Swimming Lessons

Claire is in her third round of swimming lessons and she is loving it like always. She was very excited for this session because she got to go without mom or dad. She told everyone that it was just her, Henry, and her teacher in the water. She loves her buddy Henry and they have so much fun together at swimming. Claire is doing a wonderful job and she is improving each week.

Claire's 3rd Birthday Party

Claire decided she needed a princess party this year so the lucky girl got a princess party. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but Claire was very persistent about it so I knew it would make her very happy. Thank goodness Claire has a wonderful and talented aunt who can make amazing cakes. I knew Megan would do a great job, but the cake turned out even better than we expected. She had a great party with family and friends. She got so many great gifts. She is one spoiled girl. It reminded me of how lucky we are to have such amazing people in our lives.

Cousins

Becky, Erick and the kids couldn't make it to Claire's birthday party so they asked to come up the day before and celebrate with her early. We had a great time catching up and watching the kids play. They will definitely cause some trouble in their future. :)

Claire Turns 3

I can't believe our girl turned three this year. I don't know where the time has gone. She has turned into such a sweet, smart, and funny little girl. She keeps us on our toes, but she makes us laugh every day. I think she got more than just her looks from her dad. :) We asked Claire what she wanted to do for her actual birthday and she picked MOA for the rides and Applebees for dinner. Her birthday was on a Friday so we picked her up from Renee's house and headed out to the mall before it got too busy. Claire informed me that I couldn't go on the rides with her because Ainsley is too little so I got to watch as her and her dad hit up several rides together. I love that she is always thinking about her baby sister. After about 2 hours of rides we headed back to Cottage Grove for dinner at Applebees. Claire was very excited to tell the waitress several times that it was her birthday, but when about 10 of them came to sing to her she got very shy. After they left she loved talking about it so I know she liked it. Then we headed back to our house for presents and cake. Claire has been asking for a princess castle for the last month so Pete did some research and found this beautiful wooden house for Claire's Barbies. He did such a great job finding the perfect gift and putting it together for her. It was priceless when Claire pulled the sheet off the house and realized what she got. She has to use a stool to reach the top level so we know she has many more years to play with it and hopefully her sister will enjoy it too. She also got to open presents from Uncle Larry, Aunt Jen, Matt, and Kristina. She is one spoiled little girl. After all the presents we sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed some cake. Claire informed us that Riley needed cake too so over course he got a piece too.

Baby Ava

Claire and I got to spend some quality time with Ava Friemann a couple weeks back and we loved every minute of it. Ava is perfect and such a sweet little girl. Claire was all about her and had to hold her. I think she will be a great big sister.

New Year's Eve

It's amazing how our celebrations have changed over the years, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Pete was at a friend's wedding so Claire and I went to the Huebscher's house for a get together with our friends. Claire and I only made it until 9:30, but we had a great time chatting, playing, and eating great food before we had to leave. Claire loves her buddy Henry so they played together pretty much the whole time.

Two Peas in a Pod

Pete and Claire are the best buddies and I love watching them play together. They can find fun with anything. Claire is a lucky girl to have such a fun dad to play with. She has become more of a daddy's girl lately which works out well since mom will be spending a lot of time with Ainsley soon. :)

Grandpa Jeff and Grandma Betsy

It's amazing how fast our visits with my parents go and I always forget to get pictures of them with Claire so I had to get a couple cute ones before they left.

Christmas with the Aslesons

I love when we get together with the Aslesons because the girls have so much fun together. The girls loved playing Barbies and dress up together. Of course Jennie and I bought the girls matching shirts and pajamas so we got some pretty adorable pictures of them together. I'm thinking next year will be pretty cute with four adorable girls in matching clothes.

Girl's Night Christmas

We had another fun night with the girls and kids celebrating Christmas. The kids always have a great time playing together and it of course they loved opening their presents. We are lucky to have great friends.