Clara is 1 year old!

Clara is 1 year old!!!

 Dear Family and Friends,

Clara turned one year old on April 20th. It's really crazy to realize that an entire year has gone by. It's been an incredible year with Clara. She has brought such joy to our lives, and we have enjoyed watching her grow and develop these last 12 months.


We decided to throw a "ballerina" birthday party for Clara last weekend with close friends and family. It was a lot of fun, and Clara enjoyed playing with other babies and children. She also enjoyed trying her first piece of cake! She wasn't quite sure what to do with it at first, but she quickly figured it out and seemed to like the taste. Most of the cake ended up on the floor, but a messy bout with cake seems to be a rite of passage for one-year olds these days. Our friends and family were so kind and generous; Clara received many beautiful gifts, including two hand-made dresses from her two aunts. The party was also special for us because we realized how many new friends we have made here in Connecticut over the past several years. We feel very lucky to have close relationships with such wonderful people.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

Clara destroying her cake

Birthday presents!

"What's in here?"

 This past week was also special for us because my brother Steve, and sister-in-law Christy and their three adorable kids Mariana, Madeline and Carson came for a visit from Kenosha, WI. It was their first time to the East Coast, and also the first time they were able to meet Clara. My nieces and nephew were very sweet with Clara, and it was so fun to see them all interacting. It was a great visit, and we hope they can come again in the future.

Family

Carson and Clara

Madeline, Mariana and Clara

Clara is doing quite a bit of walking these days. She is very steady on her feet unless she is tired. It seems everyday she is doing more walking and less crawling. She has figured out how to turn our radio on and off and enjoys turning music on and dancing. Her hair has suddenly gotten longer and is cute, curly and blond. She has a favorite polar bear named "Snuggie" whom she literally snuggles all of the time. It's so sweet. We look forward to watching her transition from a baby to a toddler. We are going to miss the baby stage, but the toddler stage promises to bring a lot of fun and exciting new developments.

Clara's 1 year old Portrait

Happy 1 year old!

I really can't believe that I have been posting this blog for over a year now. It's been a lot of fun and serves as a creative outlet for me. I enjoy writing and taking pictures, and I love getting feedback from those of you who follow it. I have family members who do not use facebook, so this keeps them from feeling left out. Thanks for your interest and support of this blog. I will do my best to keep going with it. The month of May looks to be relatively laid-back, which I think is what we need for a while. It's been a busy month for Joey and we are looking forward to a chance to unwind a bit.

Best wishes to you all!

Joey, Erin and Clara