The Clive-o-saurus

Just look at those dangerous chompers!

What a crazy face. I'm hoping Clive's resemblance to Calvin (from the infamous Calvin & Hobbes) is only skin deep. :)

Clive: toddler or candy cane?

I realize I've been horribly delinquent at blogging lately. Forgive me! I've had the busiest week ever with my online job. I've had to pull several vvvvvvvery late nights and I'm sorry to say I've used Wonder Pets dvd's as a Chloe-sitter so I can finish all my work tasks.

Matt has been great about watching the kids so I can have some extra working time. That comes with a few quirks though as you'll see from the photos of Clive below. I guess this is Matt's idea of a matching outfit? It certainly does match but it's a dizzying to behold. May I present to you, Clive, the human candy cane!

Has your hubby ever dressed up the kids in peculiar ensembles?

A family trip

This past weekend we braved the frigid temperatures and mountains of snow to visit family in Michigan.

Chloe and her cousin, Grace, are just 5 months apart and every time they see each other in person their interaction gets sweeter and sweeter. Aren't they utterly adorable in their matching jumpers?!? They insisted on calling these matching duds their "princess dresses" even though there's obviously nothing sparkly, ruffly or pink going on here. I'm sure Chloe is solely to blame for the princess influence. :)

Regardless, the girls played super well together and did a ton of independent playing. What a refreshing change! Most of the time Chloe tries to lasso me or Matt into her constant pretending scenarios. Don't read that wrong. I value playing with Chloe but she truly needs more kid-to-kid interaction. And I relished the extra time to chat and do some special things with my nieces and sister-in-law.

We had a FANTASTIC time visiting and as usual the time flew by too quickly. I'm wasted from the ride home (just wait until you hear about Chloe's eventful injury during our lunch break) so I'll post the details of the trip later, alligators.

Did anyone else take advantage of the holiday weekend with a quick getaway?

Do you resolve?

I don't have any official resolutions for the new year but I do have some large goals that I hope to achieve with God's help. Here are my top three:

1. Read my Bible regularly. I downloaded a schedule for reading my Bible in a year that I'm excited about. Instead of just plowing through from cover-to-cover, this reading plan has me reading a few chapters in various genres of the Bible each day.

2. Exercise consistently. We just purchased a one-year membership to a nearby gym/pool and I aim to get there 4 times a week. I'm not doing anything major yet. Just walking the track at a fast pace for now. It's an extremely kid-friendly place and only 3 blocks from my home so I have no excuses!

3. Eat more celery. Well, not just celery really. My goal is to be a wiser snacker. And to make sure I eat healthy and well at meals so I don't go wild with snacks. By eliminating chocolate and chips from my pantry and stocking the fridge with celery, cottage cheese and yogurt I hope to take control of my snacking habits.

How 'bout you? Do you resolve anything for 2009?

Disappointed in post-Christmas sales

Is it just me or do the after Christmas sales stink this year?

Maybe I didn't get out early enough or maybe it's just the outworkings of our ailing economy. I've been to at least 3 stores thus far on the hunt for post-holiday markdowns (I always snag next year's cards on the January clearance shelves) and have come away with very little. No cards and only a few little ornaments and stocking stuffers to use as small gifts for next year.

I'm hoping to hit Kohl's soon to see if I can at least find a "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornament for Clive. I know it's after the fact but it's for posterity anyways. I'm fairly certain he wasn't upset about not receiving a memento ornament on Christmas morning. :)

Have you noticed these sad sales too? Where do you shop for after-Christmas bargains?

Clive turns 1!

It's hard to believe an entire year has passed since we brought our little Clive Simeon Horn home from the hospital! This healthy active boy seems so different from the tiny (ok, 8 lbs. 14 oz. isn't tiny to most people but compared to his 10 lb. sister he was a peanut!) newborn who had to spend his first few day in an incubator to regulate his temperature.

It's so cool to see how God grew our baby Clive into such a healthy active toddling boy. He's changed in countless ways but he still has those same skinny chicken legs he did as a newborn. He definitely gets those from his daddy.


































Since I was struggling with a wretched cold, we decided to just have a small family shindig to celebrate Clive's 1st birthday. I made a teddy bear cake that was decidedly NOT like the picture on the box. In fact, the chocolate teddy cake was seriously laughable to anyone who knows anything about cake decorating. But, Clive and Chloe both liked it and it was destroyed in less than 30 seconds anyways. Also made some yummy homemade mac-n-cheese and steamed veggies. Then Clive opened some gifts and Chloe quickly snatched them up to play with. :)

Happy Birthday, dear Clive-y! We love you and are so glad God added you to our family!