Baltimore and ME!!!

Name that song?! Did you get it? It's HAIRSPRAY!! We decided to pack our weekends and an occasional week day full with historic sites, parks, and other random fun things before we leave the great state of VA!! And if you haven't figured it out already, our latest adventure took us to BALTIMORE! And embarrassingly enough I have to admit that yes, yes I was singing (in my head, for fear of being made fun of) "Baltimore and Me" the entire time!!! Who knew Baltimore was such a happenin' place! We hit up the historical Fort McHenry first and I am happy to report that no one passed out from the extremely HOT & HUMID day we were having. But putting that aside, we had a great time admiring old cannons and exploring the fort. I feel so blessed to be able to visit such important sites of our nations history but I feel even more blessed to live in such an incredible country! We fled the heat to the comfort of our air conditioned cars only to arrive at yet another outdoor activity...Inner Harbor!!!! Old colonial war ships, colorful tourist boats, and decorated retired submarines lined the harbor and made for an interesting and fun experience! And because I don't want to sound vain I will talk about the awesome shopping last...it was awesome...end of story! At the days end, we treated ourselves to the always popular, Cheesecake Factory! It would have been the perfect end to a perfect day, had Chloe not decided to test our patience and parenting skills the WHOLE TIME!! Thank goodness for the excellent people watching just outside of the restaurant. Otherwise taking a screaming baby out every five minutes would have been HORRIBLE!! Let's just say that teething and exhaustion are NOT a good combo! But she did have a blast at the Fort :)) One of my new favorite places! A big BIG thanks and shout out to Kris, Ryan, and Kevin for going with us to brave the heat and explore Baltimore!

Mountain Men on Memorial Day!

Thank goodness the temperature drops in the mountains!! On a beautiful but HOT (with humidity felt like 98 degrees) day we decided to go up into the Shenandoah Mountains for some good food and good fun! My sister-in-law, her husband and his brother (got that?) came to grill and chill for Memorial weekend! We had a great time relaxing, eating way too many cookies but just enough s'mores and some Hot Dogs on the grill! Chloe even had a taste of a giant marsh-mellow but decided she liked the grass more...so maybe she ate a little bit...we may never know! BUT she had a great time and even stepped foot on the Appalachian Trail. GO CHLO! And a bonus to the trip was a little tan...SCORE! After my doctor so kindly told me I was pale, I see a tan as a bonus to any trip outside :)) Thank you Kris, Ryan, and Kevin for driving so far to spend the day with us!! See you on our next excursion to Baltimore!! Playing with Aunt Kristin...and her buttons!! Chloe loves her Aunt Kristin!! Chloe showing her new found skills of standing alone! Our little angel! At the end of the day, I think this is what we all wanted to do!!

Mother's Day!!

Okay, can I just say that being a mother is the best thing ever! There is nothing more rewarding!! I absolutely LOVE being a mommy to our sweet Chlo Bear & I have to document that at this very moment, she is trying her hardest to eat this computer screen...ohhhhh Chlo!! So Mother's Day came and went all to quickly! Dave made my first Mother's Day celebration a sweet memory :) He woke up with little one at 6:00am and then brought me breakfast in bed! I came down the stairs to beautiful pink lilies and a clean house! Is he great, or what?! After church he made one of my favorite meals (Tacoma Chicken...YUM) and a Texas Sheet Cake (double YUM)! I say it everytime but how can I not, Dave is the BEST hubby EVER!!

And a big thanks to my mommy for teaching me and being the best example of how a mother should be! I love you Mom :))

One Year Older and Wiser Too!!

Call me crazy but I still get very excited when my birthday rolls around...this year was no exception! My sweetheart, David, took the day off work to spend with me on my birthday! I woke up to a surprise present (Mind you I woke up well rested because my hubby woke up with Chloe all night and again at 5:00am)What a guy!! Anyway I woke up to a BEAUTIFUL apron that I have been wanting (although I promised I would cook if I had one...hmmm whose it really for?!) haha just kidding and a gift certificate for a pedicure!! The cooking might not be the best but at least I look cute doing it, right?! ;)

BEST PRESENT EVER! Never having gotten a pedicure I was skeptical about the whole thing...but holy cow it was awesome! Nothing better than a back massage while getting a leg massage and then ending with cute nails! Thanks DAVE!!

Maybe I made birthday hats for the special day (I warned you I still get excited for my birthday!)

I had the best birthday but I'm convinced it's because I have the best husband and baby Chloe! Thanks Dave!!!!

"Big Chloe and Little Chloe Unite"

She made it!!! All the way from Florida, my best friend Chloe, came to visit little Chloe!! A visit with this incredible lady was long over due! So needless to say I was ecstatic when she said she was coming to see us! We picked up right where we left off...laughing and joking and painting our nails, of course! Though it was only a couple days we LOVED having Chloe here in the same state again!

I love these two!!! Come back soon Chloe!!!

Beach Babes...in the hospital!

David had to go to the East Coast for work, so little Chlo and I went too! We stayed in a beautiful hotel on the beach and loved every minute of seeing the ocean all day. Highlight of the trip...Chloe learned to wave!! It's definitely a friendly place so I'm not surprised she picked it up!!! And boy is it cute!!! We visited all the shops and local restaurants and even made it out to the beach to play! Chloe loved it but wasn't too sure about the sand...especially after she did a face plant and dived right into it! AHHHHHHH what a fiasco that was! Yikes!! Let's just say that was our last excursion to the beach! The trip started out great but I'm afraid I can't say it ended that way :( Chloe had a low grade temp. that evolved into a fever of 104 and freaked me out!!! Nothing was bringing it down and because we were away from home I had no choice but to take her to the ER. and sure enough Dave was stuck at work with no way to come and help! So I gave myself a pep-talk and was on my way! But of course as soon as we got in the car we were graced with the presence of a torrential down poor of lovely east coast rain! I think you all know that driving in a severe storm, with a crying sick child in the backseat, while not knowing where you are going is the WORST thing ever!! Needless to say, I was a bit frazzled!! Hahaha but I am glad to report that while I am writing this, I'm chuckling at the stroke of bad luck that has now turned into an interesting memory. So we eventually made it to the ER but only after making 4 U-turns and going 'in' the 'out' a couple times,asking for directions twice, and being completely drenched from head to toe!! But may I repeat, we made it!!! Everyone was so kind and helpful and I was shocked they got us into a room quickly...then took some tests...an Ex-Ray...gave some Tylenol...and 4 hours later Chloe was zonked out on my chest and it was time to head home!!! HALLELUJAH the temperature came down and we were in dry clothes & in the comfort of our hotel room only 4 hours later! I am so thankful for the power of prayer with the help of modern medicine and for supportive parents and siblings who know just how to calm me down in times of distress!! We were beyond ecstatic to have our happy little girl back to her giggly self!!! Long story short...it was a fun trip that turned upside down thanks to sickness! We cut the trip short and eagerly left to be rescued by the comforts of home! 'Chasing' Chloe and Dave

These two have such a special bond! There is something extra special about a daddy and his daughter :)

~A glimpse of Heaven~

Love this little angel!

After a LONG day at the hospital, Chloe was finally feeling better and back to her happy self!

Surprisingly she was totally freaked by the waves...she loves them from afar but up close she was NOT impressed!

I love that smile :)

Sweet baby finally feeling better...could it be because we were going home?

Two People, Two Years!!

On April 16th my sweet David and I celebrated our two year anniversary!! And what a marvelous two years it has been! We were sealed for Time and All Eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple, then cruised the Caribbean, a couple months later we moved to Virginia, experienced a promotion, a year and a half later had our sweet baby Chloe & are now expecting a move to Texas!!! It was been an eventful two years! And I can't think of anyone else I would rather share it with :) Dave makes me smile when I'm sad, laugh when I'm angry, and gives me strength when I'm weak. He is my best friend!! I didn't know it was possible to love someone as much as I love him! To mark this joyous occasion Dave started it out right with bringing me breakfast in bed...YUM french toast!! Then we stayed in pjs all day and watched our favorite shows! Call us lame but it was awesome to cuddle while being surrounded by our favorite snacks and watching nothing but our favorite HGTV shows! No cleaning, no errands, nothing but relaxing(as much as one could relax with a 9 month old) and enjoying each others inside jokes and laughs!! But the best part of the day was stuffing ourselves FULL at the Melting Pot!! Four courses of DELICIOUSNESS!! Somehow it has become a tradition to completely gorge ourselves every year...and I'm not complaining! We discovered this amazing place the day before our wedding, then went for our one year anniversary, and then just HAD to go for year number 2!!! OH and how could I forget the GIFTS!!! Our special gift to each other was a big beautiful and I mean BEAUTIFUL painting of the Salt Lake Temple!! Dave also got a Dremel MultiMax (don't ask me what it does...I just know he wanted it) and my sweetheart gave me two china pieces from Anthropologie :))) We ended our day with a surprise visit to the fair!! FUN FUN FUN!!! I am a total sucker for Ferris Wheels, Carousels, and the cheesy dart games NO one can win. Yes, yes I love it! And I think little Chloe feels the same! The only ride she could go on was the Carousel so daddy bought the tickets and away we went!! She seemed a bit apprehensive of the paint chipped horse she was placed on, but as soon as the music started she got excited! It goes without saying but it was a WONDERFUL day filled with memories with the ones I love! Happy Anniversary Dave!!! Unfortunate picture quality but the only picture of the happy couple on our special evening!!

Melting Pot goodness!

CHLOE!

Maybe I'm a bad parent but I have the hardest time remembering Chloe's age. So, I just checked with Dave and he confirmed that she is EIGHT MONTHS!! That little Chlo Bear is growing, growing, growing! She exudes cuteness! If you were to ask her what her favorite part(s) of the day, she would say, 1) when daddy comes home for lunch (she squeals & lifts her hands in the air when he walks in the door)The song "I'm so Glad When Daddy Comes Home" has a whole new meaning now! 2)When we let her catch the cat (poor cat...) and 3) Going on walks in her walker!! OH and she loves, loves, loves to play with toys...especially when we jump in and play too!! Maybe, little to no work is accomplished during the day, but at least our child is happy!! OH and how could I forget BOOKS...that baby could turn the pages of her books alllll dayyyy longggg! Our little chatterbox has the cutest way of speaking to us...and yelling at us. We have found that we really have to watch how we say things now...let me explain! I have a bad habit of randomly yelling out a couple lines of a song (weird...but fun) with that being said, after my 'vocal exercise' is complete, I hear a little voice start yelling too with a big ol' grin on that cute chubby face!! Unfortunately, it's so cute that it only makes my habit worse!! But get ready for the cutest part...Chlo's new thing is to shake her head 'no' when she does NOT approve of something. It's the funniest thing to look over and see her shake her head back and forth, back and forth, and then fall over. Haha I could go on and on and sometimes I do...but for the sake of time(which I was out of ten minutes ago) I will conclude my ramblings of a pretty little girl named Chloe! Here are sweet baby Chloe's 8 month photos!

Helping Daddy with the landscaping at Uncle Ryan's and Aunt Kristen's house!!

WE LOVE YOU CHLOE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Checkin' in with Chloe!

Where do I even begin! Chloe has grown so much since I last blogged!! First of all she is CRAWLING! I was excited at first but that clearly did not last long and the excitement faded into exhaustion...she is getting too fast for her mama!! And lets see what else? Oh yes, she has an infatuation with the cat...a big one! Lets just say Chloe is very 'friendly' with little kitty and loves to pull her whiskers! Poor Mya.
Chlo Bear's favorite things are tags on toys, books, books, books, singing, eating rugs, peekaboo, & daddy's fruit smoothies! OH and the best part is...drum roll please...she can say mama AND dada!! She calls mama when she wants out of bed and when she is super excited and playful she calls for her dada! I can't believe she is almost 8 months and sleeping through the night in her own crib!! What a doll!! We love this sweet little angel we call Chloe!
I could go on and on about our dear little girl but I will stop now and save some for later! She brings such happiness into our life...being a parent is truly wonderful! We love you Chloe :)))

7 months!!!



What we do everyday!



If your asking if that is a rope attached to a walker, you are correct...daddy took the stroller to work!!



This is the life!



Could she be any cuter?!



My cuddle buddy!!

A happy reminder...

SNOW!!! We remember now what it looks like! Since we have lived here in VA there has been little to NO snow!! But the funny thing is that the day before I was taking out our spring/summer clothes!!

One day your outside playing in the warm sunlight and the next...

...there is this!! SNOW!! Cutest father daughter pic of all time! I am so blessed!

I guess it's instinct for children to know that they have to eat the snow...the first thing she did when we stepped out the door was open her mouth...WIDE! She didn't know what was going on but she knew she like it :)


Proof that I was there too!