Claire in Action

Crawling on Mama. 13 mo.

Tickle time. 13.5 mo.

Claire in Action

Baby babble. 15.5 mo.

Mirror play. 15.5 mo.

Bonking her head. 16 mo.

The summer I spent cleaning house

It will go down in record that the summer of 2009 was spent cleaning house. Our landlord had to sell the house, but wanted us to stay there while it showed. He cut our rent by $50, which I learned was not nearly enough for the amount of time and work it took to keep the house clean. The house was on the market for 4 months and we had about 50 showings, all scheduled around a toddler's 2 naps a day, feedings, playing, etc. A few times we didn't get out of the house before the potential buyers arrived and once I had to get sassy with a realtor who wanted me to vacate for a 3-hour window of time, when I had 2 other showings that day. I think I told her, "we still live here, you know!" The house finally sold and we weren't given as much time as promised to find a new place. Panic!! Bummer that I don't have pictures of the house in immaculate condition to share with you all!

Inspired by my friend Jennifer, I created this sales ad.

2 bedroom, 1 bath, 640 square feet, new plumbing to fix raw sewage leak (renters were NOT amused by the authentic outhouse smell that appeared shortly after they moved in), new ceiling in dining room because the old 1920's plaster collapsed (renters were at a church bbq, no one was hurt), friendly rat as evidenced by beady eyes in a hole in the wall, water heater kitchen decor - so modern!, high-performance smoke alarm located directly above the oven so as to alert you whenever you open the oven door, kitchen counters that are a whopping 16 inches deep - no need to fit more than a plate on a counter anyways, house features a 4-ft. corridor of heated space directly in front of the heater and the chance to play musical chairs so you don't burn up by sitting in front of it too long, also due to heater volume you get to use your outside voices in the house, time-saving bathroom: it's so small you could manage to go to the bathroom, shave your leg over the side of the tub, and brush your teeth all at the same time!, house boasts one closet, shed in back that has collapsed roof, broken windows, old appliances, scrap wood, spiders, and occasional homeless person sleeping inside - neighborhood children can pretend it's haunted, curb appeal includes foundation of colorful glass and mirror mosaic inlay to make people think you're funky and artistic.

Seriously, we did make it our home and I will miss some things about the place. I loved the daffodils in the front and the huge pink rose bush outside of the living room window, as well as being within walking distance to a huge gorgeous beach park.

After a lot of looking, we found a great place in the neighborhood, and while it is 50% more in rent, we have almost twice as much space. So, I think it's still a good deal even though we stretched our budget by a few hundred dollars. We've got wood flooring upstairs with a living room with coved ceilings, our dining table in the entryway, 2 bedrooms upstairs (we can walk on both sides of our bed!), a bigger kitchen, a bigger bathroom, and an entire one-room basement that is nicely finished and carpeted, with a laundry room too. We have enough storage that Claire's room is all baby (no camping equipment, no cd's, no desk, etc.) The house has an addition with some apartments and we have neighbors again, we can hear them come and go, but that's pretty much it. I keep telling myself that I need to invite them all over for dinner or games, so we can be more neighborly, but it's already been 6 months. Ack!

Our new landlady is the nicest person ever. On move-in day she set out a plate of cookies and treats from a nearby french bakery. For Christmas, she ordered a box of goodies from the bakery. Yes, Rich gets to eat all the goodies. She even brings a little bag of treats when she drops off the water bill, because she hates to bring just bad news. She has given us some spring flowers to plant in the yard too. We feel really blessed. Bummer that I don't have pictures of the house in immaculate condition to share with you all!

Routines

A fun part of the day is getting some fresh air and picking Daddy up at the bus stop. 15.5 months.

A perfect summer picnic

This is our Dancer's Lunch, enjoying the sunny day with a picnic. On the menu? Spinach salad with an assortment of toppings, crackers with fancy cheese, juice, and fresh blueberries. Take me back!!!

Christine, Tascha, Kara, & Karen. Missing are Amy & Sarah. Thanks to Tascha for making our picnic so stylish with the tablecloth and the designer melamine plates.

Tascha is inspired by the gardens.

I found a great spot to capture some close-up cuteness.

Couch Reading

Claire kept me company while I waded through Atlas Shrugged. I was stuck at around page 50 for several weeks and I would overhear conversations from fellow book club members talking about page 600 or so..."Oh, you're just getting to the good part"...or talking about the 50 page monologue. All I could think was, "Ugh, you can't be serious." Well, I made it through and loved the apex of the novel. John Galt? What a man. :) I read out loud to Claire when I could and even included "excerpts from Atlas Shrugged" on Claire's library summer reading certificate.

The heat of summer

I was home for a day, then we headed off to see my in-laws again and to see one of Rich's best friends (Shayne & Lisa) who were visiting their hometown. My highlight of the trip was going wakeboarding - and I actually got up! Woohoo.

A sunset during our drive.

We sweated out the rest of July & August in our un-air-conditioned house. Wading pools are the BEST. We also enjoyed meeting friends for walks, going to the library for storytimes, meeting other moms at various parks for playgroups, a BBQ at the beach, and a potluck at a lake.

Claire's "baba" with the string wrapped around her leg.

It's so hard when the rings don't go on the stacking toy.

Good thing, breakdowns don't last very long.

Dipping Claire in the lake.

After a cool bath, Claire sports Grandpa K-Lynn's hair (especially on a windy day). :)

Lots of diaper-only time.

Some of the other moms from playgroup. Ketsy, Anna, Jill, Khadija & I.

Rich & I were practically forced to leave Claire home with my friend Ketsy, so we could go out on a date. It was wonderful. I surprised Rich by taking him to see Star Trek at the local theater and afterwards we strolled the dark neighborhood sidewalk, stealing kisses. Thanks, Ketsy!

William & Becky & their Children

Being good sports, William & Becky even went shopping to get coordinating outfits for the family photo shoots. Their pictures turned out beautifully - they are a really photogenic family. I hope some of these end up on their walls at home.

Richard & Maria & their Boys

While in Utah I really wanted to try my hand at taking some photos of the family. So, Richard took a break from work and joined us by a river park. The lighting didn't cooperate with all the shots, but I think some turned out really well. You can see what good friends the boys are too.

We made it home in one piece

Claire was a little survivor for her first long trip away from home. She's used to wood floors and she had a hard time figuring out how to walk on carpet. She fell several times a day and acquired lots of bruises. The scariest part was that she fell down the stairs. I had opened the bedroom door, then mistakenly turned to straighten "one more thing" in the room before I left it. Meanwhile, Claire walked to the top of the stairs. Just as I got to her to reach for her hand, she started a somersault from the top step. She flipped flopped over her head a few times as I chased her down the entire flight of stairs, freaking out enough for the whole house to hear. She flattened out onto her back at the bottom 2 steps and started crying. In my haste I think I stepped on her arm. I picked her up right away, which was probably not smart. But, she was okay. She cried for a minute or two, stayed in my lap for another minute, then crawled out of my lap and surprised me by climbing up the stairs. Lots of prayers were said on my part thanking Heavenly Father that she was not hurt. Lucky girl.

Prior to taking Claire on the plane, I put together several books and toys for her to play with. I even made 2 new toys for her, but they failed at keeping her attention. She was her own entertainment the whole way home and it was honestly hard for me not to laugh. She wanted to test out her skills of climbing so she would slide out of my lap, face me, grab my hands, and climb her way up the seat, only to slide out .5 seconds later. Repeat....repeat....repeat. She kept doing downward dog in my lap so her diaper bum was right in my face. She also made friends with the people on both sides of me. She kept touching the man's watch and she even poked the woman's tummy. I'm glad the woman was a good sport. She then became Miss Grabby Hands and kept reaching for the neighbors snacks and drinks. When I kept pulling her away, she slid down in my lap, to try to kick one of the drinks. Luckily, nothing spilled. I'm catching glimpses of a sneaky toddler. I was thrilled to see Rich at the airport, but it took Claire a couple minutes to go to him. It was sad and strange because she's so attached to both of us. Daddy was so happy when she changed her mind and reached for him.

Grandmother's Garden: Reprise

A few days later I borrowed Maria's car to visit Grandpa & Grandma again. I was eager to spend time with Helen in her sewing room, soaking up any wisdom I could. As I settled into the sewing room, my eyes welled up with tears at all the comfort and love I felt, just from being there again. (Helen wasn't even in the room yet!)

So many memories fill this small room, casual and deep talks with Helen, alone and with siblings packed in there with me. Memories of watching her detailed work on a different sewing project each visit, despite her growing shakiness. Always knowing how gracious she is to lend her sewing abilities: dance pants, bridesmaid and flower girl dresses, and my temple dress. I will always be amazed by her.

Of course, during the visit Claire & I enjoyed the beautiful garden again. Here Claire is picking petals off of the flowers, licking a rock, protesting being placed on a stump, and testing out her running skills on the hill, and swaying on the welcoming bench swing.

In Grandmother's Garden

Look at the lush garden (and Helen said it was a week or two past the peak of blossoming). I wonder how many hours have been spent tending to the garden over the years, and how many hundreds of plants fill the soil here. This view is from the bottom of the hill. What you can't see is the vegetable garden at the side of the house, with it's own abundant crop. Oh, if only I had 1% of the green thumb that my grandparents have. I should have joined them regularly to work in the garden and learn something! Seriously, I want a do-over. Sometimes when Rich and I would stop by and my grandparent's weren't home we would just make our way to the backyard and sit in the bench swing and kiss. :)

William & Becky's daughter.