Chats with Clara

Mom: Let's hop in the car Clara!
Clara: Why?
Mom: You get to go play with Johnny.
Clara: Why?
Mom: Because I'm going to Yoga.
Clara: Why?
Mom: So I can be fit.
Clara: Why?
Mom: Because it makes me happy.
Clara: Why?
Mom: JUST GET IN THE CAR NOW!

Three years old!

Clara turned three on March 9th! We had a fun family party for her and let her dress up like a princess (her favorite thing) for the occasion. All day she told me how much she loved the cake, and the decorations - it was so sweet! She was surprisingly more thrilled with the party and the people than the presents. Amazing. I wonder how long that will last? In fact, we gave her one present at the party but had some more to give her on her real birthday. But seeing how she cast them all aside at the party we haven't had the motivation to give the rest of them! Maybe I'll save them for Easter at this point... Anyway, it's almost unbelievable that three years have gone by so quickly. We sure love Clara and the fun she brings to our house. She's such a joy to be with and we are so grateful she's a part of our family!

Random PIx

Here are some pix from a weekend trip we took to St. George at the end of February. We really love our visits there! This time when we went to the Temple Visitors Center they had a new exhibit about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Brian's Great Grandfather J. Spencer Cornwall was the choir's Conductor from 1935 to 1957 and they had his baton on display there. They also had a photo of the choir's trip to Paris in 1955, and Brian's Grandma is in that photo. She of course has wonderful memories from that Europe trip and from her time singing with the choir. What a fun surprise to see it all on display in St. George!

Sports!

We've started taking advantage of the community center's youth sports programs - Chase's latest was basketball and Clara is in gymnastics. It's so fun! Clara sometimes likes to do her 'own thing' and gets in trouble for climbing up on the balance beam or bars when no one is looking. We watch from the observation room above and just laugh because she's all over the place; dancing and prancing without a care. Hopefully she'll learn to focus at some point, but for now I don't mind her three year old antics.
Chase had to receive the most improved player award for basketball. He started out the first couple games with no clue what was going on. He'd run the ball the wrong direction on the court, and start doing 'jedi' moves out of the blue. It was hilarious! Our favorite was when he'd stop to look up at the clock and cover his ears 30 seconds before the buzzer rang because it was too loud. Luckily by the third game he started to get the hang of it, and by the end of the season he was really quite competitive. Miraculous. :) We can't wait to see what Baseball brings next month!

Sunny AZ

I love going to my home-state Arizona in the winter time! The pix don't do justice to the fun and relaxing visit we had. Can't wait to go back again... :)

Lincoln Bradley Arnell

Welcome baby Link! Chase and Clara are so excited to have a new cousin, and we all think you're amazing. I absolutely love holding you and staring at your sweet little face... what a handsome little guy you are.

Goodbye Huggies!

I've hesitated to write this post because I didn't want to jinx the glorious news it contained... but we're going on four weeks now and I'm ready to shout from the rooftops: Clara is potty trained! At least during the daytime - we're still doing pull-ups at night, but even that we're about done with. Yay! I have a vivid memory of being in the delivery room right after Clara was born and looking over as the nurse put on her very first diaper. I remember thinking 'here we go... how long until we will be putting on her very last diaper?'. Much has happened obviously since that first diaper! Clara is almost three (a week from today is her birthday) and she's turned completely into her own little person. And those diapers have been with us every step of the way. We took whole suitcases full of them on multiple vacations over the years (it actually works out quite nice because as the diaper stash is depleted there is more room for souvenirs!). But now a whole new world of opportunities is open to us; pre-school, gymnastics and dance classes, etc. I have to say I've grown quite fond of the baby wipes though. They are so helpful in jam-face/ eating in the car/ playing in mud at the park/ spilling juice on my shirt, situations that I might just keep them around for a while (like till our kids are teenagers). But alas, it's definitely time to part with the diapers and all I can say is 'thanks for the memories!'