Clara Cute

Yesterday our sweet little Clara Beth turned 9 months old.

We are absolutely in love with this little girl and it has been so much fun watching her personality develop. 

She has two teeth, crawls like a champion, and likes to say mama, dada, baba, and "hi" (which sounds like "haaaaiiiiii"), although she doesn't use them in the correct context yet.

She makes some of the most hilarious faces:

And loves putting her fingers in anyone's mouth who will let her. 

Also she still has plenty of chub:

And beautiful blue eyes: 

We love you Clara Beth! We're so grateful you're our daughter. 

Santa Cruz 2013

A few weeks before Thanksgiving we headed down to Santa Cruz to celebrate Sunny's birthday and show off Clara to the relatives who hadn't met her yet. It was a warm, relaxing, wonderful time.

In preparation for the long, cold winter ahead of us in Moscow, we made sure to visit the ocean a few times and soak up the sun. 

There was an incredible gathering of birds down at the Santa Cruz pier.

As well as sea lions:

Lucy thought they were pretty incredible

We also visited a beach in Capitola:

My two beautiful nieces:

Lucy borrowed a wetsuit and bravely strode out to meet the ocean:

And then changed her mind and played in the sand the whole time instead.

Clara enjoyed bird watching with Grandma:

Really, she did. Don't let this face fool you.

Perle braved the waves:

As did a.... heron? He seemed a little lost:

Lucy did pose for me in her wetsuit though:

Photo op!

Does Clara look nervous to be so close to her energetic older sister? Perhaps:

This is more her cup of tea. Solitary digging in a backyard garden bed:

We also snagged some yummy local ice cream:

And a few shots from the birthday bash. It was a lovely party.

Howard narrating the story of the special birthday ring that we presented to Sunny:

Admiring the ring:

Silly cousin time:

 And the only picture I got of Daniel and his fiancee Ashley. It's an action shot, true. And it's from behind, sure. But at least I got something. In my defense, Clara was sick most of the trip and pretty needy, so my photo opportunities were limited. But it was really great to get to meet Ashley. Nicely done Daniel, nicely done.

Really the trip was just too short! We miss our California family a lot!

Three Years Sweet

Yesterday was our Lucy Rose's 3rd Birthday.

Please wait for a moment while I get weepy. THREE? Wasn't she a 6 month old yesterday? When did this happen? I know every parent says that time flies, but I'm really starting to believe it now. 

During the day, my mom watched Clara so I could take Lucy down to Bucer's for a birthday date. We had a blast eating our cookies and chatting. I learned that Lucy's favorite color right now is green, her favorite animal is a bunny rabbit, her favorite movie is Curious George, and when she grows up she wants to "own a baby." 

Back at home while the kids napped, mom and I decorated the downstairs for her birthday party. We didn't really have a "theme", but Lucy loves fall and halloween and pumpkins so we ran with that. 

My absolute favorite part were the owl cupcakes. Pretty straightforward to make and the kids loved them.

The spider might seem a little morbid, but that was actually Lucy's own choice. I told her she could pick out anything she wanted from the dollar store after our last trip there, and this is what she chose. Sketty the spider. I'd like to say he's growing on me, but he isn't.

As party favors for the kids (and place settings), we used stickers to spell out all of the children's names on mini-pumpkins. Those were also a huge hit.

Even the little babies got pumpkins, although I'm not sure they appreciated them fully.

So then at 4 we headed over to Bonkerz indoor play area, where all the children spent a blissful two hours playing. I only remembered to get my camera out twice, and neither picture is going to win any awards, but hey. At least the moment is captured.

At 6 we headed back to our place for pizza and cupcakes (and beer and salad for the adults).

This picture is not even of all of the children present there. It was a delightfully chaotic scene.

Afterwards Lucy opened her presents:

And thanked everyone with hugs:

This birthday was such a blast for Lucy and for Joel and I. It is so very fun to watch your child's look of delight when she realizes that the cake, decorations, and presents are for her, to celebrate her life. We reminded Lucy that all of this love we are showing to her is just a small bit of the love that God shows to her every single day. We are so grateful for our sweet, spunky little girl!

Fall Adventures

Yesterday was one of those perfect Fall days: the air was a little crisp but the skies were clear and the sun was shining. Joel was on a short business trip, so my parents and I took the girls out to the u-pick flower gardens that are just outside of town. 

Lucy let me take a few posed shots:

But then our antsy almost-three-year-old started squirming:

And pretty soon, she was off running:

And running.....

Then she convinced Papa to run with her:

And to pose with wheat stubble:

The flowers were at the end of their blooming season, but that didn't bother Lucy. She thought it was a grand adventure anyway.

Clara, on the other hand, fell asleep on the way out to the gardens, and didn't wake up until the ride home. So this is the only shot I got of her: