Okay, so we have actually been quite busy this last month, so that is my reason for taking so long to post something new! We have done some fun family things this past month and Jeremy and I were able to spend some much needed alone time together. We spent the last weekend in April celebrating Jeremy's birthday with some indoor fun at Adventureland Resort. It ended up being a great weekend to go as it was yucky and rainy all weekend. Carter was so excited to stay overnight in a hotel. He had his swimming trunks and goggles on before Jeremy got everything carried in from the car and he was the first one in the water the next morning. He also liked staying up "late" and the cool game rooms they had there. Claire really liked the water and didn't seem to mind being splashed by Carter.
We made our first trip of the season to the Blank Park zoo a couple of weeks ago. This is such a great little zoo. The kids love it because there are lots of cool things to see and parents love it because you can get through the whole thing in roughly 2 hours! Great for a quick morning activity! 
Claire turned 9 months on April 27th. She weighed in at 18lbs 9 oz and was 27.5 inches long. So big!
She has gone very quickly from learning to crawl to pulling herself onto her knees, up onto her feet and now has actually taken a couple of steps holding onto something. She LOVES to play in the Tupperware cupboard, the lazy Susan and the pantry. She has a whopping 7 teeth now and is learning to chew up new foods as well as bite her family when given the chance. I am sadly in the process of weaning her as she thinks I am a chew toy instead of the milk maid! OUCH!
Now that Claire is all over the place, Carter is finding the need to hide all of his most prized possessions. He has always like to play in the "secret hiding place" under our bed. He is starting to realize that Claire follows him around like a shadow and no place is secret anymore. He was attempting to stash some treasures under the bed when I caught her quickly following him under there one day. Some of the sayings we are hearing more and more of at our house are " Mom, MOVE HER! or Mom, MAKE HER LEAVE ME ALONE! " Oh I fear this is only the beginning. Then I will hear him talking to her sometimes trying to soothe her saying, "It's okay Claire, I'm here, you don't have to cry." He even says prayers for her at night because she doesn't have enough teeth to talk yet, so he tells God. He makes me so PROUD! He is such a great kid!
Carter got a special surprise from Aunt Darcie and Jill...a trip to the circus! His favorite parts were when they shot an "adult" out of a canon and the clown with his pants on fire. He talked about it for days! He even sported this clown nose for several days afterwards, only taking it off if he needed to blow his nose!
I had a wonderful Mother's Day! Carter made some great gifts for me at preschool including a picture frame with his picture in it, some coupons to use for special treats like back rubs or taking out the trash, and he planted some flowers for me. Claire's caregiver made a flower out of her footprint with a poem attached about her. Jeremy got me a new watch ( my old one was very gross) took me out for breakfast and cleaned the entire house for me!! WOW! I am so blessed. We each were able to spend some time with our own mothers that weekend as well as my grandmother. What a great day to reflect on our mothers and thank them for shaping our lives.
Lastly, Jeremy and I made a quick trip to Chicago this week to see Bruce Springsteen in concert at the United Center. What an amazing concert! If you have never been to see him, put this on your list of things to do! He is truly amazing! I have never been to a sold out concert before where everyone stood and danced the entire time! It was well worth the trip. We got to enjoy some great deep dish Chicago style pizza and did a little shopping along the way. Thanks to my sister and Jill for taking care of the kids and dogs so we could get away!
Until next time!
