2 Months Old

Little Claranna is already two months old today! I don't know where the time has gone. She is such a sweet baby and we all love having her in our family. We have been rewarded with sweet smiles from her since she was just over five weeks old. Now her smiles are very animated and much more frequent and include lots of coos and ooos. Here is a glimpse of her in my arms this morning. She is pretty serious at first as she checks out the camera, but if you watch to the end you will see her beautiful smile!

Have you ever seen a swarm of bees?

On the day of Claranna's baptism, the kids were outside playing in the late afternoon when they thought they saw a bird in our neighbor's small apple tree. I had noticed the dark spot on the tree when we were out doing yard work a few days earlier, so I knew it wasn't a bird. Mark went to inspect the mass more closely. He didn't get too close once he realized what he was looking at. There were thousands of honey bees hanging out on a branch. Our neighbors have since consulted a beekeeper and have moved most of the bees into a bee hive. It's pretty interesting...but I am glad they didn't settle in our yard! Take a closer look:

Claranna's Baptism

Little Miss Claranna Rose was baptized on June 7, 2009, the day she turned six weeks old. We were fortunate to have many of our close family and friends join us at the church service to witness this important day for our sweet baby. Following the service we hosted our family and friends for a lunch and of course there are lots of pictures to mark the occasion.


Here is Claranna during the actual baptism. She is being held by her Godparent (and Aunt) Jenny.

Godparents Jenny & Aaron with Pastor Steve

With my parents... Our family of five...With Mark's parents...

Just Mommy, Daddy & Claranna...

Bright-eyed baby face in her baptism dress...

I had so many more pictures from this special day that I decided it would be fun to make a slide show. When Isabella was baptized, I asked for a song to be sung in her honor. In a moment of post pregnancy hormonal weakness, I agreed to sing the same song at Claranna's baptism. So, immediately following Claranna's baptism, I joined our worship team to sing "Little Girl on her Knees" to honor Claranna on her Baptism Day. The background music on the slide show is actually me singing a portion of the song from the service. If you are brave, you can turn up your volume and listen to the music. Please don't set your expectations too high, I was a little emotional when I was singing--it was a special day!! Enjoy the slide show and thank you to those of you who celebrated with us in spirit or with your presence on Claranna's baptism day.

Last Day of School

Today my first baby finished her last day of kindergarten. She is growing up so fast!!!

1st Day of School

Last Day of School

Congrats to our soon to be 1st Grader!!

Sweet Kisses and First Smiles

We are starting to get a glimpse of Claranna's smiles. She is getting more interactive everyday!

Beautiful Baby Face

Here are pics of Claranna at 4 1/2 weeks old. Sleepy smiles...

Bright eyes...

When I am wearing Claranna in the Sprout Pouch, this is the view I see of my sweet baby girl when she is all snuggled next to me.

Claranna Coos and Brotherly Love

Here is a short video clip of a bright-eyed Claranna and her big brother James. At the beginning of the clip you can hear her little coo which she has started to do more frequently. The clip also shows a great example of James loving on his baby sister. He often softly calls her "Clara" and gives her gentle hugs and kisses. So sweet!