Dear Chloe, Love Mom.

Chloe,
I love you so much, my daughter! Watching you grow up is the most incredible thing ever! So often I find myself looking at you and wondering what you are going to remember about your life, friendships, family and experiences when you are older. I wonder what your cherished memories will be. Sometimes, I even sadly wonder what you'll wish had been different and I renew my conviction to try and erase those. I wonder what you'll carry with you and who it will allow you to become as a grown person. I put so much thought and love and effort into making our experiences together meaningful and poignant. I remember spending so much time with you when you were a toddler, when I didn't work all day. Things are a lot different than that now. While I think you’ve long since adjusted, I still remember having all day with you every day. It makes it hard for me to see you when I get home from work for only a short amount of time, and then again, rushing off in the mornings. By the end of the week we mostly have a collection of “eat your dinner – good night – goodbye - see you after work” and I'm missing you. Sometimes, then when we get to sit and play and connect I study you and I can just swear you grew up a bit even during the course of that one week. Your expressions and antics change and your vocabulary grows. You collect experiences and memories so fast. I remember when I could jot a few notes down each day and log all your developments. Now, I can’t begin to keep up. You grow up so fast; sometimes I think I’m missing it. I put memories in this blog for you to keep and hold. I ask for stories and tid-bits of your life when you are with Grandma or your Dad. I want to keep those for you, too. I have to admit, maybe I write and document your life so I’ll have another way to cherish you, and make sure I’m really not missing it as you grow up.
I’m so proud of you and the child you are. You are so smart and responsible and creative. You are reading so well, every time we read a new book together you impress me. I love it when you draw me pictures, too. I feel like sometimes they are a little window into you. I’m proud of you for your swimming this year! You used to be so careful and worried, you didn’t even like to get a splash on your face. Now you’re jumping in! (With your nose plugged of course!) And with your bike riding! Even though you are nervous sometimes, you are really getting in to it when you get going. You were scared about going on our first ride with your attachment bike, but by the middle, you just loved it! It is so beautiful to me when I see you so brave like that. You are getting quite the green thumb this year, too! You’ve been keeping your pretty pink plant alive so well. (I did kill it while you were away over the hot weekend – I’m sorry about that. :)) This new one will stay alive for sure! You are really good at remembering to check if it needs water. We have been going to the Veggie Patrol and you are getting so comfortable in the gardens, planting seeds and plants and watering them. I’m 31 and just now figuring out how much fun it can be to have plants and gardens. I’m so glad to be sharing that with you.
I’ll close with this: The other day we were dancing around the living room together laughing and playing, then we stood facing each other and played “mirror”. It was so special to me to stand there watching you move and smile and concentrate on our game. When it was my turn to move and your turn to follow you were so intent and trusting while following my lead. I hope, as you grow up, that you’ll always trust my lead, not just when we play a game but in life, too. And I hope that you can continue to look toward me for guidance and support. I’ll always be here, steady and loving you and doing my very very best for you.
I love you more than all the sunlight and all the raindrops.
Love, Mom.

Dear Chloe, Love Grama..no d.

To my sweet Chloe, I have thought of so many things I want to tell you. There are so many I could write all day. The most important is I love you! You have always been my brightest star. You are growing so fast. Changing every time I see you. You are so funny, so smart and so beautiful. I have had the extreme blessing to see you almost every day of your life.

You and I have had some of the best times together. There is nothing I would rather do than spend time with you. You have had so many different names for me. I have been Grangy, Grams, Grandmama, Gamma and several others. I am currently Grama, no d. Sometimes I am momdadabbauntTgrama. That is my name when you forget where you are or maybe who I am. ‘giggle’. I love playing our silly little games. Miss librarian is pretty funny. You put my glasses way down my nose and then I talk in a funny voice. I love your little giggles! When I go to pick you up at school I watch for you in the pick up line. When I see you sitting on the sidewalk waiting I watch until you see me. As soon as you do, you perk up with a big smile and a happy wave. You love sitting in front of my little fake fireplace when you watch TV. Even if it is 70 degrees in the house you love to have the heat on you. When we watch Dinosaur Train you help me pronounce dinosaur names correctly. I am always amazed at how well you know how to say them.




You draw the best pictures for me. I had so many on the refrigerator. I decided to make a book of them. I picked out five of my favorite ones to frame and hang on the wall. You are such a great artist.
You are a real fashion guru too. You put together the cutest outfits. I love your freedom of style. We have spent hundreds of hours in the pool and hot tub. I bought a green bucket thing with wheels on it to carry all the toys and towels to the pool. We call it the ‘carry it chariot’. It even carries you. I can remember the first times we went to the pool. I taught you that you were safe in the water with me and you could trust me. I would never let go of you and now you swim around like a little frog. Used to be that if you got your face wet you had to get out and dry it off. The first time you jumped in over your head you loved it. I bet you did it over and over for ten minutes. You even go to the deep end now. You stand on my shoulders and let me throw you up in the air and splash into the water. You never forget anything. If I tell a story of something we did and I get even the tiniest detail wrong you let me know. There are so many wonderful memories. I can’t wait to make hundreds more with you as you grow. We have a wonderful relationship Chloe. I cherish that. It looks like this summer we will be spending a lot of time together. We are going to the zoo. We will go camping and of course more swimming. I can’t wait to see what adventures we can have! Your Uncle Chris gave you a nic name Chloe Bear. It stuck with me...



I love you Chloe Bear! Grama…no d.

Birthday Parties!

Chloe had a fabulious time turning 6. She had a special day on her birthday. She picked out the perfect outfit! So funny and cute;I'm beginning to really love her sence of style! She started the morning with Abby and went to the donut shop and toy store before school. After school the three of us went to fairhaven and Chloe painted a ceramic dinosaur. Then we went to dinner and she got a free desert because it was her birthday! She was super nice to share with us. She insisted that she didnt like whipped cream until her desert came and was covered with it. She ate all the whipped cream with her finger. While waiting for our dinner to come, she found some new and silly uses for the napkin holders. :) It was a warm day and a beautiful evening by the time we left the restaurant. We had fun making jokes and laughing at each other all the way home. We use funny voices and make up funny stories about when we all first met. Abby mighs say "When I first met your mama: She would laugh like THIS" (insert rediculiously funny sounding laugh) The sunday after her birthday her dad planned for her class from school to come to a birthday party at Jump Around Fun Zone. They had a great time playing and using the chalk board tables. When it came time to sing Josiah stood up and got everyone started.

Chloe was excited to have two birthday parties!! The following week she had a smaller family/friend party with us at Elizabeth park.

It was a nice day at the park and it was green and beautiful with springtime showing. She had three family friends to play on the kid toys with her. Cupcakes to go around. Balloons, gifts and watermellon. By the time we left the park all three of us were ready for a nice dinner together before bedtime. Chloe said just before dinner... "That was the best birthday party EVER!!"
I hope she feels that way after every birthday party she ever has.

Interview: 6yr old Chloe

I interviewed Chloe and told her that she’d be able to read all her answers when she’s older. I think it will be fun to look back at a glimpse into Chloe’s 6 year old mind.
All italics are quotes from Chloe.

Tell me the 5 best things about you:
1. I’m really good at swimming
2. I like soccer
3. I really good at drawing
4. I think I’m good at summersaults and stuff. Like gymnastics

If you could tell me to only serve you two vegetables ever again, what would they be?
Carrots and Peas

On a scale, how strict are we in our house? In the middle

Who’s your favorite teacher? Mrs. Ostendorff. There’s two eff’s

If you had to pick one of these, which would you pick? Really long nose hairs, hair in your ears, hair above your lip or massively hairy armpits.
I couldn’t. *giggles* I couldn’t’ at all!!!

If you could have a day with me home from work, what would we do? Go on a picnic.
Which one would you want more: -Dinner with everyone at the table and your favorite show on TV – Dinner where everyone took what they wanted to eat and we ate different things – Dinner with the whole family together and no TV on. ??
Together with NO TV ON!

If you were feeling sad, what meal could we make you in order to cheer you up?
Cupcakes, cake and cookies.

What punishment have you gotten that you remember a lot? Taking away my marbles.

How do you think peanut butter is made? Crushed up and melted peanuts.

Why do you think the sky is blue? I don’t know.
(She just couldn’t answer something if she didn’t believe she knew the answer. It’s like it didn’t make sense to her to make something up if you didn’t know)

What do you want to be when you grow up? A scientist, a Vet or a Teacher

Who is your best friend?
Do I have to pick ONE? (nope) Josiah, Jacob, Kylee, Kirsten, Trace – all my friends in my life are my best friends.

What is your favorite subject in school? Math

What makes you the happiest? Sticking cake in my face *giggles* actually, eating cake!

What worries you the most? A wasp. Definitely a wasp.

What makes you the angriest?
A bully. I’ve never seen one but if a bully ever talks to me I’ll probably get mad.

If you had $10,000 how would you spend it?
A very very very very VERY expensive Build-a-Bear!

As we talk she’s sitting next to me on the couch chewing a toenail off her toe as she answers me.

Turning 6!!

I'm sure I'll be saying this for the rest of my life: I just can't believe my eyes watching Chloe grow up! Sometimes I sit back and watch her move and talk and... exist. She is such her own little person now. Her face is changing, her voice is changing. It's funny to hear her use slang words and expressions.


6 already? Tomorrow is her birthday. She's got her first loose tooth.

She tells me if she had one wish in the whole world she would be born as a human but she could turn in to anything she wanted. And if she could have her room any way she wanted it would be: "Very very VERY clean with a pet unicorn inside of it. Like a real live unicorn."

Best Friends

When we moved in to our house last october, Chloe was excited to find out that a little girl her age lived next door! I was happy to find out that it was the family of a co-worker of mine.

Chloe and Kylee both have very strong personalities, so it can be amusing to see them try and work through their play time. Most of the time though, they have a lot of fun playing pet shops, polly pocket, or stuffed animals in Chloe's room, or barbies at Kylees. Chloe rides to school with Kylee in the mornings and plays next door after school. Sometimes they play in our yard and I get to capture some fun photos! It has been a pretty wet spring so far, so these days seem to be limited. When it's nice out, I try to encourage them to play outside as much as possible.

It's funny, sometimes on nice days, Abby and I are dying to get outside, and Chloe would rather be inside by herself. I give her tons of invitations and sometimes it takes a while for her to decided she wants to come outside. Last weekend or so, I was digging up some plants and reorganizing one of our flower beds, Abby was mowing the lawn and Chloe finally decided to come outside and start digging with me and playing with a couple long roots that I'd pulled out of the ground. I didn't get any photos of the afternoon, but it was really fun. No matter what else is going on, of course she would always rather play outside with some of her neighborhood friends. When she has an open afternoon, she asks me to go see if so-n-so can play. After a few minutes, if that friend wasnt home she'll turn up and ask if she can go check if someone else is home. And so it goes until she finds a playmate, or she settles on hanging out with her boring ol' moms.