Beautiful Girl!

It’s A Beautiful Day!!

Gorgeous weather today!  We spent the afternoon at the park.

Strike A Pose

Our little runway model looked adorable as she headed out to church this morning wearing a pink fuzzy vest, a fabulously wonderful Christmas gift from Aunt Lori.

Thanks, Aunt Lori!!  Claire was the cutest and most stylish girl in church this morning!

Our Baby Loves Babies

Granny Wines made Claire three doll blankets for Christmas.  They arrived today.  Here’s Claire with one of her dolls wrapped in one of the new blankets.  Thanks, Granny!!  The blankets are perfect!!

An Evening With Daddy

Daddy was craving chocolate chip cookies tonight, so he and Claire made cookies.

While the cookies were baking, Claire performed a concert for us on her new Little Tikes Tunes the Tiger piano/xylophone.

And now Claire is in bed and Daddy is studying for 737 school.  I love our life!  It just doesn’t get any better than this!!

Tutu cute!!

Claire received this tutu from Grandma Robin for Christmas.  It’s so adorable, and she loves it!  Thanks, Grandma Robin!!

Whee!

All of this time travel is making me dizzy.  It’s the 10th day of the new year, and I’m just now getting around to posting pictures from Christmas.

We headed to Tulsa the Wednesday before Christmas.  We took Claire to see the lights at Rhema.  It was 29 degrees outside, so we didn’t spend too much time out there.  But she loved the lights!

Fuzzy pic, but at least it proves we were there.

We stayed with MiMi and PopPop in Tulsa.  Uncle Matt, Aunt Randi and Baby Kenley stayed there too.  Claire loved playing with her Uncle Matt.

MiMi and Allie

Santa was a little scary

Santa loves the girls!  Kenley, Claire, Allie and Analise love Santa!

On Christmas Eve, we celebrated at Uncle Adam and Aunt Shannon’s house.

Santa’s little helper

Reading with Aunt Randi

Christmas was very different this year.  Grandma and Grandpa were both in the hospital.  Nanny and Frances went to see my cousins in Missouri.  So that left me, my parents and my brothers, along with each of our families to celebrate in a non-traditional way this year.  So we decided to change everything.  Mom and Dad had been spending countless hours at the hospital, so Adam and Shannon hosted.  Shannon, Steve and I cooked dinner – we decided to go with enchiladas!  It was very different but a lot of fun.

The chefs

We Nortons

Allie

Claire, Shannon and Analise

Aunt Randi, Kenley, MiMi and Uncle Matt opening presents

Kenley and Claire on Christmas morning

Kenley

Matt, Kenley and Randi

We drove back home on the 26th.  Steve spent the evening putting together Claire’s Christmas gifts.

PopPop and MiMi gave Claire a chair for Christmas

Claire seeing her chair for the first time

Uncle Adam and Aunt Shannon gave Claire a Little Tikes stroller / cart.  She loves it!

Claire received some great gifts for Christmas, including a pearl necklace, a baby doll that can go in the bathtub with her (She really, really LOVES having a baby in the bath.), a tutu, a pack-n-play for her dolls, a Daisy Duck doll, clothes, books, hairbows, savings bonds, money, etc.  She is a very blessed little girl.  (I know I haven’t listed every gift she received, but please know that we appreciate each and every one of them.)

Steve and I also got some great gifts and are enjoying them all.  It was a great holiday!!

A lot of other things have taken place as well since my last regular post.  My grandpa went home to Heaven.  I’m really missing him.  Thank you to those who sent sympathy cards.  That means so much.  My grandma was sent home and put on hospice due to a resident error.  Fortunately we realized the mistake and got her back to the hospital two days later.  She is now recovering in rehab and is expected to return to her assisted living apartment soon.

While we were in Tulsa, we celebrated Nanny’s 89th birthday.  I got some great pics of her on my iPhone, but I don’t yet know how to download those to my laptop.  I’ll post those pictures soon.

Claire is growing up so quickly.  One of her favorite things to do these days is to wear my shoes.  Here’s a pic of her with her purse and my shoes.

Happy New Year!