Mess Maker, Mess Maker

Sam was in the kitchen getting dinner ready the other day and Clara was keeping him company. All of a sudden he said, "Oh know! I need help. Wait, get the camera."

Clara had dumped about 1/2 a box of cornstarch right into her lap. Needless to say, the replacement cornstarch we bought has a nice screw-top lid.

It's always Fun When Grandpa (and Grandma) Come

We had our annual spring break visit from Grammy and Grandpa. As always, the girls loved having extra playmates. Clara was a little shy at first but warmed up quickly. She recently started being a little weary of people but her stranger anxiety is much less than Abby's was. My mom gave Clara a lot of walking practice and even got her to take a couple of steps which was really exciting.

While they were here we spent most of our time playing, relaxing and eating yummy food. The weather has been gorgeous so we were lucky to spend a lot of time outside.

We went to the mall one afternoon and Grammy took Abby for a ride on the carousel. Abby loved it!

We also went to feed the ducks and take a little walk. Clara enjoyed watching the ducks. She's becoming really interested in animals lately. When we're looking at a book and there's a picture of an animal, she squawks at me until I tell her what sound the animal makes.

Don't you just love Abby's apple sunglasses? Ha! She LOVED them when I was looking to buy her a new pair and the price was right, so I let her choose them.

Sam and I took the chance to go out to dinner one night and to the Hunger Games premiere another night.

I also got the chance to visit my hunky dentist husband for the first time. He gave me a good cleaning which I haven't had in a while. It was fun to see him in action and everyone kept telling what a nice guy he is, as if we all don't know that!

Public Speaking

Abby gave her first talk in primary yesterday. She talked about following the prophet. We decided what she would say Monday night and practiced each evening until the big day. She stood up in front of all of the children and quietly repeated what I whispered to her. She did an amazing job and I was so proud of her. I had a hard time not getting choked up while she was talking.

I love that our Church teaches young children important life skills. It's so wonderful that a three-year-old gets to practice public speaking. I know I was blessed in my later years from starting so young. A lot of my high school classmates had never talked in front of people and when they gave a presentation it was a, for lack of a better word, mess.

Our young children also learn about memorization, singing techniques, listening to authority, etc. I feel like I was better prepared to go to school and face the world because of the things I learned as a young child. I'm grateful my children will have the same teachings.

The Big ONE!

Somehow, a year has gone by since our little Clara joined our family. She has been such a delightful addition to our family. I'm not sure how we ever survived without her. A little bit about Clara...

She is crawling great now and cruising around furniture. She also likes to walk with her push-toy and the doll stroller.

She is a wonderful eater. She loves just about everything, especially fruit. She is very clean when she eats. She doesn't wear bibs and rarely gets her clothes dirty. We stopped giving her formula and bottles. She seems to like milk but won't drink a lot at once. She has been eating constantly.

She is, and has always been, an amazing sleeper. Unfortunately, her naps have gotten a little shorter lately as she's been adjusting to a two-nap schedule. She is the alarm clock in the house. She is usually the first one to wake up.

Clara adores her daddy. Anytime our mail comes through the door or someone knocks she crawls over to the gate saying dadadadada. She brightens up whenever she sees him.

She can do a few signs and has a few words (All done, dada, mama, thank you, Abby). She is very verbal. She jabbers at us while waving her hands around like she's telling us something very important.

She is happy and content and can entertain herself well but she prefers to have company. She especially loves to get into whatever Abby is doing.

She likes to turn the tv on and off, particularly when Abby is watching a show.

She didn't seem to know what was going on. Lucky for her, she has someone around who knows all about birthday and what to do.

We had a pink and white party. The crowd was much smaller than our last shindig which was quite relaxing.

I made tissue paper flowers and circle and ribbon garland. Sam was the hanger-upper extraordinaire.

I made funfetti cake balls and cupcakes and we had a few other snacks and treats.

We got Clara a tunnel. Abby and her friends sure enjoyed it. Clara stayed away from their craziness but has enjoyed crawling in it today.

Abby was very excited for Clara to get her cupcake.  Abby couldn't blow the candle out and Clara kept trying to put her hand in the flame. It was pretty funny.

As always, she was very dainty. She gently picked at the cake but seemed to enjoy it. After a while, she finally picked it up and started going to town.

I love this picture. Can't you tell how much Abby adores her.

Clara is good at giving kisses. I love 'em, even when they're a little slimy.

We had a blast celebrating our little lady. Here's to hoping the next year doesn't go by so quickly.