Copycat Claire. Copycat Claire.

I remember when Claire was a newborn and people would say she was cute, and then they'd add how much cuter she'd be when she was older. I wanted to punch them in the nose right then and there. I thought she was the cutest thing on the planet and didn't think she could get any cuter. There was no way. And I hated thinking about her getting bigger.

Well, those people were right. Looking back at a few of her pictures, she does indeed look like an alien. A very cute alien. I thought she was so fun and I was simply in awe of her. However, as soon as she hit 4 months, the fun REALY began. It was night and day different.

Claire will be celebrating her half birthday on Friday and it seems like she's turning a corner again. I can't believe how much fun we have. She's always all smiles and squeals, just excited bout everything. And she copies us.

It's really funny. If we smack our lips or stick out our tongue to spit, she'll do it right back. But my favorite is when she sees someone laughing, she automatically starts laughing too. Claire laughs are probably my favorite sound in the world. I just can't get enough!

Hello, Summer.

Nice to finally see you!

CORRECTION: The NONFiction Section, Who Knew?

Ross and I made our own book club. I used to really enjoy reading, and haven't had a ton of time to indulge. We were looking for things we could enjoy together and that was one of the ideas we came up with. It's been so fun, and what could be better than doing it with him? I always forget just how many books there are until we go and I come back with an arm load.

I've never spent much time in the non-fiction section of the library, but I made a library run a few days ago for Ross and decided to poke around a little and I'm so glad I did! Our first book was a biography, (Catch Me If You Can) but I just ran right up to the biographies and found the book without really looking around at the other books. This last trip I found cookbooks, books on sewing, crafts, home decorating, parenting, fitness, piano music, all kinds of things. I think I'm going to have to at least make a weekly trip. I'm so excited to learn and try out a bunch of new things.

I also found this gem. The Must-Have Mom Manual. I wish I had found it before Claire was born, but I'm still so glad I came across it. One of my favorite sections talks about clean houses. "Only dull women have immaculate houses." These two gals talk about how your kids won't remember how clean the house was. What they're going to remember is how their mom played go fish, went for a bike ride, and just played with them.

I'm not saying that cleaning and doing chores isn't important. I love a clean organized house as much as the next gal. However, I think if it came down to it, I'd choose playing dress up or barbies over mopping any day. I can say I do remember whining and fighting about chores, but I also remember my mom playing kickball with us in the street, baking, and playing board games. And I loved it.

I'm really looking forward to all of the fun perks of being a mom.

Yeah, I'm That Kind Of Mom.

I am convinced making faces while Claire eats DOES in fact help her eat and actually swallow the food. I didn't notice I was doing it until yesterday. Embarrassment at its finest.

A Claire Filled Morning.

Honestly, nap time is still one of my favorite times of the day, second only to bed time. I feel like a horrible mother saying that, but it's true. I get a minor break where I can shower, clean my house, and actually eat with two hands rather than one. But I think the part of nap time I look forward to most is hearing Claire's squeaks when she wakes up.

And then I get to go in to this.

She is the most talkative right after waking up. While I change her and get her dressed, she tells me about her dreams.

And then she sits patiently while I get her food ready. All with a smile on her face.

I can't think of a better start to my day, and end to my breaks.

Claire Has A New Toy.

And she LOVES it. She'd stay in there all day if she could. Once it stops snowing and actually warms up, I'd love to have the door open and have her jump in the front room while I clean.

Please hurry summer! We're going crazy!!

I Have Been a Grumpy Grumpy Soul.

And I'm not great at blogging lately. Most of you know (and it's probably obvious) I've been going through a bout of postpartum. Poor Ross has been a trooper and he's been fabulous.

General Conference was this last weekend and I spent the week trying to prepare for it. I really needed to be spiritually gorged, not just fed. And Conference did not disappoint. What I remember most was

1) All of the talks on service. Last year Ross decided he was going to volunteer at every opportunity that arose to serve. I spent the last year trying to talk him into sleeping in instead of cleaning the church, or setting up chairs. As the year went on I was more supportive and even helped out whenever Ross went, but I could have volunteered myself, or had a better attitude. I am so blessed to have such an amazing selfless husband to be my example. I often try to convince him that I got the better end of the deal. He still doesn't believe it.

2) I noticed a lot of mentioning the importance of strengthening home and family. A lot of times I feel like what I do all day isn't important and quite frankly doesn't matter, or that it's not enough. My depressed and angry attitude doesn't invite the Spirit into our home and it sure as heck doesn't draw our family together. I was so inspired to be a better wife and mother. Hearing those men talk about their wives made me think of the kind of wife I want to be. As far as my attitude goes, hopefully the PPD will go down soon, but I've been thinking about my dear husband's example again. Time and time again he reminds me that happiness is a choice and I can choose to have a good day. Claire is ALWAYS happy. (Except when it's nap time.) She is the perfect addition and I'm learning a lot from her about just being happy. In the meantime, I did go out and buy myself some flowers today. And home improvement projects always keep me busy.

I noticed that because I've been so angry lately, that I haven't really felt the Spirit like I was before. This week I went to the distribution center and got myself the Book of Mormon seminary manual. Just those few minutes I've spent studying has made a world of difference. I still have my down days, but the peace I get to feel each day makes up for it. I am so incredibly grateful for General Conference and for our inspired leaders.

I love these two wonderful people. They just can't be any more perfect.