The Learning Curve

An apology and promise....

2009-04-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

First, I am sorry I have been slacking in the blogging department lately. Things have been crazy with moving, everyone being sick with the stomach flu *bleck*, colds, and now with Tyler, Pneumonia. I think we have gone to our new ward as a whole family once in the two months we've been here.

Second, I promise I will be better. I kinda have been avoiding the computer so much because I find I get more done in the day when I'm not sucked into the addictiveness of the Internet with blogs, facebook, and such. So I do want to start posting more often. And though it may not be as often as I have done in the past, I will do my best to be more vigilant on keeping it updated.

Just for the few who care. ;)
Thanks!

Moving day!!

2009-03-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right, tomorrow is moving day for us! I'm very excited. We found a cute 3 bedroom 2 bath home with a HUGE backyard. Chloe is excited for her own room and David and I are excited to be out of an Association!!! And if we do any repairs or when David sprays the house for bugs, the owner is going to take it off the rent. So we are going to fix up the yard (no trees and a fence around the front for the dogs) and paint a little inside, and even maybe replace the cupboards in the kitchen ( hopefully sooner than later). They have already done a lot (new tile, carpet, paint), but if we are able to do something that was already on their list, we get reimbursed or rent off for it. We are way excited. So everyone, come visit us at our new house!!! :)

Now if the sale of our own home continues to go well...

Pay it forward!

2009-02-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea the other day and I thought it would be fun to do, so here we go!!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1 - I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2 - What I create will be just for you.
3 - It'll be done this year (might take a little while).
4 - You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article. I may crochet or quilt something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5 - I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch?
Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! Good luck!
One last thing..... I actually have to KNOW your in real life, so no blog stalkers please!!

Nursery, Jeep, bedtime with grandpa, and goofy kids

2009-02-27T22:13:00.000-08:00

AKA: Catch up... ;)

Nursery

Being in nursery has it's good points. You have snack time, play with toys, the lesson is only about 3 min. long, so no risk of falling asleep...unless it's nap time. The other good thing is I got to take the pics for the kids this year. What's so good about that, you ask? Well, you can pick the best picture for your own child instead of someone else getting some goofy-looking, face-making 18 month old...right? Not so much. Unknowingly, I picked Tyler's goofiest picture of the bunch. I don't know how I missed the nice picture I got of him...right next to the silly one... but oh well. No biggie, he's cute anytime in my book.

Picked Picture

Missed Picture

Jeep

Chloe's prized possession (besides her yellow teddy bear) is her Jeep. Any chance she gets she wants to drive it. Now that she can steer it, and not just go in a straight line, she wants to ride it more than ever. And Tyler loves to go for a ride. It won't be long before he will be able to drive it himself....if he can pry it from Chloe's fingers....

Putting gas in her Jeep.

Bedtime with Grandpa

David and I had an early Valentine's Day date. We went to Vegas and went to dinner at Macaroni Grill. Mmm mmm. So good. Aunt Beka watched the kids, but Grandpa Jennings picked them up for bedtime. This is what we came home to find...

Goofy Kids

Here are just random pictures of my goofy kids.

Night of misery and woe

2009-02-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

Typed last week:

Last night was very eventful at our house. First off, while I was in the bathroom doing was most people do in the bathroom....needless to say, I couldn't get up very quickly. Anyway...Tyler decided it would be fun to climb in our shower. Then he decided to close the shower door. In the meantime, I am calling him, trying to get him out. All of a sudden I hear a spray bottle and him swallowing. The only thing in the bathroom that as a spray nozzle is the Shower Cleaner we spray after each use! AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!! I grab him as fast as a mother can who currently *cough* preoccupied, but not after he had a few tastes. So I had a rather nice conversation with poison control. Thankfully, I had already done what they would have suggested (including taking the spray bottle away, LOL) and Tyler was fine. Then after I put the kids in bed, Chloe got the croup really bad and after being up with her half the night, she finally fell asleep in my bed. Of course it was the night David was gone. Curse Murphey and his law....

Little miss

2009-01-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

Mommy: Chloe, those sun glasses are SO COOL!

Chloe: No mommy! They are AWSOME!

Yay for mom and Beka!!!!!

2009-01-17T11:25:00.001-08:00

They finished the 5k! And MORE!!! Here are the happy runners..

My mom and sister just finished a 5k run this morning...sort of. My sis has run a lot and ran the marathon this past summer. But my mom has worked so hard to lose weight. After having 7 kids, she was too busy taking care of us than herself. The other day she told me she went looking for size 12 jeans (an accomplishment for her) and came home with size 8!!. She hasn't been able to wear size 8 jeans since before she had me (27 years ago). So this was really big for her this morning to run this 5k.

Now for the funny part....

They had the 5k and 1/2 marathon runners start and end in the same spot. They split up somewhere durning the race. Unfortunately, my mom and sister missed that part. They ran until they say mile marker 4! Oops... They, somewhere, took a shortcut (for the 1/2 marathon) and made it through the finish line with some of the first marathon runners!! LOL!! They said it was really funny becuase they were way ahead of the first runners when they started passing them. So it looked like they finished the 1/2 marathon in just over an hour!!! They were even offered a metal for being among the first finshed! So instead of running the three miles ( my mom's goal) they went above and beyond!! More like 7 or 8 miles! I really am proud of her. And you too, Beka!

Blogging? What's that??

2009-01-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

Yeah....I've been slacking, I know. But David is in Phoenix tonight with his dad to try to sell his Classic Pontiac, and I'm going to be up all night worried about him until I know he gets there safe (he should arrive there approx. 5am tomorrow morning). So I thought I would take this time to catch up.

Daddy showing Chloe how to hold the little bird. Yes everyone, he's still alive (the bird).

Do you think she's proud of herself??

Tyler thought he was so smart to climb up to the table and finish Chloe's frozen treat.

But I mean, really....could you tell that boy no?

Okay, that's all for now. More to come later.

Jesus wants her for a Sunbeam...

2009-01-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

...but Chloe doesn't! My little girl is a Sunbeam now!!! I can't believe it! Unfortunately, neither can Chloe. She had a hard time on Sunday adjusting, so by the end she ended up in the Jr. Nursery with Dave and I. She cried....no screamed when I dropped her off to her class. Her teacher insisted she would be fine so I went to nursery. She went to Sharing Time and it didn't get better. She had to 'go potty' and didn't want to go back. *Sigh* Hopefully next week will be better.

Here she is before the tears...

Tyler's new talent

2008-12-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

And no, it's not playing with fruit....although it does make me fruity!!:) He can't stop climbing on the kitchen table!! What is a mom to do? Ah well, the joys of motherhood.

Chloe's wedding announcement

2008-12-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

Last night we had Justin and Kenzi and their kids over. We watched (ok, not really, but it was on) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, had BBQ chicken and made some kid friendly Christmas crafts. Keyan and Chloe made Christmas paper chains, Candy Cane Rudolph's, and stringed pop-corn. Ok, just Kenzi and I attempted the pop-corn. The kids lost interest by then and were more interested in spreading popcorn all over the house. And screaming. Good times.
As they left, Chloe and Keyan gave each other a hug and Chloe walked them out. So courteous, isn't she? Then as we were getting ready for bed she turns to her daddy and says...
"I want to get married."
"Really, to who?"
"To Keyan. In the Temple. Then I will be a princess and Keyan will be a prince."
Well, not for a few years, at least.

The unwanted orange

2008-12-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

Last night was a big night for Chloe. She was going to see Santa at Grandma and Grandpa Jennings ward Christmas party. All day she was very excited. Tyler could care less. Obviously he is just a little young still to know what's going on with Santa. So we go to the party, and as we wait in line with Grandma to see Santa, I am anticipating the usual screams of fright from Chloe. She told me what she was going to ask from Santa and that she wanted to ask him about Rudolph. Surprisingly, when the time came, Chloe jumped right on Santa's lap, turned to him and said:

"I want a yellow teddy bear."

That was about it. She didn't cry, scream, or even look scared. They gave her a brown paper bag with a treat inside and hopped off. Then it was Tyler's turn. Usually Tyler loves any older man. Anyone that could resemble a grandpa Tyler will run to with open arms and refuse to come back to me. So I thought, surely Ty would be fine sitting on Santa's lap long enough to get a decent picture. This is what I got...

Then this for the next twenty minutes or so....

We diagnosed him as having PTSS... Post Traumatic SANTA Syndrome. Grandma was happy to take advantage though and got some really good loving from her distressed grandson.

Chloe soon wanted to open the brown bag she got from Santa. Finally she loosened up the green tied ribbon around the top of the bag and was able to peer inside. Chloe's eyes started to well up and she turned to me with the saddest look I have ever seen.

"Aw, mom! There's no yellow teddy bear!"

She immediately started crying. I explained that Santa won't bring her a present until Christmas morning. My heart broke for my little girl. She told Santa what she wanted and all she got was a crummy orange and a candy cane. So sad. I guess we all know now what Santa is bringing Chloe for Christmas.

I'm it!!

2008-12-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I got tagged. My first time. I am supposed to post the 4th picture in my 4th file and my 6th picture in my 6th file. So here goes.
This is Tyler's first balloon, and as you can tell, before his first haircut.

This is a picture of Chloe, who, while water painting, decided to paint a pretty mural on herself. Very creative. And messy.

Let's see, who should I tag next. How about Beka, Kenzi, and Sarah, and anyone else to reads this...consider yourself TAGGED!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Our first monster visiter

2008-11-15T18:24:00.001-08:00

Shortly after I finished singing the last lullaby and tucked Chloe and Tyler into bed for the night, I wasn't even done slipping on my pj's, when I hear Chloe slip not-so-subtly out of her room to find me.
"There's a monster under my bed mommy!"
I asked if it was a Cookie Monster? She shook her head no.
Is it Grover or Elmo?
Again she shook her head.
Is it the Happy Monster Band?
"No."
So we went in her room, I turned on the light and asked if she could see the Monster under her bed. She said she could. I turned off the light again and told her that if there is ever a monster under her bed she can sing "Twinkle Twinkle" and the monster will be so tired it will go home to bed. That seemed to work. We both sang together and I was soon able to leave, closing her door behind me.
Who knows if it will stick, this is my first experience in monster hunting. So, if any of you have more knowledge of my new found profession, I would be happy to learn any tips from any other monster hunters.
Sounds like Chloe and Tyler are now playing in the room, wide awake. So I better go make sure they get settled down. Discovering monsters under the bed can be very invigorating, I suppose.

Chloe the builder

2008-11-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

While Tyler took his nap Chloe got out the big Lego's and built some towers. (This wouldn't have been possible if he was awake.) She loved seeing how tall she could get it. Then eventually she figured out it was more fun knocking it down. So she built it up and pushed it down, over, and over, and over again.

This is her showing me how tall she wants to build her tower.So proud...

She reached her height goal! YAY!

Adding just a few more Lego's....

I know this picture is blurry, but I still thought it was kinda cool. You can see how Chloe the builder ended her building career. It is just more fun destroying then creating at this age, I'm afraid.

Uncle Scott's Birthday!!

2008-11-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Whenever there is cake and Tyler in the same room, I can't resist taking some pictures. He just stuffs his face with cake as fast as he can before we realize what we did.

Scott and his friends. Sorry, I don't know their names...

Chloe learned that she could double dip the candles for more frosting fun!

Chloe and Uncle Scott sharing the candles. Mmmm!

The Jennings boys...and Chloe sneaking a taste of the cake.

Poor Tyler, for some reason, is terrified of Scott. I really don't know why, but he bawls every time we try to hand him over to Scott. See Sarah, you aren't the only one....:)

This picture is so cute. Chloe loves her uncles, especially Uncle Scott. The crow was decoration for Halloween and Grandma Jennings had and Chloe LOVED it. She carried it around all night talking to it, and singing to it.

The birthday boy! Happy birthday Uncle Scott!

Really good cake made by Lori.

I'm trying to catch up...

2008-11-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

This may have a lot of pictures, but I am really trying to catch up on here. So....here we go.

The Robot Monkey

This was for Grandma Jennings Birthday in August. When we asked Chloe what she wanted to get Grandma for her birthday she said she wanted to get her a robot monkey. We asked what the robot monkey does. She said it cleans and does the laundry. You may remember a previous post about this a few months ago. This is what we got. Yes, I made it. Chloe was very excited to give it to grandma. (It just sits there though, I haven't quite figured out how to make it clean or do laundry yet...darnit);)

Tyler's First Birthday!!

Tyler opening presents.

He liked the cake. :)

Arizona/Stephen's baptism

I can't take credit for all these pictures. Beka had the camera for a while.

All the cousins...I won't tell you how hard it was to get this picture, but I'm sure you can guess.Chloe is looking down some holes in the bridge at Lee's Ferry. She was convinced that that is where the Dragon's live. She was very excited about that fact and kept pointing them out to us every time we passed one. ...my handsome boy!

Why I am a good mother...

Yes...that is the open dryer door that he is standing on, and yes...that is Clorox that he is getting, and yes...there is more harmful cleaning chemicals behind the Clorox....

But I did get him before he swallowed anything...

The newest member of the Jennings Family

2008-11-03T21:02:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce the newest member of our family....Molly! Or at least, that was her name last I checked. Her name is still undecided.

Dave's dad surprised his mom the other day with this adorable little girl. I think she was well received.

Chloe, ofcourse, is very excited. Whether she is excited for Grandma or herself is still unknown.

Probably both. Just one more reason why she loves visiting Grandma and Grandpa Jennings. So Molly (or Daisy, or Sadie, or Sophie) fits right in and is loved by all. But who wouldn't love that cute face?

Faries and Duckies

2008-11-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween our ward did a trunk or treat for the first time. Of course Dave and I went all out and decorated his trailer...well, I decorated it. It turn out to be the big hit of the night. Even some families were taking pictures by our trailer. It was a lot of fun. Chloe and Tyler loves dressing up. Tyler passed out all the candy, after sampling a few to make sure they were okay. Chloe filled her bucket up with our candy before even beginning to trick or treat. We then visited Grandparents and Great-grandparents and called it a night.
And ending with a random, yet very cute, picture of Tyler and Grandpa Jennings.

BUBBLES!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

We got this doggy bubble blower thingy for Chloe and Tyler a while ago. Yes, I am just now getting the pictures on here. Man I'm slow...

Anyway, this was Tyler's first time playing with bubbles and it was fun watching Chloe blow them for him. And I am just now noticing something on Tyler's upper lip, don't ask me what it is...any guesses?

There is nothing like a watching a child's first experience with bubbles.

Three days of darkness.

2008-10-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

In Sunday School last Sunday we were discussing what it would have been like to be in the Americas during the three days of darkness before Christ came. It was so dark that you could even feel the dark. You couldn't see the stars or the moon, or light a fire. You probably would grovel on the ground trying to feel your way around. Someone in class brought up that some people in traumatic circumstances have their hardest time from midnight to 4 a.m. Imagine that for three days. Trying to find food, and survive. Now think about that with little kids. That hit home for me, having Tyler and Chloe. How would I console them? Then, on top of the darkness, the whole earth was shaking. I think I would want to just hold on to my family and not move the whole three days. And by the end of the three days I would probably be about ready to give up. But that's when the light comes back, the earth stops shaking and everyone hears a voice. It takes a few times before they can understand what the voice says. They have to open their ears first. Great peace comes from hearing Christ's voice. Then everyone looks up to the heavens and Christ descends to the Earth. Of course that is a very abbreviated summary, and I'm sure you can fill in the blanks I probably missed. But a few days ago, I was thinking about this discussion and how horrible it would have been. Then I started thinking about a different three days of darkness. Everyone has their 'three days of darkness'. David and I are sure in the middle of our dark days. First, we lost virtually all our income. David is still looking for a job, but no one is hiring now a days. We have our house on the not-so-great market. We did get a buyer but last minute the buyer got scared of the said market and backed out. We thought we were expecting another baby, (bad timing, but we were happy) and found out that wasn't the case. Very dissapointing. Our earth is shaking under us as well. We have some people close to us, who you would think would be there for us, are not. They are not so happy with us right now, which probably hurts the most, for reasons that we hoped would be understood since they have and are in similar situations as us at the time, and in some cases are still. (Confused yet:) ) Some people will say anything to hurt you. We are finding out even those we care for the most will try to exclude us from functions or get-togethers. I'm not asking for a pity party, or anything like that. But for one reason or another, I feel like it is important to put this out there. It may be that someone else may need to hear it, or maybe it's just for me. (I learn better if I take notes:) ) So yes, we have our own three days of darkness. But despite that, we also have many blessings. We still have money for food. We had three different lookers on our house this weekend. We have family members who will/have helped us any way they can. And even finding out that we don't have a bun in the oven is good news. The bad timing, obviously, but among other things, I want to get in shape first...;). And just like the Nephites, the light will come and our Earth will stop shaking. I truly believe we will be stronger and more faithful at the end of this. I think when you're in the midst of darkness, things may look hopeless. But what about the Nephites that never lost faith? They knew and recognized the darkness as a sign that Christ was coming. They knew that it wouldn't last. And though it was probably still hard for them, they knew who was in control the whole time. So though we may not know what is next in store for us, good or bad, we do know who is in control. And just like the Nephites, we will cling to our families. And the Spirit will whisper to us and comfort us when times get hard. It may be hard to recognise at first if not in tune with the spirit, but when we 'open our ears' we will know what to do and be comforted. I feel like this is our refining fire. Better things are to come (it can't get much worse anyway, right?) So, David is still out looking for a job, we are still trying to sell our house, and we will surround us, and cling with family and friends that uplift and befriend us. Hopefully we do the same for them. And if there is anyone that read this who are upset at us for some reason, we are really sorry. We don't mean for anyone to be hurt if we said or did anything. I truly pray that we can learn to forgive and be forgiven. I hate all the contention. It's not worth the heartache and always get more people involved then it should. And if you actually read all of this and made it through my extra-long post today, thank you. We love you all and thank you for your prayers and all you do for us. Prayers are truly answered by the angels who love you the most, your friends and family. The road may get rough in spots, but it's still the road Heavenly Father put us on. Even rough roads can leads us to where we need to be. So long story short...too late...a lot of people have asked us how we are doing. We're okay.

Whew!!! That was a long post.

My little girl...

2008-10-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

is not so little anymore.

I can't believe she is three and growing. Chloe is now nearly potty-trained(she has had one accident this week) and says things like, "Mommy, I want to do it all my myself" and explains that I am HER mommy and Tyler has Daddy when she wants me to herself. This year is almost over and she will be a Sunbeam in January.

Time flies so fast when you have kids. There is so much that I cannot put to words about being Chloe's mommy other than, I love it! She is her own person now and loves to practice her independence. But the first person she calls for if she can't do it on her own is her mommy, and I love it.

I GO POO POO!!

2008-10-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

That is what I heard from the bathroom yesterday. Chloe actually did it and we are very excited for her! On top of that, she wore her big girl underwear ALL day yesterday without a single accident! YEAH!! We are so proud.

A Day in the Life of Party Cake

2008-10-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Chloe loves helping. She decided she wanted to make Daddy a Party Cake. No, it wasn't his birthday, or any one's we know. But she wanted to make a cake none the less. So we got out the bowls and mixers and box mix of cake...I mean, ingredients for my cake made from scratch...yeah...and made a cake. Chloe was very involved and did alot of the steps with little help from me. She decorated it and then we took it to Grandma and Grandpa Jennings to share the wealth of party cake goodness. You have to make sure it tastes as good as it looks.
The best part is enjoying the yummy goodness. Mmmm....and it was tasty.

Isn't Daddy so pretty??

2008-10-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

I think these pictures speak for themselves.

Chloe got out the towel and nail polish. I came in the room to find what you see here. Yes, daddy was asleep. Chloe was very proud of her work and still comments on how pretty daddy's toes are every time she sees them.

If you have older kids...

2008-10-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here is another conference packet if the other one is too young for your kids. Free to print too.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/6177170/October-Conference-Packet

General Conference Packets for kids

2008-10-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have kids, here is a free Conference packet from Deseret book that looks like fun. Even though Chloe and Tyler are still a little young for it, she will enjoy coloring the pages and geez, Dave and I can do the activities...hehe. Enjoy!

http://deseretbook.com/conf.pdf

Turning 3...or was it 27?

2008-09-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

I know this is late getting on here, but here are some pictures from Chloe's and David's birthday party. Thank you all for coming and for the gifts. Chloe is still talking about her birthday. It's so hard to believe that our little girl is three years old already. I still think of her as my baby girl.The birthday BoyChloe liked opening her presents so much she helped Daddy open his too.

I made this pin-the-ears-on-Mickey Mouse game. I was rather proud of my free hand attempt at Mickey. But apparently Chloe didn't agree. She cried when she saw it and said it was scary. Oops. But Grandpa was the first to try the 'vampire' version of Mickey and it became a big hit with the little kids. Chloe never played it.Alex's first attempt landed the ear on my stomach. Wrong way buddy...:)The birthday cake...yes, Chloe's name is spelled wrong.

Tyler couldn't believe such a treat two weeks in a row. First his birthday, now Daddy's and sister's. How lucky could a little boy be. P.S. His birthday pictures will be here soon. It's on my other camera which has gone MIA.

I'm sleepy

2008-09-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Ever since Tyler was a newborn he would grab his own hair and play with it when he was sleepy. I have been wanting to get some pictures of it before he decides to quit. I hope he doesn't, because it's so cute. So here are a couple pictures, but I hope to get some better ones soon.
Sometimes he gets both hands in his hair. He'll have one hand in the front and one in the back at the same time. Or my favorite, while I'm rocking him, he will get both his hands in my hair and play with my hair. I hope he sticks with that one for a while.

Tyler takes revenge on the tissue.

2008-09-23T11:56:00.001-07:00

Tyler had a cold the last few weeks and he HATED to get his nose wiped. I found him on the floor with the box of tissues. He was very happy he finally found the tissues alone with no one to protect them. He was quick to take the opportunity to show those tissues just what he thinks of them.

The story of Little Blue Bird. By: Chloe

2008-09-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

This was Chloe's bedtime story she told me tonight.

One night, my little bird got out of it's cage and flew out. The Big Bad Wolf got him and ate him. He found a hole and got out and ate the Big Bad Wolf. He flew home to my Mommy, Daddy, and Baby. The End.

Donald Duck finally comes in first.

2008-09-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Our persuassion for Chloe to be potty trained is that when she finally goes "poo-poo" in the toilet and not in her diaper, she can see Mickey Mouse. We hopefully plan on going to Disneyland in November and it would be much easier if she was totally potty trained. So we tell her that Mickey Mouse only sees big girls that go in the potty. That usually works at least to get her to TRY to go in the potty. Today I could see she was 'working on something' and asked if she wanted to go in the potty.
"No, I don't want to," she said.
"Well, you know Mickey Mouse only sees big girls that goes in the potty. Don't you want to see Mickey Mouse?"
"No, I want to see Donald Duck."
"Why Donald?"
"He sees stinky girls in diapers."
Well, I guess that tactic just went out the window.

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing...

2008-09-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some more swinging pictures at Grandma and Grandpa Jennings. This is currently both Chloe's and Tyler's favorite thing to do. Chloe asks to go swing at least once a day. I'm sure Tyler would too, if he could talk.Yum...As you can probably guess, Chloe picked out her own shoes that day.I love Tyler's face in this picture. Is it laughter, is it fear, maybe both??

Blake's birthday Party. AKA: Chloe's sugar rush

2008-09-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Chloe's friend Blake had his 6th birthday a while ago. It was pirate themed, and although Chloe was one of the youngest one's there, she had a blast (she loves pirates). They made pirate party hats and got a bag of pirate treasure (candy) and ate pirate treasure chest cake. I couldn't help but practice taking picutres mostly of kids I didn't know, but here are a few of them.I love this picture of all the kids in awe of Blake's present.Here lies the remains of Chloe's party candy...

And here is their final resting place. Include ice-cream party cake, and you have a day-long sugar rush. Thanks Bonnie...just kidding, she had a blast.

New Pajamas

2008-09-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Tyler and Chloe got some new pj's the other day and they looked so cute, I had to take some pictures.

They are now Chloe's favorite pajama's to wear to bed, and if she wears her 'elephants', she insists (rather vocally) that Ty needs to wear his 'robots'. So there you have it.

The Newest Member of the Luke Family

2008-09-05T14:48:00.001-07:00

Justin and Kenzi Luke had a baby boy about a month ago. I couldn't help but take some pictures of baby Dylan when he was just a few days old.
Isn't he so cute!! I love newborn babies (when I can enjoy them and give them back when they cry.)

A day in the life Part 2: By Chloe

2008-09-03T20:36:00.001-07:00

Here are just some more of my favorite things. Chloe.My Mickey Mouse Memory card came (and my toes).My cereal bowl.A puzzle pieceMe.My shopping cart (and my toes again).

And Now... my favorite four (besides my family). Can you guess who they are?

**A note from mom: I know there are so many pictures, but can you blame me? They are each such masterpieces and it's obvious she really put some thought into what she was shooting, especially the ones of Pooh and friends.

Daddy stories

2008-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

The other day David took Chloe with him to Lowes. They were walking through the store and Chloe was pointing out everything she was seeing. When they got to the toilet section, Chloe said..
"Oohh, look daddy. Fancy Potties!!" She then picked one out and wanted to go potty in it. Hmmm...so maybe if we had a 'fancy potty' at home she would use it then.

Last night we were at the Luke's house and Chloe was playing with Keyan. He had a big dumptruck that had lots of buttons and noises and sounds it could make. Apparently it wasn't working and Keyan was sad about it. Chloe said... "Don't worry Keyan, my daddy will fix it. He can fix anything." You think Chloe is proud of her Daddy?

I'm a big boy now!!

2008-08-30T21:17:00.001-07:00

Ty turned one a couple of weeks ago and so we switched him to a forward facing carseat. Boy was he happy about that. This is his first trip facing the world head on (so to speak).
He thought it was so fun facing the same way as Chloe, that's who he's smiling at in most of these pictures.

Fun at Aunt Beka's/learning to use her camera...

2008-08-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the Bracken's house the other day (or the other week, I lose track of time) and Beka let me borrow her old camera (YEA!). So she was trying to show me how to use it. I really don't know what I'm doing yet, but it is fun learning. And now I finally figured out how to get them on my computer, so here are some of my debut pictures. Thanks Beka. :)

A day in the life. By Chloe

2008-08-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

My mommy let me take some pictures by myself with her camera. These are some of my favorite pictures of how I see things every day. Chloe Jennings

Me.

My little brother TylerMy favorite movie (besides Peter Pan)My sippy cupThe piano ( I love playing 'Twinkle Twinkle')

One of my Dogs, Max.

My other dog, DixieWaiting for Daddy to come home from work, my favorite time of day.

This is what happens when you are on the phone WAY too long

2008-08-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I shouldn't leave my kids to their own devices, but...oops. I was on the phone with my mother-in-law perhaps a little too long in the other room, and since I heard no screaming from pain or major bangs, I wasn't worried. Then I found this...
This is now their favorite game. I learned my lesson.

The up's and down's of playing Dress-up

2008-08-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

I lent my friend Bonnie some maternity clothes when she found out she was pregnant. She returned them recently and Chloe thought they were clothes for her to wear. Chloe was very excited and was able to put them on herself. For about ten seconds she was ecstatic. As the large maternity shirt hung off her barely three-year-old body, it hit her. These clothes just may not be for her after all. You would have thought, seeing her devastation, that she realized the world perhaps doesn't revolve around her after all. Absurd, I know. I finally convinced her that she could keep dressing up even though they didn't fit her and, yes, there were more tears. But overall she was well pleased. Especially when she found the two piece bathing suit (the bottoms actually stayed up and I tied the top on her so they would stay on too). So maybe the world does continue to revolve around Chloe, and every other toddler. She even was able to get Tyler to join her in her dressing up. Happy Chloe ...and 'the world is coming to an end' Chloe. Still sad Chloe... Finally, satisfied Chloe You get the idea...
Tyler was just having fun. So laid back. It's nice to have at least someone in this house that's still laid back. I forget what that is like.

Breaking Dawn-Love it? Hate it?

2008-08-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know not a ton of people look at my blog, (mom, Beka, Sarah, Melisa, you guys are about it, in fact, I dare say you are IT.) but I do have to pose a question out there for anyone to comment on. I read the last of the Twilight Series this last weekend ( yes, I read it in one day), and I am DYING to talk about it with someone who has read it too. If you haven't read it yet or not finished, don't worry, I won't mention any spoilers, but I am curious to hear what you all thought of the book. Did you like it more or less than the others and why? I have to say that even though I read it fast and was sucked in like the others, I really didn't enjoy it like the first three. If this was the first book, I would not have read the others. I read 'The Host' and I actually didn't like it much either. I felt like I was reading 'The Host' again in some parts of Breaking Dawn. Did anyone else think that? So if you want or can, let me know. If you haven't finished yet, read the comments with care, there may be givaways.

Love you all!

P.S. By the way, I did like the book, but I didn't love it. It is still good, but my least fav. out of the four.

My Body: By Chloe

2008-08-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

Note: Some of these are self-portraits, and some she asked for help with. But all was her idea.

Diva Chloe

2008-08-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

Look at me mom! I even have a chauffeur.

Good thing Tyler is happy to drive Miss Diva around now. That may change when he is older with friends that he can drive around instead.

Things that go bump in the night.

2008-08-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

After putting both Chloe and Tyler to bed, I was surprised to hear a party in their bedroom a little while later. This is what I found.Chloe was caught red handed and was trying to quickly get back into bed. She had turned on all their lights and was playing peek-a-boo with Tyler.
Tyler just thought I came to get them. He was a little disappointed when I didn't, to say the least.

Do you remember when Ty was big?

2008-08-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

This morning when I sat down to nurse Tyler, Chloe, who was right behind started asking her "why" questions. You know what I mean, "Why do you do this?" Then when you answer in the simplest form, the never ending why's follow until you usually end with "Because Heavenly Father Loves us" (if your still patient), or "Because I said so" (if your not so patient). So she was asking why I fed Tyler the way I do. This is about the 5th or 6th time she's asked me this, so I usually remember the regular answers that had finally satisfied her before.
Me: "Because that's the way Heavenly Father made us."
Chloe: "And Ty came from Heavenly Father?"
Me: "Yes"
Chloe: "And I came from Heavenly Father too, huh."
Me: "yes."
Chloe: "and I was a baby too, huh."
Me: "yes"
Chloe: "And Ty was big, remember?"
Me: "Do you remember when Ty was big?" My eyebrows raised now.
Chloe: "Yep, he was with Heavenly Father."
Me: "Did you see him?"
Chloe: "Yep, I was a baby and Ty was big. He was with Heavenly Father."

Out of the mouths of babes.

Where can I get one of those??

2008-07-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today I asked Chloe what she wanted to get Grandma Jennings for her birthday.

"A Robot Monkey!"

"Really? What does the robot monkey do?"

"Clean her house and wash her clothes."

"Where do we get one of those?"

"At the store."

"What if they don't have one at the store?"

"Daddy can make one."

Well, that solves it. I'll get David started on that right away. While he's at it, I'll have him make me one too. Anyone else? Let me know.

Swingers

2008-07-24T17:24:00.001-07:00

Grandpa Jennings recently put up a swing set in their backyard. For about a week grandpa worked hard building this swing. Every time we came over to visit, he was in the back working on it. The first and last time I put Chloe on a swing (since she was in a baby swing) it was at the park and she screamed the whole time. So I was a little worried she was going to hurt some feelings when the swings were complete. You can judge for your self how she felt exactly about the whole thing.By the uncontrollable laughter and screaming (this time with happiness) I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. She absolutely LOVES those swings.
And did Tyler enjoy them?I'd say so. He could hardly breathe he was laughing so hard. So thank you Grandpa for your hard work. I think it was well worth it. They are a BIG hit.
Even the Big kids enjoyed them.

4th of July

2008-07-17T13:14:00.001-07:00

I realize this is a little late for the festivities, but what do you do? Chloe and Tyler loved the big fireworks. Chloe said they looked like a big bouncy ball, a sippy cup (figures), and an alligator. After the City fireworks, we had our own show. As usual, David brought out his artillery. That's always his favorite part. It was a really fun night with the family to celebrate what a wonderful country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy.This is Chloe sporting her blue, yes, blue lip gloss. She is very happy about it, as you can tell. At least it's perfect for the fourth of July.This is Keyan, his grandpa, and Tyler. Grandma Jennings got a blanket and pillow for the little girls to enjoy while watching the festivities. They never really held still long enough to really lay down on it, but I think they had fun with it anyway.My little girl doesn't look so little in this picture (if you take away the binkie and sippy cup of course). I can't stand it!! Time goes by way too fast.

Cutie Claire enjoying the show.And now for the finale...

The hidden blessings of parenthood

2008-07-13T15:15:00.001-07:00

The other day I was exhausted. It was 100+ degrees and I had been out running errands. I got home very ready for a nap (Yeah, like that ever happens.) I knew I could get Tyler to sleep. So I started with him. We did our nap time routine and I laid him down in his crib. I turned on Peter Pan for Chloe and got her sippy cup so at least I knew she would be happy. I laid down on the couch to shut my eyes if for even a couple of minutes. That's when I heard Tyler cry. Usually, Ty is easy to get to sleep, so I got up grudgingly and tried again. And again right as I laid down he starts screaming. I know what you mom's are saying right now, "Just let him fuss for a while." I tell myself the same thing, but I after about five minutes, I have to get up to try again. This went on for about an hour and the last time I thought, Okay, if he gets up again, I'll give up my dream of getting a nap. So I laid him down and quickly tip-toed out of the room and quickly laid down on the couch. Chloe would lay down with me for a few minutes than get up again, but despite that, I finally dozed off. Ten minutes later the phone rings and I wake up quickly. I whisper to Chloe who was laying next to me at that point to stay there and I would be right back. I answer the phone and quickly hang up. That's when I noticed that Chloe was asleep. I can't remember the last time she snuggled up to me on her own and fall asleep with me. And even though it was only for a few minutes, I was really surprised. I found my self frustrated with the caller who interrupted my rare nap with Chloe. It was also rare that both kids were both asleep at the same
time for a nap So I left her and crawled in my own bed for a nap. I kid you not, 15 minutes later I wake up to Tyler crying. I couldn't believe that after all this time, I never was able to feel like I got enough rest for myself. Newton's law was in full force at my house that afternoon. So I dragged myself out of bed and got Tyler up. I could tell he was still really sleepy, so I was going to try to get him back to sleep. I held him in the rocker in their room. As I sat there and rocked Tyler, he snuggled right up to me not fully falling back to sleep. Tyler turned his head and looked up at me and that's when it hit me, ( I know, I'm slow). How lucky am I? I already know that I have two great kids, but it isn't very often that I get to cuddle with both of them calmly and separately. I suddenly felt very rested and relaxed. I sat there and rocked sleepy Ty for a long time. I got the think about what the future holds for both Chloe and Tyler and what I hoped for them and imagined what they would be like as they got older. A frustrating, tiring afternoon turned into such a blessing. I am so blessed to have such beautiful, healthy, children. A sweet, hard-working husband who loves us enough to make sure I can stay home and raise our children. When I finally did get up from rocking Tyler and Chloe woke up from her nap, I felt so much more rested and refreshed than I ever am after a rare nap.

Kisses, tissue paper, and other birthday happenings

2008-07-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

On Grandpa Jennings birthday the other day we went over for the festivities. Tyler, Chloe and Claire all enjoyed playing together. Claire really wanted to give Tyler kisses. Unfortunately, Tyler just wasn't ready to return the sentiment for any girl (other than his mommy and grandma). So Claire would try to corner Ty and he would crawl as fast as he could to me with a look of panic on his face. Poor Claire.

And who can resist such a cutie!!

Here are a few more pics of the three cousins playing together.

I think this video is self explanatory.
And in case that wasn't enough...
Grandpa loved having his grandkids all around him helping him with presents and cake. And I think they enjoyed helping.Happy Birthday Grandpa!!

A few ramdom pictures 2

2008-07-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

Chloe climbed in daddy's pajama drawer and said she was taking a bath.

Tyler Loves the piano. I am hoping we can keep his interest in it and music through the years to come. He can't resist playing any piano.

And Now...The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

2008-06-27T17:12:00.001-07:00

Tyler's First Hair Cut!!!!! Isn't he so handsome?

To the rescue!

2008-06-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, (before anyone prosecutes anyone else) this tortoise was in mortal danger. It was in the middle of a busy road so it had to be moved. And why not take a picture in the process?

Isn't he a good citizen? This good citizen shall remain nameless.

Camp Gram: The Conclusion

2008-06-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

I think everyone involved has called Camp Gram a great success. When someone asked Alex if he had fun at Cam Gram he said: "What do you mean? I'm still having fun!"

One counselor that needs to be recognized is Olivia. She was the biggest help to Grandma day and night. She was always there to help with the kids big and small, never complained or whined. She always asked what she could do to help and offered suggestions for activities. Olivia also lead our morning warm-ups, which was a big hit. I need to get a copy of that CD Olivia, I got a work-out myself from it. I think I can speak for everyone (Grandma in particular) when I say THANK YOU OLIVIA!!! I really think that Camp Gram couldn't have been as much as a success without you. And thank you Grandma, we all had a blast. Chloe can't wait for next year's camp. And for those of you who haven't heard the new rules for next year's Camp Gram, here they are. All participating children must be sleeping through the night and potty trained (or they need an active participating parent involved) to enjoy this wonderful Camp. Thanks again Grandma, this was a lot of fun. A lot of memories will be from this last weekend for everyone, I'm sure.

These are just a few pictures from Sunday dinner.

This was so cute! Chloe and Lily were searching for Alex all through the house. Alex was outside lightsaber-fighting with Stephen. But what was so funny was that they were shouting for him through the outlets. They were pressing their ears to it listening for a response. At one point they even tried putting their head through it. And even when Alex was "found" they would keep shouting his name all around the house and of course through the outlets. This game was so fun, they didn't want Alex to be found at all. And of course, Alex was oblivious to them. Probably for the better.

Camp Gram Day 3

2008-06-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we packed up in the cars and headed for Jumpin' Jacks. I think this was the biggest hit of the whole camp. Everyone, Counselors included, had a great time. Most of these pictures are blurry mainly because all my subjects never stopped moving (Bounce house you know). That also explains why all these pictures are of the younger cousins. I couldn't keep up with the older ones. The pictures I do have of them are either so blurry or they are running away. They were too busy having fun, I couldn't take a picture fast enough. There's proof for you Grandma that this was definitely a hit. Grandpa going down a BIG slide. I think that is a genuine look of horror on his face.
We didn't do anything else that day other than eat pizza for dinner. It was just too hot to do much else. I think everyone was tuckered out as well.

Camp Gram Day 2 part 2

2008-06-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

On the afternoon of day 2 at Camp Gram Mike and his kids arrived. Everyone was excited to see them, and they were just as excited. Immediately they changed and joined the water festivities in the front yard.All the boy cousins (even Tyler is on the side there).Alex was trying to drink the water.The three young'nsI wish I could have gotten the ground in this picture, they were in midair.This, I think was the most stressful part on mom the whole weekend. I think she is chasing Lily down. And there is Matthew holding his swim shorts up.

Camp Gram 2008 Day 2 part 1

2008-06-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

This morning we started Camp Gran bright and early. We did some exercises with Olivia. Well, Lily was the only one that joined us. Chloe and Alex were "too cool" and would only peek through the front door or over the couch to see if we were really having fun. We were. And it was a workout. Well, a workout for someone like me who makes it a habit of eating one bowl of popcorn by herself every night and a bowl of ice-cream before bed. Okay, maybe I should slow down on the late night snacks. But hey, when my kids go to bed at night I call it a celebration that I survived another day and pig-out while a can with no one to beg me to eat all my snack for me. Back to the point at hand (from that random outburst)...

After the morning warm-up, we loaded up and went to the animal museum. Of course the kids loved it. But just in case you don't believe me, here's the puddn'.

Here's Gram enjoying her grandkids.

Chloe and Alex looking at the cool bugs. I'm glad they were pinned to the wall.

Alex said they should wait in the kid fort until the storm was over.

Chloe either never figured out that she was using the binoculars the wrong way or she just liked it that way, I don't know.

Camp Gram 2008 Day 1

2008-06-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well today Camp Gran began with a BIG splash!!! We met at Grandma's house for a water party on her front lawn. Even some of the neighbor kids came to join in the fun. Lily did NOT like to be splashed, we found out.Tyler wasn't so sure of things at first.I'm pretty sure that was a cricket he was shoving in his mouth. At least that's what was on his chin shortly after this. Hmmm...Olivia taking a dive on the slide. Doesn't that look like fun!Don't worry Beka, Alex survived...:)
After the party, everyone was ready to settle down and have a camp out in Grandma's basement. They watched "Flushed Away" and I hear no one got any sleep until about 10:30pm.Day one we can call a success. Now let's add four more kids, three more days and about 20,000 mg. of Tylenol. Grandma, you are a brave woman.

Just a few random pictures for your enjoyment

2008-06-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Chloe playing at Grandma's and Grandpa's house.

I thought this rose was so pretty.

This is Chloe in a nutshell. Where ever she goes (especially at Grandma Jennings house) these three things are always with her.

When I get ready in the morning this saucer is my best friend. Apparently it can be pretty comfortable too.

My little Gardener.
More fun at Grandmas Jennings' house. It was one of the last really nice evenings of the season. we wanted to soak it in for all it was worth.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures of our favorite Daddy.

Thanks for all you do for us Daddy, we love you!!!

Love,

Tyler and Chloe

A rare Phenomenon

2008-06-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are aware of the relationship between Chloe and our dog Max, you may appreciate this. For those who may not, here is a brief explanation. Chloe LOVES to torment Max. He put up with it the best he could for a long time. Then he started growling when ever Chloe even entered the same room as him, especially if he was sleeping comfortably. He never bit her, but he always gave her the "I don't feel like having you pound me, pull me, or poke me" growl. Can you blame him? We have tried endlessly to teach Chloe to be nice to Max, but she loves getting a rise out of him. Just Picture how Andy relentlessly tortured me just to get the reaction (which he usually did). It is exactly the same between these two. I think you will now understand why I had to capture this rare occurrence in our home. By the way, there was no posing for these pictures, this is just what I came in the room to find.
It makes my heart swell to see these two finally getting along, for once. One last note, no, Chloe hasn't stopped tormenting Max completely, but we have hope.

This is for you Beka

2008-06-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

My sister Beka made this knit dog for Tyler. We named him Pickles. Here he is sleeping with Pickles. So Cute!

Chloe the artist

2008-06-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

We found some water paints the other day and Chloe loves painting. So here is a sampling of her work. Afterwards, I found her turning herself into a painting and very carefully painted her fingernails a very attractive green.For those of you without my child's artistic vision, this is an upside down rainbow.I just love her color palate. Isn't she genius!? I may be a little biased, but I doubt it.

2008-05-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day

2008-05-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

When I think of Memorial Day it usually involves Camping, BBQ's, and family get-togethers. One thing that I do think about, but never really do much about, is actually remembering those who have passed before us. Obviously, I know that this is what Memorial Day is. And when I was younger, Dad would drag me along to visit family member's grave sites all over in southern Utah to pull weeds and replace sun rotted silk flowers for new ones. But I never really appreciated what we were doing. This last Sunday I had the opportunity to do just that with Dave's family. We drove to the Pine Valley Graveyard and cleaned, raked, shoveled, pulled the family's plots clean. We worked around Lori's parents, sister's, grandparents, and further back the family tree. It was fun hearing more about the people we were doing this for and how we were related. I found out how Dave is related to Jake by the way. Then we placed new flowers around and stood and visited for a while. Then we went to St. George to do the same. We put new flowers all around for both Dave's parents family members. I only wish I knew where my family lay to do the same. It was fun wandering through the headstones looking for lost love ones only to be over joyed when we finally did. Some we never found, but I'm sure we will be back soon. I was amazed at all the other families there visiting with friends all standing among other family and friends (listening, I'm sure) involving them like they were right there, talking about family trees and swapping funny grandpa stories. (I'm sure I have some of those that would put other stories to shame. :) ) I noticed some families brought picnics and blankets in huge gatherings among their family's graves spending the day with them. It was a fun day and I wish I was more appreciative of helping out when I was younger. But even though I may not have realized the service I was helping with then, I certainly do now.

Here is Chloe helping Grandpa on Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Bracken's grave.
Beautiful Day in Pine Valley.This is how David is related to Jake's family. Don't ask me the details, I don't know, but I do know this is Dave's Great-Great-Grandparents, and they have two son's. One line Dave came through, and the other Jake's family came through. Chloe the dog was helping dig.

Tyler and the balloon

2008-05-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

The other day Richard from Joker Joker asked me to do a singing telegram for a customer. I usually don't do them, but he was in a bind, and it's really easy fast money. I had to go as a french maid to a tile company for some guy's birthday. It was highly embarrassing. Sarah has the only evidence of this, I'm sure you can find it on her blog. Long story short, after I returned the costume, much to Dave's dissapointment, Richard gave Chloe and Tyler a balloon. This was Tyler's first experience with a balloon so I took a few shots of him playing with it.

Disclaimer for those who are pro-hair cutting for Tyler. These pictures will probably irritate you. His eyes are covered by his bangs, just so you are forwarned, and I do expect to hear about it, I'm sure.

Even more water park pics

2008-05-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

Last group of pics, I promise. They were all just so cute!

More water park pictures

2008-05-22T23:53:00.000-07:00

Park Day

2008-05-22T23:41:00.001-07:00

I took Chloe and Ty to the new water park on main with Kenzi and her son Keyan. If you have never been there before, it's really neat. Perfect for little kids. For the first time ever, I saw Chloe actually talk to another little kid besides one of our 'regular' friends. She is usually so shy that if anyone regardless of age, tries to talk to her she will put her head down like a stork. "If I don't see you, you don't see me." She did have fun as you can tell from these pictures. Tyler just thought he was in a giant bath tub, heaven for him. The only time he has actually crawled on all fours and not on his stomach was here. He also made a little friend or two.

This is Keyan. I love his feet in this picture.

Add in some more sound effects here. CRASH! BOOM! BANG!

Arrrr! We are out to find me treasure!

2008-05-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

After their bath, Chloe was playing with a leg from her toy BBQ. She was looking through it like a telescope and said, "Arrr mommy, I'm a pirate!" She handed me another 'telescope' and we called each other 'pirate Chloe' or 'Captain mommy' the rest of the night. David was still gone so we decided to to "Find our treasure!!" We had no phone right then (another long story), so we couldn't just call David and he could have been in any of four places. So in case he came home while we were gone looking for him we wrote him a pirate note. For the full effect, you need to read it in a pirate voice.

ARRR my matey!

Pirate Chloe, Tyler and mommy has left to find our booty! (A.K.A. Pirate Daddy). If me booty has wandered back to me ship (home), place it in the brig and we shall return for it. Thank ye kindly shipmate and may the winds blow thy sails to ye buried treasure. ARRR!

Then as we were about to leave Chloe says, (her words) "Arrr Captain Mommy! Where is my treasure map?" So I drew her one and we took off in our 'boat' (car) and searched for daddy. She was so funny and really got into the game. She called us pirates far longer than I would have thought. Her imagination is amazing. It really was so fun.

That same night, Chloe would not go to sleep in her own bed. She insisted on sleeping in the rocking chair next to Ty's crib. So I let her, but I did have to eventually move her. But I had to capture it first.

Here is Pirate Chloe.

Bath time

2008-05-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

I know, I couldn't help myself. Tyler will probably kill me for these pictures six to ten years from now, but oh well. It's my right as a parent. Tyler LOVES his bath time. It is so funny to see the difference between boys and girls. When Chloe was Tyler's age I wondered why she never splashed as much as my friends kids did that were the same age (who are all boys by the way). She maybe would daintily sit in the bath and maybe lightly tap the water with her hands. But mainly she would hold and play with the rubber duckies and hold perfectly still while I washed her. She enjoyed her baths, but I never had to enjoy a shower at the same time with her. Then I had Tyler. Since the first time I set him in the bath water, my bathroom as perpetually been covered in water. The entire bathroom (and I ) will be completely soaked by the time his bath is done. Then I realized that at even at 9 months old little boys love to make explosions of any kind and little girls are content to play, pretend, and getting clean.

Can't you just hear the sound effects? BANG! BOOM! CRASH!!!

Backyard fun

2008-05-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Usually we can't let the kids play in our backyard because it was basically just dog territory with little 'land mines' all over the grass. But recently we fenced the larger part of the backyard off from the dogs. Chloe was very excited that she can now play back there without the fear of finding little surprises under her feet. So these are some pictures of her and Tyler playing in our little mini playground.

I know it is hard to tell by some of these pictures, but Tyler really did enjoy it.

Chloe and the puppies

2008-05-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is pregnant Dixie. She looks very ready to have those puppies.

Chloe had so much fun when our dog Dixie had puppies. She really couldn't keep her hands off them. I was surprised at how well she did with them. Especially when we had to eventually sell them. Not one tear was shed (on her part). I may have shed a tear or two though. It was really hard not to get attached to these little dogs. It was amazing to watch Dixie care for her babies as well as any mom could. In a weird way I bonded to her through this experience. She went through many of the same symptoms as I did when pregnant. It was very obvious to me (though not so much to David) when she was ready to have the puppies. Not just the "time to have the puppies" ready, but the "I've been this way long enough, let this baby out now!" ready. And to have had a new baby myself when hers were born, the similarities between the way we cared for our babies was uncanny. She would run to them in the middle of the night if she heard them make the littlest whimper, made sure they were always comfortable and safe. And I think because, as any new mom knows, her hormones were very rampant, she would also try to care for my baby as I would hers. When Tyler cried, she was right there to lick his face (not exactly what we wanted, but it worked). After nursing her own little ones, she would lay next to Tyler the same way like she was waiting for him to nurse too. I marvel at God's work to make all mom's no matter the species, just as caring and loving to her children as any other. I felt like she knew what I was going through and she knew that I knew what she was going through. David pointed out one time when Dixie was feeding her little ones that she had the same expression as I did when it was late and I was very tired and Tyler was teething. Not very pleasant but dutiful. I have a new respect and awe for Dixie for keeping her sanity after caring for four puppies and still staying as sweet and kind to everyone else as ever. A lesson I still need to work on after sleepless nights, endless feedings, and a NEVER ending repeating Peter Pan DVD. On bad days Chloe (who has always wanted to make things better) will come up to me and ask if I'm sad. Then she gently rubs my arm and gives me a hug and says "I make you feel better." I love being a mom.

2008-05-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures that my sister took of Tyler. These are just a few of my many favorites. Thank you Beka, you really have such a talent. Now if I could only have some of Chloe... hint hint. I will truly treasure these pictures forever.

More pictures from Thanksgiving

2008-05-18T09:47:00.001-07:00

Chloe absolutely LOVES her uncles. This picture, I think, is proof of that with her Uncle Matt holding her. She is thrilled.

Thanksgiving

2008-05-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

This picture is back from Thanksgiving. We broke all Thanksgiving traditions and went to Las Vegas with Dave's family. It was a lot of fun. We went to the Bellagio and walked through the garden room. As always it was beautiful. Chloe was fascinated by this giant gnome and the apple water fall. She loves apples and wanted to try one. Here are some pictures from that day.

I'm new at this

2008-05-15T23:29:00.001-07:00

Okay everybody, I finally caved in and started my own blog. I have to admit after looking at some family and friends blogs, it's a little intimitating to start. My pictures may not be as nice or my writing not very creative, but it is a great way to document and keep everyone updated on our family. So here we go... Enjoy.

2008-05-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Chloe and Tyler. Chloe's friend Keyan is with her. She absolutely loves Keyan and can't get enough of him. They are so funny together. Running back and forth chasing eachother, taking turns screaming at a resturant, or sharing food (toys not so much).They have been playmates since, literally, birth. And it has been only recently that I think they have become truly friends. I look forward to watching them both grow and hopefully they will always stay friends.

People keep telling me we need to cut Tyler's hair, but I just can't seem to do it. I just love how it is all over the place, especially when it is hanging in his eyes. Even though he gets called a girl every once in a while (people will say "He is just too pretty to be a boy")Anyone who is around him for long, even at nine months, knows he is all boy. Oh boy, what will that mean for me in another year or two from now? I look forward to finding out.