Easter 2013

Easter is always fun but for some reason we are always rushed to get Easter eggs done in time.  We had a great day hiking on the 30th but got home late.  So you got to stay up REALLY late painting eggs.  You loved every minute of it.

Missing an egg because you threw it on the floor, lol!

 

You had such a hard time falling asleep that night.  You were so incredibly concerned about the Easter Bunny coming. You awoke early and started on the egg hunt.

I think you were pleased with all the wonderful things the Bunny brought you: movies, books, candy.

After church we went over to Mimi and Papa's for a good ole B-B-Q.  Papa is an expert at the grill and Mimi sure knows how to put on a party.



 

Learning the rules/rewards of the egg hunt.

You were in the group of younger kids and got a head start looking for eggs.  You did really well but insisted on opening each plastic egg before looking for the next one.  Needless to say, you only ended up with about 10 eggs.

Connor was FAST!

After the hunt, we all gathered around to count our eggs.  Hallie bug won the grand prize which was some amount of money that I can't remember.  You and your cousins had a grand time.  It was a beautiful way to spend the day... with all of our family. 

I am certainly grateful for my Savior.

Love you girl,

Mom

Hiking Through the Bosque

My beautiful girl, there isn't much time before you are no longer an only child. Sophia will soon enter the world and our lives will be forever changed. Through your 2-year old stage, my patience has certainly been tested and unfortunately, we don't always see eye to eye. I hear that's normal but it doesn't change the guilt I have for every disciplinary action I feel is necessary. I'm trying to let you grow as your own person, make your own choices when possible, and all in all just let you learn what life is about. With that, comes "Chloe" heartache. I feel like the word you hear most is "no!". I promise I do all things out of love and to protect you. I hope you will always remember that I'm not judging you, I'm concerned for you.

Despite the constant "no's," we really do have some WONDERFUL and tender moments. There is nothing better than hearing your sweet voice tell me you love me... or those childish, forgiving, and unknowing eyes pleading for my approval. I am so proud of you. I am proud of your individuality. I am proud of the mother you bring out in me because it's a constant standard I need to improve upon.

We walked through the Bosque. I, of course, am nine months pregnant at the time. Daddy was adventurous, as always. And you were up for the challenge. And for your small body it truly was a challenge. You had to fight through brush and branches but once we reached the river, you were delighted with its beauty. You took such joy in throwing rocks in the water and observing the splash (with all your bodily senses: hear the water, see the splash, feel the drops of water, feel its coolness, smell the muck!).  I don't often recognize how simple life experiences can relate to spirituality, but this reminds me of our journey here on Earth and the great plan of happiness.  Before we had our body's, we were spirits.  We lived in Heaven with our Heavenly Father.  We all knew each other as brother's and sister's.  Heavenly Father presented a plan that would have us leave His presence and be tested in a world created by our elder brother, Jesus Christ.  We would have to fight through "brush and branches," and smell the "muck" but we would also experience the good.  You, my dear, are the good in my life!  It is for you that I strive to live obediently.  I want to be able to be with you forever.  I know that if I do follow the commandments, I will return to my Father who loves me.  And you can too!

 

You are a precious daughter of God.

You are beautiful, inside and out.

You bring me so much joy.

I appreciate you hugs.

...And cuddles.

...And occasional shyness.

 

 

You're the best!

I love you!

Mom

We're Off to See the Wizard...

Mimi generously offered to take all the girls out to a ballet!

She's taken us out to the Nutcracker in previous years but this year was different... we got to go see The Wizard of Oz.  This was your first ballet because you were too young to tag along before.  We had a great time preparing for the evening and a FANTASTIC time at the ballet.

The week before the show, Auntie Sunny did Wizard of Oz activities at preschool for all you kids.  You learned all about getting a brain, heart and courage.

Auntie Crystal and I worked on the Dorothy attire for the evening of the ballet.
Inbetween preschool and other activities, I had you glued to the TV watching The Wizard of Oz movie.
By ballet time, you were ready!!
We met at Mimi's house for dinner.  She had lots of delicious sandwiches, pudding, strawberries, salad, shrimp, etc.  It was a neat feast!  I say "neat" because it was food that could be eaten without staining any clothes. 

 Smart, huh?
It was a night to remember!
And you've asked to watch The Wizard of Oz everyday since the ballet.  Plus, you got an Oz book that you read all the time.

 

 

Love you,

Mom

You are a handful!

Alrighty, some information you might like to know about yourself:

You are fully potty trained now (3/15/2013).  I had been introducing you to the potty for about 6 months and when we went to Utah you totally regressed back into diapers.   BUT you used your last diaper on our trip home and I refused to buy anymore.  And so, I have not bought a single diaper OR pull up in the year 2013.  You are awesome!

You love fluffy tutus and skirts!  In fact, last night you put a tutu on over your pajamas before going to bed.

You are Miss Independent.  You lecture me even.  I'm working with you one using a "nice" voice.  So far, it's not working.  But I love your determination and I hope that you will always know WHO you are and WHAT you want and not let anyone else influence you... especially if it's a bad influence.

You've found that my treadmill is fun for climbing on (see the picture below lol).

The other picture below is a picture of us sewing together.  For some reason my lap is so much more appealing to you when I have my sewing maching in front of me.

 

You are loads of fun!  A handful, yes... but loads of fun!

Love you,

Mom

New Years Trip to Utah

2013 already?

My goodness how time flies!

This year we planned on going to Utah for your great grandpa Smith's birthday party (I believe it was the big 8-0).  With the timing of his party, we decided to make a nice long vacation out of it for New Years.  The drive takes about 12 hours... I think.  Since you and I get a little uncomfortable in the car if we sit too long, we decided to take the trip in a two day stretch.  This was great because we got to stop in Moab, Utah the first night and enjoy it's awesome hiking opportunities.  Plus, you got to play in the snow for the first time and you were just thrilled.  Although... We had to fight with you to get your jacket on!  I don't know what you have against winter clothes but you wanted NOTHING to do with them.

When we finally got moving we had a great time treking through the snow and seeing the sights...

 

 

On the second day, we made it to Kaysville where we stayed with your great grandparents for a few days.  It was a pretty packed house with all the visitors but it was a good way to say "hello" to everyone.  We spent some time out in the snow, doing some sledding.  Then there was the birthday party which was AMAZING!  I so enjoyed getting to know Grandpa Allen's family.  They're geat people.  We were fortunate to receive a picture book that told the story of Great Grandpa's life.  It's a book that I can tell you will cherish forever.

Once the party had ended and everyone was parting, we decided to visit temple square in Salt Lake City.  We went with Grandpa Allen, Grandma Julie and some of your Aunts and Uncles.  We also got to meet your soon-to-be Aunt Amber (Uncle Will's girl).

I love temple square!  And I so appreciated the Christmas scenery they had up.  The spirit was certainly on the grounds that we walked on and I felt inspired in so many ways. 

After walking around temple square, the three of us stayed in a beautiful hotel.  You and Daddy got to play in the indoor, heated pool... which was something that you definitely miss about Florida.  It brought back great memories.  When we woke up the next morning, we opened our windows only to see giant snowflakes falling down around the city.  It was gorgeous. 

But we were ready to go home!

 

I only wish that you had been in better spirits yourself.  For some reason, this trip was really hard on you.  It made me sad and, of course, frustrated because you seemed unusually whiney and tearful.  You are normally such a happy and sweet girl.  The trip ended with me feeling like an epic failure as a mom and like everyone thought I couldn't control you.  I feel like no one got to see the real, wonderful you.

The trip was bittersweet.

I have so many great memories from the tip but man, parenthood is hard!

Despite it's difficulty, I love you!  And I'm sorry that you had a hard time on the trip... but I know you had fun, too.

Love you,

Mom

Christmas 2012

Can you guess what I'm going to say?

Yes, I wish I had gotten more pictures!

For the month of December we did 25 Days of Christmas.  In the picture below you'll see a basket full of envelopes. We opened one each day and it gave us some sort of task to complete.  It could be anything from reaading a book to doing something charitable.

We donated food to the local food bank, we baked lots of cookies... we did something Christmasy EVERY day in December and it was fun!  We certainly learned that Christmas is more than just receiving gifts.

 

But, of course, gifts are a part of Christmas... If you're on Santa's "nice" list.

We had a visitor this year and she was one of Santa's elves.  She came to keep an eye on you and report to Santa if you were deserving of presents.  We found her doing so many silly things though!

She floated with balloons, dyed our milk, drew on our pictures in the living room, climbed the Christmas tree, etc.  She was pretty cool!

 

And when Christmas came, you had presents... so you must have been reported as a "nice" girl.

On Christmas Eve morning, we hosted a breakfast for the Otero side of the family.  Then we spent the evening at the Smith's.

On Christmas morning, we kept it slow and simple with our own little family.  We like the intimate moments our family gets to have when we keep it to just the three of us (soon to be four!).

You are a sweet girl!

I love you!  I'll get more pictures next year... I promise!

Love you,

Mom

I'm Thankful For....

I am so thankful for....

YOU!

I wish I had gotten more pictures from Thanksgiving this year but of course I didn't.  It was great, as always!  I did it a little different this year though.  Every day in November until Thanksgiving, we each (you, me and dad) had to write something that we were grateful for on a paper feather.  By the holiday we had a full-feathered turkey!  You got the hang of it so fast and were listing things that you were grateful for all on your own...  I didn't have to tell you what to say.  That's pretty impressive!

 

Thanksgiving day was full of food.  We spent the first half of the day with the Smith/Payne Family and the second half of the day with the Otero Family.  We certainly enjoyed ourselves!

I'm missing a few but here is a list of things you said you were grateful for: "Chloe is thankful for..."

1. The Temple
2. Her Bowl
3. Her Pillow
4. Her Bike
5. Cousins
6. Cheetos
7. Food
8. Eyeballs
9. Toys
10. Movies
11. Her Bed
12. Food
13. Halloween
14. Pajamas
15. Tickles
16. The Doctor
17. Mommy & Daddy
18. Family
19. Trixy & Daisy

Happy Halloween!

Chloe Cadabby!

This year you were still too young to really "get" what halloween was all about.  So, I was lucky enough to pick your costume again this year.  You had been a lover of Sesame Street for most of 2012 and so I chose the beautiful & silly Abby Cadabby as your costume.  Abby Cadabby is a fairy who is always messing up her magic and turning things into pumpkins.  Despite her shortcomings, she is SO lovable!  I love the idea of a character that is so full of imperfections but is still adored.  I think it mostly gives me hope as a person and especially a mother to know that I don't need to be "perfect."

I'm determined to be one of those moms that makes each and every halloween costume-- I'm not sure how that will hold up in future years but I'll certainly try!  This costume was even a little challenging.  I much prefer having a step-by-step pattern but I think it turned out pretty cute anyways.  You are what made it perfect!

 

We had a wonderful time at the Zoo Boo the weekend before Halloween. 

Then, on Halloween, we did the trunk or treat at church where we got to see many of your friends and family.

After that we did a neighborhood near the church and you got LOADS of candy.  You were a pro-trick or treater by night's end and I'm certain that next year you will know EXACTLY what we do for Halloween.

It was a blast!

Love you babe!

Mom

Great Pumkin Chase 2012

Running is my sport/activity of choice.  I love to run!  I love how it makes me feel (emotionally & physically).  It makes me feel empowered and it keeps me sane.  Daddy and I have the dream of having a "fit" family that gets out and is active-- no matter where we are.

Just because I love running doesn't mean that you have to love it.  Although I think it would be a ton of fun to have you as my running partner.  I will never MAKE you do it unless you want to.

At 2 years old though, you don't really have a preference.  And so, I signed myself, Daddy and you up for a run just before Halloween.

Daddy and I ran the Great Pumpkin Chase 5k in costume.  Then we ran a 1 mile fun run with you and Mimi.  It was your first race!  You were probably the youngest competitor there and you had a tough time but you were a champ, no less.  You got a metal when you crossed the finish line!

We dressed up as some of your favorite characters: Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby.

 

While Daddy and I ran the 5k, Mimi and Papa took care of you.  The finish line was near a park and so you got to play while waiting for us.  You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the park so even after Daddy and I finished our race you didn't want to leave the play equipment.  We had to get to the start line for the fun run though.  We pulled you (kicking & sceaming) to the start line and you threw a big tantrum.  You did the "limp noodle" and cried while we waited for the race to start.  It couldn't start soon enough and I got impatient (I think I threw my own tantrum).  As soon as the horn blew you saw the other kids take off and you got right up and began to run.  You giggled and ran as fast as you could then KEFLUMP, you fell down.  Being the strong, determined girl that you are, you got right up and began to run again.  Ten strides later, KERFLUMP.  You fell again!  We hadn't even gotten half the race done.  You got up again though, grabbed Mimi's hand (certainly not mommy's) and kept on going.  Many kids passed you-- until you were at the back of the pack-- but you ran all the way to the end.  I was so proud of you!

You did great!

You may have come in last but you finished, and that's what's important.  It was your first race afterall!  We'll have to do it again soon.

I love you!

Mom

Chloe Turns 2!

Happy Birthday!

We have been in the middle of a move for both your 1st & 2nd birthdays and I've regretted not being able to give you a party.  I promise your 3rd birthday will be totally about YOU!

Your birthday this year was pretty amazing despite the craziness of our move from Florida.  It was fun, muddy, cold and a plain ole BLAST!  Your Auntie Sunny set up a team for the Dirty Dash 5k (with obstacles) called "Chloster's Crew."  We ran for you (in the cold and mud!).  Daddy and I went first while Auntie Sunny & Uncle Ton watched you kids.

I think you were cheering for us :-)

You got to spend the whole day with your cousins.  That, in itself, was enough for you!  You light up around your cousins.  They're your friends and you really love them.  Like all things you do, you do it with your WHOLE heart.  You love them with your whole heart!

 

We all dressed up for you too!

It was great!  I was freezing by the end of the race though.
Afterwards, we went to Peter Piper Pizza so we could eat and let you kids play.  I remember feeling pretty exhausted but I can't think of anything more perfect than to watch your face as you got to play.  You were thrilled to be there!

 

 

And after Peter Piper's we stopped by Mimi and Papa's for cake.  We practiced singing "happy birthday" with you before your birthday came and you were a pro at blowing out candles.  It was the first time the candles were on a cake though and you were excited.

It was a long, fun day spent with all the people we love and doing all the things we love.

It was a day full of LOVE.

At 2 years old you are an inspiration.  I can't believe how much you talk and I can see that you are becoming more independent.  You are outgrowing all your baby features and becoming a little girl.

You are a joy.

I love you,

Mom