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!!

6 months old!!

My baby is a little girl! Today she is six months old. I can't believe it! Here are some milestones that she hit this month:

~Eating vegetables...sweet potatoes and peas
~Eating solids 3 times a day now
~Pushing up on her feet when on all 4's (she pokes her tushy up in the air)
~She's now ticklish...she wasn't for the longest time
~She lights up when she sees someone she loves (mommy, daddy, her favorite toys, etc) and even reaches out to hug around our necks when we lift her up (it melts my heart)
~She's sitting up (supported)
~She can sit in the cart at the grocery store and in a high chair at a restaurant
~We're still waiting for that first tooth!

Beautiful Sunrise

This weekend we camped at the beach. It was a wonderful 3 day weekend for our family. And we are amazed at how well Claire does! Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures of us camping, but Bradley took this pic of the sunrise on Monday morning while he was fishing.

Upwards Football & Cheerleading

Our church has a recreation program called Upwards. They play football and have cheerleaders too. Every Saturday morning in the Fall, there are football games on the field next to the church. In September, Bradley was helping to referee the games. (He had to stop because he has to work on Saturdays now). Claire and I would enjoy going to the games to watch the bigger children play.


Such a cutie in her stoller.


Bradley's refereeing.

Sweet Potatoes and Peas

I've been making my own baby food for Claire and I love it! It makes me feel like I am contributing not only to her health, but also helping out our family financially. So far, she's tried sweet potatoes and sweet peas. She really likes the sweet potatoes, but initially hated the peas. I've had to put some sweet potatoes on the same spoon as the peas for her to even touch the peas. She's slowly coming around, but still makes an awful face sometimes. I've got some carrots to try out next and after that I think I'm going to give her some squash then apples. We'll see how it turns out. So far, solids have been fun for her. She loves to spit them, put her hands in her mouth and grab the spoon. Oh, how messy my life has gotten lately...but I love every minute of it. :)

First time eating the sweet potatoes. Not so sure, but she eventually came around.

First time eating the peas....not so much!

My friend, Barrett

Claire and Barrett are just 2 1/2 months apart. They are getting big enough now that they are noticing each other and starting to play. We look forward to many more years of fun with Chad, Jamie and Barrett!


She is so sweet with other children!


Claire is very interested in him.

1st Camping Trip

Labor Day weekend we took Claire on her first camping trip. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd take her camping when she was so young, but she did really well! And, when I say camping, I don't mean the tent kind. Ha ha ha...we took Bradley's parents camper. I've never camped like that before! We had a bathroom and everything. Wow. Awesome. Claire loved the outdoors. She listened to the birds sing. She watched the kids play. And she loves the wind on her face. Here are some pics of our time.

Claire and her Granddaddy went walking a lot.

Bradley went fishing for a few minutes.

Happy girl, playing outside.

Bradley is cooking us some breakfast!

While Bradley was cooking breakfast, Claire was eating hers.

Eating Solids!

Last week, Claire started to eat rice cereal and, of course, we captured it all on camera.


Claire thought that the spoon was a toy and tried to grab it the entire time we were feeding her.


She just wouldn't let go of that spoon. She did really well, though. Better than I thought! She's now eating rice cereal twice a day and will move up to peas and carrots later on this week! My precious baby is growing up!!

"Love a Little Deeper"

A friend of mine from my Sunday School class recently gave me a piece of advice that I have treasured in my heart. She is a mom of 5 - ages 2 1/2 to 14 years. She told me to treasure every second with Claire...that it passes way to quickly. Then she said, "Rock a little longer, squeeze a little tighter and love a little deeper." What sweet advice!! I've been trying to do just that lately. The other day, it was time for Claire to take a nap. She was a little fussy, so I rocked her for a little while. She so sweetly laid her head on me and snuggled in close. And as I sat there, rocking with my precious child, I couldn't help but think that in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 20+ years I would think back and remember that precious moment with her. Yes, I'll have amazing memories with her at those ages too...but I won't get many more opportunities like that...to just sit and hold my precious Gift from God. So, my laundry will wait, dinner will be pushed back and sweeping the floor just doesn't seem all that important. I will treasure this time with my baby, cause she won't be a baby for long. My friend is right...I will never regret it!