Birthday Girl, Part I

Claire on her big day at school:
We celebrated up at the ranch for her next party. Her big present up there was a balance bike.

We also got to play with Chester - Uncle Chris and Aunt Luby's new puppy.

Checking out the baby olives:
Sitting with Big Sister for breakfast:

Happy Birthday, Sweet Claire!

Claire is 4 years old today!! I cannot believe how fast the last 4 years have gone. It really seems like just a moment ago we were bringing her home from the hospital.

Here are some little tidbits about you, Claire:

* You are the sweetest little girl--always caring and worried about others.
* You are the best big sister--most definitely Madeleine's very favorite person ever.
* You are HILARIOUS. Your favorite joke right now is "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" You also like to make very serious-sounding comments, then follow up with, "I'm just teasin'."
* You love to dance!
* You are very musical. Every time we ride in the car, you either sing along with the music or make up your own songs.
* Your favorite color is pink. Everything must be pink, from your dinner plate to your bath towel. Luckily, you are imaginative enough to pretend something is pink when it actually isn't.
* You are learning to read super-fast. Word families are easy, and now I find you reading signs and book titles that I know you haven't memorized--you're sounding out the letters and putting them together!
* Your favorite book is any of the "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" books.
* You can do simple addition in your head!
* You love going to school.
* Your favorite foods are taquitos and oranges.
* When you grow up, you say you want to "work on computers".

Some pictures of Claire since the beginning! (In no particular order....)

Madeleine is Nine Months Old!

Happy nine-month birthday, Miss Moo! You are getting to be such a big girl!

You are growing and growing. You are still in size 3 diapers, but now up to 9- or 12- month clothes. And I know why--you love to eat! Rotisserie chicken is your absolute favorite food, but there might be a replacement for that title; you tried carnitas for the first time last night and loved it! You polished off 2 tray-fulls, plus some tortilla. You are usually the last one eating at the dinner table, and we usually have to decide for you that you're finished.

Mobility has been top on your to-do list this month. Crawling is second nature now, so you're ready for the next challenge--standing. You pull up on everything, and are now starting to try to just stand up on your own. You've let go of things a few times and balanced a few seconds on your feet. You're also starting to take little steps while pushing things, and you've mastered going up stairs. Nothing is safe anymore!

Communication is also becoming more meaningful this month. You seem to have 3 "words": bababa is what you say when you're playing or happy; num-num is eating or food; and mamama is your "I'm about to get unhappy" warning. You also know how to wave hello and good bye.

You also took your longest road trip so far this month. You did an amazing job of riding so nicely for 20+ hours in the car while we drove up to visit Great! Grandma and Grandpa in Stillwater. And you're not finished traveling--today you flew on two airplanes heading up to Ohio.

Happy 9-months, Magoodle!

Pool Shark

Claire's First Day of School

It has finally arrived--school is in session again! Claire went through quite a withdrawal when it ended in May, so she was more than ready to get back to St. Mark's for a new year. She had a little "meet the teacher" session last week where she found out her new teacher wasn't going to be new at all! Ms. Amanda, her wonderful teacher from last year, moved up to the 3-year old class and will be Claire's teacher again this year! Hooray!

Today is her real first day of school, and my what a difference a year makes. (Click here for a recap of last year.) Last year the only way to get her out of the car was through bribery, and this year she didn't even want me to go in with her! I insisted, though, because I wanted to take some pictures. And to make sure she actually knew where to go. She did.

And the school day went wonderfully! Madeleine and I were waiting outside for her class to come out of their building at the end of the day, but Claire was so intent on following directions and staying in line that she didn't even notice us. She said she had a great day, and her favorite thing was playing on the playground with Christian. She said she also had fun playing in the kitchen with Aidan. We stopped by the picture tree on the way to the car for the mandatory first day of school shot and picked up ice cream sundaes as a treat on the way home. She was too tired to eat hers, though, which means the day was a success!!!!

See ya, Summer

We planned a wonderful weekend to celebrate the end of summer and the last weekend in a long time that we'll actually be at home. The girls and I took advantage of the surprisingly pleasant weather and headed to Brackenridge Park by the Zoo for a lovely picnic along the San Antonio River underneath the ancient pecan trees. We ate our sandwiches and watched the ducks, then headed over to the train station for a ride. We ended our girls' day with a treat--cupcakes! Claire even shared hers with Madeleine while Mommy wasn't looking. (And, weirdly (and luckily), the egg reaction didn't appear, whatever that means....)

On Saturday, we loaded up in the car for a short drive up to New Braunfels. We had a great lunch out, then searched for the little airport so Daddy could enjoy his Father's Day present--helicopter flying lessons! We watched him take off, then hit the car for a snooze. We topped off the day with a swim and dinner at Honey and H's.

And on Sunday, we again loaded up in the car for a drive over to SeaWorld. Claire has been asking and asking to ride the Shamu rollercoaster, but I can't take her on it with M in tow, so we brought Daddy along to play, too. We watched it go a few times, then she and Daddy headed to the ride. She was a bit nervous, but said she'll do it again. We fed the dolphins, cooled off with the penguins, and watched the Shamu show, then headed home for a rest before Sunday dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Jamey and Uncle Jeff.

So long Summer, 2010! You were a great one!

After-Party

We rented a river boat for a catered dinner on the San Antonio River for all of our out of town friends and family who came in for the baptism. It was hot, but so much fun!