Mr. Serious
This is Clare's new art station. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! This is what Clare chose for her birthday. I think she loves having a place all her own with all of her supplies. I can't wait to see what she creates!
Kate's stocking
Clare's stocking
Finn's stocking
All the stocking hung by the mantle with care!
Hey, has anyone seen Finn?
Look, Mom. He's in his toy box. Seems as though the little rascal figured out how to climb in here and get all those fun little toys that end up at the bottom. Clever.
The two munchkins in all their gear. Don't fall down and don't tell me you have to go to the bathroom!
Clare and Finn enjoy a foot of fresh snow in the front yard.
Clare pulling Finn in the sled. She was amazingly careful with him and his giggling made us both crack up.
Finn getting a free ride! If he could talk, he would have asked for a hundred more.
Paper snowflakes by Clare and the mom. One little button-covered tree from preschool.
Thanksgiving dinner, complete with "The Rolls."
Clare practicing her number writing with the preschool pal looking on.
Mike getting the wee girl ready for some outdoor adventures.
Geared up.
Clare's snowmen and the preschool pal. Some jackass knocked her snowmen down one evening. He had large footprints. I know nothing else, but if I ever find out, there will be serious hell to pay!
The birthday boy. There might have been pictures of him with lighted candles but it required all hands on deck to keep him from burning down the place.
Clare modeling her birthday boots. She was ready to go play outside. Hmm. Forget something?
That's the preschool pal. He came to our house for a week, ate all our food, made a huge mess, then demanded to go live somewhere else. Clare loved having him and the responsibility of documenting every minute detail of their time together.
Here they are watching a bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Valencia got to be part of the gang on this occasion.
Here's a picture Clare drew of our family. I'm particularly fond of the earless cats. Speaking of cats, we now have an extra to call our own. Joyce's kitty became our kitty. It hasn't been a smooth transition to put it lightly. We'll keep trying.
It should come as no surprise that I have once again fallen behind in posting on the blog. I'm pretty sure a lot has happened, although I'm guessing the most important thing is Finn getting new teeth since this has directly impacted the operation of the entire household. As of today, the boy has three molars and none of them have come easily. Sleepless nights, crying, crankiness, and the like have been very common. I'm hoping number four shows up soon and those bottom lateral incisors with it.
Life has been pretty peachy for Clare aside from the undiagnosed double ear infection I let her live with for who knows how long. She is doing great in preschool, growing like a weed, and getting more and more clever by the day.
These two love each other and Clare is pretty much willing to do anything it takes to get a shot like this!
See, he adores her. I hope they like each other's company just as much in ten years.
And finally, a picture of Clare's newly remodeled bedroom. I think it looks pretty darn good. I am especially liking the chair rail as it divides the room nicely and allows for me to hang things higher on the walls without them looking terrible.
First up: a little monkey business. This drawing got a bit altered when Finn got his hands on it, but I think it is still pretty darn cute. I'm especially fond of the two arms coming out of the same side of the body, like the monkey is turned sideways and looking back over its shoulder.
Then we have a nice shot taken by Clare. She desperately wants to get her hands on our new camera whenever an opportunity arises. I must school her in the fine art of minimizing mess in photos! Remember, if you'd like to see that mess in even more detail, just click on the picture.
Here Finn shows you his skills at completely unloading a toy tub in less than ten minutes. Oh, the boy is gifted!
