Clare Anne

I woke up early with this little miss this morning. I watched her move around and soaked up her cuddles and snuggles. I'm amazed at how quicly 9 months got here, and I'm in awe of all the things that she's accomplishing! My baby is getting big!!

She's gotten good at a peek-a-boo ... I love to play it with her. She'll hide behind a blanket, a door, whatever she can find. She loves it -- cracks up bigtime.

Heard her belly laugh times about 14 last night for the first time ... what did I do to get such a laugh?? I killed a bug with the fly swatter. Clare was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes and couldn't catch her breath. :)

She's walking really well behind her push toy, but last night...she kept her balance and stood all by herself! I was so proud!!

 Sweet Sisters ... can't get enough of them!

Easter Party

Lila and Clare got to head over to some little friends' house for an Easter party. Lila had such a great time, and most certainly didn't want to leave!! Thanks Leah and Hannah for having us over!

Leah, Lila, and Ella

 Hannah and Clare

 There were crafts and food, playing and princesses, and they topped the little party off with an Easter egg hunt in the living room...that pesky rain interfered with a hunt outside.

Love that chocolately grin!! 

Little Diva

Snapped this picture the other night ... she couldn't be a bigger mess if she tried!!

Growny

This girl is a mess. Her daddy just walked in the room and said "How can she grow up so much in 3 days?!" She's independent, strong-willed and very stubborn, but she has the sweetest voice, the most precious smile, and a pleasant disposition (if she's in the mood ;-). As crazy as I feel sometimes go 'round and 'round with her, I am so thankful everyday that I wake up to my growny little girl.

**Several more new posts below!!**

9 Months Old

My sweet, sweet Clare Anne is 9 months old today. When did she get so big?!

Our month picture sessions are obviously getting a bit more challenging. My mom and I worked hard this morning to get the few pictures that we were able to get!

A few things about a 9 month Clare:

1. We head to the doctor next week, so I do have any weight/length stats on Clare yet. I do know, however, that she's grown a bushel. She can still wear 9 month clothes, but she's getting to where 12 month clothes fit pretty well. She seems tall to me.

2. She is into everything. Crawling definitely opened up a new world for little miss. Nothing is safe -- especially from her mouth. She can find any kind of piece of paper, tissue and her mouth is directly where it goes. Her papa mentioned this weekend that her arms seem super long because it seems she can reach anything she sets out for.

3. She can walk really well behind her little push toy, and she can stand for like a milli-second on her own. She looks so little walking.

4. Her eating is the same as last month. She's getting better at chewing though. She does really well with a sippy cup.

5. She is beyond a mama's girl ... this was made very clear this past weekend. I had a hard time doing anything if I was in the same room as her (and she wasn't on my hip). I think part of this was that she didn't feel great. I secretly love it, but it would be nice if she'd let someone else hold for juusstt a little bit. She definitely is still a cuddler and much prefers to be held. This past month, she's started to sit on her bottom and just throw those hands up to be held.

6. She loves her sister, and her sister loves her. I love this fact.

7. She has 4 teeth ... 2 up top and 2 on the bottom.

8. She jabbers quite a bit, and has the grunting noise that she makes. She will say mama and dada.

9. She loves to patty-cake and she likes the song "The wheels on the bus." There's this song I'll sing to both girls when I'm trying to put them to sleep, and Clare immediately recognizes it (and that I'm trying to put her to sleep) and she starts bucking and twisting. It's frustrating and funny all at the same time.

10. She is a good, easy-going baby. I'm very blessed to be this child's mother.

Classic Clare Anne pose ... She does this to say hi, to dance. It's funny to me.

Mini Break, Part 2

Sunday was an under-the-weather day for us. Clare could not get happy, and she was super clingy. I did manage to get away Sunday night to see The Hunger Games with my sista ... :). By Monday, we had decided that we all needed a dose of Vitamin D, and it for sure perked Clare up. We headed for some lunch and shopping, and when we got home, we sat out in the yard for some playtime. Really, really enjoyed being home ... love being able to spend time with my parents and sister.

Mini Break, Part 1

I had a spring break tease this past weekend, and with the couple of days off that I had, we headed to North Alabama for a visit. On the way, we stopped by Smith Lake and celebrated Miss Chaney's 1st birthday. We had such a great time hanging out with family and watching Chaney soak up all the attention. The girls did great -- even though, Clare was still a bit under the weather. It was a great day :)

Happy Birthday, Chaney Annaleigh!

Things My 3 Year Old Says

Lila says a lot of funny stuff ... she's constantly coming up with new things -- I've just never remembered them long enough to get them on the blog. For example, I'm listening to her and her Aunt Casey go back and forth tickling Lila's "stickle pot."

Earlier today, she was sitting on a lower branch of a dogwood tree. My mama told her it was time to get down (and Lila is a queen at using words to procrastinate on doing something -- she did not want to get down). She looked my mom square in the face and said, "No, Grammy -- Jesus will get me out of this tree!!" (She's been learning about Zaccheaus at church.)

Lila and Casey were talking about cookies. Lila was only allowed two, and Casey had more than two ;-). Casey told her that she was being a pig, and Lila said, "Well, I'm being a dog!"

That's today, and it was hilarious to us :)

Sick Babies

We've had some sick babies around here this week. Lila started the week off with some killer RSV, and she so graciously shared it with her sister. Lila seems better, but Clare Anne woke up sick for the first time today :-(. Hallelujah for Grammy and Papa -- they've been at my house all week taking care of our babies for us. Here's hoping we're on the mend -- we've got a pretty fun weekend planned!

Clare's Cuteness

Clare totally rocks the legwarmers ... her little squishy legs were way too cute in those pink things -- even as she acts like a little daredevil!!

Mimi's Birthday

We spent the afternoon at the lake yesterday to celebrate Mimi's birthday! We enjoyed the beautiful weather and hanging out with some family.

Happy Birthday, Mimi! We love you very much and hope that you had a wonderful day!

Tub Fun

Snapped this sweet picture in the tub tonight...couldn't resist posting it!

A Day at the Park

After school today, I took the girls over to the park for some more playtime. The weather has been so springy, and it was nice to hang out. Lila loved the playing -- we took Chloe with us and thank goodness I did. I would've had a time keeping up with Lila and Clare too!! Clare just took it all in ... she loves the swing and even slid down the slide. She mainly just enjoyed watching the goings-on around the park. Looking forward to more afternoons like this in the near future!