Recap of the holidays

Claire loves to do this. Hut, hut, hike!

So many wonderful memories have been made since I last wrote. It has been a very busy fall for me. We had a wonderful Halloween, yummy Thanksgiving, exciting first birthday for Claire, and a very Merry Christmas. In the middle of all that, Chris and I finally know what we are doing in the future. Since so much time has lapsed, I won't write in too much detail, but will share the pictures that I took along the way.

Claire went trick or treating 4 times! She went to Lycoming Mall with her cousin, Eli, and the Nittany Mall, the Penn State athletic hall of fame museum, and around the neighborhood all with her friend Jeffrey. These weren't all the same night of course. She got a ton of candy which we mostly gave away to other people since we didn't want to eat it all! She had some samples of a few different kinds of candy though.

November brought a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We celebrated Thanksgiving up with my parents the weekend before Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. The Monday before Thanksgiving, Chris gave his lecture recital at Eastman. He did a wonderful job and has now completed everything toward his DMA with only his comprehensive exams left to complete. Then he'll be Doctor Naugle. :)

We then headed down to Chris's family's house for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time there and ate lots of yummy food. I decided to be artistic and instead of making a cheesecake or something, made turkey cupcakes that I saw on the Today show. Aren't they cute? They are made out of nutter butters, candy corn, marshmallows, and nerds.

My visiting teacher had a similar idea (or rather, her daughter did) and brought me some turkeys of a different sort.

Right before Thanksgiving, I decided that I wanted to transcribe an interview I did with my grandparents 5 years ago. I couldn't believe that I let 5 years go by before I finally transcribed the interview, but life happens. It was over a 2 hour interview and filled up 25 pages of single spaced print. I spent every nap time I could to work on it. Then I wrote biographies of each of them and their lives together which was about 15 pages long. I thankfully was able to finish them in time for Christmas with the editing help of my parents. They could ask my grandparents questions I had for them. I gave them to my siblings and grandparents for Christmas. I loved doing the project and grew a deeper love and admiration for my grandparents and their wonderful examples.

In the middle of December, we finally figured out a plan for our future. As you all know, Chris was given the opportunity to teach horn for a sabbatical replacement at Penn State this fall semester as a visiting assistant professor. It has been a wonderful experience for him and allowed him to discover, through first hand experience, that he does not want to be a college professor. He has instead enlisted with the army and will be going active at the end of April to be trained in military intelligence which will include about a year of training in Monterey, CA to learn another language. After California, he will be further trained in Texas and then stationed somewhere for a few years. He is really looking forward to challenging his mind in different ways, and will continue to perform on his horn in his spare time.

December 19th was a big day for little Claire. She turned 1! We had 2 parties for her. The first one was on her birthday at our home. Chris's parents, grandparents, brother, sister in-law, and nephew all came for the big day. We had such a fun time, and fit in a lot of fun into the 2 hour block of time we had between naps. Claire caught on quickly to the idea of unwrapping presents. She's a pro and loved ripping the paper and handing the little pieces to me.

What a Pop pop and Great Pop pop won't do for a sweet little girl's birthday party. :)

These are her gifts. Chris put the chair together and stenciled her name. She also loves her little people Noah's ark and can roar for the lions.

The first gift she opened was her favorite which made it hard to find interest in unwrapping the others, so we unwrapped them throughout the party. Her favorite gift was what her cousin picked out for her, much to his parents chagrin. It turns out, that she loves it! It's a little toy guitar that plays 5 different songs. She is determined that it's something that Daddy needs to play for her and is constantly handing him the guitar to play so she can dance. Her dancing is adorable! (Notice how cute Chris is playing the guitar for her. He's such a good Daddy!)

(Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to turn a video.)


Of course, a big part of the party was the cake! You have to let the little one go after the cake and make a big mess which is what she did. Chris made the marble layer cake with chocolate frosting, and I decorated it like a clock. My mom made many clock cakes for me growing up as I always loved them. Then, whatever year you are turning is the hour on the clock, so Claire's cake said 1:00. (I was going to do something a little more involved, but I was so busy preparing for Christmas and doing Christmas projects, that I didn't want to stress out.) I found the progression of the mess making quite amusing and cute, so thought I would share.

Since we were heading up to my parents' house for Christmas soon after Claire's birthday, we held another party there instead of them coming down to our house on her birthday. On Monday we had a birthday party with my parents, sister, brother in-law and their 2 little girls. Claire's Aunt Wendy made pizza for everyone (one of Claire's favorite foods. She's her Daddy's girl!) She then had some more birthday cake and ice cream, and unwrapped some presents. She got a little rocking horse from Oma and Papa that plays music and gallops. She loves to dance to the music.

The week of Christmas was a busy one. We got to my parents' house on Monday and had Claire's party. On Tuesday, we went into Rochester, and Claire had her 12 month check-up. (I got to go to her old doctor's office which I much prefer than the one in State College.) Claire is ???????. She also had to have 4 shots which they did very quickly. 2 nurses gave 2 shots at the same time. She had 2 shots, and then just seconds later the next 2 so it was done very quickly. She finally got to get her H1N1 shot since I haven't been able to get it down in PA.

Then on Wednesday, Wendy and I performed at the nursing home that my grandma is staying at. It felt so good to bring some Christmas spirit into their lives, and especially to do it for my grandma. It's amazing how a simple act of service can make you feel so good! We visited with my grandma for a while after we performed as well.

Thursday was Christmas Eve which included more present wrapping, chocolate making, baking, preparing for Christmas dinner, etc. Then came the big day - Christmas! It was so fun to be together with my parents, grandparents, sisters, and their families. We had a wonderful time unwrapping presents and enjoying each other's company. Chris also organized and made much of the Christmas dinner which was yummy. Wendy and Lori made apple, rhubarb, and raspberry pies while K. and I made a pumpkin roll (her first time!) Here are a few pictures from the big day!

Santa finally decided that the best stocking stuffers for a 1 year old was food. Claire got lots of different snacks to try in her stocking. She also got an ornament which we plan to get her every year.

Chris and I got Claire this walk and ride thing. She loves it!

I made this fleece blanket for Chris. It's so cozy and snuggly.

Chris, Claire and I with my parents and grandparents.

Claire sitting on her Great Grandpa's lap. He is 93 and my grandma is 91.

Claire playing with her cousin Megan and Aunt Wendy.

When I was on my mission, my sisters and brother in-law prepared a Christmas tape for me. They talked to me on it, and performed many Christmas songs on it which were all beautiful. One performance stuck out in my mind though. Wayne performed Away in a Manger in 3 voices - Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Alf. It was so hilarious. I played it over and over again. This year, I asked him if he would perform it for me again. Here is one verse as her performed the Elmo voice. He's so funny. :)

Ready for church on Sunday - All wearing Christmas attire.