Rough Week for Clara

This past week lil' Scout has been teething and by the looks of her swollen gums, four of her top teeth have been causing her some trouble. On top of that she has a little cold which may or may not be related to the teething. The poor little thing just really hasn't been herself. We know she is doing her best to be peppy and happy during the days, but the nights have been rough on us all. Unfortunately, that means we haven't taken as many photos as normal, although here is one shot that is so darn cute, it makes up for the lack of shots. Gotta love our sweetie's BIG brown eyes!

Pajama Fun!!

Grandma Jan bought Taylor Alain and Clara Natalie matching Spring Bunny Pajamas. She put the girls in them for the first time during our visit this past weekend and we tried to catch a few photos. These little gals are so active but have such a blast being together!

A week FULL of outings!!

Clara's walking has come quite a ways in the past week. She has shifted to walking only when encouraged to all the time, even when it is quite apparent that crawling would be more convenient (like through a play tunnel). It is so fun to see her toddle around the house, usually carrying one of her favorite toys which include Little People, her purse, a bath fish or her most favorite of recent - a spoon. Scout gets into her drawer and gets our a big plastic measuring spoon! She likes sharing "bites" with Mom & Dad!

This past week, our little Scout enjoyed several fun outings with friends. Being able to walk makes all the difference at some of the kid play areas! Above Clara has latched right onto a checkbook and cash register at Pottery Barn Kids. We went here on an outing with Logan and Hayden Fisher, her special buddies, and of course Christy a very special buddy of Mom's. Such a fun day!


Hayden has such a great mechanical mind and loves building things. He got to go to the Lego store and pick out his own pieces from the bulk Legos - too cool!

Logan is just so sweet here pushing the doll buggy. He and Hayden took turns pushing Clara around in her stroller in the mall and are so good to her.

Later in the week, we took a family trip to Toys R' Us/Babies R' Us to look at umbrella strollers. We took Clara over to the toy section and she loved checking out the bikes, and rideable trucks! We are thoroughly enjoying all the fun play time and interest she has in just about EVERYTHING!!

Snuggling up with her favorite blanket Christy made for her

On Friday, we had beautiful weather (funny because it is snowing like crazy at the moment) and our buddy Kate came to visit. We all went on a walk to the park to play. Kate & Clara had on matching pink high tops - pretty awesome!!

Mommy & Scout at the park - She love to swing!!

Clara and Mommy also made a fun shopping trip with Clara's little boyfriend, Davis, and his mom Cindy. We had a fun lunch and went to the Kids Cove at the mall and the kids had a blast climbing on all of the equipment. The kids wore themselves out! It was wonderful!

On Saturday, Mommy got her day out with friends why Clara and Daddy stayed home to watch Husky basketball with some friends. It was a nice little get away and fun bonding time for Kev and Scout!

Clara and Mommy have been attending a great playgroup here in our neighborhood since late October. Clara has made some great friends and Mommy really likes the other parents and care-givers. Every Friday we have Spanish songs which has become an absolute favorite of Clara's. She "sings" and keeps rhythm by clapping on her legs and it is just too sweet. The group just updated the website and we are in one of the photos. It's not the best shot of either of us, but still fun to check out:

http://www.eastside-family-guide.com/Highlands-playgroup.html

We have a walking girl!!

Little Miss Scout enjoyed a fun visit from Great Grandma & Grandpa Swanson. She loved getting to spend time with them. Above she shares one of her favorite books with Papa Bob.

Clara enjoyed sharing G.G. and Papa all her "tricks" and a few hours into their stay she was inspired to WALK from the ottoman to Mommy all by herself!!! This was a huge breakthrough!! When she received praise from all her cheerleaders with her first attempt, she kept doing it over and over. Mom kept backing up each time and she was taking between 6 and 7 steps. By the end of the night she was walking across the room!

One of her first independent walking voyages - the tongue overflow is hilarious!

Cuddles with Great Grandma Wanda

Week of Fun!!

Having a one year old is SO much fun! For a while, we (mainly me) were a bit sad about our baby turning one already, but have now realized that Clara is at such a fun stage in her development, and have finally embraced it! She still is adamant not to walk independently, but following Mom around the kitchen just holding on to the bottom of her sweater works just fine. She is making some progress, taking a few well planned steps on her own as well as a few for Grandpa Mark when he visited on Saturday. The bright side to her approach to walking is that she has to conduct a great deal of problem solving in getting from one place to another while constantly holding on to something.


Scout's top teeth have come down quite a bit since her birthday, and it is getting harder and harder to keep her hair tucked behind her ears.

Playing in her tunnel! Oh how our home has transformed in just a few months! Now toys, big and small are everywhere and all the decorator pieces have been stashed out of Clara's sight & reach! It sure is a lot of fun though! Mommy & Daddy have been known to take a crawl through the tunnel or shoot some hoops in Clara's sport center too!

Still our adorable Clara buns!

We have been enjoying Mother Nature's treat of sunshine the past few days with frequent walks and trips to the closest park. Clara has taken several rides in the wagon Grandma and Grandpa got her for her birthday!

Valentine's Day

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

Clara had a fun Valentine's Day! Mommy & Daddy went to see The Lion King and had a relaxing and delicious Valentine's Day dinner out with friends Brooke & Tyson. Grandma Carol came to spend time with Clara and I think we all had a fabulous time! By the end of the weekend Clara even seemed to prefer Grandma Carol over Daddy & Mommy!!

Scout photos

Since turning one, Scout seems to be learning new things each day. She signs "more", "please" and "all done." She has been doing a great job following simple directions and trying to say new words. She loves the celebrations when she learns something new! We have started to branch out and have attended some new play groups and Clara is making lots of new friends. It is a lot of fun for Mommy to meet other mommies with little ones around Clara's same age!

Clara has such a silly side! When a blanket, pillow, or in this case the bean bag chair is on the floor, Scout often dives onto it and rolls around like a happy little puppy! It is like she has realized that rolling is more than just a means to get around, and gives us both the chuckles to watch.

Clara loves playing in the parks near our home. She loves to watch the other kids run around, climb on the equipment and explore things on the ground, like the bark! We can't wait for Spring to be hear so we can go to the park more often.