A Beautiful Day....A Beautiful Year...

I was already in bed when I decided I had to go get my computer to write. It's almost midnight and I was lying here thinking about what a wonderful day today has been. Today is Claire's birthday and I can't help but reflect on what a profound change she has made in me.

My life began one year ago today. I never knew true unconditional love until I met her. She is pure joy. Even as I sit here I can't think of a way to describe how I feel about her. I adore her. Who wouldn't? She is flawless in my eyes and I thank God every day for allowing me to be her mother. I am overcome by the mercy He has shown me. I am so undeserving. But that's the goodness of God's grace. He takes the most unlikely and unworthy and chooses to pour out His blessing on them. He has given me so much more than my heart desired--He knew what I needed even better than I. He knew who I needed and He sent her to me. My precious angel was sent from Heaven. Thank you, Lord, for loving me so much. I give Claire to You. I will spend everyday loving her with my whole heart and teaching her about You and your grace.

Thank you for indulging a sentimental mama. I will have lots of pictures and videos from her celebration very soon. Stay tuned :)

1st Birthday Portraits

They're finally here! The proofs from Claire's photo shoot are back and I love them! They are very artistic and different from anything we've had done before. I've posted a couple of my favorites but the rest can be seen on the photographer's website: http://www.pamgodfrey.com/. Claire will greet you when you get there :) Once you enter the site, click on 'proofing' at the bottom and type 'claire' as the password. Enjoy!

Claire's Photo Shoot

I realize this post doesn't have any fun pictures to look at, but I had to share the wonderful experience we had today. Today was Claire's one year photo shoot. I wanted some really unique pictures for her first birthday--not that the ones we have had made previously weren't great--but I wanted something really special. So, I chose to have Pam Godfrey photograph her. Pam is a member of our church and a really talented photographer. I had seen a lot of her work and knew that she would be perfect to take these special shots. So, we booked the shoot. Then it rained. We booked again. Then it turned back into winter. So, we booked a third time. The third time was the charm!! We met at her beautiful home in Talking Rock for some shots in her studio and then went to a nearby park to take some outside portraits. She took so much time and was so very patient with Claire. Claire loved the camera and smiled and laughed at her the whole time. All-in-all, it was a great day. I cannot wait to see the proofs. I will be sure to post the link (it will be an online gallery) so you can enjoy them. Stay tuned!! :)

We're back!!

So sorry it's been a while since I wrote. Claire and I have been into all sorts of mischief!! Actually, we've just been busy recovering from several projects that we've been working on. She is such a slave driver!

She is trying to lick her way out of baby jail

Since my last post, Claire has decided to grow up even more. I can't stand it!! She just keeps doing new things and there is nothing I can do to stop her :) She has discovered that she can reach things on the couch by getting up to her knees. Just last night she discovered that she can also pull up to her feet to reach things even further away. Ahhhhhh, it begins!! She still seems to prefer being on her knees and crawling. She can scoot like a rocket and get away from us in a flash. She has also discovered the fun of doors. Her new favorite game is to crawl super fast into our bedroom and close the door behind her. We can hear her laughing on the other side as we pretend to look for her. It's so cute! She also loves to open and close cabinet doors. Needless to say our project for the weekend is more babyproofing! I hope you enjoy the pictures. Rest assured there are many more to come!

Peek-a-boo! Where did Claire go?

Look at that delicious remote control!

Oh, paci......how I love thee...

Daddys make the best pillows.

So sorry!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been very busy working on a social at church and getting things ready for Claire's birthday. I have some pics I definitely want to share, I'm just behind!! Please keep checking back--I promise to have something new very soon!!

Fun with Grammy and Grandaddy!

Claire has been lucky these past few weeks. She's been able to spend a lot of time with Grammy and Grandaddy. Since she doesn't get to see them as often as she'd like, these visits are extra special! She was able to stay with them while I worked and shopped at 'Kidsignments'. This visit included a stop at Great-Grandaddy's for some crawling fun. We also spent a fun day shopping for Grammy's camera and new clothes! Grammy always picks cute outfits so Claire will look smashing this spring. What a treat! Claire loves her Grammy and Grandaddy and lights up when she sees them. I wish she could be with them more!

Visiting with Great-Grandaddy

Claire with her new clothes!

My little Tadpole

Today was a big day for us! Claire went to her first swimming class. The class is held at our gym, which has a graduated pool--much like the beach. What fun! She absolutely loved the water. She kicked and splashed and even crawled a little in the really shallow end. She was sporting her cute pink bathing suit that Grandmommy bought her. We were able to get a few pictures and video (thank you Papa and Auntie G) before the mean pool director told all of the grandparents to stop filming. Can you believe that?? Something about liability--ridiculous. Anyway, I've included a short clip below. Claire is enjoying splashing and kicking on the water noodle. Enjoy!

'I don't know about this, Papa'

Getting ready to begin

'Ooh, I think I'm getting the hang of it!'