Needing Ideas

Claire was a beautiful garden fairy last year

I am looking for ideas on what to dress Claire up as for Halloween this year. I would rather not spend a lot of money on a costume. I want her to be cute, I am not a big fan of real halloweeny costumes. Throw out some ideas for me please.

Look Alikes

I was just looking at comments on my sister's blog ad somebody made a comment about Claire and Ainsley Grace looking alike. I decided to pull up a few pictures of these little cousins and it was weird how similar they are.

Ainsley Grace


Claire Alyse

Ainsley Grace

Claire Alyse

Family Fun in MA

We were able to get some great pictures at the wedding. Claire was in her element, I think she is going to be a party girl (a very sweet moral party girl of course). She danced her little feet off and would dance with anyone who happened to be in front of her. One time I couldn't find her and when I looked out on the dance floor she was jumping and clapping with the bride's grandfather and brother, it was hilarious. She chased the flower girls (aka the princesses) around and was thrilled when they included her in their game of chase and dancing spinning circles. She said "I dance with princess mommy. I love princess, she's my favorite!", I loved it. Anyone getting married and needing some entertainment should invite Claire, she is the life of the party. Claire's other favorite person of the weekend was Holland. She is a sweet eleven year old that took Claire under her wing. It was so nice to have her "babysit" throughout the reception. I think they both wish they could have spent more time together. We were also able to see Allan's dad showing off his signature dance move and as always it was hysterical. There were some great people at the wedding, I wish that I could have talked to them a bit more.
Claire getting a little beach time. She kept asking to do see the ocean and look for dolphins going splashDaddy stopping by the table for a visit while Claire ate a ton of cheeseMy date for the wedding- Allan sat at a different table since he was a part of the wedding party

Playing Hide and Seek under our table

Loving her two on one time with Papa and Mimi

This is one of the best pictures I have of Claire and her Mimi

My little dancing queen getting the royal cheer from her biggest fans

Claire having her dream come true- dancing with the princesses

My in laws know how to party. Gig is the only one who can really keep up with Allan on the dance floor.

This was on one of our many legs of our trip home yesterday. We left The Cape at 5:45 (TX time), then flew from Providence to Philadelphia to San Antonio (where we were nicely asked to get off of the flight because we were standby passengers and the flight had filled up) to Houston to Dallas. We arrived home about fourteen hours after we started our day. Allan and I were exhausted and Claire was the biggest trooper. She is learning how to standby travel like a pro, we were so proud of her.

Matt and Heather

We went to Matt and Heather's wedding this last weekend and it was such a special celebration. Allan's family and Matt's family have been friends for many years and Allan had the honor of being a groomsman in the wedding. We do not see them very often at all because Matt is one of our country's heroes, he is a Captain in the Army and has lived overseas for the last five or six years. He and Heather have a great story and a strong relationship that has been long distance the entire time. They have survived two deployments to Iraq and living across the ocean from each other their entire relationship. They are perfect for each other and we are so happy for them. Congratulations Matt and Heather! Thank you so much for letting us be a part of celebrating your marriage!

Allan, Emily, Heather, and Matt

Allan, Gig, Allan Joseph, Matt, Suzanne, and Bill- they have been friends since the boys were little. They did boy scouts and fishing trips and even roomed together in college. This has been a pose for many pictures over the years. It is so cool that they have kept up their friendship even though they rarely see each other anymore.

Matt and Heather's first dance was so sweet, they looked so happy and in love. I love how they look at each other.

Matt and Allan at the reception.

The Cape

Well we had a rainy but nice weekend on The Cape this last weeked. We went for our friends wedding and decided this is definitely a place we will be coming back to. The whole area we were in looked like it had been pulled from a Better Homes and Gardens cottage edition (do those exist?). We didn't get too many pictures because of the downpour that was going on pretty much the entire time we were there. We spent the first full day in Chatham which is a fantastic tiny town with a bunch of cute shops. We just got a bunch of rain gear and braved the weather. Claire was a real trooper.
We were able to spend a lot of time with Allan's mom which is always fun when we can get her to ourselves. Our friend Julie came into town for the wedding and even kept Claire for us while we were at the rehearsal dinner. Because of a little mishap at Gig's hotel she was put into a three bedroom condo so we got to stay with her for our three night stay. It was such a blessing.

Claire and I on the condo back porch. It had an ocean view that I am sure was beautiful, we couldn't really see it through the rain.

Gig took Claire to buy a little pumpkin that was originally named Mimi Pumpkin, but has been renamed Pumpkin Pie. It made the trip home with us and she loves it.

Our morning in Chatham was spent searching for rain gear which made us very happy once we had it all on. Check out the huge hydragea bush. They were everywhere on The Cape and they are my favorite! I would love to go see them when they are all still vibrant.

Claire with her new raincoat and umberella. She also got some rainboots that are pink with horses on them. She loved her coat so much that she napped in it later that afternoon.

Proud Wifey!!!

I have mentioned before how much Allan loves the airline industry, he has his whole life. He is blessed to have a job that he loves and he is REALLY good at. This week his name was even mentioned on the front page of the Southwest Airlines Blog for a project that he worked on. This is a big deal for him to be recognized for his hard work. I am so proud of him!

http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/added-flying-thanksgiving

He is the Allan K. mentioned in the second sentence.

The Big Cousins

While we were in Oklahoma these last few days Claire had a lot of time to play with her cousins. They are becoming the best of friends. It is so fun to watch!

Claire holding Ainsley Grace
Claire hanging out with "Baby Grace" (aka Chloe Grace)
Skyler figured out a way for both she and Claire to swing, it was hilarious

Asher and Claire spent a lot of their time together. I loved hearing them play, laugh, and sing with each other.

They loved playing in the dirt a lot every day
Rolling down the stairs was super fun

Hiking on the "Big Rocks", they would play hide and seek behind this tree and laugh really hard

I couldn't resist getting them these shirts. Asher's name actually means happy which is so fitting.

Asher and Claire took turns loving on baby Ainsley. She was such a trooper when the two two year olds were hugging and kissing her.

A Little Ainsley

Here is a look into what the last few days have been for our family. Ainsley Grace, the newest member of the family has captured our hearts. She is beautiful and peaceful. I LOVED sharing these last few days in Oklahoma. I got some much needed tiny baby cuddle time and spent a lot of time being enetertained by Claire and Asher. I have a lot of pictures to share of those two.

Sara and Beau, you are already doing a FANTASTIC job parenting two kiddos. I love you guys and BOTH of your babies!!!

She Got Here A Few Days Ago

This is the first time I have been at a computer, but I thought I would let you know that after exactly twelve hours in the hospital Sara and Beau welcomed Ainsley Grace into the world on Thursday, September 18th. We were able to stand at the door and hear her first cries. She is BEAUTIFUL!! She has quite a bit of almost black hair. Ainsley was a big girl...8 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches long.
Sara is doing good and Asher is adjusting pretty darn good to the life of a big brother. It has been great to be here and spend a little time with my newest niece! I will come home tomorrow and download my pictures so you can see how darn cute she is.

They Need A Miracle!!

I just heard about this family from our cousin, Aimee.

http://hyatt911.blogspot.com/

Hyatt is a mother of two (3 yrs. and 6 mo.), in her thirties, married to a man named Troy, and currently in need of a HUGE miracle. She had a heart attack on 9/11, is in a coma, and has a ton of brain damage. Without a miracle the outcome is dire. She and her family need your prayers desperately.

The blog is written by Hyatt's brother-in-law mostly, occaisionally her husband has posted his thoughts. After reading it this morning it makes me want to hug and kiss my family and make sure the ones I love know how special they are to me. You just never know what the future holds.

Coming Soon!!!

We just found out that my newest niece Ainsley Grace will make her grand entrance into our world no later than Thursday. Sara will be induced that morning unless she goes into labor on her own in the next 40 hours. I cannot wait to meet that baby girl and cuddle her for a while!! My sister, Sara, is really one of the most balanced first time moms I have ever known and her little Ainsley will certainly be blessed to have her for a mama too. Sara is really one of those people who should have lots of babies, she is just good at it.

So I will let you know when I get to see Ainsley's precious face for the first time and share a few pictures. I am so excited! Please keep Sara, Beau, and Asher in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days.

Sarah's Shower

I hosted a baby shower for my close friends Sarah yesterday and it was so nice to have a small get together and celebrate her and her baby boy. She looked fantastic, the food was good, and it made me really excited to meet her little guy in about a month.

Sarah will be moving away right after her little guy is born- that makes me sad. She is finally going to be with her hubby again which is great (he has been in training for his new job for a really long time). It is really a good move for them, I just selfishly wish that we were going to be in the same state still.

These are the playgroup mamas. We have been hanging out since our baby girls were just a few months old. They are all pregnant again and due about every four weeks. It is going to be baby mania for a little bit in my circle of friends. They are all great mamas and friends. I have loved spending time with them over the last couple of years!

The Unknown JoBro

This is my first attempt at uploading a video...sorry it is sideways.
My hilarious nephew Cooper has two older siblings that LOVE the Disney Channel and all things tween so naturally he has picked up a few things. My new favorite performance is a song by The Jonas Brothers

I Could Not Have Said It Better

I found this on a random blog today and it really hit home for me especially in this nasty election season. You should read it whether you are conservative or liberal it is something that we all need to think about.

http://namean.blogspot.com/2008/04/poor-taste-shame-on-them.html

My Fashionista

Claire is cracking me up these days. She wants to pick out her clothes and shoes everyday. Today she has chosen a super cute pink floral summer dress and her dark brown winter bumble bee shoes. She also wants to only brush her hair with her pany brush (the brush that came with her My Little Pony, it is tiny). She is so proud when she gets to be in charge of her daily outfit and I love to see how her little mind works. She is growing up so fast and it is so fun.
If she had her way she would be dressing me everyday too. She will go into my closet and bring me shoes to put on throughout the day, or pull clothes off of the hangers and say "wear it mommy". I think that I will wait a few more years before she has too much input on what I wear out and about. I am personally not a huge fan of high heels, khaki cargo pants, and a shiny black strapless top ;)

Guess What?

I just RAN-a better definition might be jalked (jogged/walked)- almost two and half miles!!!!!

You have no idea how HUGE that is for me at this point in my life. I have decided to get back on the working out bandwagon again. There are a few reasons for this...
-I am beyond unhappy with the way my body looks these days, I need to feel confident again
-Supposedly this can only help in the getting pregnant project
-I really want to be a good example to Claire and running while she is sitting in the jogging stroller can only encourage her to be a girl who cares about her health
-I want Allan to think I am not a total slacker (FYI he would never say that he felt this way out loud)

The "I" of me

I was just on a friends blog who tagged anyone reading her blog, so I guess that means me. I like this one, it is not so generic.

i am: a wife, mommy, sister, daughter, and friend
i think: that Oreo cakesters are really good
i know: that I am going to heaven
i want: Claire to be a woman filled with compassion, joy, and integrity- hopefully I won't screw her up
i have: a good life
i wish: that I would get pregnant
i hate: snobs
i miss: having friends that just get me (close by)
i fear: a painful death
i feel: alright
i hear: the characters on Super Why talking
i smell: Sonic grilled cheese
i crave: sweets
i search: for friends that it is easy to have a relationship with
i wonder: if I will ever live in the mountains
i regret: physical relationships from my past
i love: to watch Claire sleep in my arms
i ache: after I workout
i care: about kids
i always: love to laugh
i am not: a doormat
i believe:
i dance: rarely
i sing: all the time whenI am at home or in the car
i don't always: answer my phone
i fight: alone
i write: to be known
i win: rarely
i lose: Claire's hairbows all the time
i never: will go to the North Pole
i confuse: Allan
i listen: most of the time
i can usually be found:
i am scared: of touching bugs and snakes
i need: to feel included
i am happy about: every moment I have with Allan and Claire

I tag everyone who reads this...let me know if you decide to play a long. it is harder than it looks.

Butterflies and Crafts

The last couple of days have been great. Yesterday I took Claire to a butterfly festival which she loved for a little while. It was so cute to see her excitement and caution all wrapped into one while the butterflies landed on her little piece of fruit. She liked that they had polka dots on their wings. I even got to sing her the Butterfly Dance song that we sing at our house a lot and spin in circles. We got to share our time there with Amy, my sister, Cooper, my nephew, and the Dukes which was really nice.

Claire watching her butterfly very carefully
Singing the Butterfly Dance song to my girl

This morning when Claire woke up I said "I love you Claire" and she responded with "I love Allie. I want to paint with Allie". It was pretty darn funny. After a few hours of hearing how much she loved Allie we decided to call the cousins over for some painting fun. I ran to Hobby Lobby and picked up some stuff to make little door hangers. Claire and Cooper did the main color painting and then lost interest. Allie and Jack were able to stick with us through the finished product. I am not typically crafty, but this was a pretty easy and fun project. Claire calls hers the monkey door and even took her nap with it this afternoon.

I love spending time with my niece and nephews and it was fun to do a little something a little out of the ordinary for our little get together.

Claire was happy that Allie came to paint

The four artists and their door hanging creations

The finished products- each kiddo picked out their color scheme and theme

If I Were At the RNC

We have been watching a lot of the Republican National Convention this week and I have been FLOORED by some of the things that these self respecting, hi flouting, government lovers will wear to show their support for their party. I have decided that if I ever go to one of the Republican love fests the hat shown above will absolutely be my accessory of choice. I mean what says "I love America and Republicans" more than a massive stuffed elephant wearing an Uncle Sam hat balancing on top of your head.

Let me also just say that before watching the last two weeks of Democratic and Republican Conventions I was not TOTALLY sure what I thought our country needed for the next four years, but I can say today, WITHOUT A DOUBT, elephants will be so much better than donkeys for America. I have totally fallen for Palin first and McCain second. They are a fantastic duo and if they accomplish half of what they plan to we will be so much better off as a country.

I guess that pretty much ends my political post for a long while (in general I HATE politics).