Build-A-Bear

Tonight, Brad is out of town and Kerstin is out bowling with friends....SO...Anna Claire and I headed to Build-A-Bear!
When we arrived, AC went straight for the pink bear. She knew exactly which bear she wanted, and there was no changing her mind!
She loved helping the sweet lady "stuff" her bear that she appropriately named "Pinky".
And she thought the "air bath" was rather entertaining.
When it came time to pick out an outfit, the selection was a bit overwhelming. I gave her a couple of choices, and she went straight for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit! Her dad will be so proud when he sees what she picked out! When I showed her the outfit choices, she quickly said, "I want the touchdown, Mommy!" and off she went with cheerleader outfit and Pinky in tow.
We printed off the birth certificate and off we went with our new friend, Pinky. Anna Claire insisted on carrying the box, but eventually went to dragging the box through the mall.

Classy is Her Middle Name....

Anna Claire found some Buzz Lightyear socks in the Dollar Spot at Target. Apparently, pants are optional when sporting the socks. Classy. Just classy.

Pigtails

Little Stinker.

Anna Claire doesn't miss a beat, and she keeps us on our toes and laughing. Lately, she has started saying the funniest phrase when she's doing something she knows could get her in trouble. Case in point, last night a couple in our church took us to dinner at Cracker Barrel. Anna Claire was eating a biscuit, but the grape jelly in the little individual container was calling her name. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, don't look in my eyes" and she proceeded to eat the jelly with her fingers! Seriously? "Dont look in my eyes"??? We finally figured it out. Apparently, when she's in trouble and we're trying to get her attention, we say to her, "Anna Claire, look me in the eyes!" Ha.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star...

You may have to use your imagination a little on this one, but here is Anna Claire's attempt at singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

K's Hard Work

Kerstin (Anna Claire calls her "K") is taking Family Consumer Science at school, and today she came home with a pillow that she made. Impressive!

The Juice Box Solution....

AC's new juice box accessory. No more squeezing the box and watching juice go everywhere. Sorry, Anna Claire. Now your juice will go where it belongs...in your mouth and not on the kitchen floor.

This and That...

Kerstin's high school ring arrived this week! I think this will be a neat memento for her to take back with her to Germany.


Anna Claire loves to play any kind of piano...whether it's her little keyboard in her room, our piano in our living room, or the piano at church, you can usually find AC pounding out some song. Lately, she's been "playing" ABC's, Jesus Loves Me, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She just sings at the top of her lungs and plays her little heart out. Like father, like daughter. Two peas in a pod.


Anna Claire stayed home with us today (the church office is closed on Fridays...love it!) and we took some time to enjoy the beautiful weather we are currently experiencing. That girl would play all day in her play house if we'd let her! Today, she took some plastic cups, plates, and plastic pretend food out with her so she could fix us some lunch. The yellow heart planter on the front of the play house was transformed into the Diet Coke machine because Lord knows Momma can't have lunch without a Diet Coke. Makes me proud that I've made this impression on my child.

"There's a Baby in My Tummy!"

Disclaimer: We are not expecting....this is a funny story about Anna Claire. Read on....
After church this morning, we met up with some friends at On the Border. On the way, Anna Claire was rather restless in her carseat, but we just chalked it up to her not feeling well and being tired. While waiting at the restaurant for a table, Brad was holding Anna Claire when she declared to me, "Mommy! I have a baby in my tummy!" I looked at her confused and asked, "What did you say?" to which she quickly responded, "Mommy!!! There's a baby in my tummy RIGHT THERE!" and pointed to her tummy. Thinking she was confused, I said, "Do you mean that your tummy hurts?" and she said, "No, Mommy! I have a baby in my tummy RIGHT THERE!" and pointed to her tummy again. So I put my hand on her stomach and felt something in her onesie (that she was wearing under a jumper). I reached my hand down her shirt only to pull out a Fisher Price Little People baby!!!!! HA. There really was a baby in her tummy. Leave it to a PK to steal toys from the church nursery!!!

Q. What is Anna Claire doing in this picture?

A. She is reading books to Sophie (who is in the kennel) in order to avoid going to bed!

Talkin' to Gigi

While I was talking to Gigi (my mom) on the phone today, Anna Claire asked to talk to her. Anna Claire wanted to tell her about her new Buzz Lightyear notepad. She quickly informed me that she was going to talk to Gigi in her room, and she asked that I close the door. Oh dear me. I quietly opened the door and snapped this picture. Silly girl.

For Monika (Kerstin's mom)

Dear Monika,
Kerstin mentioned that you knit socks, and that if I send you our shoe sizes, you will make us each a pair. This would be great because, as you can see in the picture below, Anna Claire enjoys the pair you made for Kerstin, but they are a little too big! :)
Brad: US size 10
Emily: US size 9
Anna Claire: US size 6 (toddler)
Thank you, Monika!

A New Look

For Christmas, AC received 2 ridiculously huge bows (yes, even larger than the bows she wears daily) from Gigi. She will need to grow into these bows.
Today, I tried pulling her hair back in a ponytail and had some success. I decided to add one of the above mentioned bows in her hair....and here's the new look:

Sheryl, I know how proud this makes you!! :)

For Sissy and Roro

This post is for Anna Claire's aunts who wanted to see pictures of her new shoes!
Please be impressed that the outfit AC is sporting cost me only $3.50 at Target...man, I love that store!
I asked Anna Claire to show me her shoes....here's the result. This picture makes me laugh.
And a close-up of the shoes. We found these at Academy last night on their "clearance aisle"...who knew that even existed? I didn't until last night.

One For the Baby Book.....

You see sweet Anna Claire peacefully sleeping, but I see sweet Anna Claire peacefully sleeping without a pacifier!!!! The Aggie comes out in me and I can't help but give a little WHOOP to this accomplishment! Go Anna Claire!

Puppy Love

Anna Claire and Sophie share a special bond. It's probably due the fact that Sophie is small and not the least bit intimidating. Anna Claire loves to get Sophie in and out of her kennel, and she is quick to inform us when Sophie is barking. She loves to give Sophie treats, and when she doesn't like something on her plate, Sophie is the first recipient that pops in her mind. "I share with Sophie" is what she tells us! In the past couple of weeks, Anna Claire has discovered that Sophie gives kisses in abundance and this just tickles Anna Claire.

"I show it to Gigi"

This morning when Anna Claire got up, she went straight to playing with her new Mr. Potato set that she received for Christmas. When she was finished creating her masterpiece, she went straight to the computer, climbed up in the chair, and said, "I show it to Gigi!" Papa Bear and Gigi have a web cam, so Anna Claire thinks they are on the computer all the time!

Hide and Go Seek...

Anna Claire LOVES to play hide and go seek. She gets it. The hiding. The countning. The finding. If you take too long to find her, she will start yelling, "I'm right here!!" Tonight, she and Brad were playing hide and go seek. She decided to hide in her big box in the kitchen:

Singin' in the Rain

For Christmas, AC received a new raincoat and matching umbrella from Ma-Maw! The moment it started raining the other day, Anna Claire said, "I go see the rain! I get my um-bella!"...and off she went! This proved to be great entertainment for her (and us!)
At first, she just stood there, taking it all in....
And then, she ditched the umbrella because let's be honest, folks, it gets in the way of singing and dancing in the rain!
Here's the result of me asking, "Anna Claire, please turn around and smile for Mommy one more time!"....I think she's figured me out....one more time, when it comes to picture taking, doesn't mean that at all.
Moving right along.....AC loves to color in Kerstin's room! So often, she comes to me and says, "Mommy, I go color K's room!" and off she goes! Kerstin is so sweet to get her all set up on her bed and let her color. For Christmas, AC received a giant coloring book, and today was the day to put color to paper in this new book. Look at how serious she looks in the picture....don't be fooled.
The masterpiece......

The Rest of the Story....

While we were in Oklahoma City, we took some time to go "tour" SNU. I always give Brad a hard time because you can see the entire campus in less that 10 minutes (and that's at a slow walk)....much different than the A&M campus! Anna Claire had fun running all over the place, and Kerstin enjoyed seeing another American university!

Anna Claire was a huge fan of the fountains in front of the Commons. At one point, she was on her back, just relaxing and enjoying the view. What a nut.
We were also able to see our dear friends, Mark, Sherree, and their daughter, Avery.

Before heading back to Baton Rouge, we had breakfast with Tommy, Kim, Haley, and Haven. Haley and Haven were the flower girls in our wedding, and it's hard to believe how fast they are growing up! Haven and AC had fun playing around at Chick-Fil-A before we hit the road.
On the way home, Anna Claire "read" us a book. When I turned around to watch her, she quickly put her finger up to her mouth and said, "Shhh! I'm reading!"
When we finally arrived at home, Anna Claire had a package waiting for her from our sweet friends in Horseshoe Bay. She was elated to receive a new Mickey Mouse ornament and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse dishes!
This afternoon, we attended a 50th wedding anniversary celebration for a couple in our church. The party was at a beautiful plantation here in Baton Rouge.
Anna Claire being a good girl and standing on the fountain so that I could get a picture of her new dress to send to Anita (Thank you, Anita, for the cute dress!):
Anna Claire showing her true colors and taking it upon herself to start dancing in one of the formal living rooms of the house. Lovely. Just lovely.

A New Robe...A New Snack

While we were in Dallas, Ma-Maw (AC's great grandmother) bought her a new robe and skirt. Here she is modeling the robe! Brad introduced her to Easy Cheese, summer sausage, and triscuits...a favorite snack of his and Papa Bear! She thought that was pretty good. Lord, help us.