Time Flies

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last blogged. We've been fairly busy with birthday parties, doctor's appointments for all three (actually 4) of us, out of town trips, out of town guests, and so on. 

In early March, we went to Pump It Up for Chloe's friend Naomi's 2nd birthday. Daddy got to take her on all the bouncy stuff. Since I was only 14 weeks or so pregnant, I chose to sit it out and just take pictures. If you know Chloe, it's very difficult to get any picture of her looking at the camera so we didn't have very many good shots of the party. By the way, isn't my husband studly? I must say he looks so hot, but I'll blog more on that later. :)

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Chloe never lost her baby hair as some babies do so it has just kept growing and growing and growing. First, we did hair clips with bows. Then, we did one pony tail to the side. Now, we are at two pig tails. She is very good at letting me do them because she HATES having her hair in her eyes. It is long enough to go almost to the end of her nose. She looks like she is one of The Beatles when her hair is down.

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In March, we had our friends Brad and Lauren visit us a few days before Easter, and we were able to go stuff ourselves silly while watching the Aggies play and win their first game in the tournament. For Easter weekend, we visited my parents and sister, Amy, and had a nice time with them. Matt and my dad played golf, admitting that since by the end of hole 9 they had hit the ball enough times to equal an 18 hole game, it was probably time to stop. They figured they played twice the game for half the money. :) 

Me and my sista

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Chloe's and my most recent trip took us to visit our friends, the Greenes. Shanna, Michael and Jonathan hosted us for 3 days a few weekends ago. Unfortunately, Chloe's and Jonathan's napping schedules were quite opposite, but I think we made it work pretty well. Jonathan is a very flexible little man. We made a trip to the mall for some lunch on Friday and played at the indoor playground. Friday night, Shanna and I splurged and ordered 3 pieces of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, drove 30 minutes to go get it while dragging our little ones with us, then drove 30 minutes back home to put the kids to bed and enjoy our treat! It was delicious and so fun!

Sunday afternoon, we went to the duck pond and park. Jonathan loved watching the ducks and chasing the birds. It was like he knew what to do when he got there...

This is what Chloe did almost the entire time at the duck pond...

Don't worry, it's just ice water, but I hardly have one picture of her without this big Sonic cup in it!! Once she was done drinking, she rummaged through my purse looking for food. SO I have a ton of picturesque pictures of Jonathan by the water, looking at the ducks, etc... While all I have of Chloe involves her drinking and eating. :) It was a hot day though, I have to admit.

We finally walked over to the park where they had a separate toddler sized play area. If you need to get a picture of Chloe smiling, just put her on a slide because that's the only place you'll get one. All she wanted to do was go down the slide over and over and over...

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This is what we do in the mean time when we don't have much going on... We play outside and get good and dirty. Chloe is the best at getting messy but it's funny because she doesn't like it when her hands are dirty!

Bob and Barfing

I have a couple of cute stories about Chloe that I just had to share. Story One...

Chloe likes to watch Veggie Tales. It is on T.V. on Saturday mornings so I DVR the shows, and we watch them while she drinks her milk throughout the week. They are the same exact shows you pay $10-15 for at a book store but with commercials. Her favorite part is the beginning when Bob the tomato welcomes everyone to his house and they all sing a song together. She gets a big smile on her face and says "Boba, Boba." Well, yesterday, we were in the kitchen, and I pulled out a bright red tomato to put in our salad. Chloe points to my hand and says "Boba, Boba." I showed her a tomato again tonight just to make sure I was hearing her right and sure enough, she says "Boba, Boba." She is so darn smart!!! How she put the two together, who knows, but I am so proud of her! It's a good thing she doesn't realize yet what "Boba's" are for. :)

Next story...(This story is kind of gross so if you have a sensitive stomach you may not want to go on. Don't say I didn't warn you!)

As many of you know, I am pregnant, and I'm just now starting my second trimester.  I've had nausea and vomiting throughout the first trimester, but finally got anti-nausea meds at 12 weeks. I'm at 14 weeks now and thought I was in the clear. I was quite surprised when right after breakfast this morning, I had to run to the bathroom. Chloe is also avidly walking now so she follows me wherever I go. So we are in my bathroom and I'm standing there pucking my breakfast out and Chloe's standing behind me going, "Ha ha ha ha ha!"  I'm trying to block her with my body from getting into the potty area or getting splattered with vomit and at the same time trying to aim correctly. I'm sure it was a funny sight... minus the puck of course. I'm sorry if you don't feel the same way. I'm sure it's one of those things that, if you have kids, you at one point wondered what you would do if you were in the same situation. :)

(I'll spare you a picture here of some vomit. :)

Chloe Update

About a month or so ago, Chloe decided she was ready for something new. After Matt got home from work one evening, he sat a few feet away from her, held out his arms to her and she just stood up and took about 5 or 6 steps towards him! I happened to have just turned my head to watch her reaction to seeing Daddy, so I was so glad I didn't miss that special moment. And I am  sooooo glad her first steps were to her daddy. That is special because I have been able to see so much more since I stay home with her. We caught her second try on camera...

It took her a while to get comfortable so after that first day, she didn't seem interested in doing it much more. But last week she decided she'd had enough and started to walk EVERY WHERE! She especially loves to be outside. She pushes her baby up and down the side walk. The other children on our street are finally beginning to take notice of her now since she is walking. One little boy who is about 2 brought her some strawberries to eat the other day! It was so cute! She, of course, could have cared less about him but wanted to eat all of his food! He, on the other hand, was so shy and googly-eyed. :) Aw... maybe he has his first crush! 

Chloe loves to push her stroller around and find things around the house to put in it. After a grocery trip recently, she helped me unload the groceries....

Helping Mommy unload the Ziploc bags

Chloe has taken to playing in boxes lately. For some reason, she likes to play in them. We had a play group at our house the other day, and I thought it'd be fun to leave her boxes out so the other kids could enjoy them as well. Not one child even glanced at the boxes. They seemed to be more in the way than anything. I guess I should be thankful that my child is entertained so easily... and cheaply!

Chloe feeding Baby in the box

Chloe with her milk, her Elzie, and her pillow, ready for her pretend nap

My parents came recently (Matt and my dad added topsoil and new sod to our entire front yard in one weekend!) and bought Chloe a picnic table set. She has enjoyed eating her snacks and drinking her milk while lounging in the chairs. She does get quite frustrated though when she can't get her bottom aimed right so she ends up on the floor rather than in the chair. We are having to teach her that it's ok to fail/fall sometimes. :) 

Chloe also tries to mimic what we say. Sometimes it sounds similar, but mostly not. She did try to say strawberry the other day for my mom, and it wasn't half bad, just funny enough to make you laugh though. We are definitely at the point where patience with communication is key. It's so hard to know what she means most of the time!! 

We are enjoying this stage of her life so much, but it's hard not to wonder about the future and how she and her new brother or sister will interact. I can hardly wait for that day!!! Oh, and by the way, I am pretty sure we are NOT going to find out the sex of the baby, so it'll be an IT to us until September!

Favorite Blue Jeans

I've been able to wear my favorite (pre-pregnancy :) blue jeans again for about 7 months now which I have thoroughly enjoyed after gaining 40 pounds during my pregnancy with Chloe. I have two pair, both from American Eagle, which I LOVE to wear. They have held up amazingly well... clothes seem to do that when you take a year off to wear maternity clothes. I don't buy jeans very often because it is just so hard to find the "perfect" fit. My jeans are always there when I want to dress up or dress down; I have a favorite pair for each of those occasions. But, to me, both still go best with a t-shirt and flip-flops. :)

All this to say, my jeans are going on another hiatus and will hang quietly in the back of my closet. Not because the weather is already getting warm (we've hit the 80's on some days), but because around September 9th, we'll be welcoming Baby Trombo #2!!! We are just about at the end of the first trimester and we've been able to hear the heart beat twice and also see him/her on ultrasound. We praise the Lord for allowing this little one to make it since, as many of you know, I have a history of miscarriages and we knew there could be a risk of it happening again. I prayed for several months before I had peace about trying again without first tackling the issue that could be causing the miscarriages. 

I have to admit that it is a bit difficult for me to announce this on our blog because I know several women right now who have not been able to get pregnant either the first time or after the first child, or who have had miscarriages or other situations that have kept them from getting pregnant; women who yearn so deeply to bear children. My heart hurts so much for them. It isn't fair, but to think that life would be fair is childish, I suppose. I just know we've not all been given the same purpose or the same path to fulfill our purpose. I am thankful that the Creator of the universe rarely lets me depend on my finite knowledge before reminding me how infinite His knowledge is. I am thankful that He knew what was coming in our lives, in our marriage, so that He made us have to wait almost 3 years before having our own baby girl. He also knew where we needed to grow before we could be her parents. He knew exactly the time and the place of when it would happen, all along He knew it. He knows exactly WHO the lives are that He creates, no mistakes, no mishaps. He knows exactly how and when He will use our children to bring glory to His name, just as He does with each of us. I am thankful that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. He is still good. 

Videos of Chloe

Chloe has been a busy little bee. We've had some yucky weather lately so we haven't been able to be outside much which she is sad about. She would spend the whole day outside if she could. She is working on getting two molars these past few weeks so she'll have 10 teeth. She is going to walk very soon, we think. But she is definitely like me in that she wants to do it in her own way and in her own time. She won't even let us help her. She has learned a few words & signs in the last week. She learned to say juice, lunch, and almost breakfast and is working on Jude and Ally. She can sign milk now. I have not worked with her a lot on the signs but she has still picked a few of them up. She can give kisses and hugs and she is a very speedy crawler. She has finally torn holes in one pair of her jeans. I still really enjoy being at home with her though it is hard to find things to do to challenge her sometimes, especially when we can't go outside. It's all a matter of thinking outside the box though. Most of her favorite things are not conventional baby toys, but things like empty boxes, keys, cell phones, and these metal hoops that we put on our ears and wrists and say, "so pretty!" You'd think it would not be hard to find simple things around the house that she'd love to learn about and play with. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the videos. 

Over due

I am sorry for not updating our blog sooner. I have just been procrastinating. 

For Christmas, Matt, Chloe and I drove to Houston early Christmas morning to surprise my parents after a few failed attempts to see them before Christmas. It was also my sister Amy's first Christmas home in a few years so it was really nice to spend the holiday with her, as well as with my grandmother and her friend, Patty. We had a fun day of eating, opening gifts, eating, playing games and eating. :) Then, we headed home around Chloe's bedtime that evening because Matt had to work the next day. Oh, I can't forget one of Matt's reason for wanting to go... he had to show off his new "toy" to my dad... his new truck. I am surprised he hasn't taken pictures of it yet now that I think about it; otherwise I'd post them here....

Here are a few other pictures from Christmas Eve with Matt's family and Christmas day...

Chloe & Grandpa

Chloe & her new Elmo from Grandpa

Chloe & her new baby from Grammie & Pop. She knew what to do with her baby right away. She held the bottle up to the baby's mouth and then put her in the stroller. She'll be an excellent big sister. 

Chloe with Amy & Grammie

We really enjoyed being with family over the holidays but we really missed the Estes' and the Birdsells. We can't wait for the day when we all get to be together again!

We were also able to be with friends during the holidays too. Our friends, Brad and Lauren, came to visit us for the weekend before New Years, and we had fun just hanging out and playing Settlers. 

"Hold me, Uncle Brad!"

Chloe was anxious to get back down into the dirt.

Chloe was dancing in this picture. She must have had a song in her head. :)

The holidays flew by for us which is always kind of sad. I am so thankful for friends and family who don't believe in just getting together for holidays. We are surrounded by loved ones whether physically or in "cyberspace" who love us all the time. 

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!

Socks

This is what happens when Mommy asks Daddy to put Chloe's socks and shoes on... :) 

I do have to admit that it was quite cute. And it was kind of cold outside... ;) 

Pictures

Chloe and I played with the camera in the backyard the other day. We had lots of fun! She ate dirt and leaves and enjoyed getting dirty! We headed straight for the tub afterwards because she was a mess! :)

The Princess and the Chicken

Have you ever heard of this story? :) 

One day, there was a little princess who was so unhappy. She could hardly stand how horrible her day had been! On top of that, her mother made her dress up for Halloween! She screams, "This thing is itchy!! Can't anyone understand me?! Hello?"

But Mommy comes, swoops her up, kisses her sweet cheeks and all is forgotten. Yeah, right! All the while, the princess is thinking, "I can't put my arms down! It itches! Get this thing off of me!"

Once she has seen how precious she looks, she finally begins to understand her true calling... (ha! ha! ;)

Meanwhile, the chicken is realizing that in order to steal the attention from the princess, he must be as or more adorable than she is.

Once they are ready, the princess and the chicken go off to trick-or-treat together. Along the way, they meet some friends... 

As the evening comes to an end, the princess and the chicken sit down for a break to go through their spoils.

The chicken retires early, but the princess sneakily stays behind and devours all the candy!

"Oh, no! I've been caught!" she says. Alas, her parents still love her and could not stand to be away from her a moment longer...

THE END.

Where do I begin?

God is so good! He blessed us with another few days to be together! My sisters and I and our babies and Jon and my sweet parents were able to spend one more weekend together (sorry you missed it, Matt and Scott). Just when we thought it'd be years to come...

Thanks to Grammie and Pop and Jon, the four of us girls got to spend several hours shopping on Saturday, helping Sally check things off of her to do list. Of course, she wasn't the only one shopping. I think all four of us scored! It was fun to not have the stress of keeping babies happy the whole time. We each reached into our inner child and got ICEE's from Target (which then made our blood sugar drop to sickly levels; it was actually hard to finish the shopping trip. How on earth do kids do it? Ugh!). I found some cute black sandals, but Sally said I looked like a hooker, so I decided to return them seeing as they were for me to wear to church. Amy found a cute hand bag though...  

... and she was sweet enough to buy me one as well; although, 

I think I'll just use mine as a purse, Amy. :) Aside from shopping, we spent a lot of time in the evenings playing SpeedUno. Sally and Jon taught us to play. I think we all finally got the hang of it by the end of the weekend. There was one incident where I got sprayed with milk from Kaye's mouth, which then resulted in several of us wetting our pants and my dad laughing himself to tears. Who knew Uno could be so darn fun?

Sunday, we spent a few hours with the babies outside and were able to watch them explore this environment. Grace is an adventurer; she has no fear. She will do anything and try anything without a second thought. It is fun to watch her joyful free spirit develop. Kaye & Scott just better watch out because who knows what Grace might attempt with her little sister!

Jude, on the other hand, does not like the grass so it was funny watching him throw the ball and then realize that in order to get it, he'd have to step in the grass. He'd reach as far as he could...

Chloe decided it was safest to stay right on the blanket. In just about every picture, you can see the uncertainty. She is quite the opposite of Grace!

One place Chloe is VERY comfortable is in the bath!! We threw them all in the tub together after playing outside and as Amy said, "Man, Chloe comes alive in the water!" She loves sloshing around and getting wet. I hope she enjoys it as much next summer when we start swim lessons! 

I'd love to post every single one of the pictures I took over the weekend, but I'm afraid it'd get quite boring! You can watch them as a slide show at the end of this post. Even though, all of us have become sick due to our weekend together with colds and sore throats, it was all worth. I love each of you so much! 

Oh yeah! Before I forget, I have to include one very sweet story. On Friday evening, when my dad, or Pop, got home from work, all three of the babies were thrilled to see him! Jude absolutely adores Pop and wanted to be held immediately. Chloe smiled and waived right away and Grace crawled over to join the party. Here is a picture of the sweet moment that I know my dad will NEVER EVER forget. I'm sure he never realized how much he'd love them, or, even more, how much they'd love him...

Fall Fun

Our neighborhood mommies organized a day to go to the The Pumpkin Patch out in Medina. It's about an hour away but it is a BEAUTIFUL drive! The day happened to be Columbus Day so Matt was off and we went as a family. We had fun showing Chloe the animals. She kept calling the horse a dog, but considering they had a miniature horse not much bigger than our dog, Lucy, I can understand how she was confused. :) Anyway, our day was filled with a petting zoo, a hay ride, and a picture on a cow.

Chloe is not too sure about this...

Somehow, my head got cut off in most of my pictures with Chloe.

We had fun even though it was hot and muggy. Hopefully, next year, Chloe will enjoy it a bit more too.