Four already??? Well, almost.

Your fourth birthday will be here in a little less than a month and it's time to order a new book.

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by.
You continued the terrible two's all through your third year but in the last few months I have seen a drastic change in you.
You're becoming a young lady.
You still cry and whine but you take direction so better than you used to.
You can cut back your tears in an instant if I ask.
I sure appreciate that.
You are still independent and more driven than ever.  You don't like to receive much help and you will try anything on your own until you reach frustration.  My advice for you: Asking for help is okay!  It shows humility in fact.
At three years old:

You took dance for 8 months
You took swim lessons
You can write your name-- although I may be the only one who can decipher your letters
Your favorite color is still black
Your favorite movie is Mariposa (Barbie)
Your favorite primary song is "Snowman"
Your favorite toy is Ikea, your dog
Your favorite book is "Healing Herbs"-- a novel from Mimi
Your favorite food is a cheeseburger
Your favorite thing to do is going to the "real" zoo
You still love playing dress up and especially playing family

You make my days so much brighter.
You make this world a bigger and better place with your vibrant spirit.
Your independence scares me because I know that you will always choose what YOU think is right.
I try to instill good things in you.  And you are innately good.  I don't need to worry.
Please remember to choose the right.
Be kind to others.  Love everyone.
Know that I am here for you 100%.
I am your biggest fan.
I am proud to be your mother.
I am lucky to call you my friend.
I love you sweet, sweet girl!
May your fourth birthday be just as special as you.
Love,
Mom
 

Swim Lessons

I discovered that you are old enough to take swim lessons and I was thrilled!

I thought you were going to have to wait until next summer but sure enough, they took ya!

I found out just in time for the last session of lessons.

You got two weeks of swim lessons under your belt and although you can't swim without floaties, you've made tremendous progress.

You will now get your face wet without freaking out.  As of two weeks ago, that would not happen. 
Yay for Chloe!!!

 

This may be a good time to mention that you've stopped attending your dance classes.

They began to be a hassle.

You never wanted to go and it was a battle to get you dressed in your ballet clothes.

The last time you went, you cried and I was forced to dance with you.

I decided that you needed a break.

It's never good to quit but it's okay to try new things and of course, take needed breaks.

We'll find something else for you to participate in next year.

No matter what, I'm proud of you.

I love you,

Mom

A Hiking We Will Go

Proud mom moment here...

You climbed all the way up and down Tome Hill without mommy or daddy having to help you.

You even ran parts of the way.

By the end you were saying that your legs were hurting and you wanted nothing more than to rest and drink some water.

But you pushed through and endured to the end.

I think this was the hardest thing you've ever done, physically.

And I am so proud of you!

I wanted to help you but you've gotten so big and I'm afraid that if I had tried to carry you, we would have both rolled down the hill.

I mean look at you; You're half my size!

When we reached the car, we all had cold bottles of water waiting for us and you chugged yours.

When did you get to be such a big girl?  Where's my little baby?

Oh my goodness, I love you so much!

Mom

Music Nights

With our BioPark pass we get 1/2 off and extra events hosted at the parks.

In the summer there are concerts at both the zoo and the aquarium in the evenings after the parks have closed.

We decided to try it out and it was so fun!

There were a lot of people.  But there was a lot of fun too.

We went to the aquarium and had exclusive access to it.  We were practically the only people in the aquarium itself.

There was also a magic show and a hula hoop area for you kids.

But we mostly sat/danced on the grass and listened to the music play.

It was a great family outing.

I love you!

Mom

Fun in the Sun

One Saturday morning, Daddy came home from the gym with a happy surprise.

He brought home a slip 'n slide!

We spent a good portion of the day having some fun in the sun.

You LOVED it!

 

And I love you,

Mom

Chore Rewards

You're now a contributing part of our family.

You now have responsibilities. 

Yikes!

I've created a chore chart for you and when you complete the chore, you get a sticker.  If each chore has a sticker on it then you get a special treat on Saturday-- It will usually be ice cream.  So far, our deal is working out pretty well.  You loooove ice cream!

Love you,

Mom

Enjoying your treat at Cold Stone

Fourth of July

Happy Independence Day!

This is one of my favorite holidays because we get to spend it as a family with little obligations to anyone else.

We like to make it fun too.

On the morning of the fourth we were asked to walk in another parade on Grandpa Allen's behalf.  So we did that with your Aunt Jen and Uncle Josh.  You loved throwing candy at all the kids from the stroller.  And you would yell, "Vote for my Grandpa" while signing "I love you" with your hands. It was excellent campaigning skill on your part.  Good job.

 

In the evening, we went to and Isotopes baseball game and fireworks show.  We attended one last year and I think we can officially call it a tradition.  It was a great time and a great way to celebrate our freedom!

Daddy and Sophia at the Isotopes game

 

Love you babe!

Mom

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day 2014 was AMAZING!

We were driving up to Albuquerque to do some shopping when Daddy and I decided that we should go on a spontaneous trip.  We picked somewhere not too far but somewhere neither of us had ever been.

We took a 7 hour road trip up to Colorado Springs.

And it was a great trip!

We visited the zoo there.  It has the largest giraffe exhibit in America.  You and daddy even got to feed them.  They're tongues are nasty!

You also got to feed some birds and pet a wallaby,  There were all the typical animals that you find at the zoo.  But this zoo was quite a trek.  It was up the side of a mountain and so we were constantly walking up a hill.  It was exhausting. But well worth it!

 

You got to ride the train twice!

We hiked through the Garden of the Gods,

It was a huge park with lots of places to pull over to hike.  When we finally did, we got this view:

 

Since we were totally unprepared, you had to hike by yourself and Sophia rode Mommy and Daddy's shoulders.

You were a champ!

You also got to go to a movie alone with daddy.  You saw How To Train Your Dragon 2 and you loved it.

As always we swam and had a continental breakfast.

We did a target run for a few bathroom items and some swimming stuff.  But for the most part, we got by with what we had in the car and in my purse.

It was such an adventure.

I loved it!

Happy father's day to the best dad I know-- Your dad.

Love,

Mom

Vote For Grandpa!

It was a big day for Grandpa Allen.

He was on the ballot to keep his current job as a District Court Judge.  He oversee's family matters.

There was only one Democrat running for the seat. And Grandpa Allen was running against one other Republican.

We sat outside a voting site on his behalf.  Well, Daddy did. We only spent a few hours out there as a family.  We sweat a ton but got to enjoy some tasty treats brought to us by Grandpa Allen himself. I voted for him!

And he won!!!  In the next election (just a few months away), he'll have to run again but against the Democrat candidate.  He'll be running to keep his job.

Luckily we've got you to walk in parades and yell, "Vote for my Grandpa!"

Thanks for your help!

Love you, 

Mom

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is an absolutely amazing holiday that in my opinion does not get enough recognition.  I think that there are too many people who just use it as an excuse to go camping and do silly things that in no way give proper remembrance to the fallen soldiers of our sweet country.

There are so many people who have given their lives so that we can be free and enjoy our lives without much worry.

To give their lives is giving the ultimate sacrifice.

Memorial day is for them.

We had the opportunity of being in a parade to support Grandpa Allen's campaign to be the Republican Candidate for a family court judgeship-- to put it simply.  Although we were campaigning, we tried to remain focused on the true meaning of the day.

After the parade was all said and done, we got to go to a BBQ that we were invited to at the church.  There were some water toys so you girls got to dress up in your matching bathing suits.  

It ended up being a really great day.

My advice to you for this day: Treat it with reverence.

Give thanks to those who have served.

I love you dear girl,

Mom

Mom's Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!

How old am I these days?

I can't seem to remember.  I must already be losing my mind.

Daddy says I'm 25... He must be right.

Haha!

For my birthday we hung out at the aquarium.

I love these family dates!

I must mention that on the morning of my birthday I ran my fastest 10k ever.  I was pretty proud!

I ran it in 47 minutes and some seconds... I think.  All I remember for sure is that I averaged a 7 minute 40 second mile.  Wowza!

Okay, I'm done bragging.

I love you babe!

Thanks for being a part of my special day.

Mom

Random Chloe Pictures

Here are some more random pictures that I think I NEED to share.  They're just great. Or rather, YOU are just great.

I love you,

Mom

Chloe cooks scrambled eggs (with help) for the first time on the stove

Chloe loves to play outside

Chloe and Mom sunbathe in the hammock out back

Faces of Chloe

These pictures will probably crack you up.  They're pretty hilarious.

You love make up.  And wherever there is make up, you find it.

I'm not sure where we were driving to but you decided you need to wear this awful brown lipstick.

You fell asleep in the car then woke up with it smeared all over your face.

You didn't know what to think.  Neither did it.

Haha!!

I also think that three year olds must be bipolar.

The following pictures were seriously taken within seconds of each other. And they're both completely real.  There was no coaxing.

I just love you!

Love,

Mom

Mother's Day!

Is there a better way to celebrate Mother's Day than with food?

I think not.  I love to eat.

Mimi suggested we eat at Golden Corral and so we did.

We ate a lot.

I was stuffed.

And you certainly enjoyed the desserts.

Notice your cotton candy AND ice cream.

Aren't these random holidays great?

I am so happy to be your mom!

Thanks for being such a great kid.

I love you,

Mom

Goofing off with Mom

You are silly.

Daddy is silly.

Mommy can be silly too.

Thanks for reminding me that mom's can have fun too!

Love you,

Mom

Happy Easter

Another holiday has come and gone and again I've realized that I didn't get many good pictures!

I am SO sorry!!

It was actually kind of funny the way Easter worked out this year. 

Usually I sleep really light on these holidays.

I'm usually so anxious for you to wake up and discover the sweet surprises that were left in the night.

But this year, you must have tiptoed out of your room because I didn't hear a thing.

When I stepped out of my room, you were dressed in a new Easter dress and pigging out on candy that the Easter Bunny had left for you.  You sat at the top of our stairs with complete delight.

It just goes to show how independent you really are.

We proceeded to wake up Sophia so that she could join in on the fun
After church we stopped by Mimi and Papa's and were surprised to see them (they had gone out of town).  We were so happy to see them and had to take a selfie!

It was another fantastic Easter!

And you are one of the reasons it's so great for me.

I love you,

Mom

 

Good Times

This is another random post with random pictures.  But I want to include them because they're fun family memories!

The first two are a family dinner night at Dion's Pizza.

I decided to capture a few pictures because I noticed that you looked so grown up and I think we're beginning to look more alike.  But I seem to be the only one who think so.  Bummer!

And the picture below is of you and Sophia playing together.  It actually looks like the perfect way for one of you to get injured but you guys were giggling like crazy.  I love that you play together now.  Sisters make the best of friends.

I love you,

Mom