Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Estes'!!

We miss you sooooo much, 

but we hope you have a 

Merry Christmas 

and a

Happy New Year!

We love you more than you know!! We are giving you BIG hugs in our hearts!

Chloe is waiting for a kiss from you....

Happy Birthday, Chloe AND Gloria!!!!

Chloe Ruth on her Birth Day

I have waited all day to post a "Happy Birthday" to my one year old, Chloe Ruth, in hopes of including my new niece, Gloria Noelle, who was born this evening!! Yep, they share a birthday! How fun!

Chloe & Pops

My dear little Chloe is no longer an infant, but a TODDLER! How can this be? How are we the parents of a toddler already?! No, she's not yet toddling, but you can bet she will be soon! She won't allow us to help her walk; she wants to learn all on her own. Hmmm... I think she may have a bit of her mother in her. :)  

Aunt Amy & Chloe being silly

My reminiscing of one year ago today was made very real when my sister Kaye called this morning to say she was going to have her baby today! After a hard day of labor, Gloria Noelle entered the world at 18 inches long, weighing 5 lbs 8 oz. How glorious! This photo is from my mom's cell so I'll add more once I get them...

Gloria Noelle Birdsell

(2nd daughter of Scott & Kaye)

Lions and Cows

Lately, we've been working with Chloe on recognizing animals and the sounds they make. Now, this is not as easy as it seems. There have been many times when one of us has made a sound for an animal and the other's been like, "That's not what that animal sounds like." :) Hopefully, Chloe doesn't get too screwed up by this. I guess we should just take her to the zoo. 

Anyway, Matt has taught Chloe how to "roar" like a lion. :) My sweet, innocent Chloe crawls around on the floor roaring. She also knows how to "moo". Her favorite book is Moo, Baa, LaLaLa by Sandra Boynton. She picks it up and says "ooooooo" as she hands it to us (or throws it at us, which is usually the case) for us to read to her. She is a little delight to our lives! We laugh so much! 

Chloe has reached the point when she is absorbing everything and catching on so quickly. She recently learned to brush her hair, and she also realized what her hair bows are for. She picks it up and presses it to her hair, then lets go. She looks at me like, "Is it pretty?" Chloe knows what to do when I ask her if she is hungry; she goes straight to her chair. She knows what a tree is and says "tee." She knows what a light is and what a dog is which is called a "dee." Everyday she seems to learn something new. It is SO exciting to watch her learn about her world. We feel so privileged to be able to teach her!