The Allans

9 Months

2012-01-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

9 months old...this is sure going way too fast for me. Chloe is so much fun right now. I swear between 8 and 10 months babies are so much fun. They are mobile, there personalities start shining, and they are always happy or trying to make someone else happy. Chloe is definitely shining right now. She still continues to be the easiest most content baby ever. She is willing to go with the flow and put up with her older brothers constantly loving on her. They sure do like to love on her. I taught Zackary how to safely pick her up so now that is all he wants to do. She goes with it and lets him carry her everywhere. We had her 9 month appointment she is my little peanut 17 lbs 5 ozs (35%) and just shy of 28 inches (50%). Compared to the boys she is little but growing and eating just fine. She loves to eat all kinds of food and is starting to not like baby food as much. She prefers what we are eating usually, it's just not always safe for her to eat. Girl loves her pancakes and french fries already! I'm really sad this picture is blurry, cause she looks so cute. This is the first time I have captured her famous little nose scrunch she always does. Man she is cute!

This is my attempt at getting all 3 of my monkeys in the same picture. This is a true challenge.

Soap Crayons

2012-01-12T22:06:00.042-07:00

Here is another one of our random Pinterest projects. I found this pin for soap crayons. The boys always love crayons in the bath but they tend to ruin/stain our grout. I thought it might be better to try to make out own. I figured they would either work great, dye my children like little Easter eggs, or not work at all...

We added a little lavender essential oil we picked up in wine county on one of our trips.

We filled up some molds that are turtles and frogs then had plenty of extra so we used some ice cube trays.

Chloe just hanging out watching us and having a little bite to eat.

Ut oh... getting a little more worried the homemade soap crayons might dye the children like little Easter eggs.

Didn't they turn out pretty!

Well turns out they did not end up dying the kids different colors and they don't color on the walls in the tub, but they do entertain them for a long time while getting them sparkling clean.
So I guess they are still a success.

Snow

2011-12-28T22:03:00.026-07:00

We headed up to Williams, AZ because we had a Groupon to Bearazona. We made it a nice little day road trip. Bearazona was a nice little park to drive through and they had a little zoo to walk around and we made in perfect time for the bird show. Seriously, the giant owl touched my hair as it flew over my head. Just a little scary! After, we headed to a great place to go sledding, however with our warm winter we have had there was quite a bit of dirt/rock patches. Aaron and Zackary made it down the run once then ripped the bottom of the sled out. Needless to say, the sledding excursion didn't last long. Perhaps it's because we purchased the sled at a random gas station...

Aaron it the famous onsie...

Barnaby The Elf

2011-12-25T22:01:00.014-07:00

Here are just a few of the fun things Barnaby our Christmas Elf was up to this year. With some help of a certain website (Pinterest) he was a little more creative this year. This is a great new tradition we started last year and we have so much fun with it. I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't do it yet.

(I just had to post this, what a typical picture of 3 children together)

Fishing in the toilet...

Snowball fight with the gang...

Playing with the dart gun...

Taking a bath...

The boys sure got a kick out of the silly elf and loved eating all the marsh mellows.

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, Christmas! After taking this picture, I felt, perhaps I went a little over board. But man it was fun. Having little kids brings back so many great memories of Christmas as a child, gives us the opportunity to create our own traditions, and just brings back that exciting Christmas spirit. Chloe got the super cute pink car from Santa and I must say, it might have been the best present for all 3 kids. She loves riding in it and the boys love to push her in it.

Just some pictures of the Christmas chaos.

Oh and another super cute outfit. Thanks Aunt Diane for the great Christmas dress.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:18:00.006-07:00

For some reason I don't have very many pictures of our Christmas Eve celebration with The Allans. Oh wait I know why, I'm trying to keep track of 3 little babies. I don't always have my camera as handy as I like lately. We had a wonderful celebration and really enjoyed hosting the party this year. Cousin Lauren is so great with all the kids. She helped all the little ones open presents and she is always helping entertain the kids.

These are the typical pictures I get of Chloe lately. I sit her up to take a super cute picture of her and by the time I sit back to snap it, she is off and running. I have a lot of shots of the top of her head.

Here are the ~~cookies~~ sprinkles Zackary left for Santa. I promise there was a few cookies under the mound of sprinkles.

8 Months

2011-12-22T21:05:00.002-07:00

I can't seem to get enough of dressing my little girl up. She is spending most of her day bear crawling around the house looking for little tiny objects to put in her mouth or pulling up to stand at everything. I spend a good part of my day scanning the floor for little toys or pieces of paper or whatever is appropriate for an 8 month old to put in her mouth. And somehow I can manage to miss something and find it in her mouth. How cute is she? And this outfit, man I love it!

Christmas Performance

2011-12-15T22:44:00.001-07:00

The boys had their preschool Christmas performance at Tumbleweed this year. It was so cute. They sang their Christmas songs with the Rockin' Ms. Vicki and we celebrated after with tons of sweets. I love hearing these little guys sing Christmas songs all day.

Miss Chloe and her super special Opa.

New Discovery

2011-12-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

I know I have said this before. Discovering the dog food and making a huge mess is a developmental milestone, right? I had to get this on camera and let her play in the food and make a mess, maybe she won't care too much about it if I let her have a little fun with it. I love how Otis just sat and watched her destroy his food and water dishes. Needless to say, she got a new outfit after and I got to clean up a big mess of soppy, wet, mushy, smelly dog food.

Zackary's 5

2011-12-13T22:32:00.002-07:00

Zackary's 5...I can't believe it. I tell you what, 5 is so fun. We are loving this age and are loving who this little boy is turning into. He is the most kind little boy, he has a great sense of humor, he is a great listener (sometimes its a little difficult when he is tired), he is smart and extremely agile. I'm pretty sure he asks about 20,000 questions a day and I know it is because he is soaking up everything right now and is super interested in pretty much everything. Sometimes he really can stump me on questions and I'm not a fan of the answer "because" but sometimes it just comes out. Zackary weighs 48 pounds and is 46 inches tall. Running about 90th percentile for both weight and height.

Happy Birthday Zackary! We love you!

Bear Crawl

2011-12-10T22:27:00.001-07:00

Miss Chloe is bear crawling everywhere. I absolutely love it. Now she is pretty much doing it all the time and is quite fast too.

She is venturing all over the house, and loves playing in the tv console just like her brothers.

First letters

2011-12-05T21:04:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love this stage. I love to see Zackary learning and enjoying preschool. I love how he writes his name. I had to take some pictures. I really need to figure out how to better save some of the artwork. Seeing him write just makes me smile. I love how he can't always fit all his letters on one line so he either chooses to go down with them or up.

Sugar Coma

2011-12-03T20:57:00.001-07:00

I was making cupcakes for my work Christmas party and obviously you can see that someone was helping me in the kitchen. I did let him lick the spoons after I was done with them. I'm pretty sure he was getting more than I was aware of just by the looks of these pictures. We were watching a movie (afternoon quiet time) and he was sitting on the coffee table and the next thing we knew he was passed out on the floor.

And it begins...

2011-12-01T21:23:00.001-07:00

I guess the boys have figured out Chloe is getting a little more sturdy and trying to play with her a little rougher. I think Zackary sees Aaron and I playing with Chloe and has started rolling around with her. He is very gentle and does really well with her. And as you can see, she loves every second of it. Those boys can always make her laugh. Oh and other big news today. My little Chloe started crawling today, she is officially moving forward now and is discovering all the toys around. Time for the big clean up!

Of course there has to be a dog pile.

Little Helper

2011-11-28T21:04:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what it is about feeding babies, but I can tell you this... Everyone loves to, even 3 years olds. Lane and Zackary typically fight over who gets to feed Chloe. It really is cute, but sometimes causes a little too much drama around here. Usually because they haven't ate yet and can't seem to sit still to feed themselves. I try to let them take turns and actually sometimes I let one of them to really help me out. She doesn't care and as long as there is food she will take it. They both do a good job, it just creates a little more of a mess, remember this mess? I do love that they are so interested in her and take such good care of her. She has 2 great older brothers to look after her. Lucky girl!

Birthday Party

2011-11-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Zackary's 5th birthday and Lane's 3rd birthday at Makutu's Island this year. And I tell you what. IT WAS EXCELLENT! This might be one of the best places for a party. The kids have a blast, they provide all the food, drinks, cake, planning, cleaning, organizing, and fun. They even serve the kids and organize the present opening and recording of gifts. Seriously, this was so easy and enjoyable for everyone.

We got to invite all their friends and not be crowded and the best part was they help load the car with all the loot and we went home. No clean up might be the best part (well except for the actual celebration). Happy Birthday to my sweet little boys. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate.

I love that Lane is sitting cirss cross applesauce waiting so patiently for his turn to open a present.

Biker

2011-11-25T20:15:00.001-07:00

I had to do a quick update for anyone following this. I mentioned a couple of days ago how the boys got new bikes for their Birthday/Christmas presents from their grandparents. Well here you have it. Zackary is full blown riding his big boy bike without training wheels. No joke this kid picked it up in 4 days. All we do is help him get started for about a second and he's off. I'm am so proud of him. I knew he could do it.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T20:27:00.001-07:00

Well, we hosted our first Thanksgiving at our house this year. And was it sure fun! I love hosting parties, activities and such. I love to open up our house to everyone, I always have. So, since Aaron is such an awesome cook, he got to do the cooking and I got to be in charge of drinks, decorating, and assisting. It worked out perfect. Both sides of the family were here to celebrate, I am so thankful that our family can all be together at once. It makes our lives so much easier. Here are some pictures from or celebration.

We kept the kids busy with lots of activities.

Here is Aaron's massive turkey he cooked. Pops was showing him how to carve it up. This might have been one of the best turkey's I have ever had.

Chloe loving up on Opa. She loves to be held and just stroke his beard. It's so funny.

The table turned out beautiful. I was very proud of our great first Thanksgiving party.

3

2011-11-23T21:20:00.003-07:00

Our little Laner is 3! Man this kid is awesome, although he can be difficult at times, he is really a sweet little boy. We say he is 3 going on 13. And he has quite the sophisticated palate. You would never guess he is only 3. He prefers stinky cheese (Gorgonzola and blue cheese), lattes, and he enjoys cooking with us. If you have read previous posts, he is our little early bird and likes to get up and help himself to the pantry for some breakfast, sometimes he just goes for what ever is on the counter. Such as cupcakes, muffins, candy. I have to be really good about putting things high and out of sight or he will find a way to get it. He still is a furniture mover, I probably move the kitchen chairs back to the table 50 times a day. He is always at the counter into something. This kid is lust so dang cute I can't stand it. Good thing, because he can sure work us over sometimes. Happy Birthday Lane! We love you so much!

I took cake pops to celebrate in his class at school and we had a little celebration in the evening.

7 Months

2011-11-22T21:19:00.002-07:00

Our sweet Chloe is 7 months old today. These pictures turned out so cute. I tried my hardest to get a smile and no luck. But she is still as adorable as ever. Chloe is still the happiest and easiest baby. She sleeps great, she goes down laughing and wakes up laughing. She loves her big brothers and is totally entertained just watching them. She is so close to crawling, but she can pretty much scoot wherever she wants to go. Usually she is going backwards or rolling. She does the cutest little smile and crinkles her nose, usually for her Daddy, I just can't get enough of it. I love every day with my sweet baby girl! Here are some of my favorite pictures of her from our holiday photo session this year.

Chalkboard Mason Jars

2011-11-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

So I've become totally obsessed with Pinterest. Man it can suck you in for hours upon hours of just looking for more stuff to do, more tasks to complete, more crafts for kids, everything you could ever imagine is on Pinterest. So if you have tons of extra time, (just like I do, oh wait, I don't) hop on the ol' computer and waste some precious time. You will be happy you did.
I however recommend actually doing the projects not just pinning all day! I thought these mason jars with a little chalkboard square to write you name were so cute. It was perfect for our first Thanksgiving Day dinner at our house. You see, Aaron (my amazing chef husband) was in charge of cooking and I was in charge of decorating and getting everything organized. Teamwork! So I started my project over the weekend. It really didn't take that long, I also suckered Aaron into helping me tape.

I had to put 2 coats of chalkboard paint on. This was a 2 day process, because it got too late for me to stay up and wait the four hours between coats. Needless to say, I had 2 little helpers the next morning painting the second coat. They did a pretty good job and didn't make too big of a mess.

I cut out cute fall fabric strips to tie around the top of the glass to add a little fall flair. I love flair! Luckily my mom seems to have everything on hand and brought me over several options of fall fabric. So I got to avoid another ~~trip~~ shopping spree at Hobby Lobby (which might be my new favorite store, that happens to be about 3 miles from my house).

Here is the final mason jar chalkboard glasses. They looked so cute and were a huge hit at the party. Everyone got to write their name on their cup, there was no mistaking your beverage this time. I recommend using liquid chalk, which I also picked up at Hobby Lobby. I doesn't smudge easily, but wipes off with water.

I'm so happy these turned out so well. They will get used often. I can just change the tie to be festive for the occasion. I can't wait to use them again!

Early Birthday

2011-11-20T20:23:00.009-07:00

The boys got an early birthday present/Christmas present from their awesome grandparents today. New shiny bikes. Big boy bikes, no more of the little monkey bike, remember this one? Big, shiny, real bikes. I didn't want Zackary to have training wheels anymore so we just decided to go cold turkey with them, and hopefully this doesn't happen again. You might think, sheesh, he is only 4, but seriously the kid is pretty much doing tricks on the 2 wheeled super fast scooter, that is actually Aarons! So NO training wheels!

Man, look at the smile on his face. Priceless! He was so excited.

And here is Lane's big, shiny, new bike. So I let him have training wheels. He is just turning 3.

He sure took to the bike quickly. Totally riding around the block within minutes of getting on.

I love my little athletic boys.

Aaron started off running along side of Zackary, and was letting go for short periods. If he kept peddling he could do it, but he kept getting distracted by everyone watching and what his feet were doing. I was pretty impressed by how well he was doing right away. Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted on our bike riding progress.

Wedding Day

2011-11-12T19:36:00.002-07:00

The third day was the BIG day. We were pretty low key in the morning, we walked around, ate some more food, I even managed to get a nap in. Hooray for naps! Here is a beautiful picture of my mother and I. She looks so amazing! I'm pretty sure I have only a hand full of pictures with her. I'm printing this one for sure. She is the most amazing person I know.

And my handsome husband, who decided to shave is awesome chops right before the wedding. He didn't want them to take away from the wedding pictures. That's how awesome they really were.

And here starts the craziness of another night. The dancing begins. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding. The ceremony was short and sweet, I guess to get the eating (yes more eating), drinking (yes more drinking), and dancing (oh and more dancing) started. They had a band playing great music. We all had such a great time. What fun memories we created with our entire family.

Here is Danielle, the beautiful bride, and my new sister in law.

Thanks for the great time Matt and Danielle, congratulations!

NO Day 2

2011-11-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

The next day we headed out for some fresh air to find some gators. It was a success, we saw several. The air boat did a good job of waking everyone up and getting us ready for another long night...

We celebrated again with the wedding party at the rehearsal dinner. What and amazing dinner. I must say the food in New Orleans is pretty amazing. Good, hearty, fattening, and delish. Maybe we just aren't used to food like that because we really don't head out to dinner much any more or maybe the food in AZ just isn't that southern style delishishness (is that a word?). We had amazing wine with a 5 course dinner, all while being super dressed up in suits, dresses and heels. As you can see from the smile on my face we were having a great time. I also was trying my best to not have my droopy left eye in the picture (perhaps I overcompensated in this one).

Here is a beautiful picture of my amazing parents. They hosted this wonderful night.

Here's my family. I am so thankful of such wonderful people in my life.

New Orleans day 1

2011-11-10T19:31:00.002-07:00

So we, as in Aaron and I and our entire family, headed out to New Orleans for the big celebration. Little Matty is GETTING MARRIED. And what a fun time it was. Our first evening there we headed out for an awesome dinner and of course met up with everyone on Bourbon Street for some old fashioned partying. We sure made the best of it staying out until 2. Then the boys headed out for the bachelor party.

Yes, you read it right they started it at 2am.

Here's me and my little bro. Isn't he awesome. Not so little but still my little bro. It was nice to get to have some drinks and enjoy each others company even though there were thousands of people with us.

Here's some of the family and friends we got to spend some time with.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:34:00.005-07:00

Boy, looking back I really didn't get many pictures from Halloween this year. I guess I just enjoyed the time with our friends and family. For the past 4 years we have been having our wonderful family over to sit in the driveway, eat pizza, and take the kids trick or treating. The last 2 years Shannon and I have made this a little bigger with a small block party. And each year it seems to get bigger. I love these evenings with all of our kids playing in the street and us adults visiting and watching them all play. We have so much fun together and all our kids get along so well. I am so blessed with such wonderful friends and family.

Pre Halloween

2011-10-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a couple of things we did to celebrate Halloween. I made some ghost pancakes from Pinterest of course and the boys each decorated a haunted house and truly enjoyed eating the decorations.

This is such a fun time of year.

6 Months

2011-10-22T21:44:00.003-07:00

Well she is 6 months...sitting and growing up way too fast. Man I love this little angel. What an amazing baby she is. She just started sitting, again without much practice, I sat her up one day and she just stayed. She continues to be so sweet, she spends her days playing, sleeping, eating, and being happy. I can't say it enough she is so incredibly good. She eats well, sleeps insanely well, and is so laid back, she just goes with the flow. I can't ask for a more precious little girl. I get more obsessed everyday.

She weighs 16 lbs (running average for weight)
She is 26 inches tall (average) I so used to having the giant baby boys, she seems so tiny to me.

She is such a little doll!

Pumpkin Chili Fest

2011-10-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

We headed out to Schnepf Farms again this year for the annual Pumpkin Chili Festival. I look forward to it every year. The kids have so much fun and we get to spend time with our good friends.

This cracks me up. Our attempt at a family picture. This pretty much sums up my life lately. Wrangling my children.

Zackary was being some sort of animal...its kind of his thing.

3 Favorite Things: Cosmetic Products

2011-10-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a post like this in a long time. I have to share some of my favorite cosmetic products. This one was had because there was a lot to choose from but these made the top 3 list (at least for now).

This first one is Jane Iredale Powder Me SPF. This mineral sunscreen is AMAZING. We used to sell it at our shop and I became hooked several years ago. It is SPF 30, goes on dry and WORKS. I put it all over my babies, myself, and Aaron. They don't mind the powder and it doesn't burn your eyes. It is easy to apply and carry around. You will usually find one in my diaper bag and purse. I prefer the translucent color the other makes us look orange. This is fantastic stuff.

Next is this Sephora nail strengthener. I discovered this one about 6 months ago and use it every week. I get so many complements on my nails, everyone thinks they are gel. I just put 2 coats on every Sunday night while Aaron and I watch a show on TV and it lasts all week. Its pretty amazing because I am pretty neurotic about washing my hands and use hand sanitizer about 50,000 times during my shifts at work. I love this stuff.

Lastly, Colorescience Line Tamer. Again we used to sell this at our shop and I got hooked then. This super soft primer again is mineral, has SPF and gives an amazing base for makeup. It brightens, conceals, and fills.

These are just a few of my favs. Let me know if you try any of them.

Sitting

2011-10-17T21:01:00.001-07:00

I managed to capture the first sitting! We were all ready for bed and I sat Chloe up to see if she could do it...and she did. She doesn't spend much time practicing. She just does things. I even had time to run and grab the camera before she tipped. My sweet baby is growing up too fast.

Yummm

2011-10-15T20:58:00.002-07:00

Our little Chloe is becoming such a good little eater. I just had to show one of my favorite baby feeding inventions. I'm not sure what it is called but it has a little mesh bag that you can fill with anything and they can go to town on it. She loves it! Love the messy baby eating face.

Mexico

2011-10-14T10:34:00.003-07:00

We finally took a family vacation that wasn't just a weekend up north. We headed down to Rocky Point for some awesome weather and beautiful beach time. We went with Laura, Glen, and Lauren and stayed in a beautiful 3 bedroom house right on the beach. We could just walk right out the back door to the water. All the kids were amazing little travelers and got along so well (but who wouldn't on the beach). We hunted the tide pools in the morning and evening and swam in the water during the day.

The kids were in sand heaven.

Chloe lounging in her little beach tent, watching everyone play.

These are the great times, creating memories with our families. We have officially decided to make it an annual vacation with our family.

Spice It Up

2011-10-09T22:07:00.002-07:00

Another fun Pinterest project. Our little tiny thermostat hangs sadly all by itself, right smack dab in the middle of a perfect decorating wall. For this reason I haven't been able to find anything to put here. I always sit and ponder what might be perfect here with the little thermostat (I really don't have a ton of extra pondering time right now, but it is in such a noticeable area I can't help but to see it or walk by it about 20,000 times a day). So I found this little idea, spice up this sad little baby with an awesome frame. It actually started out bright fuchsia pink with sparkles (yes, it did hang there like that for about a week until I had time to paint it). It looks really cute, and I'm considering putting a small gallery of white frames around it. I think it might work...

Crayon Melt

2011-10-07T22:04:00.004-07:00

So I'm totally into this Pinterest thing. Really I'm obsessed and can't get enough. There are so many cute and fun ideas to do with the boys (and for our house etc.). So here is one of our first projects together.
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I picked up a huge box of crayons and dug this fabric covered canvas out from under our stairs. It was the perfect size for where I wanted to hang this master piece. I cut part of the fabric off so when we were sorting the crayons and gluing them on, the canvas didn't accidentally get tagged by a 2 year old.

We sorted all the different colors and decided what order to put them in.

I hot glued the crayons on then pulled off the rest of the fabric and headed outside to heat it up. It was really hot outside I probably could have just let it sit for the day. But we busted out the blow dryer and whipped this baby out in no time.

How awesome did this turn out? I love it! We hung it in the play room and it fits perfect in the octagon shaped room above Big Mouth Billy Bass.

5 Months

2011-09-22T20:55:00.004-07:00

What 5 months? This is going so fast. It really makes me sad, yet I love how everyday she is doing something new and I love how every stage just gets better. I can't even explain how wonderful this little lady is. She really is an angel baby. She just goes with the flow, and I tell you what, she gets carted around all day, woken up from naps, fed in longer intervals than she probably needs, and she is still this happy. I really count my blessings for such wonderful little babies. I am so lucky!

Weight: not sure but she is heavy and wearing 9 month clothes already. Time to ~~go buy lots of new clothes~~ upgrade the super cute wardrobe. She is rolling both ways, however she is sneaky and only will roll over from front to back in her crib. I have not actually witnessed it but I see her change positions multiple times during a nap (more on that later). She loves skydiving, this is her favorite position while watching the boys play. When she gets tired she starts sucking her lower lip and her eyes get red (we call this tired eyes, Zackary gets the same look). She usually goes to bed between 6 and 7, but there have been several nights that I try to keep her awake past 5:30. She wakes up anywhere between 7 and 8. Yes, she sleeps 12-14 hours a night with out a feeding. We started feeding her solids, which she loves and is a champ at. She has had rice cereal, bananas, and pears, and loves it all. It hasn't been long but already she eats so different than the boys, she is pretty dang clean about it. She has the best little giggle and is compeletly in love with her daddy and brothers. She gives Aaron a huge smile every time she sees him.

We love her so much and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful precious little baby girl in out family.

First Feeding

2011-09-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today was Chloe's first feeding. She has been eyeballing everything we eat lately, so I figured she must be ready to try some food. And boy was I right, this little lady tore it up. She figured it out so fast. A few days ago I gave her ~~a little~~ several tastes of whip cream and she would lick her lips then give me a huge smile. And now she pretty much does it every time she eats. We started with bananas and rice cereal (I know, bananas... she is the 3rd baby, so much for the eating rules!) She is just so dang happy!

Emergency

2011-09-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

What would you have thought when Zackary came running in and said hurry mom there is an emergency and this is what you run in and find. I just slightly panicked. I was nursing Chloe and realized Lane had been quiet for a little longer than normal and I knew he was headed into get a piece of paper. I asked my little helper Zackary to go see what he was doing...and yes Lane thought it was a good idea to paint the floor.

Thank goodness for washable paint. Really, the floor? Here he is, GUILTY! Red paint all over his hands and everything he touched. He did a good job cleaning up to mess. Man, 2 years olds...

Mommy lesson: don't leave paint where kids can reach.

Real LIfe

2011-09-10T21:14:00.003-07:00

I'm going to add this entry that I never posted to my "letting go" series. This was something that was going on back in July, we have figured out most of these little issues already. I have heard this phrase so many times recently "this too shall pass" and by golly it has and so quickly. So here it goes...

So Aaron and I were out to dinner with some great friends of ours and of course children came up in several conversations. All the funny things they do and all the naughty things. How parenting is so hard and how they continually keep you on your toes. How you just have one of them figured out or figure out their "currency" then they completely throw you for a loop. I was told I always blog about roses, candy, and cupcakes. Well to be honest I do this because the blog is meant to be for our family and all the great times we have. I use a program to put the blog into books to create 'our family scrapbook'. This is were I post super cute pictures of my children and all the fun things we do. This is why there really isn't anything 'negative'. There are hard times and some of them make for great conversation or great funny stories to share with friends, family, and coworkers. I really should post about them more often. So here are a few of our "stories" or hard times right now.

Spiderman

He is Lanes nemesis right now. He recently figured out that he resides in our small garage and he truly is afraid of him. He has lived in our garage since Aaron and I moved in together. And to be honest, he has frightened me many times. Actually, in our old house where he lived in the garage where we parked our cars, every time I opened the garage I was a little scared, thinking some random man was standing there waiting for me. Not good right? So once we figured this out we had a little fun with it. Well, here you have a little low parenting. Spiderman has become a threat for not cleaning or staying in bed. I know, this is horrible but in desperation it WORKS. We have discussed this parenting with each other and decided it is not good, but sometimes in desperation the words Spiderman come out.

The Lion

This dang lion towel causes a meltdown every single time he decides to come out. Seriously, I don't know what it is about the lion towel but the boys fight over it every time. We try to take turns or use him as a lour to get out of the bathtub. But it back fires every time. The last time he came out he got thrown up into the top of the closet where no one could reach him. They didn't believe me that the lion didn't like them fighting over him so he went into hiding. Next time I make it to Kohl's I will get another lion. But until then, he is in hibernation. Oh and I won't ever buy them different things, everything will be the same.

Bedtime
Bedtime around here lately is crazy and frustrating. I seem to be trying to push through the day with out naps just to make bedtime go a little smoother and earlier. If my boys nap they think they need to say awake until 10pm. And really a 2 and 4 year old don't need to be awake that late and we need some down time together. With cleaning up, baths, teeth brushing, hair combing, getting jammies on, reading books, and laying with them in bed it seems to be a 2 hour process. This seems to get drug out with horse man, wrestling, fighting, wining, and avoiding getting ready for bed. Which I think is a bit ridiculous. This is where I seem to loose my cool.

I don't know why I fuss over things sometimes. Like a messy playroom, or unorganized toy bins, getting them to bed, or taking naps. Why are some of those moments so frustrating? Because after about 10 minutes I feel bad about being frustrated or getting mad. It really doesn't matter. They don't care, why should I? I do love and cherish every moment, even the hard times. And sometimes they make for really good conversation and stories. Looking back already, in the 4 quick years I have been a mom, those little frustrating moments make for lots of great memories. So really I'm ending with roses, candy, and cupcakes. But here at the Allan house we do have low parenting moments, frustrating times, chaotic bedtimes, crazy days, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Because really what else would Aaron and I be doing?

Update:

Lane and Spiderman are on speaking terms now. He still tells me every time he sees Spiderman in the garage that he doesn't like him. Lane- Me don't like Spiderman.
Zackary usually is the great big brother and gives up the lion towel for his little brother.
We started preschool for both boys MWF afternoons so naptime is no longer a daily battle and bedtime is easy because they are usually so tired. And on days they don't go to school we are out doing things or we stay at home because they are in need of a nap. It is amazing to not fight that battle daily. We also stopped laying with Lane at night until he falls asleep. We read a couple of books, sing a couple songs, and say a prayer. For the most part he is staying in his bed. I am so proud of him.
Letting go: I am learning how to let go of the little things that I can't fight and that don't really matter. I can't believe how many comments I have gotten about letting go and showing pictures of my chaotic house. It feels good to let go!

Soccer

2011-09-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Zackary started on his first soccer team this week. I have been going back and forth on what to get him involved in that is active enough. For all of you that know Zackary, he needs something REALLY active. We have talked about Karate, gymnastics, and soccer. I don't think that Karate is strenuous enough for him. This kid has so much energy it is insane (more on that later). Some great friends of ours mentioned they signed up for soccer and needed 1 more player, so I figured Perfect! And we signed him up. Hopefully all the running will wear him out. Can't wait to see these cute little 4 year olds play games!

I love all this gear. He is so proud and excited to play.

Letting Go

2011-09-06T21:55:00.001-07:00

So here it is. Our house on any given day. Yes, it is a disaster! And it makes me crazy. But I am letting go. Letting go of all the nonsense. This stuff doesn't matter. The mess can wait. It will all still be there to clean up later. Now don't get me wrong, I like things tidy, but I guess with 3, I have to give up. Otherwise I can spend my entire day chasing after them cleaning, standing at the sink doing dishes, putzing around trying to keep up with the house. But at the end of the day, it all really doesn't matter. I don't want my kids to remember me as crazy cleaning mom. I want to spend that time with them. But man, this drives me crazy. Like the counters full of random things.

A dining room table full...(and not of food and guests)

And a dishwasher full of large items...I typically 'do' all the large items and load the little ones. But, this is one thing I have to let go of. And here you have it. Pots and pans, platters, racks etc in the dishwasher. I now am running it once a day, sometimes twice. But it prevents me from standing at the sink half the day. I know this is all a bit ridiculous, but they are things I have always done and now with all the directions I'm being pulled I have to let go. So here I am confessing that my house is a disaster when we are home for the day!

Disclaimer: This is not intended to scare anyone that is pregnant or working on the second or third precious little baby. Because every second of the chaos is worth it.

Swimming

2011-09-01T20:40:00.001-07:00

Zackary, Lane, Chloe, and I spent the day swimming at my Grandmother's house with my family in town from Oregon. Zackary is absolutely in love with his cousins. And boy did we get quite the diving show from the three of them. They were making up all different crazy dives and jumping in together. My personal favorite was "the noodle." Here we were having a popsicle break.

I can't get enough of how cute Chloe's swimsuit is. This is the first time she got to wear it and probably the last. It is getting a bit too tight.

I learned that I still have some diving skills. I did teach Emma how to do a back dive. And, yes I even did it myself off the edge of the pool!

Morning Breakfast

2011-08-26T21:45:00.001-07:00

Yes, you are seeing this picture correctly, you are probably wondering why you are looking at a picture of a Fiber One brownie in our bed and a pudding cup on the bathroom counter. This is how we wake up every morning. Lane brings us something to open for him to eat. He wakes up and sneaks downstairs to help himself to breakfast, but he just can't quite open them yet. Usually he makes a good breakfast choice, like a Nurti-Grain Bar or Granola Bar, cereal (which he will bring up a bowl and spoon), or a bagel. These didn't get opened because I made him go get something else and I have to hide them in our bed. Just writing this makes me laugh (today he brought up a ring pop, which is now sitting in the baby organizer on my night stand). This makes me crazy at 6 am, but I know we will always laugh about it.

Simplify

2011-08-23T21:46:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to make a lot of changes around here, mainly to decrease my stress level. I get tied up and often preoccupied with "stuff" and "things" that need to get done (like cleaning off the counter, and not having dishes in the sink all day). But this is what I need to be doing. Focusing on my precious little children. One of my first changes is to pre plan meals (which I should have been doing all along, for many different reasons). I tend to stand at the frig or pantry at 4:30 when it is complete chaos and decide what I ~~don't~~ want to make. The last thing you want to do at the end of a crazy day is to figure out what to cook for dinner. So I have decided to plan ahead at the beginning of the week. We plan a few meals and expect some left overs or possibly take out for the other days. So in the morning, when everyone is happy and has their good listening ears on we make dinner. Here I have a great picture of Zackary entertaining Chloe while Lane and I did the cooking. It worked out perfect and I just have to throw dinner in the oven in the afternoon. And boy has this helped so much. We have a good dinner and every one gets to participate.

4 Months

2011-08-22T21:44:00.001-07:00

Miss Chloe is already 4 months. I swear that each baby grows up faster than the other. The time flies faster. Where does it go? I guess we are so busy that each day sneaks up on us and passes so fast. What a fun age. I guess I say this at every age, it really just gets better and better. Chloe had here 4 month check and weighs 14 lbs 12 ozs and is 25 1/4 inches long. She is following right along her 60 % for weight and 80% for height. She had to have 4 shots but she handled them pretty well, I probably had a harder time with them...

As you can see Chloe is rolling from back to front she actually started rolling last week. It seems so early to me for this to happen. She decided one day to start practicing and did it the next day. Not much practicing for her! She is all smiles, she loves to chat and do her little dinosaur squeal. She loves our "dance parties" and is completely entertained watching her brothers. She is sleeping very well, she likes to go to bed around 7 and wakes up sometime between 3-5 usually then goes back to sleep until 9ish. It's nice because in the morning I get some time to get the boys breakfast and lets us have some play time together.

I have to show a picture of her skullett. Her hair is so long and thick on the bottom and pretty thin on top. She is finally growing some hair on top. It really is quite the look!

Agave pups

2011-08-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

I was pretty impressed by this agave we have. It shot up quite the "bean stalk" as Zackary called it, probably about 20 feet high, no joke. Not only that but it is completely full of agave pups. This was pretty amazing to watch grow this spring. Aaron chopped it down today and we plucked all the pups off and he is going to take them to work to give away.

Ruffles and Rolling

2011-08-17T20:31:00.001-07:00

So my new favorite thing besides bows is ruffles. I love them! This dress might be the cutest little thing and her little ruffle butt she is wearing under it was so dang cute (please excuse the bad pics again, it's too hot to take pictures outside and my house lighting is no good).

So my little lady decided she was going to roll over all the sudden. She only practiced for a day. Now she can't get enough of rolling to her belly. She hasn't figured out how to get back yet, luckily she in content on her belly watching those big brothers of hers.

Here is the full outfit...so cute right...Thanks Christina.

2 peas in a pod. These 2 can't get enough of each other.

3 Munches

2011-08-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

My 3 little rascals...These are just some funny little shots of them. Please excuse the horrible photos but they captured the morning. Chloe was having a nice little swing ride and the boys decided she needed ~~a few~~ all of her toys. She really doesn't care about toys yet, but they think she really likes them. Obviously she didn't mind them because she ended up falling asleep and taking a nice little nap.

And here is my little muscle man...really what 4 year old is ripped like this? Remember here and here when I was writing about his huge muscles at age 1 and 2? Well they are just getting bigger and bigger. I think a lot of it is related to horse man (more on that later). I really am in awe of those little muscles.

And my little Laner... all sass right now but so dang cute.

Pre School

2011-08-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

So here is my big boy in PreK. I can't believe it...PreK? Really? We decided to change preschools this year to Totspot for a few different reasons and we are very happy with the new school. The boys did a weekly summer camp here and loved it. So now we go 3 afternoons a week. Zackary is loving school. He looks forward to going and his loving his new teachers and all the activities they do. This kid could paint and do crafts all day! Let me tell you...I love little kid art and writing letters. I love the brand new handwriting.

I can't get enough!

We decided to put Lane into preschool this year. I know it is a little early for him but he loves it. It all started towards the end of school last year when he insisted we pack him a lunch box too. He always wanted to go into school with Zackary. He got a little taste of preschool with the summer camps and I'm not sure he would go for us just dropping Zackary off. Luckily this preschool started a 2's class at the same time as the Pre K class. Perfect, right? I figure since we are battling naps and going to bed preschool during nap time should work out great. And so far so good, its been perfect. He is learning so much already and gets some time by himself learning and not competing with his big brother. He actually gets to be 2. I can't tell you how much I love hearing him sing songs and do little dances he learned at school.

I love to see him so proud of himself.

And yes, he does insist on wearing his back pack the entire 3 hours.

Baby Pterodactyl

2011-08-07T22:03:00.003-07:00

So Chloe has found her sweet little voice. Actually, it's her insanely loud squeaky voice. And boy is it awesome. It makes me laugh so hard every time. We have decided it surely sounds like what a baby Pterodactyl sounded like. She does it all day long. We had a day of shopping and she did it throughout the mall. Everyone thinks she is upset but she is just talking away happy as can be.

She will make herself heard in this house full of boys!

Oh, and I had to show off her super cute outfit!

Puppy dog eyes

2011-08-04T21:52:00.002-07:00

How am I supposed to resist these sad eyes? I don't even remember what he was sad about but he looked so dang cute I had to take a picture.

And yes that is still Monkey (read about him here or here), he still loves that ratty little thing so much, especially the tail.

Bows

2011-08-01T21:51:00.001-07:00

Here's my little lady sporting one of her new bows. She has more bows than I know what to do with. Yes, she wears one every day. I try to change them up, but I have my favorites. And I really do enjoy making them. I know I get a little obnoxious with them sometimes, but man are they cute. Girl stuff is so fun!

Love

2011-07-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Man does this little boy LOVE his little sister. He spends half his day right in her face starring, talking, and singing with her. He is such an amazing little person. He is so sweet and caring, boy do I love these kids.

New Tricks

2011-07-24T21:13:00.001-07:00

Here is some of Zackary's new tricks. Flipping on the trampoline. I must say, I was quite impressed when I saw it for the first time. Well, to be honest the first time was from our ottoman to our couch, I know scary right? Needless to say, I better get this kid in gymnastics soon!

3 Months

2011-07-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our Chloe girl is 3 months old. And wow is she one amazing baby girl. She might be the best baby. I can say the boys were easy babies, but I can really say Chloe is EASY. She is such a blessing to our family.

She is sleeping great, usually about and 8 hour stretch at the beginning of the night then a 4 hour block. She goes to bed between 7:30-8:30 and we usually get up between 2-4 for her first feeding. She wakes up so happy and ready to talk and squeal. She loves watching her brothers play, she even tolerates them constantly in her face. She also loves having conversations with us. Man, I love this girl.

I had to have a full body shot. She is getting so big. Gotta love all the little chub.

Bellies and Bows

2011-07-21T21:18:00.003-07:00

I love, love, love little bows on girls. So of course mine will always have one in...at least as long as she will tolerate them. Chloe has discovered her hands and her clothes. She is always grabbing her dresses and pulling them up to show off her yummy little belly. And she is starting to chew on her hands and fingers. Bring on the drool!

4 Generations

2011-07-20T21:15:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Grandma Mina's 82rd birthday today. The family headed out for a yummy lunch and good company. And here you have it. 4 generations all sitting together. I am so lucky to have my grandmother so close and that I got to have her all growing up. Now she gets to meet my beautiful family. This doesn't happen very often and I am so lucky to have 2 wonderful grandmothers to share my babies with.
Happy Birthday Grams! I love you!

Our family

2011-07-20T16:22:00.001-07:00

This is our family from Zackary's perspective. In order of birthdays.

Today

2011-07-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today is a sucky day. I'm going to be totally honest. Every year on THIS day, I can say it sucks. Regardless of what happens I HATE this day... 12 years ago today I lost my older brother Jason. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him and what he would have been like, or what we would be doing together with our families. Or how my kids could have had more cousins and I could have more wonderful little nieces and nephews running around. How my parents could have more little grand kids to love on.

Yes, I understand I'm assuming a lot that could have been. Maybe he would not have wanted kids or he wouldn't be doing what I imagined, but dang it, why didn't we get to see what he could have done or who he could have been as a grown man. It makes me sad that my children will never get to meet him. I know my 'why' questions won't ever get answered (at least not now). And dang it I have lots. Why did he have to suffer? Why so young?

Why? Why? Why?

I MISS HIM.

I hate that he is gone, I hate that I remember this day 12 years ago like it was yesterday. How sad my entire family was (and still is), what we did for the next couple of days after. How I had to hear my parents cry so hard and be so sad.
Time does heal, but it is always difficult for us. I can't even begin to imagine how my parents felt. I know that it is even more painful for them. I however am so thankful that they have healed together and made their marriage work through everything they went through.

I thank God everyday for the great things He has given me, health, family, friends, etc. I pray that we never have to go through something like this again. I am so thankful for the family I have and how incredibly wonderful they all are. I try to cherish everyday, even the difficult ones and remember how great things in my life are.
This all has made me a better person, much more understanding, and more appreciative of the good things.

Jason I love you and miss you so much...

Lizard Habitat

2011-07-17T21:10:00.001-07:00

We are really trying to get creative this summer, entertaining inside is a bit more challenging. Today Aaron and the boys made a lizard habitat for all !the toy lizards. They hunted a box, rocks, and some other supplies, made grass and water out of construction paper and viola! Hours of entertainment.

Recycling

2011-07-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today Aaron was asked to make an airport. Zackary requested that it be like the one he plays with at Nana's house. Including a terminal, runway, hanger, and tower. So Aaron went at it. This is what the final product was. I was quite impressed. I would have just made a runway, maybe a hanger. It provided hours of fun. Boxes, duct tape, and creativity make for great toys.

Lounging

2011-07-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Cute little Otis taking a little nap. As if he needs one, he pretty much sleeps all day.
I love when he sleeps on his back, it always makes me laugh.

Perfect Pink Piggies

2011-07-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

All things girly lately at our house. Yes, I did it. I painted her little piggies pink and they are oh so yummy. I love it! Don't worry, the paint is for kids and is non-toxic and odorless and she is not eating her toes.

My beautiful, happy little girl!

Jail Bird

2011-07-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Zackary spent the night in his little jail tent. He made it the entire night. I love bedroom camp outs. I'm sure this is just the beginning of house camping with 2 boys.

Jewelry

2011-07-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Is this the sweetest little bangle bracelet or what? Oma and Opa got it for Chloe when she was born. It says Jesus Loves Me and it is engraved with her name and birthday. It is too cute and it already fits. She wore it for the first time today. You are never too young for jewelry.

Car wash

2011-07-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

I must say I'm pretty proud of my awesome handmade car wash. I'm not sure why we spend so much money on toys when you can use a box out of the recycling bin, an old towel, and duct tape to make a totally awesome toy that provided hours of entertainment for 2 little boys.

6 AM

2011-07-05T21:45:00.001-07:00

This is what a 2 year old does when everyone else is sleeping at 6am. Here is the little trail Aaron found as he came down the stairs.
Here is the wide open pantry he was rummaging through (please excuse the mess, I can't keep the pantry organized of my life depended on it).

He got a bowl of trail mix and a bowl of craisans. Lane is really into bowls of food right now. He picks his own bowl for everything he eats lately.

At least he was productive and fed the dog. He didn't make too big of a mess.

Oh, then he got into the refrigerator and got his own glass of milk. Yes, he poured it himself. He is 2! Mr. Independent himself that was supposed to be playing quietly upstairs while the rest of us lazy butts couldn't get out of bed.

I really need to get out of bed in the morning!

Weenies: Kyna this ones for you!

2011-06-23T22:40:00.001-07:00

I know this is a totally random post. But, it is meant to make you laugh, at least we think its funny. A friend posted here about how her dog loves his "Lufa dog" well Otis loves his lufa dogs too. So much that he has quite the collection. We have always called them Weenie, so here you have it.
Here is the group shot.

Surfer Weenie

Snowman Weenie

Camo Weenie

Mrs. Claus Weenie

Save the Tatas Weenie

Reindeer Weenie

Mini Christmas Weenie

Wannabe Weenie

Slinky Weenie

2 Months

2011-06-22T21:39:00.001-07:00

Wow, Miss Chloe girl is already 2 months old. I can't believe it. Time is flying even faster that ever. She is growing up way too fast. But man, I love every new stage so much. She is smiling like crazy and talking and cooing all day long. She is such a happy and content baby. She truly is amazing. I couldn't ask for a better baby. I weighed her the other day and she was 11 lbs 6 ozs, growing like crazy and getting some nice little rolls. She loves tummy time, chatting with her brothers and Mr. Fan. She is such a trooper, she gets carted around in the heat pretty much every day and doesn't complain. I love her!

My baby girl DOES have petite little paws! I love them against Lane's big paws.

Babies

2011-06-21T21:40:00.001-07:00

It is sure a good thing my friend Christina offered up her swing for us. It sure gets put to good use, even when baby Chloe isn't utilizing it. I find these creepy baby dolls Aunty Lou gave the boys having a good time in all the different baby toys.

New Findings

2011-06-18T21:44:00.001-07:00

This is what brings so much joy to my sweet little girl. Meet Mr. Fan. He is AWESOME.

Besides Mr. Fan, Zackary can sure make Miss Chloe smile and talk. I love to hear her talk to her brothers. They sure think it is pretty neat too.

Worn Out

2011-06-15T21:45:00.001-07:00

I think Lane was worn out from his first day of preschool. Well, not real preschool but a preschool summer camp where he is getting education is separated from his brother. He really enjoys it after the initial leaving Mom and Bubba period.

Here is his first art projects that we got to hang up in our playroom. I love them!

Archer

2011-06-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

This archer pose newborns do is one of my all time favorites. I think it is so cute. I just had to take a picture so I can remember these little things.

Smiles

2011-06-04T22:44:00.001-07:00

Miss Chloe Girl is starting to smile. Well actually she started last weekend, at only 5 weeks old I kept second guessing what I was seeing. Here was my attempt to try and capture a smile. If you could have only seen it. Me with my big camera, talking really silly, and dancing around attempting for her to smile on command. I wasn't successful in getting a smile but I think the pictures are pretty dang cute, oh, and she had a super cute outfit on. Here's my pretty girl. I will get the smile one of these days.

Mommy Lesson 146

2011-06-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

I decided I'm going to start writing about my Mommy lessons I learn as I go. I have several I will start blogging about. These are going to be about my adventures with my 3 children. My pediatrician told me something funny when I was there for Chloe's first appointment...I didn't have to come for a 1 week check because I was an experienced mom. This makes me laugh because I feel like I learn so many new things every day and when I think I have something figured out, they change it up and throw me for a loop. I just started this mommy thing 4 years ago, I'm not sure that qualifies me as experienced.
So here it goes...I hope you get a kick out of my mommy mishaps.
Mommy Lesson 146
DON'T GIVE A 2 YEAR OLD SILLY PUTTY UNSUPERVISED, OR AT ALL

Because they will stick it in their hair, and it's not easy to get out!

Lane wanted to take it in the car with us, I figured there really was no reason he couldn't take it. Silly Putty is fun to play with, right? We were getting out of the car and he is a little upset about his hair. It took me a little to realize it was because he had a huge chunk stuck in the back of his hair. Not sure what to do, since we were meeting a friend for breakfast and I didn't have any supplies to dissolve silly putty out of hair in my pocket, we left it alone and enjoyed breakfast. We were headed home and I figured he would fall asleep in the car and if everything worked out he would transfer to his bed (mommy lesson on that one to come). I didn't want silly putty in his bed too. So I broke down and cut it out. I was a little sad, but I learned my lesson...DON'T EVEN BUY SILLY PUTTY.

Work

2011-06-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day. We started off the day with a good friend at The Coffee Shop for some breakfast and coffee. Then we headed home to meet Nana. She picked up Zackary for his very first day of work at the hardware store. This brings back such great memories for me. I remember running the cash register and selling plants out front when I was about this big. She brought him a band spankin new TrueValue shirt to put on, I packed his lunch, and he headed out the door for work. He was so thrilled to go. His job today was to put all the trucks, tractors, planes etc. on the display shelf. This is a shelf that Zackary is very fond of every time he goes to the store. He was paid 1 dollar, a blue tractor, and a snake. Notice it around his neck. It looks very real and freaks me out just a little.

This is one proud little hardware man. Taking after his ever so special Papa.

While Zackary was a work, Lane and I got some much needed one on one time with each other. We played the elephant game, watched a show, had a snack, then headed outside. We had a great time just the two of us (Chloe was having a nice little nap during all this). I love this little rascal.

2

2011-06-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

Look at this little guy, can he get any more delicious? He is such a good little boy, but man is he giving us a run for our money lately. Aaron's folks say he is like a little replica of Aaron when he was little.
So I know where it comes from.

He is 2 going on at least 4. He is watching and learning everything from his big brother Zackary. He and we forget that he is only 2. We tend to expect him to act like a 4 year old and he just isn't. Us forgetting that he is only 2 is probably most of the problem, because he really is a good kid. The boys play really well together, we only have our occasional fight over toys, which I expect with siblings.
He has the cutest little eyes and boy does he use them on us when he is in trouble. Our boys really don't respond to time out, time in, yelling, threats of not going somewhere or getting something. So tomorrow we are starting a new discipline program. Hopefully it is his (and Zackary's) "currency" right now. MONEY! We will be using dimes. They will start off with 10 in a jar. When we see good behavior (sharing, listening) they will earn a dime. If we see bad behavior (physical, multiple warnings) they will loose dimes, 1 or 2 depending in the offence. At the end of the week whatever is in their jar they get to give a little, save a little, and spend a little. We will see how this goes, they are both really into coins right now.

Newborn Photo Session

2011-05-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

I love photo sessions with my babies. People probably think I get a little carried away sometimes having them done so often, but I don't think so. I want to remember every single moment I can of my littles. They are so precious to me and my family is so important. And while I can take pictures with my sweet camera, they just don't look the same. Of course, because I am a nurse not a photographer. So here is the slide show of my precious and delicious little lady.

http://kmephoto.myshowit.com/chloe2011

I can't wait to get the announcement out and create a gallery of the last 2 family photo shoots we have done. That's next on the project list.

Shorts

2011-05-24T21:36:00.002-07:00

What's wrong here?

This cracks me up every time I look at it. Lane is beginning to want to dress himself. Usually I help him, but today he decided to put on Zackary's pajama shorts that were just laying on the floor all by himself. I couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong with they way he was wearing them until I got up close. He had one leg around his waist and his legs in the one leg whole and the other in the waist of the shorts (does that make any sense?). He insisted on wearing them the rest of the evening while continually pulling them back up. I really laugh every time I see this picture.

One Proud Big Brother

2011-05-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

I think Zackary is IN LOVE! He is sure one proud big brother, this is how he spends a lot of his day. Hovering over his new little sister. He is so gentle (as much as a 4 year old is) and such a great helper for me. I love to see him in ah over her, I hope it continues forever.

We were siting outside, of course. I had to throw in this picture, I love this tree, it looks amazing right now!

1 Month

2011-05-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

Today Chloe is 1 month. Wow, I feel like she was just born. This has been one pretty amazing and crazy month. And despite the craziness and chaos, I have loved every second of it. It is absolutley amazing to have a little girl. She is a perfect addition to our family. Today we spent the day together as a family. We headed out to Desert Breeze to ride the train and carousel. Chloe's first time and she slept in her roo pouch (Moby Wrap) through the whole thing. We spent the rest of the day at home enjoying eachothers company.

Chloe is such an amazing little girl.

She is so tolerant of her brothers constantly hovering over her and giving her sloppy wet kisses and holding her hands.
She is eating every 2.5 to 3 hours and is growing super fast (I will get stats in a couple of days). She is starting to get little rolls on her arms and legs.
She loves her dresses, bows, and bracelets!
She loves snuggling but also loves her time all sprawled out.
She is always making the cutest little squeaks and loves to grunt just like her brother Zackary did.
She enjoys (at least Zackary thinks) sucking on Zackary's finger.

Chloe we love you so much!

Out With the Old

2011-05-21T21:17:00.003-07:00

We finally did it. We broke down and got a new couch. I loved this blue couch in our old house, it fit and matched perfect. However, in this house it just never really did anything for me and to be honest it really wasn't all that comfortable. Little blue was moved upstairs into the loft (now when people come over and we are playing upstairs we won't have to sit on the floor).
This is our new Big Kahuna! It is huge, comfy, and beautiful. It looks great in our living room. Now I'm thinking I might have to change up the colors...
Isn't she a beauty!

Outfits

2011-05-20T21:20:00.003-07:00

I know this is totally lame and the pictures aren't that great, and after she wears all this size of clothes I will stop taking pictures of every outfit. I just love the zebra print baby legs. I was cold enough to actually get to wear them. And this, a baby shrug. So dang cute.

Sharing

2011-05-20T16:33:00.001-07:00

At least they figured out a way to share something important.

Dresses

2011-05-17T22:03:00.002-07:00

Another picture of my sweet little lady. She pretty much is dolled up everyday. Today her and I did a little shopping together. I love getting her all dressed up and taking pictures. Here we were just sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather tonight and watching her brothers play.

Oh, and I'm obsessed with making bows. They are so dang cute.

Horseshoe

2011-05-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Who shaved my baby girls head?
I finally got a picture of my sweet little lady's male pattern balding. Actually she came out this way and the top is growing is really fast. I kept saying I felt like I was carrying really low and I'm pretty sure she rubbed all the hair off the top of her head. No worries though, all her pretty little bows cover it nicely.

Sugar

2011-05-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Here is my Little Sugar. This is what we have been calling her, I have even heard Zackary call her this. I had her all dolled up so I decided to play with my camera and new lens. I can't get over the girly clothes and bows. I had a friend make her some super cute bracelets. How cute is that?

This is how Chloe spends most of her day. With her big brother hovering over her, kissing, and loving on her. So far she is loving him, or at least tolerates it very well. If she is fussing he is over singing to her holding her hand. It really is the cutest thing to see siblings getting along. I love my littles!

ISR Graduation

2011-05-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

We finished ISR Swimming for the 3rd time. I still can't get over how amazing this swimming program is. Zackary is an excellent swimmer, this year was a short refresher course. He really only needed a week but we kept him in for an extra week since Lane still needed a second week. And Lane, well he is full blown swimming. It is really unbelievable to see a 2 year old swim across a pool without any problem and flip over to take a breath. We found an awesome instructor in our neighborhood this year and she was amazing with both boys. They had a great time. Now we just need to start the swimming season. Here are some pictures she took of the boys swimming together on the last day. They had a great time competing with each other to see who was faster.

This was Lane's famous jump off the step, he did it every time. I think he did it just to make a big splash and watch us laugh each time.

Chloe Girl

2011-05-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

I am in love. Chloe looked so cute today I had to take pictures. We are already moving up to the next size of clothes and boy does she have some super cute ones for 3 month size. She looked beautiful in her white dress and bow today. I can't believe she is already 2 weeks old. The time is already going so fast. One of my favorite things is snuggling a newborn baby. I am soaking up every moment I can get. Aaron has been home to help with the boys so I get a little extra time with my little girl.

I love this little girl!

My New Beauty

2011-05-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

I got an extra special Mother's Day gift this year. This pendant is a beautiful symbol of my special family. I have always wanted to be a Mom, I never thought it would be such a wonderful job. My family means the world to me. I can say, it can be trying at times but worth every difficult moment. I love my family!
Thanks for such a great Mother's Day.

Squirt Guns?

2011-05-07T20:20:00.001-07:00

Who needs squirt guns when you have spray bottles. The boys got a hold of Aaron's grillin squirt bottle and figured out that it made for some great fun. We headed out to the Hardware Store for some more. They even picked one out for a friend of theirs.

We have been having some good family fun with our new water guns!

Where's the baby?

2011-05-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Chloe's big brothers are a big help. Lane decided to share his special blankets and give her a stuffed animal to play with. I look over and can hardly see my baby. She already puts up with a lot. They are only trying to help.

Fiesta

2011-05-06T20:20:00.001-07:00

Check out this spread! We were invited to a Cinco De Mayo party at some good friends of ours Dylan and Stacy. They made some amazing Mexican food and we had some delicious margaritas. It's really sad that this is the only picture I took. Thanks guys for the great dinner party!

Mothers Day at School

2011-05-05T21:11:00.002-07:00

Today we celebrated Mother's Day at preschool. Mother's Day is pretty amazing when it actually means something to your baby. The kids sang us some songs, my baby served me punch, and gave me hand massages. My favorite was when he asked me if it needed to be stronger or softer. It was so cute and he was so into treating me so special. He made me this fabulous hat to shade me and I got a painted tile and special card. I love this little guy!

Ladybugs

2011-05-03T21:04:00.001-07:00

Aaron picked up some ladybugs to release in our garden. The boys were thrilled with the containers full of ladybugs. We released them in our garden. Hopefully they stick around for the season.

Just Relaxing

2011-05-02T20:42:00.001-07:00

Here is Chloe. Just hanging out on the couch, relaxing, with it all hanging out. I think it is so funny that she doesn't care if she has a blanket and has no desire to be swaddled. Love her!

Chloe's Room

2011-05-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

Finally, I took pictures of the nursery. I love it! It turned out so cute. My Mom is in the process of making some super cute curtains and a chair cushion for my old rocking chair.

I will have to post more pictures when they are up.

Remember the old chandelier? It is up and working and she loves to look at it.

Male Bonding

2011-05-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is what Andi and I look out the window to witness. Head shaving in front of the kids. Hopefully the kids didn't get any ideas. Next, they busted out the shop vac to clean up, Aaron even used it on Scott.

Party On

2011-04-30T20:36:00.002-07:00

Tonight we celebrated my Aunt Cindy's birthday with a surprise party at an Irish Pub. What a great time with all of our family and their closest friends. It was really nice to get out with everyone. Unky Matt was even in town. We took little Chloe along since she is only 8 days old. She was a little trooper.

Happy Birthday Cindy!

What a proud Daddy and his sweet baby girl.

Chloe 6 Days Old

2011-04-28T16:13:00.001-07:00

Wow this last week has gone by so fast. Chloe is already 6 days old. And what a wonderful 6 days it has been. We are figuring out all her little ways and settling into some sort of routine. At least as much as a newborn has. Eating, sleeping, and pooing. She is sure loved by her family and her big brothers are taking such good care of her and are being a big help. Aaron has taken 2 weeks off work and boy has it helped. I can't imagine this week without him here.

I actually have been able to get some sleep and I am feeling really good.

Here is what I have figured out about Miss Chloe...
She doesn't like to be swaddled (what baby doesn't like to be swaddled?)
She always had her hands up at her face or is holding her own hands, so cute
She burps best with one arm elevated
She loves to sleep
And she is oh so cute!

Lane and Zackary are loving to hold her. They are such great big brothers.