The first...

With Claire's early bedtime she is not much of a party goer - so trick-or-treating and the church harvest party were out BUT we did manage to visit Paul at work and make several outfit changes.

#1 ~ hanging out at home until the "blow out" that caused the first change of clothes

#2~ our little "hair -wolf" sitting in the recliner at the station

#3 ~ we didn't have a costume but she does have a little bear outfit...a little big but it worked

Fruit Loop

Hmmm...I guess we are suppose to be the side of a barn?

The crew - minus Claire - it was a little chilly for her.

Draper Farms - fresh apple and pear cider & of course, a tractor.

After a years absence we returned to the Hood River Fruit Loop - one of my favorite fall activities. This year was a bit different than years past - mainly the addition of one extra little person :). It was Claire's longest car trip yet and so we decided to drag Con and Erin along with us! She actually did really well given the fact that she is not necessarily a fan of her car seat. We had a great time, although we realized that Columbus Day might not be the best time to go. Several places were closed - BUT the cookie farm was open and that is all that really mattered.

Dad's day

Last weekend my sister and I attended the Women of Faith conference. Originally I had planned on taking Claire with me but after some discussion Paul and I decided we didn't want to expose her to 10,000+ people. So...Claire and Paul spent their first full day together - 7:00 - 5:30pm! I must say I was *nervous* about being away all day but the day went extremely well. She had a great time playing with her daddy. Notice her clothing - Paul has this aversion to snapping her pants, onesies, etc. He just thinks it is too much work because we have to change her diaper so often. Hopefully this changes by the time she is in kindergarten :). PS - her legs look ginormous in this picture! I think it is the camera angle... :)

Two months + 1 day

Yesterday was the official two month mark but she had her shots yesterday so she wasn't feeling the greatest. She was a trooper! Current stats - 23.25 inches long and 11 8.5 lbs. She has discovered that she likes her rain forest "gym" and is also working very hard at getting her WHOLE fist in her mouth. Rather entertaining to watch. So many more smiles and coos - she is better than anything else we could think of watching! :) Claire is also wishing her friend Cate a Happy 1st Birthday today!

Why so glum, chum?

Con and Erin are two of our favorite people and they just happen to be our neighbors. We became fast friends 3.5 years ago and I figure we have probably spent more time with them than anyone else (other than eachother) in the past 3.5 years. Pretty special. Well it is a bit lonely around here these days. Five years ago Con and Erin lived on the road (for two years) and that has always been something they have wanted to do again. So they put their house up for sale - it sold in 3 days - and are now working towards living on the road again. Last Wednesday was their last day in the hood - it was really sad. They are not leaving us yet - they are renting about 2o minutes from our house - but they will probably take off sometime this coming spring/summer. So we are going to enjoy them while we can and miss them A LOT when they are "on the road again..."

Just because...

Where has the time gone? Claire is already 6.5 weeks old and finding her personality (I think she found it the moment she was born when she cried for the first FIVE hours of her life :>).

We made a stop at the fire station a week ago - she was really not digging it. Better luck next time.

She was digging her chair (courtesy of Cate G.) the other night - so the camera had to come out.
















We do keep busy around here when we are not glued to our little bear - Paul is still working on our new outdoor structure which is coming along nicely. I am getting ready to start my "Social and Ethical Issues in the School Library" class through Seattle Pacific University. And of course this is my FAVORITE time of year and my mind is just full of all things FALL.

One Month

Can't believe Claire is one month old today! And she could not be ANY cuter :). Things are getting a little more "normal" around the house these days. She is starting to loose her hair on the sides and back of her head - maybe a baldy in our future? Thinking she might be close or over 10lbs - she is not a starving child :). We have definitely been keeping busy - and we just love every moment with our little Claire Bear.

Getting some kisses from her dad.

This is pretty much what goes on all day long (Paul wonders why I even try to dress her). Notice the spit up down the entire length of her clothing. On to outfit number THREE and it is only 2:00...