Happy Halloween, my lil Sweet Pea!!

Claire is showing off her "sitting up" skills as well as her "My 1st Halloween" outfit that her Nana sent her.

I love this sweet smile.

She just can't resist grabbing those feet!

Love this "bashful" pose.

Our little sweet pea!!

Our little family on Halloween. Poor Claire really just wanted to go to bed, but we've been so busy today and I hadn't been able to dress her in her little outfit yet. I just had to do it for pictures!

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday I took Claire to a pumpkin patch to take some pictures. And, of course, my usually photogenic little girl was the most uncooperative that she could be. I'm not sure if she even looked at the camera once and she certainly didn't crack a smile. Oh well...she's still adorable surrounded by all those pumpkins and hay. We'll try again next year. :)

Me and my precious little Claire

She wanted to tear apart the scarecrow so bad.

This was as close to looking at the camera as I got. She actually would've rather been eating the hay. Ha ha ha...

Her Grandma got her this little pumpkin to play with. She was so serious about checking it out.

Surrounded by pumpkins!

7 Months Old!!

Where has the time gone? I know that some of you that have older kids, even adult kids are laughing at me saying this when my child is just 7 months old...but I really do feel like it was just yesterday that Bradley and I were bringing this tiny little thing home with us...totally unaware of what was in store of us! Claire has made some huge progress in her development this month!! Here are some of her milestones:

~3 new teeth! Yes, 3...and I think 2 more are well on their way
~Crawling
~Babbling "da" mostly and every once in a while I'll hear a "ba" or a "ma"
~Pulls up to her feet (she wants to do this ALL of the time)
~Still about 17 1/2 pounds...she didn't gain much weight this month
~Eating lots of different foods...sweet potatoes and apples are her favorite...I'm trying to get her to eat other things but she makes the worst face and spits it all out...I have a picky eater on my hands!
~Understands what "no" means, although she rarely chooses to obey...most of the time she laughs at me when I get my stern voice.
~Sitting up
~She has been on her first plane ride and will go on 2 more before she is 8 months old!
~Kisses...but they are the open-mouth "baby" kind.
~Waves "bye-bye" to Daddy when he leaves for work in the morning

What a Big Girl!

In just a matter of weeks Claire started sitting up AND pulling up! I know I'm her mom...and I'm a little biased...but she just keeps on getting cuter and cuter!! Everytime I see her sitting up like a big girl, my heart swells with love for her!


One day I went in to get her from her nap and this is what I found. She'd trapped her feet, under the bumper, through the crib slats...with her socks hanging on for dear life. I laughed outloud when I saw her, which made her laugh too.


Pulling up like a big girl!


Claire LOVES to sit up like a big girl. In fact, I think when she starts to stir a little when she's waking up, she accidentally sits up and startles herself awake.

She's so proud of herself for sitting up like a big girl.

A Beach Adventure

We have such generous friends! A few weeks ago, Chad and Jamie spent the week at Topsail and invited us to come for the weekend. Bradley and Chad got to go fishing and Jamie and I were able to hang out, talk and play with the babies. We were at a beautiful home right on the oceanfront. What a refreshing weekend! Thanks Chad, Jamie and Barrett....we had a wonderful time!!


I've been wanting to try this for a while...Claire's got a really long "strip" of hair, so I decided to put it in a ponytail. This was the end result...it cracked me up. I think I'll wait a little longer though before trying again...she looked hilarious.


Claire's new "fun" is to take her basket of toys and dump them all out. Sometimes she dumps them all at once and sometimes she takes them out one by one, but anyway you look at it...they're all out of the basket. :) I love to watch her play with them too. She picks them up, looks at them, talks to them and then moves on to the next toy.


Claire is a little older than Barrett (although Barrett is her same size). She is constantly trying to grab him and we have to hold her back. We laugh and laugh at how aggressive she is. But, it won't be long that she and Barrett will be able to play safely together. But for now, we have to keep an eye out for poor Barrett. :)

Claire in her daddy's fishing hat. One day she'll have one just like it and will be fishing right along side him.

Fall Fun!!

Fall has arrived in North Carolina and I've been loving to dress Claire in something other than onesies! (Although the onesies are soooo easy). She really, really loves the outdoors and loves to walk around, watch the leaves blow, watch the squirrels play etc. It won't be long and she'll be camping in a tent ready for an outdoor adventure.


I moved her bouncy toy outside on the porch and she had a blast. I just HAD to take this cute picture of her in her fleece. I love the cute little ears on the hood.


Her daddy built a swing in the backyard and Claire absolutely adores it. She leans back and lets the wind blow her hair. She grabs on to the ropes and holds on like a big girl. And she laughs and laughs.

The Stars at Night are Big and Bright

In October, Claire and I went to TX!! Her first visit to Nana and Grandpa's house. It was her Aunt Angy's birthday and we wanted to surprise her with a visit from her favorite sister and niece. :) Claire did GREAT, despite a crazy full schedule!! We can't wait to see everybody again in November.


Claire's about to go on a plane for the first time. She did AWESOME!!


Claire loved playing with her Aunt Angy! Here we are at dinner just a few minutes after surprising Angy!

Claire was able to meet her Great-Grandma. What a special moment that was for all of us!


Four Generations of Women. A moment I will treasure in my heart for years.

Nana enjoying time with all 3 of her grandkids!

We took Claire to see her Great-Papa's gravemarker. I wish that Papa was able to see his beautiful Great-Granddaughter! He LOVED babies and children and was so good with them. As Claire grows older, she will definitely be told stories about Papa...he was funny and had a great sense of humor!!

Claire is checking out her Grandpa.

Claire loved spending time with her crazy Uncle John. I think that's what we'll teach her to call him...Crazy Uncle John. Ha ha ha...seriously though...she loved hanging out with him...they laughed and played and had a great time!

Claire and her Grandpa.

Aunt Angy discovered that Claire loves to be tossed in the air. It makes her giggle every time!

I LOVE these kids! Jake, Charlie and Claire!!