Top Knot!!

Look what I can FINALLY do to Clara's hair!

I think there are about 10 strands of hair up there and I used the tiniest rubber band I've ever seen, but I think this qualifies as Clara's first pony tail :)

Clara gives this hair style two thumbs up!

My ever-so-talented daughter can put her big toe in her mouth...on command ;)

New Trampoline

Clara will try to climb and jump on just about everything. She is a little monkey and keeps me on my toes. As I type this, she is supposed to be napping in her crib, but I hear her jumping up and down in her crib.

This is her newest personal trampoline.

Spoiled

By the title of my post you may think I have been to a spa for a massage, mani and pedi. Or maybe you thought Clara had been indulged with too many toys or desserts. Hmmm...if this is the case, you would be wrong. (Well, the jury is still out on Clara.) I was getting ready for friends from church to come over. We were having a spagetti dinner and one family was bringing salad. I knew I had some salad dressing and wanted to be prepared, so I started getting out the dressings from the fridge. The expiration date caught my eye on the first bottle so I set that one aside. And then it happened again and again. There were eight bottles in my fridge which were past their date! Oh my!! This was pretty eye opening to me for several reasons. 1) I REALLY, REALLY needed to clean out my fridge 2) We don't eat salad enough, or I would have caught this earlier 3) I should take a picture, this would be a good blog post!

So here they are, all the expired (and possibly spoiled) salad dressings in my fridge. Ridiculous I say, ridiculous!!

Slow blogging month

Sorry for the lack of blogs...I must have 'blogger block' or something that has prevented me with coming up with any good ideas for posts. Clara also has gotten very good at turning away from the camera when I try to take pictures which is getting a little frustrating for me!! Doesn't she know I need to capture every detail of her childhood so that she can relive it in 15 years or so!?!

Besides the camera aversion, Clara is doing really well. She is talking more and more and will try to repeat words when we ask her. She 'explains' things to me all the time and I try to come up with replies that sound like I understand what she's saying, but it's a tough thing to do! She weighs 22 pounds now, a petite little girl. Her appetite does not reflect this though. I now cook enough for 3 people to eat...no more of giving a few bites from our plate and filling her up. She loves mandaran oranges and raisins right now, but eats just about anything. She even gobbled up sauerkraut yesterday!

We have started going to the gym and I ran 2.5 miles today! It's been a very long time since I have done any type of workout and my legs are a little sore. There is a really nice child's play area full of toys and friendly workers to watch Clara while I do my thing. She tolerates it and doesn't scream when I leave her, but there are usually some tears at some point while I'm gone...so I have been told. I am hoping we are on the tail end of the separation anxiety bandwagon.

Pictures coming soon!

Future Cowgirl?

I hope you aren't too tired of seeing Clara trying on our shoes...Stop reading if your are :)

Clara found my cowboy boots while playing around in the closet. Here is a step by step pictorial of Clara trying to get her short legs into my tall boots.

Get them set up just right.

Balance on one foot and lift the other foot up, really high.

Push foot down, until boot comes up to mid-thigh.

Repeat for other leg.

Lost Pictures from the Summer of '08

I found these pictures on the hard drive of my camera today. I must have forgotten to put the memory card in when I took these pictures. I thought they were cute enough to share and am already ready for the warm weather we were experiencing when these pictures were taken. It is freezing cold here right now and the days keep getting shorter.

These were taken in Arkansas at my grandparents house. They don't have a pool, but Clara was happy to have her own oasis in the backyard.






Getting her first ride on the jet ski while it was parked in the driveway.

Mamaholic Sleeps In

Clara woke up pretty early this morning. 6:00 am is now becoming the norm and I am more or a 7:30 kind of gal. So I stay in bed and Clara hangs out upstairs, usually looking at books, playing with Chelsea or whining for me to get out of bed. Today, she became unusually quiet and I drifted back into a peaceful slumber. I woke to find this!

Heelarious :)

I think Clara is about as graceful as me in these heels. Walking in our shoes is one of Clara's favorite thing to do...not a day goes by that she doesn't get her feet in a pair and shuffle around the house.

Happy Halloween

Clara went as a forest park ranger and I think her costume was original enough to be the only one I saw all night. Notice the little fawn attached to her shorts. We had a TON of trick or treaters here and I ran out of candy way too early. The weather was really warm which was great for Clara since she was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. She went trick or treating at a few of our neighbor's houses and got the hang of getting candy pretty quick.

Sorry these pictures aren't too great...I waited until the end of the night to get my camera out and Clara was ready for bed.