In Honor of our Southwest flight today...

Due to my extreme frugal-ness I have a $25 ticket on Southwest today


HopeThisIsn'tUs

Happy Monday

Well, as many of you know, Clare had WILD fun at the indoor playground!

She loved everything. She was super cute and I am annoyed I didn't take pictures. I had thought that an hour was the most I would get out of her and she wound up playing for over 2! Chris even was able to come play with her too after work. We'll be back in the very near future:) I'm hoping we can make a date out of it with her BFF Sophie (and, since Sophie can't drive and I happen to like her adults, Megan and Aunt Steph).

Aunt Ginny and Aunt Jessica were over for lunch and Clare showed them all of her favorite toys. Included are some recent pics.

Clare and I are gearing up to fly to Ohio on Wed. As you know that means fewer to no blog updates until my return on 2/9. I'm in the process of making lists of lists.

I'm sure we'll see most of you soon:)

Clare seeing herself on the computer screen:

Prayers Needed

I know a lot of our friends and family have prayer lists at church. I'm hoping you can add us on if it's not too late.

Clare and I are considering a visit to this place:

Clicky

on Friday.

By ourselves.

I'm a little less than optimistic.

Oh The Places You Will Go

Clare is sorta a climber.

I've been sending some forwards from my phone of the various places we find her.

It's not as if we are totally ignoring her or anything. Our house is pretty small, so if I'm in the kitchen making dinner and she's in the dining room (which is now baby jail), we are all of 7 feet away from each other.

Per her demonstration on Christmas morning, she mistakenly identified her kitchen as a climber. It's grow-with-me quality that was once so endearing is now just an easy step up to higher things.

Several times we've found her on the dining room table. She pushes her kitchen up to the table and can climb up from there. She likes to bang the glass vases together.

On Thursday and Friday of this week, she was exceptionally active and managed to climb lots and lots of fun stuff, such as, the table, her art easel and my personal favorite, my retirement home Tablemate (google it...it's freakin' awesome). She also uses her grocery cart as a "leg up" so to speak, for objects that are hard to reach.

It's not that she doesn't fall either. She's just a "tank" and doesn't even care when she falls. I'm sure that trait will come in handy when she turns 21.

Another new fav on her list is making my head explode. Clare takes a big drink of milk or water and then lets the milk pool in her mouth and spill out. It's disgusting.

I hope all is well and everyone had a great weekend!

Thirsty Thursdays

Note to Mommies with little ones: They are no less messy when they feed themselves.
Clare helping "Clean up" by pulling out every bin onto the floor
Playing in the bin with Broby
Wild hair...She almost has Kate Gosselin's reverse mullet.


Clare loves the new bins we put in the living room to hide all of her toys. She has already pulled almost every single one out. And climbed in the bins. And the actual piece of furniture.

The worst offense was when she started mixing the toys up. Just picking one piece of a toy out of each bin and moving to the next. It's as if she knows that I'm crazy and this will finally put me over the edge.

So.

Thirsty Thursday is the name of the game. Yesterday, I had a terrible migraine, so it was less than fun out our house. I plan on making up for lost time tonight with a big, giant bottle of wine. Or a few beers. Or maybe a diet cranberry and vodka.

Or maybe all 3 if she keeps moving her toys.

Weekends

Weekends at our house are a wild party.

Unlike college (and lets face it, too many of my friends read this blog to deny it, high school too) these wild weekends aren't filled with the usual suspects, my good friends: CC, Smir, Bud and RedRedWine. The last one is making me sing that annoying song from high school...

Now our weekends include movies and sippy cups. Had I realized how great sippy cups were, I would have used them during the aforementioned weekends.

Clare loves TV. Loves it like a fat kid loves cake. Or like I love any of my good friends. And really, cake. I don't put the TV on during the week, if I can avoid it. She sees ALOT (I made it one word. for fun. with weird periods in the one of many smart aleck remarks I make in (). to annoy, ahem, people) .

So, long ago, when Chris and I were dividing up mornings with Clare I realized that Chris wasn't going to get up at 6 am with Clare and NOT watch TV. At first, I demanded he feed her the same way I would. But after realizing he lacks boobs, I wanted him to spend his morning with her reading stories and giving her bottles, while singing songs he makes up just for her.

After the "Daisy Duck" incident, I've realized I don't really care how he spends his mornings with Clare. She thinks Daddy is the funniest person (like ever. good thing I carried her for 8 months). Clare and Daddy play all kinds of wild games that don't involve me. Like "How fast can Clare climb onto the dining room table and bang glass vases together". So, if he tapes and watches movies with her, great. As long as you don't wake me up, I don't care if she watches the most offensive thing in the world (hockey. hockey is the most annoying thing in my world).

The point to this post? I have a confession. This weekend, while Chris was at work, Clare and I watched the same movie. 3 times! Chris only worked a few hours.

Clare, while obviously advanced, doesn't yet request a specific movie. She loves her some Pirates (Veggie Tales), Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar 1 and 2.

All of which are cute.

But oh-my-gosh have you seen Tinker Bell?

It's kinda fantastic.

I wasn't ever a girly-girl. I let the neighbor boys light my Barbies on fire. But I can't get enough of it. Clare sits right on my lap and I watch Tinkerbell with her. Every single day.

I'm forcing myself to update my blog right now, instead of watching it. While she naps.

Do you think Clare would "play" with a Tinker Bell toy?

Like the teapot one we saw at Target last week?

'Cause I'm Clare's going to need that teapot.

Ummm...WOW.

So, I don't have a great deal of shady friends. Right?

Who in the heck left me commentary on pronouns and proper usage?

I'm quite certain I can eliminate my friends with toddlers, because they would never have the time it takes to write such a lengthy message, let alone edit my posts.

I can eliminate a Taylor grad, as Ms. Caulder knew next to nothing about pronouns.

So, Guys and Gals, I must admit I'm very uncomfortable with Ms. Random (it's 100% a girl, the tone was clear) reading my blog about my family and such. I rarely have time to go back and edit my posts. I was under the impression my friends and family don't really care about such. They really visit to see what Clare is up to and her most recent pics. I don't want to go to an invite TC private blog.

So what gives? Who left the b****y comment in my comment section and didn't have the balls to sign it? Man up. Cause I'm unamused. I have some guesses, but I'm going to hope I'm wrong.

If you don't like the way I write, which is typically one run-on sentence after another, similar to how I tell stories, then don't visit.

There is nothing worse than a spoiled girl who throws sucker punches.

Yesterday

Yesterday, Clare stuck out her index finger and told Serena to "Let's GO!" and continued to chase her yelling, "GO! GO! GO!".

It's just awful the things she's picking up............




From Chris.

Oh Friends. Where to start?

Clare has been extra wild lately, which has lent itself to significantly less internet time for me. Thus, less blog updates for you.

So, there's lots to catch you up on.

Clare is doing lots of new stuff, mostly centered around climbing and learning new words. She's up to like 35+ words!! I was excited at the last Pedi appt. when they told me she was a very advanced in her speech (shocking, huh? Who'd a thunk my kid could talk? Or Chris's for that matter?). Everything is still "What is this/that" and "Who is this/that". She understands what the word "NO!" means and uses it on me often. Just this morning I asked her to lift her hands up so I could put her tray on and she told me "No!" several times and refused to do it. We do have a communication break down when I utilize the same word, but such is life.

Clare had a very, very Merry Christmas. One day, when Clare goes away to school (which after today may be boarding school for 5 year olds) I'll learn to post videos again. She was super excited to see what Santa had left her and said "Wow" over and over again. She loves her play kitchen and play "eats" with us all of the time. She also says "mmmmm.....Good?" after each bite she gives you (which is really just her way of making fun of me, since I must ask her that a lot). She loves her tent/tunnel, which she drags her teddy bear and dog into each morning and then "talks" to them. She's just full of stories.

Another update is Clare's super twitchy temper. She has started throwing temper tantrums that give Aunt Heather a run for her money. If you don't do what she wants, when she wants it, then I'm sorry about your luck. Shockingly, this has lead to a multitude of battles between she and I.

After such a temper tantrum today at the grocery store (that was one of my most embarrassing moments in life) Chris rescued me (her?) by taking her out this evening, allowing me to show you a bazillion pictures of my kid. Ahhh, mommy time.



Clare on Christmas Eve waiting for company!
Clare and Aunt Jessica (the bestest babysitter E-V-E-R) on Christmas Eve.
Clare and Aunt Ginny on Christmas Eve
Clare playing with Jeff's new phone, which was super cute.
Clare climbing up for more snuggles with Uncle Jeff
Clare's play kitchen that Santa bought her! It's super cute and will get taller as she does.
Clare's Christmas pile from Santa and Grandmama/Grandpa Richardson and the Richardson side of the family.
The princess play tent and tunnel that has proven to be a big hit
Clare finally "opening" a few presents before returning to her kitchen/tunnel to ignore me.
Yeah! Paper!
Showing us what she intends to do with the kitchen (she was on our dining room table TWICE already using this kitchen to get there)
Ohhhhh! An alphabet train! Clare was very excited. She loves it. This was right after she crazy for the teddy bear.
In the alphabet train bag.
Talking to one of her Yo Gabba Gabba friends.
All dressed up on Christmas night and playing with her fun toys from the Gages and her Godmom!
Nana and Clare on Christmas Night!
Nana and PopPop with Clare before Jammie time.
The next morning when she came down and saw all of the presents Nana and PopPop had brought.
Looking at one of her outfits...
Reading one of her new books with Nana
Sitting on her big box, in a daze
Showing off her new boots!
Dancing in her new boots?
Checking out her new bath towel which is too cute

At Grandmom Bohl's for the Family Christmas on Saturday.
Hanging out with her Sierra, who thankfully chased Clare all night!
Sam the Man enjoying a pretzel
Sunday, all dressed up for the E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES! (I was wearing a Bengals Hoodie if that helps)





Over at Aunt Steph's and Ben's for a playdate with her BFF Sophie. Clare loved the phone cord, which she would hold up to her ear and "talk" on the phone for quite awhile!
Her BFF, Sophie
Just their little legs as they were hiding behind the curtain telling secrets
Chasing each other
Rocking in Aunt Steph's chair, a new favorite
Aunt Steph and Sophie playing peek-a-boo from the sunroom
Clare and Aunt Steph making faces...
The Girls giggling and laughing at Aunt Steph from the other side
What happens when Chris is allowed to dress Clare (a sleeper/dress?)

Hopefully, I'll be better in the New Year about updating. I miss the days when Clare slept all day or at least stayed where I put her!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and enjoys a great New Year!