Does this mean we're actual grown ups??

Last night we decided to throw out hats in the ring (whatever that means) and we put an offer on a house. A real offer. On a real house. I feel like this should be something we whisper as it hasn't been accepted yet but I really want to holler the news from the rooftop of our apartment in the ghetto.

The potential house is a new home and has three bedrooms, a two car garage, built in bookshelves (I said built in bookshelves!!!) and the ideal kitchen; one where I can see straight into the play room and into the backyard, too. Oh, a backyard--with a fence! And it has a separate utility room that I didn't even know I wanted, but now that it's on the table I realize that I can't live without it.

I don't know what to do with myself as we wait to hear something back from the bank. I know what I WON'T be doing is looking on any more websites, taking any more tours or going to any more Open Houses for awhile!

Hunting Season

Every minute of every day--well, I should say the minutes we aren't chasing/feeding/clothing/snuggling/clapping/singing to our big girl--we are looking for a house. A *H*O*U*S*E* house. Cam has been a major rockstar in this adventure while I play the damsel in distress. I will say it here publicly that house hunting may do me in. It may give me grays that no dye can cover. It may age me 10 years--I will forever blame my crow's feet on this nightmare. And the tears...OH, the tears I've cried! If you've ever met me in real life you know that I am what some might call *sensitive*. Every time I step over a threshold, I fall in love. Then my heart breaks.

The worst of the worst is Gray House. I love Gray House but it's out of our reach--sort of. Okay, mostly out of reach. I've loved Gray House for 3 weeks. I haven't found anything else I love as much as Gray House. We reached the conclusion that Gray House just wouldn't work out. I mourned the loss and tried to move on. Then it seemed Gray House might just work out--a week and a half ago, the financer offered a sweet deal. Cam thought it's may not be just sweet enough. I mourned once again. Realtor dropped the price over the weekend and now I feel those familiar sparks flying one more time.

How does anyone get through this?? Cam is as laid back and nonchalant as ever. I, on the otherhand, am a trainwreck!
Almost everyone we know has already bought at LEAST one house already--so give us your advice!! Please?? How do you stay objective? What would you advise a couple of crazy kids trying to buy their first home?

Revisiting Halloween

Yes, I know that Halloween was ages ago but I forgot about these pictures and didn't want them to go to waste.


So, in short, Halloween was not all I had hoped it would be. I picked Clem up from daycare with the intention of getting her dressed up and going to visit some friends and neighbors. Well, I was the only one on board with this plan as Clementine was very crabby on this day (turned out she still had ear infection) and Cam had to work until nearly 7 (Clem's bedtime). Clementine had two costumes to wear: a Jack o'Lantern costume that she crawled on top of and tore in less than a minute and her strange fitting Princess Leia robe w/ cinnamon bun wig. In the end, she got dressed up for about 15 minutes. Clementine was Princess Leia while her best friend Jack was Yoda. Another issue was that Clementine's cinnamon buns wig was so big it fit my head!


The too big wig, the too tight Princess Leia robe and the ear infection was certainly not what I expected this year but she sure worked that costume!

Creative Genius

I'm convinced Clementine is a genius. One of those eccentric, adorable, nudist geniuses.

A few nights ago, Clem decided it was no-pants time and that wearing only one sock will do. Shortly after she got rid of her burdensome clothing, she found a bunch of game cards and spread them out all over the floor. Diligently, she sorted and stacked these into an empty checkbook box for the longest sustained time she can handle--5 whole minutes!

Some cards she sorted and stacked into the checkbook box, others went back on the floor. These discarded cards had to be stacked far away from the box.

As I watched her, I wondered how she decided which pile each card belonged to. The teacher in me tried to make sense of her logic and I held myself back from taking down anecdotal notes. I fought back those teacher urges and just watched my genius baby learn and play.

Clementine refused to wear her sunflower headband.

So Jack wore it instead.

Peek a Boo

Clementine has a new favorite game. It's called "...BAH!" which is her own special way of saying boo.

First she finds a good hiding spot. This good hiding spot happens to be the same spot every time we play the game.


Then she hides and waits.

"Where is Clementine?" we ask. "Have you seen her Dadda?" "I just saw that love bug!" She giggles from her hiding spot until just the right time.


"BAH" she'll say. Or sometimes "HERE I AM YOU GUYS WERE TOTALLY FOOLED!" Sometimes she says that but not very often.

Life with a One Year Old

There's a lot no one ever told me about life with a one year old (FORINA!). No one ever said anything about terrible twos/stubbornness starting at 12 months. I never heard a sound such as the one Clementine lets loose--a shriek like a dog whistle! She still doesn't really cry, she just shrieks! Have you ever seen a crocodile in captivity roll and roll and roll as a defense mechanism? Changing Clementine's diaper is a similar experience. She just keeps rolling, knocking things off the changing table as she goes (we now change clothes and diapers on the floor or with two adults to help).

Now that Clementine is walking 60% of her day, there is absolutely no *down time* around here. Coming home from work isn't restful at all! BUT, her newfound freedom has a lot of really positive bits, as well. For example, I had no idea that my walking baby would learn such sweet dance moves. She shakes her booty to every song she hears. She gets all her rhythm from me, of course. She is also cuddlier than ever. She loves to walk around the house and get applause but there comes a time when a girl needs a snuggle. I love that she can walk up to me and instigate her own snuggles! My new BIG favorite is when she picks up a book and walks with it over to me then sits down in my lap for a read. I love that!

Unfortunately, I have no pictures for this blog post--between my exhaustion and her speed-of-lighting-walking, we haven't had many good ones to share! Hopefully this weekend Clementine will take a nap or find something to hold her attention for longer than 57 seconds.