Princess Claire...could it be?

Claire had a birthday party last week and the theme was "princess". Claire doesn't have anything princess or dress up clothes because it hasn't ever been her interest. I clearly remember her yelling at someone just last August..."I DON'T LIKE PRINCESSES!!!". That was until we went to Disneyland and she started to grow fond of them. She has even started piling on the jewels and my heels and striking a pose while saying, "I'm fancy!". Seeing a castle can do that to a girl! We borrowed this dress from a friend for the party (thank you Liz and Scarlett!!). She was Rapunzel (she only knows who that is from a coloring book we have). What a cutie pie. Nothing like a princess wearing purple crocs. No glass slippers here!! She really loved seeing Sleeping Beauty and Arial. What a fun surprise.

Christmas

Christmas was a good one this year. We did our usual Christmas Eve at our house with church and dinner with the family. I made my chicken pot pies with salad like always (4th annual). YUMMO!  We stayed up way too late with Tom and Carla having cocktails after the kids went to bed and playing Santa. It sure was fun though. Claire loved her camera and scooter as promised by Santa. Paige was confused looking and pretty much had the same look on her face most of the morning. Sizing things up and being very skeptical of all this action. She is much like her father. It's just hard to get them worked up over much or too excited....gasp...we wouldn't want that! Haha!

Claire is loving her camera. She is quite bossy at telling us how to pose but she does take pretty good pictures. The scooter is awesome and she rides it in the house all day. I thought I would freak out about her using it in the house but it's not too bad really. She just rides back and forth in the living room and kitchen. Hasn't destroyed any walls or furniture....yet. We have taken it outdoors too. Don't be worry. The weather is great this time of year.

We spent Christmas day with Tom and Carla and their house. We had a fab meal (prime rib!!!) and enjoyed looking at Christmas lights after dinner. It was super nice and relaxing. They always make our holidays special and treat us like kings and queens.

December Craziness

My last post seems to be the last day I can remember feeling "normal" around here! Claire's school had a crazy permanent closure November 25 and we had to get shuffled around to a new location and days/times. After the break we will have to move to another new location that is temporary the rest of the school year. We will be moving to afternoon school as well. Kind of nervous about that since Claire still naps often and when she's overtired she sleeps poorly at night. I know she will adjust and so will Paige and Mommy. So things have been a little nuts around here but life is good overall!

We are getting ready for Christmas around here and the girls got to visit with Santa. Paige cried right after this picture was taken. She was a trooper. Claire gave Santa her wish list (all 2 of her items). The rain the past few days has been awesome but we are getting stir crazy around here (see last picture!)

Happy December!!!

Claire READING Hop on Pop!!!

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Claire told us back in August that she wanted to learn to read all by herself. We found the Bob Books and a few other easy first readers and off she went. Over the past few months she has been memorizing every book that we have read together. It's cute and she feels proud that she is reading (memorizing really!). It wasn't until the other day that she brought me a book that we have never read and started to read all by herself. It was a very proud moment. I almost cried. She was really reading! GO CLAIRE! This is just the tip of the iceberg and I hope a long love of reading for her.

Happy 9 month Paige

SHE:

*Is 9 months old!!!
*Is still toothless.
*Can move in a circle on her belly but still doesn't crawl or move forward.
*Loves mum mum crackers and baby puffs.
*Eats almost anything I give her and loves butternut squash the best.
*Is starting to get antsy and grab at things when I take her out.
*Is starting to get some vocal chords and not afraid to use them!!
*Still has the most beautiful hair!!
*Has stranger/social anxiety big time! Perfect timing with relatives and the holidays. lol

We love you Paige!

Paige Baptism

This past weekend we had Paige baptized. We went to Bowie, AZ where my grandma lives and went to the church that holds very special meaning to our family. The Bowie Methodist Community Church dates way back in our history. My grandma was baptized in this church. The original building burned down and was rebuilt (the current church). My dad and all his siblings were baptized and married in this church. We baptized Claire on what would have been my parent's 40th wedding anniversary.

The service was sweet and we enjoyed the pastor and his words of faith. Paige did great having the water poured on her head. Not a tear or upset face. Sweet angel baby. We had a great lunch at a winery in Willcox. I had no idea there was a winery in that area. It was quaint and had the BEST burgers I have ever tasted. Gourmet burgers with amazing salads. I want to go back!!!

Zoo crazy

Claire is such a nut! She decorated her soccer ball and wanted me to take her picture! I love the notebook on it's head. I guess the ball is as smart as she is.

I took the girls to the zoo this week. Just us girls. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Claire asked where her friends were. So much for the days where girls day with  mom was enough! We walked around and enjoyed a little day out together. All the animals were asleep as usual. They seriously need some coffee because a sleeping cheetah is just plain crazy! I would like to note that Paige's socks fell off. I am not the worst mother ever, she did have some on. We don't really wear shoes yet. I love her feet too much! Also, Claire asked me to take the picture with the goldfish cracker in her mouth. Such a nut! Love her! Even if she does make me crazy with her extreme drama (#donotknowwhereshegetsthatfrom), yelling out in her sleep, and holding her pee until she wets herself lately. What is with the holding of the pee?? She won't stop playing and she holds it then BAM..it's coming out on the sidewalk or the bathroom floor instead of the potty. Our 8 month old sleeps quietly through the night and has never leaked a diaper. This seems reversed somehow?

Happy November and happy cooler weather! It's FINALLY here!!

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween! We had fun trick or treating last night here in our neighborhood. We may have even had more fun greeting trick or treaters at our door and handing out candy. Paige circled the block with us one time and then off to bed she went. We saw this hilariously huge dog and this may be one of my favorite pictures ever. He looks like he is smiling for the camera!! It was so fun to decorate the house this year and do pumpkin carving. I can tell Halloween is going to be one of our favorite holidays at the Cox house!

Pumpkin Carving

Our Halloween festivities kicked off this past weekend with our first annual pumpkin carving party with the family. We had such a great time carving these amazing pumpkins. Claire had help from her uncles and her daddy. Uncle Tommy and Claire carved the cat. Uncle E carved the Mickey as a momento of our Dinseyland trip and Daddy carved the amazing Thomas the Train. We had big bowls of chicken chili (courtesy of Tom and Carla) and it was delish!!! Throw in a few beers and some spiked apple cider and we had ourselves a little party. (yes, claire took her skirt off...the girl really likes to not wear pants/skirts at home.)

Welker Reunion

Doug Welker....my grandpa. My dad was also Doug Welker but the family always called him Scotty for his middle name.

All of the Welker grand kids and our kids. We are in the middle. Eric is kneeling with Claire.

Abigail Welker....does she remind you of anyone?? haha

Great Grandma and Paige

 In early October I attended my first Welker Family Reunion. It was here in Gilbert!! We totally lucked out. The Welkers have always been Arizona based. My dad was born and raised in AZ.  It was pretty amazing to meet all of these Welkers and to be related to all of them! It was wild actually. I didn't even realize my dad had all these cousins. I could tell which cousins really had memories of my dad as a kid by the way they would take my arm or hug me. They would get that look in their eyes remembering the special person he was to them and now seeing his daughter standing in front of them. I have to say that being with all these Welkers really got to me emotionally. I am usually very used to my dad not being around. It's been 11 years after all. You just never know when you will feel hit with an emotion and this day I was feeling  a huge sense of loss without my dad, my uncle, and my grandpa being there. Our little table was a bit smaller than the rest. I have no doubt their spirit was truly there that day and that is what I was feeling.

I got to spend a couple of days with my Grandma and aunt too. It was nice to see Great Grandma and the girls together. They love her....especially Paige. It's so great to have these memories! She is the best great grandma.

There are tons more pics floating out there that I hope to get my hands on someday! There were lots of cameras snapping away that day.

8 months

8 months old! My big Paigey girl. We have been lazy bones around this house since returning from Disney and fall break. It was back to school this past week which we love and back to dance class. Just doing the usual around here. Nothing much to report but these cute pics of P.

DISNEYLAND

We had a fun trip to Disney last week. Last Christmas the Cox family aunts and uncles gave us a letter, a book of classic Disney stories, and a mickey mouse t-shirt for Claire. The letter said that when Claire turned 4 the fam wanted to help make a trip to Disneyland possible for us. I was pregnant at the time and of course I went into the ugly cry. This is a trip we wanted to take someday but with a baby and all the expenses it wasn't the time for us this year....until they made it possible! My sis in law flew in town from Chicago and took care of Paige for us. We missed her but it was nice to make this trip just about Claire and be free to do what we wanted without baby restraints.

All I can say about Disney is that it is quite an experience. There are moments of pure joy and thrill and moments of bickering, stress, and exahustion. It can quickly go from the happiest place on earth to the crankiest place on earth (us adults were crankier than claire). There was a strange heat wave and the temps got up to 104 degrees. Not ideal for standing in long lines but we did it and we survived!! It was truly a trip to remember. Claire's face when she would see a character was as exciting as believing in Santa. It's magic! In 4-5 years we will go back (by then we should feel brave enough to go back and brave the crowds again. lol) with Paige and Claire and share in the magic of Disney all over again. I hope Disney always remains a magical place for the girls. My dad took me to Disneyworld in FL when I was 10 years old and I still think about that trip as one of my favorite childhood memories.

WE HEART MINNIE MOUSE!!

Da da

7 months joined at the hip and this is the word she says! LOL! It's pretty darn cute I must admit. Claire said mama first so this has made Daddy very happy.

It's official, she's 4!!

There were cars there were trains and lots of cake! Claire is officially 4!!! We enjoyed a great week with donut holes at school, cupcakes with some bff's, and our annual family birthday party with lots of aunts and uncles! I have been so choked up this past week over Claire turning 4. She evokes such a complex set of emotions in me because she is so unique. She is smart, witty, and kind. I am so so proud of her.

Happy Birthday Claire. September 29, 2007 at 9:50pm you changed our lives and made me a mommy. I love you baby girl.

Girly giggles

Claire trying really hard to make Paige laugh. She's a tough nut to crack! She has this other laugh that is crazy hysterical but it's so rare to get it out of her. Someday I'll capture it again!

7 months

I can't believe it's 7 months already but at the same time I can. It doesn't feel like I just had her yesterday anymore. She isn't a newborn. I don't worry about night feedings and haven't since 10 weeks old (angel baby). She is putting on baby fat and sitting up better everyday. I can't help but have this weird feeling about 7 months though. Its the month where things start to change...maybe crawling begins or a tooth pops up. I can see it happening already. She has been squealing the past 2 days. It's loud too. I could have sworn I had already put her in a box and labeled her my quiet child. What's happening!!! I am happy to see her little personality emerge but I feel a small ache that we are turning a corner and I can't put on the brakes. 4-6 months has been blissful. Heck, the whole 7 months has been blissful for me and to use the word bliss in the same sentence as baby is something I never thougth I'd say. When I went through post-partum depression after Claire I didn't get to connect to such emotions as joy and bliss for almost the first whole year. When I would tell other moms what I felt they would feel sorry for me and in my mind I thought they were just being crazy or fake saying things were so great. Who the hell likes a crying up at night newborn. Well, no one does really but the fact is you can still feel happy emotions throughout it all and this time I have that. It feels good and it makes me really not want her to turn any corner or stop being my little baby. I know it's selfish but I promise to put her down once in awhile so she can learn to crawl. Maybe.