Girly Girl...

Claire has been so fun! She is somewhat temperamental when it comes to wearing her bows and such. However, when I put them on her lately, she kind of smiles and has this look like, "Am I the most beautiful or what?" It is adorable!! We have this headband thing that has a huge flower on it. She is so funny when I put it on, because she will crawl around with it on her head! Oh, and anything that can go around her neck, she puts in on like a necklace. Accessories...She is a girly girl!

Claire's Dedication

Last weekend at church, we finally got to have Claire dedicated. We wanted to do it earlier, but the last time Chad was working. It was really special and sometimes funny! Claire did great through the beginning of the service. Then, of course, right before we were going up, she got fussy and very wiggly!! Thankfully we were up there with quite a few other families. She kept wanting me to set her on the stage. I did at one point and she almost crawled away! Silly girl...

Getting Into Things

Now that Claire has discovered she can stand herself up, she pulls on just about anything to do it! One day, she was in her bedroom and had pulled herself up by her bookshelf. I guess she never found the book she wanted, because we ended up with a huge pile on the floor!! She is so fun! Love you, Sweet Girl!

School Days

So, I wondered how I would feel not going back to work this year. I wondered if I would experience that nostalgic feeling, the excitement of a new year. I have to admit, I LOVE my life how it is right now, at this very moment. I do love teaching and the start of a fresh year. I like the excitement of getting the classroom ready and seeing my class list, wondering who will be my new family for the year. It is different now, though. I love being home and though I will miss teaching, I know I can go back. But for right now, the most important thing I can do is be the best mom I can be.
One thing though...I love school supplies, and I let my self take a detour to the school section right about now. For all my teacher friends...I wish you the BEST year you can have!! I miss you...

My new job!

Ok...so it isn't exactly a job, but it keeps me busy all day! I started watching two other kids this week, one boy and one girl. They are both incredibly sweet and I have no doubt I made the right decision. It is truly a blessing for me for many reasons:
1) Claire has kids to play with
2) I can help my friends out
3) I guess I am getting practice for adding to our one family one day
4) I still get a paycheck so it helps us out financially
5) I get to see my friends!!

I keep the little guy just 2 days a week and the girl all week. She and Claire are only 1 month apart, so it is a lot of fun watching them interact. I have learned to brush crumbs at meal times onto the floor and get it all in a sweep (instead of trying to neatly wipe them down), leave the toys on the floor (they are going to make their rounds anyway, so don't pick them up more than once), and it's ok just to play with them and have fun. I can get my housework done when they nap.
So, thank you for letting me enjoy your little ones all day! I hope it is a blessing for you too!

Family Reunion

Last weekend, we drove up to Missouri to a camp called Fun in the Son. It is actually a church camp that is used for lots of youth groups. We were meeting there with my mom, her siblings and my cousins. We lost both my grandpa and grandma last year, so this was a really great way to get together and keep the family close. I wish I would have appreciated getting together with family when I was younger. Don't get me wrong, I always loved them, but I took it for granted that we only lived an hour away from most of them.
Anyway, we had a blast! My aunt organized a lot of really cool things. We ran a 5K (Claire won for youngest finisher!! Chad pushed her in the jogger, and I am glad he did, because it was a hilly run!) We swam in the lake, which was so clean and beautiful. We had our DeZeew-A-Thon, which was a bunch of games we played in teams. My proud moment was when I got a ringer playing horse shoe. I guess that was for Grandpa! Chad got to play in a golf tournament. We rode a boat out and jumped off a couple cliffs. Don't worry....Claire stayed back with my aunts! We also played a bean bag game that became a tournament. I wasn't even close to winning, but I had a great time trying!
I know my mom, cousins, and aunts have tons of pictures, so I will have to add them as soon as I get them. We had a great time and were already talking about planning the next one!

Aunt Lishy's Visit

My sister, Alicia, recently came to visit. (Hereafter referred to as "Aunt Lish or Lishy"):) and we had such a great time. She got to stay for almost a week. We had a really relaxed time, which was nice. We just took each day as it came and figured out what we wanted to do. We visited our 2 brothers who live in the DFW area, went shopping, chatted a ton, and visited some antique shops. She is very talented and helped me work on some pictures for my living room. (We have lived here 3 years and I hadn't found what I want until now.) Claire warmed up to her quickly and had fun with another person around. We love you Aunt Lish!!

Wonderful Friends

I recently went to a Scentsy party at my friend's house. It was a lot of fun and lots of smelling! My friend has a daughter 6 months older than Claire and always dresses her in the cutest clothes. Anyway, she asked if I wanted some clothes for Claire. Are you kidding me? Of course, especially since I will be home now. So, she gave me a bunch of adorable clothes, shoes, and jackets. This outfit is especially cute, and I had to put Claire in it when Aunt Lish came to visit. She is playing with Mommy's jewelry and proving she is all girl!! I love you, Cutie!