The Hoyts

The Last Days at Home

2012-01-22T19:15:00.000-06:00

January 21

A Pinterest project. Ours didn't turn out quite as cute as the example online, I might outline the heart before we mail them out. Clara still had fun sticking her hands in paint.

January 22

Clara loves to eat black olives, I think because she loves to put them on her fingers. She calls herself a tree frog. She is holding up her Valentine frog too.

January 22

My babies.

I go back to work tomorrow. I hope to keep taking photos, it might just take me a while to get them posted.

20/365

2012-01-21T13:04:00.002-06:00

January 1

January 2

January 3

Clara and Spencer's cousin, Raegan, came to visit. Spencer's legs look so skinny, they are getting chubbier.

January 3

Clara fixing my hair. I love having my hair brushed! I'm trying to train her to enjoy doing it. :)

January 3

January 4

Clara is still sucking her thumb, even after Santa talked to her about trying to stop sucking her thumb.

January 5

Clara likes to pretend it is raining inside, probably since we gave her an umbrella for Christmas and she hasn't been able to actually use it yet.

January 6

Snoozing away, which he is very good at doing during the day, not always at night. Look at that full belly!

January 7

January 8

We had Grandma and Papa over for Grandma's birthday and had yummy manicotti.

January 9

Clara's excited face aunt Lisa taught her last Christmas and she still loves to use it!

January 10

Clara was playing hide-and-seek after a no nap preschool day. She got tired of waiting for us to find her and fell asleep.

January 11

Sometimes swaddling works, sometimes Spencer will fight it and groan to get out of it. Here, he is peacefully sleeping, during the day again.

January 12

Two Pinterest recipes I tried, which were both a success and yummy.

January 13

This was Spencer's first outing to Eric's school. This was the outfit I had purchased to bring Spencer home from the hospital. It is about to fit him when he is six weeks old (or when he was actually due).

January 14

We took Clara to an MU basketball game. She picked up the tiger ears at the store and didn't even have to ask for them, Eric bought them for her. :)

January 15

January 16

Swinging outside with just a jacket, on January 16.

January 17

Again, Clara fell asleep after a day of preschool and no nap.

January 18

Another Pinterest recipe. They were great, but I am not making them for a while. I ate almost all of them while Eric was gone to a conference. Clara made me put some in another container to save them for daddy.

January 19

Another snooze in the car seat.

January 20

Several people have told me the second child gets left out on a lot of things, writing down and remembering different things that they do. So this is my attempt at remembering things about Spencer, and Clara. So far I have taken at least one photo every day, but I haven't posted one yet. So here is catching up on January.

Happy Birthday/Due Date Spencer

2012-01-18T20:35:00.001-06:00

Instead of getting ready to have a baby, I'm getting ready to go back to work. I can't believe Spencer is almost 7 weeks old!

I have been taking a lot of photos, I just haven't had time to post them. Maybe I will get that done this weekend before returning to work, because I probably won't have time to post as often!

Christmas

2011-12-30T10:22:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning

Showing off her new clothes and backpack.

Clara's new pillow pet from uncle Daniel.

The only thing Clara said she wanted for Christmas was, "a four-wheeler just her size so she can ride it all by herself." She also wanted to be able to ride it with Papa.

Clara loves her new camo outfit from Papa and her bean bag (like Callie's) from Grandma and Papa.

Great Big Sister

2011-12-30T10:11:00.000-06:00

Clara loves helping out. She has been great helping give Spencer a bath.

She also loves reading books to Spencer.

This is my favorite photo. Clara snuggled with Spencer for almost half an hour last night. She got on her monkey jammies because Spencer had on his monkey jammies.

Preschool Christmas Party

2011-12-20T10:50:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Mimi!

2011-12-20T10:35:00.000-06:00

Finally Home!

2011-12-13T20:31:00.000-06:00

Clara was very excited to see us home on Monday. We weren't planning on coming home until Wednesday or Thursday, but Monday morning after rounds a nurse came out and said, "You guys get to go home." We thought she was talking to another lady in the room because she had already told us she was going home on Monday. The nurse had to say it again before we realized she was talking to us.
Reading Clara a book her first night home from the hospital.

Reading Clara and Spencer a book the first night home from the hospital.

Christmas card sneak peak

2011-12-13T20:26:00.000-06:00

CJ and Spencer...together at last!

2011-12-11T22:14:00.000-06:00

The nurses did a great job dressing Clara to go meet her baby brother. This was kind of a surprise, so you can tell how excited she is!

CJ was very gentle and careful with her new baby brother. Mary and I are very proud of her...she is going to be a great big sister!

Spencer Reed Hoyt is here

2011-12-07T13:19:00.000-06:00

Taking his first helicopter ride.

Clara's visit to see Spencer in Kansas City.

Wide awake, which he doesn't stay like this for long before he is sleeping again. :)

Hi Clara!

2011-12-07T13:08:00.000-06:00

I have the hiccups Clara! I miss you and I am ready to be home with you! See you soon!

P.S. I am getting my iv out today and I won't be living in my little box much longer!

Halloween Night

2011-11-05T19:59:00.001-05:00

Clara has finally started letting us take photos of her again without a mad face, her hand over her face, or turning her back to the camera. I love it!

Painting a Pumpkin

2011-11-05T19:47:00.000-05:00

Clara started with painting a pretty good face, but it wasn't enough pink and purple. She then painted the stem, then the back of the pumpkin, and then all of it.

Papa Charlie's Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-05T19:39:00.000-05:00

Growling Like a Wolf

2011-10-30T08:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T08:19:00.001-05:00

This was out of the ordinary, Clara let me take photos of her without looking mad or covering her face. It might have helped that I told her I got to take a picture of her or we wouldn't go to the YMCA for their trick-or-treat night. She is growling like a wolf in the photos. Yes, she wanted to be a wolf for Halloween, we haven't been able to get it out of her why she picked a wolf. (If you notice her socks, she likes to wear mismatched socks because the big girls at daddy's school wear mismatched socks.)

Riding the train at the Y with Lauren.

Preschool is Hard Work

2011-10-30T08:16:00.000-05:00

When Clara goes to preschool on Tuesday and Thursday she doesn't have time for a nap at the babysitter. This is what happens most evenings.

Forgot to Post - Wedding Reception

2011-09-30T16:55:00.000-05:00

In August we had a wedding reception for Vince and Lisa in Brookfield. We were having such a good time that we forgot to take many photos. The top picture is Clara showing us she is about to eat Lisa's face on the frosting off of the cake.

Getting Closer

2011-09-30T16:42:00.000-05:00

Last Friday
bedroom

bathroom

One week later

bedroom

bathroom

I asked the crew if most of the dusty work is done so I could clean a little - no, a lot - this weekend. I have lived with sheets over everything and dust on the floor (and everywhere) long enough. The washer and dryer is hooked back up also. I kind of like the house to get this messy so when I clean I can see a big difference.

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

Clara's first day of preschool was Tuesday. The only way she would take a 'first day of school photo' was if she could sit on her bike. Eric took her to school her first day and luckily they arrived at the same time as Lauren, so she was ready to go. The only thing she told us she learned her first day was "criss cross applesauce."

Over Half Way There-22 weeks

2011-09-15T17:46:00.000-05:00

Clara isn't much for taking photos, but she was happy to give her baby brother a hug and luckily we caught a cute picture of her.

Dust and Dirt

2011-09-15T17:41:00.000-05:00

Thursday

Tuesday

We are about to outgrow our home, so we are adding a bedroom and bathroom. So far, so good. I love coming home every evening to see how much has been accomplished. They just started on Monday and have had to do a lot of demo, plumbing and electrical work.

Still Biking

2011-09-15T17:34:00.000-05:00

Clara wants to take her bike to the babysitter so she can ride it, she wants to ride it every evening, she wants to take it with us when we go to BG and Mimi's or Grandma and Papa's. . . the tricycle is out. Last night she rode almost two miles on her bike while Eric and I took a walk.

New bike and a New Brother

2011-09-01T19:23:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday we found out we are having a boy, due on January 18. Clara was very good, so we got her a bike after the doctor's appointment. She picked a Pinkalicious bike. We had to go to uncle Daniel's house in Columbia so she could ride it that evening. She didn't want to wait until the next day.

The Last of Summer

2011-08-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

Entertaining herself with a box.

"In jail"

Taking a ride on Ryder's bike. Now Clara wants one just like it.

Lesley sent me wonderful chocolate covered strawberries in the mail. YUM! Clara was claiming hers before I had eaten one.

Zucchini Salsa

2011-07-14T18:25:00.000-05:00

We still have more zucchini than we know what to do with so I found a salsa recipe that used 10 cups of zucchini, which is really only 4 or 5 zucchini, but it made a dent in our pile.

Unfortunately only the zucchini came from our garden, our tomatoes are still green and the green peppers aren't ready yet. I plan on making another batch of salsa when I can use mainly vegetables from our garden.
All cut up, simmering, and making the house smell like a Mexican restaurant.

The recipe made 10 pints of salsa and some leftover to eat right now. YUM!

Colorado Vacation

2011-07-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

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When I asked Clara today what her favorites things from vacation were she said:

1. Swimming

2. The elevator

3. The swing in the air (ski lift)

Our Garden is Exploding With Zucchini

2011-07-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

Lately, when we try and take a photo of Clara she will either turn from the camera or give us this face.

Luckily, we got her to laugh in this photo.

We checked our garden on Friday before we left for Colorado, we had 4 or 5 small zucchini, not ready to be picked yet. When we came home today and checked our garden, we have more huge zucchini than we know what to do with. I'm ready for fried zucchini! Sweet corn is almost ready, we have small cucumbers, tons of blooms on our tomatoes, the peas are finally growing, the butternut squash is taking over the garden, and the green peppers are growing, but still have ways to go.

Camping

2011-06-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

Since the weather hasn't been too hot lately we decided to go camping on our farm. Clara enjoyed roasting marshmallows and eating black raspberries that are abundant right now. We had a perfect evening until we were getting ready for bed and Clara ran into the tailgate on Eric's truck. She has a bruise on her eyelid and her cheek and we think she bit through her lip. It was bleeding and really swollen. As you can see from the picture above, about 3 minutes later she was excited to sleep in the tent.

Birthday Party

2011-05-31T08:33:00.000-05:00

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Happy 3rd Birthday Clara!

2011-05-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

Summer is Coming!

2011-05-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

We took our first Jeep ride last night. We are definitely ready for summer. Clara wants it to be warm enough to get ice cream when we go on a Jeep ride!

New Moves

2011-04-25T20:22:00.000-05:00

Mary, Clara and I were listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers while cooking and eating dinner tonight. Clara must have gotten caught up in the moment and decided to bust a move.

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Happy Easter

2011-04-24T14:52:00.001-05:00

Clara was so excited for Daniel to get here. She kept asking when he was going to get here so she could jump on the bed with him. We are excited we will get to see him more often since he is moving to Columbia and will be closer to us!

Playing on grandpa Spencer's trailer. One of Clara's favorite things to do when we visit them.

BFF

2011-04-19T21:12:00.000-05:00

We were lucky to have Susan and Holden visit this weekend. Clara and Holden picked up where they left off last summer. Susan and I were able to catch up while the kids played all day.

Springtime

2011-04-15T21:07:00.001-05:00

We planted 4 more blueberry bushes. We bought two-year-old bushes this year so we didn't have to wait so long to have more blueberries. I still don't think 8 bushes are going to keep up with Clara's love of blueberries.

Clara got to stay at Grandma and Papa's house while we went to Eric's school prom. The grand march and dance were outside, we couldn't have had nicer weather.

"Get out of here please"

2011-03-30T07:43:00.001-05:00

This is what I hear this morning as I am trying to get Clara ready to go. She wanted to get dressed all by herself. If the photo doesn't show it, she has on red leg warmers below her jeans, frog socks on, sandals, and she wore her hat to keep her hair out of her eyes.

Warmer Weather

2011-03-22T20:48:00.001-05:00

Clara has been enjoying the warmer weather. We were in need of some outdoor fun. I think she has been in a better mood since we have been able to play outside. We don't get much done inside in the evenings, but I don't mind. We had a fun game of hide and seek for over half an hour this evening.

Shed Hunting

2011-03-22T20:43:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday was so nice outside we decided to go shed hunting. Clara has been very excited to find antlers so she can rattle them like Daddy. Eric saw an antler on the top of the hill so we were trying to guide Clara in that direction so she could find it herself. As we were on our way to the antler she said, "There's an antler!" She had found one, but it wasn't the one Eric spotted. She found one all by herself that we were all about to pass by. The pair was within 10 yards of each other. She was pretty excited.

Friends

2011-03-22T20:39:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we were able to see a lot of friends. Sunday we visited Emma. Her Grandma made cookies so the girls could decorate them together.

Monday we were able to see Will, Jocelyn, and new baby Zach and Reese. I can't believe how big Reese is getting! Tuesday we saw aunt Jenny and Betsy and Ryder. Clara has told us many stories about how much fun she had with everyone.

Little Rock Marathon

2011-03-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

Pre race, ready to go!

Missouri gang, mostly Brookfield, but a few from Kirksville and Chillicothe.

View from our hotel room, the starting line. Pretty cool!

I'm still smiling when I am finishing the run, a lot better than last time I ran a marathon.

After the race. Clara thought it was pretty cool you are suppose to drink chocolate milk after you run.

I am ready to run another one! I wanted to break 4 hours this time and I did.

Now to beat 3:52:10.

Laundry!!!

2011-02-25T16:31:00.001-06:00

With vacation comes a lot of laundry. Before I started sorting it Clara climbed on top and called it a mountain, that's for sure. Four loads down, three to go. After I took a picture of her she wanted to take a photo of me, she did pretty good.

The Whole Family!

2011-02-23T21:33:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun in Jamaica, I don't have time to talk about everything. Clara loved the sand and sun! The wedding was beautiful, we just wish we had a few more days there!

Jamaica!

2011-02-23T21:28:00.000-06:00

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Nap Time at the Babysitter

2011-02-08T07:55:00.000-06:00

When Eric got home from a basketball game last night Clara had to get up and tell him a story. He bribed her with m&m's to tell the story again so he could record it.

Snow

2011-02-08T07:52:00.000-06:00

Clara kept saying that she was walking in a tunnel going down the sidewalk because the snow is taller than she is!

He was going to extreme measures to get some food during this snowstorm.

Snow Ice Cream

2011-02-01T17:43:00.000-06:00

Since it is so cold outside, we made a snowman inside with the left over snow from our ice cream.

All you need is some sweetened condensed milk, 1t of vanilla, and 8 cups of snow. We added chocolate syrup and peppermint chips to make it AMAZING! Paula Deen called for an entire can of the milk, but less than half made it sweet enough-and we have enough to make more tomorrow!

I went to the Y around noon today and decided to run by the store before I came home to get some sweetened condensed milk. I didn't know if I was going to make it home. The wind was blowing snow everywhere, there was a bunch of snow on the road, my windshield was freezing up and I couldn't see the road very well. We are locked in for the evening, literally blockaded in by a 3 foot snow drift in front of our door.
Clara's excited face waiting for snow ice cream.

YUM!!!

"You Wanna See Something Really Really Tool?"

2011-02-01T16:03:00.001-06:00

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Sidenote: In the middle of the video you can't hear what she turns around and tells Mary. She said, "Don't be surprised when I jump really far."

Hungry Birds

2011-02-01T15:57:00.001-06:00

Eric has been adament about feeding the birds while it has been cold and snowy. They appreciate it today, they have been fighting over the sunflower seeds all day.

"Go to the beach right now?"

2011-01-22T18:43:00.000-06:00

Ever since we went to visit Vince and Lisa over Christmas Clara will ask "Go to the beach right now?" She knows that is the next time we will see Vince and Lisa. The beachwear I ordered for Clara came in the mail today so now she is definitely ready to go to the beach!

Second Haircut

2011-01-18T20:46:00.000-06:00

I was trying to get a photo of the back of her hair, but Clara wasn't in the mood.

She finally let me take a photo of the back of her hair.

I love it! She looks so grown up though.

Snow Day!

2011-01-11T14:16:00.001-06:00

Excited face with BG.

"I want to go all by mine self!"

A fun snow day. Eric and I both knew Monday night we weren't going to have school Tuesday morning. We slept in, made french toast and eggs, went sledding, and wore Clara out!

And the Presents Keep Coming

2010-12-21T20:51:00.000-06:00

Clara had a lot of fun playing with Brett and Callie this last weekend. Last night when we were driving, out of the blue Clara said, "I miss Callie." Clara is officially obsessed with bumbees. She has decided to name the polar bear she got from Callie, Bumblebee.

One of Clara's favorites, a new pink camo chair.

Thanks Greg and Lisa!
Clara was being silly, but pretty darn cute too.

Presents and Ponytails

2010-12-14T21:05:00.000-06:00

Clara waiting for her first Christmas present of the season.
A bumblebee pillow! Clara loves it and sleeps on it every night.

Clara playing with her food before she eats it.

Daddy putting in a ponytail, her hair is FINALLY long enough to put all of it in a ponytail.

Happy Birthday BG and Daniel!

2010-12-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Talking About Food

2010-11-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

Clara was telling me that my pizza was hot and hers was warm because she doesn't like hot food.

Pick Up Song

2010-11-29T20:21:00.000-06:00

jjccjcjjcjjjc jjccjj hhhhg fgfg f gfgfgfgf fgfgf gffgfggfggfgfgffgfggffggfgfggfgf gf f ffg g g gfgfggggfggggfgfgggffggfggffffgfffgfgffggffffffffffffffffffffffgfffgffgfgfgfgfgfffggggfgf

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2010-11-29T20:14:00.000-06:00

At the end of the song Clara is very worried about Stinger because she covered him up and wanted him to go to sleep and he got up and moved.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2010-11-29T20:07:00.000-06:00

Opening Weekend

2010-11-14T20:52:00.000-06:00

Eric let me hunt on our new farm, and this is what I got Saturday afternoon. The trailcam pic was taken about 20 yards from where I killed him. He had been sticking around for a while. It was a very easy hunt, I lucked out. I walked to my stand around 2:30, scared a smaller buck in the field, had a doe in the field with me while I was climbing my stand and this buck came out after her about 5 minutes after I got in my stand.

I still haven't gotten anything with my bow, I hope to before the season is over.

klfkfkfkfkfkfkfkk is/s5-a note from Clara.

More Fall fun, and not so much fun!

2010-10-31T20:58:00.000-05:00

Dad used to always catch baby bunnies for Vince and I when he was harvesting in the fall. He found one for Clara this fall and she fell in love. She let the bunny go with Papa a few days later so he could go home with his mom and dad.

To make a long story short, our cat had fleas, we did everything to get rid of them and they kept biting Clara, until we figured out they were not flea bites on CJ, they were chicken pox. We had been sending her to the babysitter, thinking our house was dirty because I couldn't get rid of nasty fleas, nope, just chicken pox. Luckily they weren't very severe and her only complaint is that they itch. Her back was the worst, I took a picture, but it isn't pretty so I'm not going to post it.

Clara and I after we went to the Linn Co. JH Homecoming games. Both girls and boys won!

Clara as a bumblebee. She decided she wanted to be a bumblebee quite a while ago. We looked at other costumes, but she kept coming back to the bumblebee.

Before each house we stopped at we would ask Clara what she needed to say when we went inside so hopefully she would say "trick or treat." When we were headed to grandpa Hoyt's house we asked Clara what she needed to say and she said, "money." He is good about giving her a few dollars when we go and visit because he likes to watch her fold it up so she can put it in her piggy bank.

Now I need to go to bed, I am getting up to run in the morning before school. My training for my next marathon officially begins tomorrow. I have been running quite a bit lately, but have decided to do another marathon. It will either be in Little Rock in March or STL in April, I haven't decided yet.

Happy Birthday Amber

2010-10-31T20:44:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's a day late. Hope you had a happy birthday aunt Amer!

Fall Fun

2010-10-17T16:30:00.000-05:00

Clara is pointing at Papa combining beans on her farm.

Clara sitting with the pumpkin BG and Clara carved yesterday. Clara helped paint Dora's black hair.

The before and after of cooking apples today. Grandma Corky used to make "red apples" all the time. Now Grandma makes them and Clara loves them so much I made some so we would have plenty to freeze and eat this winter. All you have to do is core and peel the apples and put them in some boiling water with red hots and you have some amazing apples. YUM!

Helping on the Farm

2010-10-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos of CJ standing on "Clara's farm." Vince, Eric, and I bought about 75 acres across the road from Mom and Dad's house. Clara helped Papa finish taking the beans off the field today. When we got back in the car Clara told me, "fun day!"

Clara is helping Papa harvest the last of the corn last weekend. She likes riding in the combine and helping Papa push buttons to put the auger out.

Jenny and Pat's Wedding

2010-09-20T20:39:00.000-05:00

We had an amazing trip to CO this weekend. The weather was perfect, Clara was perfect, the wedding was perfect. The only thing that would have made it better was if we could have stayed longer. A few photos of the weekend. . .

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Balloon Derby

2010-09-10T16:38:00.002-05:00

Clara LOVED the balloons and doesn't understand why we can't go see the balloons now. At least we have a lot of photos to hold her over until next year.

Blowing up the balloon before we took off.

Up in the air going 35 mph!

(That is very fast for a balloon. The night before they were going 4 mph)

And we threw a bachelorette party and shower for Jenny on the busy weekend. This is the winning team from the scavenger hunt.

Congratulations Martin and Gretchen

2010-08-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

Dollar dance with Gretchen. Clara is being a little shy.
Clara ran straight to Martin.

Showing off her sparkly shoes.

Running down the isle. She had been practicing and was "ready" for about a half hour. She kept saying, "not yet, people sit down." Then it was her turn and she ran straight to the groom and in his arms, then got down and threw all her flowers in one big clump on the ground.

Amber didn't want this on here, but she caught the bouquet.

The End to a Great Summer

2010-08-18T17:51:00.001-05:00

Uncle Vince came home to visit. It took a little while to warm up to him, but as you can see, she latched on to him. "Yook Bince!", "Bince, come get me!" were said a lot over the week.

When we went out to eat Clara fell in love with Grandma's baby back ribs.

Clara loves building "tall towers."

Well, summer vacation has officially come to an end. Eric had his first day of school today and I have a few workdays starting tomorrow. We had a great summer. Eric and I were both home a lot with Clara and Clara was so much fun this summer. Her vocabulary exploded, which has been very fun to have conversations with her. She has gone to the babysitter the past two days and picked up right where she left off with her friend, Jett. Summer has come to an end, but we are anxious for fall weather and football games!

Lake Fun

2010-08-09T08:45:00.001-05:00

Driving the boat and honking the horn (honking the entire time), now one of Clara's favorite past times.

Swimming in the lake, not quite a favorite past time yet, but she tried it.

Big Girl

2010-08-03T14:18:00.000-05:00

Clara just went down for a nap. I was walking her to her room and she made me stay in the kitchen and said, "No mommy." She went in, turned on her fan and put herself down for a nap. She didn't want me to help tuck her in. :(

All Things New

2010-08-03T13:41:00.000-05:00

Clara on her new bed, BEFORE her new haircut.

Our newest favorite treat, homemade ice cream sandwiches.

Clara's new, first official, haircut. With several weddings coming up, Clara needed a trim.

I was trying to get Clara to do a "pretty" smile rather than a cheesy one since we have so many wedding photos coming up, it's getting there.

Hi Lisa and Vince!

2010-07-31T13:39:00.000-05:00

Clara is ready to come visit and go to Georgetown Cupcake!

Stinger Update

2010-07-31T13:29:00.001-05:00

Hanging out in Stinger's bed.
Giving Stinger a baby doll to take a nap with.

Watching cartoons with Stinger.

A rainy day

2010-07-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a rainy day so we found some paint and paper to occupy our time for a while.

Amazing watermelon and cantaloupe from the farmer's market! I can't wait until our watermelon and cantaloupe are ready, should just be a week or two! I don't think our watermelon will weigh 31 pounds like this one did!

ouuuuuuuuuuuouuouuouollllullullulul iouiooiiioik i pojoioojoy lk l i poy iouioiuii9klkiioiiyjuyjhghjhhghgghhhhniiioi9i8uioiiiij

-Clara wanted to type a little

Swimming!

2010-07-06T16:27:00.001-05:00

Clara is becoming quite the swimmer. She likes using water wings, doesn't like going under water, but LOVES "pool days!" She will let go of the ladder herself and swim to someone. One day she just floated among everyone and just enjoyed herself.

Summer Fun!

2010-07-06T15:44:00.000-05:00

Tucking Stinger in and reading him a book before an afternoon nap.
Picking her clothes out all by herself!
I guess I should be excited that she can put on her clothes, socks, and shoes all by herself, I just have to let everyone know that she picks out her clothes now, not me!

July 4th Weekend

2010-07-06T15:38:00.001-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We had a lot of fun at STL over the 4th of July weekend. We went to the zoo, watched an airshow and fireworks at the arch, did some shopping, and ate and drank a lot. Clara loved the zoo. She was very anxious to see the penguins, which was nice because their area was kept very cold and on a hot July 4th day, it felt wonderful! Thanks Daniel and Amber for letting us stay with you.

Reese's Baptism

2010-06-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

We are the proud new Godparents of Reese Kamry Neal. We had a fun day and feel very blessed to have such good friends.

Callie and Laura's Visit

2010-06-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

Callie, Clara and Stinger under their "tent." The girls slept under the tent and Stinger slept in Clara's crib.
Enjoying the pool.

Watching cartoons after their swim.

Saying goodbye to Callie.

Hopefully Callie and Brett can come stay with us some time this summer. We would love to have you. Thanks for making the long trip last weekend.

Fresh Fruit

2010-06-22T12:10:00.001-05:00

Enjoying fresh picked black rasberrries.

I picked about twice this many berries and my Mom and Dad had more than that. I pitted and froze about 18 cups of cherries and dried about 6 cups of berries and still had some left over.

Oh Clara

2010-06-18T13:21:00.000-05:00

Clara loves to talk on the phone now. In this picture she wanted to call uncle Daniel. She is getting better about talking when she is on the phone, but she is pretty quiet so she is hard to understand.
This picture created a meltdown. I thought Clara looked cute and I wanted to take a photo. She told me no once and ran away and sat down with her back to me. I snuck behind her chair and took this photo, she proceeded to cry, throw a fit, and then hit me. I ignored her so she said "Mommy, picture" and hit me again. She wanted to let me know why she was hitting me . She had a nice little timeout to herself after that!

Our Garden!

2010-06-18T13:07:00.000-05:00

We have about 7 rows of corn that are coming up and

you can tell Clara is excited to eat corn on the cob!
There is one little zucchini on this plant but we have A LOT of blooms.
This is the cantaloupe, just blooms still.
Blueberries! This is the first year for our bushes (we have 4) and we have some blueberries! Now that we know they will produce we are definitely going to buy some more bushes.

http://www.watersblueberryfarm.com/
We bought our blueberry bushes in Smithville MO and I highly recommend this farm. They are very knowledgeable and help you to grow the best blueberries.

Hopefully we won't have an early frost because everything is really growing, but it still needs a while until the produce is mature.

Summer Fun!

2010-06-11T11:23:00.000-05:00

Clara had a little fun with her markers the other day. This happened in about 2 minutes with Eric and I both in the room. I think she just wanted to take a bath.

The water was freezing, but Clara didn't care. I had to get a wetsuit on to get in the pool. I think we are going to spend a lot of time at BG and Mimi's pool this summer.

Holden and Clara

2010-06-11T11:12:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Clara and I headed to Liberty to visit our good friends Holden and Susan. The kids played and played and Susan and I talked and talked. We decided we have to make this an annual summer event and make sure we get together at least once a summer.

Thanks Susan and Holden for letting us come stay with you.

Stinger Update

2010-06-11T10:58:00.001-05:00

Stinger is alive and doing well. He is very friendly to Clara, which is good because she loves on him all the time.

Pee pee in the potty

2010-06-04T15:11:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that the morning of Clara's 2nd birthday she went "pee pee in the potty." I was filling the tub for her bath and she was whiny, which is unusual when she first gets in the bath. She finally told me she needed to potty. When I sat her on the potty she went! Clara hasn't went on the toilet again, but she knew she didn't want to "pee pee" in her bath water!

Stinger

2010-05-31T18:11:00.001-05:00

Well, we have a cat. Before, I was the one that didn't want a cat and Eric always wanted one. Someone at school had several kittens they wanted to give away and I had to talk Eric into getting a cat. So today we went to pick out a kitten for Clara's birthday.

For the past couple days we asked Clara what she wanted to name her kitty cat and she said, "Meow" every time. We ended up naming him Stinger Meow since she had a bumblebee cake for her birthday and this is her birthday cat. She LOVES him! We have to remind her often to put Stinger down so he can play. As soon as she got up from her nap she said, "kitty cat?" I'm sure we will have some interesting stories in the next couple weeks/years to blog about.

Happy 2nd Birthday Clara!

2010-05-30T15:02:00.000-05:00

Clara helping make her birthday cake.
Clara pushing Amber on the swing.

She finally got use to the water, at first she would run around the sprinkler barely getting wet.

Thank you Amber for decorating the cake.

Playing in the icing on the cake.

Coloring with Markers

2010-05-23T21:59:00.001-05:00

Clara loves coloring with markers. Usually she is very careful and doesn't get off the paper, however, the other day she took off her shirt and colored all over her stomach and in her belly button in about 2 minutes. Eric was in the room with her and didn't notice it. Good thing they are washable!

Matt and Stacie's Wedding

2010-05-23T21:49:00.001-05:00

Brunch at my house before everyone went to get their hair fixed.

Clara holding Jenny's and my dress from flying up in the wind.

Emma and Clara playing after the wedding.

Jenny, Stacie, CJ, and Mary

Congratulations Stacie and Matt. The weekend was perfect and
I am so glad we got to share it with you.

Flying a Kite

2010-05-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

Papa and Clara flying their kites.
Notice Clara's purple nails. She has been very into painting her toenails and fingernails. Amber painted her nails purple while she was babysitting this weekend. Thanks Daniel and Amber!
The weather was rainy for a while today, then the rain passed and the sun came out and it was a perfect day for flying kites.

Hi Jenny and Pat!

2010-04-23T18:38:00.000-05:00

Amer

2010-04-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

Well at least Amber doesn't cuss because CJ loves to imitate her.

Clara and Ryder

2010-04-19T21:01:00.000-05:00

Clara's new face any time she is excited or amazed.

CJ not liking Ryder's feet on her chair.

2010-04-05T10:49:00.000-05:00

CJ has already developed a love for shoe shopping. It's alright though, Mary has taught her to check out all the sales.

Colors

2010-03-28T20:57:00.000-05:00

A former co-worker told me that a kid could learn anything that is on their place mat. CJ has learned her colors in just a couple of weeks because we talk about her place mat every evening at dinner. I'm searching the Internet for more place mats!

Flower Girl Dress

2010-03-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

CJ's flower girl dress for Jenny's wedding is very cute, but I think we'll have to go with the bigger size. This one fits her perfect but the wedding isn't until September.

Flying

2010-03-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A few days ago Clara started "flying" on her own. She wanted us to say "ready, set" and she would say "go." She would then put her arms behind her and start running. This can go on for 15-20 minutes at a time.

Yummy Dessert

2010-03-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

I haven't been baking lately, mainly to avoid calories, but my Mom and Dad were coming over so I made an angel food cake. Clara was very excited and gobbled her piece up in a heartbeat! On a side note, Clara has been demanding she pick out her clothes, shoes, and socks lately. So if you see any crazy outfits in the next months (or years) you will know why.