Christmas Day!

Christmas was so exciting this year! Claire is finally at the age where she is beginning to understand what Christmas is all about. Well, the commercial side of Christmas. :) Christmas morning was very entertaining with our little Claire Bear. Again, here are some of my favorite moments that I hope I will remember forever:

• getting Claire out of bed and telling her that Santa came - she wasn't quite sure what was going on at this point
• watching her turn the corner to see all of the presents under the tree and a stocking full of toys and food
• showing Claire the letter Santa left for her - she looked at it like she was actually trying to read it; too cute!

• opening my one present under the tree - a new camera lens; the box was actually empty and I had been using the lens on my camera for the past two weeks...I wanted to experiment with it before using it on such an important day like Christmas...and I LOVE it!
• watching Erik open a few presents that were kept secret - his favorite gift this year was a golf range finder (which he knew about); he also got a book (The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell) and some new shoes which were returned (of course)
• seeing how happy Khloe was to get a new tennis ball - I've been a little concerned about her lately because she hadn't been as enthusiastic about playing with her toy balls like she used to; but she must have just wanted a new ball because she was back to her old self again, yay!

• observing Claire as she opened gift after gift - she absolutely loved her new water bottle; some other favorites were a wooden rocking horse, a toy cell phone, a Tag reader from her Taylor cousins, and a train set
• loving Claire's bed head - I'm sure when she looks back at these pictures she'll ask me why I put makeup on myself but wouldn't brush her hair :)
• looking around at our house an hour later and thinking it was odd how messy it was - we only bought Claire about 5 gifts and ourselves only 1 or 2; somehow the wrapping paper managed to take up the entire living room
• making a mental note to myself to wrap the gifts just like I did this year - half of the wrapped presents under the tree were empty boxes; I knew Claire would want to open things up, but for the bigger items (for example the rocking horse and train set) and anything that needed assembly, we put together and hid the item under a blanket...it was the best of both worlds and is definitely the way to go!

• rushing to the Osmond's house for breakfast - it was delicious
• laughing as we all tried to play songs with our bells and it not really sounding right - Bestemore was very amused (see below)!
• talking to Soren (Claire's cousin) about orca dolphins which are his new obsession
• rolling my eyes at Claire after I took a picture of her with Farmor - as a photographer and her mother, her fake smile is really getting annoying :)

• watching Vivian (Claire's cousin) give back the envelope of money to Bestemore who had just given it to her - the best part was that Bestemore had no idea what was going on and probably thought it was a gift for her
• looking over to see Bestemore help Claire with her water bottle - Bestemore is very cautious about things and so this was very amusing to watch 

• taking the annual family photo - we were a small group this year as none of the Osmond kids were in town 

• going to Erik's parents house to open presents once again
• Claire was very excited to get a new baby - the package said her name was Harper Olivia, but Farmor thought that was a little odd and named her Baby Olivia (since then, Claire cannot say Olivia and has started calling her Baby Muria)
• everyone was very amused at my wrapping skills for Erik's Dad's present - he always uses a blade of some sort so he doesn't rip any paper and therefore always wants Ranae to save it for another year...this year I used all of my wrapping paper / ribbon scraps so he wouldn't feel the need to save anything; everyone thought it was hilarious that there were two different kinds of wrapping paper and that the ribbon didn't even go all the way around the gift 
• trying to coerce Claire into opening more presents - it was around 2pm and you could tell she had had enough; based on the photo below, I guess even the plain side of some wrapping paper was amusing

• trying to take a decent family photo - they never turn out great, but I guess we have documentation that we were all there enjoying the day together
• Claire enjoying a nice long nap after all of the house visits were over with
• last but not least...going to Denny's and enjoying a French Toast Slam with my little family; what a day!

Special Note:

 

Below are two of my favorite photos from Christmas day - Khloe enjoying the snow and Claire's

bum crack (they just don't make toddler pants very play friendly...between Claire and her

cousin Soren's pants, we saw a lot of bum cracks that day)

The Night Before Christmas

This year, Christmas was spent entirely with Erik's side of the family since my siblings are out of state and my parents are out of the country. On Christmas Eve, we had a wonderful dinner at Erik's parents house and then came home to get ready for Santa's arrival.

Here are some moments that I never want to forget:

• the attendance of Claire's "Bestemore" (great grandma) - she is in her early 90s and we never know how much longer she will be with us
• how much fun Claire had rough housing with her Farfar
• looking over to see Bestemore dropping M&Ms on the ground for Khloe - thankfully Khloe spit them out because of the hard shell and I was able to grab them; Khloe always sits by her side because Bestemore is the most frequent food dropper

• Claire making cookies for Santa - actually she placed pre-made dough onto the pan but she didn't know the difference and had fun anyway
• watching Claire color a picture for Santa Claus - she used to draw circles everywhere but now she has resorted to scribbles one color on top of another

• setting out milk, cookies, Claire's picture, and carrots for Santa and his reindeer - of course she stuck her fingers in all of the cookies but we knew Santa wouldn't mind

• opening the first present...pajamas - the best part was that they were old pajamas; i had gotten them a couple of months ago and she's worn them many times...about two weeks before Christmas I wrapped them up; on Christmas Eve she couldn't have been more excited than if they were brand new
• going in Claire's room to document her being sound asleep

We were all looking forward to an exciting Christmas day!

Wishing You A...

 

PRE - Christmas Festivities

Gingerbread Houses with Claire's Cousins

 

started the afternoon with a story/game by aunt liv

claire spent about two minutes decorating her house

rest of the time was spent playing with soren

they dumped all of the candy out of the bowls

stuffed candy in each other's faces

and licked soren's gingerbread house

all while giggling the entire time

they had a blast!

Santa Portraits
 

 claire was very nervous

no tears but it was close
 

 

Live Reindeer at Thanksgiving Pointe

 

claire was very excited, as was khloe

i had khloe's leash in one hand and my camera in the other

looked down and saw khloe INSIDE the reindeer cage

the reindeer were laying down and instantly started walking over to inspect khloe

it scared me to death, but was great excitement for the day

 

 

we all can't wait for Christmas!

All Bundled Up

Last week we had our second big snow storm of the season. During the first one, I was potty training Claire so we never ventured outside.

With my giant belly making it very hard to do anything, I finally got Claire bundled up in her new snow suit and last year's mittens. After what seemed like forever, we were finally ready to go outside. Claire wasn't so sure about the snow as you would guess. By how she was acting I could tell that she thought she would get wet if she stepped in it or touched it. So, I took a few steps and then sat down in the snow and told her I wasn't wet. I could tell she was surprised. Instantly, she followed my lead and plopped down in the snow. She said "Mommy, I not cold...wet!".

The fun lasted for about 10 minutes and then she was ready to go inside. That is definitely one thing I hate about playing in the snow with little ones. It takes 20 minutes to put everything on, they only want to play for 10, and then it takes another 10 minutes to put everything away. Plus, you have to add more time 'cause my 8 month pregnant body moves a lot slower than usual.

Despite all of the hard work, I am very excited to take Claire sledding next time it snows. I'm anxious to see how much she'll like it.

 

The Faces of Christmas

Christmas brings to light so many emotions. For Claire, they are...

Scared / Frightened

(if she covers her eyes will Santa go away?)

 

Surprise / Amazement

(the festive lights and everything Christmas are very impressive to her)

 

Boredom

(will she ever be able to open the presents that are under the tree?)

Christmas Lights

temple square

beautiful christmas lights

not too cold

fun evening with friends

claire loved it

 

The Wonders of Skype

My parents have been gone on a church mission to Norway since the beginning of June. We miss them so much! I was really concerned with the toll it would take on their relationship with Claire, but thanks to Skype, I don't think it will be an issue at all. Every Tuesday at noon (8pm their time), Claire and I get on the computer and talk to my parents. I love hearing about their mission adventures and all of the new experiences that take place.
 
Claire warmed right up to talking through the computer and though there are times that she has a shy day, she mostly smiles, laughs, sings them songs, and with prompting, tells Mormor and Morfar about her week. In between talking she colors circles, makes me connect the dots (to make a square), and scribbles with our assortment of highlighters and pens.
 
In an effort to make them feel like they are still a part of our everyday lives, I have significantly increased the number of blog posts since they left in June. I want them to know everything that is going on just like they did when they lived 20 minutes away.
 
I am extremely grateful for the sacrifices they have made to serve a mission. The biggest temporal blessing it has brought us is the upcoming birth of our first son. Each time my parents serve a mission (this is mission number three), and ONLY when they serve a mission, a boy is born into the family. Both of my siblings had boys during their previous missions (to Ukraine and then Bermuda) and now my oldest sister and I are both expecting boys to arrive in 2013. It is such a funny coincidence. Now that our family will have at least one boy and my sisters are done having children, I've told my parents that they are done going on missions. It's time to stay home! :)

Having my parents live half way across the world for 18 months is difficult at times, but I am so glad we live in a day and age where technology can still bring us so close together. I love you Mom and Dad and always look forward to our weekly Skype sessions. Talk to you soon!

The Year Claire Ruined Thanksgiving

well, not really, but it was amusing that's for sure!



thanksgiving 2012

here we are as a family

so grateful for them and all of the happiness they bring me

started the day by watching the parade

claire liked seeing all of the big balloons and watching the people sing

then, of course, it was football time

erik and claire sat on the couch together and enjoyed the games

(wish I would have taken a picture)

she likes to copy what erik says and also seeing the guys "fall down"

 

spent a wonderful afternoon at erik's aunt/uncle's house for dinner

food was delicious and claire had a ball playing with her cousins

she was so distracted that she had an accident (we are working on potty training)

changed her into outfit number two

 

time for dessert, my favorite part of the day

enjoyed some yummy pie and cookies

claire had accident number two, this time, it wasn't a potty accident

she reached over a coconut cream pie to get to some m&m's

down came the pie all over her, farfar, and her cousin abby

my first instinct? grab the camera of course! :)

 

farfar tried to save as much of the pie as he could

it was straight out of a Friends episode

(the one where Monica and Rachel eat cheesecake off of the floor)

didn't know I was going to need three changes of clothes for claire that day

thanks abby for letting claire wear your mermaid pajamas

 

erik rinsed off claire in the bathtub and we went on with the evening

glad I've reached a place where an event like that has no stressful effect on me

it was simply humorous and claire hasn't stopped talking about the day

when the pie fell and got all over her and "babby"

 

we definitely won't forget thanksgiving 2012

Pregnancy #2 Update

Currently, I am 29 weeks.

Things have gotten really uncomfortable at this point.

Can't believe I'm almost to the single digit countdown, yet it also seems like I've been pregnant forever.

Heartburn has gotten worse. Breathing has become a lot harder. This little guy has moved around all of my organs and something is constantly cutting off my air supply. I always feel out of breath so I'm most comfortable with my arms above my head.

Been wearing the same pair of maternity skinny jeans for the past 9 weeks and I am so sick of them. I could get away with wearing my other pants (unzipped and with a belly band of course), but they are too uncomfortable.

I'm sure this Christmas season will fly by and before we know it our little baby boy will arrive. Strange to think about having more than one child.

Very excited to see what our son looks like. He is quite the mover and a lot of times I seriously feel like I have an alien inside me. I constantly feel kicks and jabs all over my belly.

Getting closer!

Wishing you a ...

Not All Photo Shoots = Success

 

 

 

photo shoot in a pile of leaves

 

time spent = miserable

resulting images = utter failure

 

wasn't prepared for the sun to go down so fast

claire had ABSOLUTELY no interest in playing with the leaves

 

hope she gets the idea next year

 

Halloween - The Grand Event

Halloween morning we gobbled down our breakfast and rushed over to the library for their Halloween story time. The class was held at 10:30am (as is regular story time), which is a real challenge for me. I can't ever get us there on time. We are definitely not like most people where our day starts around 7am. In our house, we get up at 9am, are usually finishing breakfast by 10am, and realistically, can't get somewhere on time unless it starts at 11:30am. So, like usual, we were late to class. Sorry, Claire Bear.

 

Claire doesn't care too much for the story reading, but she loves dancing around to the children's music and looks forward to getting a stamp on her hand every time. She actually insists on getting one on each hand. :) After story time they had tables set up for all of the kids to decorate little Halloween books. It was a great idea and Claire was in heaven. The decoration of choice? Stickers of course! Claire is obsessed with stickers. Usually, she puts all of them on top of each other, but this time she did a great job of spreading them around the page. She could have sat there all morning with the stickers if I let her, but he had to get on with our day.

We hurried upstairs and did a little trick-or-treating, which made Claire very excited. This was just the beginning of her sugar high.

After that, we rushed over to Claire's other library class to catch the tail end of their Halloween program. A few minutes later, we were back in the car driving to our next destination...Erik's office. That morning I sent Erik to work with some candy so he would be prepared for Claire's trick-or-treating. When we arrived, she knocked on his door and said "trick-or-treat"! Earlier that week, I told her that is what a strawberry says in hopes that she would repeat it later. She was very happy with all of the candy she was getting and by this time (around noon) she had already eaten at least five or six pieces.

That concluded our busy morning. Claire took her nap and then we got ready for the official trick-or-treating event that evening. It was one thing after another and by dinner time, she probably had at least 10 pieces of candy. That's a lot for such a little one! Silly me; I did not anticipate the attitude she would soon reveal.

~ commentary by Claire Bear (meaning muah) ~

(right) "Okay Mom. I gave you a cute smile, lets get this show on the road!"

(left) "Seriously. The first one wasn't good enough? Fine, this is all you get."

(left) "Mom, I want to hold my bag just like you!"

(right) "This weird skeleton head isn't going to bite my finger off is it?"

 

(left) "This is my cousin Soren. He's showing me what to do."

(right) "I wanted to push Vivian's stroller and help her go

trick-or-treating but Mommy wouldn't let me 'cause I was too slow. Sorry Viv."

(left) "Soren, I don't see anyone inside. Ring the doorbell again."

(right) "Okay, I'll try knocking. Maybe they'll come to the door this time."

(left - temper tantrum #1) "Mommy! Why can't I push Viv's stroller!"

(right - temper tantrum #2) "I don't even remember what I did, but I got in trouble for something."

(left) "Hmmm. This house looks a little scary."

(right) "I guess I'll be brave and go knock on the door anyway."

(left) "Yes! More candy!"

(right) "I can't believe Mommy's letting me eat all of this candy. This is awesome!"

As you can see, Claire had many ups and downs on Halloween. There were around five temper tantrums / crying episodes due to not letting her push Viv's stroller, trying to make her say 'thank you', falling face first on a drive way, not obeying, and probably a couple of other things. I think she finally crashed from her sugar high and it was definitely a traumatic experience. Thankfully, overall she seemed to have fun, but she sure had her moments. This night made me think extra hard about how I need to prepare this holiday season.

We hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween. Our little strawberry and bumble bee certainly did.

Pre - Halloween Activities

Part 2

I think it's fair to say that Claire took part in every "pre - Halloween" activity possible. Along with going to the pumpkin patch and "Halloween Farm", she got photos taken in her costume (by muah), took many nature hikes, and spent the week before Halloween doing the following:

Decorating cookies with her cousins.
She was the first to start and last one to finish. Not because she was slow, but because she wanted to decorate tons of cookies. She did pretty well with the frosting, but once her older cousin arrived, mayhem ensued (as expected). Candy was everywhere. Piled on top of the cookies and handfuls of it in the mouth. They definitely had a blast.

Painting her "punkin patch".
Claire calls every pumpkin a "punkin patch" and I get a kick out of it every time. It's too cute. She was very excited to paint her "punkin patch" and was intrigued by all of the white and gold paint. I must say, it turned out beautiful!

Going to her cousins Trunk-or-Treat.
Unfortunately, we got there late so she only got candy from one car. My bad. This was my very first trunk-or-treat so I had no idea they ended so quickly. Thankfully, the kids didn't really care because food and games were waiting for us inside. My favorite was watching Claire try to eat a donut on a string. She tried her hardest to get a bite but it just kept hitting her in the face. Daddy helped her eventually.

 

 

Phew!
Are you worn out yet?