Twenty-Three Months

Monday, December 28, 2015

I don't have a lot of photos from this month because with all of us getting used to a new schedule, I barely picked up my camera! I also made an effort to stay off my phone in the evenings because I really miss her during the day and I want to make the most of our evening time together. So, here are just a smattering of iPhone photos/selfies and a promise that I'll take more next month! 

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Off to "School"

Friday, December 11, 2015

November brought big changes to the McClanahan house - after 22 months of being a work-at-home mama, I started a new job and our little learner headed off to "school!"

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Cincinnati Holiday Junction

Thursday, December 3, 2015

The weekend after Thanksgiving we took B to the Cincinnati Museum Center to see the special Holiday Junction train display. Mike and I did the display one year when we were dating (engaged? The years are so blurry now!) and it is very cool, but it is especially fun with little people in tow!

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Thanksgiving

Monday, November 30, 2015

We packed up Mike's new car and took it up to Kentucky to celebrate Thanksgiving with the McClanahans. Blair was beyond excited to play with all of her cousins, even though she picked up a cold from her friends at school right before we left. She fought off a little fever most of the weekend, but she was such a trooper - she loved being outside in the cool air, jumping, running, dancing, playing with sticks and watching Grandpa smoke the turkeys.

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Twenty-Two Months

Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Twenty-two months - where has the time gone?!
I'm changing things up this month - all the pictures in this post are from our Christmas card session with Justin Wright Photography! Ever since we moved to Tennessee, I've been fawning over Justin's incredible wedding photography, so when I saw that he was offering a first-ever family mini session, I did a little happy dance booked as fast as I could! It was a little chilly and Blair was more interested in running around in the leaves than taking pictures, but he was fantastic to work with and we got so many great family shots. It was so nice, albeit a little awkward, for this hobbytographer to be in front of the camera for once, rather than behind it! 
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Hello, November!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

We had so much rain last week that Blair and I were stuck inside the house for what felt like forever. So when the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds on Wednesday, we emerged from our cave to soak up the warm rays and shining fall colors. The light was so incredible in our front yard that I couldn't help but bust out my camera and do an impromptu mini-shoot of this growing little girl. 

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Halloween

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Happy Halloween! This year was Blair's first year of Trick-or-Treating, so we wanted her to have a creative and fun costume that was easy to walk in. After throwing around a few ideas, we happened upon George Washington, inspired by the little tendrils of hair that curl out around her ears. I went straight to work trying to find something comfortable and found almost nothing on the internet. So I rolled up my sleeves, busted out my sewing kit and pulled together quite the little costume!
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The Toddler Does Chattanooga

Monday, October 26, 2015

Mike had to take one last class for his Certified Economic Developer program and since it was in Chattanooga, I decided to take advantage of my flexible schedule and bring Blair along so we could visit the Tennessee Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum!

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Twenty-one Months

Sunday, October 25, 2015
Someone get this baby a cup of milk for "cheers!" She's 21!
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A visit from Poppie

Friday, October 23, 2015

In keeping with our busy little October, my dad come down to visit for a long weekend! We took advantage of the gorgeous fall weather by playing in the leaves, going to the wooden castle park near our house, carving pumpkins and splashing in the Harpeth River. 
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Festive fun at Gentry's Farm

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Fall is in the air and being a classic basic white girl, I just can't stop myself from dragging taking the family to a pumpkin patch. My dad came to Nashville for the weekend and it was the perfect weather for a visit to Gentry's Farm in Franklin. We went to the same farm last year for Blair's first pumpkin experience and I hope to return every year as a fall tradition! It's the cutest place - they have great activities for kids of all ages, a bunch of photo-ready setups and a $3 pick-your-own patch. It was so much fun watching Blair kiss the pumpkins, get excited about the animals and squeal over the funny-shaped gourds.

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Seattle: Part Two

Saturday, October 17, 2015

I'll continue my photo barrage from our trip to Seattle, starting with Monday's explorations! Mom had to work on Monday (boo!), so Blair and I walked to the Seattle Aquarium to see the "peesh." She was in heaven. The Seattle Aquarium is the perfect size - it's small, but engaging and perfect for little ones with short attention spans. They even had a Toddler Time program set up with tons of activities for the littlest visitors, and Blair played with sea-animal puzzles, painted a fish masterpiece, smashed play-doh and colored pictures with some new friends. It was delightful - we could have stayed all day, but she was getting cranky and fell asleep in the stroller on the walk back to the hotel.

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Seattle: Part One

Friday, October 16, 2015

Mike's annual city manager conference was in Seattle, Washington, this year, so Blair and I decided to tag along and make a family trip out of it! I figured it was a great opportunity for us to travel to the West Coast, especially since any plans for expanding our family in the future will limit our/my ability to make big plane trips like that. Mike booked his flight to arrive late Friday night in time for a Saturday conference session, while Blair and I would follow on Saturday morning.

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Pumpkin Carving with MeeMaw

Thursday, October 1, 2015


My mom really wanted to carve a pumpkin with Blair during her visit, so we picked up a big ol' pumpkin and let the two of them have-at-it in the front yard. Blair was intrigued by the pumpkin's mushy insides and loved spooning the goop out of (and back into) it! I got to sit back and watch the two of them interact. It is the sweetest thing to see your child have so much love for your mom... I love that they have such a close bond already!

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MeeMaw's Birthday

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

My mom came to the Nashville area on a work trip just after her birthday, so she came to stay with us. We got to throw her a little birthday dinner with ice cream cake to celebrate!

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TWENTY MONTHS

Friday, September 25, 2015

I can't believe I only have four more of these updates until she's TWO. I'll probably stop doing monthly updates and just switch to every 3 or 6 months. I don't need to track through her 36th month of life, right? #crazylady

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Rock Island State Park

Saturday, September 19, 2015


We're finally starting to get a taste of fall weather here in Middle Tennessee and last weekend we headed two hours east to Rock Island, Tennessee to see a gorgeous waterfall at the Rock Island State Park. The 883-acre park is home to the 30-foot tall Great Falls waterfall on the Caney Fork River below the Great Falls Dam on the Eastern Highland Rim.

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Labor Day Weekend

Saturday, September 12, 2015

We packed up the car and drove to Kentucky to spend the long Labor Day Weekend with Mike's family. It was a fun, family-packed three days and Blair spent so much time playing with her cousins. Her and C are becoming such good little friends and Baby M was so alert. Blair was obsessed with his little toes, poking them and saying "teuuuuws" every chance she got. 
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Nineteen Months

Tuesday, August 25, 2015


Blair has had a wordsplosion this month - she is yammering on all day long, pointing at everything and asking us "ohhh, waz dees?" The house will never be quiet again.

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Woodland Park, Colorado

Thursday, August 20, 2015

It's always such a breath of fresh air to escape into the mountains every summer and this year's trip to the Colorado Springs area was so rejuvenating. Mike had to stay home because of work stuff, so Blair and I braved the airports alone again (seriously, am I crazy?) and flew out for the whole week.

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Eighteen Months

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Well, I still haven't mastered the skill of stopping time, so this month Blair turned one and a half years old. It has been 18 wonderful months with this little spitfire and I feel so lucky to have been able to spend those months at home with her. It's not always easy being a work-at-home mom with a toddler, but its an opportunity I won't likely have with our future babies, so I've been soaking up our afternoon snuggles, tussles over my computer and midday pool parties.

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Mike's 28th Birthday

Wednesday, July 22, 2015


It is our annual tradition to go on a surprise weekend trip for Mike's birthday and since Blair was too little for us to get away last year, I wanted this year to be extra special.

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Fourth of July

Monday, July 6, 2015

Our Fourth of July was pretty relaxing this year - we spent the long weekend watching fireworks, enjoying a local parade, grilling out and soaking up the sun at "the waterpark," i.e., the baby pool and water table on our back deck.  
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Aunt & Uncle Again!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Mike and I became an uncle and aunt for the second time a few weeks ago, as his sister and her husband welcomed a little baby boy, M! We had already planned a visit to his parent's house for the weekend of June 27 because of a wedding and it turned out Little M knew we were coming - he arrived just in time for us to meet him!

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Seventeen Months

Thursday, June 25, 2015

This little lady is 17 months old and just as cute as button! Her hair finally makes it into a little ponytail, so I've been able to use all those cute hairbow clips I've stockpiled. She's into just about anything she can get her hands on, and spends a lot of time in our guest bedroom climbing onto the cedar chest so she can lay on the bed. Of course, she can never figure out how to get back down, so I'll hear "Mama! Maaaammmaaa!" from the other room when she finds herself stuck up there! 

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The Toddler Takes Pennsylvania

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

In early June, I had the crazy idea to fly with Blair by myself to Pennsylvania, where we would spend a week visiting with MeeMaw, Poppie, all the great grandparents, and attend a massive playdate with some of mommy's internet friends. *Warning: PHOTO OVERLOAD*

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Sandy Toes & Sun-kissed Nose

Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Little Jetsetter
We packed up our bags for Memorial Day weekend and flew to Tampa, where we met up with mom, Aunt Ro and Megan & Scott on Anna Maria Island for Murphlanaharoulx family vacation #1 of the summer! It was Blair's first time at the beach and she had a BLAST. Girlfriend had so much fun that she needed two 90-minute naps a day just to keep up with everyone... Which meant more time for me and Mike to kick back and relax!
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Newport Aquarium

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

We went up for a weekend in Kentucky and took the little cousins to the aquarium! Blair was less interested in the fish and more content just running around the aquarium at full speed, but we corralled her long enough to look at a few things. She liked a little turtle and looking for "pishies" with Grandpa, but she was very skeptical of the sharks in the viewing tunnel and kept her eye on them the whole time! 
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Sixteen Months

Monday, May 25, 2015
Our little baby is growing so fast! I can't believe 16 months have flown by since we first met. Life is certainly crazier and more colorful, but I wouldn't trade it for all the quiet nights and lazy weekends in the world. 

But just, like, ONE quiet night or lazy weekend would be super awesome.  




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Hello Blogger, My Old Friend

Sunday, May 17, 2015
Well, if you haven't figured it out already, I kind of fell off the blogging bandwagon and into the mind-melding, all-consuming lifestyle that is being a mother. Here we are, more than a year later, and I've left you on a cliff-hanger about Blair's first Easter. I would apologize, but it's just too funny. Sorrynotsorry.

So how has life been in the McClanahan household over the past year? Well for one, we're in a totally different household - in an entirely different town! Mike was hired by the Town of Kingston Springs back in February and we packed up our beautiful Clifton house and moved here. We are just a short drive from downtown Nashville and Mike is thriving in his new environment. Blair and I are so proud of him and we know he's going to do great things for our new, long-term community.

Downtown Kingston Springs - home to an amazing pizza joint and the most adorable library!

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Fifteen Months

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Fifteen months, going on fifteen years. This spunky little lady makes me laugh so much during playtime. Every afternoon (if it's not raining) we set up shop on the back deck and play. I can't wait to get her little baby pool out here when it gets a little warmer - she's going to have the best summer spot to soak up some rays!
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Azaleas in Bloom

Sunday, April 12, 2015

We have a gorgeous azalea bush by the front walk of our new house and it hit peak bloom this week. Blair loves playing with the bright pink flowers, especially picking them to give to mama! It is really a beautiful bush, we weren't entirely sure what it was when we first moved in, but my goodness, when we saw the pink buds starting to form, I couldn't wait to get out there with my camera! 
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Front Yard Adventurer


The weather is starting to get warm without the oppressive humidity that we know and hate love, so we're spending a lot of our afternoons and evenings outside in the yard. Mike came across some snakes in the backyard while he was mowing the grass (cue panic and thoughts of burning the yard down) so we usually set up shop in the front yard to avoid any run-ins with the scary things. 
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Stone's River Battlefield

Saturday, April 11, 2015


In an effort to continue ticking off our Mike's list of Civil War battlefield visits, we ventured out to Stones River, just outside of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Little Blair had lots of fun playing on a cannon and running on the walking trails. She was especially enamored with the gravel paths, stopping every five seconds to examine the newest piece of treasure she had stumbled upon. 
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Town Easter Egg Hunt

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Kingston Springs hosted their annual Egg Hunt this weekend and it was our first time participating! There were different areas set up for the different age groups, so we made our way to the baseball field, where the littlest egg hunters were released in a flurry of cheers and shrieks. Blair was much more interested in the town's fire truck to be bothered by trying to find eggs!
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Fourteen Months

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Fourteen months and currently obsessed with trying to grab my camera lens. She likes to see the photos of the herself on the back after I take them, so it's a constant battle to snap a few shots before she comes running over to see what she looks like! 

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St. Patrick's Day

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Happy St. Patrick's Day from this mischievous little lass!
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Thirteen Months

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Blair is thirteen months and officially ready for Hogwarts Preschool. That's totally a thing, right? Don't tell me it's not, I'm waiting for her owl to deliver the acceptance letter.

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ONE

Monday, January 26, 2015

"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be."
- Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

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Baby's First Snow

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Blair got an early birthday present this weekend as some winter weather brought a dusting of snow! She squealed with delight at the sight of the snow, so we let her out in pajamas a pair of rubber-footed sock shoes from Poppie! 
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Cake Smash

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Inspired by Pinterest and a bit of over-confidence in my photography abilities, I decided to do a cake smash session with Blair for her first birthday. I made the bow garland from cardstock paper, a hot glue gun, and rolls of ribbon from the Target Dollar Spot. I baked the cake the night before, frosted it that morning and put it on a gold charger plate, topped with a homemade "1" made from glitter paper.
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Strolling in the Park

Wednesday, January 7, 2015


Blair has really mastered the art of walking and I'm getting more confident in letting her troll around on her own outside without hovering like a crazy helicopter parent. She is surprisingly sturdy for being less than a year old, and she doesn't get discouraged when she falls - she usually just gets back up and smiles. Goofball. Here's a little video of her and I at the park on a nice January day while Dada was hitting baseballs. Notice that she stops to consider whether or not she will bend over and pick up a little rock on the path - it makes me laugh every time!
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Holiday Visitors

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Since we decided to stay in Tennessee for Christmas, Karagh and Dad drove down the week before Christmas to hang out with us and play with Blair. We had a blast with all the toys in B's playroom, Blair loved having Lady the dog around to pat, and she was very excited about Christmas presents. She really like all the songs and sounds on her new Little People farm and driving the fire truck toy, but she was very interested in the fake plastic squeaky steak we got for Lady! 

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