Carowinds!!!!!

I hadn't really thought about there being things that Claire could ride at Carowinds so we have just been waiting to go when the water park opens. Friday was another nice day here and Frank mentioned we ahould go. I packed a picnic and sunscreen and our lightweight stoller and.... well let's just say it took me two hours to get everything together that we needed to ride a few rides. Whew! Anyway when we got there we started off easy and rode the train then we progressed to the carousel and then the helicopters (see the pics of Claire sitting like a big girl on her first roller coaster ride). The Flying Balloons looked really cool and it said she could ride with an adult so we waited in line. Can I just say that ride made me feel sick and poor Claire just layed down on my lap. A little too crazy for a 17 mos. old. Anyway, after that I decided we need a break so we went to the parking lot and had a picnic in the back of the van. (She thought that was the coolest thing ever.) Then we headed back in for a few more rides. I decided I should let her get out of her stroller and walk a little bit. She was soexcited and was running so fast she fell. Poor babe. Now she has her first set of banged up knees. Anyway, on the way to First Aid station( the only thing I didn't pack were band aids) we ran into Frank's aunt and uncle, Jon and Cecile, and Cecile's extended family. We hung out with them a little bit and had ice cream and then finally headed home. Claire was exhausted but she definitely had a great time.

Water Fun

I know it might seem "ghetto" or "tacky" but it was going to be a warm day and I knew Claire wouldn't care what the water was in as long as there was water. I filled up an empty Rubbermaid container and brought out some other containers and the girls had a blast. They took a break and ate ice cream and shared each others sippy cups. After Claire polished off her ice cream she was waiting to see if Sophie was going to finish hers. Hilarious! It's amazing that she is not a porker. Anyway they could care less if it was just water in Rubbermaid containers they had a great time! Check out the slideshow above. There were so many pictures I couldn't put them all in the posting.

Reading her own bedtime story

The other night I was trying to get a few things done before putting Claire to bed and needless to say she got a little tired of waiting. Check out this video!

Flip Flops!

Ok everybody told me that Claire would have a hard time wearing flip flops so I avoided them. But when you can get a pair for three dollars how could I resist? We bought these super cute flip flops and she loves to show them off.

She even decided to brush her teeth at the same time. Sorry about the lighting on the video. I haven't figured that part out yet.

Oh the Crazy Things Grandparents Do!

We had such great weather while Frank's parent's were here, so we spent a lot of time relaxing outside. Frank's dad took great pleasure in swinging Claire and teaching her all about the airplanes that were flying over. !Warning! you may see a side of him you've never seen, so you may want to turn back now so as not ruin any image that you have of him!!!! You also may want to turn your volume down a bit!

Ice Cream with the G-parents

Claire and I enjoy going to get ice cream on occasion at Bruester's because Claire gets free ice cream. If you know how she loves to eat you can only imagine how much she loves ice cream. As a matter of fact sometimes when we are in the car she will just shout out "ice cream" hoping that someone will cave in and stop. Here are a few pics of her showing us how it's done. Watch how quickly it disappears!

The Grandparents are here!

Frank's parents got into town yesterday just in time to celebrate their favorite daughter-in-law's birthday! We had pizza and cupcakes at Frank's grandparents house, followed by some fabulous entertainment from Claire! Check out the video and pics!

Big Day with Great Grandma

Today we took Great Grandma Couch to get her hair done. She went in as Grandma Couch and came back out a new woman. Everyone at the salon couldn't believe she was the same person. The transformation is amazing. Check out the pics. The first one is from last year. Sorry I didn't have a more recent pic.

After the transformation she took us to lunch for a burger and fries and then we stopped for a cup of Starbucks. I think it's the best time she's had in a while.