Claire's Blessing Day

Two Months Old!

Two months already! Wow! Claire is so much fun! Her eyes are definitely blue - the first of the Anderson kiddos. She's still hanging on to most of her beautiful dark hair and her sweet little legs are getting some of that baby chub that I love! She is getting into more of a rhythm during the day now, where she sleeps, eats, then is awake - happy, smiley, and talkative for about 10 minutes. We affectionately call it her "happy window." When the happy window closes, she gets a little fussy and just wants some snuggle time either held wrapped up in a blanket or worn by mommy in a sling or wrap until she falls asleep again. I'm sure loving all the snuggle time with my Claire Bear!


I love you, Claire! Even more than last month.

Summertime Americana Mantle

I wanted to do an Americana theme for my summertime mantel this year, but I didn't really want to spend any money on it, so I "shopped the house" for things I already had. I didn't think I would find much, but I actually surprised myself.

This LIBERTY sign I painted back in my sign-painting days. I used to have an eBay store a couple years back. The star next to it is a Christmas tree topper.
White dishes I already had, picked up from Target and various thrift stores. The apples, books, and star garland were also things I already had.
In my head, I thought this plate said, 4th on it, so I thought it would be perfect (4th of July), but then when I got it out, I realized it said, No. 4. Oh well, close enough.
The big red barn star I've had for a few years. I bought it on a trip to Amish country with my mom to decorate my family room in Ohio. I really like how it looks over the big mirror.

In the end, I did actually end up spending a few bucks on the flags and other small star at Joann's, but they were on sale, so it was still pretty cheap. And here it is with the mountain of folded clothes I should be putting away instead of taking pictures. Just keepin' it real.

Oh Boy...

At the end of sacrament meeting on Sunday, Hannah turned to the man sitting next to us on the bench, gave him a flirty smile and said, "Hi." The man smiled and waved back at Hannah. She then turned to me, very self-satisfied and said, "People love me."

One Month Old

My sweet Claire is one month old today! Wow! That was the fastest month of my life! I can definitely tell she has grown and her chicken legs are looking less skinny. She is a lot more alert when she's awake now, focuses more on faces and will even smile on occasion. She still wakes up about every 2.5 to 3 hours, but I'm feeling less sleep deprived. Maybe I'm just getting used to it. :)

Claire loves to be swaddled in a blanket, but she seems most content being worn in a wrap, sling or mei tai. I'm getting lots of good snuggle time with her!
This adorable quilt was made by my friend, Marika. I'm planning to take a picture of Claire on it every month up to a year to show her growth. I was hoping to get a front shot of her, but every time I turned her over, she cried. Oh well. The girl likes to be on her tummy!
I love the sweet froggy legs!

Here's a video for the grandmas:

Mariners Game

Yesterday we spent Memorial Day in Seattle for Hansen Elementary day at the Mariners game. Andrew is such a good big brother! He made sure to hold Logan's hand whenever we were in a crowd. I didn't even have to ask him to.
Cool baseball bat sculpture!
We had to climb quite a few flights of stairs to find our seats. But, hey, they were cheap!
What a gorgeous day in Seattle! I love this view of the skyline. Can you see the Space Needle?
I was going to say that this was our first Mariners game, but actually, our first Mariners game was almost two years ago in Cleveland. Only that time, we were cheering for the Indians!
Claire, enjoying her very first Major League Baseball game on her three-week birthday. She only woke up once to eat, then she went back to sleep.
The food was a big hit with the kids! We enjoyed yummy chocolate covered strawberries and this rainbow snow cone.
Logan really got into the dancing!


And, oh yeah, there was some baseball too. Go Mariners!


After the game, we headed to the Seattle Center to see the Folklife Festival. My camera battery was dead by then, but all I can say is, WOW, Seattle is diverse! :) There was lots of food, crafts, performers, and CRAZINESS! We also stopped in at the Pacific Science Center to play until they closed.

Yesterday was also our anniversary, so we went out for dinner with the whole gang to Macaroni Grill. It may not have been super romantic, but it seemed like a fitting way to celebrate 11 wild and crazy years!

Happy Anniversary, Babe! Thanks for our four beautiful children and all the love and support you give to me! Thanks for being a fun dad and for all your long hours and hard work to provide for us. There's no one else I'd rather share my life with! I love you so much!

Double Rainbow

We saw something awesome today. We were driving from are friends house and we saw a double rainbow. It was so cool and so bright. It was the biggest rainbow I have ever seen. I hope I can see another one soon.

Claire's First Sunday at Church

We took Claire to church for the first time yesterday. We dressed her in a green shirt and brown skirt from Claire's BFF, Julia. She wore the green and brown bow that Hannah wore to Dani and Spencer's wedding. The cute giraffe banket was made by Mommy's friend, Renee.

Claire was so good at church and slept the whole time in her baby wrap.

When we got home, she was so wide awake and bright-eyed that I couldn't resist taking a million pictures of her! It's so much fun to see her eyes open these days!

Happy two-weeks-old today, Claire Bear!