Swimming and a Cookout

Yesterday, we had a lot of friends over for swimming and a cookout. It was so hot, around 102, so we definitely had to swim to stay cool. The guys had fun playing basketball in the pool. They got a little rough and had a few minor injuries. Josh grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and we all ate and visited for a while. Then the Wii games began. Everyone is pretty competitive so it was a lot of fun playing tennis and bowling. It was a great time had by all!
Bill and Tiffany
Joel and Melissa
Josh working hard on the burgers
Claire giving Baden a hug!
Our little swimmer
The guys playing pool basketball
The Conley's
Claire loves playing with bottles
Say "cheese!"
Playing the Wii

She loves the camera

Anytime I get out the camera, Claire gets so excited. She starts to show off so I will take her picture. She just grins from ear to ear. She has started recognizing herself in pictures and will laugh when she sees herself. She is so busy and into everything. She is wearing me out!

Learning to eat table food

Claire has lost interest in baby food so I have started to give her a little bit of finger foods. She only has two teeth so she basically gums everything. But she is learning. She loves fruit and Gerber corn puffs. Each day she is getting better at picking it up and putting it in her mouth. I just hope she gets some more teeth soon!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to Josh, my dad Pat, Josh's dad Duane and grandfather Carl! We had a busy day eating and visiting with everyone. I surprised Josh and got him something for Father's Day that he has been wanting...a Wii! He was so surprised and very excited. He is such a wonderful father and great husband. I thought he deserved it. He had it hooked up after church and we started playing. It is really a lot of fun. The Coreys came over last night and we all played. At least my arms are getting some exercise!!


This is what Claire made for her daddy!

Orange Beach 2008

We went to Orange Beach with the all the family. My aunt and cousins went with us as well. We stayed right on the beach so it was easy access for everyone. The weather was beautiful the entire trip. It was a hot and humid at times, but there was always a nice breeze on the beach. Claire loved all of it. She loved the pool, the sand and especially the ocean. My cousin Madison was a big help with her as well as everyone else. But Claire loved playing with Madison. We got Claire her own pool and put it under the tent so she wouldn't be directly in the sun. This was a lifesaver!

We had so much fun. I can't wait to go back next year. Except it will be a little more work with two little ones. I sure hope Madison brings a friend!

Here's a lot of pictures. Hope you enjoy!

Our Mississippi Visit

Claire and I flew back to Mississippi a few days before Josh did. We visited with everyone and did a little shopping. My mom had to show her off to all of her friends and so did I. They had not seen her since Christmas. We went over to Chrissy's house for a delicious home cooked meal. When Josh arrived, we had dinner with all of my friends and their husbands. It was the first time we have all been together in a while.

Jennifer and Claire

Chrissy and Claire

Jennifer, Suzanne, Me, Chrissy, Mandy & Kristen

We're Back!

We are back from Mississippi. I'm glad to know that a lot of you have been missing us. We had a wonderful trip home and a great time at the beach. I'm hoping to post a lot of pictures real soon.

Claire had a wonderful report on Tuesday. Her head measurement was down from a 5 to a 2...so no more HELMET!!!! We are so thrilled. We will go back in 2 weeks just for a measurement to make sure her little head has not changed any.

I also got a good report yesterday at the doctor. The baby looks good, has a good heartbeat. She said the baby was measuring about 3 1'2 inches. But she said it was too early to determine the sex. So we will have to wait 8 more weeks to find out. I'm feeling good, just tired. And what an appetite I have these days!

I'll post pics soon.

Good News!

We went to see Trevor today to have Claire's head measured. A month ago her head measurement was an 11. The goal is to get to a 2 or 3. Today it was a 5! Yeah Claire! We are so excited. He was really impressed with how much she had grown in only one month. When we get back from Mississippi, we will go again for another measurement. He is hopeful that she will be a 2 or 3 and no more helmet! So hopefully just another 3 more weeks and we can put some bows in her hair!

Peek-a-boo

Claire loves to play peek-a-boo. She thinks it's so funny to hide her face behind a napkin, towel or whatever she can get her hands on. The other day she was helping me with the laundry when she took a bath towel and started playing. Luckily, I got the camera and caught her in action.

Swimming!

On Friday, we went over to my friend Patti's house. She works with me at Empire Surgery Center. Her daughter was in town from Detroit and she has a little girl named Riley, who is 6 weeks older than Claire. We ate lunch and went swimming. Riley fell asleep so she didn't swim with us. Claire had a great time in the pool and it was so cute to see her playing with Riley. Thanks Patti for inviting us over!

Claire Slept Through the Night!!!!

For the last week, Claire has slept through the night! She hasn't done this since Christmas. She had a cold last week so I bought a humidifier to use when she sleeps. The first night I used it, she slept 11 hours! Each night since then she has slept in her bed, all night. I don't know if it's the noise the humidifier makes or what, but that's the best $20 I've spent in a while!

The morning after she slept all night!

Happy Mother's Day!

Claire and I after church. She loves the camera.

My gifts from Josh and Claire

Claire's sweet art project

Up close so you can see what it says

Today is my first Mother's Day and it has been wonderful. When I got up this morning, Josh and Claire had a dozen red roses, a gift certificate to the day at the spa, and a card for me. What a wonderful gift! I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband and daughter!

At church, Claire made this cute art project....her first of many. It's so sweet. Thank you Claire!

Well, we wanted everyone to know of our good news....we are expecting another BABY! We were a little surprised, but very excited. I went to the doctor on Thursday and we heard the heartbeat....good and strong. I'm feeling much better this pregnancy than I did with Claire, so maybe it's a boy. We will just have to wait and see. The due date is December 10th. Keep us in your prayers that everything will go great!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to my hubby for getting a new job! Josh found out yesterday that he will be the new Dean of Student Services next year at North. I'm so proud of you! Love you!

She's Crawling!

Claire has been trying to the crawl for the last few weeks, but on Friday she finally figured it out. She is getting all over the house and each day she gets faster. She also has started pulling up on things. She thinks she is so big!

My heart is so sad today. My friend Gigi, who lives here in Bakersfield, lost her baby boy yesterday. She went in for her weekly appointment and there was no heartbeat. She was due in the next two weeks. I can't imagine what she is going through right now. She had prayed for this child for so long and finally her prayer was answered. But now she is grieving the loss of her unborn son who she will never know. It's hard to understand why these things happen to people, but we have to trust that God is the only one with the answers. For those who are reading this, please say a prayer for Gigi and her husband Zaldy as they are suffering so badly today and the many days ahead of them.