I made it to and out of Target. Well, I should say that our bank account made it out still alive after being bombarded with lots of appealing “needs”. Oh those sandals are so cute-I know I already have a pair of flip flops, but those are so much cuter… oh look at that clearance rack over there, I really should go take a look, maybe I’ll find a great deal! By the way, what happened to the style since I’ve been gone? It’s like we can’t make up our mind between tight eighties and flowing seventies—maybe that’s the point—we can’t come up with anything new so we’ll just blend styles to get a new look. Ok, So I can resist the clearance rack for now; or maybe it’s just that I’m going to need a little time for the current trends to wear off of me. J But man, all this pressure to buy, buy, buy. I’m not used to feeling this struggle so acutely in my heart!

Ok, so all that to say I did give in, I bought Natania the cutest little dress shoes—she’s going to need a pair now that we’re going to church right? They were so sweet! But don’t worry, they were on sale!

Claire is One!

Claire had her first birthday at the end of May! We celebrated as a family on Tuesday the 22nd, and then had a little party for her here at the house on Friday. Natania was so excited about her birthday, she sang Happy Birthday to her all week long. Claire is such a sweet girl. We are so grateful to have her in our family. So, for those of you who don't know Claire very well right now, I'll try to describe a little what she is like. One of her best attributes is her great smile, her whole face gets involved! She like to sing and clap her hands, her favorite song is "slippery fish" and she'll put her hands to her cheeks and say "oh no" with the song. I think she is going to be a gentle, compassionate child because she can sit looking at book with paper pages (as opposed to cardboard) and she doesn't rip them out or crinkle them -Something that Natania was always doing. We were playing a game the other night with cards and Claire was just content to sit in my lap and hold and shuffle some cards. She likes to be tickled although not quite as much as Natania. When she gets really excited/upset about something she'll try to bite whatever's in reach. (you can ask Natania, she's already got several marks to prove it!) Some of Claire's favorite foods are whole wheat pancakes, black beans, bananas, and anything sweet! If you say "Hello" she'll put whatever toy she's holding up to her ear as though it is a telephone. She can give kisses (leans forward with open mouth). Claire is a little on the shy side, she doesn't like to go to people if she can see her mommy close by, unless you have food to bribe her! It is hard to believe that she was 4 months old when we left, she has changed so much. We can't wait for everyone to get to know our little one year old soon.