Where does the time go??

It's hard to believe that we are almost half way through 2008! This has been our busiest year yet, and as much as I try to enjoy and take in each moment, they just seem to be flying by faster than I can keep up with!

Anyways, I'm sitting here early on a Saturday morning and thought I would take a few minutes to write a little something...

After much complaining on my part, summer seems to have finally landed in Reno. Of course it wasn't a gradual shift of seasons, rather an abrupt end to Spring and a very dramatic start to Summer. We have seen the temperature increase 30 degrees in less than a week and are it is supposed to be 95 degrees by tomorrow! Even though it's hot and I don't particularly like it this warm, I will take it any day over the bitter cold of this past winter.

With the warm weather came the realization that we have an extremely busy June. We have Bella's Kindergarten graduation, her final dance recital with the dance teacher she has been with since she was 3, Father's Day, our 8th Anniversary, and Chloe's 1st Birthday...just to name a few! ;) Bella starts first grade on July 7th so I really want to make this next month a fun one for her as well and am trying to plan in a few things for us to do before she's back in school.

Mother's Day was a special day for us because we had Chloe dedicated. I can still remember Bella's dedication and it was hard to believe we were actually having our second child dedicated. It was a very nice service, with great reminders on how to raise our children in a Christ-like manner. As much time and energy as I invest into my parenting, I can always use a good reminder! :) Here are a couple pictures from, of course by the time it was over Chloe was fast asleep.

Grandma Dean and Grandpa Mike were able to join us for this special day...



Everyone in this picture was a part of our Young Marrieds Group and we as crazy as it sounds, we have all welcomed little girls into our family in the past year (techinically it was 10 months from the first birth to the last) We are standing in "birth order"...Olivia, Kyra, Audrey and Chloe. It was really neat to participate in something so special with some of our closest friends.



Like I mentioned earlier, Bella's Kindergarten graduation is quickly approaching. I simply cannot believe that she is going to be in first grade. It doesn't seem possible for her to be that grown up, but she is! She is so excited for first grade and going to her new school. I on the other hand am a bundle of nerves. I am determined not to let her see my anxiety over the whole thing because I don't want to give her any reason to think that there is a reason to not be excited! Sometimes this mom thing is really hard!! ;)

As if Bella starting first grade isn't hard enough for me to deal with, the fact that Chloe will be 1 in a month is enough to send me over the edge! ;P To add to the fact that she is growing up warp speed, her physical abilities seem to have sped things up even more. Here she is, 11 months old tomorrow and she has been walking for 3 months already. She goes everywhere and sometimes I feel like I missed out on a little of my "baby time" with her because she's so independent. She has recently taken to giving "loves" and kisses. Her kisses are as sloppy and wet as you can imagine and her "love" is the sweetest thing ever as she cuddles up into your shoulder. She has quite a bit of spunk and while it honestly exhausts me most days, I can't help but love her for it! :)

Bella has been playing T-ball and is nearing the end of her season. Like Soccer, I have a feeling this isn't her "thing", but we'll just keep trying until she finds something she really loves. Here are a pictures from one of her games...







True to form, I started this post around 7:30 a.m. and am now just getting around to finishing it at almost 9:00 p.m. In the time that my computer has sat unoccupied, we had quite a fun day that started out with a T-ball game, a little shopping at Target and then a fun day in the yard, playing in the water and planting our garden. Here are a couple pictures of the girls from today...






My sweet hubby just returned from Marble Slab Creamery with a quart of ice cream for us to share, so I'm going to sign off so I can enjoy a little bit of time with two of my favorite things...my husband and ice cream! ;)