We have a Big Girl at our house:)

Chloe decided diapers were for babies and is going potty in the potty. She only had one accident yesterday and it was #2. The day before that she was dry all day!!!! She just woke up one day and decided she was going to go in the potty. We are so proud of her and super excited to be able to save some money on diapers.

Love of Music

I started memorizing songs at a young age. I have always loved music and have a broad range of music I listen to. Anything from 80's to country to classical. The past few months, we have noticed this same love of music in Chloe. She has lots of songs memorized (too many to count) and is always making up songs of her own. When she is in a room alone she sings to her babies and blanket. I love sneaking in the hallway just to listen to her sweet little voice.

When Chloe was born we started singing "I Love You Lord" to her at bed time or when she was fussy and needed cuddles. I still sing it to her before bed when she doesn't have a special request. The other night, we were rocking and she asked me to sing it to her. Her favorite line is "Take joy my King, in what you hear. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear." She belted it out with such an honest joy to be singing this song. I am not sure that she understand the king we are singing to is God, but watching her make sure she got every word just right and the smile on her face when she was singing, reminded me that I need to have the faith of a child. Chloe doesn't understand all of the aspects of faith, but she does understand that God loves her and protects her. She understands that her also wants her to obey Him (and Mommy and Daddy). It has been a privilege to see her learn about God. I am excited for the personal relationship she will have with Him. I've always had a hard time understanding how kids could accept Christ at the age of 3 or 4, but now watching Chloe I get it. We are all born with a hole only God can fill. It's so important to show your children faith at a young age. For Chloe, it's a part of life. Her week isn't complete if she doesn't get to go to Sunday school. If we don't pray before bed, she can't go to sleep. When she thinks there are monsters in her room, sometimes the only way I can get her to calm down is to pray for her and let her know that God is protecting her. I feel so blessed that God has trusted Phil and I to guide Chloe as she grows her relationship with Christ. There are times when we feel like we don't know what we are doing, but God knows what He is doing. What an amazing thing to see Him working on such a young child!!

Chloe's first haircut

Before:

After:

Some of my favorite things about Chloe right now...

1. She has a new found love of hide and seek. She likes to be the seeker.
2. Her love for "sauce sauce" (apple sauce). We were at Sam's Club last weekend and she got her first look at bulk apple sauce. With an amazed look on her face, she yelled "No way! Sauce sauce!!".
3. She loves her daddy. Anytime she gives me a hug or kiss she seeks out daddy so he can have one too!
4. She likes to brush her teeth. She really likes it when daddy helps. Mommy-not so much:(
5. She loves to read books. You can usually read a couple of pages before she decides it's her turn to read to you.
6. She is learning her ABC's. She's getting better at saying all of the letters correctly.
7. She is very aware of babies. She doesn't like it if she hears a baby crying. We always tell her she is going to be a great mommy someday.
8. She loves playing outside. She is starting to master the slide in our backyard.
9. Her expressions are very dramatic. Whether it giggles or grumps, she puts a lot of effort in her emotions.
10. She still snuggles, sometimes. In the early morning when we are getting ready for work, she loves to just sit and snuggle.

Sunday car rides

On the way to lunch from church on Sunday, Phil and I were talking about warm weather and things we can't wait to do. We were passing the zoo, and I told Chloe we would take her to the zoo when it was warmer outside. She quickly replied "No mommy. I don't want it. I want cheese." Apparently she had her mind on one thing, and that was lunch!!

Random Thoughts

So, I have been accused by someone (my husband) of ignoring my blog. Really there hasn't been much to share, so instead of boring my readers with things like what I fixed for dinner last night (amazing scalloped potatoes and ham), I have opted to just remain silent. I decided today I would just fill you in on some random things going on in our lives. Sorry if these just bore you, but they are big things in our house:)

We will be potty training this weekend. I am super excited. Phil not so much. We (I) have opted to try the straight to big girl panties method. So this weekend Chloe will be living in rubber pants while we embark on a great adventure. She has been very interested in the potty for a while, so I know she is ready, it will just be challenging.

On a side note, our friends Jenny and Trevor are adopting! We are so excited for them. They are doing a foster to adopt. Phil and I have discussed this type of adoption before, so Jenny and Trevor's experience has opened up this conversation again in our house. While we don't know what God's plans for us are in this department, we are excited about the possibilities. Please pray that God's plan will become clear. While we know it will be a couple of years before we start to seriously explore this possibility, we are planners and like to know what to expect in the future. Also pray for Jenny and Trevor. They are house hunting and dealing with job issues for Trevor on top of all of this. They have a little boy Noah who will be going through lots of changes this year. Pray that he adjusts well.

Chloe's Reflection of the Year

January- I can finally Crawl!!!
February- I have a tooth.
March- I can walk and the doctor fixed my ear!!
April- Mommy and Daddy took me to the zoo.
May- I turned one. We had a huge party and I ate a LOT of cake.
June- Mommy and I went on a trip without daddy. I really missed him!
July- I was a flower girl in Tara's wedding and we took our first Family Vacation!!
August- I have discovered the joy of family walks. We went on one every night we could.
September- My 4th trip to the zoo, but it was the last of the year. The animals are cold.
October- I got to go trick or treating!
November- I started going to daycare at Sandy's house. We color a lot there!
December- My 2nd Christmas!!! I love the lights!!

If Chloe could type I think these are the things that would stick out to her. We have had an amazing year. Last year at this time we had a 7 month old that was trying to crawl, but couldn't go anywhere. This year we have a toddler who is full of personality, artistic, musically inclined, and very vocal! I wouldn't trade the last year for anything. I am really looking forward to the next 12 months.

Saturday Morning Adventures

On Saturday mornings Phil has Men's Fraternity. He hasn't been in a couple weeks, but he went this morning. That meant that Chloe and I got a couple of hours to ourselves. After breakfast, she wanted to play in her room. Having her toys in her room has been nice because it means the living room stays a little bit cleaner and she is exploring her independence right now, so this gives her a chance to develop this as well. This morning she asked me to come in there with her. Once in her room she pointed to the rocking chair and said "Sit mommy." We played with her ball and her baby for a little bit, and then she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the chair. I thought that meant that she was ready to move on, but she really just wanted to sit in the chair. After helping her into the chair, giving her baby, and a book. She looked into my eyes and lovingly said... "Bye bye mommy." I sadly left the room and she read a book to her baby. It might be a little too early to tell, but I think my little girl is going to be a great mommy someday!

I just found this pic and had to share it. When Chloe was 14 months old she was in my friend Tara's wedding with me. Notice the bare feet. Her feet were so small then that they wouldn't stay in her shoes that should have fit a 6-9 month old. We decided to ditch them at the last minute. She was such a ham that day!!

Things to be Thankful for...

I have had plenty of things to blog about in the past week, I just have not had a chance to sit down and do it!! Chloe's first week at the new daycare was last week. It went better than expected. There were only a few tears and she is actually talking while she is there. Those of you who know her well, know that is a miracle. She also mastered the art of holding a crayon correctly last week. Jacque and I have both said several times that Sandy is amazing!!! I am thankful that God made Sandy knowing that she would have a part in helping Chloe be all she can be:)

In preparation for our trip to Michigan, my friend Dawn and I made truffles on Sunday. I have to give most of the credit to Dawn because apparently my hands are too warm to roll the center into a ball. All I did was melt the chocolate. So, I am thankful for my cold handed friend:)

Chloe fought with a cold all weekend and on Monday the cold won. Phil also went to bed Sunday night feeling a little queasy. I remember at some point in the middle of the night him coming to bed and saying he had a fever of 101.3. So, I was home with the sick ones on Monday. They are both feeling better today. I am thankful I work for a company that helps us put our families first.

These are just a couple of examples of what I have to be thankful for. There is so much more that God has blessed each of us with. What are you thankful for this season?

Day Care Drama

Many of you know that Phil and I were excited that the day care in our neighborhood had openings and was in the right price range. After turning in the paperwork yesterday, I asked for a final figure on the weekly cost. When I saw the number I was speechless. $40 more than we were first quoted. WOW!! After discussing it with Phil, we decided that just wasn't realistic. Ok... now what do we do. We had already given our 2 week notice. That meant we had 4 days until our last day at her current day care. Do we keep her there, or go with our original feelings that it was time to move her to a more "learning" based center. Thank goodness that Jacque decided to have Isaac and did LOTS of hard work by finding just the place for her little ones. I called Sandy(the lady Jacque decided on), and found out she has an opening. The only issue is that she won't have the room for Chloe during the summer if all of her current kids stay with her until then. So do you gamble and hope someone has to go somewhere else, or do you try again and hope you find someone you trust?? We went to meet Sandy and see her facilities. She has a building that is attached to her house just for the day care. It was perfect. Just what we were looking for. It was even better seeing her in action. I was impressed with the fact that while talking to us she was able to calm a sharing problem without raising her voice. That is HARD to do!!! So, we are taking the gamble. We will have someone lined up for the summer and hope that someone moves on so we don't have to use anyone else. Chloe is going to get the learning she is ready for in the environment I know she will thrive in. When it was time to go she didn't want to leave. I guess that is a good sign:) So a special thanks goes out to Jacque. Thanks for trusting the mommy sense God gave you. Thanks God for providing in a situation that was easy to loose sleep over!!!

We are on day 2 of vomit duty. Chloe woke up yesterday morning at 4 and starting throwing up. She stopped getting sick around 6 and after going to the doctor and finding out that there is a 12 hour stomach flu going around we knew we would have a sleepy baby(due to the 4 shots she needed at her 18 month check up), but thought we were over the worst of it. This morning Chloe woke up around 6 and once again got sick. The worst part is when it gets in her hair. That means you have to undress her, get a bath ready and put her in hoping she will be able to sit up the whole time because she is really weak. I had to do this 2 times today. Not fun. I will spare you the nasty details about the smell and texture. Please pray she gets over this soon. While I love her cuddles when she is sick, I miss my energetic little girl!! Enjoy the new pics I am posting of her:) Also check out the pics from the River City Rat Race.

Chloe's such a girl!!

Last night, Chloe once again showed her girly side. As soon as we got home she found a pair of pajamas my grandma just got her (see above pic). After translating what she wanted, we realized she wanted her new pink pajamas on...NOW!! There were even tears involved because 1. we didn't quite know what she wanted at first and 2. we weren't acting fast enough. I wasn't quite sure I wanted her to have them on because of the fact they hadn't been washed yet. Phil and I are getting good at the whole choose your battles thing. While I know we are "in charge", there are just some things that really won't hurt her if we agree with what she wants. So after Phil told her hewould put them on her, she layed down on the ground without being told to, and giggled because she got to put on her new pink pajamas. Phil said she is a lot like me. I'm not quite sure that is a complement.

Chloe's 2nd Halloween

Last Halloween Chloe was only 5 months old, so while she looked cute in her little ladybug costume, there wasn't much interest in the night. This year, at 1 1/2 she had a blast. We went trick-or-treating with my sister-in-law Brenda, and my niece Keara and nephew Garrett. Chloe didn't say anything to any of the people handing out candy, but she would say tick-or-tweat on the way up to the door and thank you once they closed the door. She was very fond of the suckers. Any time she got a chance to choose what she wanted she grabbed a sucker. After we were done getting candy we went back to Craig and Brenda's house and enjoyed some awesome chili and cornbread. It was a fun night and I was so proud of my little lion.

What a weekend!!!

This weekend my brother Matt and his girlfriend Jessee came down from Michigan for a visit. They got here Friday just in time for dinner. Saturday was filled with errands, eating, and teaching Matt and Jessee how to play Settlers of Catan. Which Matt won, but it was a very close game. On Sunday, after church, Phil and Matt ran the River City Rat Race. It was Phil's first race in over a year, and he blew his goal out of the water!!! Matt placed 4th in his age bracket, which after dealing with food poisoning the week before, I think he did GREAT!!! They have not posted the race results yet, but when they do, I will post what Phil placed out of over 500 racers. Another positive thing that happened is Chloe totally came out of her shell for Uncle Matt. She played ball, jumped on the bed with him, and shared tons of hugs and kisses. I was also told that she was the most vocal in the nursery on Sunday that she has ever been. Maybe she is starting to come out of her shell a little more. I guess we will have to wait and see!!!

UPDATE: We just found out that Phil placed 126 out of 533. He was 12th out of 29 in his age group. Matt placed 14 overall. Great job guys!!!

A little bragging:)

The past couple of days I have been thinking about how amazing my daughter is. She is so full of personality. She has been talking in complete sentences the past couple of weeks. I know she is still too shy to do this in public, so many of you are wondering if she really even talks. This morning she looked at Phil and said "Where is mommy?". Several times she has said "Mommy, read this." or "Umm...I want this one." I never thought I would be having the kind of conversations I have with her. My heart melts every time she tells me she loves me. I am so glad that God hand picked this little girl for Phil and I. Motherhood is SO much more than I could ever imagine. I pray that the Lord continues to grow Chloe into an amazing little girl and continues to show Himself through the lessons learned by being Chloe's parents.

Chloe turns 1

The big day had finally arrived, Chloe's 1st Birthday! It took a lot of prep work, but it went great! We had around forty guests total, and we squeezed them into our tiny house (barely!). Chloe received lots of great gifts and devoured her first cake! She's an incredible little girl! We love her so much.