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Eric’s mom, Shirl (aka Grandma), came to Raleigh last week to stay with us for a couple of days. She, along with our youth minister, Aurelio, and his family, were in the stands cheering the Dragons on to yet another win! It was an entertaining game and we were all proud of the coach and his team. Claire got to hang out with Aurelio’s son, Uriah, a friend she made when their dads played in the church basketball league. He’s about the same age as Cousin Cash, so she’s quickly learning how to hold her own with the older boys.

Grandma and Claire got lots of quality time in on Friday while I put in a few hours at the office and then had a minor procedure done at the dermatologist’s office. She was even gracious enough to continue her babysitting duties into the evening, giving Eric and I a chance to meet up with some friends for some family-style feasting at Maggiano’s. YUM!

We took Claire to Portrait Innovations on Saturday for her Valentine’s Day pictures. She was an absolute ham and didn’t take a single bad picture. She’s really got this smiling and posing thing down! Of course, she was sporting another adorable outfit from her Auntie Bonnie. Pictures go out in the mail tomorrow, so be looking for them! I’ll also post them later on this week. After her pictures, we finally got to thank Grandma properly via a big Cracker Barrel breakfast.

After a spaghetti lunch at church on Sunday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and let Claire explore our neighborhood playground. She wasn’t that impressed with the slide, but she did love her some monkey bars! She’s got incredible upper-body strength! I wish there was a swing set here, I’m pretty sure she’d love that. I’m hoping for more nice weather this weekend so she can test out swinging at a nearby public park.

Last year, it was right around Valentine’s Day that we learned the little peanut in my belly was going to be a girl. Of course, a mini shopping spree followed shortly and Claire is now reaping the benefits of several heart-themed outfits.  My favorite pics of her modeling two of them are below. Also, there’s a new photo gallery up - February 2009 - make sure to check it out!