Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our elf to you!

Our house!

10 years ago today - we purchased our house. Still love it!

Meeting more Family

Clarissa got to meet her Great Grandma Marilyn Rose last Tuesday. She is her first great grandchild. They also share a middle name!


Clarissa also met her Great Uncle Gary.
She was happy they had come all the way from Ohio to meet her!

Skol Vikings!

Clarissa and her dad like watching Vikings games together - especially when they win!!
Even the dogs get in on the lazy Sunday afternoon!!

A Week With Grandma

My Mom has been here all week helping me out. It's been so nice to have someone to cook, clean, and help out so much. We're going to miss her when she leaves tomorrow! As you can see, everyone likes her - Just a cozy spot on the couch!

I also took this cute picture of Clarissa. She always puts her arms in such cute positions when she sleeps! I do need to get more awake pictures of her, but it's so fun to talk to her at that point, that I don't want to pick up the camera!
We've been huddled inside all week since it's been so cold. Not that Claire can really go out and play, but it's hard to even take her to her Dr appointments when it's this cold out! Hopefully it'll warm up a little soon.

Attempts at a Christmas Card

Sunday, Auntie Breanne and I tried to get a good Christmas picture out of Claire. Unfortunately, she wasn't awake for it, unless we were changing her, and then she was awake but unhappy!!

Here's the first outfit, kind of a Christmas elf look. And a close up - That was cute, but I didn't like that it covered her head. This one was okay, but not quite right.I tried one with the dogs, but she just ended up leaning one way,And then the other way. I think even the dogs didn't like that one! So, what did I use? You'll just have to check your mailbox in a week or so. Or whenever those cards come!

Family

My family came over on Saturday to see Clarissa. My parents always have a picture in their Christmas card with the grandchildren, so this year, Clarissa got to be a part of it! Here's one of the outtakes. It's hard to get a 6, 3 and 1.5 week old to all look the same way, but we tried!
Here's one of just the grandchildren.
My grandma Alpha also came over to meet her 14th great grandchild.
This is our niece Ava holding Claire. Her mom said she used this as a bribe all week - if she wasn't good, she couldn't hold the baby. Ava also said that Claire was smaller than some of her Odies (that's what she calls all of her dolls). Here's my mom with her 3rd grand child. She's here this week helping me out and said she'd be lucky to get great grand children, let alone 14 like her mother! Here's my brother with Claire. He couldn't believe how small she was! It was great to see all of them and have everyone meet Clarissa.

Photo Shoot

I tried taking a couple of pictures of Clarissa today by herself. She wasn't really happy about that. Getting a little fussy...

Now Baron has to see what's going on...

And then Dad had to take a picture of his little girl today in the most lady-like position. I guess she wasn't that happy with him!

Sorry - not about Claire!

In addition to having a baby, we've been putting in a bathroom on our 3rd level. Okay, "we" really means Todd! It's looking really cool - so much so that I'd like to redo our bathroom upstairs! It's not quite finished, note there is no ceiling yet, but here's what it looks like so far.

It'll be so nice to have two bathrooms. I'm excited to have it done!

A couple of Pictures

Just some pictures from this week.


Finally a picture of Dad with Claire. Claire in her swing with her eyes open.
Claire taking some lip from Mom.
Baron finally getting close to the baby.
An adorable hat I got from this Etsy shop.
Oh, and for those of you wondering, she goes by Clarissa or Claire.

The Dogs and their new Sister

The big question we get is how are the dogs with the new baby? Well, as you can imagine, they fall into two categories. Orion has found himself a new job. He is baby protector number 1. If she cries, he is the first one out of bed or off the couch right there at her. He's gotta check her out to make sure she's okay. He even sits in her room at night as we feed her to make sure everything goes well. I think food is still number one in his life, but she's a close second.
Baron, well, he's Baron. He's still getting used to her. He used to run away every time she cried. But now he's a little more tolerable. He is sniffing her now and has even given a couple of kisses. I think he's still pissed that he's not the baby any more. This picture is him outside of her room. It's funny to watch both of them with her. Everyone is still in the getting to know you faze, but I'm sure they'll both be okay with her soon.