More Easter Fun!

Chloe loved the tire swing at Grandpa & Grandma's house. All the kids did! The kiddos had fun with their cousins, Uncle Gordon, Aunt Di, Grandpa Tom, Grandma Kris & Great Grandma Marge. Eli really liked the egg hunt & so did Chloe. Chloe & Hope decorated some carrot cup cakes with green coconut & jelly bellies!:) Enjoy this slide show!

Eggstravaganza!

Our church hosted a community easter celebration. There was food, crafts, bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, egg hunts, etc. We had a great time! Tomorrow we will be off to Grandpa Tom & Grandma Kris's house after church for more family fun. We are so blessed to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with most of our family & friends (& we miss you & are thinking & praying for those we are not with this year). And, we are happy to shout, "HE HAS RISEN, INDEED!"

Feels Like Spring!

We have been enjoying this spring-like weather (see the photos I posted below of stuff we have been doing over the last couple of weeks). I signed the kids & I up for a yoga class & it started last week. It is "angel bear" yoga (designed especially for little ones). Eli is a bit too young to get a lot out of it so he will be staying home with daddy while Chloe & I attend the class & have mommy/daughter time. It was fun fun & we look forward to next week! A quick update on Nate: He is out on patrol!! He has been out since mid-January & has completed all training & has been enjoying this new assignment (& boy does he come home with some wild stories!!) He works swings, Sat.-Tues, 3pm-1am. We like this sched because Nate is home in the mornings, can still attend Church with us on Sunday mornings & lead worship for Children's Church, & has Wed off (a big Church nite), Thurs off (bible study nite at our home) & Friday's he is off & we have turned them into our family day. So, thanks for all your thoughts & prayers for him & our family & please keep 'em comin'!!

Eliot at the duck pond...ya gotta love the drool & chapped, runny nose!! (he has a cold & is teething in this photo...poor mister!!)

Daddy fishing...the fishin' is good right now!

Mommy & Chloe at the snow (we stopped to play in the snow on our trip to Reno).

Here we are at Cabela's in Reno

Chloe's New Do!

I cut Chloe's hair a few days ago. Pretty stinkin' cute!

Mom Moments

I just tried going to sleep a few minutes ago & I was compelled to get up & write this post. You see, I had a mom moment. I am sure all you moms out there understand exactly what I am talking about with these moments & I dedicate this blog post to you. We all get tired & frustrated sometimes & pray "just some more patience, please, Lord" or "if I could only be a better mother, Lord" but, then He surprises you with these moments. You know, it's a moment of overwhelming pure delight in your children. A moment of when you happen to sneak a peek on a sleeping little one to find her fast asleep in her bed, all snuggled in with her stuffed animal friends surrounding her. You tuck her in, kiss her goodnight, tell her that you love her one last time that night, & you see her sleeping so peacefully & securely that your heart melts with love. Something wet is leaking on my cheeks...there it is, a mom moment. Or when a little one is just discovering his world around him & all he wants to do is find out about you. He climbs up on you & with his little, sweet chubby hand he seems to want to memorize your face & with adoring, smiling eyes he coos at you. At ME. I think, "this leaking on my cheeks has to stop", but wait...another mom moment. Or when, out of the blue, you hear "I love you, mommy." Be still my heart, my sweet little ones. What a privilege these moments are; so very precious. And yet, how much more precious is our Father in Heaven. What's this...a child's moment. I seriously need more Kleenex.

Eliot stands up all by himself now.

Hailey Turns 2 & More Cute Pics!

We went to Hailey's "Thomas the Train" themed birthday party last weekend at the Sac Train Museum. Chloe likes Thomas & all the trains, too, & had so much fun. I posted a few cute photos below. Choo-Choo!

Chloe on the party train!

All the kids singing Happy Birthday to Hailey.

Eliot crawling & exploring. He can totally crawl now, is practically pulling himself up all by himself (let's just say that we had to lower his crib to the lowest position last week because he is that close to standing all by himself) & he is cutting his two bottom middle teeth. Boy, lots happens to these little ones all at once!:)

Some pretty cute kids enjoying some birthday party fun!

This is just a random photo that I thought was so cute. Chloe is on her way to bedtime. How many "friends" can that girl carry?:)

Oh, So Cute!

Eliot just before bathtime

Chloe talking to Gma Julie

Look at me...I am a big boy!

A Farewell To Jack

Our cat, Jack, passed away on Sunday. We have been kinda in the dumps about it around our home the last few days. So, I thought I would post a slide show of some of the photos we have of Jack as a nice reminder of the blessing of his companionship to our family. I rescued him from the SPCA (where I worked) almost 7 years ago. He lived through us fostering many different kitten litters, fostering a few puppies, 3 different moves, 2 babies, & a kitty that adopted us about a year ago, Tiger (he is our outdoor kitty, while Jack was indoor only). Jack showed us love & loyalty, with just some minor annoyance or a look of "Ok, I will put up with you." But, as my sis-in-law reminded me, he had special qualities that you do not normally see in a cat (he was so wonderful with everyone, kids, adults, & even other animals, he knew his name & would come when called & would jump up on you for attention), so, we thought of him more as a dog-cat. So, heres to you Jack...thanks for all the fond memories. We will miss your fuzzy, purring warmth.

I Am Trying To Read J Crew!

Eliot is trying so hard to crawl now. He sits really well on his own & can army crawl so fast!! Papa D & Gma Julie were visiting last week & we captured Eliot on video army crawling to get the J Crew magazine from Gma Julie. It's hilarious to watch this guy in action!

Happy 2008!

Eliot Got One Before Daddy Did!

Daddy is just a little jealous that Eliot got a cop car before he did!:)

Thanks, Papa Tom & Mama Kris...I really like my new toy!!

The Hamster Maze

Chloe got this super fun tent system from Papa Tom & Mama Kris for Christmas. Once we got it set up we looked at it and thought it looked just like a hamster cage with all its colorful tubes, etc. We had a great laugh! Chloe has so much fun crawling through the tunnels & having Jack (the cat) run through with her. She especially loved it when daddy got in it and Eliot, too (see photos below). Even her cousin Aidan has been over to play in it with her and they have so much fun together. We hear Chloe yelling "Come on, Jack" or "Come on, Daddy" when she wants us to crawl through with her. Did we think this was our house? It is a pretty fun place for the kiddos and that makes our hearts happy.:)

Thanks, Auntie Di, Uncle Gordon, Hope & Hailey, for my dress up clothes & Sleeping Beauty dolly (you can sorta see the dress in the above photo & she is holding the dolly whom that and mickey mouse are the two she loves to carry around).

Christmas Night

We were at my folks for dinner & more Christmas fun!

The cousins...good buddies!

The littlest one's first Christmas dinner.

The spread & the fam

Merry Christmas!

I was able to take a moment this am to quickly post some adorable photos. We will be on our way to Grandpa & Grandma's house for more Christmas fun and dinner with my side of the family & some friends very soon today. Merry Christmas, everyone!




We did not see Nate's side of the fam for Christmas this year because it was the year to be with my side and Nate's side was all in So Cal this year and we stayed at home. So, this is a little thank you note to them: Thank you, Papa D, Mama Julie, Mama Lois & Mama Flink for all the fun gifts you gave us. We love you! Love, Chloe & Eliot. We look forward to more Christmas fun with the Doyles when they get back home!

Christmas Eve Family Photo

We attended our church's candlelight service on Christmas Eve. It was very beautiful. We really took the time, as a family, to worship Jesus & reflect upon the miracle of His birth. My parents came with us and then we headed back to our house for a pizza dinner, some cheesecake, and a lot of fun visiting!

Wise Actions & Words of Babes

Sometimes at nap I let Chloe take a few books in with her to quietly look at. And now we keep her door opened a little so she can go out to go potty if she needs to. Well, I was just checking in on her at nap today and this is what I saw...her baby Jesus story book laying over her face while she slept. What a precious sight! She tells me daily that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of baby Jesus and that Santa Claus is not real, he is just for fun. Such wise words from our 2 year old! I know that she is just repeating a lot of what she is taught from us & from Sunday School, but, my fervent prayer is that the Lord will continually guide us in teaching her about our Savior, Jesus Christ, so that He may soon become her personal Savior, as well. We pray this for Eliot, too. And in as much as I think we are teaching our children, I know they are teaching us, too, about unconditional love. And when I see stuff like what is in the photo above, my heart just sings as Christ just shines through our children.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We have such cute kiddos (love the gingerbread jammies)!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

We went to the Holiday Festival in Sutter Creek on Friday nite.

Santa was there...Chloe was too shy to sit with him so we both spoke with him.

Eliot all bundled up in his bucket.

We stopped at Starbucks afterwards to get a warm drink.

We were grovin' to some Harry Connick, Jr. & Frank Sinatra Christmas albums while we trimmed the Christmas tree & decked our halls.

More Trimmin'

Eliot's 1st Haircut

Yup, it was time...I cut it last week. Such a handsome boy!

Our cute kids!

Eliot sorta sits without help (I call it "the fold sit" for obvious reasons).