Imperfectly Charming

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Happy Easter! (yes, I know it's late-- but when you think about what Easter means, I think we should be saying Happy Easter all year-- so Happy Easter!) As you can see, taking pictures was very interesting this year. Emma definitely believes in the action shot, or should I say catching things in their natural state! At least that's the reason we like to give when she won't stand still for longer than a second for you to snap a pic. She'll stand there and smile and say cheese, but that's it. As soon as she finishes the last s sound in cheese, she's running to the camera to take a look. Oh, the joys of digital cameras! It's actually pretty cute, unless you're the one trying to snap the picture! Here are some of our attempts!







If you've seen these pictures you've seen my latest project. The bunnies! Please take note of the sequence of pictures trying to capture the girls with their bunnies-- I think my favorite is Emma's face when she dropped hers! Let me give you a little background on the bunnies:
About 2 months ago I sat in my den and looked around at all of the clutter- meaning- toys! toys! oh, and did I mention, toys?!? Just a few weeks before that day I had bagged up 3 large bags FULL of toys and taken them to the local drop-off site. Yet, still, there I was surrounded by toys. So, I decided that we weren't buying anymore toys. (we'll see how long that lasts) So far, we've stuck to it. Now, they still received Easter toys and presents, their grandparents and aunts & uncles gave them lots of "cool stuff"! However, the Easter bunny at our house brought them bathing suits, a Bible for Chloe and books for Emma. And I made them these bunnies. I know they are technically toys- but I figure these were handmade and will hopefully mean something to them later in life. Especially when they realize just how uncrafty their mother is, and that this was a HUGE deal for her to even attempt to make these! I saw Kata Golda's book on a website I like to visit, and it claimed to be a easy, fun "first" project for the beginner sewer. It is made of felt and stuffed with poly-fil fiber. Thank goodness my mother, a Master Seamstress!, was available for me to ask, "What on earth is a whipple stitch, a blanket stitch, and why would you do a double-run stitch?!?" While the book is great at giving templates and cute ideas, it lacks a little in the explanation of the stitching department. The main reason I chose this project (other than the crazy cute animals) was because it stated that part of the charm of these animals (you could do a dog or mouse too) was that they were imperfect- and their imperfection gave them character and charm! Well, if imperfection makes you charming, then these bunnies are the most charming creatures around! Seriously, though, they weren't too hard to make. Probably the hardest part (other than stitching the eyes and threading the darn needle!) was having to wait to work on them until the kids were in bed. So, that made for some long nights the days before Easter, but it was totally worth it when I saw their reaction to them. They both love their bunny, and so far have taken extra special care of them. I think I'll try a mouse next time- probably next Easter! My fingers need a break from all the pricking! :)

Thing 1

It's Dr.Seuss week at Chloe's school. Yesterday was crazy hat day (pic to follow) and today was dress as your favorite character day. Her Grammy sewed a Velcro strip to her blue hair wig (Chloe can't just call it a wig!) so that she could easily take it on and off in hopes that it wouldn't be a distraction-- probably failed on that part- it's a blue wig. It's bound to be a distraction! But, hey, it's days like today that make her love school even more!

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Chloe's first day of Kindergarten!!

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Chloe on orientation day!


















Chloe's first day in K-5!

















Emma wanted to get in on the picture taking too! She was so excited watching Chloe be so excited! Love the bedhead!

Big Night!!

We had a big night Monday here at our house-- we celebrated my mom's 29th birthday :) , Chloe welcomed her new pet guinea pig into the family-- Ol' MacDonalds, Mac for short, and Emma had her first bathtub pony! The first two things were celebrated and fun, the last made me a little sad. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up! The fact that her cute "baby mullet" can now go in a ponytail makes me smile and at the same time makes my heart a little sad. Micky & I are about 99% sure that we are not going to have anymore babies-- and I'm ok with that, I think. It's just hard to think that the first time I see Emma do new things will be the last time I'm watching one of mine do something for the first time. Is that confusing?
So, as much as it is cool watching and learning with Chloe as she still masters new skills, it's just as cool watching Emma because I know I better savor these moments. If I blink too fast, they'll be gone.
I love my babies and I love my life!

Caterpillar spring... Nature Scene style

We were invaded about a month ago. By caterpillars! We were all playing in the backyard one day when Chloe shouted, "Mom, this tree is growing baby sticks!" Well, as you can see in the picture, the baby sticks are indeed caterpillars. Tons of caterpillars. They had nests on both of our crab apple trees and there were about 20 other nests on the trees at the back of our yard and in some of the limbs that hang over our fence from the woods behind us. It was amazing! I couldn't stop taking pictures of them, and watching them grow was pretty cool too. (Did you have to watch "Nature Scene" in elementary school science? I did. And at the time I really didn't appreciate it, but now I love that kind of stuff.) All I could think was, this would make an awesome "Nature Scene" episode! Chloe really got into it too. She learned how to very carefully pick them up-- so she wouldn't get their "guts" on her- they actually excrete something (guess what) if you startle them too much. She counted and guesses we had at least a gazillion caterpillars in our backyard. We've been waiting patiently (somewhat) for the gazillion butterflies that should follow, but so far have only seen two. Needless to say, Chloe hasn't been too pleased with that ratio!
Here are a few pics of our little friends (notice they've sucked the crab apple trees dry!) and also Chloe's own "Nature Scene" video is at the bottom. We'll let you know if we see anymore butterflies!
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Just for...

Let me apologize to my mother and mother-in-law for not updating sooner. I have to place the blame completely on my friend Heath who somehow put FACEBOOK on my iphone, and the time that I used to spend here has been replaced by confirming/adding "friends" on facespace. I have no idea how many "friends" I have (I'm sure someone is keeping count and if there is indeed a competition I'll pick up the pace and start adding everyone I ever shared a fudge round with--millions) but needless to say I have become what I dreaded- an addict. I very rarely comment or add stuff, but love to look at everyone's pictures. Although, I must say some people need to filter a little bit better. I really don't need to see you taking your 10th shot of the night or seriously do I need to know that you went to work, then the grocery store, the gym, then home? But that doesn't stop me from reading it, or at times adding my own silliness to the mix. And that's what I think it is-- silliness. And you know how I love good silly fun! So, while I'd like to say that I'm cooler than that, you know I'm not! Which is why I'm a big addict!
Anyway~ didn't mean to give facespace so much time here, but Susie and Carol have been wondering why I haven't posted about Chloe's preschool graduation! It was last week and it was awesome! They did their singing program first with all of the kids ages 1-5, then the 4 & 5 year olds graduated in cap & gowns! Too cute! I can still remember her first program (18months) when she just stood their staring at this huge crowd with a deer caught in the headlights look. Didn't make a sound, we were just proud she stood up there. And then this year to watch her singing and doing all of the motions and being in the "big" class just makes me wonder how it happened so fast!-- time flies and they change so quickly. Next year she'll be at high school she likes to say (actually elementary!) where she'll have to make new friends, meet new teachers, eat lunch!-- but we know she's ready. She's very excited and ready to get on the "huge" playground. I'm not so sure that I'm ready-- but here it comes! Her teacher sent this poem home on their last day of school and I wanted to share it. I'm not sure who the author is, but I like it very much.

JUST FOR

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you're going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.
Just for this evening when I run my fingers through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that GOD has given me the greatest gift ever given.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank GOD for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day.........

Adam should've been the girl

On the way home from dance class,

Chloe: "When we get home can I play Adam & Eve?"

me: "How do you play that?"

Chloe: "you know, like when they ate the fruit from the bad snake in the good garden. But can I please be the girl?"

me: "Sure, you can be Eve."

Chloe: "But I wanted to be the girl."

me: "Eve is the girl Chloe."

Chloe: "Oh......."

me: "Remember in the Bible story, Adam is the boy and Eve is the girl--I promise."

Chloe: "Well, I don't think Eve is a good girls name. I think Adam should be the girl and that's who I'll be. ok?"

me: "Good luck with that."

Chloe: "Oh, and Emma can be the snake! That'll be great!"

Happy Easter!

DUCK....DUCK....DUCK....Cyde!

Yep, duck is Emma's new favorite word. She is full on jabbering at you now and most sentences end with duck-- like-- gaba gaba gaba namama DUCK! And occasionally she'll throw in a reference to Cyde (Clyde)! Mind you, she is very animated and is constantly talking with her hands-- I can't imagine where she gets that from!?! But yes, Emma is in to everything now. Walking, sometimes running, all over the place. Her Nano likes to call her Fred Sanford due to her swagger-like walk, but she's progressing out of the limp and will sometimes give you a full on Frankenstein if she's coming towards you. Very cute! She's cut back to one long nap a day (has been for a month or so) and she's very flexible about when she takes it. Which has made my life of errand running, work, and chauffeuring Chloe around much easier. For awhile she would get extremely frustrated at times due to the fact that she knows what she wants or is trying to say-- but just can't say it yet. She's gotten much more patient with us on that front and is doing a better job of pointing to what it is she wants (and not freaking out if she can't have it)! For instance, after we put Chloe to bed the other night we took Emma into the playroom to keep her up until 9. (Chloe will sleep 12 hours if we let her, but we've figured out that Emma will sleep 9 1/2 to 10, so on the weekends we try to keep her up till 9:30 so we can hopefully sleep till 7:30- yep, we like our sleep!). Anyway, she found this Dora skirt and was trying to put it on her head. Micky helped her put it on right and she walked around in it for awhile. A few minutes later she walked back to me at the couch and did her best "point and grunt" act to the top part of the outfit. I wish we would have had the camera around to capture her smile when she got it on--too cute, she was beaming and I think if she could have she'd have given a little twirl in it!









Chloe is doing great. For those of you I've talked to about this, her hemoglobin and RBC levels are finally normal again. About a month ago I took Chloe to the Dr. because she was just TIRED all the time. She seemed to be getting plenty of sleep and eating right and what not, but just tired and whiny. This had been going on for awhile, and at first I though it was just a behavioral thing and she needed to snap out of it. Well, didn't I feel like the biggest jerk when come to find out she's tired because her RBC and hemoglobin levels were low, which would make anybody tired & cranky! Luckily a small vitamin with iron once a day for a few weeks did the trick! We went back last week and had another finger poke :-( and everything was fine. Still not sure why it was low in the first place, but we're gonna keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't drop again. She still loves her "school" and has had so many exciting stories to tell us about all they've been doing to get ready for Easter. Twice a week they go to "Bible class" (that's what Chloe calls it) and learn different Bible stories, songs, stuff like that. Well, yesterday in Bible they talked about the last supper and their teacher washed their feet for them like Jesus washed his disciples. Chloe thought that was sooo cool-- and here's what she told me about the meal.

C: "You first eat a small piece of the bread-- that's Jesus body mom-- then drink the wine, we just had juice though, and did you know that's Jesus blood?!? Ms. K says some people call it communion. I told her that I just call it a snack with a prayer."

Pretty much what most 4 year-olds would say I think. That didn't sound too bad to me. Last night on our way to dance class I was eating a honey bun (yes, you know I'm the healthiest eater ever!) and out of nowhere Chloe asks, "Mom, is that the Lord's body you're eating there?"
After I almost choked I told her, "No, just alot of processed sugars and fat!"
I would love to know what goes through her head all day! I'm sure it's quite a ride!

E.L. Fudge cookies, South Carolina State Fair, & "About"

You know, being the mother of a 4 year-old and 1 year-old I can honestly say that not much that they say or do surprises me anymore. I'm actually surprised if the day goes by and something strange hasn't happened. It's nothing for us to spend hours, days, or months discussing a topic. For instance, we had a sprinkler system installed last summer. Well, we did the "responsible" and legal thing of calling PUPS to come out and mark the utility lines before the guys started digging. Chloe was convinced that God had turned parts of the yard orange and yellow with special rain he sent down, and that He did this because He gets bored looking at the same color of grass all day up there in Heaven and he wanted to spice things up a bit. Maybe it was wrong of us but on day 15 of that conversation we decided to just agree with her and move on. Case closed--- or so we thought. A couple of weeks ago Chloe had a friend over for a play date and we (Chloe, friend, me & Emma in stroller) went for a walk through the neighborhood. Looks like someone else is getting a sprinkler system. Chloe saw the lines and in her exasperated tone that she can use said, "When is God gonna stop coloring the grass around here?!? I thought he had stopped but it looks like he's at it again. Can you believe that mom?" Knowing that if I didn't agree I would have to relive this story and my explanation for at least 2 weeks-- I did the weak thing and just shook my head and said, "Guess He wanted to have some fun again!"
Todays "reliving old moments with Chloe" story started with a trip to the grocery store. E.L. Fudge cookies were on sale, and pardon me but I can't pass up 2 buttery cookies with chocolate fudge between them for $2.19 a box! Who could?!? Well, Chloe asked for some pineapple and cookies for a snack. Simple enough-- or so I thought. She saw the cookie and explained (for about 20 minutes) how these cookies remind her how little she is. What?!? Exactly-- apparently they had these cookies for snack at school and "her Nina" could twist them apart "so gently" and lick the chocolate off before dunking the cookie in her pudding. Apparently Chloe wasn't so gentle in pulling hers apart and they kept breaking into pieces. She told me it was because she was so much "littler" than Nina. Well, I informed her that was silly and she just needed to pull them slowly and that she and Nina were about the same size. This started a retelling of our trip to the S.C. State Fair--in October. The height requirement for the slide ride was 42" tall. Nina walked up, measured, and was handed her burlap sack and sent on her way. Chloe however apparently measured in at 41 7/8" tall- so the dude made me go with her. I didn't mind, I grabbed the sack and rode down the slide with her-- I was actually glad he was doing his job, but really if I had teased her hair up 1/8 of an inch, the kid would've been fine-- and I wouldn't have to hear about this all the time and how that one moment from October means she is "small". So here's what she had to say regarding the cookie:

"Remember how I was smaller than Nina at the South Carolina State Fair when that guy measured me? So, I am smaller and I just haven't practiced enough with my cookies. And remember mom, about is not the same as same-- so I'm not the same size as Nina."

To which I responded, "Pardon me, but if you use that tone with me again you'll be ABOUT to get a spanking-- and that is the same as SAME dear!"

"Sorry mom." -- Kills me how cute she is even when she's being a little snot!... God help me when she's 13!!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Shh... please don't tell Chloe that I posted this 2 days late :-(
Don't worry, I showed it to Micky on his birthday, but she specifically asked me to put it on my "computer page"-- and this is the first time I've been able to sit and do it :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Kissing cuties!!!

Night Mices

Last night Chloe was allowed (by her father, not me) to take a cup of juice upstairs. Apparently on the way to the stairs she "sloshed" a little over the sides of the cup along about a 6 foot trail on the hardwood floor. I found the "sloshed" juice about an hour later when I walked through the den in my bare feet. Of course I fussed and said we need to clean this up now. Well, Chloe ran downstairs and this is what she had to say:
"Mom, leave it.... PLEASE!!! Don't worry the night mices will get it."

Her father and I exchanged glances-- like we often do when we have no idea what she's talking about-- and I said, "What?!?" She said, "The night mices." And she said it in the tone of -do I really have to explain the night mices to you mom?!? how lame!-
Well, here's how the rest of that conversation went down:
me: We don't have mice in our house Chloe, and if we did I'd be outta here pretty quick!

Chloe: They don't live here mom. The night mices come from all over the world to South Carolina at night and pick up whatever we drop and eat it. They love it!

me: I see. Well, I'm not sure where you got your information but we don't let the night mices in here so we have to clean this mess up now.

She proceeded to pout the entire time we cleaned up the mess. And Micky and I were trying not to laugh and were trying to figure out where she came up with this idea. We decided it must have come from the "Nutcracker"-- I took her to see that ballet at Christmas time and she fell in love with it. She got the book for Christmas and the Barbie Nutcracker movie-- so we figured that must be it. Well, I found out this morning that we were wrong. The culprit for the crazy night mices is my MOTHER!! When I told her the story this morning she got a guilty look on her face and said,
"oh, when we were at the mall yesterday Emma dropped a Goldfish on the floor and Chloe tried to pick it up and give it back to her. I told her to just leave it there because the night mice come at night and eat the crumbs-- and they love Goldfish!"

Mystery solved. Be on the lookout for night mices that love to visit South Carolina!

...so I'm back- from outer space....

Sorry for the 70's song reference, but that's where I feel like I've been the past couple months! To say things have been crazy would probably be a little too dramatic-- but if you know me, then you know that completely fits!!! From now on, no more excuses! I started this blog so that one day Chloe and Emma could read it and know how fun these times were and that we love them more than anything, (and so that when they're teenagers we can show them that at one time they thought we were pretty cool too!)-- so by damn, I'm gonna WRITE on this blog what I want, when I want-- and starting today I will do it at least once a week! (feel free to remind me of that when I start slacking off again!) So, when Chloe and Emma read this in a few years please know that my downtime from writing had little to do with the two of you-- it mostly had to do with WORK and just holiday schedules! Speaking of holidays, Christmas was AWESOME! Poor Emma woke up Christmas Eve night (Christmas morning?) around 2a.m. with 103 fever-- but she was a champ Christmas Day and still had a smile on her face for the cameras! And Chloe was thoroughly enjoying the big sister role and trying her best to explain to Emma how Santa worked and that she (Chloe) could play with both their toys, but Emma should ask before she played with Chloe's things! (we quickly fixed that don't worry!) Just teasing, they both shared everything from the start and have done great since. We'll see how long that lasts! but so far so good.
Emma turned 1 January 10. Can you believe it?!? What a year! There are times that I sit and think about how much our lives have changed in this past year-- how we've all adapted to new schedules, new sharing of our time, shifting our priorities so that we can spend Quality time together-- and you know, none of that change has been hard. Just different. I guess when you really want to do something, you just do it. And when I try to remember what it was like before Emma, I have a hard time recalling it. Part of me feels like she's always been with us. Maybe it's because when we had Chloe I prayed that was just the beginning and that we would all get the chance to add to our family one day and give Chloe a sibling-- I'm so glad she got Emma. To see how much Chloe loves her and wants to teach her things, and to see Emma's face light up when Chloe walks in gives me a feeling I can't put into words. It's just amazing!
So~ for the past month Micky and I have been asked approximately 12.7 times a day if Emma is walking yet. It's a legitimate question but after about the 6.8 time in a day I'm ready to hang a sign on my chest that says "Sort of!" Meaning, she'll take about 4 or 5 steps and then look around as if to say, "I hope nobody saw that. I don't want to blow my cover and not get carried around anymore, so I'm just going to sit down and act like that was a fluke!" It's actually a very funny thing to watch, but trust me we're in no RUSH for her to start running. She's busy enough as a fast crawler, Lord help us when she starts doing sprints through the living room!!!
I tried to capture one of her "fluke" walkings tonight on camera, but I think she was on to me so no dice. But I did get this cute clip of her playing one of her new favorite games-- "hide the magnet, then find it myself 100 times!" Maybe this is why she's not such a great walker yet. This is her favorite walk behind toy, but she's recently discovered that the seat lifts to reveal this awesome compartment so she'll spend like 10 minutes playing with that instead of walking! Kids a genius, what can I say?!? And just so you know-- we usually do brush Emma's awesome baby mullet but this was filmed right after dinner, hence the green beans on her face, so we all look a bit rough at this time of day! And the reason Chloe is saying Emma's gone is because she has been asking to hear "scary" stories lately and her father has been telling her some apparently involving alien abduction--he actually told her the Golden Arm story which she has now told to all of her 4 year-old friends. Thanks Mick-- I get to explain that to the moms at preschool! (oh, and forgive the end--it's been awhile since I filmed anything and forgot how to turn it off. yeah, she gets the genius part from me can't you tell!)

Number 3

If you've been reading this blog for awhile you've already heard Chloe's reasoning for why it rains: 1. To keep the wivew (river) high enough so that she can see it when we're driving over the bridge. 2. To give her budiful (beautiful) flowers and grass plenty of water to drink so that they can grow as big and tall as she is.
This morning we learned that there is yet a third reason. With Emma still recovering from her bout with bronchitis, Mom volunteered to take Chloe to school for me this morning. (An offer I jumped on quicker than a cat on a mouse!) Well, if you live in our area you may recall that it was (still is) rather cloudy and gloomy looking outside. They had a conversation that went a little something like this:

Grammy: "It sure is cloudy today."
Chloe: "Yeah, I can't see Mr. Sunshine."
G: "I think it may rain a little later on today."
C: "Well, that's good. The clouds are very dirty and God needs to wash them!"

So, when the clouds get a little gray-- they just need a good bath! I can see her point... I mean it works for her so why wouldn't the clouds be the same way?!?

May the Force Be With You

Happy Halloween!









Queen Amidala and Princess Leia had a great Halloween! This was the first year that Chloe was allowed to go Trick-or-Treating through our neighborhood. Micky took her, along with Uncle Scott and Kristin, and she had a blast! (if you see her soon be sure to ask her about the cemetery yard she walked through!)

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch Monday night and Chloe and Micky picked out a big one! (it's really the local Farmer's Market-- but they have pumpkins so we're calling it the pumpkin patch!) Emma and I were just along for the ride and were glad to be getting outside for some fresh air! I love the way Fall feels-- it even has a different smell in the air to me-- does anyone else notice that?!? Chloe really got into helping Micky carve this year and was a huge help scooping out all of the pumpkin guts! She chose a bat design this year, and I think it turned out great!

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Now we just have to eat all this candy she got. It would probably take a normal family about 2 months, but I'm confident we can have it knocked out by next weekend!

"...a world of laughter a world of tears..."

It is indeed a small world after all! We got back from Disney yesterday around 6pm after what seemed to be the LONGEST RIDE home EVER!!!! :-)

Disney was awesome! The weather was great, the rides were great, the characters were great, and the company was great! I'm pretty sure Chloe and "my Nina" had a blast and will remember parts of this trip forever-- I know I will. They were so sweet! Now, there were moments when I thought that if my child whined one more time that I might just have to toss her on top of the huge golf ball at Epcot! But those moments were overshadowed by watching her and her bestest friend be so unbelievably adorable-- like watching their faces light up the first time they saw the Princesses on stage, or seeing them act shy when getting autographs from characters, or when they watched the 3-D shows (Muppet's and philharmagic!) and were so excited trying to reach for the objects jumping out at them, and my favorite-when they put their princess dresses on for our Princess Luncheon and just had to call each other Belle and Aurora! You can't put a price on seeing stuff like that, and it may sound corny but I'll say it anyway-- my heart skipped a little when I felt like I was seeing things through their eyes. It was so worth the ache my feet are feeling right now! And I can't help but laugh when I think how at such a young age they can be such good friends to each other. One minute they may be fussing over who gets to hold Tinkerbell or the DVD case-- and the next minute they're riding side by side in strollers leaning out so they can hold hands! And if one of them was upset they would comfort each other so tenderly! We could learn a lot from these princesses!
I'm a bit worn out right now, so I will post more Disney pics later-- I've got a ton and they are so cute!
(This first pic is one of them on their first day of 2 year old preschool-- yes Chloe may hate me for this one day-but it cracks me up to see how much they've changed! And the second is from our second morning in Disney!) click on image to see larger
If these don't make you smile, put your fingers to your inner wrist and check your pulse! :-)

Boyfriendssssssss!!

As you know, Chloe is very much a girly girl! She loves her princess gear, dancing, and telling fairytale stories. However, she does have a good bit of her daddy (and some of her tomboy mommy) in her. She loves to run outside and play golf, softball, soccer-- just about anything that keeps her moving. She has some boy friends at school, but she never talks of inviting them over to play like she does the girls. There are 2 boys that she is always asking me if they can come play-- Tradd and Jackson. She never calls them that of course, she simply refers to them as "the boys". Misty (their mom) and I talk a good bit on the phone and Micky will talk with Lee (their dad) about golf times or whatever and she never fails to ask to speak with the boys or if the boys are getting to come over. They generally come over for dinner about once every couple of months and the kids have a GREAT time playing! We will soon have to educate Chloe on polygamy (in about 20 years!). She insists that one day she will marry "the boys" (& Redding--my Nina's bro) and they will all live in a castle in the forest and have tons of horses. I find it extremely cute and love that she enjoys playing with them so much. They definitely bring a new perspective to all of her "girl" toys, and I love watching them ride on her princess tricycle! Last Thursday they came over to watch the Carolina game. Just before half time they all started getting tired so Chloe picked out a movie for them to watch in the living room. Yep, you guessed it Peter Pan. I got some cute pics of Chloe and her future husbands-- love the one where one of "the boys" looks mad about being odd man out! I'm hoping they all stay great friends as they get older. We'll have plenty of pics to embarrass them with :-)
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Can You Hear Me Now?!?

We've been repeating this scene at our house over and over again for the past two weeks:
Emma will crawl a bit~ I'll get the camera to tape her~ Emma stops crawling to stare at all of us acting like fools~ Chloe tries to get Emma to crawl again using any type of persuasion she can.
For the past two days Chloe's persuasion techniques have included INCREASING the volume of her voice-- as if Emma was hard of hearing. I can only guess that Chloe must think that if she says it loud enough Emma will suddenly understand and start crawling, talking, and doing long division. So, while Emma is very cute to watch in this little clip, I can't stop laughing at her drill sergeant barking out orders! (At about 10 seconds in you'll hear Chloe say something about a spider being on my head-- she got this from my family using it on her to get her to look at the camera-- something that even as a 4 year-old she still hates to do.)
You won't actually see Emma crawl in this clip but I promise she can-- especially if Chloe drops a Cheez-It anywhere in a 1 mile radius. Emma and Clyde will race to get it! (don't worry I'm not letting her eat crackers yet... she's still getting use to steak!)

Rainy Days

It's been raining for two days straight. Rain, I might add, that we are in desperate need of. We love to eat fruits and veggies, so Lord, please give them plenty of rain! The rain, mixed with Emma's nap schedule and the price of gas, has kept us inside. Have no fear-- there has been constant play going on. Chloe's still hooked on Peter Pan, so yesterday Emma and I got to be pirates in Captain Hook's gang. Walking the plank proved to be a challenge for Emma, but she gives a mean arrghh!




And Chloe was giving some props to Lou and Louise from the Safety Patrol, by wearing her helmet in the house. She sure didn't want to get a safety violation!