(Christmas 2011)

We headed to Bozeman on Friday to help out with the lefse making. It was Clara's first year, and she did a nice job in the kitchen! We sent Cash over to Ryan's to play while we cranked them out. It's a looonnnngggg process but we managed to get five batches made in 5 hrs!





On Christmas Eve it has been a tradition for quite a while now to go to the Leaf and Bean for coffee in the am. Sadly, our usual spot had closed this past year so we had to relocate to the one downtown. This was Clara's first time! Cash and BJ headed downtown with us but met up with Keith to hang out for a bit.




Cash hanging out with Grandpa on Christmas Eve




It was Evan's First Christmas as well!! He is such a sweet baby!!!






Then finally it was present opening time! Poor Cashy had to stare at the presents under the tree and stockings for a whole two days before being able to open them. Pure torture for a 3 yr old!

{the loot}






Then the boys (oh and Clara!) were jammied up. The little boys played the pickle game, Cashy won. And each got a prize. A Matchbox car for each kiddo.



And other shots from the night...

*Clara's First Christmas*

Here is Clara all decked out in her very first Christmas dress. I have been waiting to be able to dress her up in her first Christmas dress since they told me she was actually a girl!





Hanging out with Nana...



...and Grandpa




Christmas morning in her new festive jammies from Nana



Posing with her new dolls :)

Johnny the Elf

This is Johnny. He has been sent to us from Santa. He watches over Cash and Clara during the day and flies home to the North Pole to report the daily happenings. He watches to make sure you listen to your Mom and Dad, be nice to your sister, and make it to the potty on time. Then he returns back the next day in a new spot in your house. We can talk to Johnny and tell him things, but he can't talk back. And NEVER under any circmstances can he be touched. His magic would disappear.

*Elf of the Shelf*

Clara June 3 Months

This month I am happy to report, that...(KNOCK ON WOOD) Clara has been sleeping a 5-6 hr stretch when she first goes down to bed. She goes to bed at 6 o'clock and lasts until somewhere between 11-12. It's wonderful!!

Smiles are getting easier to come by and it's just adorable! She always has smiles for her big brother, and is a happy camper when she gets up in the morning. She has become a mama's girl in the last few weeks, not letting me out of sight with out crying. I took her to the Belmont yesterday and she pretty much cried whenever anyone looked at her...

Clara is getting on a schedule these days without much effort. She takes a looooonnnnggg nap in the am and then is up for a while during mid morning and lunch time. She goes down around 1ish for her afternoon nap which is only for like an hour, sometimes less. I have gotten her and Cash to take that nap at the same time so I am able to have an hour break during the day, most days.

She is a pro at tummy time and is showing signs that she would like to be on the move! Everytime she gets on her belly, she start furiously kicking her legs and gets quite mad when she can't propel herself (or keep her head up!) She hates her carseat and takes quite a while and some music before she calms down enough to fall asleep. I have finally gotten her to take a Paci at times. She is pretty content most days to just suck on her fingers.

{Sissy}

Santa!!!

Cash was gung-ho for sitting on Santa's lap. He asked him for a bobcat and excavator. He apparently thought that if he sat on his lap and put in his request, he would be receiving his gift on the spot....hmmmm.... I explained that he had to be good and then on Christmas Eve, Santa would come to our house (when he was SLEEPING). This am, he woke up and asked if he could go see what Santa brought him! YIKES!

Well...how creative you are!

Seriously....this kid thinks outside of the box. He said that his jammie pants were falling down since he didn't have any undies or a diaper on. This was his solution. Pretty creative if you ask me!

Cash was relaxing in our bed being silly the other morning. He wanted Clara to join him....




I thought these were cute...each of them was looking at the other in each shot...



I told him to make sure he was holding her head. Guess I should have been more specific!


...and my favorite one!

{Randoms of Clara}

**Let It Snow**

Cash bundled up to help BJ shovel the sidewalk and driveway:





And Clara was all bundled up in her carseat to run errands with me:

Cash Henry is 3!!!

Cash turned 3 on November 5th. A whole 3 years old already!!! Seems that he was just Clara's size not that long ago...

Cash 3 weeks old, Thanksgiving 2008



Cash on his 1st Birthday



Cash on his 2nd Birthday



...and his 3rd Birthday



****************

Cash got up opened his present from us, a kid camera! He is always wanting to use mine (YIKES!) and so I found a V-Tech camera that is fully encased in....rubber! He seemed to like it :) He had 4 friends over for a birthday party during the day. I let him chose the menu. He chose pizza and for his cake, he wanted chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. We had a pinata and played Pin the Tail on the Donkey. It was pretty funny!! Later in the afternoon, Nana and Grandpa came over and we had dinner with them. Again, I let him pick what we would have: chicken, rice, broccoli and carrots. Funny, huh?? He has become fond of broccoli since watching Olivia. Imagine this in a song...."look at me...I'm broccoli!!!" haha! Anyway, he eats it up, so I love the song too...

We went in for his 3yr well check. He is a whole 31 lbs and 39 inches tall. Right at the 50% mark for weight, and 80% for height!! Tall and skinny still. I can barely get the kid to eat on a daily basis. But his beloved "treat cup" full of milk is always a favorite. I often fill it with Carnation Instant Breakfast on days when he eats NOTHING.

Cash knows all his colors, and can count to 12 all alone (although leaving out 7 most times...). He is an awesome big brother and LOVES baby sister Clara June Cope as he calls her! The other day we were driving home from Bozeman and she was screaming because she was hungry, so Cash decided to growl really loud at her like a Dino...he thought it was making her feel better. He has a good heart :) Dora, Dino Dan and Bearnstein Bears are his current favorite cartoons.

He is a mini chef in the kitchen. He loves helping me cook and bake. Living in Butte, makes for long, boring days, so we often bake cookies and other treats to pass our time. He plays well with his little friends that he has made. I am pretty sure his favorite pal to play with is Grandpa Hugh! Everytime we head to Bozeman, he asks if Grandpa will be home or at the shop. I think it helps that they can be men together, Grandpa has given him a special pocketknife to have at their house, and they are often in the garage "donging" nails.

Cash has FINALLY started to sleep through the night. Thank the good Lord!! He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00. Sometimes earlier, we take advantage of the fact that he can't yet tell time! He is a very early riser, like 5am early! I didn't mind before Clara was born, but it seems she is always up around 4 for a feed and then he is up right after I get her back down.

Cash is growing into such a cool little person. The little quirky things he says, and does just make your day. In the last 3 years, I haven't loved so much, been so frustrated, or prayed for patience on a daily basis, but I wouldn't change it all for anything! I love my little Cash Henry :)