MISSING!

MISSING!!!!

SWEET CLAIRE MARGARET


Our sweet baby Claire seems to be missing! In her place.......

Blaire Shmargaret

If you find her, PLEASE bring her home! We miss our sweet little angel who didn't whine all day long, who shared her toys at school, and who didn't pee her pants 100 times a day!

Reward...70 Scillion Dollars and a stick of gum.

Moving Day!

High: Claire went to a super fun birthday party :) AND My brother and his girlfriend moved into their new house :)
Low: Claire spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa and we missed her like crazy :(




Greg and Sue moved into their new house today. It is super adorable! Even with most of their stuff still in boxes, it is so cozy!

Everyone had a great time while we helped the happy couple settle into their new home.

Suzie and my mom takin a little break.



John worked so hard today and provided A LOT of much needed entertainment!!



Greg and Pat workin in the basement.

This morning was also Bella's birthday party. The kids had a great time playing games, making crafts, and enjoying delicious cake and ice cream.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!!



Claire enjoyed a little one on one time with Uncle Frank.

Halloween Staple

Every family has their staple decorations. For my family this Haunted House was a Halloween staple. My mother painted it at her ceramics/break from my crazy kids class. Whenever I think of Halloween I immediately think of this Haunted House with its soft orange light (which I believe is the same bulb from my childhood). So you can imagine how thrilled I am that my mother has passed it on to me. Claire and I sat and stared at it the other day and talked about all of its details. We talked about the jack o lanterns with their silly faces, the silly ghost in the doorway, and the cracked windows that let out just a little bit of that soft orange light. Hopefully this will be passed down to her someday and when she thinks of Halloween this will be her Halloween staple. Soooo.... what's your Halloween staple?

Busy Weekend

My newest accomplishment.

High: We had a busy weekend :)
Low: We had a busy weekend :(

This weekend was great but BUSY!! We started first thing Saturday morning (which started for Claire at NOON). We went to our local craft fair.

Mark's Mom went with us to the craft fair and the weather was GORGEOUS!


Claire loved having her face painted.


We found this great stand that sold these adorable headbands.

After the craft fair Claire spent the night at Nana and Papa's so Mark and I could go on a date :) After we enjoyed a delicious dinner of Thai food we met some friends out for drinks and we had a GREAT time! Today we had our friend Ella's birthday party at a gymnastics place.


The kids had a blast running around!


I think Mark had some fun too :)


I think that Claire may have a future in this.


All the kids had a blast (including Claire until she fell, started to cry, and peed her pants - and on Mommy too).


Bella had so much fun at the party she passed out within 5 minutes in the car.

I DID IT!!!!!

High: I am finally figuring out my camera :)
Low: I got my "back to school" cold :(

Blow the whistle, ring the bells, and sound the alarms...I FIGURED IT OUT!!!!! Well, kinda. After school today Claire and I went to Mark's soccer game. While Claire was happily sitting on her monkey towel, snacking on oyster crackers I busted out my camera. The weather was perfect. There was just enough sun to give me great lighting (and as you photographers know it is all about the lighting). After 209 (literally) wasted pictures, I was ready to chuck my camera into the playing field. Then it happened.....

You may call it garbage, but I call it SWEET VICTORY!!!!! Since I started getting into photography, all I have wanted was to take a picture where my subject is clear as a bell and the background is blurred. Sounds pretty easy right? WELL IT IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT THAT EASY!! Not for me anyway. I really felt that after I got this hot new camera all my problems would be solved. This is when I realized photography is not easy and there are some SUPER talented people out there!!!!!!! Since I got this camera I have tried to get this effect and I have not been successful. I started to think it was the camera. So I searched online and found this site Nikon CoolPix Review (click on the words to visit the site). This is a blog where a regular mom (not a photographer) got the same camera as me and day by day learns how to use it. Then she explains it all to me (and the rest of the crazies on the world wide web who can't figure out a camera)!!!! It's a great site and I have learned SOOOOO MUCH!!!

Here are some of my other great pics from today. I am still learning so bare with me, but I am pretty proud.



Claire looks a little silly in this one, but hey...the background looks blurred :)

Here are my favorites (besides my beloved garbage can):

Dancin' Queen

High: Claire started Dance Class :)
Low: Claire had a few meltdowns during class :(


Claire was very excited to start Mommy and Me yesterday. I, on the other hand, had a few concerns. One being that it was a Monday and we are still adjusting to getting up early everyday. Which means that six o'clock (when class begins) is also known as the Witching Hour if Claire is tired! Another being that Aunt Jacqie was teaching the class and I was worried that Claire would not understand that Aunt Jacqie was not there just for her. And three it was dangerously close to bed time. Well, Claire did just fine. She had a few meltdowns (but I am proud to say so did most of the other kids) but overall she enjoyed it. The other mothers and myself agreed it was a success (even if us moms were all BEAT from the class :).

Claire was thrilled to death about having a "Dance Bag". She carried it around all afternoon!
See the orange ball on the floor, Claire just had to put that in her bag! She tried to put about 75 other things in her bag too "to take wif us". **Colleen, I thought of you right away!!!**

One of the best things about this class is that Claire's buddies are in it. Here is Poppy and her Mama. Poppy did great! After a few minutes she was walking around like she owned the place!


Bella is in the class too! She did awesome! I think that she was the only kid in the class that didn't have a meltdown.

"Mommy and Me"


Future ballerinas.


Claire loved this part. The kids had to stretch and smell their stinky feet!


I had to add this in! A few years ago Mark got a call from Hilbert College (where he graduated from). And they asked him if he would be interested in being on a billboard. Of course, he agreed! The billboard ended up in TWO locations in our area! They gave him this little billboard to keep. Mark keeps it in his classroom and we stopped there yesterday after dance class so I couldn't resist! Oh Mark, what next?!?!?!

Irish Festival

High: Today was the Irish Festival :)
Low: I have yet to find a little Irish sweatshirt for Claire :(

Today was the local Irish Festival. We have gone the last few years and every time it has rained. But this year the weather was beautiful! My cousin is in the band Emish (click on their name to check out their website) and they play at the festival every year. My family went and so did Claire's friend Poppy and we all enjoyed the great music, delicious food, and gorgeous weather.

Emish did another excellent job! That's my cousin Christy with the fiddle.

Here is a closer look. How awesome is my new camera? I was super far away and my camera zoomed right up there and got a great picture!!!!


Christy's daughter Ashlyn enjoyed the music :)


My cousin Leah came home from college to spend the day with our family.


Claire LOVES to watch the Irish dancers and jam to the music!

Thanks to Nana Claire and Poppy got their faces painted!!!

John, Mom, Sue, and Greg enjoyin' the music.


Uncle John and Aunt Sue kept sneakin' pieces of Claire's popcorn.



Then Uncle Greg taught her how to catch popcorn in her mouth :)


I had to add this in. This is Claire's "I did something wrong" face. I am not even sure what she did wrong at this point but it is hilarious when she does this. She will never be able to lie her way out of ANYTHING because this face gives it all away.



Uncle Bill, Auntie Rose, and Dad never miss a chance for a picture.


Claire givin' Nana a quick squeeze.



The girls.

And to end the night, Claire LOVED my birthday cupcakes. Can you tell?