All Aboard: Boats & Wagons

The girls are enjoying the dog-days of summer. They rode on Grandma and Grandad's boat for the first time and are really loving their wagon!

The 1st Birthday Party

The girls had a great time at their birthday party! Claire absolutely LOVED the cake. Lucy really wanted no part of it. Claire wasn't too into swimming in the baby pool but we had to drag Lucy, the little fish, out! One year old and forging their own paths already!

Great Aunt Dona and Uncle Fred made the trek from Dallas to meet the girls and help them celebrate their birthday. We all had a wonderful weekend!

Here are some pictures and a video of the cake demolition:

Happy Birthday To My Sweet Angels!

I have always prided myself on my ability to make and complete checklists. From high school, through college and my career, even at home, there is always a list, usually several, close by. Sometimes I even put down things that are already complete just so I can have the joy of crossing them off! As Claire and Lucy had their 1st birthday today, the practical side of me can check many things off the list today. Over 4000 bottles: CHECK. 300 loads of laundry: CHECK. Over 4200 diapers: CHECK. I could go on and on.

Thankfully though, these days, the practical side of me is in perpetual timeout. The girls were about six months old when Judd said to me; "Why don't you just stop making the lists, they only stress you out". Well, honey, as usual, you were right! Although I can't help but create one more list; a special checklist of things that my beautiful daughters have taught me in the 365 glorious days that they have been a part of our lives.

• Soak in every laugh and giggle
• Find amazement in the littlest things, even a piece of lint on the floor
• Love your parents (Seriously Mom, Dad and Tami, we could NOT have made it through this year without your support)
• Laugh at the messes. They can always be cleaned up later
• Call your friends and family (I am reminded of this every time Lucy puts the toy phone up to her ear and says "Hiiii" or "Yeah") I think that we will work on "I love you" next
• If you are going to do something, do it with flair (Yes Claire, I am picturing you sitting on TOP of your book, dancing)
• Bob your head to the music; whatever mood you are in, this helps to improve it
• Love your sisters, stay close to them and keep an eye on them
• Greet everyone that comes in the door with a smile, wave of the arms and a little wiggle
• Explore the world like you have never seen it before; you don't want to miss a thing
• Look for comfort and a hug when you are sad or tired. You don't need to go it alone!
• Contrary to my pregnancy fears, it is possible to love two people the exact same amount and yet in completely different ways and WAY more than you could have ever imagined
• Love your spouse and enjoy every mili-second of togetherness that you can squeeze out of these early days of parenthood. Be appreciative of him, of all that you are learning together and all the ounces of sanity that he has saved because he is so wonderful.

• Realize that every moment of the day is ten times more special when you get to share it with your beautiful family
• Don't wait to check things off the list in your life. Most of the fun is when you are stuck right in the middle of it!

I love you girls and can't wait for what tomorrow brings!

Two Approaches to Story Time

This blog entry is dedicated to all the teachers in our family and lives. I commend you on your approaches to the many different learning styles of students! I was finally able to catch Lucy "reading" out loud (first video). This is one of the cutest things that I have seen her do to-date. I just love it! This is the only time that she "speaks" like this. It is her unique reading voice. The second video shows Claire's flair for reading, a bit different than Lucy's. This active gal prefers to sit on and/or eat the books. Her favorite book is, of course, the one that plays music. Come on Mom, those other ones are boring!

Beach Bums

The girls had their first trip to the beach on Sunday. It was a little too chilly for them to swim but they absolutely adored kicking their feet in the waves. Claire was a little skeptical of the sand, even after eating it. Lucy was quite the explorer, venturing far off the blanket to check out her new surroundings. We rounded off the afternoon with cheeseburgers at Redamak's. Judd and I agreed, it was the perfect day!

Congratulations Grami Tami!

The girls had a big weekend! They celebrated Grami Tami's retirement with a big party! They got to meet many relatives from Iowa and their Uncle Jake and Cousin Raizel even came in from Maine! We had a ton of fun. Jake and Raizel stayed with us and the three girls had a wonderful time playing together both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Jake and Raizel let Judd and me sleep in while they took care of the girls; it was a wonderful surprise! A fantastic weekend filled with fantastic memories; we are so proud of Grami Tami and also very excited that she will now have more time to play!

"Forrest, we're like peas and carrots"

Remember that quote from Forrest Gump, "Forrest, I'll lean up against you and you lean up against me and that way, we won't have to sleep with our heads in the mud."? Well, Claire and Lucy are becoming just like Forrest and Bubba! They like to make sure that they are touching or close to each other while they play, even if they are doing something on their own. I guess nine months of snuggling in the womb is a tough habit to break! They sat like this, just playing for almost 15 minutes this morning.