A Toast To Mommy!

Well, on the 29th, I became one quarter of a century old. The days of childhood are over. :-) My friend Karen and I went out for the afternoon and went shopping and I was able to get two new swim suits for Hawaii...and any other time I need them. Why two?? Well, I've learned from my husband that two swimsuits are a good idea because you don't want to run the risk of bringing Black Algae from the ocean to the pool. Black Algae can be almost impossible to get rid of as it sends roots down into the plaster of the pool. Anyway, I WAS talking about my birthday and am now talking about algae. Back to the birthday... Karen and I also took some time to have a birthday treat while we were out.

In the evening my hubby took me out to a yummy Italian dinner...and that's where the title of this post comes in. Clara had been seeming to have some tummy troubles...but we went ahead and went. Well, after getting there she was sitting in her chair fairly quietly when all of a sudden she decided to toast Mommy's birthday by pretty much evacuating the contents of her stomach. It ran THROUGH the car seat and made quite a large puddle on the ground!!!! Marilen...if you are reading this, next birthday we just might take you up on that baby sitting offer!!!!

My birthday is also my Mom's birthday. I succeeded in making her 24th birthday her very best... AND her very worst!!!! I can now empathize with what that day must have been like! Below is Clara's special birthday message, which we sent to her Grandma on the 29th. Love you, Mom!!!

Look at that hair! :-) (It was right after she took a bath)



All dressed up!


Don't let that pacifier escape!!!!

This Weekend

This was our social weekend! We were able to have some very nice times with friends! On both Friday and Saturday night we were at different friends' homes for supper. Saturday morning, Stephen went and had a good sweat playing soccer. You might have to pay me quite a bit to go out side on a Saturday morning in this weather and play soccer! And of course there was chapel on Sunday. We still found time to have some "family time". Stephen and I enjoyed watching a video together Sunday afternoon, and in the evening we took a little family walk.

"Helping" Dad On The Computer!

The Second Month

Here are more pictures from our little girl's second month of life on the outside!



Getting ready for bath time! Clara LOVES her bath time. I think most of the time she is trying to figure out what is going on, but she almost never cries! And when she gets really worked up and excited she can turn her little tub into a hurricane! And even when water gets in her little eyes she doesn't cry.


She still sleeps a lot


Cuddling with Mommy before going to chapel one Sunday


Time with Daddy


All dressed up!

Birthday Smiles and Funny Looks

Yesterday was our little one's second month birthday... already! Below are some pictures from the day.

Clara seems to be doing well. The last time she was weighed was almost two weeks ago, at which time she was about 13lbs and 4oz. Obviously not starving! :-) She's doing well with holding that little head up. Her little smiles and "talking" noises are so sweet and fun and just brighten up my day! At night she usually gives us a pretty good chance to sleep. After going down for the night she'll generally sleep for about 6 to 8 hours. She'll then wake up, eat and then sleep for another 2 to 3 hours or so. And she's still napping quite a bit during the day.

It's Official!

For those of you that think this has turned into a baby picture blog... lately you're just about right. But I promise to try not to make it JUST a baby picture blog. So, here's some other news... it's BIG new for us and you may have already heard it, but if not here it is.

As you may have heard Stephen was involuntarily recalled to active duty, which was going to mean a third tour to Iraq or a tour to Afghanistan. Well, in the process of trying to decide what to do, he called up a former Marine Corps boss, who he really liked, looking for advice. During the conversation, this boss mentioned that there was a possibility Stephen could join a reserve unit, stationed in... of all places... Hawaii! Well, as of several days ago, Stephen is now an official member of this IMA unit. As long as he remains in the unit for 12 months, he will not have to go to Iraq or Afgh. He will serve in this unit about 2 or 3 weeks, twice a year! His first session is scheduled for August. It's suppose to be for about 2 weeks in Hawaii...and guess what??!!! He has decided to take his personal maid, cook, masseuse, and buddy along too! And he's also bringing the little assistant along! In case you missed it... that's Clara and me. :-)

What a difference this all is from looking at another tour in Iraq. A lot of people were praying... and what a wonderful answer! Thank You Lord Jesus!

"Look, Daddy, I'm Standing!" :-)

Holding That Heavy Head Up!

Look! I'm Sitting Up...

... with a little help. :-)

"Uncle" Matt's Visit

The last several days we've enjoyed a super visit from a very good buddy of Stephen's from college days... Matt. It had been quite a while since they had been able to spend much time together and it was Clara's and my first chance to meet him. We had fun times, hanging out, relaxing, and taking a two night trip to the mountains. Thanks for making the trip out here, Matt!

Matt got here Wednesday and on Thursday we all headed up to the mountains for a little "camping trip"...in a nice clean, comfy rented condo. :-) Here's Clara relaxing at the condo:



That first night we went hunting for a place to make a fire and cook our "silver dollars" (ground beef, diced potato, carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic salt wrapped up in tin foil and cooked in the coals. Yummy!). We finally found a place and made a fire and cooked our supper in the rain! What an adventure!

The next day we headed off to the petrified forest / painted desert and saw some neat sights! I don't have any close ups of the petrified logs... but we may see if Matt can email us some of his and then try posting them. Here's some other pictures from that day:




THE PAINTED DESERT!






PETRIFIED LOG "BRIDGE", RE-ENFORCED WITH CEMENT.






FUNNY GUYS!

That evening we did some more scouting for possible future camping trips! Here are some pictures from the neat lake camp ground we checked out.











It was a very enjoyable trip! And Clara did a great job being in the car for a long time... three days in a row!



It was lovely and cool up in those mountains and it was nice to get away for a while! We came back on Saturday. Matt took off this morning and Stephen's vacation is now over and back off to work he goes.

And The Answer Is...

In the previous post I issued a challenge and some brave souls made some guesses! Two of the guesses agreed with each other and one did not... so at least one person is wrong. Tragic. The only difference of opinion seemed to be who the mystery girl standing beside me was. Aunt Barb, Aunt Sue and Faith say it's Melissa. Corinne says it's Amy. Well, I shall keep you waiting no longer! Drum roll please! It was............. Melissa!!! So, provided I have this right myself, the answer is: Randy, Dad, David, Caleb, Melissa, Me, Stephen and Josh.

So, "Congratulations" to Aunt Barb, Aunt Sue and Faith! You have earned a free stay in our guest room! :-) Corinne, you were soooo close but so far! However, because you got a majority of the answer correct we can work out some kind of deal for your next visit. :-)

Thanks for taking the challenge everyone! That was fun!

More Pictures From The Family Visit!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A bunch of us went on the roof on Fourth of July to watch for some F16s doing an event fly over...we saw them! Ok, I have a special challenge for any of you who know my family...who is in the picture...in the right order!!! If you can figure it out, leave a comment! If you get it right...you can stay in our guest room for free when you come for a visit!!! :-) Hee hee!



Time with Grandma!



Fourth of July...Clara managed to mess up both her little Fourth of July outfit and my shirt...at two different times!



"If Looks Could Kill..." Blow this one up and check out the look Clara has on her little face!



"Wearing Auntie Amy's Dr. Pepper Hat At Grand Canyon"



"Hanging out with my Grandpa"



Miss Blue Eyes



"Playing with my Uncles and Aunts"



"I may be a big girl, but Grandpa's hand kind of makes me look small!!!" Note to Auntie Sarah: "See! I've been been using those pretty burp cloths you sent me a bunch!!! Mommy and I say thank you again!!!"

Thoughts on being a parent

OUR PRECIOUS PACKAGE!!! One of my sisters took this picture on the Grand Canyon day.


You know, the post I put up below is funny! And most any parent can relate to something there! I got a kick out of the "take 10% of the beans out"! :-/ You'll have to read it to see what I'm talking about! :-) Enjoy! But as you read, just keep in mind that it doesn't mention any of the joys of being a parent...like stopping to take a look at your sleeping baby in the morning and finding her lying there wide eyed and quiet and then starting to smile! Or having her start to "talk" to you with her sweet baby talk! Or watching her have blanket time kicking and smiling. Babies bring lots of challenges (like messing up both of our fourth of July outfits or having two major messes on a road trip or...) but they bring so much joy too!

So You Want To Be Parents........

I got this "How to Know If You're Ready To Be Parents" Test from Grandpa Tony...check it out! Pretty funny!

MESS TEST: Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flower bed and rub on the walls. Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

TOY TEST: Obtain a 55-gallon box of LEGOs. (If LEGOs are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles.) Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream (this could wake a child at night).

GROCERY STORE TEST: Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

DRESSING TEST: Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff it into a small net bag making sure that all arms stay inside.

FEEDING TEST: Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill it halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Get the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

NIGHT TEST: Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8 to 12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 8 PM begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9 PM. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00 PM. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing them until 4:00 AM. Set alarm for 5:00 AM. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

PHYSICAL TEST (WOMEN): Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 mo. Now remove 10% of the beans.

PHYSICAL TEST (MEN): Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their child's discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and table manners. Suggest many things they can improve as well. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run riot. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you'll have all the answers.

Time With The Uncles and Aunts!

UNCLE JOSH



UNCLE CALEB



UNCLE DAVID



AUNT ANNA



AUNT MELISSA



AUNT AMY



UNCLE RANDY

So, Clara has now met 7 of her 12 uncles and aunts! She has one more to meet on my side and four on Stephen's. The lucky little girl had so many arms willing to hold her at any time of the day or night!