Apple Annie's

Paul came to visit us this weekend, which was wonderful. We showed him around Jason's school, the town, and went to Apple Annie's. It's a tiny restaurant in PA with desserts the size of your head. Clara was so excited to take Paul there. We haven't seen him since Angela's funeral and we've missed him. I'm so glad he came to visit and that he's part of our family.

At Our House

Here's what's been happening around our house. My mom gave Clara this darling Christmas dress, which she calls her "ladybug dress." As I was trying to get a picture of her in it, she showed me the biggest yawn I've ever seen. Impressed?


We opened a couple presents from family, which she loved. Look at that face!

Snow Day

Last Saturday it snowed all day which Clara loved! She wanted to go outside and play with the other girls in our neighborhood, but she doesn't have any snow clothes. This is the first year she's wanted to play in the snow, so we improvised. We put a few layers of clothes on her, and then found a pair of shoes that are too big for her. Then we put on two pairs of socks and a small Ziploc bag over each foot, inside the shoe. I know it sounds strange, but her feet were warm and dry! (We are going to invest in some winter play clothes...don't worry.)



We made this mini snowman, which she delightedly kicked over. And kicked in the head.

Snippets

Clara loves to draw on "Daddy's (dry erase) board" and I love the little people she draws. She never draws them on paper, so I had to take a picture. She calls them "Mr. Potato" (Mr. Potato Head).


One night Clara wanted to carry her baby around stuffed in her shirt. It actually worked because the neck of her shirt was elastic. She tried to do it again for days after and would get frustrated that she couldn't cram her baby down the front of her t-shirts. She sure loves that baby.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I found this recipe and thought I should share it because it's the perfect time of year for warm pumpkin bread and melted chocolate chips. This is super easy because you won't have to wait for the dough to rise and it is delicious.

3 C sugar
1 C cooking oil
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 C water
1 15-oz can pumpkin
Chocolate chips to taste

1. Grease bread pans. In a very large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well; set aside.

2. In another large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Alternately add flour mixture and water to sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Mix in chocolate chips.

3. Bake in 350 degree oven for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 1o minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Pumpkin Time!

Last week we went to a pumpkin patch with some ladies from our ward and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather and lovely autumn leaves on the drive out. Clara especially liked picking up the pumpkins and tossing (rather hard) back onto the ground. We managed to play in the pumpkin patch before we were overtaken by the hoards of school kids. I love autumn!

Towel Bibs

I learned how to make these fabulous bibs out of towels at a Relief Society activity a few weeks ago. My friend Lydia made the green one and I made the red one at the activity. Kids can wear them until they're up to 4 years old. They are super easy and are so big and wonderful and I don't use any of our other ones anymore. I'm excited to make more of them!

My First Quilt

I've been wanting to make Clara a twin-sized quilt for when she moves into a twin bed, which will be soon. I got fabric a few weeks ago and thought maybe I could get the top done by Christmas, and take it to my mother-in-law to quilt. But then my in-laws came last week, and we finished the top! I love it! I have a wonderful mother-in-law and I had so much fun making it. She's going to make a blanket from the scraps for Clara's baby, too. (The back of the quilt will be a blue similar to the shade that's behind the fruit)




Clara loved it and promptly brought out her tea party set to celebrate. Even better, it matched her band-aid!

Clara Boo

Here are a few things that Clara has been up to lately:
'Sleeping' (and snoring) in her 'bed' on the bottom step
Reading books and cereal boxes during breakfast (I did this when I was little)

Really enjoying her new tent from her grandparents

Learning to love ice cream (she has a Joker-ish smile around her mouth from drinking the melted ice cream out of the bowl)

And dressing up in Play-Do jewelry (doesn't she look so grown up?)

She didn't get this from me

Mommy: You have the best Daddy in the whole world, don't you?
Clara: Yeah.
Mommy: He's a lot of fun, isn't he?
Clara: Yeah, but sometimes he's old.

Update

Jason: Jason's been studying hard and doing well in school. He's adjusting well to the school routine. We are working in the "older kids" nursery at church and had our first day yesterday. We're excited about it...but hopefully it will get easier! He's playing flag football with some guys from church and took a head to the chin last week, but he loves it.

Kristen: I am really enjoying it here. The girls in our ward our so sweet and make me feel so welcome and included. They're wonderful. I'm going to start making a twin-sized quilt for when Clara moves into a big bed. I've gotten all my sewing projects out and am getting motivated again to get my sewing machine out.

Clara: Clara loves it here, too. She loves playing with the kids in our neighborhood and on all the playsets. She always says, "There are playsets in the backyard that I LOVE!" She has decided that she will be Cinderella for Halloween--unless she'll be Tinkerbell. She points out all the leaves changing colors and loves seeing the horses near our house.

Some videos

Before church on Sunday, Clara walked into our bathroom and sang us some beautiful songs, apparently from her Curious George book. She also likes to hold a book and twirl around in circles, while singing a similar song. It makes me laugh. Enjoy!




We sang this birthday song to my dad and she's loved it ever since.




We listen to the Winnie the Pooh CD every single time we ride in the car, and she practically has it memorized. She'll randomly quote different parts of the story throughout the day. She recited the beginning of it for us the other day, and although it's a little muddled and a few words are missing, here's the beginning of the story. I have no idea what she says at the end, which is unusual.

Pooh does his exercised and works up an appetite. "Pooh reaches into his cupboard and hears a buzzing noise. And the only reason for a buzzing noise is there must be a bee. And the only reason for being a bee is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it!"

Four months

It's been four months since my sweet sister Angela passed away. I love her and miss her.

Cooper's Rock

To celebrate Jason's last Saturday before classes started, we went to Cooper's Rock State Forest. We went with a couple families from our ward, and Clara enjoyed playing with the two little boys. The forest was beautiful and will be spectacular in the autumn. The kids tried to fish for a little while, we had a picnic lunch and then went to Cooper's Rock. It's a gigantic rock/boulder that overlooks the valley.

Cupcakes

Sarah and Clara made cupcakes for Grandpa's birthday, which we frosted to look like flowers. We had the party at the pool and sang happy birthday while the thunder clouds rolled in above us. Luckily we got home before the storm broke.

Transplants

We made the big move to West Virginia last week and have had a busy week. Jason's orientation started today and his first day of class starts next week. We have gotten mostly unpacked and somewhat organized. Clara is more than happy to see her toys again and keeps exclaiming, "I've never seen THAT toy/book before!" Our ward seems like a BYU ward, with lots of transitional, college/dental/medical school-aged families in it. I think we'll like it here!

The Evergreen State

A few weeks ago we went to visit Jason's family in Washington, where we had a wonderful vacation. Clara loved picking blueberries, strawberries and eventually raspberries from the garden. She even saw a rabbit in Grandma's garden! She loved telling us about that for days.





Thoroughly enjoying Woodland Park Zoo.

Reading with Papa, a.k.a. Patches the Clown. Ever since she found out that Papa used to be a clown, she thinks that every clown is Papa.

Grandma bought a vast quantity of bubbles and sidewalk chalk, which Lily and Clara had lots of fun with. Clara especially likes us to lay down and draw chalk outlines around our bodies. Hmm... (At the bottom of the post is a video of Clara and her bubbles)




Somehow these daisies made it into several pictures. Doesn't Jason look so sweet?