A Few of the Fun Things

In addition to Clare's birthday last week, we stayed busy a few other ways too.

 

Lila had her first sleepover!! Sweet Leah came to spend the night last Sunday night. They couldn't have done better! They played so well and slept even better. :-) So thankful for the sweet friendship that they share.

We also had a fun night at Summer Swing with Raleigh. Rivers and their mommy.

By far, our biggest event of the week (besides the birthday) was Vacation Bible School. I taught they 1st/2nd graders, and the girls had a blast in all of their classes. I think both girls would say the puppets were their favorite part. The theme was the Fruits of the Spirit. They earned tickets all week and at the end of the week, we had a little fair with games, snacks and face-painting. It was hot but lots of fun! :)

We rounded out the weekend with some fun swimming at our cousins' house.

Lila and I had some good quality time this afternoon with a trip to the movies. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my big girl.

Here's to a more slow-paced week...whew!

Clare's Two Year Update

Two years ago, this precious little bundle of joy came into our lives!

It's hard to believe that that tiny baby is now this spunky little lady!!

Clare's 2-Year Update:

1. Hilarious. That is one word to describe Clare. The sense of humor that this kid  has is remarkable. She can be incredible silly too.

2. Independent. She's starting to show this more and more ... wanting to eat herself, put shoes on herself. She'll let you know if she needs help though.

3. She is wide-open all.the.time. She has and requires so much energy! She is constantly moving, talking, singing.

4. She loves her sister and mimics her a lot of the time. She loves to watch a movie with Lila, and if she misses her, she'll say "I want my Lila."

5. She is still a mama's girl, but she loves her Daddy.

6. She is not picky about her food, but she is hard to feed because she's constantly on the go.

7. She loves to take a bath and play.

8. She will say that her favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She says, "That's my favorite!!"

9. I could listen to her talk all day long. She has the sweetest voice and she is perfect at matching it to her mood. She can go from silly to pitiful super quick. She's very easy to understand and have a conversation with. Her vocabulary is awesome.Some of my favorite things she says are "Okaayy, Mommy, okkayy??" (when she's telling me she's going to do something or something that has happened); and "Close yours eyes, Mommy, Close yours eyes .... Suh-prisseee! (or Ta-da!)" She will also tell me that she "lubs me to the moon back."

10. She has pretty good manners and is good at saying "please," "thank you," and "sorry." Also, if she gets in trouble for something, she immediately starts saying "I not mean to!"

11. She hates shopping and riding in a cart, but if she's not in the cart, she's infamous for running from me. Drives me crazy. She's also not so good in a restaurant right now. Very stressful when you're trying to enjoy a meal.

12. She counts as follows: "1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14." She loves her books, to color, and she has four nursery rhymes that hang in her room that she likes to sing. She likes to pretend she's putting on a show with her sister.

13. She's a good sleeper (even though she's boycotting a nap as we speak -- as she's done for the past three days). Only thing is that since putting her in a big girl bed, she likes to get up in the middle of the night and try to get in our bed. She's pretty good about letting me put her back in her bed.

14. She's totally sassy and doesn't mind showing her temper and using the word "no."

15. She loves dogs.
16. Anytime she gets a boo-boo, she wants to me to "tiss" the spot. That makes it immediately better.

 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Clare Anne!! We are soo excited for your 2s! ;-)



Clare's Birthday Party

We had an absolutely wonderful time celebrating Clare's 2nd birthday. I won't lie -- I was a bit stressed with the weather. It came a thunder/lightning storm around 2:30, and I thought we were done for! We ended up moving it from the backyard to the side yard/driveway at the last minute, so we could escape to the garage if necessary. Thankfully though, the rain passed, the temps cooled down, and the party went off without a hitch! The kids had a great time splashing around and playing on the yard toys. We are so thankful for all of our family and friends that came to celebrate Clare's special day.

The Birthday Girl!!

Casey and Grammy were a huge help!! So glad they were here to celebrate with us, but we missed Papa!

 Lots and Lots of Playing ...

and Eating :)!

Clare's cake was precious and delicious! She's an expert candle blower...I think it was her favorite part.

Her expressions while she opened her presents were priceless.

I love this sweet girl and was so happy to give her such a fun party.