there is nothing sweeter than a daddy with his baby girl. there are no words…

heart. is. mush.

more on SD vacay 2009 later.

hooray for football season! at the vender house we are HUGE arizona state fans, go DEVILS! we had the amazing opportunity to attend the home opener as a gift from our sister-in-law’s  parents. alex’s dad is the president of idaho state, our opponent of the night. he treated us to great seats in the 14th row, a sweet parking spot and we even got to attend the idaho state pre-game party too! it was so nice to see Alex’s parents again and to take claire to her first sun devils game. of course, our devils did not disappoint and won 50-3!
claire was in absolute heaven for the entire game. i’m telling you, this girl is born to be a musician. she could not stop smiling every time the marching band played or music blasted through the speakers and she even cracked up at the fans cheering and clapping. she was a smiley, wiggley little girl for hours! it was so fun. here’s some pictures from the night and a little video of her grooving a bit:

our attempt at a self-portrait, sorry claire!

the family, aren’t matt and yasmine looking so cute?

my cute little cheerleader

snuggling with papa.

claire and her papa rich.

we attempted to capture her smile so many times but this girl would not sit still!

and here is a video of her having fun, this is only a tiny glimpse of her silly self!

claire has emerged from her keppra coma. i have never seen so many smiles, so much awareness, i feel like she is allowed to finally experience her world. i hope whatever medications we try in the future never take her away from me again. just look at her eyes, they have come alive.

“I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”
Jeremiah 31:13

thank you Jesus.

adrian, claire and i ventured up north to flagstaff last weekend for a little overnight stay with our friends- mike, jina and baby lyla. let me start by saying the weather was DIVINE. i cannot imagine living in a place where the sun shines but you don’t feel like you are roasting on a spit. in fact, it felt so nice that i forgot to wear sunscreen and burnt my arms. ouch! we wanted to go to the cardinals training camp but the crowds were absolutely insane. i mean 10s of thousands of people insane. so we set up on the first practice field and relaxed in the shade. we got to see big red the mascot do some crazy backflips with a giant bird head on. it was pretty funny. here’s our little cheerleader:

then we walked around dowtown flagstaff and ate some amazing crepes on this cute little patio outside. nutella, ghiradelli chocolate, raspberry preserves and whipped cream? yes, please!

then we stopped by the famed macy’s coffee. my cappuccino was perfect!

after that we hung out at the hotel, played some pass the pigs with the olbinski’s and marveled at our 3 foot deep, reclaimed water, liquid/solid buttoned toilets. they were an experience to say the least.

the next morning we trekked back down to the heat with a little pit stop at the anthem outlets, yay!

it was a nice, restful weekend. claire was an angel on both car rides, was a little cranky at the hotel but then let us sleep most of the night. it was fun to get away with friends!

another of claire’s most fabulous birthday presents was from her aunt alex and uncle ryan. a super cute dress from babymae couture. it’s the talented handiwork of their close friend- danielle axtell. danielle’s line is going to be featured in a few baby boutiques soon and is also available on etsy. congrats danielle! i am in love with the colors, the print and the cute flowy shape! it is even more adorable in person. claire was being my little model one afternoon and i snapped these shots of her being gorgeous as always.

our friend and photographer, misty, posted a recap of claire’s first birthday bash on her site. check it out here!

here’s a little preview.

i can’t wait to see all the pretty and fun images misty captured for us. she is super talented, nice, pretty, smart, creative- i could go on and on singing her praises. but seriously guys, if you are in the valley and want an exceptional photographer then contact her! thank you misty!!

but…adrian and i sure do make pretty babies.

i’m just sayin’.

claire was showered with a mountain of thoughtful, generous presents for her birthday. but i think if she could talk, she would tell you that her favorite gift was clarence the claire bear. she just adores him. he rides with her everywhere she goes in the carseat/stroller and she holds onto his little ears or arms with love. every kid needs a special stuffed best friend and clarence is extra special because he is handmade by claire’s auntie amber. i am sure he will be a part of the vender family for a long time and will be a lasting memento from claire’s childhood. he is extra cute and proof that even boys can look great in pink. thank you so much amber! (and if you haven’t yet, order something from her shop!)

and here’s an extra pic of claire on her actual birthday monday before going out to supper with mommy and daddy to celebrate. so pretty!

happy birthday to our little girl! wow. it is so true when they tell you that the years will fly by. i can’t believe that 365 days ago, claire entered this world and changed ours forever. she has been through so much. unimaginable things. things that i don’t know if i could even handle. it is amazing to look at my tiny one year old and think she is stronger than i am. to honestly say that this little girl is my hero. that even though she cannot “do” very much in the traditional sense, i have learned so much from her. she is an excellent teacher. claire came into this world a miracle, a fighter and has already proved so many doctors’ expectations of her wrong. i have no doubt that she will continue to amaze us, inspire us and show us a love beyond understanding.

happy first birthday claire bear!

yes, i have been MIA for a few days. sorry. but it will all be well worth it. trust me! are you ready?!?!

i now present to the internets the worldwide premiere of the most beautiful smile in the entire universe-

(sorry if it takes awhile to load!) but didn’t that just make your day? every time i watch that happy face my heart bursts with joy. in the midst of seizures, intense medications, special needs and abnormal sleep patterns- she still can give us a glimpse of pure bliss.

some things you should know about claire- she loves clicking noises, she loves repetitive vowel sounds and she loves to wiggle.  we indulge those loves of hers every opportunity we get. i don’t care if i sound like a weirdo to everyone in the room. she deserves it.