Utilizing the Gym

We recently started taking Claire to the pool at our gym, and, unfortunately, she has developed an obsession with swimming. It gets cold in there fast, and leaving can be a challenge. But, she loves it so much, it is all worth it.

Bar Exam Over

With the bar exam behind me, we spent the following weekend in New Hampshire, where there have been record snows this year. Claire loved walking along the road - climbing up and running down the hills - and just being out and about. The relief of no more studying was indescribable.

The Past Few Months

It's not as if we are unaware of our total delinquency as bloggers. For now, we're blaming two primary factors: the bar exam and our crappy camera. The pictures below are about everything we've got of late, and, as you can see, we've been somewhat limited to sepia because of camera issues. With a new camera (coming soon), we'll turn over a new leaf and start posting again. Until then...


The new "squinty" smile - only by special request:



Claire invading Baby Zion's space during Christmas at the lake:



Further evidence of Claire's "who" (Cindy Loo) ancestry:




Claire helping put up the Christmas tree (long since gone):

Finally, a minor update

Here it is, January 14th, and I'm updating our blog with a picture from Thanksgiving. We may one day bring this thing current, but today is not that day. That aside, this is such a great shot of Claire, it is a good way to get things up and running again.

Halloween

This was Claire's first real halloween, and her cowgirl costume turned out to be pretty effective. The evening was complete with trick-or-treating, lighting the jack-o-lanterns...


...and even pushing her own stroller home

The Surprise Party

I surprised Steven with a party at our home on the Friday after his birthday. Besides Tim and Cathy showing up early to throw together some gourmet appetizers, Tim took some video (on his phone) to provide the only documentation we have of a great evening with wine, desserts, pumpkin carving, and some good friends.

Steven's 30th Birthday

Steven turned 30 on October 24th. We kicked off celebrating with an oatmeal-blueberry pancake breakfast.

Russel Orchards

A fall favorite on an indian summer day.

Claire's Intuition

A 7 month pregnant Kate came to visit and from these pictures you can tell Claire was asking about the baby. She knew there was something special going on... An amazing moment.

New 'do

So I ended up with a plain old bob even though I had envisioned this...

New Red Shoes

Doesn't every girl need a pair of red shoes? As fall rolls around, we were forced to retire the sandals for some real mary janes -- especially now that Claire walks. We had tried to go cheap and Claire's feet weren't happy. These See Kai Run shoes however are now worn everyday and Claire loves them.

the last of summer

We had the chance to take Cole and Ollie for the day as Meg and Tim both headed back to work. We spent most of the day at a state park swimming during which an ice cream truck showed up and Cole asked if we could get some.... Steven replied, "Why not?" which thrilled Cole and we spent the next 45 minutes trying to decide on a flavor. It was the first ice cream truck experience for all the kids, it seemed only necessary to document it.

She Walks!

That was a grape that lured her across the room.

Franklin Park Zoo

Why is this ALWAYS funny?

Not so merry-go-round

In an effort to ensure Claire's well-roundedness, we thought we should expose her to the world of the Carnie -- this one at Salem willows. We only managed one trip around the merry-go-round with her actually ON a horse. The rest of the ride was spent in my arms, screaming for mom.

Baby Ava

Amy and Jered's daughter, Ava, arrived on August 14th, while Claire was away visiting Laney and Papi in New Hampshire. I can't even remember when (if?) Claire was ever that small. Next to Ava, Claire is a bit of a monster, and has equivalent social skills... Her only interaction with her cousin so far consists of pointing at her and grunting angrily.

Hotter than Hades

A day at our friends' pool was a nice respite this week from Claire feeding herself barnacles, rocks, and shells on the beach (she likes salty foods).

Chicago

Our trip to Chicago was planned around two big, happy events... Missy's baby shower and Heather Lewis' wedding. It was also the first time we left Claire overnight. (she did great with the Veenema grandparents.) As much as we missed her it was a weekend to remember -- late nights, dining out, lots of laughs, not much sleep, some shopping, and just some time for ourselves with people we love... Just wishing we all lived closer together.

Seeing Heather's happiness on her wedding day, and Missy carrying the soon-to-arrive baby Zion were special reminders of two of life's best moments: becoming a wife and becoming a mother.

Cousins

DSCN1610, originally uploaded by kristaveenema.

Almost all of the current Ferguson cousins were together at the lake recently -- including 2 of the 3 in utero. This was the most successful attempt at putting them all together for a picture...

Playground Time

Climbing Slide, originally uploaded by kristaveenema.

Claire is no longer content to sit in a swing.