Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving...isn't it amazing that we have to have a day that makes us stop to give thanks! Yes, it's a great time to look back and reflect on our history and make some time to think about what we are thankful for - and get to eat great food. I guess it's like all those ceremonies and festivals that they had in the Old Testament. God knew that if we didn't have special times to celebrate and remember certain things that we probably would not because of human nature. So, Thanksgiving 2011 was spent in Birmingham. Mom and Jim hosted us in their home along with Jim's two daughters, Jennifer and Jamie, and their families. The weather was perfect and the food excellent and we continue to enjoy getting to know Jim's family. This year and everyday, I am most grateful for my salvation, my husband and my daughter to name my top 3...after that the list of things is a mile long...the Hinton Sunday School class, UAB, Bluff Park, Kindermusik, YoToddler Yogurt, Wonderful friends and family, The Bham Zoo, Skype, kids under 2 fly free, whole milk, wheelchairs, music, Brodie and Ellie...I could keep going...So here's a few pix of the family at the "Poore House" on Thanksgiving Day! (No I did not shop on Black Friday but I did start my shopping during the Alabama/Auburn Game - lines were shorter for sure!)

Visit to the Hendersons

We had lots of fun visiting Robert and Andrea, Brodie (4 yrs) and Ellie (6 months) this past weekend. Enjoyed just letting the cousins play. Had fun watching Ellie take her first bite of baby food (Pears). She did great! Brodie was cute wanting Claire to play with him in everything. He wanted to teach her and share his toys with her (Note the Tonka Truck ride). As you can see, they had a fun bath time together. Brodie read Claire and Ellie a bedtime story too. Andrea and I decided we wanted to make it a tradition to make sure we get these kids together just before the holidays and have some kind of fun activity to do. So even though they weren't totally engaged with the whole thing, Andrea guided us in making reindeer shirts and the antlers were their hand prints. (You'll see the end product in the photos). She also showed me how to make a wreath out of strips of fabric and a coat hanger. (I need to spend more time with Andrea! She could teach me lots!) She's a great Kindergarten teacher and most excellent at involving kids in tasks! I love the idea of a family tradition together! I have so many fond memories with my cousins. Feels a bit weird to be in the Aunt role now, but I'm loving it. Three sweet phrases I love to hear: "This is my wife", "Mama!", and "Hey Aunt Sis!". Looking forward to more memories made together! I'm thankful for you guys!

15 months and growing

So we took stock on Friday Nov. 4 and paused to inhale and exhale! Claire is growing and learning so fast! It's amazing to see it in action! We knew she was learning a lot but now we can actually see it! She is adding to her vocabulary almost daily! (In honor of the LSU victory over UA, she learned the word purple!). We attempted to teach her a few signs from sign language to help with communication. I wasn't sure she was understanding them but all of the sudden it clicked! She can sign "more", "all done", "milk", "water", "diaper", and "help". It's wonderful to be able to communicate! At her 15 month check up she weighed 20.2 pounds (12th %) and was 29 1/4" long (20th %). We are thankful for great health and development. Her favorite toys now are anything that has a top on it that she can try to get on and off. She still loves to get all her books out, stack them all up, then go put them back (with a little guidance :)). She was given some colors and a coloring book at Publix the other day and decided she was ready to give it a try! I had no idea a kid this young could try coloring. I think the moral of that story is age does not matter...it's what they show interest in...go with it! (except for motorcycles!) She is totally off baby food and she's eating from our plate. This has challenged me in my meal planning and has been good for us to eat vegetables daily, which didn't always happen pre-Claire! She seems open to most all foods so far. For those of you in this stage of life like us, a friend recommended a great book on feeding kids called Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter. It has been great help/guide for me. It's a bit wordy but easy to follow and great resource. So the weather is changing along with the leaves and the time! Did your child sleep in for you? Not here! But she adapted after 2 days. I love the fall leaves to observe, but I have mixed emotions about when they hit the ground. I was raking today and in my brain the conversation went something like this: "This is futile, the leaves will be right back...oh, but it's great exercise and the weather is perfect...Enjoy the peace and no brain time...oh remember the time you got severe poison ivy when raking Mr. Hamilton's yard when you were about 10 years old...Never forget it...I think I made $6 for doing that! Oh, just enjoy being outside...no phones, no emails, no nothing but leaves and me and God right now...that's perfect...You know, if I had a dollar for every leaf out here, we could send Claire to Havard and still go on a European vacation!"...end of conversation... So enjoy some photos of Claire's trip to the park on her 15 month weekend, her attempts at a "Welcome Home, Daddy" sign to welcome daddy home from a work trip, and a trip to the zoo with her friend Noah. She would pet anything that would let her!