Picture Post

I finally uploaded pictures to the computer. Here are our favorites from the past week or so. . .

5-15-09 Before we moved, Hallie was supposed to be taking a nap when we heard her crying . . . this is what we found. She got stuck while trying to play "dress-up."
5-16-09 Moving Day! Hallie indulges in her first sprinkled donut.
5-17-09 sister time

I swear she is the prettiest thing!

5-18-09 Hallie watches Winnie the Pooh while Mom scours the new kitchen.

She insisted she wear her crown.

5-18-09 One month old!!

5-22-09 Notice the significant increase in "chubs!"

Smiling for Daddy (he gets the longest smiles!)

5-22-09 sleeping angel

Mother's Day

We are slowly getting settled into the new house. Now that we have the internet again, I wanted to post some fun pictures from Mother's Day two weeks ago. It was a great day. Chris secretly kept the girls quiet so that I could sleep in until 9am! I usually can never sleep that late, but with a new baby keeping me up at night-- it was heaven sent. When I was walking out of my bedroom door I found a sweet homemade card and cash from Chris and the girls! What a fun gift! We celebrated the morning at "Grandma Judy's" house. Chris and I made her brunch. It was nice to have a quiet morning with her. That afternoon we took Claire to church for the first time. We stayed for the full three hour block. I regreted that decision the week after when Hallie brought a cold back from nursery and the three girls were sick while trying to move. Besides catching germs at nursery, Hallie also made a really cute flower picture for me. When she saw me after church she said "There she is!!" and came running toward me. She told me "I made this for you!" When I asked her "Oh, you made this for me?" She replied "Uh, huh! I did!!" She was very proud of it and I loved having a little project from her. The next morning Hallie saw me looking at her picture again and she was excited and reminded me "I made that for you, Mommy! Uh, huh. I did!" That evening, Chris made me dinner. Now, I know that I write about food a lot (I inherited that from my Grandpa) but I wanted to boast of the menu: butterfly shrimp, loaded baked potatoes, strawberry spring salad, and asparagus. It was delicious and I loved that Chris made it for me.

Thanks for making my Mother's Day special, sweet family.

we've moved!

We've moved into our new home. Now it is just a matter of getting settled. That task feels like it will take five years to accomplish! We don't have internet at our new place yet, so I am hunching over on the floor of our old duplex to type this for our adoring public. Unfortunately, I don't have any recent pictures to post yet-- our equipment for that is still packed away. However, I just wanted to provide a few quick updates.

Hallie:
1. She told me today "Okay, okay. Calm down!" when I asked her to put her shoes on.
2. Chris told Hallie she was goofy and she said "No, I'm not Goofy. I'm Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse!"
3. Hallie requests that everyone call her "Darling."

Claire:
turned one month old yesterday!

Chris and Michelle:
are busy with projects cleaning/organizing the new place

Pictures of our babies and our house to come soon. Hopefully Friday since we get internet on Thursday.

three weeks old!

Saturday morning marked three weeks of life in the world for our little baby. Chris and I love the complete feeling we have with this new little one in our lives. We get a kick out of calling our girls "#1" and "#2." It makes it easier to keep track of them since I am always trying to call Claire "Hallie" anyhow.

For awhile, Hallie was protesting when she heard me call the baby Claire Caron. "She's not Caron!" Hallie would say, "She's Claire Bell!" But, on Saturday I overheard her talking to the baby and calling her Claire Caron. So, apparently Hallie approves now.

Claire is smiling now. Hands down, Hallie is the one who garners the most smiles. But, Claire was sweet enough to give us a sample of smiles while I snapped her "three week pictures" on Saturday afternoon.


I love how new babies can sometimes look like old men, yet still be so adorable. Enjoy . . .

time flies

Another week has come and gone. Claire continues to adjust to life in our home. She is eating better, fussing less, and is calmer during diaper changes. Our little baby is starting to get the hang of things. Her colicky nights are less frequent because we found that if we hold her upright between the hours of 7-9 pm, she is a much happier baby. She did have an uncomfortable evening last night though-- which made for a noisy Mother's Day.

Hallie is precocious and hilarious. Chris and I love the lyrics she sings for "Bella Note" from Lady and the Tramp. The words should be "look at the skys, they have stars in their eyes." However, we like how Hallie says "look at the skys, they have 'speh' in their lies." This morning, Hallie was leaning over Claire and she asked her "Do you wonder what you are?" I am sure she adapted it from "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" because it mimicked the rhythm. But, it was funny to hear a two-year-old ask such a wise question all the same.

We are packing this week! We close on our new home on Friday and move on Saturday. What an exciting/crazy time in our lives. We look forward to settling in and then posting pictures of our new place.


5-5-09 sleeping like a bug-- this reminded of me of baby Hallie

5-7-09 sitting on Daddy's lap with Hallie looking on
5-8-09 Claire and Mommy took Hallie for a picnic at the park

5-9-09 Hallie "dressed" herself


5-11-09 Hal and Claire this morning

The GRANDEST Mother

With Mother's Day approaching, and a newborn in our home again, I am already in such a reflective mood. However, on Wednesday, my sweet Grandma Nelly suffered a minor stroke. Although she is expected to recover well, I hate that she is couped up in a hospital room thousands of miles away. I have been looking through these pictures of my Grandmother when she was a young mother like myself.

Isn't she enchanting?
She takes my breath away.

I love her hair, and her dresses, and her lipstick, and her smile. I love that she is reading with her kids, and baking with them, and holding them. It's easy to imagine what type of mother she was because she has always been such an incredible grandmother.

I love her so much I ache.

This is the mother of nine children. After I gave birth to my first child, one of my first thoughts was "my grandma did this NINE times." When I am up late at night with a screaming infant I think "my grandma did this NINE times!"

And you should see how her children turned out! Each person is a loving, caring, contributing member of society.



My Grandma has a distinct cheerfulness. She has a bubbly warmth when she talks to you-- and particularly when she talks to children. Sometimes, as I am answering the phone or talking before a large group of people I recognize her voice in my own speaking. I have to say . . . nothing could thrill me more.

here we are

When we were choosing names for our new daughter, we wondered what nickname we would use for Claire since it was already one syllable. As you know, we love to refer to Hallie as "Hal." And we frequently call her "Hallie-Who" or just good old "Who." But we wondered what we would do if we couldn't shorten Claire's name. Now, two weeks into Claire's little life I have to say she has no shortage of nicknames. Here are some of the favorites: Clairey-bug; Claire-Fairy; Clarinet; Clairey; Clairice. And I have heard my Mom call her Queen Clarion (from the Tinker Bell movie) and my Dad called her chocolate eclair.

Life continues to be great with our two sweet girls. Although, we must admit we prefer the days to the nights. Our new little one is a slight bit "colicky" so we normally have one to two hours of non-stop screaming every night (from her, not us). And yet . . . we still wouldn't trade her for anything.

today (5-5-09)

5-4-09

5-3-09

I can't explain the dirty look. I pulled out the camera and she scowled at me.

Poor Claire! How do younger siblings ever survive? I had a dream last night that Hallie was carrying her by her neck. I almost fainted while asleep.

Two weeks with two children

We are approaching the two-week mark of having two children. In ways, it is vastly easier this time around. In other ways, I forgot just how hard it is to take care of an infant (particularly the night duty). My parents came last Thursday. Dad stayed through Sunday and Mom flew home yesterday. It was amazing to have them here. They are so adept at spoiling us. Between Dad's great cooking and Mom's cleaning and baby care, I could be set for life. Yesterday, when I dropped my Mom off at the airport, I couldn't help but cry. Every time my parents go I realize how far away we live and I get emotional. As I was driving away, Hallie told me "Mommy, you are very, very sad." "Yes, I miss my Mommy!" I replied. She was so sympathetic. She told me: "It's okay, Mommy! I understand with you. I wanna see Grandpa." She was such a sweet little friend-- wise beyond her years. She made me feel better. When my Mom flies away I lose a little part of me. But I am so blessed to have two daughters to share that same bond with. And what an additional blessing that my oldest is bright enough to give me pep talks even though she is only two and a half.

Chris and I feel so lucky lately. We have this sweet little family, we are purchasing our first home, and we have each other to top it off. We went for a drive in our new neighborhood the other day and I was stunned when I saw Hallie's elementary school. It was surreal. I stared at the building where my little one would leave my home and step into kindergarten. It was almost too much for my postpartum emotions to handle. :) We really love our new neighborhood. It has nice pathways that wind throughout the track and a very nice little park. During the warm months, I will be able to walk Hallie to school and back. I love that we are so close to the schools, church, and all the grocery stores and other shopping.

Hallie has done so well with welcoming our new family member. It has been such a natural transition (which says so much about her innate ability to be loving and caring). Sometimes, Hallie is a little "gifted" for her own good. She often tries our patience with her words. But, that is part of growing up and expressing her independence. So, we will take that small trial because it is coupled with all her other amazing traits.

Claire is really fun. It is refreshing to have a teeny baby around again. We are enjoying getting to know her. Even though she isn't smiling yet, since birth it is obvious when she is excited about something. She is thrilled when Mommy, Daddy, or Hallie give her attention. Her eyes get big, her breathing pace increases, and her face assumes the most peaceful, angelic state. It is a sight to behold. She is very particular about her feeding time. I must (and I mean must) change her diaper before she starts to eat. Otherwise, she absolutely cannot focus. I also must burp her not once. Not even twice. She needs to be burped at least four times throughout the feeding. And it is essential that I not forgot to change her again halfway through her feeding. It is so funny to me that such a little one can have so many "particulars" already.
with Grandpa 4-26-09
proud parents 4-26-09
watching Tinker Bell with Grandpa
flowers from Chris' work
4-29-09
so cute
4-28-09
sisters 4-28-09
Traci came to visit 4-27-09
Daddy time 4-30-09
4-29-09



4-30-09