HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, ELI!:)

Eli's birthday celebration was last Saturday. I had a pool party all planned...and then it was cold and rainy. So, the venue changed but we still had a great time!!:) Eli was spoiled with lots of love & affection & some wonderful gifts. We are so blessed! My favorite party moment was Eliot sporting his cake goatee (3rd photo down). He keeps us on our toes & we are having such a blast raising him! Eli is walking really well & almost running (wants to keep up with his big sis!) He has been fondly nick named "T-Rex" (he kinda walks like one) & "the crusher" (this title needs no explanation). He has 7 teeth with 1 more ready to break through. He is babbling up a storm & is so excited about most everything (except when you wipe up his nose & he has a cold right now so this is not so fun for mommy). We see him change & grow on a daily basis & fall in love with our little mister over & over! Tomorrow is his 1 year check up so it will be interesting to see how big he is (he eats like a horse!)

Mother's Weekend

I had a wonderful Mother's Weekend...my hubby & kiddos spoil me! At church, in her pre-k class last wed. nite, Chloe made/colored me a paper basket filled with goodies & she made/colored me a MOM key chain in her Sunday School class at church on Mother's Day (see photo below). I absolutely LOVE these homemade gifts & the hands & hearts that made them!!:) These are the moments I will treasure forever...I LOVE BEING A MOM!!!!!!!! Nate & the kids got me a floating pool lounger & a gift cert. so I am looking forward to lounging in our pool & doing some fun shopping!! On Saturday, some friends of ours hosted brunch at their home & made us mom's some yummy huevos rancheros (dad's & kiddos enjoyed, too!!) & on Sunday we went to my folks after church for some family fun & more awesome food!! Nate was even able to join us at my folks for a few hours before running off to work. We pray you had a wonderful Mother's Day; you deserve it Mom's!!

My beautiful gifts...

Our kiddos having a fun picnic. They are the reasons I LOVE being a mom!:)

A cute photo of Chloe with Aidan when he came over to play this am!!

Eli Walkin' & Chloe Talkin'

Eli began taking his first steps about 3 weeks ago & he is getting better & better & probably walks a little more than crawls now so I thought I would take some video to show off his newest talent (not only walkin', but a little talkin', too!). Chloe is pretty stinkin' cute, too, & both our kids fill us with pride & joy...just wait til you hear what Chloe says on the video!!:)

Chloe's 3rd Birthday

Chloe turned 3 & we had a fun birthday bash for her. Papa D & Gma Julie stayed with us for a week & the kids had so much fun! In the photos you will see Chloe's Barbie doll cake that she helped Gma Julie make for her birthday party. It turned out pretty stinkin' cute!! It is hard to believe that we are parents of a 3 year old. She is growing up so fast right before our eyes & we are praising Jesus for her precious life in ours. Enjoy the slide show!!

Our 2 Rugrats!!

Our kiddos are best buddies...they love to play together & their new fun game is wrestling!! In fact, they had been wrestling just before I snapped this photo. It is pretty cute to watch them. I worry a little about Chloe's glasses getting crunched & about Eli still being so little, but, he is a strong little guy & I watch & make sure they don't get too rough with each other. Oh boy, I see the future with these 2!! An update on Eli: He started taking his first steps about 1 week ago & he isn't fully walking yet, but, he takes more steps daily & his confidence level is constantly rising. And he has 4 teeth with more starting to come in (you can see the 2 bottom teeth in the photo above). He can wave (palm back & forth wave) & shakes his head no. He is completely on table food & can say "wow, whoa, babba (mama), dadda" & a slough of words that are baby talk & incredibly cute. These kids keep me on my toes & I love it!! They bring such joy to our lives & we praise the Lord for the blessing of our kids.

Our Little Cheerleader

A few weeks ago I enrolled Chloe in a kinder-cheer team class at our local gym. It is pretty stinkin' cute to watch these girls jump around & learn cheerleading moves. Chloe's yoga class & her cheer class have helped her to become more outgoing, although she is still shy. There are 4 girls in the cheer class, all about Chloe's age. It has been fun watching her tumble, dance, jump on the trampoline (her absolute favorite!), flip in the air (the coaches totally help the girls with this & this is not so much Chloe's favorite activity, but she is becoming more comfortable with it). Anyways, enough with my blah blah blah & enjoy these cute photos. I am a proud mama!!

Chloe prepares for the forward roll with hands up.

Forward roll...my little athlete!

Completed forward roll.

Jumping on the trampoline (did I mention this is her ABSOLUTE favorite??!!)

Jumping with hands up & attempting to do "the hurkie" (a particular jump-kick named after the gyms logo, "Home of the Hurricane").

Cheer Team

The girls learning arm positions: this is a high-V.

Chloe is supposed to be mid-T arm position here, but, is in high-V position in the photo above. No matter...she is learning quickly & is doing so good!!

Here the girls are in low-V arm position & are to finish with a clap. They are doing these moves to the new Alvin & the Chipmunks movie music which just adds to the statement: "HOW STINKIN' CUTE!!"

Even Eli got in on some of the fun...he is my "mini-jumper" on this little trampoline.

The girls are just havin' fun during cheer class on the parallel bars while their head coach, Miss Julie, shows them how to put their hands on their hips & do the "hurricane walk".

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