Uh-Oh Spaghetti-O

I made some homemade spaghetti rings for Claire. She REALLY enjoyed feeding herself! I wish we would have left all the ones that made it to her belly instead of her mouth, but I cleaned her off before Daddy got the camera. Needless to say, she is growing so much and likes to be independent. She is the sweetest thing in the world to me, and I love watching her little moments when she discovers something new, good or bad! Oh...did I ever mention broccoli-that goes in the "bad" category for Claire. :)

Pretty in Pink

Here are a couple cute pictures of Claire after church on Father's Day. We had Chad's family over for lunch. Claire is usually very intrigued by my jewelry, so I put this necklace combo on her. She seemed to like seeing and touching it better when it is around Mommy's neck!

Summer Days

I have thoroughly enjoyed being home with Claire! We have had play dates, mommy/baby lunches, library visits and other fun things! Thankfully I have people around me who have young children and who know how to find FREE things to do! Honestly, it is amazing to me how quickly the summer is going, but I remind myself that I don't have to go back to work!! So, I will enjoy every moment with Claire and not wish anything other than what I have right this moment. She is such a joy and so fun to be around!

Getting into mischief

This morning Claire was in her room playing. I came into the office to post a few blogs. When I went in to check on her, she had scooted herself over the laundry basket full of clean, FOLDED clothes! Obviously, I will have to repeat my folding job. She just looked up at me and smiled! :) Cute!

Claire Giggling

Here she is giggling at the park. Sorry my voice is so loud on there. She laughed when she got close to me! :) (Sorry it is sideways...trying to figure it out)

Fun at the Park

I have been taking Claire out in the morning so I can get running again. We stopped at the neighborhood park this time. I put her in the swing and she LOVED it! She was giggling and kicking her feet. I know where I can take her now!

Music Class

Today a couple of my friends and their girls went to a music class. It was so much fun! Claire loved hitting the drum and playing the instruments. It was so cute because we clapped and tried instruments to the beat so they can feel the rhythm. They also got to just explore with some of them. Our girls are 9 months, 8 months and 7 months, so it is fun to do things together. We had a blast!!

Galveston

We took our trip down to Galveston this past weekend/week and had a great time! We took the ferry out to Bolivar Peninsula/Crystal Beach. Chad brought a pop up canopy so it was a great place to get some shade. Claire really liked the water....and the sand! Once when we were playing, she grabbed a handful of sand and brought it right to her face! Grandma, Kristen and I all said, "No!" and grabbed at her hand to pull it away. I don't know if we scared her or if she thought she was in trouble, because she started crying! She also LOVED going in the pool. Chad got a boogie board, so we put it in the pool and let Claire ride on it. She was loving it. Chad practiced a little swimming and let Claire go under the water for a second. She did great, but I was freaked out!!! Oh, and we stayed at a really cool condo. We got one that sleeps 6. Chad's mom and dad, brother and his wife, and the three of us had plenty of space. It was great having a kitchen and a washer and dryer. We were able to cook some meals and save money. Ok...here are the pictures! :)

Swimming is FUN!!

My friend told me about this cute pool she bought for her little girl. I thought it was so cute and got one for Claire, hoping she would like it. She LOVES it! I was happy she enjoys being in the water so much. She splashes around and plays in it with excitement.

Don't mind if I do...

I am doing a little backtracking. Here are just some pictures I should have posted and didn't. Now my blog police will stop picking on me! (I love you Nicole!)
Claire on her leaf at 8 months....


Claire doing this funny thing with her shoulders when she is giggling...

Our big girl trying out her cup...

Summer is here!!

Well, we officially closed the school year with our 4th grade graduation and, of course, our class party! The kids were very excited to finish the year off. We had a lot of fun and made some great memories over the course of the year. I had an interesting last few days. I am so excited to be able to stay home with Claire, but teaching is such a big part of me that it was a strange feeling to pack up the Jeep and drive away. I know there were a lot of rough days and times when I thought I would rather do anything else, but there is something special about seeing the same group of kids every day and knowing I can have an impact on their lives. Some of the kids tested me more than others, but I have always believed the kids I get each year are in my room for a reason. Hopefully I made some kind of impression on them to go on and do great things with their lives. I know right now the most important thing is to be a good mommy and wife. I can teach again in the future and plan to do so. It is just a mixed feeing because I love Claire so much and a different part of me loves teaching and my 20 "kids" at school. Anyway, summer has begun and we're off to a great start!