Blessed

Slowly but surely getting caught up, both with posting on my blog and reading all of yours. It amazes me how quickly little ones change, everyone's kids look so much more grown up in just the 2 months I was out. Anywho, life continues to go well. Plugging along and getting very excited for Christmas. Here's what we did right around when Claire turned 2 months old:
Just my cute boys looking handsome before church. Davis looks chubby in the face in this picture, but not so much in real life. Silly, naughty little men--but handsome all the same.
Claire is 2 months old! It went so fast and she is getting so big. She is such a good baby, hardly ever fusses and has smiles and coos she gives out regularly. We just adore her.
At her 2 month appt she was 11 lbs 7 oz and 23.5 inches long. 50th percentile in weight and 80th in height. So very different from her brothers. Lowell put her in a 3-6 month sleeper the other day and I was shocked when it fit. No! Stop growing you silly little lady.
The other weekend we tended my darling nieces while their parents went to see Harry Potter (we'll be going one of these days) and had fun playing with them. I got a chocolate Halloween kit on clearance which Davis had finally earned enough stickers to make, so we thought that we be a fun project. Here's Davis and H with their teeth,
and Carter with his eye. We also tried to do fuse beads but they kept getting tipped over so poor H left unhappy and the kitchen was covered in beads. Oh well, good times. A storm was blowing in so we hopped outside to fly a kite as well.
It wasn't the best conditions but we did get it up for a little while before we all froze. This is Carter flying Mickey. That week we also went to Trafalga while the weather held and had fun on the race track and laser tagging. It really has been the best pass, we have spent a lot of time at both Trafalgas and the boys just love it. They are getting better at mini golf too. :)
Just some shots of my little sweetie
Smiley girl
She does the furrowed eye brow thing a lot. She scratched her cheek a mean one--it still has a mark :(. I hope it doesn't scar.
Chunky cheeks, munch them right up!
So on to her blessing day, November 7, 2010. She was just about 8 weeks old and it was right before I had to go back to work. We sent out a few invites and had a wonderful turn out of family. My mom worked hard on the blessing gown which was made from my wedding gown. I won't ever fit in it again and my sisters will want their own, plus it wasn't that expensive to begin with. I still couldn't cut it up myself though, I had my mom do it. We kept the bodice intact which I may shadowbox with my bouquet. I love how the dress turned out and love the little headband we altered as well.
I did all the beading to match my dress though the lace and ribbons were new additions. We'll use the rest of the fabric to make her a baptism dress in 8 or so years.
This was the night after she was blessed. Pics were hard to get earlier but I love her little face.
An attempt at a family pic after the blessing, Carter wasn't having it, it was too cold for the baby and well, it just didn't work out. The blanket was knitted by my mom and sister.
These were the brethren who participated in her blessing. I think of them kind of like godfathers for Mormons--men who will be there to support Claire in her membership in the church as she grows. They are all Claire's grandpas, uncles, or great-uncles (one great-great in there too).
Most of the crew, so wonderful of everyone to come and support our little miss. I know it is a stress and a hassle to get together some times but I am so grateful to have a big, loving, wonderful family. My Dad comes from a family of 7 kids and my mom 6, so I have a lot of aunts and uncles and 40+ first cousins. Plus a number of great-aunts and uncles we are close with and then their kids and also my cousin's have kids now as well. We are growing into an even bigger family and I love that my kids have so many relatives they know love and care about them. We are truly blessed. The blessing itself was beautiful, Lowell and I were fasting that morning hoping he would be inspired with the right things to say. For posterity's sake, I'll record what I remember of the blessing--he blessed her to be healthy body and mind, that she would make a conscious choice to be baptized when she is 8 and marry in the temple. He spoke of how she has been a softening influence on our family and how we are grateful she is with us and also that her sweet spirit will continue throughout her life. Finally he said that she would be a good influence on her brothers and help them grow up to be good men. I loved that part--I already think it is coming to pass as well. Following the blessing we had a lunch with several soups and yummy desserts and we all got to visit. We had a video of Claire that Robbie cranked out for us the night before even though he had just flown in from Australia. It was to the song, "What heaven sees in you" which just about makes me cry every time. I'll have to post the words on here some time, I love it. It talks about 3 dresses, blessing, baptism, and wedding and I found it especially poignant since my wedding gown would be the base for the other 2. It really was a wonderful day.
Earlier in the week we stole Daddy away for a visit to the zoo. Here's Claire watching a giraffe, she was so interested in him.
And the usual pic of the boys on the carousel. It was a good visit--we always love it when Daddy comes.

Okay that takes us up to Thanksgiving which was just last week so we're close. I better hurry though as there are so many Christmas activities upcoming to post about. Dutch Christmas is this weekend, plus a baptism and the UVMOM couple party. It's all fun though, I think I love this time of year as much as the kids do. I hope you are all enjoying it as well. Loves!