A New Discovery

After complaining to Erik a few weeks ago about how I am so bored of doing the same things over and over; I happened to discover a fun activity while searching the Internet. Who knew there were "beaches" in Utah? I sure didn't. I told Claire that morning that we were going to the beach. She looked at me and said, "dolphins? crabs?". Unfortunately, I had to tell her there would be none of those, but that she would have tons of fun playing in the sand. And that she did! That afternoon, me, Claire, and her Farmor spent the day at Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman. It was no nice to do something different for a change (even though it took forever to drive out there).

 

Being the typical Claire, she kept her knees and everything above them completely dry. I don't know what it is, but if she's not at a city pool or water park with slides and toys, she has no interest in getting completely wet. So, we spent most of our time on the sand. Thanks to her Farmor, Claire learned how much fun it is to cover people's toes with sand. She did this for quite a while and spent the rest of the time eating and playing with her snacks. I enjoyed the unfamiliar scenery and watching Claire smile as she discovered new and exciting things to do that afternoon.

 

 

 "Help Mommy! I can't find my toes!"

Play Time

(blurry photo taken from my phone)

"You want your ball?"

Khloe definitely knows the meaning to that question.
She'll look at you with so much excitement she can hardly keep her little body still. Her ears perk up and her tail begins to wag. This girl knows what's about to happen.

From the moment you get her tiny green tennis ball out of the drawer for play time, she is in heaven. Khloe could play fetch with this thing for hours!

So, here is a documented reminder to myself:
Never forget how much Khloe loves her ball!

Love you Khlo Khlo; my oldest child! :)

Family Golf Outing

Earlier this month we took a family outing to Wasatch Mountain Golf Course. I packed up tons of snacks for a full day of watching Erik golf with his friend. Little did Claire know, we had a very long day ahead of us.

Khloe loves to go golfing. I seriously think it is her favorite thing to do. Sometimes we let her run along side the cart for some exercise, however she didn't this time because it was too hot outside to get her all worked up. So, she spent most of the time sightseeing from the cart and always enjoys trying to scare away any wildlife in her view, especially the occasional squirrel that runs by.

Claire enjoys golfing with her Daddy as well. Of course, driving the cart is a favorite of hers. She also likes to scribble all over Erik's score card. During this past outing, I tried to teach her how to tend the flag. She liked it for about two seconds; the flag was a little too heavy for her.

Claire did great for the first nine holes, which took about 2 1/2 hours. Around hole number 10, we were all (not Erik, of course) getting pretty worn out. When I would tell Claire that someone was going to hit the ball and we needed to be quiet, we no longer heard silence (she was really good at first). Claire had gotten very antsy by this time and hitting balls on the green was the only thing that would keep her quiet.

Eventually, like five hours later, we were finished. Yay! It was a fun afternoon as a family, but after a missed nap and almost six hours of doing the same thing, the girls and I had enough. I was glad we could enjoy Erik's favorite past time as a family but was also very anxious to get home. After all, I was completely out of snacks!

Anxiously Waiting

Seriously can't believe I'm going to have another child in six months.

I don't know what I am more....nervous or excited.

If I continue to build it up in my head that it's going

to be very challenging with two kiddos will I be

pleasantly surprised to find out it's not?

Sure hope so!

Claire and I at her Farmor's 60th birthday party last month.

"Watch It Khloe!"

Remember this picture I posted a while back? Claire was very upset when I wouldn't let her put on anymore of my necklaces. For a period of time, she was constantly getting into my necklace drawer so I eventually had to move it to a higher location that would be out of her reach. I thought this would solve my problem, but she continued to talk about my "suckas" (necklaces) and always wanted to wear them. Realizing that it was only a matter of time before she broke one of them, I headed out to buy Claire some necklaces of her very own.

At first, she loved them! One afternoon in May, she discovered a new activity involving Khloe and her necklaces. She could put them ON Khloe! Khloe was a patient little girl and let Claire put them over her neck time after time while enjoying the warm spring weather out on our deck. Claire was thoroughly amused by her new activity.

When I recently came across these pictures again (2 months later), it made me think of Claire's new phrase: "watch it Khloe!". Usually it involves Claire jumping off of our coffee table onto the couch and her wanting you to watch her over and over again. She will say this phrase to anyone and loves to add Khloe into the mix. Notice it's not "watch this".

If Claire thinks she is doing something worthy of an audience, you will definitely

be summoned to "watch it". Even little Khloe.

Love & Memories

Early July my parents left on their 3rd mission. They were called to Oslo, Norway.
Personally, I was very excited for them. What an amazing opportunity to live and serve in the land of our heritage (my family is 100% Scandinavian).

I was also extremely sad they were leaving.
Being their 3rd mission, I felt like I could definitely handle their time away since they'd done it two times before. But this time was going to bring new circumstances.

Claire - she loves her Mormor and Morfar. She saw them at least once a week.
18 Months is a long time for a toddler to be away from someone. I wondered how it would affect her relationship when they finally came home. Then I realized that I was grateful she had created such a wonderful relationship already and that when the time comes for her to see them in person again, they'll pick up right where they left off.

Baby O - this is the hardest for me. My parents will be gone for the entire pregnancy and birth of my second child. And on top of that, our little baby will be almost one year old when they first see each other. How am I going to go through that without my Mother? Yes, Skype is amazing, but it's not the same.

In order not to cry, I have to try and focus on the blessings this situation will bring and not the sacrifices we are all making so they can serve the Lord. I am so grateful for their example of service. I am hopeful that Erik and I will be able to visit them next year so that I can see them in all their glory and travel around the land of my ancestors.

Of course, I have many memories of my parents, but for Claire....I hope she remembers these moments she experienced just a few days prior to their departure: giving her Mormor kisses and playing Lego's with her on the living room floor. I hope she remembers jumping to her Morfar and how much she loves it when the "tickle bug" comes out of his shirt pocket to play. Most of all, I hope she remembers the joy she feels when she was around them and how excited she now gets to Skype with them on the computer.

I love you Mom and Dad! Wish you were here to be with us!

 

 (These last two pictures are courtesy of my crappy phone. I couldn't believe I left

my camera at home the morning they left for Norway.) 

4th of July Weekend

Our family spent a relaxing 4th of July weekend doing mostly nothing.

We did venture out to the city pool for some fun in the sun. Claire had a blast going down the slide with Erik. They probably went at least 20 times. I enjoyed having some adult company for once.



Later we headed to Erik's parent's house for dinner. The food is always great! Claire ran around with some of her cousins and got a pretty big scrape on her knee. Her Farfar gave her a band aid to make it feel better, which it did.

She didn't care for the "snaps". Is that what they're called? The things you throw on the ground? Either did Khloe. She ran for the hills...actually she ran into the house and it took me a while to find her.

Claire enjoyed the sparklers except for when the sparks hit her skin a few times. From then on she tried to give herself a little distance. Then it was snack time with Emma. They willingly shared their treats with each other. So cute!

We ended our night watching firework displays throughout the valley. Erik found the perfect spot - laying on the grass at Old Mill Golf Course. We were pretty much the only ones there.

Claire insisted I take pictures of her. "Picture of Care Bear!" she said over and over. Then she had to see the picture as if she was giving it her approval. Too funny!

What a great way to end the night. Erik and I took turns relaxing on the blanket with little "Khlo Khlo". This was one of my favorite 4th's. Very relaxing and stress free!

Family Visit

my sister and her kids came in town the end of june

claire (and I) loved every second of it

we did SO many things

natural history museum

claire's cousins were very anxious to see the dinosaurs

claire's favorite part was the dome of ants

this started a new obsession (with ants)

hogle zoo

saw the new polar bear - he was sleeping

couldn't see the brown bear - he was sleeping too far away

always love the giraffe exhibit 'cause you always have a good view

claire was most interested in ants she found on the ground

she also touched a possum that was in rehabilitation at the zoo

our afternoon ended with a cousin picture - claire cried 'cause she

thought she was going to fall off of the ledge

I was a mean mother and forced claire to get water sprayed in her face

I was even more mean when I made her stand there three times

wanted to get video and pictures

erik got mad at me

now whenever she sees a picture of an elephant she says "elphant sneeze"



cowabunga bay

our first time there

it was awesome

toddler area was great - water was luke warm

claire went down almost all of the slides

even the big ones they allowed her to ride on with daddy

let claire skip her nap - stayed there about five hours

all of us had tons of fun

can't wait to go back again

soccer game at real stadium

us women's national team vs. Canada

unexpectedly saw two relatives on the "hall of fame" wall

my grandpa and erik's uncle - way to go guys!

extremely hot

we drenched claire's head with water to keep her cool

we won - yay

so much fun in one week

glad the taylor's were able to make it for claire's birthday

spent good quality family time together

got a funny photo of the kids not cooperating for a "cousin portrait"

thankfully, a decent photo came afterwards

something to remember:

pretty sure claire thinks "Ashlyn & Avery" is one person

she sees one and says "Ashyn Avry"

after they left we taught her where Nevada was on her puzzle

she calls it "Ashyn Avry house"



The Best Birthday Present was...

SURPRISE!

Claire is going to be a big sister!

Claire's first present to open at her birthday party was a special one

from Mommy and Daddy that surprised everyone!

Her baby brother or sister will be arriving around February 15, 2013. We are so excited!

Balls, Circles, & Everything Round!

This post is so overdue! When it comes to blogging about big events, it kills me.

Tons of pictures to edit and words to write; it is completely overwhelming.

Almost two months ago we celebrated Claire's 2nd birthday at my parent's house. I decided to hold the party there because I knew things would go a lot more smoothly being at someones house and not an outside location (park) like Claire's party last year. I picked my brain to try and remember if anything went wrong this time and I couldn't recall any hiccups. It went great! When it came to planning her party this year, my enthusiasm took a huge nose dive. I was so excited to plan her first birthday party but this one I was dreading. Parties are a lot of work when you want everything to be done perfectly. Why do we do this to ourselves?! The theme I decided on was BALLS. Everything revolved around balls or being circular. Claire has loved any sort of ball since she was a baby, so I rolled with it. :)

Before I knew it, I was running out of time and needing to get the ball rolling. I quickly took a few photos of Claire for the invitation that I had designed and got them in the mail. Then it was onto the details. Originally, I had planned roll (round) sandwiches with all ingredients being round as well: provolone cheese, turkey deli slices, tomatoes, etc. I realized that is way too much stuff to prepare so we went with the easiest (and also round) thing I could think of: pizza. On the side we had round waffle cups filled with circular fruit (grapes, watermelon balls, and blueberries) as well as cheese puff balls and round chips.

For the dessert table I managed to keep everything round as well. Powdered donut holes, jelly beans, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, lollipops, glazed donuts, Oreos, and other sugary treats. The kids could not keep their little hands away; they loved it!

Claire's favorite thing to eat at her party were the cheese puff balls. Every time I looked she was stealing more and more out of the bowl. I think her face was stained orange before the party even began.

One thing I didn't do last year that I wanted to incorporate this year was a photo booth. Claire was a squirmy wiggle worm all day so getting her to sit and smile for a photo was more difficult than usual. We must have bribed her with more cheese puffs to get these shots. :)

Below are a few shots of Claire's cousins and friends that were able to attend her party. My favorite has to be her cousin, Blake, who wouldn't sit on the bench even for a second. He's definitely going to laugh at this picture someday.

Top: Vivian and Soren Moffat, Halle McBride, Blake Taylor
Bottom: Ty Pearson, Ashlyn Taylor, Soren Moffat

Khloe didn't enjoy the afternoon too much. Besides being mad at Erik for giving her an ugly haircut the night before, she was extremely nervous after hearing random balloons pop (probably due to the heat) all afternoon. She absolutely hates the sounds of things popping: balloons, gum, bubble wrap...it freaks her out. Thank you Mom and Dad for comforting her all day.

The highlight of the event was having my sister and her kids in town, and of course, all of our friends and their kids who joined in on the fun. We are so grateful to our family and friends who came to celebrate Claire's special day. Here are some photos of the party goers:

Next on the agenda was present opening. Claire enjoyed the unwrapping part the most and seemed a little uninterested after every present she opened was just a box filled with something inside. Thank you to all of you who gave her a gift. She was completely spoiled! Stay tuned to find out what gift the guests voted to be the "best present".

For our gift, we gave Claire a fancy new balance bike. She started to get the hang of it after a few minutes, but then had her first fall. Thankfully, there were no tears. She is still intimidated by the bigger size and hasn't really taken to it yet, but we are excited to watch her cruise around the neighborhood once she finally figures it out.

Before I knew it, the party was ending and we hadn't even sang Happy Birthday to the birthday girl. Claire had just recently gained an interest in blowing out candles so she was actually a little excited. However, we couldn't keep the candle lit due to the wind so there was no yellow flame to blow out. We sang to her and she just stared at the cupcake like "what am I supposed to do with this?". Then, we told her to blow out the candle so she did. At least, she thought she did. :) Thankfully, she didn't care that there was no flame and enjoyed "blowing out the candle" anyway. 



After she realized she could eat the weird thing sitting on her high chair, she devoured it. Now, her face was no longer stained orange...it was red.

One thing I almost forgot...a family snapshot. The one we got wasn't so great, but at least it documents that we were all there. I also tried to get a cute shot of me and Claire together. She was not having any of it. 

All in all, her birthday party was a success. I was so glad it was finally over and hope everyone had a ball!

Claire Bear - 2 Years

Where do I even begin....

I guess with Claire's 2 year portraits. I always take Claire's photos, but I usually have the help of my Mom. This time, due to some circumstances I will blog about later, I had to do them solo.

It was such a nightmare! I couldn't even get her to look at the camera, let alone smile. I was

breaking a serious sweat taking these shots and I am so glad I got two,

absolutely adorable images to result. Thankfully, that's all you need.

Doesn't her body language make her look so grown up in these shots?

Where did the time go?! Claire Bear turned 2 years old last month

and she has officially transitioned into toddlerhood. Yikes!

• at her 2 year check up she was 34.5 inches tall (68%) and 26 pounds (41%) - based on a personal method of predicting height, her pediatrician estimates that she will be 5'6" tall as an adult
• she is officially no longer a baby and is wearing toddler clothes
• when asked what her name is she'll reply "Care Bear"...this is so funny because we have never told her that is her name
• she is obsessed with taking pictures and will hold almost anything up to the sky and say "cheese" (in the picture to the right she is holding up the TV remote) - she has even begun demanding that I take pictures of her...she'll find my camera or phone and say "picture of care bear" and then of course, she always has to see the result
• went through a phase of wanting to take her diaper off
• says everything is tight - her diaper, the seat belt, you name it...and she won't let up until you pretend to loosen it
• wearing Mommy's "suckas" (necklaces) - she says 99% of her words correctly, but for some reason necklaces and sunglasses are both pronounced "suckas"...her favorite is Mommy's yellow one and she gets very upset when you make her take them off
• has become very OCD - everything has to be exactly how she likes it...you have to dry her water bottle before giving it to her, you must cool her food down by putting it in the freezer and the fridge won't cut it, her baby monitor that plays music has to be placed in the right direction on the floor...it goes on and on and on (AND DRIVES ME CRAZY!)
• is learning the names/locations of states - her favorites are California (b/c that's Crew's house), Nevada (Ashlyn and Avery's house), Zona (Arizona - Brooklyn's house), Washington, Oregon, Texas, Alaska, and Hawaii...as you can see we've yet to venture out of the western United States
• her latest obsession is to "open up bankie" - she demands that you lay her blankie out on any surface she chooses...Khloe's bed, the couch, the chair, over her stuffed animals...and she insists that she can't do it herself
• she thoroughly enjoyed having a huge snake wrapped around her neck at Draper Library - she's scared of flies, but apparently not snakes
• is obsessed with ants - she points them out everywhere and one of the ways I have gotten her to wear shoes outside most of the time is by telling her she is going to step on an ant :)
• can count to ten all by herself
• always wants to watch a show - and the only show she will watch is "Signing Time"
• is constantly testing Mommy's patience and by late afternoon I have usually lost it
• but then she'll say "wuv you Mommy" and make up for it...momentarily
• has grown to like copying what someone does or says - in this picture she is copying my Dad...he was holding up his hand to block the sun so he could see a bird in the tree above him
• knows a lot of colors and will say something is a "blank one" - blue one, purple one, pink one, etc.
• loves hanging out with her cousins and will usually give them hugs and kisses upon first site
• she likes to close doors behind her and if she leaves a room she will always say "bye" and usually add "see ya"
• insists on getting in the car and her car seat by herself - which drives me crazy because it takes her like an hour to do it
• loves getting stickers or stamps wherever they are given (stamps at the library and stickers at Target)
• one of her favorite snacks is "boobies and cheese" (blueberries and cheese) - she is even particular about what kind of cheese it is (white is string cheese and yellow is a cheese stick)
• is very into saying "thank you" and sometimes adds "you're welcome" too
• she is obsessed with phones and our phones aren't even fancy iPhones so they really do nothing - they are always locked so the most she can do is push a button and make the light come on
• finally getting the hang of using a fork and spoon although it usually results in an even bigger mess than if she uses her fingers
• constantly is requesting "capes" (crepes) for breakfast - I had to start telling her we didn't have them to which she'll give in and say "eggs", toast", or "ogurt" (yogurt)

This little one is such a joy and a nightmare rolled into one. Everyday I am in awe of a new thing she has picked up or the fact that she'll sit and watch her show (Signing Time) and repeat words back to the TV. Her personality has definitely developed and I am so excited for the future. Some days, she seems to dictate every little aspect of our day and it really irritates me and on others, she is a totally delight and says "okay Mommy" after I tell her to do something.  I am so grateful to have her in my life and hope we can continue to learn from each other everyday. We love you so much Claire Bear!

2 Year Bear Picture

(all bear pictures are here)

(this is evidence to the fact of her "particularness" if that's a word....she would not allow me to put the

bear on the other side of the chair where it has been in every single picture to date...so frustrating!)