6 months old!

Our sweet baby girl is 6 months old today! Just in case you forgot...here is what she looked like 6 months ago...

And this is the first picture with her puppy...the night we got home, October 20th.

And here is her puppy picture today...

Yes, those are the same jammies (different size obviously). I loved them so much, I got them in two different sizes. :) I think I had to take about 30 pictures to get these 2 that would work...just a little different than the night we brought her home...I think I only had to take 3 that night to get the perfect one. :)

Claire is now sitting like a champ, rolling from back to belly constantly, sometimes she can get back the other way, and she is starting to scoot backwards and trying to get on all fours to crawl. Before we know it we are going to be chasing her down. She is an absolute joy, full of smiles and giggles for us. Other people, not so much. :) She has major stranger anxiety, most people can't even say Hi to her...it's pretty ridiculous. But, I was the exact same way, you get what you give I guess!

We have a busy week ahead, appointments for both Claire and I, a trip to the beach, Kelly and Drew coming, Claire's first Easter, and then Claire's first plane ride!! Sometime in there I have to clean the house, do some laundry and pack as well. Wish me luck!

(Happy Birthday, Kelly!! We can't wait to see you!)

Kitchen Complete!

Well, almost. Still a couple finishing touches, but paint is done, curtains are hung, I think it looks pretty good!

(Pardon the curtains--they are right under a vent. I think I need to iron them, hopefully then they won't spread as bad.)

Sunny Day and Kitchen Preview...

We have had beautiful weather this last week, I think the kids and I were outside at least an hour a day every day--Friday we went to the park in the morning and then played outside for about 2 hours after nap time, it was so gorgeous.

While the big kids were playing chalk, I put Claire on her blankie (that Grammy Marie made for her) in the grass so she could be out playing too....I had to snap a few of her in this hat, it makes me giggle every time I put it on her!

Watching the big kids play...

So sweet Look at those cheeks!

LOVE this one! They are going to be the best of friends...

I got to see Bud today, which was very nice. He called me yesterday saying he was really wheezy and could use his inhaler if I was coming to that side of town...I was (but of course would have made the special trip), so Claire and I went to see him. They are only about 3 miles from where he works, so it was easy to find. I also brought along some snacks for him and the guys, which apparently were a big hit. I aim to please. :) On my way I got a text saying, "Thanks for the pizza," (wanting me to get him some...) I responded with "You're welcome!"....I had packed my leftover pizza with out him knowing....it's like we have one brain sometimes. :)

During nap time today and after Claire went to bed, I was busy starting to paint the kitchen. The weather went south, so I decided to skip the outside stuff and paint. I got almost half the kitchen done tonight, and I plan to finish it tomorrow. Here area couple pictures of what it looks like so far...

Watching the end of "Grease" (yes, I'm a dork like that), and it's off to bed for me. Lots to do tomorrow! Will post again tomorrow if I can get the kitchen finished!

Lots of Stuff....

I couldn't come up with a creative idea for the title of this blog...I blame the 3 year old...she wore me out today. :)

Monday morning we went to the new park on base and Jenna was SO excited....then she had belly issues and we had to come home. :( I felt so bad for her having to leave the park, (I scolded her multiple times before I realized WHY she had gone potty in her pull-up....) so we had a picnic in the living room while we watched her movie of choice, "The Beauty and the Beast." I was just as excited as she was to watch the movie. :)

Notice Claire's new trick?!? We have a sitter, folks! One day last week I thought, Hmmm...wonder if she can sit? And sure enough! She does such a great job, and very rarely falls over. In fact, today when we were trying to Skype my mom, I ran to her bedroom with her sitting up and came back to find her on her belly, messing with the computer....

Claire wore her soccer warm up outfit today, and I couldn't help but take a few pictures.

I also decided to share what will hopefully be my kitchen in a couple weeks....here is my ideas thus far...

Yays or Nays? Any suggestions? I am hoping to do the tile on the entire backsplash (if my father in law is willing to help...:) and the accesories will all be in the blue/greenish family if I can find them. This is the only room in the house I have made big decisions on and I can't wait for it to be done!

I was planning to paint this weekend while Bud was gone, however, it is going to be 80 and sunny and I feel like I HAVE to be outside!! I think yard work will consume my time instead....

Twins (finally) WIN! and Mommy's Day Out

My mom sent an adorable little Twins outfit for Claire to wear on opening day....unfortunately it didn't bring them luck, but they did finally win again, so hooray! Mommy, Daddy and Claire were all ready for opening day but we did not get a family picture, so I will just give you a few of the cutest member of the family. :)

I had a very good day on Saturday. I finally decided it was time for me to get out of the house and I went with a friend to get a pedicure, and then Bud and I had our first night out in a very, very long time. It was also our first night out alone since Claire was born. We had been out a few other times, but they were all with other people. We went out to dinner, and it was so, so nice. The only picture I got of that day is my pretty toes, so sorry if you don't like feet! :)

Bud is packing tonight to head to the field for about a week. It will be the first time he is away from Claire, but it will be good for all of us to "practice" being apart. I have been alone by myself and with Lacey, but never alone with Claire for more than a night. We will all be fine, and it is really great for Bud to get to spend some time with his team leader before they leave. EOD works in teams of 2-team leader and team member. This week long field exercise is to build that relationship and make sure the team can work well together. These next few months are going to be full of things like this, and while I don't necessarily like it, I would never complain. This training is all very important and could potentially save his life. We have been apart for 7 months at a time, 3 times, a week will be a breeze...right? We have been very spoiled, and Bud has not left for more than 5 or 6 days since August 2009.... Time to go help Bud pack so we can get to bed before midnight. :)