we don't even know yet, simply by your sweet and steady nature. Your brother is one of your biggest fans, and even though he sometimes teases you and sometimes makes you cry, I know he is someone you can rely on to help protect you and help you explore the world. He will be there for you, as we all will, while you grow. He might even teach you things I don't want you to know, but that's okay, too. I guess.

Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl. You are getting so big and it's only going to continue. It seems impossible that it will go faster, but look at this year: in the blink of an eye, you've gone from a brand new little girl to a sweet little firecracker on the verge of walking and sassing everyone in your life. So here's to us for surviving a crazy year with an infant in the house. Here's to you for growing up so beautifully so far. Here's to every day that you've made better just by being in it. Here's to you, ladybug.

Love,

Your Mama