Christmas 2012!

Best one yet!! She loved everything Christmas related just like her mama!! Christmas songs, Christmas lights, cookies and especially SANTA!!

We went and visited the "Legendary" Richmond Santa and she was mesmerized by him. When we got there we were lucky enough to get a front row seat to see him come down the chimney, talk to all of the boys and girls and put his gloves on. She was happy to sit on his lap and talk to him. He asked what she wanted for Christmas and she said "a toy!" Not a specific toy or anything, just a toy. And he delivered :)

Her favorite gifts most definitely are her dollhouse and more baby dolls.

Whenever we saw other Santa's in the mall or anyplace else. She loved to just stop and look at him! Sometimes Santa would look over and she would get a wave, the look on her face when he did that was priceless. Now a couple of weeks after Christmas, she still asks to go see him!

She loved the Advent Calendar this year. Everyday we would put up a different magnet on the Advent Tree. If Mommy forgot, she sure didn't! She would even remember from the day before what magnet oranament was for that day!

Another favorite activity, looking at Christmas lights! The blow up Santas were definitely her favorite. We had a few favorite spots that we frequented quite often. We also visited some houses on the Richmond Tacky Light Christmas Tour....wow, unbelievable!! We were all mesmerized.

We were all over this Christmas and had a wonderful time seeing everyone. Spent Christmas in Hampton and then New Years in Louisiana!

Can't wait for next year as they each keep getting better and better :)

Visit with Santa!

Christmas Eve

Opening presents on Christmas Eve at Cindy & Mike's

Being silly!

Putting out cookies and milk for Santa. And a carrot for the reindeer!

Christmas morning!!

Christmas Morning 2012

Grammie and Papa

Family Christmas Dinner at Jim and Paula's

Yorktown Beach visit

Visiting Great-Grandma in Louisiana

Christmas "morning" in Louisiana

A huge gingerbread heart from Germany from Aunt Wendy!

New Year's lunch at Great-Grandma's

With Aunt Ginny

Snuggling with Pepe

22 months!

Sorry, it's been awhile! Let's see...22 months on Christmas Day!

She really is such a happy little girl now. Smiling and laughing a lot! I love how excited she gets over things. Storytime, folding clothes, music class, pancakes :) She sure does take the time to enjoy the simple things in life.

She seems to talk more and more everyday. We can have full conversations. She really is my little side kick. She'll even joke with you now and smile when she does.

She is getting great recongnizing and knowing her letters. She can almost tell you nearly all of the letters when you point to them. And she even knows what letters some words start with when you ask her. She amazes us everyday!!

It seems like she is grasping the concept of counting better too! She has been able to count from 1-10 for a while but now seems to understand that the amount of objects actually represents a number. She has started to point and count things out. And now she will even count past 10, so far she has counted to 15!

Loves, loves, loves her baby dolls even more. She can spend hours playing with them. It's hard to get her out of the house now :)

Favorite food - macaroni and cheese for sure!

Find her in some odd places sometimes :)

Visit to Lewis Ginter Garden to see all of the lights, she loved them!

Reading books in a box with Grammie

Visit with Santa! When he asked what she wanted, she whispered "toys"

After Santa, a visit to the Jefferson Hotel to see the beautiful decorations.

And then dinner out...she loved the mac and cheese at Comfort!!

Our tree...she LOVED it! She was a great help decorating

Picnic with Daddy and Molly

Loved taking the ornament on and off her felt tree

21 months!

Another month!

Some fun things from this month:

She is really into songs lately. We sing lots of different songs/nursery rhymes at library storytime and she has a lot of favorites that she likes to sing over and over again and likes for you to sing to her. "Bouncing Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon," "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, "Rock a bye Baby" are all song multiple times a day.

She still really loves to take care of her dolls and stuffed animals. Very, very mothering to them. I've even caught her wiping Molly's bottom and nose with a baby wipe. Poor Molly!!

She has become really good at stacking her blocks and can now make a pretty decent tower with them.

She loves to color with her markers and is getting a lot better about only coloring on the paper.

Hide and seek with Daddy is a big favorite. She has even started counting on her own...usually it's, "1,2,3,4,5,6...go!"

Oh, one night I said, "Claire, dinner's ready." I turn around and she's in the high chair. Climbed in all by herself...

Going to the store in the car!

Just relaxing, reading with her sunglasses!

Stack, stack, stack!

So sweet!

Thanksgiving 2012

Enjoying her appetizers!

Found these somewhere....

20 months!

 

It's been another great month!! Loving every day with this munchkin :)

Some cute stories:
Will say "bless you" whenever someone sneezes.

She found a pair of David's earphones and put them into her ears and said, "Claire go run." Haha, that's what she sees us do before we go run.

I asked her if she had a poopy diaper and she said, "no, just gas!"

She can count from one to ten!!

And she can sing pieces of the ABC song.

We had a big month celebrating Daddy's, Papa's and Pepe's birthday. And she loved all of the parties and saying, "Happy Birthday to you!"

Whenever she falls down or bumps into something she says, "Claire ok!" Or if one of us does the same thing she says "Mommy/Daddy ok?" Then she'll come and check on us and pat us. It's really sweet.

I've caught her a bunch of times just sitting there flipping through her books and looking at all of the pictures page by page. She loves, loves books. We get new books each week after storytime and she loves picking out new ones.

She is sure to tell you what she likes and doesn't like..."Claire don't like" and "Claire like" which is usually said anytime we are in a store and she's sees something fun!

She loves to just play outside. Collecting rocks, sticks, acorns, etc.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Trip to the pumpkin patch at Ashland Berry Farm and a tractor ride! She was so excited!

Mommy and Claire

Got em!

Holding on to her pumpkin on the ride back.

Enjoying the yummy doughnuts after pumpkin picking

Look at all those teeth!

 

Another one! Happy Birthday Papa!

Putting together her baby's nursery. She loves it!!

And one more! Happy Birthday Pepe!

Ice cream!!

Halloween party at her best bud, Alex's house!

Apple picking at Carter's Mounting in Charlottesville.

Yummy! Right off of the tree

Great view!!

Our little worm :)

19 months!

She really is a toddler now! She is doing and saying so much stuff!

Favorite toy is probably her baby doll still! She likes to take the doll with us places now. Baby doll loves to ride in the car :) We were at Walmart and saw all of the big blow-up Christmas yard displays and Claire loves them all. She makes a point to say "Big Santas" whenever I say we are going to Walmart. Last time we went, we left her doll in the car and when we got back in the car she said "Baby like to see Big Santa." Always looking out for her baby! So next time we have to bring her doll to see it :)

Another fun story. I had just got dressed and asked Claire how I looked and she said, "Cute!" Made me smile from ear to ear!!

She also will say "I Love You" and it melts my heart every time!

She is getting better and better with trying new foods and has some new favorites. She loves sweet potatoes, raw brocolli, salmon, mac and cheese, meatballs and buttered noodles.

She knows her colors!! Red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink and purple. She can also tell you or point to her left or right foot, hand, ear, etc. She shocked me with that one! Daddy has been working with her on that during bath time :)

She loves the concept of open and closed and empty and full. As you walk by doors she will tell you if they are open or closed. And she will most definitely tell you when her snack cup or water bottle is empty!

Taking a bath in her baby doll's tub!

Visit from Aunt Kristen and Chris!!

A visit to Maymont and the petting zoo

First UVA game of the season, go hoos!

Great view up here with Papa and Aunt Cindy!

Another bath, showing me how she washes her hair with the soap

Reading a magazine with Grammy after the game

 

She had a big month with character visits Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto...and Elmo!!

Working on drinking out of a real cup

Ahhh

People watching with Mommy and Daddy at the State Fair

Petting the sheep

And riding the tractors

And of course enjoying all of the delicacies...like chocolate dipped frozen cheesecake. She didn't want to let go of the stick!!