2.23.2008
So Close...
Yesterday Chloe was walking along the couch (for those of you who don't know we have a sectional) and when she approached the corner, she turned facing the other side of the couch and took 3 steps diagonally to the other side of the couch. I just happened to be standing there and started screaming when I realized what she did. ;) She looked up at me with a huge grin on her face, but honestly I don't think she had a clue what she did. She was going so fast that she didn't even realize she had taken steps without holding on to something. Andy and I tried to get her to do it again and of course, no such luck! ;) I don't know if this qualifies as her first "official" steps, but I have a feeling that she will be walking around here very soon!
I also noticed 2 little bottom teeth ready to pop through any day now. It seems like she has been teething since she was born and finally there will be something to show for the endless amounts of drool she generates! ;) Funny thing is, Bella's bottom 2 teeth came in together as well. :)
In other news, I've tried so hard to stay well in the midst of people dropping like flies from the nasty bugs going around, but unfortunately, one of them finally got me! It's the upper respiratory thing and it hit me pretty hard on Thursday evening. Yesterday I was miserable, and so far today I feel about the same. We are going to lay low today and hopefully I can get a little extra rest in. I'm hoping that I can do a little photo shoot with the girls today as well. I think these will be the last "toothless" smiles I get from Chloe and I want to make sure to get some good ones! :)
I also noticed 2 little bottom teeth ready to pop through any day now. It seems like she has been teething since she was born and finally there will be something to show for the endless amounts of drool she generates! ;) Funny thing is, Bella's bottom 2 teeth came in together as well. :)
In other news, I've tried so hard to stay well in the midst of people dropping like flies from the nasty bugs going around, but unfortunately, one of them finally got me! It's the upper respiratory thing and it hit me pretty hard on Thursday evening. Yesterday I was miserable, and so far today I feel about the same. We are going to lay low today and hopefully I can get a little extra rest in. I'm hoping that I can do a little photo shoot with the girls today as well. I think these will be the last "toothless" smiles I get from Chloe and I want to make sure to get some good ones! :)
2.15.2008
New Post!
I started my "come back" post on the 4th and just got around to finishing it tonight. I didn't realize that when I published it it would post on the date I originally started it, so in order to see it you have to scroll down a bit.
Just didn't want everyone to miss it... ;)
Just didn't want everyone to miss it... ;)
2.14.2008
2.04.2008
I'm back!
So it seems as though I took an unintentional hiatus from blogging, but hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and keep up with posting a little better. We have had so much going on lately that it would take forever to cover it all (plus it might be a little boring to read), so instead of giving you a rundown of our last month of life, I will try to highlight a few of the more interesting things...
There is a long story behind it, but the end result was that Bella got to have pink hair (pink streaked hair to be exact) for the weekend, compliments of Grandma Dean! :)
Now I know some of you will be shocked that we let our 5 year old have pink hair, if only for the weekend, but all I can say is "get used to it" because in case you didn't already know, we are just "those" kind of parents. ;)
Our pink haired 5 year old is doing very well in school. She is officially reading and continues to amaze us every day by reading things that we honestly didn't think she could. She reads to her sister and reads every night before going to bed. Her teacher stopped me last week to tell me how impressed she was with Bella's learning. She said that she even called her up to read to the class one day and was shocked when Bella stood up and read then entire story that she had to the class. I have to admit that hearing that story made my mommy heart very proud! :)
Little Chloe is giving us a run for our money to say the least. She has been on the move for almost 2 months now...officially crawling since December and for about a month now, cruising the couch, walls, and anything else she can hold on to. She can even climb the stairs! It's so much fun to see her little (or should I say big) personality develop. We can already tell that she is so much different than Bella...the amazing part is that we love her just same! :)
We have a new name for her as well...she has officially been deemed, "Werebaby" (as in Werewolf). She is one of the happiest babies you will meet during the day, but as soon as bed time rolls around it's like she transforms into a completely different creature. She goes to sleep in her crib with little protest and sleeps for about 2 hours...that's when the fun begins! ;) After 2 or so hours of sleep she wakes up screaming (and when I say "screaming", I mean SCREAMING). On occasion she can be coaxed back to sleep with the fetching of the pacifier which she has thrown half way across her room (not over exaggerating), but usually it takes a few minutes of nursing for her to calm down. Once she gets what she wants she falls back into a peaceful sleep for oh...2 or so hours. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
Somehow despite 8 months without a full nights rest I am still alive. Before Chloe joined our family, I honestly thought that a baby that didn't sleep would equal death for me, but as I know many other parents can attest to, somehow, you just manage. I also have to give Andy and I kudos because besides the occasional melt down, we are maintaining quite the sense of humor about the whole thing. We may not be doing much other than surviving at this point, but we still manage to laugh about it. ;)
I can't leave this topic without saying that as desperate as I am to sleep through the night, sitting in a rocking chair, nursing my precious baby girl that I prayed so hard for and waited so long for, being so silent and still that I can hear each breath she takes and feel her heart beating against my chest, have become some of my most treasured moments as a mom.
Here are a few pictures of our little mover and shaker...
Work has been extremely busy for me, but really good at the same time. I have taken on a new role (in addition to my current ones) recently and am now producing Sunday services along with my coworker Nicki. At first I was a bit hesitant, feeling like I wasn't qualified to do something like that, but the more I do it, the more comfortable I am, and I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit. The down side to it is that I have to be at the church at 7 a.m. on Sunday mornings. It has actually worked out pretty good since Andy has been playing guitar on the worship team, because he has to be there at seven as well. We are completely exhausted by the time we get home, but honestly, it's so worth it and we are feeling so blessed to be a part of something we love so much!
Our life really fills so full right now and I would be lying if I said we didn't feel overwhelmed sometimes, but for the most part we feel so blessed by each and every part of our life. Our girls bring us so much joy and we have been spending more time with them and as a family in the last few months than ever before. I know that it has come at the sacrifice of time spent with friends and extended family, but it's something I wouldn't trade for the world right now.
Andy and I have both recently realized just how quickly Bella is growing up and we want to do everything we can to make sure she knows just how much we love her, how special she is to us and how much we believe in her. We are facing a whole new set of issues as she gets older, and while it's a bit scary at times, we continue to trust our instincts, talk things out and do our best to parent in the way we feel God is leading us to. We also want to make sure that we make the best of the time we have with our kiddos as we know that all too soon they will have a million other things they would rather be doing than hanging out with their mom and dad! ;)
Before I wrap this up I just have to comment on what an incredible big sister Bella is! She recently said to me, "I just love my sister SO much. I never knew I could love her as much as I do." It absolutely melted my heart to hear her say those words. I know it won't always be this good, but even as Chloe rips to shreds a picture she has just colored, empties the books off her bookshelf, or eats half of her art project from school, she still wraps her arms around her and says, "Sissy, I love you so much!" Here is one of my favorite recent pictures of the girls cuddling on the couch...
I know this was a long post, but like I said before, hopefully this will be the start of my blogging comeback! ;)
Even though we may not be the best at keeping in touch as much as we would like to, please know that we love our friends and family so much and that we think of you all often.
All our love!! :)
The crazy McMinn's!
There is a long story behind it, but the end result was that Bella got to have pink hair (pink streaked hair to be exact) for the weekend, compliments of Grandma Dean! :)
Now I know some of you will be shocked that we let our 5 year old have pink hair, if only for the weekend, but all I can say is "get used to it" because in case you didn't already know, we are just "those" kind of parents. ;)
Our pink haired 5 year old is doing very well in school. She is officially reading and continues to amaze us every day by reading things that we honestly didn't think she could. She reads to her sister and reads every night before going to bed. Her teacher stopped me last week to tell me how impressed she was with Bella's learning. She said that she even called her up to read to the class one day and was shocked when Bella stood up and read then entire story that she had to the class. I have to admit that hearing that story made my mommy heart very proud! :)
Little Chloe is giving us a run for our money to say the least. She has been on the move for almost 2 months now...officially crawling since December and for about a month now, cruising the couch, walls, and anything else she can hold on to. She can even climb the stairs! It's so much fun to see her little (or should I say big) personality develop. We can already tell that she is so much different than Bella...the amazing part is that we love her just same! :)
We have a new name for her as well...she has officially been deemed, "Werebaby" (as in Werewolf). She is one of the happiest babies you will meet during the day, but as soon as bed time rolls around it's like she transforms into a completely different creature. She goes to sleep in her crib with little protest and sleeps for about 2 hours...that's when the fun begins! ;) After 2 or so hours of sleep she wakes up screaming (and when I say "screaming", I mean SCREAMING). On occasion she can be coaxed back to sleep with the fetching of the pacifier which she has thrown half way across her room (not over exaggerating), but usually it takes a few minutes of nursing for her to calm down. Once she gets what she wants she falls back into a peaceful sleep for oh...2 or so hours. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
Somehow despite 8 months without a full nights rest I am still alive. Before Chloe joined our family, I honestly thought that a baby that didn't sleep would equal death for me, but as I know many other parents can attest to, somehow, you just manage. I also have to give Andy and I kudos because besides the occasional melt down, we are maintaining quite the sense of humor about the whole thing. We may not be doing much other than surviving at this point, but we still manage to laugh about it. ;)
I can't leave this topic without saying that as desperate as I am to sleep through the night, sitting in a rocking chair, nursing my precious baby girl that I prayed so hard for and waited so long for, being so silent and still that I can hear each breath she takes and feel her heart beating against my chest, have become some of my most treasured moments as a mom.
Here are a few pictures of our little mover and shaker...
Work has been extremely busy for me, but really good at the same time. I have taken on a new role (in addition to my current ones) recently and am now producing Sunday services along with my coworker Nicki. At first I was a bit hesitant, feeling like I wasn't qualified to do something like that, but the more I do it, the more comfortable I am, and I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit. The down side to it is that I have to be at the church at 7 a.m. on Sunday mornings. It has actually worked out pretty good since Andy has been playing guitar on the worship team, because he has to be there at seven as well. We are completely exhausted by the time we get home, but honestly, it's so worth it and we are feeling so blessed to be a part of something we love so much!
Our life really fills so full right now and I would be lying if I said we didn't feel overwhelmed sometimes, but for the most part we feel so blessed by each and every part of our life. Our girls bring us so much joy and we have been spending more time with them and as a family in the last few months than ever before. I know that it has come at the sacrifice of time spent with friends and extended family, but it's something I wouldn't trade for the world right now.
Andy and I have both recently realized just how quickly Bella is growing up and we want to do everything we can to make sure she knows just how much we love her, how special she is to us and how much we believe in her. We are facing a whole new set of issues as she gets older, and while it's a bit scary at times, we continue to trust our instincts, talk things out and do our best to parent in the way we feel God is leading us to. We also want to make sure that we make the best of the time we have with our kiddos as we know that all too soon they will have a million other things they would rather be doing than hanging out with their mom and dad! ;)
Before I wrap this up I just have to comment on what an incredible big sister Bella is! She recently said to me, "I just love my sister SO much. I never knew I could love her as much as I do." It absolutely melted my heart to hear her say those words. I know it won't always be this good, but even as Chloe rips to shreds a picture she has just colored, empties the books off her bookshelf, or eats half of her art project from school, she still wraps her arms around her and says, "Sissy, I love you so much!" Here is one of my favorite recent pictures of the girls cuddling on the couch...
I know this was a long post, but like I said before, hopefully this will be the start of my blogging comeback! ;)
Even though we may not be the best at keeping in touch as much as we would like to, please know that we love our friends and family so much and that we think of you all often.
All our love!! :)
The crazy McMinn's!
1.11.2008
Happy Birthday Jessica!
Happy Birthday Friend! We hope your day is wonderful and that this year brings with it many new blessings!!
Love,
Your Crazy Reno Friends! ;)
Love,
Your Crazy Reno Friends! ;)
1.01.2008
Happy New Year!
A note: I'm posting this without the pictures and with no editing. I really want to post it today, but don't have time to finish it so I'm cheating...check back for the finished post! ;)
Wow! I simply cannot believe it's 2008! The past 12 months have been some of the best and most difficult times all wrapped up in one!
Several blogs that I visit have a "Year in Review" post so I thought I would do the same, with one difference...I'm going to post a picture to go with each month! So, here goes...
January -- January was a really tough month. Our dear friends Kyle and Terri found out that their baby girl had died in utero at 25 weeks. We watched them walk down a heart wrenching road and through it all were amazed at their strength and faith.
January also marked the half way mark for my pregnancy, snowboarding for Bella and Andy, and a big lesson in patience as Chloe decided to be "shy" during the ultrasound that we thought we would be finding out if she was a girl or a boy!
February -- February was a better month! I was finally feeling better, no longer suffering from the terrible sickness that plagued me for the first 5 months of my pregnancy. We also got another peek at the little one and were all shocked to find out that we were blessed with another daughter!
March -- The highlight of March was our trip to So Cal. Grandma Dean, Bella and I loaded up the car and made the long drive from Reno to So Cal with stops approximately every hour (if not more often) so I could relieve my pregnant bladder! ;) We visited my aunt, uncle and cousins for a couple days and then made our way up to Orange County for a few days in Disneyland and a visit with the O'Connell's. We had such a great time, and Bella was beyond thrilled to get to spend time with her best friend (Kendra) and visit her favorite place (Disneyland) all in the same trip!
April -- April marked the 30 week mark of my pregnancy. It was the point where I really started to enjoy things and realize just how fast the time had gone. I could easily distinguish different body parts as Chloe moved around in my belly and my only real complaint was sore ribs (which really only lasted for a month or so). We celebrated Easter with an Easter egg hunt in the morning for Bella and another in the evening with Morgan and Luke.
May -- May was such a fun month for us! It started with a trip to San Francisco...one last hoorah for Andy and I before I popped! We stayed in one of our favorite hotel chains (Kimpton Hotels) and enjoyed every minute of our time in the city. Andy had a couple days of training to attend so I set out on my own to explore the city. I still can't believe how much walking I did, especially considering the fact that I was almost 9 months pregnant and they were experiencing unusually high temperatures while we were there (low 90's). We took in a couple Giants games, ate amazing food, and most importantly enjoyed our time as husband and wife!
May also brought my much anticipated baby shower. Jessica and Meagan did an amazing job at hosting it and while I was a bit nervous being the center of attention, it was a very special day for me. The O'Connell's visited with us for a short time before they had to head back home, and we managed to get a little birthday celebration in for Andy while everyone was here! The day of his actual birthday we spent a fun filled day at Lake Tahoe, and then treated ourselves to dinner at Fire and Ice. It was such a fun day and I laugh looking back on it, thinking of how everyone was so concerned that I would go into labor that day. Little did we know, Miss Chloe didn't plan on coming out a minute early! ;)
June -- Well, of course June was an amazing month for us as we finally got to meet the little girl we had waited so long for! But, before Chloe was born, Bella had her summer dance recital and we celebrated Father's Day and our 7th Anniversary. Andy's only request was that I didn't have Chloe on our anniversary (which was also Father's Day) and I figured it was the least I could do, so instead I went into labor that day and managed to make it until the 18th to actually give birth! ;)
Seeing Chloe for the first time was a moment I will never forget. Her birth was so much different from Bella's so it really was like experiencing it all again for the first time. Watching Bella become a big sister and fall in love with her little sister was so incredibly special for us as parents. I am still amazed at how well she did watching her sister being born and will never forget that she was the first one in our family to actually touch her sister. That's a moment that will be theirs forever and I'm so grateful for it!
Andy was able to take some time off after Chloe was born and managed to wrap up a few landscaping projects he had been working on. Our front yard went through an amazing transformation and I'm still amazed at all Andy did.
July -- July was a very busy month for us. Family visited, we celebrated the 4th of July, attended 2 family weddings, and Bella learned to ride her bike without training wheels, took swimming lessons and attended camp at our church. Some how all of this took place with a brand new baby. I'm still not sure how I survived! ;)
August -- August was another busy month. We continued to get to know Chloe and fell deeper and deeper in love with her as the days went by. Bella turned 5 and had a great party at Chuck-E-Cheese with her friends and then we had a wonderful family day on her actual birthday. We started out our day at the Waterpark and after we were completely water logged and sun drenched made our way to a local percieng shop where Bella got her ears pierceid! As she will very proudly tell you, she didn't shed a tear and was so excited to finally have real earings. After that we took her to her restaurant of choice for her birthday dinner (Olive Garden). It was such a fun day despite our disbelif that our little girl was turning 5. A few days later I celebrated my 30th birthday with a nice dinner at The Melting Pot with Andy while Kyle and Terri watched Bella and Chloe for us. It was tough leaving Chloe for the first time, but I knew she was in great hands and the time with Andy was just what I needed!
We also made another trip to San Francicso to take in a Giants game with Grandma and Grandpa McMinn and Morgan and Meagan. We decided to make a little trip out of it and took the girls to Six Flags the next day. We had a really fun time...one last weekend of summer fun before Bella started Kindergarten.
And of course August also saw my return back to work. While my time at home seemed to go way too fast, I couldn't imagine a place I would rather be going back to. Being able to bring Chloe to work with me made it one of the biggest blessings I could imagine!
September -- The big highlight of this month was Bella starting Kindergarten! She of course was thrilled to finally be a Kindergartener and while I was so happy that she was excited, there was that part of me, that just wanted to cry at the realization of how quickly she is growing up. Other that that, things kind of finally settled down for us which was a nice change from the business of the summer.
October -- Like September, October was a month of just doing "life" for us. Halloween was the highlight of the month for us. Bella gets so excited about dressing up and decided to be Ariel this year. I got the great idea to cordinate Chloe's costume with Bella's and found a Flounder costume on ebay. We spent most of the evening at our church's Fall Fest which was a great time for everyone!
November -- November was a crazy month for us! Andy finished up his soccer season and although he really enjoyed playing I think he was glad that it was over for a while. I hosted a baby shower for Terri in the middle of the month, which without the help of Jessica would not have been near the success it was. We had plans to go to Mt. Shasta for Thanksgiving and Andy was able to take a few extra days off which allowed us to make a nice trip out of it. Andy's family joined us on Thanksgiving Day and it was really nice to be able to spend the day with our families together. As if all of that wasn't enough excitement for us, Andy and I BOTH took our first plan ride in Mike's airplane. Andy was more than happy to do so, I on the other hand, had sworn that I would NEVER fly in a plane that size. Little did I know that Terri was goign to go into labor 2 weeks early, while we were still in Mt. Shasta and that the only hope of making it in time for the birth would be to face one of my biggest fears and fly in a two-seater airplane. After I made it safely to Reno I had to admit that it was not as frightening as I had anticipated. Unfortunatley I still wasn't able to be with Kyle and Terri when their baby girl was born because Terri had to have an emergency C-section, but the most important thing was that I managed to get my camera into the operating rooms so they could have pictures of her birth. Of course that leads me to the premeir event in NOvember 2007, the birth of a very healthy and adorable little girl, Kyra Lynn Richmer. What a special day that was for everyone, but especially Kyle and Terri! :)
December -- Wow! What a month December was! Bella performed in her winter dance recital and did a great job! We were so proud of her! Chloe turned 6 months old which is almost impossible to believe. It has been such a joy having her in our lives and it's almost impssible to believe that she is half way to her first birthday! We attended several Christmas parties, decorated the house, shopped for gifts and prepared for Christmas Eve services at church. Andy played for the first time with the worship band at church as well. We spent Christmas dat at home with just the 4 of us. I honestly couldn't remember the last time we had all been at home for an entire day without any obligations or places to go...it was just what we needed! Grandma Dean and Grandpa Mike visited after Christmas and we rang in the New Year with our good friends Josh and Jessica. We hadn't planned on doing anything, but ended up making last minute plans and it was one of the funnest evenings we've had in a long time!
I think that about wraps it up. 2008 has so much in store for us and as I've learned from the past, some will be good and some will be not so good. Whatever this year brings, I'm looking forward to it and trusting that God has His best in store for us. I didn't touch on much of it, but this past year definitely had it's struggles for us in many different ways and so in some ways I am very much looking forward to a new year and settling into the place in life that God has called us to for now!
Happy New Year!
Wow! I simply cannot believe it's 2008! The past 12 months have been some of the best and most difficult times all wrapped up in one!
Several blogs that I visit have a "Year in Review" post so I thought I would do the same, with one difference...I'm going to post a picture to go with each month! So, here goes...
January -- January was a really tough month. Our dear friends Kyle and Terri found out that their baby girl had died in utero at 25 weeks. We watched them walk down a heart wrenching road and through it all were amazed at their strength and faith.
January also marked the half way mark for my pregnancy, snowboarding for Bella and Andy, and a big lesson in patience as Chloe decided to be "shy" during the ultrasound that we thought we would be finding out if she was a girl or a boy!
February -- February was a better month! I was finally feeling better, no longer suffering from the terrible sickness that plagued me for the first 5 months of my pregnancy. We also got another peek at the little one and were all shocked to find out that we were blessed with another daughter!
March -- The highlight of March was our trip to So Cal. Grandma Dean, Bella and I loaded up the car and made the long drive from Reno to So Cal with stops approximately every hour (if not more often) so I could relieve my pregnant bladder! ;) We visited my aunt, uncle and cousins for a couple days and then made our way up to Orange County for a few days in Disneyland and a visit with the O'Connell's. We had such a great time, and Bella was beyond thrilled to get to spend time with her best friend (Kendra) and visit her favorite place (Disneyland) all in the same trip!
April -- April marked the 30 week mark of my pregnancy. It was the point where I really started to enjoy things and realize just how fast the time had gone. I could easily distinguish different body parts as Chloe moved around in my belly and my only real complaint was sore ribs (which really only lasted for a month or so). We celebrated Easter with an Easter egg hunt in the morning for Bella and another in the evening with Morgan and Luke.
May -- May was such a fun month for us! It started with a trip to San Francisco...one last hoorah for Andy and I before I popped! We stayed in one of our favorite hotel chains (Kimpton Hotels) and enjoyed every minute of our time in the city. Andy had a couple days of training to attend so I set out on my own to explore the city. I still can't believe how much walking I did, especially considering the fact that I was almost 9 months pregnant and they were experiencing unusually high temperatures while we were there (low 90's). We took in a couple Giants games, ate amazing food, and most importantly enjoyed our time as husband and wife!
May also brought my much anticipated baby shower. Jessica and Meagan did an amazing job at hosting it and while I was a bit nervous being the center of attention, it was a very special day for me. The O'Connell's visited with us for a short time before they had to head back home, and we managed to get a little birthday celebration in for Andy while everyone was here! The day of his actual birthday we spent a fun filled day at Lake Tahoe, and then treated ourselves to dinner at Fire and Ice. It was such a fun day and I laugh looking back on it, thinking of how everyone was so concerned that I would go into labor that day. Little did we know, Miss Chloe didn't plan on coming out a minute early! ;)
June -- Well, of course June was an amazing month for us as we finally got to meet the little girl we had waited so long for! But, before Chloe was born, Bella had her summer dance recital and we celebrated Father's Day and our 7th Anniversary. Andy's only request was that I didn't have Chloe on our anniversary (which was also Father's Day) and I figured it was the least I could do, so instead I went into labor that day and managed to make it until the 18th to actually give birth! ;)
Seeing Chloe for the first time was a moment I will never forget. Her birth was so much different from Bella's so it really was like experiencing it all again for the first time. Watching Bella become a big sister and fall in love with her little sister was so incredibly special for us as parents. I am still amazed at how well she did watching her sister being born and will never forget that she was the first one in our family to actually touch her sister. That's a moment that will be theirs forever and I'm so grateful for it!
Andy was able to take some time off after Chloe was born and managed to wrap up a few landscaping projects he had been working on. Our front yard went through an amazing transformation and I'm still amazed at all Andy did.
July -- July was a very busy month for us. Family visited, we celebrated the 4th of July, attended 2 family weddings, and Bella learned to ride her bike without training wheels, took swimming lessons and attended camp at our church. Some how all of this took place with a brand new baby. I'm still not sure how I survived! ;)
August -- August was another busy month. We continued to get to know Chloe and fell deeper and deeper in love with her as the days went by. Bella turned 5 and had a great party at Chuck-E-Cheese with her friends and then we had a wonderful family day on her actual birthday. We started out our day at the Waterpark and after we were completely water logged and sun drenched made our way to a local percieng shop where Bella got her ears pierceid! As she will very proudly tell you, she didn't shed a tear and was so excited to finally have real earings. After that we took her to her restaurant of choice for her birthday dinner (Olive Garden). It was such a fun day despite our disbelif that our little girl was turning 5. A few days later I celebrated my 30th birthday with a nice dinner at The Melting Pot with Andy while Kyle and Terri watched Bella and Chloe for us. It was tough leaving Chloe for the first time, but I knew she was in great hands and the time with Andy was just what I needed!
We also made another trip to San Francicso to take in a Giants game with Grandma and Grandpa McMinn and Morgan and Meagan. We decided to make a little trip out of it and took the girls to Six Flags the next day. We had a really fun time...one last weekend of summer fun before Bella started Kindergarten.
And of course August also saw my return back to work. While my time at home seemed to go way too fast, I couldn't imagine a place I would rather be going back to. Being able to bring Chloe to work with me made it one of the biggest blessings I could imagine!
September -- The big highlight of this month was Bella starting Kindergarten! She of course was thrilled to finally be a Kindergartener and while I was so happy that she was excited, there was that part of me, that just wanted to cry at the realization of how quickly she is growing up. Other that that, things kind of finally settled down for us which was a nice change from the business of the summer.
October -- Like September, October was a month of just doing "life" for us. Halloween was the highlight of the month for us. Bella gets so excited about dressing up and decided to be Ariel this year. I got the great idea to cordinate Chloe's costume with Bella's and found a Flounder costume on ebay. We spent most of the evening at our church's Fall Fest which was a great time for everyone!
November -- November was a crazy month for us! Andy finished up his soccer season and although he really enjoyed playing I think he was glad that it was over for a while. I hosted a baby shower for Terri in the middle of the month, which without the help of Jessica would not have been near the success it was. We had plans to go to Mt. Shasta for Thanksgiving and Andy was able to take a few extra days off which allowed us to make a nice trip out of it. Andy's family joined us on Thanksgiving Day and it was really nice to be able to spend the day with our families together. As if all of that wasn't enough excitement for us, Andy and I BOTH took our first plan ride in Mike's airplane. Andy was more than happy to do so, I on the other hand, had sworn that I would NEVER fly in a plane that size. Little did I know that Terri was goign to go into labor 2 weeks early, while we were still in Mt. Shasta and that the only hope of making it in time for the birth would be to face one of my biggest fears and fly in a two-seater airplane. After I made it safely to Reno I had to admit that it was not as frightening as I had anticipated. Unfortunatley I still wasn't able to be with Kyle and Terri when their baby girl was born because Terri had to have an emergency C-section, but the most important thing was that I managed to get my camera into the operating rooms so they could have pictures of her birth. Of course that leads me to the premeir event in NOvember 2007, the birth of a very healthy and adorable little girl, Kyra Lynn Richmer. What a special day that was for everyone, but especially Kyle and Terri! :)
December -- Wow! What a month December was! Bella performed in her winter dance recital and did a great job! We were so proud of her! Chloe turned 6 months old which is almost impossible to believe. It has been such a joy having her in our lives and it's almost impssible to believe that she is half way to her first birthday! We attended several Christmas parties, decorated the house, shopped for gifts and prepared for Christmas Eve services at church. Andy played for the first time with the worship band at church as well. We spent Christmas dat at home with just the 4 of us. I honestly couldn't remember the last time we had all been at home for an entire day without any obligations or places to go...it was just what we needed! Grandma Dean and Grandpa Mike visited after Christmas and we rang in the New Year with our good friends Josh and Jessica. We hadn't planned on doing anything, but ended up making last minute plans and it was one of the funnest evenings we've had in a long time!
I think that about wraps it up. 2008 has so much in store for us and as I've learned from the past, some will be good and some will be not so good. Whatever this year brings, I'm looking forward to it and trusting that God has His best in store for us. I didn't touch on much of it, but this past year definitely had it's struggles for us in many different ways and so in some ways I am very much looking forward to a new year and settling into the place in life that God has called us to for now!
Happy New Year!
12.25.2007
Merry Christmas!
We hope everyone is enjoying the day! Our celebration started last night after we got home from church. We opened our Christmas jammies and got comfy in the living room where Andy read us the Christmas Story from Bella's Bible. After that we watched "The Very First Noel" (which by the way I highly recommend).
When the movie was over we set out a couple rice krispie treats and a glass of milk for Santa and the girls went to bed. Andy and I finished up some last minute gift wrapping and then headed to bed ourselves so that Santa could make his stop.
Andy was the first one up this morning and after waiting for about a half hour finally went to wake Bella up. She was thrilled to see that Santa did in fact show up and said she even heard something on the roof last night and is pretty sure it was Santa! :)
We spent the last 3 or so hours opening gifts, eating breakfast, and just overall enjoying our morning. The gifts are now all unwrapped and we are settling in for a nice relaxing day at home, playing with our new "toys".
Here is a picture we took last night at church. I will post more from this morning soon!
Merry Christmas to everyone!
When the movie was over we set out a couple rice krispie treats and a glass of milk for Santa and the girls went to bed. Andy and I finished up some last minute gift wrapping and then headed to bed ourselves so that Santa could make his stop.
Andy was the first one up this morning and after waiting for about a half hour finally went to wake Bella up. She was thrilled to see that Santa did in fact show up and said she even heard something on the roof last night and is pretty sure it was Santa! :)
We spent the last 3 or so hours opening gifts, eating breakfast, and just overall enjoying our morning. The gifts are now all unwrapped and we are settling in for a nice relaxing day at home, playing with our new "toys".
Here is a picture we took last night at church. I will post more from this morning soon!
Merry Christmas to everyone!
12.18.2007
Andy's Stage Debut!
Andy made his official debut as part of the Worship Team at church on Sunday! He was a little nervous, but did an awesome job and actually surprised me with how relaxed he looked on stage. Here is a picture of him playing...
12.05.2007
The Golden Compass (updated with new link)
I've been hearing a lot of buzz recently about this movie and decided to do a little of my own "investigating". It seems that most of what is being said about it is true. Based on the advertisements it's a movie I very likely would have taken Bella to see thinking it was a fun fantasy movie. I'm so glad I stumbled across this information when I did and after reading what I have, I feel compelled to alert parents to the background of the author of the movie and his intentions for the movie.
Update:
Thanks to my friend Jessica and an email from a pastor at Saddleback church I am posting a new link. In my opinion the author is right on and describes a cautious, balanced, and Christ-like approach to The Golden Compass. Please take a few minutes to read it and think about what he says.
Thanks Jess! :)
Update:
Thanks to my friend Jessica and an email from a pastor at Saddleback church I am posting a new link. In my opinion the author is right on and describes a cautious, balanced, and Christ-like approach to The Golden Compass. Please take a few minutes to read it and think about what he says.
Thanks Jess! :)
11.30.2007
11.18.2007
5 months old!
Chloe turned 5 months old today! I can't believe how fast the time has gone and how big she is getting. She marked the day by finally rolling from her tummy to back this afternoon. Of course the first time she did it we weren't watching, but she was happy to show off her new skill for us throughout the evening. Of course the rolling from tummy to back comes complete with a little one who thinks she is "SO BIG" by getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth.
One more thing worth mentioned is the giggling. I swear there isn't a sweeter sound than hearing your child really laugh for the first time. Chloe has let out a few giggles over the past couple months, but in the last 2 week or so she has really started to laugh. The best part of it all is that there is only one person in our house who can get her to laugh...her big sister.
I have a few pictures on my camera that I will transfer soon and get posted! Hope everyone is well! :)
One more thing worth mentioned is the giggling. I swear there isn't a sweeter sound than hearing your child really laugh for the first time. Chloe has let out a few giggles over the past couple months, but in the last 2 week or so she has really started to laugh. The best part of it all is that there is only one person in our house who can get her to laugh...her big sister.
I have a few pictures on my camera that I will transfer soon and get posted! Hope everyone is well! :)
11.05.2007
Busy, Busy, Busy!
Wow! Is anyone else finding it hard to believe that it's November already? This year, and specifically the last 4 months of so have positively flown by! The last couple weeks have been extra busy with Halloween, the end of both Bella and Andy's soccer season and a very special baby shower for my dear friend Terri! I have so much I want to blog about, but no time to do so. :( I do however have to let everyone know that Chloe had her 4 month appointment last week. Her stats are...
Weight: 15.5 lbs
Length: 25 inches
Head Circumference: 16.5 inches
She continues to stay in the 75th-95th percentile on all of her measurements. The doctor said she looks "just perfect" and we rescheduled for her 6 month check-up. Her Dr. asked me if I was interested in starting solids yet and I told her, "not really". She said that was perfectly fine with her as it is really not necessary for them to be eating anything other than milk or formula at this age. It's funny because I can remember being so anxious with Bella to give her rice cereal and now with Chloe, all rice cereal means to me is that my baby is growing way too fast! ;)
Here are a few pictures from the last couple days. I will try to post again soon!
Getting so big...
Dancing Sisters
Mom, save me!!! ;)
Beautiful Girls...
Weight: 15.5 lbs
Length: 25 inches
Head Circumference: 16.5 inches
She continues to stay in the 75th-95th percentile on all of her measurements. The doctor said she looks "just perfect" and we rescheduled for her 6 month check-up. Her Dr. asked me if I was interested in starting solids yet and I told her, "not really". She said that was perfectly fine with her as it is really not necessary for them to be eating anything other than milk or formula at this age. It's funny because I can remember being so anxious with Bella to give her rice cereal and now with Chloe, all rice cereal means to me is that my baby is growing way too fast! ;)
Here are a few pictures from the last couple days. I will try to post again soon!
Getting so big...
Dancing Sisters
Mom, save me!!! ;)
Beautiful Girls...
10.31.2007
Happy Halloween!
There will be more, I promise! ;)
As promised...
Ariel, Flounder and a Butterfly...
Beautiful Ariel...
How Chloe really felt about her Flounder costume...
Ariel and friends...
We had a fun-filled evening of trick-or-treating and Fall Fest '07 at church. Chloe was quite the trooper for her first Halloween. She wasn't too fond of her costume, but we managed to get a few pictures before it got too bad. Bella of course thought that dressing up as Ariel and having her Sissy be Flounder was just about the coolest thing. Bella is growing up so fast and tonight I realized just how "big" she seems. She was so beautiful all dressed up and watching her make her way from game to game at the Fall Fest with her friends seemed surreal. I swear she will be graduating from high school before I know it. ;) I'm completely exhausted now, but it was all worth it!
10.16.2007
1 year ago today...
I saw this...
I honestly didn't know if those tests meant we would be holding a baby in our arms in 9 months, but by the Grace of God our prayers were answered! :)
I honestly didn't know if those tests meant we would be holding a baby in our arms in 9 months, but by the Grace of God our prayers were answered! :)
10.13.2007
3 month pictures...
Chloe will be 4 months old next week! With that, I figured I had better get these done if I wanted to capture her 3rd month in pictures! ;)
Anyways, here are a few of my favorites...
I'm sorry I haven't been around much...either on the blog or personally. We have had a very busy week or two and honestly I'm just exhausted. Here are a few things that have kept me busy.
Andy being in Colorado on business (thankfully he's home now!).
Bella contracting Pink Eye (in both eyes).
Chloe and the never ending cold (BYE-BYE Easy Going, HELLO High Maintenance).
Much loathed migraines and their sudden return after almost a year hiatus.
Those are the biggies for now. Like I said, hopefully in the near future I will share with you all the wonderful details in a "woest me" post!
Anyways, here are a few of my favorites...
I'm sorry I haven't been around much...either on the blog or personally. We have had a very busy week or two and honestly I'm just exhausted. Here are a few things that have kept me busy.
Andy being in Colorado on business (thankfully he's home now!).
Bella contracting Pink Eye (in both eyes).
Chloe and the never ending cold (BYE-BYE Easy Going, HELLO High Maintenance).
Much loathed migraines and their sudden return after almost a year hiatus.
Those are the biggies for now. Like I said, hopefully in the near future I will share with you all the wonderful details in a "woest me" post!
10.12.2007
10.03.2007
I'm a mom!
I'm constantly aware that being a mom one of the best blessings in life, but there are certain moments that I'm so overwhelmed with love for my children that my heart feels like it's going to explode. Some of them are obvious (the day they were born, milestones, etc.) but others come from the most ordinary of things. Things like looking at this picture. I can't describe or really even put my finger on it, but all I know is that when I see this picture, I'm reminded of just how blessed I really am.
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