Skow Family

the life and times of Ben, Ashley, Clara and Tucker

Spring is Here

We have really been enjoying all of the beautiful sunshine here in Texas. Clara loves to play outside! Her favorite things are to chase Tucker, play in Tucker's water bowl, and play with Mom's watering can. She also loves to visit her Aunt Bebe and Uncle Ben. 

AS

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Clara's First Birthday

How quickly this year has flown by! I can't believe Clara is already one year old. Like many of the Skow family children (and their parents), Clara decided she wanted to celebrate her birthday at the Ranch. She ate every bit of her birthday cupcake, and would have eaten Connor's too. 

I love my sweet girl. Happy Birthday, Baby! 

AS

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Merry Christmas!

The Bell Family came to our house for Christmas this year and we had so much fun playing games, watching movies, exchanging gifts and chasing Clara. C perfected her walking skills throughout the month and by the time everyone arrived she could not be stopped. Now I understand the term "baby-proofing". 

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First Steps and Other Happenings

My apologies to the five people who actually read this blog for not posting anything since Halloween. Clara had a stomach bug during Thanksgiving so, needless to say, we did not take any photos. But we ended the month of November on a high note with Clara's first steps. We also visited my parents and the family in Antlers before Christmas which is always fun.

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Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Skows! Should have posted these pictures yesterday but I was in too much of a sugar coma to bother. Thanks to cousin Lynsie, Clara was the sweetest candy corn and Connor was the cutest lumberjack. We went to our church's Trunk or Treat festival where Clara met Moses, or rather Foree as what Moses would look like if he were still alive today. We had a great time on Clara's first Halloween and are excited about all of the holidays and family time we'll get to enjoy over the next few months. 

-AS

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Alaska Brad Comes to Texas

The Skow family recently enjoyed a visit from Cousin Brad who came all the way from Alaska to see us! Ok, so he was here in Texas on business, but we sure are glad he made a trip through College Station to pay a visit and meet Clara. It was a great opportunity to visit the George Bush Library, where Clara grew aspirations to become the future Ms. President. She also got up close and personal with President Bush himself. We had a great weekend. Thanks for coming to visit, Brad!

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Skwirl Weekend 2011

Each year the women of the Skow family come together for a weekend of fun, relaxation and togetherness. This year's Skow Girl Weekend, or "Skwirl Weekend", was held in Gruene, TX and we stayed at the Gruene Mansion Bed & Breakfast. We had a group yoga session, ate some great food, enjoyed spa treatments, played games, stayed up late with Mollydooker, went antique shopping, got caught in the rain, and laughed A LOT. One male Skow got to go behind the scenes of Skwirl weekend but he swore to never tell about the crazy things that he saw. This also happened to be my first time to leave Clara overnight. For the first few hours I just felt like I had forgotten her somewhere, but in no time I was able to kick up my heels and have a carefree weekend. Many thanks to Clara's daddy! Skwirl Weekend was a blast! 

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elk hunt

Dad, Kevin and I spent the second week of September at the cabin. We intended to bring back an elk, but settled for a handful of blue grouse instead. The elk were scarce, but we did see a lot of deer, antelope, and grouse. I had never hunted grouse until this week, and think it is important to note that my first one posed nicely for a photo before he met the wrong end of my .410.

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Saturday Afternoon at The Oasis

Clara's friend Keely invited her over for some fun in her water toy, aka The Oasis. Clara's been working on her beach body all summer long and was pretty excited about it at first. She panicked a little once the jets started flowing, but after some intervention from the moms she pulled it together and had a fun afternoon. 

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Clara's First Trip to the Cabin

Ash and I decided we would brave the long drive with a 6 month old and headed for the mountains. She handled the drive really well and we all had a great time. My folks joined us, and Dad and I spent a good chunk of the week replacing the porch railings around the front decks, as the previous railings weren't what you would call "kid friendly". We did get out of the cabin later in the week, caught some nice fish, and showed Clara what Colorado is all about. Tucker spent most of his time on the porch watching chipmunks and enjoying the breeze. Here are a few pics from the week.

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Memorial Day Weekend 2011

The Skow family headed north this Memorial Day weekend for a relaxing visit with the family. We took a walk around Coleman Lake in Sulphur Springs, ate lots of bruschetta (thanks to Loren and his homegrown tomatoes!), and played with the baby. One of the highlights was our stop in Antlers, OK where Clara got to spend more time with her great-grandparents and we got to show Ben the old house where I grew up. Hearing Pappaw tell a few stories from his time spent in the Navy during WWII made me especially thankful and proud on Memorial Day. Thank you to all of our military families, past and present, for their service to our country. 

Enjoy the photos. At 4 1/2 months, Clara sure is a cutie! 

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Oklahoma Trip

The Skows and Bells spent Easter weekend together in a cabin outside Broken Bow, Oklahoma (Beavers Bend National Park). Clara got to spend lots of time in the swing with her grandmother and the boys even managed to catch a few trout while we were there. We were terrible at documenting the weekend... hopefully some of the family can share their photos! 
Revised: Added more photos from the weekend. Thanks, Mary!

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Weekend in Dallas

April was a busy month, we also made a quick trip to Dallas for a surprise party for my cousin Ryan. It was a lot of fun to see most all of the Skow family there..

#1 Surprise!
#2 Some great toasts from close friends and family
#3 Ryan & KT
#4 It tasted as good as it looked. Now he's officially official.
#5 Charlee's 2nd birthday party at the Arboretum
#6 Prettiest blue eyes around
#7 Cousin Lynsie with Clara
#8 Duncan the rockstar
#9 Cooper tries to teach Uncle Randy how to share
#10 I'm still not sure if that ball was coming or going. Either way, Coop was surprised
#11 Ryan escorts Charlee out with her loot. 

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We grow em big at the ranch..

Ash and I introduced Clara to the ranch last weekend. It was a great weekend, we celebrated Harlan's 90th birthday with Uncle Mark's famous ribs and were very happy to be able to spend time with all three Blau girls. Kevin and Brooke also made it out with Connor on Saturday.

In picture #1 Mark is showing Connor and Clara how we feed at the ranch. Connor is more interested in the ribbons hanging from the fan, while Clara's body language shows she is more than a little concerned about the size of that nipple.

In picture #2 Aunt Leesa is having fun with Clara on Saturday morning, while we all enjoy our coffee.

In #3 Lynsie is enjoying a little nap time with Clara...

Picture #4 shows Clara and Connor with Harlan. The girls walk up with the kids and Harlan says, "Those are a couple of good lookin' boys ya got there.." Ashley now knows to dress Clara in something other than blue and green if she wants to avoid such situations.

#5 - Clara and Connor are continuously passed around the kitchen

#6 - Lynsie and Connor.. my favorite picture of the weekend. Good work Ash..

#7 - Clara perching in some really girly dress thing. She had this on less than 5 minutes.. I think she changed into something Carhartt or flannel to fit in.

#8 shows Tucker having a great time chasing bees. He had a great time this weekend, probably because he never caught one.

And finally #9 shows Clara giving us the stink eye after we told her we had to load up and come home. Nobody ever wants to leave the ranch.

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Four Generations

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Clara recently went on her first road trip all the way to Sulphur Springs to meet her great-grandparents. Grammer and Mammaw & Pappaw Taylor were there to spoil her... she never went without someone to hold and cuddle her! It was a wonderful trip full of family time, dominoes, good food, and of course a trip to WalMart. Enjoy the photos. 

Regarding picture #6: No, we didn't get a new puppy. Tucker was too busy chasing squirrels to be bothered for a family photo so we had to substitute with my parents' dog, Woody. 

AS

I'm Happy Because...

... it's Friday! Clara was in an especially good mood this morning so I thought I'd post a few pics from my phone. Clara and her cousin Connor spend most weekdays together. They have a wonderful babysitter who keeps them in the morning and Emmy watches them in the afternoon. We are so thankful for this arrangement! My first full week back at work has been ok but now I am looking forward to every minute that I get to spend with her in the evenings and on the weekends. She has been changing so much... she smiles a lot and loves to go on walks outside. She is such a delight!

Next blog post: Clara meets her great-grandparents!

AS

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Three Weeks

It's hard to believe that Clara is already three weeks old! Ben and I have had so much fun getting to know her and spending time together as a family. She is getting bigger, spending more and more time awake, and becoming very animated (as you can tell from the previous blog post). Here are some photos from the last few weeks...

1-4 - Some good shots of Clara. Our friend Sheila took pictures 1 & 2. 
5 - Clara and Cousin Connor recently enjoyed a visit from Ben's Aunt Linda and Uncle Mark & Aunt Leesa. Connor was the life of the party. Clara was... next to Connor.
6 - Clara and Keely's first slumber party. And maybe their last. 

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At Home with Clara

Well... we finally made it home with Clara and thought we'd share a few pictures of the week. Things are going great here at the house and we are adjusting to life on a 3 hour clock. We are attempting to sleep when she sleeps, although at this point she seems to have her days and nights confused. Thank you all for the kind notes, gifts, visits, casseroles, etc that you have sent our way. 

Picture 1 was taken last Sunday, January 9th when Ash was at 38 weeks. 
Pic 2 was Wednesday morning, a few hours before Clara's arrival, just after the epidural (all smiles)
3 and 4 show some of the quiet moments at the hospital
5, 6, and 7 are of the giddy new grandparents and Aunt Becky
Pic 8 is one of our favorites, taken just after Clara's first bath in the kitchen sink
And last but not least, Tucker under the crib. I'll be honest, he's taking this whole baby thing pretty hard. I love this picture because I feel the same way after a long night up on the couch with Clara.

And in reference to the last picture, we want to especially thank Aunt Lana for the crib bedding and cousin Lynsie for the california king sized baby blanket. You are both so talented and we can't thank you enough for the many long hours you put into them.

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Baby Clara

Today Ashley and I are overwhelmed with joy to announce the birth of Clara Elizabeth. She arrived late yesterday afternoon at 5:47, stretching 20 inches and weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces (same as her cousin). Ashley had a fairly easy afternoon before delivery, and she and baby are doing great! We want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, but above all we thank God for His overwhelming love and blessings. Please continue to pray for baby Clara and us as we take our first steps together!

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Clara

Baby Connor

This afternoon my brother and Brooke brought Connor Jensen into the world. He stretched to a whopping 19.5 inches and weighed in at a modest 7 lb 7 oz, a little less than expected. He is a good looking kid, what can I say. We should all thank Brooke for that. Here are a few pictures, I'm sure more will follow soon.

Uncle B

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Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Bells and Taylors in Antlers, OK. While we didn't take any family photos, Ben did manage to take several pictures of the ducks who live there. 

The Skow family stayed in College Station for Christmas, just in case little Clara or Connor decided to come early. Again - virtually no documentation of the family's events, except for a few pictures of Tucker admiring the Christmas tree.

New Year's Resolution #1 - take more family photos.

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Let the Blogging Begin...

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With the upcoming debut of our newest family member, Clara, we decided to start a blog so that we can share our happenings with family and friends. I don't care much for writing so you'll probably see mostly photos on this page. As you can see in the above photo, Tucker is a little unsure how this blog thing will go, but we will give it a shot. Stay tuned for pics of nursery progress, baby bump, and the anticipated arrival of our nephew Connor.
Posterous theme by Cory Watilo