O-Baby, It's Inauguration Day!

It's one of those days you will always remember where you were and who you were with....the day our 44th President, Barack Obama was sworn into office. Claire and I were home watching all the excitement on TV. Papa Jim came over and brought us lunch. (Claire's first McDonalds chicken nuggets! YUM!) Since the "main event" was during lunchtime, we had a picnic in front of the TV! Whenever the crowd cheered, Claire cheered along!
(Yes, I know the bow looks silly, but the top of her head is the only place I could put it that she wouldn't rip it right out!! Anyways, it doesn't look nearly as silly as the bow hat Aretha was rockin!)

Here's the moment when Obama was sworn in. Such an exciting moment in history!

Monument Avenue, Here We Come!

10K training started this weekend for us! Rob says he's running it with me this year, so we laced up our running shoes on a very cold morning and headed out for our first run. Claire was snug as a bug and could barely move with all the warm clothes I put on her! :-) We weren't so good this morning and instead of going out to excersize, we went to IHOP! Hey, you gotta enjoy yourself too right? Claire was really good in the restaurant and we had a fun breakfast out!

And this picture is "just because!" Isn't she cute?! (16 months old today!!) One of MANY new outfits from Abu and PoPa for Christmas.

Crib Time

Every morning after a diaper change and milk, Claire plays in her crib for a while. She likes her "alone time" I guess and so do I! I am always curious what exactly she does in there for so long and sometimes spy on her. This morning, Rob went up to say goodbye before leaving for work and yells for me to come up. He said "you GOTTA come see this".....and this is what I found:

Not sure how long she was like that because she never cried or anything, but was definitely stuck! Pretty funny!

For Hokie Eyes ONLY...

Warning: I do not have permission from my husband to post this. It very well could be deleted at any time. :-)

For Aunt Alison, Uncle Andy, and all the other Hokies out there...Claire's ready for the Orange Bowl!

*As I said to resolve a Hokies vs. Hoos debate amongst Rob and Brooke: It doesn't matter anyway, Claire's gonna be a Duke Dog!!

A Rockin New Year's Eve!

Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but here's a post that does NOT include pictures of Claire!! She was staying at Grammy and Papa Jim's house for a couple nights (I NEVER turn down a chance to sleep in!) and we invited Jake, Alison, and Matt over to ring in the New Year. We were a pretty sad group....Matt had to work at 7am this morning so they left around 10 and the rest of us all fell asleep before midnight. I guess you could say we dropped the ball on the ball dropping. Ha ha.

Anyway, our entertainment for the evening was Jake's Rock Band game he got for Christmas. I laughed so hard watching the boys play! They were actually pretty good :-)

"Straight thuggin" as Jake would say!!

Happy 2009 everyone! It's gonna be a great year!!

Christmas with the Masons

While Christmas was winding down for most people, ours was just beginning! Christmas with the Masons this year was on Sunday after Andy and Tara returned from Danville. Claire showed up in her Christmas attire...here she is strutting her stuff.

Claire and Aunt Tara. Tara's brother shared one of his (gag) gifts with Claire. She loved it and maybe it will teach her a couple of words en espanol!Claire opening her presents...In one of her new outfits...Entertainment thanks to Andy and Tara's Christmas gift to each other - the Wii! Here's Mom bowling. (It really upset my super-competitive Dad that I beat him! Dare to try a rematch?)

Mom's Christmas Menu - yes, you are reading that correctly "Beef Tenderloin a la Styrofoam"And here's the styrofoam to prove it. It actually worked and was delicious!!Claire went to bed and we all enjoyed a wonderful meal together.
For those of you who think Charlie is totally neglected, here's proof that he got presents too! Christmas continued Tuesday night with the Hulchers. Claire wore her Christmas dress that Grammy made. She LOVED her dog book from the Hulchers.
Claire in her sweater from Mexico! Clay and Patti bought it on their honeymoon!! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with their loved ones! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

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