15 months

This little Claire is growing up so fast! We just can't get enough of her cute personality. She has a great sense of humor and loves to tease. 

Her 15 month appointment was really rough on both of us! She actually weighed in a little less than her last weight check and the doctor was a little concerned that she is not walking by herself yet. I thought we had really improved in the eating department but apparently she is not keeping up to her activity level. She is a REALLY fast crawler and is constantly on the go. 

So back to the supplement of heavy cream with her whole milk and butter on everything. 

Hopefully her weight check in a month will be better so we don't have to get more blood work done. :( 

Thankfully she looks healthy and seems to be thriving...just not according to the charts. 

 She has finally graduated to a big girl car seat. She will probably be rear facing for years to come because of her size, JK, but at least she can see out better and seems to love her new recliner. 

 I love this little bum of hers

 She seems to be pretty creative. She found a new use for her exersaucer toy. It is now a great "hiding place" and tunnel to play in. Works for me! 

We got our family pictures back and I LOVE them! Look at this cute girl!  

 My sister gave Claire this darling shirt for her Birthday that has her name on it. She definitely is her daddy's girl. 

I love the look on her face! 

We also got Claire's birthday party pictures back so I will be posting those soon. :) 

Catching up

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted. Here is a random post of what we have been up to lately. 

 Because of Shaun's major exams we stayed home for Thanksgiving. His tests started the Monday after Thanksgiving so he spent most of the weekend finishing his preparation. Thankfully we have a great family in our ward that included us in their Thanksgiving feast. We brought the turkey and Shaun was carving it up. Thanks Hansen family for your love! 

 My sister gave me a nativity set a few years ago that are ducks. To say Claire loves them is an understatement. We have great fun with these little ducks. Can you see the little baby Jesus duck attached to  the Mary duck? 

 This Christmas season has been so fun with Claire. She loves the Christmas lights and gets so excited when I plug in the lights. She has been awesome to not play with the tree. I'm very grateful for that! 

 The last few months I have been pretty busy with sewing projects. Our ward started a sewing class which gave me the encouragement I needed to finally make our tree skirt. We have had the material since we lived in Utah and I have always been afraid I would mess it up. You cant see the full skirt in this picture but you can see the nice golden tassels I added. We both LOVE how it turned out and I am very proud of myself. :)  

 I also decided that I would make my Christmas gifts this year. A while back we learned how to make this style of pillow case and I loved the three different materials. So I ended up making 17 pillow cases from all different material. My little brother, Joseph, got the pattern shown above. I had these finished awhile ago but I didn't want to spoil the surprise. If you want to make this pattern you can check out this You Tube video that helped me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAomYjHzUQk

Shaun has been working so hard preparing for his candidacy exams. Basically his committee of four professors each wrote him an 4-8 hour exam. These exams could be about anything science related and are meant to push the student to the edge of their understanding. I am please to announce that Shaun passed the written tests. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. It was extremely stressful but he did very well and felt a lot of guidance from above. Especially during the tests which had nothing to do with the area of science the professor told him to study up on. 
He has one more step in this process. The Oral exam will be in 10 days. During this time the same professors will grill him for two hours and then decide if he can finish his work as a PhD student. Assuming he passes we will probably have about two more years here. 
I'm proud of him and all he's doing! I'm definitely looking forward to Christmas Break! He will actually get a few days off! 

Random Pictures

Claire is now 14 months old! Her personality is really starting to shine and we absolutely love it! She is starting to say a few words like dog, yum, and of course dad. Still working on Mom. :) 

If she's eating something she loves she will say, "yum yum yum yum yum yum." 

  She loves her Elmo doll. Auntie Seleta sent it to us and she loves to sleep with it. When I put her to bed she will hand it to me so I can give Elmo a hug, then I hand it back and she gives Elmo lots of hugs. 

She LOVES to give hugs!! 

She also loves her freedom to play! It's a good thing we have three levels so we can have a little variety in our play areas.  

 She starting chewing on her crib. Once I saw teeth marks on the side I knew I needed to take action. 

I had extra material from her crib skirt and curtains so I looked up a couple of different tutorials and made this in just a few hours. It has a separate piece for each side. I measured, sewed some heavy duty liner just on the top part of the railings and then added ties at the bottom. My seam isn't perfect but you can't beat free!!   

Because of hurricane Sandy we had over a week without ANY sun...not even a single ray of sunlight. So when the sun finally came out, I wasn't the only one excited to see it! She loves to play by the front door and check out what's going on outside. 

 Claire LOVES magazines. She is really good at actually looking at them and not ripping them. Once and awhile we lose a corner or two but for the most part she is really good with them. :) 

A girl in our ward is having a baby boy. She has two other boys so I wanted to give her something that probably needs replaced...burp clothes. I made these from cloth diapers. Easy and super cute. 

She loved them!! 

 Living in Ohio has been such a different experience with the elections going on. I told my family we are living in the swing of all swing states. (Turns out Florida had more of an impact than we thought.)

Shaun and I followed the debates, read up on the websites, checked the facts and voted. 

It's a great feeling to know that each of us can vote! Even though we were a little disappointed that Mitt didn't win we know that the best thing we can do for our country is to raise good kids that will help uphold values and pray for the leaders that are elected. 

I will definitely not miss the political commercials on TV, radio, internet, etc. 

My dad was on the ballot in Idaho this year. My sister got matching shirts for Claire and Daphne to wear. We took a picture of our girls in their shirts then emailed it to my dad on election day. Claire is even raising her hand to vote for him. :) He was voted in for another term as judge. Good Job Dad! 

Last but definitely not least I need to brag about my Hubby! A few weekends ago he was in Columbus at a research retreat. I knew that he had to do a ten minute presentation to everyone there about his research but I didn't realize it was a competition. He came home and nonchalantly told me he got 1st place in his category...winning $200! Way To Go! He worked really hard preparing and it definitely paid off. 

Right now he is intensely studying for his candidacy exams. They begin the Monday after Thanksgiving. It will be four, eight hour written exams, and one, two hour oral exam. He definitely could use your prayers as this will determine if he can finish his PhD. I'm just glad it will all be over before Christmas so we can enjoy some time together as a family. :) Good luck honey! 

HaPpY HaLLowEEn!

We had a great Halloween! My friend, Christina, throws a big Halloween party every year. Good food, fun friends, and even some trick-or-treating. 

Claire's costume turned out to be so easy! It was inspired by these shoes my mom gave me before she was even born. They are size two. I never dreamed it would take her 14 months to fit into them. :) Shaun's co-worker had given Claire the stuffed dog earlier this year and she LOVES that thing. Also, I had the checkered material so her costume was practically free. I made the dress like an apron so it could slip on and off and be potential dress up clothes in the future. Shaun was really nervous because I didn't have a pattern...but it turned out AWESOME! 

You can't see out pants, but we had smarties taped all over them. I bought both of our glasses from the dollar store and we popped out the lenses. Easy. 

The kids were going nuts about the smarties on our pants. I told them they could only have one if it fell off. Later, one of the kids even traded me M&Ms for some of the smarties off of me. 

BEST TRADE EVER! 

 Spider decorations 

Christina and Nels. Her kids were all of the dwarfs. Very fun! 

One last picture of Claire sporting her Halloween shirt and matching hair bow. She is playing with the ribbons. She loves all the colors and textures. 

We Love Fall!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons! I seem to love it even more now that we live in Ohio. In Utah it seemed like the leaves would change over night and then be on the ground a week later. It was beautiful but for only a few weeks. In Ohio Fall lasts for several months. The humidity dies down, the sun seems to shine much more and the hundreds of trees slowly turn their magical colors. My friend, Christina, and I have enjoyed some great walks this Fall! All of her kids are in school except her youngest which is close to Claire's age so the kids just come along for the fun stroller ride. 

 Claire and I have enjoyed playing outside and checking out nature...okay just checking out the pumpkin on the front porch, but still fun. 

 I love that sweaters are coming. And I love that my hair will actually stay curled when the humidity levels are lower. 

Lately Claire has discovered the stairs. She is quite a pro at going up but I still try and follow pretty close behind. She has crashed a couple of times but only down one step or so. Still enough to make me watch her even closer. 

Claire has loved story time at the library. She is not used to being around more than 1 child since our ward is so small. It is a great chance for her to interact and "play" with kids her age. It has been fun for me to see more of her personality come out. 

I also LOVE hot chocolate. This year I am being much better about my diet and exercise so I don't have hot chocolate too much, but it is still the perfect way to warm up. 

We were also able to visit our friends, Boyd and Allison, one weekend. Allison was kind enough to take our family pictures. This is a sneak peek. :) 

The last two months Shaun and I have been able to go on some  real dates with just us. It has been AWESOME!  There is one active young women in our ward and she has become our babysitter. It's not too hard for her since Claire is usually in bed, but she is pretty responsible for just being 12. (Those of you who have family near by are VERY lucky!!) 

After our first date I thought, why did we wait so long to get a babysitter? In the past we would plan something "date nightish" at home for Friday night. Those nights are fun too, but there is something about leaving the house together that is just refreshing. Thanks Honey for insisting. :) 

We still have another month or more of Fall around here so I better start making some pumpkin bread. If you want the recipe for the most delicious pumpkin bread you can ever imagine I can email it to you. 

I hope you are enjoying your fall! 

Lately

Life seems to move ever so fast these days. We are alive and doing great! I thought I would share what we have been up to lately. 

 I did Claire's hair in lots of sponge curlers instead of piggies for church. I think she was feeling very pretty. Look at that face. :) 

She can now reach the piano and loves to lightly play. She also loves to sit on my lap and watch me play. Occasionally she wants her turn at it but she likes to "choose her song" first. 

 Auntie sent us the best package! Witch socks. Aren't they too cute! I found the shirt on clearance for 1.59! It says, "wickedly cute." Seleta and I didn't even plan it. 

 Auntie also sent Claire some cute cat ears and her favorite friend, Elmo! 

One of Claire's favorite things is to "give loves." She does this by leaning her head or face on you or on the object that is receiving love. Besides her parents, her glow worm and now Elmo get lots of love! 

Shaun's laptop was constantly overheating. It was on it's last leg so Shaun watched a You tube video on how to take it apart, clean it, and replace some heating putty that keeps it cool. He was pretty sure he could handle the job and so he gave it a go.  

 I'm happy to report that it was a success!!!! And now we are up and running again! 

So proud of you, honey! 

In other news I received an additional calling. I am still the primary chorister, which I love, and am so excited for our program come up. But I was also called to be the new ward organist. Our little ward is really lacking in musical abilities. The current organist just retired from his job and they are moving. The funny thing is, I have never ever played the organ. I have some practicing I need to do, and I am really nervous, but I am also really excited to learn. The first few times may be a little rocky, but I know I will receive divine help. :)  

Claire is One!

It is so hard to remember what life was like before Claire came along. She has brought so much joy into our lives. I know Shaun and I have both grown a lot and being a parent really stretches you in new ways. (I'm sure those of you with older kids are thinking, "just wait.") 

I can honestly say I have LOVED every stage so far. Sometimes when Claire is transitioning from one stage to another, like sitting to then crawling or just nursing to starting real food, there is definitely an adjustment period. Once Claire and I have both adjusted to her new change I LOVE it! I am so grateful she is such a happy and healthy baby! 

Every single time I go to the store where some stranger stops me to talk to Claire. She gives them this warm smile and it melts their hearts. 

She is definitely not afraid to try new things or be around new people! She LOVES people, especially kids. 

It's crazy to look back at all of these pictures and see her so little. Now that she is one she definitely has taken on a new look. She is so full of fun! 

Here are some things I don't want to forget: 

*She still crosses her feet as much as she can

*Claire is very active and loves to crawl, pull herself up to anything (including me, chairs, the piano bench, etc.) She also loves to walk while holding our fingers. 

*She is getting really good at standing by herself for 5-10 seconds without sitting down. 

*She is slowly getting better at eating real food. Her favorites are bananas and veggie straws. 

*If there is a speck on the floor she will find it. If you ever need to find a needle in a haystack I promise she would crawl right to it. :) 

*She says "Hi" now and has been repeating a lot of initial sounds. 

*She is still so patient. 

*She loves loves loves books

*She loves to play with mom and dad. 

*She just started nodding her head anytime she hears music. She especially loves her glow worm that plays soft songs.

*She loves her pacifier! 

*She like little tiny things, i.e. her 3 inch stuffed dog that I am usually searching for because it has fallen in-between the crib slates. 

*She loves life & We absolutely LOVE her! 

p.s. we did have a little party for her. My friend took a bunch of pictures for me so when I get a few back I will post the details. :) 

The Big 30

I had an AMAZING birthday! I feel like I was celebrating for weeks because of my awesome family! When I was at my sister's in July she spoiled me, then heading to Utah and Idaho for the wedding I was once again spoiled with a new hair cut, new dress and some birthday shopping money. 

I am overwhelmed with everyone's kindness! 

 To kick off my official birthday weekend we met Boyd and Allison at this DELICIOUS burger place called B Stop. It is owned by the food network man, Michael Symons. I can't even describe how yummy it was! The shake, fries, and burgers were so so so so good! 

Following lunch I got to go shopping to spend some of my birthday money. Shaun and Claire were so patient. :) 

 Then, on my actual birthday my sister surprised me with a beautiful cake. There is a lady in my ward who makes professional cakes and my sister had arranged this surprise back in May when she was visiting. Seleta really went above and beyond making sure my 30th bday was awesome! Thank you!! 

WOW! 

While I was in Utah my friend, Bonnie, gave me some Jamberry nails to try. Secretly I really really wanted to get my toe nails done for my birthday but didn't want to spend the money and just kept putting it off. So I was so thrilled with this gift. If you haven't heard of this company you should check them out at http://www.jamberrynails.net/home/default.aspx. 

I also requested that we get our piano tuned. My brother, Ben, loaned us his piano tuning tools and Shaun spent a few hours working on it. Unfortunately it is a little more complicated than we thought so we will need to pay someone to come and finish the job. I really really appreciate Shaun trying, though. :) 

I cannot thank everyone enough for the sweet cards, emails, texts, phone calls, FB messages, etc. It truly was a wonderful birthday! 

THANK YOU!