Claire's 1st Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving in Birmingham. We alternate holidays with our families so this year we had Thanksgiving with Bucky's side of the family. We went up to Birmingham Wednesday afternoon. Claire slept the whole way there so she was in a great mood when she got there. We went and ate pizza with Mr. and Mrs. Street and then went back to their house. Bucky's cousin, Melanie, and her two children, Callan and Colton, and Aunt Brendan came to visit. Mindy and Jake got there shortly after. Claire had fun playing with everyone. She gave us a hard time going to bed but finally did around 9:00.

We got up Thanksgiving morning and the elves had come. This is a new tradition to me. It looked like Christmas morning! Claire got all sorts of neat Christmas stuff including: Fisher Price Manager scene, Rudolph book and movie, books from Mindy, Santa plate and cup, adorable Christmas socks, a little Christmas tree for her room and a lot more! She loved everything! We ate a wonderful breakfast and got ready for the day. We cooked our casseroles and watched the Macy's parade. We went over to Aunt Brendan and Uncle Russell's for lunch. Claire went to sleep shortly after we got there. We ate a delicious lunch. After Claire woke up from a 45 minute nap (typical) we took some pictures. She then enjoyed some bananas and played outside with Callan and Colton. We left around 4:00 and headed back to the Street's. Mindy, Jake, Bucky, and I went to see Four Christmases. It was really funny. Thank you Grandma and Grandaddy for all of our elf gifts and for babysitting!

Claire woke up at 5:00am on Friday. She wouldn't go back to sleep for anything! Bucky and I got up with her and went to Kohl's. I had seen some diamond earrings on early bird special. Of course, they had already sold the 2 pairs they had by the time we got there at 5:40. Sad! Claire played a little while and she and I went back to bed. She was sleeping so good and then Bucky came in to tell us he was leaving and woke her up. She was in a good mood so I let her get up and play. I got ready and we went over to Gran's house. We visited with my Mom and Dad for most of the day. Claire took 2 45 minute naps. Bucky and Dad went to Simmons to look at guns. Then my brother, Tracie, Daniel and Caroline came over. We only got to see them for a little while. We went back to the Street's house for a delicious dinner of chicken casserole. We all ate WAY too much. Mindy bathed Claire and got her ready for bed. Then Grandma put her to bed. Mindy, Jake, and I played cards with their friend Krista. I lost the singles round but Mindy and I won the team round. They are a lot more competitive than I am but it was fun to win!

Claire had a rough night. She was up at 12:30am, 3:30am, and finally at 5:30. She was still tired so Bucky brought her back up to sleeping me at 6:45. She wouldn't go back to sleep. We wouldn't have tried so hard but we were taking her to see Santa at 10:00. I knew she would be a grouch if she didn't go back to sleep. I got ready while Bucky drove her around. She slept for like 20 minutes in the car. She seemed okay so we got her dressed to go see Santa. We were the first ones in line. Daniel and Caroline came too. Claire didn't mind Santa at all. She isn't really scared of anything which kind of worries me. I guess she is still too little to know. We got a cute picture and then headed back to Auburn. We got home, unloaded, and ate lunch. It rained all afternoon. Claire took a nap during the game and so did I. We should have stayed asleep because Auburn started doing bad when I woke up. Sad! We watched the game, ate dinner, and got Claire ready for bed.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was great to see our family. We love Birmingham but it always good to be home. I never thought I could call Auburn home permanently, but I know now that I will never leave, unless God leads us elsewhere.

Shutters

The New and Improved...

Here are some pictures of the progress on our house. We have been having it painted for over a month now. I has taken way more time and money than we anticipated. But, I am pleased with how it looks. I tried to find some old pictures of the outside but couldn't. I think they are on my Mom's camera. I always hated the way it looked (stained walls with red trim) so I am sure I didn't go out of my way to make pictures of it. All we lack on the house is the shutters. You can see some mock-ups they made. I made a few changes to them and of course that isn't the color. They are going to be a deep brown, almost black. I really like the doors. Bucky doesn't like the color but I think we are stuck with it. We also had new door knobs installed. They are still working on the shed. Maybe it will be done by Christmas....

Happy Thanksgiving!

We wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Our family has so much to be thankful for this year. The Lord has blessed us with a beautiful, healthy, happy little girl. Elizabeth Claire Street has been such a joy since the first moment we saw her. Our lives are forever changed just by this one little person. We both thank God every day for her.

We are also very thankful for all of our wonderful friends and family. We would not be the people we are without each and every one of you. The support, love, and guidance we receive from you helps us every day of our lives. We look forward to our trip to Birmingham this week. Hope everyone has a great week!

7 Months Old!

It is hard to believe that Claire is 7 months old. I try to think back to when she was 7 days old and I can't! That seems like a blur. It is amazing how much a baby can change in 7 months. Above is a picture from my dinner with my friends. Getting to know this group of girls has been such a blessing. I met them through a breastfeeding support group at the hospital. They have been a life saver. No matter what question or issue we have going on, there is always someone who has had the same experience. They have helped me keep my sanity and not worry about every little thing. They are wonderful mothers who have become my good friends. Not to mention Claire loves playing with all the babies. Because she stays home with the babysitter, she doesn't have daily interaction with other children. She loves seeing her friends and I really do think she recognizes and remembers them. Anyways, they have helped us so much. I worked Tuesday so not too much going on then. Wednesday, Claire and I just hung out at the house most of the day. Bucky got off early which was nice. Claire and I went over to Elyse's house to plan Laura Anglea's baby shower. That was fun. Claire was really good and patient. We went to baby gym this morning and Ashley met us at the mall. She took Claire home and went to work.

Good news.. our house is almost finished being painted. It has taken MUCH longer than we thought, but I am pleased. They lack a little on our house and then some on the shed. I will take some pictures tomorrow after they paint the doors so you can see the progress.

I am off tomorrow so Claire and I will probably run a few errunds. She has to get her 2nd dose of the flu shot. It wasn't too bad the first time. I think it just makes her little leg sore. Wish us luck!

War Eagle Anyways!

Claire had another fun weekend. She was wonderful. I think she is back to her old self. Mrs. Street came early on Friday. She had lots of hand-me-down clothes from Melanie and Alison (Bucky's first cousins). They are great! I kept everything except a few things that were monogrammed. We appreciate them so much! The 3 of us tried to go shopping down town but it started pouring so we turned around and came back. Bucky was home so we enjoyed a 4-wheeler ride while Claire and Mrs. Street took a little nap. I haven't been on the land behind us before. There is 70+ acres directly behind us owned by a local lady. She doesn't live there so Bucky rides his horse back there sometimes (with her permission of course). He took me back there on Friday and now I have a new goal. To buy that land! It is beautiful. I have always been a big dreamer. If only money were no object. Maybe one day... We all went out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's. Claire sat in the high chair and ate her baby food like a big girl.

Saturday was pretty laid back for me and Claire. Everyone went to the game and Bucky went to a field trial. We went to Wal-Mart kind of early. We came back and bundled up and swang. Bucky hung the swing for her by the goldfish pond. You can see the one we took down because no one ever sat on it. Claire came in and took a 2 and 1/2 hour nap. She NEVER does that. It was great. I cooked some and cleaned some and watched TV. Wonderful! She woke up and at dinner with us. Then our wonderful friends Brian and Selah Stanfield came over. They live in GA so we don't see them as much as we would like. Claire loved playing with Selah!

Sunday, the Mr. and Mrs. Street, Mindy, Jake, and Mr. and Mrs. Stanfield came over. They stayed for a short visit. Mindy and Claire played hard. Mindy was able to get her to take a 2 hour nap! Yeah again. She woke up happy. Bucky and I took her to the park. When we pulled up, our friends Emily and Graham were there. Claire and Graham swang together. It was cold so we came home. Then our friends Ali and Robby came up. Robby lives in our rental house. Bucky and Robby rode horses. Then Mr. Harkins, Walker, and Patrick stopped by. A lot of visitors in one day. But it was great! Claire loves the attention and activity.

We went shopping this morning for Christmas presents. Baylee met us at Tiger Town. It was a pretty successful run for only about 2 hours. Claire is napping now. I am going to Niffers for MNO and Bucky has a hunting club meeting tonight. Hope Claire has fun with sweet Ashley!

Teething, Birthday Party, and Baby Gym

Happy Birthday Lilly!

I guess she doesn't like the tunnel.

She does like the balls.

Claire, Dura, and Graham
Driving!

Petting her horse.

Riding with Daddy!

Claire hasn't quite been her self this week. She normally plays and entertains herself with no problem. She is easy to make smile and is very talkative. She selpt from 8pm-6am on Monday night. I was super excited. I thought she would be fired up and ready to play. But she was kind of out of it. She just sat there. We went to our friend Lilly's 1st birthday party. Claire loves Lilly. They play together a lot. Most of our friends from the breastfeeding support group came. They are the best group of mommies and babies. We couldn't make it without them. There are some cute pictures of some of them. I had to leave before the end to go to work. Ashley, our sweet babysitter, came and picked her up. Claire had a rough afternoon and evening while I was at work. She again slept through the night and woke up crying at 6am. I know it's not going to be a good day if she wakes up crying instead of smiling. I hated to leave her, but this was my week to work 3 days in a row. It is hard but now I am off until Tuesday.

We went to our baby gym class today. It is a lot of fun. I think it is more of a work out for me than Claire. But I need it! She really loves the balls and the parachute. She just still didn't seem like herself. We then went to our group that meets at the hospital. We stayed a little while and went by CVS on our way home. I know it is crazy to go by work on your day off, but I like for my co-workers to see her since I talk about her the whole time I am at work. We came home and both took a nap together. That is my favorite. It helps her sleep longer and I can rest to. Bucky came home and took Claire for a 4-wheeler ride. That is when she really came to life. She sat at the dinner table with us and played with Daddy while I cleaned up the kitchen. She was talking and really having fun. Bucky can always make her laugh. She is now asleep and will hopefully rest well. I guess she is teething. Who knows! We are looking forward to seeing everyone who is coming down for the AU/GA game. War Eagle!