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.

Christmas wrap-up

This was the first year in which Claire had any real interest and understanding about Christmas and was therefore a little more special for her parents, too. Claire now recognizes Santa (aka "Ho-ho") but, wisely, is a little afraid of sitting on his lap but is more than willing to wave. On Christmas morning she feared going downstairs, thinking that Ho-ho might still be there! When she was coaxed down stairs and saw the gifts in her stocking she quickly forgot her fear, however.

Our holidays began with a trip to Iowa City to visit Will's mom. Our time there was cut short due to the weather, but Claire still managed to enjoy herself thoroughly.

Claire sets up her first manger scene with Nana

"Boo-yah!" said Claire when she first saw the Slinky

Christmas Eve was spent at our house. We cooked (and ate) a very good Indian dish, chicken tikka masala, and enjoyed some quiet family time before the chaos that would ensue.

Christmas Day dawned and after opening up our presents we headed over to Ma and Pop's house and then opened more presents with Kate's family.

Claire, so excited about gifts that she didn't want to waste time getting out of her pajamas, surveys the Christmas morning scene.

Claire expertly helps Ma open a gift

The following day we left the icy roads of Iowa and traveled south with Kate's family to Mt. Sterling, IL, home of Kate's grandparents. Saturday was the celebration of their 80th birthdays and so the entire family descended on the farm from across the country. Claire seemed to enjoy the chaos of having so many people around and ate up all the good food that the farm is known for. She also loved the watching the kittens.

Chaos! And this is only part of it...

Claire enjoys (tolerates?) a little quiet time with great-grandpa

Claire and Kate watch the kitties in the barn

Now we are home in the quiet of our house, enjoying catching up on a fair amount of missed sleep and marveling at Claire's ever-expanding vocabulary. (Oh yeah! Boo-yah! No, ma'am. Etc.)

Happy Christmas eve

I can't believe we haven't posted in so long. Maybe a New Year's resolution will come out of this... Though I will explain (yes, an excuse) that now whenever Claire sees the camera (or hears the word 'camera') she immediately plasters her 'smile' on her face and stops whatever cute thing she was doing. It makes our pictures these days even less interesting than they usually are. Maybe we'll get some other expressions when she opens presents...

Anyway until then, thanks to our friend Santos, we have something to share:
Dancing (click here)

Merry Christmas from all of us!

Cookies and more

What did Claire do this weekend? What did her parents do? Make cookies, that's what. Seriously, the total amount of calories contained in the cookies in our kitchen right now is, ummmm... large.

Claire also experienced the joys of sledding by going down the little hill in our backyard over and over and over and over...

Claire also put together her first real two word phrase, "Yes, ma'am." This is a very polite thing to say, except when she's talking to those of us with a Y chromosome. She hasn't mastered "Yes, sir" yet.

Here are pictures of Claire helping decorate cookies in her new cooking apron.