Splish Splash...

Claire, today is Martin Luther King day or Civil Rights day, which means that we had no school and no obligations today. We played and relaxed all day together! We also took you swimming - and for the first time, you actually enjoyed it! We spent 45 minutes playing and splashing as a little family. Today, you also had your very first french fry, which turned into several -I hope you enjoyed it, because it won't happen very often. Me and Dad are not fans of fast food.

Sleeping Beauty

Ah- Claire, you have entered a new phase in napping and nighttime that I have thoroughly come to enjoy and appreciate. You know longer want to be rocked to sleep for naps. I used to wrap you all tight like a burrito and rock or bounce you until you fell asleep, then transfer you to your crib. You have now decided that you don't want to be rocked or wrapped up like my little baby anymore. You simply want to lay down in your bed, be covered up with blankets, receive a loving stoke on your forehead, the door closed and you drift off to sleep without uttering a peep! I can't believe it! You are growing up and becoming independent!

The only down side to your new sleep habits at church - church is hard for kids no matter what age they are I've decided, but even harder now that you won't nap at church. You don't want me to rock you, and there's no crib to lay you down in....pretty hard sacrament meetings. However, Danielle Johnson(a neighbor and friends) loves watching you during relief society and Sunday school, (she keeps asking to do so even though it's not necessary) which means that I'm all fresh and patient to deal with sleepy and fussy Claire during Sacrament meeting.

Tricking the tricker...

Claire - you did the cutest thing yesterday during lunch. I was trying to feed you homemade bananas and carrots to go with your rice. You're not a huge fan of certain vegetables. Lately, you only seem to like peas and mashed potatoes. I would alternate giving you bites with banana and bites with the carrots in hopes to trick you into eating more of your vegetables. Instead, you learned how to trick me back. With every spoonful - you would pin your lips closed. I would prod the spoon at your lips making happy sounds, which would leave a little taste of the food on the spoon. You would slip your little tongue out from your lips, taste the food, and if it was banana you would open your mouth and let me enter. If you tasted carrots you would keep your lips closed with a firm determination on your face to not let them in your mouth. You're getting smart and tricky my little girl!

Family Christmas Card

Ah - Our first Christmas card as a little growing family. So presh!

Enjoy the Holidays everyone!

A Trip to the North Pole...

This is Claire's first Christmas - and we are enjoying even more than she is! She isn't interested in the Christmas tree yet, her favorite present will be the wrapping paper and she's still too little to play in the snow. But still, Christmas seems more magical this year because Santa will be visiting our house and leaving present for Claire.

We actually introduced Claire to Santa at the Ogden lights. We used to go there when I was a kid to see Santa and I always thought that it was the North Pole. Claire loved the lights and looking at the different Christmas booths. I was interested to see how she would do with "the big guy."

She was adorable! She didn't cry and she wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she looked at him, touched his beard, looked at us and blew a HUGH raspberry. "So this is Santa huh? So what?" Santa and his elf laughed and said that they had never seen a child do that before. Ah - my little princess who loves to blow raspberries at stranger.... I wonder who she gets that from?

Christmas dress from Grandma Schmidt

Claire took a little nap while we waited in line to see Santa

Santa warm and magical house!

The raspberry!

Claire was so fond of the candy cane that Santa gave her that she didn't let go of it the whole night!

Ah... A breather!

We've entered a new chapter in our life.... one of relaxation for the next couple of weeks. I know, sounds really lazy right? Yesterday Kelland and I realized that we've have been running from one thing to the next since last August. Last year I was working as a preschool and dance teacher, taking online classes, and I was pregnant. Even after we had Claire and she was still in the hospital, I had to run up to campus to take an exam for one of my classes! After resting and adjusting to mommyhood for a week - Kelland and I jumped into directing at Sunset Junior High and we were there everyday with our little princess. This was followed by performing in two other shows, finishing up my school contract at work, intense callings, and both of us taking a full load of classes summer and fall semester, not to mention another directing gig - ah, if we didn't love those teenagers! Someone has to right?

I attribute this "need" of always having to be busy to my dear sweet mother. Growing up she involved us in every activity. And I mean every activity. Gymnastics, soccer, piano, softball, ballet, swimming, singing, theater, basketball.... We were always running from one thing to the next. She used to say, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop". I became so used to the busy schedule - it's become a habit.

The semester finally ended as did most of the other things keeping us so busy. It was a hard semester! We took Claire to campus with us and traded who went to class and who played with her in the Non-traditional student center. She made more friends on campus than both us combined! If she wasn't such a people person and so good- natured there would be no way we could do what we did. We both did great in our classes (So far, I have four A's), but like everything else, it had to come to an end. Now, on weeknights we look at each other and say, "Did we have anything planned tonight?" Then, we turn into the birds from The Jungle Book - "So whaddya wanna do?" We haven't had this much free time in just over a year...and we're not quite sure what to do with ourselves. For starters, we have been deep cleaning every area and cupboard in our house to get things all organized and spick n' span. We have a personal "No Eating out for 90 days," and we are on day 15! (Holding strong - eating out is one of my biggest temptations!) We love having Netflix, and it's greatly reduced our entertainment budget:) Kelland put up Christmas lights on our house for the first time since we've been married and we are enjoying our growing little girl who is just over eight months old! Also - I've been able to bring out my crafty self again. I'm not great at making things - but I LOVE to do it! I love having little projects going to work on in spare time.

My amazing crafty sister-in-law Brook taught me how to make tutu's - and Claire got a little photo shoot:




My sister Annette came and spent the night at our house with her little boy Hyrum. Him and Claire played and took baths, and Hyrum got to wear one of Claire's pajamas to bed. Doesn't he look cute?

Playtime!