Clara is 3 months old!

Clara Ann is already 3 months old!

She just started wearing size 6 month clothes, and she wears size 2 diapers.

She loves to be held and to lay on the floor and kick her legs.  She loves to watch Ella & Gabe's faces and watch them play.  She just started talking a lot, and it gets her really excited!  She also smiles more frequently, which is so much fun!

She is a great eater and great sleeper at night!  She usually goes to sleep between 9 and 11 and either wakes up at 3 or 4 or sleeps all the way until 6 or 7!  She naps best during the day when she is held, which we are happy to comply with most of the time :)

Clara took a one-day trip to Michigan with Mommy and Daddy this month, and she was a trooper!  Slept all the way there, woke up to eat, slept half of the meeting, and slept most of the way home!

C does have some fussy times, which we are trying to get to the bottom of.  It is so sad to hear her do the "crazy cry."  But most of the time she is a happy little doll!

We love you, Clara Bear.  We're so happy you're part of our family!

Gabe is 2 1/2!

Our little man is 2 1/2!

Gabe is a smart little guy!  He can recognize all of the letters of the alphabet, counts into the teens, and always wants to "count the letters" to spell things.  For example, if he counts the letters on the apple juice bottle, "M-O-T-T-S spells apple juice!!!"  He is a great talker, and he has a great vocabulary.  He properly uses the word "either," and the other day Grandma asked him a question and he said, "I've been wondering about that."  It cracks us up!

Gabe loves animals of all kinds, especially dogs and kitties.  He loves playing cars and Megablocks.  This summer, he has gotten much braver on the playground equipment and is starting to love slides.  He loves to watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Bob the Builder, and Caillou.  He loves to see a digger or tractor in real life!

Gabe is a great eater, and he will usually try anything.  His favorites - McDoubles, McNuggets, scrambled eggs, salami sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, corn on the cob, the noodles Daddy makes (farfalle with sundried tomato alfredo), and pizza.

He just started wearing 3T clothes.  Potty training is happening at his own pace.  He has been going on the potty since he turned two, but lately it has been happening with greater frequency!

Gabe is the best little cuddler.  He loves to rock before sleep and sing a song.  He loves having tons of "friends" in the crib with him, including a giraffe, two big dogs, and several little dogs.  His best friend is Nonny, a green teddy bear blanket. Lately Nonny has taken on his own personality and talks "na na na na!"

Gabe has had quite a change in becoming a big brother in the past couple of months.  He is very sweet with Clara for the most part!  He loves to bring her toys and stand by the changing table while she gets her diaper changed.  I know he is going to be a great big brother!

We celebrated Gabe's half birthday with cupcakes with chocolate frosting (another of Gabe's favorites)!  We had them three times, and each time he insisted on candles and singing.  We did it gladly.  We love you, Mr. G!!

Ella's Last Day of Preschool

Ella's last week of Preschool

Ella's first day of Preschool

May 22 was Ella's last day of 3 year old Preschool at Nazarene Preschool! Ella went to school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9am-11:30am. She really enjoyed her year. She learned a lot. Her fine motor skills improved a lot throughout the year. She had a great teacher, Mrs. Theresa, who will remain famous for the line "Yummy yummy in my tummy" in our house! Ella also made some friends, including Matthew, Ella K, Olivia, Anna, Leo, Tommy, Izabella, and Killian. On her last day, she was busy giving hugs and kisses to Leo and Olivia as I pulled her out the door!  The idea of "Summer Vacation" is a foreign concept to preschoolers.  Ella asked Grandpa Vroom if he would watch Hank while she goes to the hotel!  Unfortunately, we're not jet-setting too much this summer.  I think she'll be missing preschool soon!

First day of preschool with Gabe

Last day of preschool with Gabe

Ella with Mrs. Theresa on her last day of preschool

Mrs. Theresa's gift

First Trip to the Dentist

Today was Ella & Gabe's first trip to the dentist.  They saw Dr. Pandya at Dr. Tatel's office in Tinley Park.  They both did fantastic!!  We had a great experience all around.  When we made the appointment, the dentist sent stickers in the mail.  This morning, Dave printed personalized coloring books from the dentist's website that explained a dental visit, and the kids loved them!  Ella was *so* excited to go, but Gabe took a little convincing.  By the time they got to the waiting room, though, Gabe's uncertainty subsided as well.  The assistants and the dentist said they both did great!  And most importantly, their teeth looked great, too.  When it was time to leave, they wanted to stay.  They can't wait to go back!  I told them it would be around Christmastime, and Gabe said, "We get to go to the dentist for Christmas?  Hooray!"  I guess we should be rethinking our gifts this year!

Thanks, Dr. Pandya!

Thankful

We had an unexpected weekend at home this weekend.  We were supposed to be out of town candidating at a church, and on Wednesday we found out that we wouldn't need to go.  What was shaping up to be a stressful weekend of interviews and wrangling kids turned out to be a slow weekend of enjoying each other at home.  It was just what we needed!

Friday we ran errands - Dave with Ella and Gabe and me with Clara, and then Grandma and Grandpa Vroom came for brats and this yummy lemon dessert.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Lush/Detail.aspx

This year's pots - petunias, superbells, and verbena

Saturday we all went to Home Depot and Menards to pick out flowers for our outdoor pots, and went to Culver's and church in the evening.  Sunday we spent most of the day outside planting pots and playing with the rocks.

Caught this sweetie smiling on camera Sunday!

Clara's Baptism

Ella looking at Clara's baptism bracelet from Grandma & Grandpa V.

Clara was baptized on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12.  It was a beautiful day!
We were happy that it worked out to have Clara baptized at Christ Community Church, where our other kids were baptized.  Rev. Mike Pitsenberger from Faith Church in Dyer was the guest minister for the day, and he was able to ask us the baptism questions together before Dave had the privilege of baptizing Clara!

Ready for her big day!

On the baptism blanket stitched by Grandma V. and Aunt Joyce

"Clara Ann, for you Jesus Christ came into the world; for you he died and conquered death; all this he did for you, little one, though you know little of it as yet.  We love because God first loved us.

 Clara Ann, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Clara Ann; child of the covenant, in baptism you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever.  Amen."

"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only King and head of the church, I declare that this child of God is now received into the visible membership of the holy catholic church, engaged to confess the faith of Christ, and to be God's faithful servant until his life's end."

Our family of five!

Pastor Mike

With Grandma & Grandpa Parrish

Grandma & Grandpa Vroom

Enjoying a bottle at the party!

We catered Firehouse Subs and salads & had lemon fluff baptism cake for dessert!

Uncle Dan's arms were a comfy place to sleep!

The kids had a lot of fun with Uncle Scott, who made the trip from Oostburg for the party!