Claire is 1!

Once again, I must apologize for not updating the blog sooner. I left off at Christmas time last, so I must continue with the big event for our family in January. By that I mean Claire's 1st birthday! Yes, she is now a big one year old.

With this monumental event, one party just wouldn't do, so we had two. One the weekend before at our house, and one the weekend following in Fort Wayne. There was plenty of cake, food, and presents to go around. While she didn't go "crazy" for the cake, she didn't disappoint either.

Our house, too, is now full of toys from Christmas and her birthday. While this cluttered "chaos" may aggrevate Dan and I, Claire seems to enjoy spreading the toys out all over the floor, and seeing her laugh and smile makes it all worthwhile! Who needs a nice spotless house anyways?!?

Now as spring approaches, Claire loves being able to "escape" outside and watch the neighbor's dogs. She is also walking (when she feels like it) and saying a couple select words. (Her favorite is probably uh-oh!) Over spring break, she is going to stay with her Gammy for a couple of days while Dan and I escape for a couple of nights to Brown County. This will be the longest we have been apart. I'm not sure how we'll do with it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Where has the year gone?

First, I must apologize for slacking with the posts. I almost don't know where to start.

October brought Annie's first birthday. She definitely enjoyed her cake, presents, and being with friends and family.

October also brought sadness to our family when we said good bye to Dan's stepfather Don who had suffered a major heart attack in August. This attack was then followed by several other health set backs, and after much suffering Don passed away at Methodist Hospital at the end of October. Don was an amazingly caring and loving man. He will be missed, but we have comfort in knowing that he is finally at peace.

By November, we were very busy preparing for the holiday season. We spent Thanksgiving Day in Seymour with Dan's family and enjoyed this time together. We then traveled to Fort Wayne over the weekend to celebrate with my family too. We also caught a couple of football games too, of course.

With December came Christmas, and despite promises not to get carried away Claire definitely did not go without this season. We were happy to welcome Charlene to join us Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. I know we all appreciated being with family during this time of year. We had celebrated with the Rigsby's the weekend before. After family time Christmas morning, we loaded up and headed north to be with the Cummins clan. That is where we learned that my brother Matt proposed to Tamara. Welcome to the family Tamara! They are planning to marry in May.

Claire is 8 months old!

Its been a few weeks since our latest update, but Claire is doing great has picked up a few new tricks.  She is now clapping, crawling, and being very vocal.

Because of her new found ability to sit up, stand up, and climb, we had to lower her crib quite a bit.  She is adjusting well and I think she is having more fun with the new configuration.  Although she looks like a cute little criminal behind those bars.

She has been continuing to brush up your computer skills as well.  I couldn't keep her off of the laptop, so I took the easy route and trained her how to use it.  She gets a little frustrated when the battery dies, but I switch her over to the PDA then.

Here is Claire with her older cousin Annie.  Aren't they cute!

Atlanta!

On July 11th, Dan, Claire, Charlene, Don, and I departed Indiana and headed for Atlanta to visit Matt, Angel, and Judah. While we were there, I also got to visit with my good friend Tori and her family. The drive there and back was not the most fun, but seeing everyone and exploring a new city was quite enjoyable. We went to Stone Mountain for a lasor light show, we visited the Coke Museum, and we even got to feed and pet deer at a game preserve! Here are some photos of our trip.

Claire and Clayton getting to know one another.

How cute are they!

Dan and Claire feeding the deer at the game preserve.

Claire loving on her mamaw.

Hanging out at Uncle Matt's new house.

Enjoying some family time in the rain during the laser show.

So much fun! We'll look forward to visiting again soon!

SummerTime

Summer is here and with it brings warm weather and a 5 month old baby. That is right, Claire is now 5 month old! She is getting to be so active and developing quite the personality. She loves her toys, constantly wants to sit or stand up, Has begun eating foods, and at certain times of the day talks non-stop. She has even ventured into Papaw Dan's pool twice!

In other news, I am now done with my classes towards my Master's Degree. It is a big relief to be done. I have gotten so used to working full time, taking classes after work, and then whatever else that needed to be worked on at home that now I don't know what I'll do with my time when I return to work and only have to work half the day! Yeah!

We will also be traveling down to Atlanta in July with Charlene and Don. Matt, Angel, and Judah moved there this spring, and I know we are all excited to see them and explore their new home. It will also be a great opportunity to visit with Tori, Eric, and their little one, Clayton. I can't wait!

Also Dan and I have had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate our first Mother's and Father's Days as parents. This change from being simply husband and wife to adding mother and father to our titles has been amazing. Although parenthood can be trying, I know we wouldn't change a thing. Claire starts my day off with a smile and adds such depth to my emotions.

The Rigsby family has been busy since the last post. We had a wonderful time in Chicago. The weather was quite wet our first day (not that it stopped us from shopping!). After that we had nice weather for exploring. Dan was holed up in training during the days, but we did manage to escape on occasion. Dan and I even got to go out to dinner by ourselves, thanks to my mom. Claire enjoyed the big city even if she did nap in her stroller quite a bit. My friend Jessie was introduced to Claire, and they got along beautifully.

Before we left Chicago, Dan, Claire, my mom, and I all went to the Museum of Science and Industry. We saw an interesting exhibit featuring human bodies that had undergone a plastination process. We also stopped for a picture beside a robot from the movie The Matrix.

Aside from traveling out of state, we have spent time with family as well. Dan's brother Matt, his wife Angel, and their son Judah are moving to Atlanta this week, so we have been in Seymour visiting with them and the rest of the family as well. We'll miss them, but Atlanta is not that far of a drive. It will make a nice summer road trip.

Finally, Claire is now 3 months old. She is really getting so big. She tries very hard to sit up on her own. She is talking (ok, not really talking) and making all sorts of noises. She is doing very well. I am including some fun photos of her as well seeing as we definitely don't have a shortage of them, so enjoy!

Aren't they cute!

Claire with her cousin, Annie.

Claire has now been a part of our family for over 2 months. She went to the doctor's on Monday for her first round of vaccinations, and she was weighed and measured. She is now 24 1/4 inches long (she is in the 99th percentile for height) and weighed 1o lbs. 11 ounces. She seems to be doing very well, and we continue to be amazed at all she is able to do. Over the past several weeks, we have had the good fortune of spending a lot of time with family. It started with Ryan's 3rd birthday party. Happy Birthday Ryan! Then we attended Hunter's 6th birthday/Ethan's 2nd birthday party at Uncle Bruce and Aunt Vera's. Last weekend we headed north to Fort Wayne to celebrate Aunt Sheri's birthday and spend some time with Brandon who is home temporarily from Iraq. It was a busy weekend, and Dan even managed to tie for 2nd place in a poker tournament hosted in Brandon's honor. The next couple weekends promise to busy with family as well, and this week we are going to make a trip to Chicago. Dan is attending a workshop, while Claire, my mom, and I will be hitting all the shops on the magnificent mile. I can't wait.