Easter 2011

We had an Easter gathering at our house Saturday. We had planned on my parents and brother Joel and his family coming over. My youngest brother Jeff surprised us by showing up and then Elizabeth's brother Justin also joined us for the day. It turned out to be a fairly relaxed afternoon of just hanging out in the backyard while Mark smoked meat.

Taking a break from meat-monitoring. Clara loves her daddy.

We smoked baby back ribs and turkey breast.

James loved loved loved having family around.

I took about 20 photos in a row of this little cousin trio. They were a little non-perfect. I think we've got years of that to come! The pink fluffy outfit (and beret) that Clara is wearing was from my grandma for Christmas.

James knew exactly what to do when it came to the hunt. He dove right into most eggs he found to sample the fillings.

Annie had a practice round the day before at my parents' house. But she was still perfectly content with about three eggs. She was so excited about them and really enjoyed putting them in the basket....then taking them out of the basket...repeat...

We dyed eggs, too. Only seven, though. That was about all we could handle this year...

Clara just started swinging a few weeks ago.

It was a full day. Our potluck meal with smoked meat was delicious. The kids were WORN OUT, as were the adults!

Flower Girl

Well, dandelions are not flowers. But isn't this just a hoot? James was getting into picking them a few weeks ago when we were at my parents' house. Clara was being a peach, as usual. Sometimes Mark and I ask one another, 'how did we get such a sweet little girl?' Maybe she'll really give us a run for our money later on, but for now we're enjoying her sweetness! Clara turns 6 months on Monday. We'll be starting solids soon, the girl is hungry!

That's all for today. We're enjoying a Friday with Mark at home. We ate breakfast at Hy-Vee, grocery shopped as a family at 8am, and now Mark is smoking meat with my brother's smoker we have on loan for the summer. Yum!

Annie Moved to Town!

It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops. I have a feeling they will relate more like siblings. James is only 16 months older than his cousin Annie. Annie (and my brother Joel and his wife Elizabeth) just moved to town a few weeks ago and we have been soaking it up!

I'm so blessed to have Elizabeth for a sister in law. We got to know one another on a missions trip before she and Joel were even engaged. She's an amazing, patient friend.

James literally jumps up and down when Annie is 'coming over'. We're looking forward to lots of play dates this spring and summer!

Joel and James helping Annie stand up.

Welcome home, Joel, Liz and Annie!

Visiting Home

A few weeks ago we took our first road trip in a while to visit Mark's parents. One of his sisters and her two daughters were also home that weekend. I always love the big-family gatherings, but it's also a treat to spend time with just a few, too. You'll notice a common theme here; Clara is a cuddler. And not just because she can't move yet...well, maybe because she can't move yet. But I like to think that she's going to be laid back and snuggly.

Elena has always been so patient with my kiddos. You wouldn't believe how young she is, just so sweet.

Staci and I helped prepare dinner and Clara watched. :)

I got a glimpse into life with elementary kids...Mark LOVED helping our niece Sophia with her science project. I mean, LOVED it. Sidenote: James was determined to call Sophia "MISS-fia".

Cuddling with Grandma. An update on Lois; she has continued to recover from surgery and has completed half of her chemo treatments. She is so strong!! I admire her for her strength, determination, and faith that God has the entire situation in His hands. We were blessed to have her and Steve join us this past weekend for Clara's dedication, too!

Typical, James is a blur. He was really into making everybody into a 'sandwich' with pillows.

Not much to say here. Clara loves her daddy, and he adores her!

Four Years

Mark and I have been married four years. We celebrated our anniversary on St. Patrick's Day. Before we got married, so many people asked me if I was Irish...was that the reason we had chosen St. Patrick's Day? No, I was teaching and it was Spring Break. And that was that! No honeymoons or get-aways this year. But we did get to go out to eat! Mark sister Jody came to town just so we could go to dinner. What a blessing! So nice to eat a meal and actually chew our food....and talk to each other. Four years doesn't sound very long...but both Mark and I agree that, in a good way, it seems like we've been together much longer. I just can't imagine not being married to him!

And now updates on the kids. James is two and a half. Some days we think he is getting to be such a big boy. But other days I'm reminded that he's still so little. I'm thankful for those days because it's almost heart-breaking to realize how fast it's going! We love this phase of him talking more and more all the time. He really says the funniest things....at least we think so. Along with the age comes a good dose of independence and tantrums, too. So hard to know how to deal with irrational toddler behavior sometimes!

James loves the new (used) van we got last weekend. Every time we go somewhere he shouts, 'oh YEAH! Let's go on AVENTURE!' (aventure = an adventure) After we took these pictures, we decided to put an end to him sitting in the front seats. Too many buttons for a little boy to push!
Mark was 'stowing' one of the seats into the floor of the car and James exclaimed, 'Oh, FANCY!' What a hoot!!

Miss Clara Marie is turning into the sweetest little girl. Ever. She smiles at everybody and everything. She's not very interested in rolling over (yikes) and is really content being held. James was always a little more squirmy, wanted to be down on the ground movin' around. Clara is a cuddler...so far, anyway. I know, those could be 'famous last words' and next thing you know she's as active as her brother....but for the time being, we're enjoying her relaxed personality.

I took these on her 5 month 'birthday'. Little peanut.
(Thanks to Andrea and Lauren for loaning us clothes! Clara is wearing 6 month clothes now)

Clara has been chewing and drooling quite a bit. She prefers a finger....or two...or her whole fist...or teething rings. But she's not as wild about the pacifier as James was (and is still, sadly).

I'll never get over pictures of tiny toes. Too sweet for words.

29 and 4

Just checking in for my monthly update....James is 29 months (he'll be two and a HALF on the 19th) and Clara is 4 months. Before I get started, I wanted to share a link to the pictures our photographer friend Sarah Sorell took of Clara at three months. I've had the link a while, just hadn't gotten around to sharing! I love them ALL and will never be able to pick some to have prints of. Can't believe how much she's already changed since then! Click on the following link to enjoy: http://www.sorellimages.com/clara3months/

I'm kicking off this set of pictures with a few of just James. I realize it appears that I only spend time taking pictures of Clara. Well, she doesn't move yet. And that's really what it comes down to. And she's fun to dress and accessorize. :) These are the type of pictures I take of James these days. Pictures of cool towers we've built together (note: ambulance balancing and teetering on top of tower). Above is James' 'holding still' face. Below is his 'crashing the tower' excited face. Boys ARE fun!

I took these of Clara on her 4-month birthday. I've been obsessing over this idea of her inside of this bucket I found in the garage last summer. So the following is what resulted.

I am a little sad to note that her signature 'bouffant' hair-do has tamed a good deal in the past week. I think her hair is finally long enough that it is laying down. I kinda miss it sticking up!

Clara has a few new tricks. When she's sitting in her bouncy seat she arches her back to stick her tummy out (like above) when we look at her because she's dying to be picked up!

And she's sitting in the Bumbo chair, too! She doesn't last too long and it nearly always makes her spit up but she's lookin' pretty big there!

We were having a really tough day yesterday (cranky toddler, cloudy rainy day). Thank goodness for homemade playdough. We have plenty of the store-bought stuff, but the homemade kind took a little extra time...so I was all about that! James played with it for an hour!! He still loves the 'hammer' (meat mallet) and mini cookie cutters.

Now this may not look like much, but Clara on her tummy NOT crying about it is a big deal around here. Her little octopus toy is Chiming Charlie and she's always loved him! Look at her grinning at him! Very sweet.

In other news, Clara is also tolerating her car seat a little better. For about two months she had a crying fit every time we drove anywhere! It's so nice to be beyond that stage!
James is still showing little interest in potty training, although I think he's fully capable. He's loving songs, especially ones with actions. There are some GREAT You*Tube resources out there for that, too, but that's an entirely separate post.
I'm ready for spring and warmer weather, but who isn't? Can't wait to go one week without somebody being sick and to get out of the house a little more!!

February Update

I'm starting to think a monthly blogging goal is more reasonable than the near-weekly posting I was capable of a few months ago. Anything more will be a bonus! Not that I've ever had anything too inspiring to share...just the goings-on of our family! But I do want to continue updating for family and friends that don't leave near us! So here we are....mid-February. How did THAT happen? The past few weeks have been a blur for several reasons.

1. I've been sick. Again. But who hasn't? Seems like we've all been sick multiple times this winter! It sure always makes me thankful for my normally healthy state.
2. My niece Annie turned one and I was lucky enough to contribute to the buffet of sweets....very fun...but a little time consuming. :)
3. My mom had a birthday and we had her over for a special birthday lunch. A 30-minute Rachael Ray recipe took two hours with two kids to take care of simultaneously! It was delicious, though, and worth it for Mom!
4. James is 'dabbling' in potty training. Yay! He's a loooong way off from being totally trained, but at least he's willing to try now!

And now a few pictures....(don't worry, none of the potty training efforts :)

Our little heart-breaker James....all spiffed up for some Valentine pictures I took....Mark thought this pose was really strange and too senior-picture-esque. I thought it was cute. Thoughts?

Clara with my mom at Annie's birthday party. Clara is 16 weeks today. Notice Clara's wrist rolls....yep, she's 'filling out' nicely. Sidenote: my mom's grandma's name was Clara!

Love the cousin-love! We'll have years of goofy pictures, I'm sure. None of them are ever looking at the camera, it seems.

Everything we know about royal icing I learned here. It's ultra-time consuming but has a really snazzy result. Mom and I had fun working on these last week for Annie's party...can you tell it was 'cupcake' themed?

And cupcake bites, of course! These were the extras, leftover from the party 'favors'. Of course, everybody was sent home with plates of leftover cupcakes, too, because...............

there were FOUR types of GOURMET home-made cupcakes, made by Mimi, my brother's mother-in-law. See how they shimmer? Gorgeous. The chocolate one on the right has purple fairy dust on it and was to. die. for.

the birthday girl, Annie, enjoying her pink lemonade cupcake

I love this family. This is Joel, Elizabeth, and Annie. Notice the cupcake dress and the fact that she can show you how old she is...she's SO smart!

These are incredibly life-like, aren't they? Hand-made (not kidding) by a friend of ours, Sally. They are literally chicken ottomans. They're so fun! If you're interested, here's her site!

Mark took James on an outing yesterday. A reward-for-going-on-the-potty-chair outing to get ice cream. They came home with this Valentine balloon, from James to Mommy. I love it.

And this morning I insisted on doing something little for V-day. So I whipped up a paper-heart 'garland' of sorts to hang from the light fixture (hole-punched and strung with curling ribbon) and threw on a pink table cloth. Here's James opening a card from his grandparents (Mark's parents). He took the entire process very seriously. There was some cash inside and he excitedly shouted, "I have MONEY!" He spent five minutes 'reading' his card and his money. (note: gorgeous roses from Mark!)

Although it appears that I fed James sugar cookies for breakfast, these are actually pancakes, stamped out with a cookie cutter and garnished with whipped cream and sprinkles, of course. SO much healthier than sugar cookies for breakfast. :) I really think that sprinkles are a great investment for the toddler years.

And that's all for now. It's a modern-day miracle that I've been able to blog this long today, so I'll post again another time...maybe in a month?