Updates....

Here are a few updates that I have not posted lately. First, this weekend is my birthday. I will be the BIG 2-6!!! I'm now on the downward slide towards 30! Yikes! But, to kick off my birthday extravaganza, the girls at work (Casey, Holly, Leslie) decorated my desk with smiley face balloons! Yay! Holly also baked yummy confetti cupcakes with chocolate icing! Thanks girls for making this day special!

Also, a few weeks ago, our monthly book club met...this is great in itself, but we have something even more special to celebrate! Three of the girls are having babies!! Emily M, Emily D, and Privott S. We decided to have a BOOK Baby Shower! So cute! We each got the girls a special book to us! Here is a picture of the group:

Here is a sneak peek at part of Chloe's new big girl room! These are the pillowcases I had monogrammed for her big girl bed! Love it. The room is about 90% complete so I will post more pics when it is done!

Last weekend we attended the YMCA Fundraiser! It was so fun! We always have a great time with this group of people! The night started out at the F&M Bank downtown...we then headed to Jeremy and Haven's house for the 'after party!' Here are a few pics:

We sure do think she is a cutie!!

Fun News!! Chloe is a "Q Cutie" this week! It is contest on our local radio station--Q108!! We would LOVE your vote. You can vote 1 time a day each day for a week! Which ever child gets the most votes, is the weekly "Q Cutie" and wins a photo session with Yvonne Chamberlin and a Free 8x10!! We would greatly appreciate you taking a second to vote for Chloe!

To vote, go to http://www.q108.com/ and scroll down to the "Q Cuties" block (under Q Happenings).

Thanks again for your support...much appreciated!

Here is the picture I submitted:

My Little Girl

I had a moment today...kind of random to write down...but here it goes. I truly love Chloe...I mean, bursting with love for that little girl. Everyday she amazes me. Why am I writing this? Well, it is kind of a random. Last night, I realized that we had run out of pull ups. Chloe is fully potty trained except for at night. So, I had a big talk with her right before bed. I explained that she would not be wearing a pull up to bed and that she could not 'pee pee' in her big girl panties. Well, Blake and I had little hope that she would make it through the night.

Guess what? She woke up this morning and said "Mommy, I did not 'pee pee' in my bed!!" I just am amazed at how much she listens and follows directions. I have noticed with this age (almost 3) that all it takes (generally) to get Chloe to listen is to really sit down and talk with her like a big girl. The same holds true with her new school...she was having a few issues with the structure of the school. The teacher and I decided that Chloe needed to have a good talking to each morning that way her day is started out in a positive way. We have not had a problem since!

With all of this randomness being said...I just could not have been more blessed with such a sweet, personable, outgoing little girl! She is always happy and is such a helper! She is sensitive and thoughtful! Blake and I could not be more proud of the little person she is turning into.

Lately....

We have had an amazing summer so far...we have definitely not slowed down this August! Two weekends ago, we had our "On the Town Party." Ashley Abrams and I signed up to host a "Swimming Good Time" party to help raise money for the Museum. We had several families sign up....the weather was perfect for swimming and ice cream! We all swam for hours...thanks to Don and Sandy, we had a great location to hang out all day! The kids had a ball too! Here are a few pictures:

The Kids--Chloe, Anna, Addison, Jack

Mary and Kathryn

Jack and Chloe (in their matching bathing suits :))

Me and Chloe :)

This past weekend, we ventured to Connecticut to visit my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins. If you have never been there, you must go...it is so beautiful in West Hartford where they live! It was fabulous. It has been 4 years since I have seen any of them...they came to our wedding in '05. Things have been crazy since then so we have just not been able to make it up to see them. I was so glad that we had the opportunity to go. It was just like old times except now I have a baby!! They had never met Chloe so it was a good chance for them to get to know her little personality! All 3 of my cousins, Emma-Eddie-Connor, where able to be there too! So thrilled to hang out with them. They are all so big and doing their own things now...crazy how time goes by so fast! I can't express how much I love all of them...they have been such a huge part of my life! I am looking forward to our next trip up to visit...hopefully sometime this Winter or next Spring! Here are a few pictures that I took right before we left. Please disregard my lack of make-up...I cried it all of right before we took our pictures! Thanks for hosting us Graunite and Gruncle...we had a blast!

On our way...she was so good on the plane. We had a layover both ways...no fun! Also, for the record, I will never, ever fly Delta / Northwest again. The gates they gave us were always wrong and we missed our connecting flight going to CT, which made us get there 3 hours later than planned...not thrilled!

The whole gang...minus Eddie. He had to go to work!

Lizzie (love her), Me, Chloe

Connor, Me, Emma

Blake and Connor arm wrestling...I have to say, Blake held his own...I was proud :)

Dance! Dance! Dance!

My heart is just bursting....and this is why:

Dance has started...I have waited for this day since I was 18 weeks pregnant and found out I was having a sweet girl!

chloe, anna, ansley

She walked right in and sat down....she did not fuss. This is all I needed to see...she LOVES it!

Parents were able to come in the last 10 minutes. They did a circle dance for all of us! So adorable!

Afterwards, they lined up and each got a lollipop!

All of Chloe's little friends in the class-Chloe, Addison, Emily, Hadley, Ansley and Anna!

These 2 have been friends since birth--literally, they are 1 day apart--Adrienne and I were in the hospital together :)

She was just posing away! :)

Wordless Wednesday