Dancing with Mickey

I really believe that Claire is some type of musical prodigy...whether it's going to be playing music (she loves anything with a keyboard) or dancing to music (she was stomping her feet to her daddy's Bluegrass music before she could do much of anything else). Whenever music is on, she is either clapping, dancing or trying to sing. Claire and I are home today (Friday) having a fun Mommy/Claire day and I couldn't help but share with you Claire's jive moves!!!

Easter Egg Hunts Bring Out the Worst in Moms!

Although Claire is 17 months old, this Easter was our first, official Easter Egg hunt. Last year, she was still too little and had an ear infection on the frigid day of the hunt. So, our family geared up for the festivities this year. Dad got the Easter basket out of the attic, Mom pressed the outfit and off we went to the church. We were all excited, Claire dragging her basket which was twice the size of her behind her. One thing we neglected...practice! Claire had never experienced an Easter Egg Hunt and had no idea what awaited her. The race was on. The little ones took the field littered with Easter Eggs. Dad, Mom and Gran headed to the back of the field for a little privacy. We had to capture the perfect pictures. Well, not only did we not get the perfect picture, we didn't get any eggs either. Claire was too busy "people-watching" and Mom was too busy "body-checking" toddlers so they wouldn't get our eggs. One little boy did sneak in (see below) and get our eggs, Claire ended up with 6 total eggs (5 of them hunted by Mom) and the Easter Egg Bandit (the little boy) ended up with a basketful! All in all, Mom needs to check her competitive nature at the door of future Easter Egg Hunts!

Laughing Out Loud!

Many times, dinnertime with Claire is a chance for me to get things around the house done. She's safely strapped into the high chair and talking to her grilled cheese sandwich or looking out the window looking for "Ruff-Ruffs" and I scurry around trying to pick up messes before she strikes and destroys again. However, many times I just stop and dine with her and those always create great memories. Here is one such occasion where I stopped everything and sat down with her. What I captured was sheer joy. Hope you enjoy...we sure did!!!

Starting Out

This weekend I was in VA for a mother/daughter event. Friday night, over dinner, the conversation turned to blogging. "I'm not a blogger, " I announced proudly. "Why not?" many chimed in. "Because I'm an introvert by nature and I can't imagine that anyone would be interested in what I have to say." (You see, that is a true introvert. We are intrigued that the extroverts have so much to say and can easily keep a conversation rolling while we introverts have our standard 5 questions and once we have the answers to those, then the conversation turns to awkward silence. However, I am always intrigued by the extroverts conversation, but I always wonder how they are so self-assured to think that everyone is interested in their continuous stories). Back to dinner. A new friend that I had just met that day let me know she was also an introvert, but LOVED to blog. It gave her an avenue to keep up with family and friends from a distance. Ah-hah...and their lay my reason. Claire is 17 months old and is a barrel of fun right now. Doing and saying so many new things daily. But, I hate talking on the phone. And even if I enjoyed telephone conversations, I don't always have the time to call both sides of our family. As a girl, I always keep my mom and sister updated, but what about Bill's family. Well, here lies the answer...I'm blogging. So please check back now and then for new stories and pictures of Claire, updates on the new house and general information about The Cato House!!!