Awaiting baby...

Claire has been quite fascinated with the bassinet ever since we put it in baby's room.

Several times we've caught her trying to climb inside. On this day, before we left for work/preschool/childcare, Claire managed to make herself right at home. We actually couldn't find her when we were ready to get in the car- what a crack-up, don't you think?

Hamster Heaven?

Lilly's preschool class has a class hamster and lucky for us, it was Lilly's turn to babysit Nugget overnight. Joy. Prior to the big event we talked with Lilly about the dangers of the hamster meeting the dogs- that Belle and Sue would kill the hamster if given the opportunity. So, now the hamster is at our house- Belle and Sue are oblivious to it. What is Nugget's biggest threat? Claire. Yes, little Claire doesn't know her own strength and has attempted several times to squish the thing. Let's hope we don't have to visit the pet store for a replacement.

 

Lilly introduced Nugget to her zhu zhu pet friends...

I know what you are thinking... no, we will not be purchasing a hamster of our own any time soon.

Labor Day Weekend

Though in retrospect we think we were crazy for doing so, we spent part of the weekend at the zoo. Boy was it hot! We were only there for a few hours in the morning, but the heat was crazy! Luckily the heat didn't stop the girls from enjoying the zoo.

Claire was all smiles as we watched the turtles from the bridge.

 I think this picture is really funny of Claire... She must have been waiting for us to ask if she wanted to ride the carousel.

 And ride the carousel we did, of course...

Lilly's choice this time was the eagle...

A

Claire's choice was our favorite backyard friend, the hummingbird.

 No matter how many times we visit the zoo, we always take a ride on the carousel- the girls love it!

 To save energy, Lilly hitched a ride on Dad as he pushed an empty stroller...

Of course the girls escaped the heat at the splash pad. Lilly made sure Claire was well hydrated for her romp in the water. What a nice sister!

We hope you had a great weekend too!

Healing Hannah

You've all heard a thing or two about Lilly's best friend, Hannah, who has cancer. Yesterday Hannah underwent her sixth surgery for what was hopefully removal of the last tumor in her brain. Today, less than 24 hours after the surgery, Lilly and I visited her in the hospital. Remarkably, Hannah was discharged from the hospital this evening, having to only stay one night... unbelievable progress! It's amazing, but Hannah makes brain surgery look easy.

Here's a photo of Hannah and Lilly taking a ride in one of the wagons... this is often how they  transport kiddos around at the children's hospital.

Each floor of the hospital has a play room that is open several hours each day. Hannah and Lilly painted pillow cases, played games and painted artwork. It's funny, but the play room is one of the reasons Lilly likes to visit Hannah in the hospital so much. One thing that caught my attention was the tiny MRI machine someone had made for the Barbie. Isn't this a crack-up?

Only in a hospital play room, right?

 Welcome home, Hannah. Our prayers are with you as you continue to heal. :)

Claire's favorite things...

Claire has a few favorite things. I wanted to take a second to blog about them before they're not her favorite things anymore. :)  

Red shoes... sparkly red Dorothy shoes. These shoes are actually Lilly's from Christmas last year, but now Claire won't take them off. They're a bit too big and quite a bit scuffed, but that doesn't stop them from being her favorite shoes. Remind you of anyone?

 

Whether we're walking in the grocery store, eating at the kitchen table, playing a game or reading a book, it's normal these days for Claire to yell, "Freeze!" She expects us to literally freeze. Then, she laughs and says, "Go!" It's the freeze game. The funny thing is that she usually "freezes" in some precarious positions- arms flung outward or a goofy look on her face. I tried to capture this on the camera today, but this is the best I could do...

FREEZE!

Books... both of our girls love books. If we would let them, we'd spend three hours reading each evening before bed. Little Claire has a favorite that we read every night. She even tries to retell the story to stuffed animals or anything else that will listen. Several times I've heard her in her room flipping the pages of the book and saying "No milk! No Eggs! Clack Moo!" If you haven't read it, I suggest picking up a copy...

Miscellaneous August

In looking through my photos from August, I realized there are lots of miscellaneous things to share...

It's not uncommon for Claire to conk out under the cool ceiling fan while
watching one of her favorite cartoons...

 Lilly still loves to help in the kitchen anytime she can. On this day we made home made cinnamon rolls for aunt Teresa. Yum!

We often visit our favorite wood-fired pizza and fresh salad restaurant for dinner. Lilly loves the bread and butter as well as the high-top tables and chairs. Afterward, we always visit the fountains. Here's the gang with full tummies and smiles!

 Happy girls after their new haircuts...

We were invited to a friend's birthday party at a local ice cream parlor. Here's little Claire getting ready for the celebration.

Visiting aunts

During the month of August we were happy to host several visitors... aunt Colleen and aunt Teresa.

As you can imagine, the girls loved all of the attention they received during their stay. Here's one of the best photos from their time here...

Special congratulations to Colleen and Tyler on their engagement. We can't wait until the big celebration!