Mother's Day, a curly head and more...

I rarely ever get pictures with my girls, it seems. We were just sitting outside waiting for Daddy to finish mowing the lawn. I'm glad he ran in to get the camera. I love you, Chloe and Hannah!

Chloe LOVES to play cars! She asks to play almost every day and she picked out cars as her new toy with Gramma at the store the other day rather than anything else. But don't think she's too much of a tomboy yet... Daddy had to wear the pretty pink hat in order to play with her. :)

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My Mom had had a hard week before Mother's Day so we went to surprise her spur-of-the-moment and showed up at her house 11pm Friday night. My dad knew we were coming, but she had no clue. I hope she didn't have plans for a nice relaxing weekend! ;) Here are some pictures of our time there. Unfortunately, she and I didn't get any pictures together. 

Grammie, Chloe and Pops (the angel)

Doesn't Grammie just look beautiful in this picture?

I wish Hannah had made it into this picture, but she was sleeping.

Hannah's hair is even more curly than Chloe's was and it seems to be growing up, all on top of her head.

This is Hannah's goofy face that she makes when she gets excited. While she makes it she breathes really quickly in and out of her nose so you can hear it. I really need to catch it on video. It occurs multiple times a day and just makes me laugh every time!

Enjoying breakfast together. 

Reading a book before bed time with Daddy. Reading with Dad is one of Chloe's favorite things to do. 

Chloe wants to do whatever Hannah gets to do so she wanted to wear Hannah's hat. Silly goose, it doesn't even fit!

Ways they make me laugh...

I am sorry I haven't written a good update in a while. I just have so many little things to say but not any huge long story, the list keeps getting longer and longer and more overwhelming. 

I'll start with Chloe...

I LOVE having a two year old!! Yes, she is obstinate, incredibly independent and loves her personal space. But she is so quick to catch on to everything! She is very observant and not quick to speak. Chloe loves to dance and is learning to sing. She is also still in love with Bob and Larry from Veggie Tales. She has become so considerate and caring and always has her own opinion (imagine that!). The other day I was leaving to go out and she looked at me and said with excitement, "I love your green shirt, Mama! You look so pretty!"

Chloe is so sweet to her sister. She shares her goldfish with Hannah so that i don't have to keep reaching over the stroller to give Hannah her snack. They give each other hugs and kisses. They stay up in their room playing and entertaining each other when they should be going to sleep. :) She is also a 2 year old though and has her moments of selfishness and greed. She is big on personal space so it is taking some time for her to actually want Hannah around to play with toys and such. She doesn't like it if Hannah touches her. But she's getting better about that.

Saturday was Matt's birthday, but I hadn't made cards yet with the girls as of Saturday morning. While I was out on a run, Chloe went and found a card that Amy had written to me. Matt saw her go get her box of crayons and take the card into the guest room so that she could decorate the card in secret. She came out and brought the card covered in blue crayon to Matt and said, "Happy Birthday, Daddy!" She did this totally unprompted. She has such a sweet heart and loves her daddy sooooo much! 

Every weekend, Matt and Chloe have a special date together and go to the library to pick out books to bring home and read that week. Chloe looks forward to it all week long and is so excited to spend alone time with Daddy. Sometimes, they go eat Subway afterwards or run some errands together too. We have found it is something she needs. When she doesn't get quality time with him, she gives him the cold shoulder... really! She won't give him hugs or kisses and she very obviously prefers me to him which it is usually the other way around. For a week we couldn't figure out why the sudden change, then we looked back at how late Matt had been working and how he'd been gone on the weekend as well. Chloe is very much like me in that way. 

Chloe is speaking pretty well, but she has some words she can't say of course. We have fun with that, although I probably shouldn't admit that. ;) Matt has been trying to correct her when she says a word wrong, but I'm not so strict about it. I love it when she says "oakameal" instead of oatmeal or "shuggle" instead of "shovel." Pretty soon you find yourself saying it the exact same way. :) 

Hannah is hilarious; she has a very happy heart! She smiles so easily and is very cuddly. She has this funny face she makes that I can't help but laugh at! I need to get it on video. Within the past few weeks, she has started rejecting baby food and will only eat "big-people" food; she pulls herself up to standing; she drinks from a sippy cup mostly by herself, and she says, "Da! Da! Da!" very excitedly and does a little dance when she sees Matt. :) She loves her daddy too! 

I am starting to wean my sweet little baby, which I have very mixed emotions about. The girls are staying with my parents in July for about 5 days while Matt and I go to San Francisco. I am so excited about the freedom, but I hate the idea that I won't have an excuse any more to just sit and do nothing while I cuddle my little cuddle bug and provide for her needs from my own being. Neither of us are quite ready for it so I am trying not to push it. But I also want to honor Matt by doing it in time for SF. In my mind, having Hannah weaned in time for this trip will show Matt that I am first his, then theirs. 

I have been very bad about taking pictures lately (I took a total of 2 on Friday at our first trip to Seaworld ... 2!! I am so mad at myself!), so I am going to be more intentional about it now. I'll add some more when I have more. 

Love to you all!

Thank You, Jesus!

Matt and Hannah

Do you see a resemblance? 

Look-alike Meter

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Giggles

A Visit From Our Dear Estes Family

My sister and brother-in-law and their boys came to visit us for a few VERY short days last week. It went by way too quickly, but we REALLY enjoyed having them here. Sally and I got to spend more time together (sans kids) than I had anticipated, thanks to Jon and Matt. It filled up my heart. Time with her is refreshing to me. She was gone for a year and it was hard to connect heart-to-heart through the telephone or internet. Being able to just "be" for a few days and enjoy day to day life together was great. We also had some fun and some laughs which is always good for the soul. :) Here are some pictures...

Little B (Brennan) is so funny! He smiles at everything and everyone. He doesn't like to play by himself. And he can bend all kinds of ways and he is SO strong! He started crawling this past week! Go B!

"Arrgg, Matey!"

Chloe is big on personal space. Jude isn't.

We wish that we could capture this wonderful smile on camera all the time, but Sally caught it right after his usual camera smile, just before he stopped smiling. What a good looking kid!

Silly-ness. What the Estes' call the "Happy Asian Face." :) 

(Which they can do because they are Asian. :)

Me and Sally

Sally and Chloe... Sweet lovin' time. 

Sally and Chloe. Sweet Silly Time!!

Something made her laugh... I have no clue.

Crouching Tiger

The REAL Little People. 

Jude is explaining something to Chloe, but who knows what it is!

The Little-er People

Just before Sally and Jon left, Sally and I walked outside to find Jon sitting with the kids in the grass. It was a sweet moment. Chloe LOVES her Uncle Jon. She even pee'd on him 3 times while they were here. You don't pee on just anyone, you know. Only the ones you love. :)

More Cuteness

Here is another story that I will have to delete one day...

Chloe has started squeezing her eyes shut when she poops. It looks fake to me, and I don't know where she picked it up. Anyway, what else do you do with your eyes closed? You pray. So the other day when I first saw her doing it, with her eyes squeezed shut, trying to poop, she starts praying, "Thank You for Grammie and Pops and... (she looks up at me) BIG POO POO!! .... (she closes her eyes again) ... Grammie and Pops and Amy."

She cracks me up. 

25 Random Things I Love about You, Matt

1. You love me so well; so much better than I deserve.
   
2. Your laugh is contagious. I can't hear it without at least smiling, even when I'm mad at you.
   
3. You are sooooo hot. 
   
4. You are right most of the time, so I know I can trust your decisions.
   
5. Although you are right most of the time, you still let me be right some of the time.
   
6. You work very hard and you are determined to be indispensable at your job.
   
7. You are good at everything you do... except yoga. :) 
   
8. You are incredibly intelligent and your mind works so fast.
   
9. You love our girls completely and are "best buds" with Chloe.
   
10. You come home from work every evening in a good mood, whether or not you've had a bad day or not... that's something I need to work on and really admire of you.
    
11. You are very sensitive.
    
12. You value my job as much as I value yours and you let me know this.
    
13. You have GREAT legs!
    
14. You like things to be organized and you like to be productive, but you'll also just sit on the couch with me and watch T.V. while the dishes aren't done and paperwork needs to be filed in the office and Chloe's toys aren't put away.
    
15. You are my very best friend... I'd rather be with you than anyone in the world. 
    
16. You make me laugh ALL the time.
    
17. You are good at asking questions.
    
18. You do everything 120%, which can be exhausting at times but is very motivational as well.
    
19. I am in-love with you, even after all this time. It shows me how great a guy I have.
20. You come home to your family every evening instead of going out with co-workers or to happy hour.
21. Chloe wants to be just like you. She looks for you first every morning even though you're usually already at work. She wants to drink coffee and she says she's going running because that's what Daddy does. 
22. Your eyes make me melt; they are a gorgeous blue and say a lot to me, mostly about how much you love me.
23. When I am in your arms, I feel I am in the safest, most comforting place in the whole world.
24. You love me exactly the way I am and help me to realize all the pressure I feel is put on me by myself alone.
25. You are running your second half-marathon... through your training, I have seen determination, discipline and strength of mind and body that I have not seen in you before. It is a dream come true for me that you want to go on running dates, that you want to eat healthy and enjoy when I cook healthy meals, that you want to be a healthy role model for our children and you see the importance of that lifestyle.

I love you more than my life. 

I am a better wife, mother, daughter, and friend because of you.

I wouldn't want to do life without you.

God has blessed this family by giving you to us as our leader.

Happy Valentine's Day! 

She's listening...

A conversation we had today...

Matt got home from his 10 mile run and I gave him a hard time about how stinky he was. A little later, he was stretching near the couch while Chloe and I sat on it.

Chloe: Daddy's yucky.

Daddy: What?

Chloe: Daddy's yucky.

Daddy: Well, fine. (In a sassy, yet joking manner. Then, he left the room to stretch elsewhere.)

Chloe to me: Daddy has a bad a-i-tude.

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We always talk to Chloe about having a good attitude versus a bad attitude and how she needs to fix her bad attitude when she is grumpy. I guess she is paying attention when we talk! 

The Chlo-ster - Happy Birthday, my sweet love!

First day

First camping trip

First Tae kwon do tournament

First Elmo

First deer ride

First bike!

SECOND BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday, my precious little girl! We love you more than words could ever describe. Though I was always told that by my parents, I never understood it until the day I met you. You mesmerize us, you enchant us, you have our hearts. No day will ever go by that you are not loved. 

Lord, thank You. Thank You. Thank You for this precious Gift.

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Happy Birthday, Gloria!!! I am so thankful for your life and the sweet spirit inside of you! I know you from afar but that does not mean I love you less!! 

Potty Training

This is one of those posts I am going to have to delete before Chloe can read. :)

We have been potty training Chloe for a week now and she is doing really well. We are down to fewer and fewer accidents every day and I am so excited! I am so sick and tired of PEE!! I thought I'd share with you a few of our "fun times" as we are going through this stage:

1) The other day, Chloe was helping me unload the dishwasher and ended up peeing INSIDE the dishwasher. 

2) I was transferring her laundry from the washing machine to the dryer when something fell on the floor. I thought is was maybe a rock so I picked it up. It was NOT a rock. 

3) Chloe has figured out a way to keep me from putting panties on her: keeping her feet as far apart from each other as possible. 

4) When Chloe wipes after going pee-pee, she says, "Gotta wipe the honey."

5) Chloe keeps calling the Disney Princesses on her pull-ups Jesus. 

Chloe & Hannah Update

Chloe is almost 2 years old, but a lot of people mistake her for already being 2 because she is tall like her daddy. She is very quick to learn right now and she repeats everything she hears. She can count to 10 with a little help, but is still learning colors and letters. She refers to herself in third person most of the time, so she calls herself Chloe, or she'll ask herself a question as if she is prompting you to ask it. For example, she'll say, "Hungry, Chloe?" or "Me help you, Chloe?" or "Cookie, Chloe?" and then she'll smile real big and say, "Okay, Chloe" to answer her own question. She makes it sound like it was all your idea in the first place. 

Chloe LOVES to be outside, go on walks, play with balls, look at cats, try to climb trees, watch the boys on our street play ball (She'll point to them and very excitedly say, "Boys!!"), run around and fall in the grass, play at the play ground, play with her baby dolls, watch me cook dinner, draw and color and dance with Daddy. She has a good imagination - she has started making her farm animals talk to each other and she plays "mommy" to her baby dolls(*** see story below). The other night a neighbor brought over their 4 week old kitten to show Chloe. They named the kitten Chloe after my Chloe (their dog's name is Grace, like cousin Grace, and the boy's name is Scott, like Uncle Scott - Chloe is quite confused with it all, I'm sure). Anyway, Scott brought a football with him and Chloe paid no attention to the kitten; all she wanted to do was play with Scott's ball! I think we have a little tom-boy in the making! When Matt is home on the weekends, she gets so excited to watch football on T.V.! 

***Matt, Chloe and I were in the living room hanging out together. Chloe picked up her cabbage patch doll and started patting it's back. She whispered, "it's okay, baby. it's okay. sorry, baby, sorry." We thought it was odd that she was saying sorry to baby when she had done nothing to it and she was being so sweet. Then, all the sudden, she raised baby above her head and whacked its head on the coffee table!! Matt and I were laughing so hard (silently) that we were in tears! We didn't want to encourage this behavior so we tried to keep her from seeing us laugh but it was soooo funny! Then, Chloe made her sad face and picked up baby and patted its back again saying, "it's okay, baby, it's okay." She definitely did not learn this from me just in case you were wondering. I do not condone banging your child's head on the coffee table!***

Hannah is growing fast! We looked at pictures of Matt last night of when he was 3 mths old and they look exactly alike! I plan to scan one in and post it next to her picture so you can see. It is amazing! She is working on rolling over right now but has a ways to go. She has a very pleasant spirit and smiles and coos at me all the time. She has started to notice Chloe a little more which is exciting because that means she'll stay entertained! She is the exact opposite of Chloe, as in Chloe did not like to be rocked to sleep; Hannah can't fall asleep without it. Chloe did not want to be held all the time; Hannah always wants to be held. This means Chloe has never been a cuddler, but Hannah is all the time! Chloe was/is very independent so it'll be interesting to see how her personality shapes Hannah's personality. 

Sorry that there are no pics with this post. I just wanted to give a little update on how the girls are doing since my last few posts have been just pictures. 

Random stuff because it's easier to post that way...

With the second kid, and thereafter I'm sure, you have to make it a point to take pictures. I was looking at my pictures of Chloe from the last (almost) 2 years, and I have them divided month by month for her first year; then after the first year, they are divided by event. Poor Hannah... her ONE folder is called "Hannah pics". 

Anyway, here are some pictures of our last few weeks. Keep in mind they are in reverse order.

This is what happens when a baby has a big sister. You come back into the room finding either less or more on Baby than when you left the room. Hannah didn't seem to mind the headband too much at first, but then it started poking her in the eye. At least it matches, right?

Chloe wanted to wear her own headband also. She could be a Rocker from the '80s... except for her Darby and Pooh shirt.

This is what happens when Hannah is with Daddy... always, without fail.

Matt's mom says Hannah looks exactly like Matt did when he was a baby. Chloe's and Hannah's baby pictures no longer look very much alike. Chloe was so much a mixture of the two of us that you couldn't tell who she looked more like. Hannah looks exactly like Daddy, but is short like Mommy.

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Trick or Treat!

Chloe went as Darby from My Friends Tigger and Pooh (the little girl who replaced Christopher Robin, for those of you who are not up to date on your Disney shows). We put her in our neighbor's wagon and piled all her Winnie the Pooh characters around her. She did very well. Matt would walk her, hand-in-hand, to the door and tell her to say "Trick or treat!" She wouldn't say it. The next day we were going shopping and Matt made her hold his hand in the parking lot and she all the sudden said, "Trick or treat!" in the meekest little voice! Little Love thought we were still getting candy! 

In the above picture, you'll see Chloe's hands folded together. That's her new thing while she is waiting or riding in the stroller or the car. She'll sometimes twiddle her thumbs too. 

Chloe and her neighbor friend, Sara Kate, are inspecting their loot. We went to Sara Kate's house after trick or treating for their annual chili cook-off. I didn't make any, but we had chili originating from Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and California. I have to say I like Tanya's (Sara Kate's mom) the best, even though she is from Georgia. ;) 

Chloe stole my Broncos jersey. I had to post this picture because it's one of the few times she was actually smiling for the camera!

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Month of Birthdays

The month of October was filled with 3 birthday parties for Chloe's friends. Sara Kate's was first at Pump-It-Up and then Aiden's was at the same place the next weekend. Chloe was last there in March when she was about 15 mths old. Now she is 22 months old and she enjoyed it so much more. She wore me out though because she wanted to do the most difficult things over and over and over again, including the ladder below. It was part of a bigger obstacle course that ended in a steep slide. She had no fear. I have realized that although she is very adventurous, she is careful and is very observant before she tries to tackle something. It's like she runs it through her mind before doing it. 

Above is sweet Sara Kate. She has such a darling personality. She ADORES Hannah and constantly attends to her when she is with her. And she is so good at sharing her toys with Chloe. Soon, SK will have her own baby brother to love on!!!

Chloe's friend, Aiden was way too fast for the camera to get any good pictures.

The last party we went to was a little girl in our playgroup who is Chloe's age. Her birthday was on Halloween and we had a fun party of pizza and cupcakes! (I couldn't get my blog to upload any more pictures for some reason.)