Beware of photo offers

Ok, my last post before going to do stuff to get ready for the weekend...I was just at K-Mart, where I never go, but I had to exchange some too small new shoes for Claire that were an Easter gift. So I was walking around the baby dept. This old lady came up to me and starting trying to sell me a photo package. She said it was only $12. Good for 1 year, and up to 15 poses. I said, "What's the catch." She said, "No catch." Well as I continued to look around the racks and chase Claire down the aisles, she kept following me. ARGH. I almost wanted to say I will just give you 12 dollars to leave me alone!! Well there is a catch so beware. They don't let you pick the pose that you get. So even though you get all these pictures for 12 bucks, they are not the ones that you want.

More Developments

Some other things Claire can do lately:

• Open bath tub drain and say "Bye Wa-wa (water)!"
• Climb into the car on her own! (Yay!)
• Notices what belongs to people "Dada shoe" or "Mommy coat" or "My cup!"
• Has continued to surprise me with the little sentences she puts together, like this morning, "Mommy eat cracka" and "No more yellow shoe! Want Barbie shoe!" Yes, she has preferences!

We have a busy weekend ahead. I hope you all have a Hoppy Easter! I will probably not post again until next week! I have a lot to do. Take Care!

20 and 1/2 months

What can Claire do at 21.5 months?

• Talk. A lot. In her sleep too...very funny to her her ask for a pen in her sleep...she must have been dreaming about drawing something
• Walk up and down the step in front of our house and the one in our garage without help!
• Walk upright up the flight of stairs holding just my hands or on her own she can walk alternating feet like a crab-crawl without her knees touching, just putting her hands on the steps because they are so tall!
• Love "on" other kids aka...give them hugs/kisses/snuggles...sometimes a little too much!
• Ask a question! "Where baby doll?" or "Where Dada?"
• Notices whenever Josh or I have gum and wants some too! She actually chews gum now! The only problem is she takes it out to play with it so it's a supervised thing!
• Also notices "nakedness." She has a special "Naked" laugh. She will ask to be naked by saying, "I want more (insert laugh)!?!" She also really enjoys pointing to babies in books with no tops or just in diapers and will say "Baby more (insert laugh) !?!" We also have a book with Bert and Ernie, who are normally clothed unlike other characters like, say, Elmo. Well Bert was topless getting ready for bed in the picture. She points at Bert and says "Happy Elmo more (insert laugh) !?!" Because all "Monsters" are Elmo. Well, except, Cookie who is "Coocoo" and Big Bird who is "Big Bir" The rest are all HAPPY ELMO! Those noses are hard to tell apart!
• Can climb up and down our bed easily. We actually put our king mattress back on the frame in Jan. which allowed us to set the treadmill back up in the bedroom. Shh. Don't tell TLC or they'll come do a make-over on the room! She can get off other beds easily like at hotels and my parents but still has some trouble getting up. Our bed is lower as it sits on this massive wooden base thingy that is a pain to move and we have moved several times and will NEVER move again...right, Josh?
• She can ask for her neighbor friend Amelia! And she knows her house when we walk by, and she always throws a fit if we don't stop and ask them to walk with us. Speaking of walking, I am ready for this April Fools weather to go away. I want my warm March back! Argh.
• Scribbles really well with a pen! Before it was marks and lines, but it's getting a little more fluid. She still bites off crayons as well as pencil lead/erasers so I prefer pens as I don't have to constantly watch her! I can actually get like, oh 2 pages of a book read....which I'll then have to re-read later because I forgot what I read...
• Can pull down stuff from amazing heights like the changing pad from her table or the basket of diapers...or a candle on the half-wall which left a nice big bruise on her forehead.
• She wants to put on shoes all the time. She loves her yellow Mary-Jane crocs and her pink princess Crocs I got at the consignment store. She asks for either "yellow shoe" or "Barbie shoe" referring to the Princess faces. Yay for commercializing childhood. :) But really...it makes a generation in a way...I remember Strawberry Shortcake, Pretty Ponies, Cabbage Patch Dolls, etc...and they are all back marketed to us!
• Eat really well without a bib or making much mess. I find sitting her on my lap to eat off my plate makes less of a mess as I can watch her more closely. She also doesn't want her hands to be messy and freaks out if there is a tiny spill. She points at it and demands we clean it up! I think she just doesn't want her hands wet.
• She eats cereal with milk on it with me every morning...so no milk allergies, but I'm still not paying to feed her cow breast milk. I make my own milk that's a little more species-specific, and oh, FREE! :) Then we don't have to buy her whole milk. I make it myself! And I don't worry about DHA and all that other fortified crap. And I don't sweat it if she only eats cake and ice cream for dinner like at Sophia's birthday party last week. Hehe!
• Climbs up and down the slide really well without supervision. TRIES CLIMBING up the slide part, but can't get up more than half-way.
• Climbs into her little car "Dukes-of-Hazzard"-style. AKA...without opening the door. She just steps right over with her long little legs...it's pretty funny! I need to make a video for you.
• Asks for her "highchair" or "Boober" chair (booster) or she'll want Josh or I to hold her while she eats.
• Sleeps with any number of objects from calculators, books, dolls, bears, Barbies, hats, random clothing, and of course, Mommy glued to her side. ;)
• Asks for "More Tickle" when she wants tickled or "More Egg" when she wants to go outside and touch/try to steal eggs off the tree I decorated.
• Says "Hank you Mommy/Daddy" She has a little trouble with the "T" in thank you but will even say this in her sleep when she can't find her baby or nummie that she wants. Then when I say, "Here you go," I get a little sleepy-voice "Hank you Mommy" MELTS ME! Sometimes she will thank me for really funny things like fixing her hat or wiping her face, and I never have prompted for this in the past. I think she gets that it's just something you say to others. Now we are trying to work on "Welcome" but then she'll just say "Hank you" in place of Welcome which is kind of funny, too.
• Wants to talk on my phone all the time. ALL THE TIME. "More Oma!"
• Dances whenever there is upbeat music on.
• Wants Daddy to help her jump up really high and grabs his hands.
• Can jump off the ground with 2 feet getting off the ground and clear a good inch without help! She still loves to get in her jumper. She's still in the weight limit, but man, she looks like she's going to fly through the ceiling in it!
• Wants to get down in the parking lots and in stores to walk. She will throw a little fit if she doesn't get what she wants. FUN!
• I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but this is a little update for now!
  

Cute Claire Videos

She is also saying TICKLE and lots and lots of people names!

Swimming is Fun

Claire and I enjoyed our Mommy and Me swim classes, which are now over. She chipped a tooth one day. Another day she fell and bit her frenulum inside her upper lip with her lower teeth. Man did that bleed! So despite her wanting to run away from me, we had fun! I took her to the dentist for her 2nd visit. He said that it's not bad at all, and he would not even advise "shaving" it to make it smooth. He checked all of her teeth for cavities and said they looked great. (Knock on wood!) Our teacher made us this cute thing for our last day of class:

I had to have a happy post to end my evening! :) We had a good trip to and from Wisconsin this weekend and enjoyed seeing family and friends. Sadly, the reason we had to gather was not so good, but we stayed at an awesome new hotel in the Madison area, which we really enjoyed.

It's ok to cry.

These are some random memories and thoughts, which I jotted down in the car (on the 8 hour ride!) and shared with everyone at the Funeral service.

• He loved travel.
• He loved driving.
• He loved exploring and hiking.
• He loved being at The Lake, swimming, and boating.
• He loved singing hymns and going to church.
• He loved buttery mashed potatoes and juicy meatloaf.
• He loved oatmeal raisin cookies with just a little hint of cinnamon and a glass of milk.
• He loved serving his country and serving his Lord.
• And he loved all of us in this room, even if he did not have the best of abilities to always express it.
• BUT, most of all, he loved LaVerne, his wife of over 58 years.
• They died about 4 months apart, or 139 days to be more exact.
• They only had one set of winter holidays apart, but never had to spend an Easter or wedding anniversary apart.
• So, I can just see them now--at the Old Country Buffet (their favorite restaurant) in heaven with a big plate of desserts and no worries about how healthy it is.
• I just wanted to say that it's ok to laugh at a funeral, and of course, it's ok to cry, too.
• Because when we cry at one funeral, we cry for all of those who have gone before, and for those yet to come. And it's not ok to cry at a funeral, I don't know where it would be. So instead of telling someone not to cry in the future, tell them "It's OK to cry" instead. Because after all, tears will wash the pain away --

Memories

In Loving Memory

I'M FREE

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free
I'm following the path God has chosen for me.
I took His hand when I heard him call;
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way;
I've now found peace at the end of day.

If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joys.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss;
Oh yes, these things, I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow
Look for the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life's been full, I savored much;
Good friends, good times, a loved ones touch.
Perhaps my time seems all to brief;
Don't lengthen your
pain with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and peace to thee,
God
wanted me now-He set me free.

Vernon's Funeral with Military Honors

Car ride to the funeral:



Unloading the casket:



Setting the casket up:



Graveside prayers:



Gun Salute and Taps:



American flag folded:



Flag given to family:

Best Packaged foods

Ha. http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100214361&GT1=31036 Best foods that are pre-packaged...

HFCS dangers

HFCS is not "natural." Read this for more info http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=486