Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Chloe Update

We spent Christmas in Hunting Beach with Nate's fam this year. We were very thankful that Nate was able to get Christmas off (he normally works sundays but was able to get the day off). My parents happened to also be in Southern Cali around the same time for a couple of days and so we were able to have breakfast at the Traxler house together one morning (see photos below). Chloe had a great 1st Christmas. We are very blessed with a wonderful family that just spoils our little girl!! Nate and I were able to appreciate Christmas in a whole new way this year as we watched our daughter enjoy her first Christmas and really reflect upon the fact of the miracle of the birth of Christ. We are so thankful.

Chloe is 8 months old today and her progress has been fun to watch. She is a great roller and keeps me quite busy (I thought we had a small house but she makes it seem really big...especially when we play a game of "hide my toys and mommy find them"!!:) ) Another couple of Chloe's favorite games: namely fur, tile & curtains. She puts her hand under one of the couches and pulls the fur off of the underside of this couch (our other couch does not have this thank goodness) and then talks to the fur and puts the fur in her mouth. She also likes to roll into our entry way and talk to the tile flooring and also likes to pull, talk and bat on and at our floor length curtains in the family room (I think we are going to be changing that around soon). It is pretty funny to watch her do these things but she shouldn't be doing them so I do my best to encourage her to play with her toys or roll other directions.

Chloe not only rolls all over, but she has been sitting usassisted for about two months. And then yesterday a couple of new things happened...I saw her put her legs under her (which she has been doing on and off for a little while now) and roll to the sitting up position for the 1st time all by herself. We both laughed about it (I am not really sure why it was funny other than her face was one of total shock, or as we call it the "O" face, and it cracks us up everytime she makes this face). Then I noticed that she is cutting her 1st tooth, as well. And, as of yesterday, she weighed a little over 19 lbs. What a day we had!! She can also wave & shake her head no. Sometimes she confuses the waving to mean no; it is so cute!! We are in the process of teaching her to clap and blow kisses. She even tries to pull herself up on furniture. She loves her oatmeal, fruit and vegies and will be starting meats very soon. She enjoys watching baby einstein and listening to her vegie tales. She enjoys her time in the nursery at church and does really well while mommy and daddy are in the worship service (we are so greatful that our church has a need for a service on saturday evenings because Nate works on sundays and so we are still able to all attend our church together). We are busy with bible study and playgroups with friends and family. I never thought I would be having this much fun!!

Tuesday, December 27, 2005


Four Generations

I love my auntie...

I love my mommy...

I love my daddy...

I like my sunglasses!!

My 1st pair of sunglasses...

Chloe with her new Dolly

What fun!!

Opening Our Gifts

The Stockings

Christmas

Christmas Eve with Chloe's Great Aunt's

Mommy's new pj's

Christmas Eve with Daddy!!

Christmas Eve with Mommy!!

Chloe with her Gpa's

Chloe with her Gma's

Monday, December 26, 2005


Chloe in her duckie robe

My duckie feet are fun!!

Sunday, December 18, 2005


Playtime

Sunday, December 04, 2005

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I love this time of year!! We went to Georgetown to cut down our Christmas tree this year and it was a lot of fun as usual. The day was cool but not freezing (temps have really dropped here this week though, down to the mid to low 30's at night and low to mid 50's durning the day). Chloe had a great time looking around the forest and helping mommy and daddy choose her first of many Christmas trees!! We then went home and trimmed the tree.

Georgetown Christmas Tree Farm

We found the perfect tree...

We have decked the halls...

Thursday, November 24, 2005

It's a Happy Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown!!

I was thinking back to the days of when I was a young girl at thanksgiving time and how our family would watch the thanksgiving day parade and gorge themselves on turkey and all the trimings (we missed the parade this year but still ate all that good food). We would also watch the peanuts. There was a great lesson to be learned when one would watch the peanuts and I got this out of it: family is a key support system and I am so thankfull for the family and friends that support and love us so much. To those of you we did not see on this day, we look forward to seeing you soon, we miss you and are very thankfull for you...you mean so much to us. Chloe enjoyed seeing everyone and had a good 1st thanksgiving (and I give a big THANK YOU to our Lord for her). Below you will see Nate holding Chloe, along with Gma Kris, Great Gma Marge and Gpa Tom in the background and you will also see around the thanksgiving table Gpa Tom, Great Gma Marge, Chloe, Nate, Gma Kris, Great Uncle Bob, Karen and Stew Wilson (I am taking the photos). We pray you all had a wonderful thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving prep.

Our Thanksgiving Table

We give thanks for family & friends

Monday, November 21, 2005

Family Fun

Grandpa Dan and Grandma Julie came for a visit last week. It was so fun to see them!! We went Christmas shopping (I am so glad to be done so early) and relaxed and enjoyed the company. I shared some cute moments below...

Chloe in her Toy Basket

Chloe in her Bunny Coat

Grandma Julie reading to Chloe

Friday, November 11, 2005

Guitar

Nate brought out his guitar and music for us to play and sing for Chloe. This brought back so many good memories for us of our college days at UCSB when we were involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship or Gaucho Christian Fellowship (GCF). Santa Barbara will always have a special place in my heart because it is not only where I went to college, but it is where I found good friends and fellowship, where I met and fell in love and got engaged to my future husband, and where we spent the first year of our marriage. Nate lead worship the year I joined GCF (I was a sophmore). It just so happens that he kept all the music that they played during our friday night worship nights and he even had notes of some of the friday night line up of events that occured. It was fun to reminisce. We wanted to share this music, worship, with Chloe and she really liked it!! She was cooing and making fun screaming sounds while he was playing. Jack found his new spot in the guitar case and I thought it was so cute that I had to take a photo of it and share it with you.

A New Spot

Monday, November 07, 2005

Playdate

Melanie brought her daughter Mekenzie, six weeks younger than Chloe, over to play last week. The dads went out ATVing while the moms visited at our house and the girls played. Below you will see a few photos of Chloe and Mekenzie, and one of the two dads (Michael is Mekenzie's dad) after coming back from their ATV fun.

The girls with their proud papas!!

Look at my baby blues...

You are my friend...

Chloe & Mekenzie

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Halloween

Chloe's first Halloween went off without a hitch!! We missed daddy though, Nate had to work late. We had a lot of fun trick or treating with Gpa Tom, Gma Kris, Cousin Hope, and Uncle Gordon (I came along too!!) Chloe was an adorable Minnie Mouse and Hope was a beautiful Snow White. We started at my sisters house with taco soup for dinner. Then we took photos, some of which I have published below, and went out trick or treating. Chloe was so excited to see all the kids and all the action that was going on around her. It was a real "treat" to watch her!! My sis stayed behind to man the candy at their house while the rest of the gang went around the hood to trick or treat. I also published two photos below the Halloween photos that I have been meaning to publish for some time now. You will see Chloe standing and sitting all by herself, just some of her newest accomplishments. She is six months old now and what a big girl doing all these new things!! We are having the time of our lives with her:). We pray that you all had a fun and safe Halloween.

Miss Minnie Mouse

Mommy & Me on Halloween

The cousins...We look so cute!

The "Gang" ready to Trick or Treat

This is fun!!

Look at me!!

Friday, October 21, 2005

Bonding

It is always fun to hang out with Gpa Tom and Gma Kris. Below are some cute photos of Chloe bonding with Gpa & Gma.

Read to me Gpa!

Chloe with Gma & Gpa

Swingin'


Chloe in the tree swing @ Gpa & Gma Britting's house

Monday, October 17, 2005

Fall

We love the fall here in Northern Cali. It is a beautiful time of year as the seasons begin to change, the leaves are colorful and falling, and the weather is getting colder. I love this time of year!! Chloe is 5 1/2 months old now. On saturday we went to a place called Apple Hill. This is a place we go every year in the fall to see the different farms farming apples, to get some goodies, and to see all the different local crafters. Chloe had fun seeing all the animals at the petting zoo they had at one of the farms. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of our Apple Hill outing but we went to Gma Marge's for dinner that nite (she lives fairly close to Apple Hill which is in the town Nate and I got married in, Camino) and I got a couple of photo moments there which I have shared below. Update on what Chloe can do: she has rolled over now (I finally saw her do this today although I know that she rolled a couple of times a month ago), she makes kissy faces, she spits a little, talks all the time, can stand up all by herself while holding onto an edge (she can't pull herself up yet but can stand on her own once I help her put her hands on the edge of a table or wall and this just cracks her up and we laugh and laugh), she reaches for us more consistantly, and is eating solid food. Wow, life is a whole new adventure, and praise the Lord because I am absolutely loving it!!

Chloe & Great Gma Marge

Chloe @ Great Gma Marge's House

Monday, October 10, 2005

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch last week and below are photos of our visit. There was a petting zoo, a train, a hay ride, a huge area to pick pumpkins, pumkin pie (actually all kinds of pies and goodies) and much more!! We had a lot of fun!! You will see my sis (Dianne), one of the boys she has in her daycare (Jackson), my niece (Hope), my mom, Chloe & me. Nate was there but he was mostly taking all the photos. My sis is expecting her second baby in mid feb and we are all excited!! She just found out she is having another girl and Hope is excited to be a big sis and Chloe will love to have another cousin.

Me, Jackson, & Dianne on the Hay Ride

Long day @ the Pumpkin Patch

Gma & Chloe on the Train

Gma & Hope on the Hay Ride

Chloe, Hope & Jackson