Our little "Doggie Whisperer"

This is too cute not to share; at least in our book! The three of us walked down to the mailbox last night before bathtime. Clara has been whinny since another molar is cutting through so we needed a change of scenery. As we walked down the block a dog somewhere was barking. We couldn't see it, just heard all the barking. Clara stopped dead in her tracks, started turning around quickly to find the sound of the noise, shouted out "doggie, doggie" and then started barking back at the dog. No kidding! She stood there shouting "woof, woof, woof"! She must have been trying to talk to the dog. In my head she would have been asking "doggie, where are you?" It was hilarious and so stinking adorable. She did this three or four times before we got back to the house. According to Aaron, this is just one more reason we need to get a dog when we move to Kentucky. :)

Bottoms Up!

Another big milestone! Well, in the eyes of a mother who happens to be an occupational therapist it is! Clara is drinking from a regular, open cup. Sure, we still have the dribbles and the occasional spills, but the other day she drank a bunch of milk from one without any major spills...until the end! But hey, it's still a big step! I showed her how to dunk animal cookies in her milk and she was loving that!

New pics in slideshow

Check out the slideshow at the bottom of the site. I added some new ones from this past weekend.

Potty Time!

I know, I know, Clara's only 18 months old and we still have a lot of work to go. But, we are excited to be in the early stages of potty training. All on her own, Clara has started telling us when she has to go or has just gone pooh (about 50% of the time, but getting better every day). I guess you could say we talk a lot about pooh these days! Aaron and I have taken this as a sign that she's ready to start the daunting task of toilet training. We have been spending some time on the potty. Two times she's gone pooh in the potty! Granted, one time was just the luck of quick hands while she was in the bathtub and the other was lucky timing when we sat on the potty before bathtime. She has her own potty seats, a potty book, and great start on what I'm sure will be a long process!

What better way to pass the time than a ride on Daddy's knee;

the best horse in town!

Other than that, things have been getting back into routine here at the Barrett house since we've returned from vacation. As I've said before, one of the best thing I love about parenting is watching Clara's personality blossom! Seeing her develop "favorites" and quirks and exerting those preferences.

The big thing that happened is Clara has a new love, her Elmo slippers! Our little girl has quite a thing for the little red monster; as most kids her age I've learned. The slippers arrived on Thursday and she barely takes them off when we're in the house.

Since we spent time at our friends house in South Bend, Clara is all about the baby dolls! Playing with Abby's dolls really brought out Clara's "mothering" instinct. She feeds them with a toy bottle, puts them "night night" and covers them with blankets, and pushes them around in the doll stroller we got her.

She is also in love with her sunglasses! She wears them at Mrs. Jackie's, around the house, and at stores. Don't even think about taking them off unless it's her idea!

Our Elmo lovin', stroller pushin', shade sportin' munchkin!

And tortellini eatin'!

Clara and I spend a lot of time this weekend in the backyard playing in the pool and in the sprinkler. It's been so hot, but were sick of staying inside. Aaron enjoyed a boys weekend in Ft. Meyer's with his buddy Andy and heads back to work tomorrow after a long month off (but not long enough!).

Trying to catch the water.

We hope you all had a fun weekend like we did. xoxoxox

Home Sweet Home!

After 2,850+ miles, 17 days, 9 states, 6 beds (in 5 different states), and 1 car accident, we are finally home! First off, the accident was nothing huge, we are all fine. We were rear-ended driving through Dallas yesterday on our last day of traveling. The bumper will need to be replaced, but that seems to be the extent of the damage. We'll know for sure once we take it in to the body shop Monday. Thank heavens for seat belts and car insurance!

It was so great to see all the family and friends and make many family memories, but there's nothing like sacking out on your own couch and sleeping in your own bed! Even Clara seems quite happy to be back home. Our usually cheerful little munchkin has been even more playful and giggly today.

After Detroit, we drove down to Ft. Knox, KY to scope out housing for our move there this fall and spend some time visiting with my cousin Michelle and her family. It's a good thing we went because we quickly learned that there is basically no rental market in the Knox area. And on-post housing will be hard to get. It really doesn't make any sense, we know, but after 3 days of researching, driving, and looking at homes we found nothing suitable within our budget. The base and the surrounding community are clearly not ready for 3,000+ soldiers and their families to invade the area! Looks like we'll be looking into purchasing the home. And, if we aren't there very long, we can always rent it out, there is obviously a need for it!

Until next time. xoxoxox

Our Visit to Detroit

We had a very nice time in Detroit. Aaron's party was a hit, lots of friends and family dropped by to welcome him home and catch up with us. Naturally, Clara was the star of the show, looking as cute as a button and charming everyone who stopped by. We also made a visit to the Detroit Zoo with Keri. The weather was perfect the whole time we were there! On Sunday, Clara enjoyed some swimming with my parents' neighbor's granddaughter, Madison, while a proud grandma and papa looked on.

Daddy and Clara on the train at the zoo.Clara performing at the party before bedtime.

Miss Clara beaming, and Papa is too!

Those are just some of the faves from the trip to Detroit. Enjoy the slideshow of all the others.