New pictures

If you can't tell that Claire is getting older from her pictures you can certainly tell by the greatly reduced number of pictures that we take. I guess we are giving our camera a break until May. Here are a few recent pictures:

Somehow we caught Claire actually smiling rather than giving us her "camera smile" for this one. Here she models the hot color combinations you will be seeing on the runways this spring.

This is what can happen to glass when temperatures outside are colder than -30F and there is at least a 90F temperature differential between outside and inside. Ours was not an isolated case. Our window guy said he's gotten several other calls where the same thing happened. We're just thankful that only the inner pane of glass cracked.

Claire is blessed or cursed with her dad's dry skin. Sometimes she combats this with Vaseline, as she does here, with great gobs on her cheeks and chins.

Hide and seek with little people

Today Claire and I spent some time playing hide-and-seek. I'm sure many of you know what H&S with toddlers can be like. For those that don't, well, let's just say that the young'uns aren't necessarily the most creative in their hiding places, and they don't quite grasp the concept of silence. But, they love to hide again, and again, and again, and again and...

To set the scene, this particular game was located in our bedroom. In this bedroom there are two closets, a dresser and a bed. I would go out into the hall, shut the door and then knock before coming in to search for Claire. Claire would always be behind the bed. Here is how the game went over, and over, and over, and over...

Me (to myself, out loud): Hmmmm, I wonder where Claire is.
A voice (from behind the bed): Hmmmmm.
Me: She sure is a good hider.
A voice: Yep.
Me: I never know where she is going to hide.
A voice: No.
Me: Is she in Dada's closet?
A voice: Nooooo. (A hand reaches out from behind the bed and points to Mama's closet.)
Me: Is she in Mama's closet?
A voice: Nope.
Me: Is she in our bed?
A voice: Nooooo.
Me: Is she under my pillow?
A voice (giggling): Nooooooooooo.
Me (acting surprised when I see her behind the bed): Oh, there she is!
Claire (laughing hysterically and signing): Again!
Repeat

Maybe next time we'll go crazy and try a different room in the house.

Random recent photos

We get a unique vantage point of Claire through a measuring bowl.

Yes, she's cute.

Yep, still cute.

Cute? Not so much. No, this is not a scene from a horror flick. It is, however, the creepiest picture of Claire (and Dad) yet taken and clearly demonstrates Claire's need for a haircut.

Claire and Kate practice for what will likely be many pictures like this in May. The baby is Mia, daughter of friends from Madison, who came to visit recently.