Maybe

Do you ever feel like something big is just on the horizon? That is the feeling I have had for a little while now. I am excited, but a bit nervous. It seems like our family is going to have some decisions ahead of us that could shape the foreseeable future. Not sure exactly when it all started. Many of you may know that even though we live in Orange County, we have never wanted to stay. This lifestyle has always been a bit overwhelming, and tempting for us. We have always dreamed of a house somewhere where there are more trees than concrete. Someplace where you see stars at night. Our plan to get there has always been dependent of Kevin making lots of money (actually making the same amount he makes here, which would be lots somewhere else) so we could purchase this dream. But lately I think the Lord is revealing to us that maybe we were just redirecting that same Orange County attitude of acquisition and aiming it somewhere where we could get more for our money. We can't afford to get get get while we live here, so lets go somewhere else so we can have more stuff. And we'll cloak it in this great vision of happy family lives in a house where our kids can run and play; where we spend nights gazing up at the stars and weekends hiking through nature. But really, will anything change? We'll have a bigger house, yes. It will be ours and not rented, yes. But will we really grow at all? I don't know. Maybe our dream should involve less getting. Staying down here and living on a tight budget requires more reliance on God's provision. It cultivates more discipline. It encourages growth. Maybe. I don't know. It's the conversation we're having now. Actually it's one of the conversations we're having now. Big things on the horizon. Maybe.

Praise the Lord!

Claire LOVES to clap, dance, and sing along to music. Her favorite person to listen to: her Daddy (as in the video below). I taught her the arms raised trick in the form of cheering "hooray" when Kevin would get home from work. The first time she raised her hands to music was when we had her in church for the final worship time. The people in front of us were raising their hands while they sang. She loved watching them, and soon began to  imitate. That drew so much attention from the people around us, and soon everyone was doing it, just to get Claire to keep it up. So cute! Now, if you look at her and raise your hand and say "Praise the Lord!" (we like to use our best charismatic preacher voice) she smiles and does it too. Hours of entertainment! Enjoy!

Another favorite trick of hers has become waving to anyone. She waves to people in the store, she waves to people walking their dogs past our house, she waves to birds in the yard. However, if you ask her to wave, odds are about 50/50 that she'll pretend to be bashful and bury her face in my shoulder. 

Her new way to play with her toys is to bang them together to make noise. Most of her toys are soft, so she has adapted things like bottle lids and tupperware to suit her needs. Maybe it's time to get some more advanced toys. Thus far, we have only bought her two toys: a ball and a stuffed hippopontomus. Everything else has been a gift!

Claire and the Butterfly

My mom got Claire this motorized butterfly a while back. Until now it has remained motionless due to a lack of batteries. But that was resolved the other day. She's still in the "checking this thing out" phase. Pretty cute! Plus, at the end of the video, she says "hi" which is adorable, of course! 

From Pigs to Zombies

Thanks for everyone's concern. Claire's fever is gone and she's sleeping better. And Kristian, not to worry, her oinking was minimal, so I think we're in the clear for the swine flu. But I am concerned about this slight case of zombieism she has been exhibiting of late.

What do you think?

Ug!

Claire's on day three of 102 degree fevers. She's been a trooper, but today has been more grummpy and sleeping not-at-all. I am rarely showered and haven't had a night's sleep in who knows how long (she was in a funk all last week too and not sleeping.) And of course, because I'm so tired, I let my supervisor make me cry at school last night.  (oh, and I am forced to go in to school on Saturday, so that's just peachy--and part of the reason for the crying! She wanted to force me to come today, but I flat out refused to take Claire out.) Just a few more days and hopefully life will settle down!

Hey Everybody, I'm Eight Months Old!

Message From the Front Lines

RE: Nap Strike

From: Organizer and sole member of BRAT (babies rallying against tiredness): Claire Bringard

Day Five: It's getting grim out here. I don't know how much longer I can hold out. The opposition is relentless. I have had to alter my tactics several times. The hour and a half of playing in the crib instead of sleeping was getting me nowhere. Yesterday I was forced to institute constant screaming all evening. I threw in a nursing strike for good measure, but gained no ground. Today, in addition to the nursing strike, I made the decision to escalate my efforts to the morning as well as afternoon nap. It's beginning to have an effect. I can see it in her eyes. The sparkle has gone out and been replaced with a wild look. She hasn't showered in 48 hours. And yet, somehow she remains steadfast. Soon, I fear I will have to declare my intentions or abandon my cause. I have been so caught up in the struggle that I have forgotten why I established BRAT in the first place. Why, oh why is life so hard!