Happiness is....

....pulling into a parking space only to find this handsome face peeking out of the front window of the pickup truck parked in front of you!!

As I took this photo, I realized that the thing I love most about dogs is that they only have to BE to brighten up someone else's day.

Clara, at 7 Months

Likes: Big Sissy, crawling fast, standing (using anything & everything as support), music class, sweet potatoes, pears, bananas, Puffs, Hubbell, Peek-A-Boo, dancing, the bath, rocking with Mommy, riding in the Bjorn with Daddy, balloons, reading books, other children, chatting.

Dislikes: having her diapers changed, getting dressed, wearing a bib, anything that restrains her ~ high chair, carseat, stroller (it's not easy).

Nicknames: ClaraBelle, Lulu, Clara Lu, Clara Boo, Clara Poo Poo, Weezy, Weezer, Clara Bara, Lil' Sissy.

Recent Milestones: first tooth (March 6th), crouching on her knees, standing, walking around the furniture, standing and letting go with one hand (always accompanied by a smile), banging on things to make noise, putting pacifier in her mouth by herself, responds really well to her name, loves to pick up small, small objects with her thumb and forefinger.

Words I'd use to describe Clara: sunny, sweet, talkative, charming, engaging, curious, adventurous, ambitious, sharp, great explorer, horrible sleeper, fun, free spirited, adorably cute.

PS ~ I wish I'd had a blog when Sophie was small. Of course, I was too busy working and probably didn't even know what a blog was! But I'd love to have a record like this of my thoughts and observations, etc. on her babyhood. Oh how I wish! She was the best and easiest baby. So precious....

Signs of Love Are Everywhere!

You just have to look for them. I saw this one last Friday during our nature walk. I pointed this one out to Sophie and she yelled, "It's a heart, Mommy!". Exactly.

A First Soccer Practice

Last night the entire family went to Sophie's very first soccer practice. Both Alain and myself adore soccer and we were so excited to start the season. Both of us were hoping SO HARD that Sophie would like it....and we were not to be disappointed. The little monkey was smiling throughout the entire hour. YAY! Let's hope it continues. We took a few shots and here they are....

Sophie enjoys a water break with her teammates.

An action shot.

Clara spent the entire hour crawling around in the grass. Checking out the other parents, their bags and coolers, etc. She had a blast!

Did I mention it was about 75 degrees? In mid-March? Craziness. But so nice.

The sisters discuss the details of the first practice....

Suburban Field Journal

I took these photos while sitting at a stoplight this weekend. Not too shabby.

Friday Afternoon Nature Walk

When Clara & I picked Sophie up from school this afternoon, we took off for a walk around the corporate park. I know that sounds crazy but this particular park has a number of nice trails and there's plenty of nature to catch our attention, as captured in the above photos.

P.S. ~

This gorgeous bird certainly captured my attention. Anyone know what type of bird this is? Kay? Bueller? Bueller?

Meeting Yaron

After a long wait of just over a year and a half, we finally got to meet our nephew/cousin, Yaron. As we imagined, he was adorable, engaging and fun. With the chaos of having three children under age five in the house all week, I regret to say that I don't have many photos. Pooh. But the ones I do have are pretty darn cute....see for yourself....

All three cousins in the back of the car. So cute. (In case you were wondering, Sophie had her face painted at a birthday party!).

Yaron, with his Papa, enjoy the lake while spending an afternoon at the park.

Yaron enjoys the slide with his Mama.

Yaron leans in to plant a kiss on Baby Clara.

Yaron in his Kermit shirt. Adorable. One of my favorite things about Yaron is that he seems to love the Muppets as much as we do. Although he is the biggest fan of the "Mahna Mahna" song I've ever met.

Enjoying lunch with Yaron at Mac's Speed Shop.

We love you, Yaron ~ miss you already!!!