standing and playing

clara has learned to pull up on everytghing... not a day goes by that we aren't fighting over books and why they are on a shelf and not the floor... and why she cant climb into the bathtub without mommys help... oh, our little mermaid :)

the "cheese" picture??? yeah, well, what?? not all 10 month olds pose for photos? this week you discovered your shadow baby bear... and played with it haha you amaze me daily.

va beach aquarium

va aquarium was lots of fun. :) theres a beautiful nature trail between the two buildings and it was a freakishly warm day outside so we had a nice walk, ate lunch outside and took some photos... yeah, she's 10 months old and knows to look at the camera, even when there isnt someone holding it... hence the camera remote photos :) we couldnt get enough of these turtles... she loved them and i dont know if i have ever been that close to one that huge... so cool!

10 months

happy 10 months on earth, my little baby bear :) you are crawling, cruisin and teething... no walking and still no teeth (please please please stop biting things you shouldn't like mommys power cord and your crib!)

no news is good news?

phew.. been so busy lately that i have hardly posted.... well, these are the two looks i get when i try to photograoh.... a blurry "leave me alone i'm busy look" or the "no no no, not again" hahah..

Outside.

Well, it's finally here... I think it will be too cold to spend much more time in the Radio Flyer this year, but... Clara got pulled around the yard a bit yesterday and loved it... and of course... mom had to take some photos of her all bundled up :) There's just something adorable about a baby in a bunting to me, I can't help it! :) While Daddy cleaned out the garage and put away Christmas stuff, we made him pose for a photo too.. :) Only a few more weeks before Daddy leaves for deployment, so Clara has to get in all the hugs she can!!

Happy New Year

We welcomed 2012 by sleeping... but, Kris got to come home early so that was nice, got a 2012 kiss at like 1 am. But, all in all, we had a great day together. I made my annual New Years Day dinner, as usual, of Collards, Ham, Black Eyed Peas, etc. to honor my Grandmother and her Southern Traditions. We just did it a day after everyone else. Which, as many military families are familiar with, you have to do at pretty much every holiday unless you're really lucky. Birthdays and Christmas and yes, even New Years, has to be celebrated whenever you're together because, let's face it, a celebration just isn't right when you're missing someone you love. I've been pretty familiar with this concept all of my life. With divorced parents and my grandmother and my godmothers, it has always been that you celebrate when you're together.... and, I LOVE this about my family. "Hey, you're home....let's have dinner" and yeah, it may only be a "bucket of chicken" or a spaghetti dinner and it may be an all out seafood feast or sushi, but, dinner has ALWAYS and will always be a gathering. No matter how many people you can gather together around the table, you squeeze in, touching elbows and laugh and talk and eat. This.... is family. Whether you are blood or just met or known each other your entire life, family is important.

This year I added another Southern favorite to our dinner.. Red Velvet Cake, but I made a twist and made... Red Velvet Cake Whoopie Pies. :) YUM! They're not the best to look at, but they're tasty! :)

Hope everyone is having a great New Year. Although with this new year brings another deployment, we are welcoming another year closer to retirement too. positive positive... :)