Strollin' Along

Claire got a present from her friends, Alyssa & Elaina; a stroller!

She loves pushing her "babies" around! It's adorable to see a little mommy in training!












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Fun at Chick-Fil-A

Dan had Monday off before his new contract started, so we spent the day doing fun family things, like playing at Chick-Fil-A!







Claire loved the play area!






Giving Daddy kisses.

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Family Pictures

This past weekend Dan & I celebrated our 4th anniversary. We also had some impromptu family pictures taken. (Otherwise we would have dressed Claire up a bit more, instead of having her in her playing with cousins clothes :)

Dan, Kate, & Claire (15 Months); January 23, 2010

We also got a group shot as we dropped Claire off to stay with Nana & Poppy for the night. In this picture: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Jon, Ben, Cara, Sarah, Jason, Rachel (4), David (2), Daniel (6), Kate, Dan, & Claire (15 Months).

4 Years... Or 5, Depending How You Count It

Four years ago we were just finishing up the rehearsal dinner for the "biggest party" my dad had ever thrown. I was nervous, excited, and desperate for the next day to come.

Dan & I left the rehearsal dinner together so that he could take me to pick up something I'd left back at my parent's house (which was my house for one night longer).

After the stress of the rehearsal and the craziness leading up to the wedding I had reached my limit. Dan, being able to read my moods better than I can myself, took my aside and told me his plan for the rest of the night.

You see, the night of our rehearsal dinner was also the 1 year anniversary of our first date and the beginning of our courtship.

To celebrate that also important event, understandably overshadowed by the wedding the next day, Dan decided we were going to have a little de-stress date and time together before the wedding.

First we went to my house to pick up what I'd forgotten (I honestly couldn't tell you today what that incredibly important item was, but I do know I was very upset that I'd forgotten it), then we went to Wendy's for Frosties and to relax together.

I remember laughing together and thinking to myself how lucky I was to get to marry this wonderful man.

After the Frosties Dan had a brilliant idea. We needed to practice The Kiss.

And we did. Oh how we practiced.

Dan had a vision that we would have the most spectacular first kiss ever, and I can attest to the fact that we did!

We practiced the step in, the dip, and most important of all, The Kiss. Did I mentioned we had the most perfected, practiced, best First Kiss ever? Cuz we did.

And that was the First Kiss of many, many others.

Today we celebrate 5 years of commitment to each other. Tomorrow we celebrate 4 years of our marriage, consecrated by God and a sacred covenant we both take very seriously.

It is all those things, and it's also the most fun adventure either of us have ever been on. Plus that Kiss eventually led to the most precious baby in the world who brings both of us more joy than ever imaginable!

I can't wait to celebrate decades more with my wonderful husband, my rock, my best friend, my lover, and the father of my child[ren].

Belated Tiger Rant

This weekend we were having dinner with some friends of ours, and the husband made a comment that made me feel better about men in general, and certainly Christian men.

I don't have much time or energy to invest in keeping up with celebrities and the gossip surrounding them, but as I don't totally live under a rock I have heard the hoopla surrounding Tiger Woods and his infidelity. Talk about a fall from grace!

We were discussing how much coverage celebrities get and how few Hollywood marriages last. Tiger was brought up as an example of a presumed "good guy" who had a secret life and destroyed his seemingly perfect family.

Mike (our friend) mentioned how sickened he was by the media coverage and analysis by man commentators.

The question he heard often was, "How can a man 'help' himself?" In other words, if presented with the opportunity to cheat, what "real" man can resist?

Is this all we expect from our guys? Really? They're just walking sex hormones with no self control whatsoever?

I am a rational and aware married woman. I know that men are visually stimulated and most have fairly aggressive sex drives; however, I am appalled at the low expectations society has for men, especially in regards to their self control.

Are we to assume that every guy, if given the right opportunity, will be unable to resist being unfaithful? I refuse to believe that!

Women have their part, I don't deny that. I'm certainly all for modesty--though I'm not promoting burqas, or even ill-fitting jumpers--women do have some responsibility for how they dress and comport themselves.

Regardless of what a woman is wearing, how she acts, what she wants, or what she'll let you do to her men are not off the hook regarding their behavior!

There is no excuse for infidelity. Every marriage is difficult, and I know that the pressure and false reality Hollywood creates doesn't help, but man up, guys! If you've made a covenant, stick to it! End of story! Christian or non, decent human beings should be able to stay faithful to a promise.

So glad that Mike, and Dan, and certainly any decent man can recognize that just because you have the opportunity to cheat, you have a choice in the matter.

Good men are such a blessing. Frankly, in today's society decent people in general are such a blessing!

Daddy/Daghter Bonding

Claire loves to cuddle with her daddy in the morning. So incredibly sweet!



-- Via Kate's iPhone

Confession.

I'm one of those annoying people everyone keeps writing about who only pops in to say "I'm pregnant" or "Hello, I'm so sorry I never post!".

Guilty. And I do feel terrible about it. I still read everyone's posts, but it is incredibly difficult for me to figure out how to balance motherhood, wifehood, housekeeping, and real life stuff as well as my internet involvement.

I've started working 2 nights a week at my father's call center in an attempt to baby step our way to financial peace, ala Dave Ramsey. While at work I can type up entries more easily than I can at home where Dan, Claire, or laundry always demands my attention. :) Plus, I don't feel guilty doing it while working, but I do feel guilty blogging while Claire is begging for me to read her a book.

Our lives have changed quite a lot in the last year or so. It's shocking to me that we're already to 2010.

Claire is growing daily and brings more joy to our lives than I ever thought possible. She talks constantly. She says little sentences and always has hugs and kisses for everyone. She is an affectionate child with a desire to please, although she has a willful streak too. Every day is an adventure and we just love being her parents.

My biggest struggle these days is finding balance. I can't seem to juggle it all. It's very frustrating to me. I worry I will fall further into a pit the more children we have.

My whole life seems to be wrapped up in Claire (unhealthy, I know). I spend every waking moment interacting with her, and frankly, it shows. She is wonderful and a joy! But I'm barely treading water elsewhere!

Housework is overwhelming. I can keep things alright on the surface, but anything above that (and heaven forbid, laundry!) is relegated to when company comes over. How's that for embarrassing? I stay home all day but I can barely get all my housework done. Go me.
My evenings with Dan and Claire are precious. Working 2 nights a week, while a blessing to us right now (we really want to be totally debt free, including the house, in the near future) cuts into our family time and of course our couple time as well.

The biggest positive I've seen with our changed schedule is that it has given Dan & Claire a lot more time to bond (she's been pretty much a Mama's girl up until recently). Plus, Dan & I really cherish our time together even more so now.

But trying to, again, find that balance has been so frustrating.

Embarrassing though it is, I badly miss my online interaction. It feels like a void actually. I'm incredibly fulfilled in most areas, but I really miss my friends that have given me support and advice for so many years.

Dan got me an iPhone, which has helped me be able to read posts and things on FB more easily, but it has some sort of glitch where it is very difficult to post things on other people's walls or journals. It's doable, just takes forever. Because of that, I rarely reply to things, even though I read quite bit.

Oh well. I was supposed to feel excited to finally do a "real" post, and now I just feel depressed.
:(

Menu Plan Monday

This week's menu is all about trying to get as much red meat in my diet as possible, due to some fairly severe anemia lately. Dan is thrilled with this excuse for steak! :)

Monday:
Meatloaf
Salad

Tuesday:
Pot Roast
Carrots
Potatoes

Wednesday:
Honey Mustard Chicken
Broccoli

Thursday:
Ravioli
Broccoli

Friday:
Steak
Roast Fingerling Potatoes
Salad

Saturday:
??? Maybe Out

Thanks, http://orgjunkie.com/!

Adventures in Eating!

Claire relishes feeding herself!



Using a spoon takes concentration!



"Mama, I think I have a smudge right here."

-- Via Kate's iPhone

Little Red Wagon

Nana & Poppy got Claire a classic red wagon for her birthday, and she LOVES it!



Daddy & Claire playing with the wagon.



She liked it so much she wanted to take her nap in it! :-)

-- Via Kate's iPhone

Mama's Helper

Claire Ella helps Mama do the morning sweeping.




-- Via Kate's iPhone

Frugal Decor

I love decorating. I'm not the most original, but I know what I like and usually have a pretty good idea how to replicate it for cheap.

Take our living room mantle/fireplace:



I wanted a large mirror for above the fireplace, but was shocked by how expensive gaudy mirrors were, not to mention nice ones!

So we went to a model home auction, courtesy of my blogging friend Julie, and there I bought a huge bright yellow gold mirror. It was fairly hideous, and certainly didn't go with my decor.

But there were nice lines, and for the money it was worth a try!

I was planning on spray painting the frame with some oil rubbed bronze spray paint, to soften the look of the mirror. My mom had the idea to then use some gold Rub'N'Buff to antique the frame and add some dimension.

So for the cost of the mirror at auction (I can't remember the exact price, but it was a steal!), a $3 can of spray paint, and some Rub'N'Buff that my mother already had I now have a mirror I love!



Another thing I had seen and liked was the look of multiple squared off vases put together for a centerpiece. I had 3 glass vases from Thanksgiving and a 50% off coupon from JoAnn Fabrics. I bought 1 stem of silk hydrangeas, but couldn't stomach the price they wanted for glass pebbles for the bottom. Instead I went to the dollar store and found some irregular shaped glass pebbles that I think just add interest to the piece. All in all it cost me less than $5.



Lastly, the fireplace screen, which I love, came from my friend Karen. She had moved and no longer had a woodburning fireplace. She was going to give it to GoodWill but offered it to me first. Score!

These ideas are specific to my house and taste, but I don't think it is too difficult to find little touches out there to make you house a home.

Next week I am going to try combining 2 different quarts of paint samples to make a shade of red I like for an accent wall in a bathroom. We'll see how that works...

-- Via Kate's iPhone

Little Runner

Claire and I played outside today, and Claire took off running. It's so cute seeing her so mobile.






-- Via Kate's iPhone

Claire's First Birthday Update

Dan, Claire, & Kate at the Feast of Tabernacles, 2009 in Lake Tahoe, CA. Classic Sandwich Kisses!

This is over a week late, but between being in California for 2 weeks over her actual birthday and then coming down with the plague, this is the first chance I've had to do this.

The Ambrose Family (Dan, Kate, & Claire) at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, CA on October 7th, 2009 taking a family hike for Claire Ella's 1st Birthday.

Claire's 12 Month Update:

Claire Ella, 12 Months Old, wearing a dress her Mama made before church.

Words:

1. Mama
2. Dada
3. Nummies
4. Nana
5. Poppy
6. Hi
7. Ball
8. Duck
9. One
10. Two
11. Star
12. Bowl
13. Baby
14. Doll
15. No
16. Yes
17. Knock
18. Bow
19. Spoon
20. Cup
21. Toes
22. Button
23. Down
24. Bye bye
25. Bob
26. That
27. Here
28. Juice
29. Turtle
30. Tick Tock
31. Hot
32. Boo
33. Book
34. Moon

Signs:

1. Book
2. Nummies
3. Thank You
4. Please
5. Bath
6. Sorry
7. More
8. All Done
9. Finished
10. Water
11. Gentle
12. Dirty Diaper
13. Drink
14. Waving

Sounds She Can Make (She Can Identify All These Items Too):

1. Horse
2. Cow
3. Chicken
4. Monkey (with arm movements)
5. Elephant (with arm movements)
6. Sheep
7. Snake
8. Donkey
9. Cat
10. Dog
11. Lion (with arm movements)
12. Tiger
13. Bear (with arm movements)
14. Pig
15. Bee
16. Bird
17. Car
18. Fire Engine

Claire on the beach for the first time, Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. On her first birthday, October 7th.

Body Parts She Can Identify:

1. Head
2. Hair
3. Eyes
4. Nose
5. Mouth
6. Tongue
7. Teeth
8. Chin
9. Cheeks
10. Ears
11. Neck
12. Chest/Nummies
13. Belly
14. Belly Button
15. Hands
16. Fingers
17. Elbow
18. Arm
19. Knees
20. Legs
21. Feet
22. Toes
23. Bottom

Claire holding her new Baby Doll, on her 1st Birthday (a wee bit sunburnt from our hike)

Skills/Abilities:

1. Walking (Beginning to Run)
2. Blows Kisses
3. Rubs/Sniffs Noses (Eskimo Kisses)
4. Tells you how old she is (holds up 1 finger and says "One")
5. Calls all circles/spheres "Ball" (her favorite word)
6. Can identify (not say, but point to or select) square, heart, triangle, star, circle
7. Can identify (not say but point to or select) red, blue, orange, yellow, green
8. When asked, "What does a Claire Bear say?" she will go "rawr" with her hands up
9. Waves Hi & Bye Bye
10. Points the correct body part when asked, "Where does the bow/hat/so
11. Can correctly point to every item most of her books, especially her Baby Colors book
12. Obeys "Head Down" directive, even when she's in a fit (which usually calms her)
13. Knows the letter and sound "Z" and will make the "Z" ASL sign when she sees or hears the letter
14. Gives Hugs & Kisses on request
15. Loves "round & round"
16. Can identify most animals and make their sounds
17. Fills in words she knows in songs/books/rhymes
18. Has great association (hears bath, points to a picture of a sponge or rubber ducky; sees ballet shoes pulls out her book and turns to the page with ballet shoes)
19. Can identify people she knows in pictures (Nana, Poppy, Aunts & Uncles especially)
20. Has lots of games/jokes she's made up (pretending to nurse from Dada is her favorite)
21. Pretends to feed her dolly
22. Gives her dolly love (hugs/kisses)
23. Points to individual letters to ask for identification
24. Points to identical letters in different places (2 girls were wearing different sweat shirts and Claire pointed to the letter "R" on both of them)
25. Follows simple to semi-complex directions (ex: "Go to the fireplace and get your orange circle out of the blender then bring it to Mama."
26. Climbs the stairs with supervision (can go from the basement to the 2nd story without stopping and then asks for more)
27. Trys to feed herself with a spoon
28. Stirs and "helps" Mama cook/bake
29. Turns light switches on/off
30. Sees clocks and goes "Tick Tock" and wags her fingers to the seconds
31. Says "dumba dumba dumba" as filler conversation
32. Understands the concept of on/off (lights as well as hats on/off the head)
33. Knows what glasses are, moves Mama's glasses to Dada's eyes
34. Blows on hot food to cool it down
35. Trys to tickle adults
36. "Boops" people's noses
37. Repeats longer words
38. Knows what "inside voice" means
39. "Ssshhhh's"
40. Brushes her own hair and other people's
41. Brushes her teeth
42. Empathizes (will give spontaneous hugs/kisses when people are sad)
43. Communicates what she wants to eat (points, gets excited, or goes MMMMMmmm when you mention what she wants)
44. Obeys "no touch" very well, shows an incredible amount of self control and memory for what she's been told

Claire by a huge cedar tree, at Emerald Bay, October 7th her 1st Birthday

Favorites:

1. Books! Books! Books! She is obsessed with books!!!
2. Her shape sorter (a blender)
3. Her Orange Circle (she carries it around constantly)
4. Pretending to drive
5. Music (she dances, bounces, sings, etc)
6. Ceiling Fans
7. "Drawing" (with pens, pencils, crayons... anything she can get her hands on)
8. Pulling things out of baskets or containers
9. Pulling Kleenex or wipes out of their containers
10. Bows!
11. Baths!
12. And her very favorite in the whole world? Nana! :)

Claire & Dada on our hike at Emerald Bay for her 1st Birthday.

Dan & I are so blessed to be Claire Ella's parents. We adore her, and are so proud of her development and most of all her sweet and loving spirit. We pray that we are able to stimulate, challenge, direct, and guide her to be the best Claire she can be; most of all to love, honor, and fear the Lord.

Claire & Mama on our hike at Emerald Bay.

In most areas Claire is an incredibly easy baby. She is compliant and wants to please. She is intelligent; able to understand most directions and communicate her needs/desires through words and sign language which alleivates many areas of frustration.

Her biggest areas of struggle are is sleep (she still is no where near sleeping through the night, nor does she take long naps during the day) and submitting to her nails being trimmed (where she throws a HUGE fit every time).

Claire's Birthday Dinner

For her first birthday we had a small dinner with close friends and family at the Feast. We specifically requested no presents, since we don't want birthdays to become overwhelming or make birthdays about the "stuff". She had her first taste of refined sugar and dairy as well on her birthday, in the form of carrot cake and cream cheese icing. She wasn't all that excited. :)

Poppy holding Claire Ella, and being a good sport on Claire's Birthday. Lovely Hat! :)

Her friend, Connor Hollon, came and they had fun giving each other kisses and playing with balloons.

Nana gives Claire one of her presents, a tiny gold heart necklace--Claire's first jewelry. Claire loves it, as well as the adorable Bear Card! :)

It was a very casual and fun party, and the birthday girl was totally exhausted after! :)

I can't express the amount of joy you've brought us, Claire. Happy First Birthday, Baby Bear. We love you so much!

It's Been A While!

After almost a full 4 weeks without being on the computer (save the iPhone email/Facebook aps), I ventured back to LJ today.

My motive was a rather strong Text from a dear friend, telling me I really needed to check out her journal, where she had posted a pregnancy announcement a few days ago. Yeah, I can't believe I missed that!

Now I'm wondering what else I missed?!!?

Things are going better around here. Claire's ear infection is better, Camp Outreach is over (and was a crazy success, BTW, check out the links below), and we're no longer hosting boatloads of people.

I do feel totally disconnected though, these days. There's just not enough of me to go around. I can't seem to keep the house together, Claire taken care of, and have any spare time for Dan, let alone friends. I wish I could be one of those moms who can just handle it all so well. Cuz guess what? I don't. I stink at juggling.

But my heart is being continually pulled toward weeding out the less necessary things and focusing on my family and home. I will still be around, but much less. I've made my peace with that.

Links to Camp Outreach News Articles:

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?s=10714470

http://www.fox59.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=9b6a9e44-e629-45d7-ba1b-c4bb2d576c4d&cat=empty&src=front

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/region_1/Camp_Outreach_fixing_up_Indy_community_20090713

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090715/NEWS/907150372/Camp+Outreach+in+town+to+fix+residences