Week 35:Uhhmm Honey, the Garage Door won't Open...I'm locked out!

Oh the weather has been so NICE this week! I have really enjoyed getting out of the house and taking the kids for walks around the neighborhood and the parks. At the main park there are ducks so that was an interesting experience for the kids. Marshall was scared/shy so he clung to me but fearless Chloe was ready to jump out of my arms to see one up close. It is so weird to me that Marshall can climb up this huge Playground equipment and all I have to do is wait for him at the bottom. Soon I am sure that I will think the same of my baby girl.

What a little goof ball! Well after one of these walks I got home and my garage door opener wouldn't work!!! I guess the batteries are starting to wear down after 7 years. That was my only way into the house. I called Chris at work and my friend Shelley to possibly go and crash at her place 'till hubby got home BUT luckily the darn thing started to work again and Chris got to go home. Am I the only person that these things happen to?
Chillin in the stroller while Mommy freaks out that we're locked out and my cell phone is about to die! Luckily I remembered snacks and beverages! You can fit the kitchen sink under those double strollers!!!
Chloe is sitting up very well now on her own. She also is very proficient at eating on her own. She absolutely REFUSES anything I feed her and insists on only eating finger foods. I guess she doesn't trust me not to put green beans or carrots down her so she has started to refuse Gerber food. Oh if I do get food in her mouth she opens her mouth and holds it on her tongue and starts pretend gagging. SO MUCH DRAMA!!

For her age I have never come across a baby who insists upon eating what the rest of us (namely Marshall) is eating! It is so weird because Chris and I started her on solid foods much later than Marshall and she has picked all of this up in weeks. But it is probably for the best because Marshall is going to "Share" his food with her anyways! May as well learn how to eat it while I'm monitoring and approving the situation.Little Miss (Dare-I-Say?!) Piggy. Upset that her food source has been put away. You don't mess with this girl and her meal. When she bottle feeds her milk she just polishes off whole 8-9oz bottles. I think this is crazy because I could barely get Marshall to drink 4 oz, if even that because he would drink an oz then play and come back and sip some more, etc. for an hour!!!

Miss Chloe Jane is also CRUISING now!!! This big girl wants to be able to go after her brother really badly, so she has been practicing standing!!! But this little girl will have nothing to do with Crawling!!! She won't even get up on her knees or attempt to push herself forward. She knows the World revolves around her so what's the point in trying, right? :-) She has a magical smile which lures us all in!
We have enrolled Marshall in Little Gym classes this spring and he just loves it! He's a little leery of the balance beam, but he loves to jump-on the trampoline and especially play with the bubbles and balls. Chloe isn't enrolled (in the Fall we'll sign her up when she is more mobile) but she loves observing the class and I think she enjoys the activities more than her brother. But Marshall is also really nice and makes sure that she has plenty of balls to play with...
He makes sure that he finds every available (and sometime non-available, much to the despair of another little toddler) to bring her each and everyone! What a very nice big brother (especially considering how obsessed he is with them) Marshall is!!!!

Week 34: Happy Mother's Day!

HAPPY 2ND MOTHER'S DAY TO ME! :-) hehe I even made myself a card with Marshall and Chloe and stuck it on the fridge! We had some fun playing with craft paint and trying to put their little fingers on the paper without getting it on clothes, furniture, little mouths....! Mother's Day is such a special and exciting Day. A day I can celebrate the birth of my children and reflect on all of the moments they have made in my life and how completely they fill my heart with love and laughter. I just love being their Mommy! I think they are the two best kids ever!

I still can't believe that it's my 2nd Mother's Day and I already have a second Child! And isn't she just precious?!
To celebrate Mother's Day, we went to the Dallas Zoo! Marshall AND believe it or not, CHLOE! - really enjoyed the zoo! I thought she would be too young to see or be interested in the animals but I was dead wrong. Look at her FLIRTING and COOING at this Gorilla! Marshall was interested and shy but not my fearless cub! She was ready to jump the glass and give that gorilla some open mouth kisses! She is too funny!Exhibit A - Proof of her silliness! (She is actually laughing at Marshall jumping into the children's play river (which is a great way for the kids to cool down at the zoo!!)!
Monkeying around at the Zoo...hehehe

The first zoo animals we saw and Chloe was just so interested. That was when we knew the zoo was going to be fun with her!
Serious face for the Bayou Exhibit at the zoo. Not sure if you can see but there are albino alligators lurking below that water!Look Chloe I found a nut in our front yard...try some! You'll like it!
Hamming it up for the camera, as usual!
First time on grass. She did better on it than Marshall, who freaked out the first time he was on grass.Fighting over Daddy's lap for storytime.Marshall won the books and Chloe won Daddy's lap!

Week 33: Sitting Up On Her Own!

Look at that BIG girl sitting up on her own. She is so good at it now that we are retiring the Boppy! I love how in just one day she realized that her arm can be a little "kick stand" that will prop her up and keep her from falling!EVEN IN THE BATH-TUB!! Now THAT is a BIG girl! Chloe has such a charming personality! Here she is hamming it up for the camera. Her hair is also long enough now to hold a bow!!! This is crazy for me since Marshall was bald for such a long time. She is SUCH a girly girl! She loves Mommy putting bows into her hair and doesn't fight it at all. She likes being pretty!

Chloe loves to drink her bottles. She is off of breast milk now. I am really sad about this turn of events. I thought for sure since I was at home all the time now that she would solely nurse but she is not interested in it anymore. But I still love to cuddle her before she goes to bed. I love singing her sweet songs and how she touches my cheek and coos. Then I put her down to sleep in her own bed and she sleeps through the night! You need to stop growing up you sweet precious little angel! You are irresistibly adorable and I love you so much sweet Baby!

Week 32: I'm too Hot for Summer!

All of this time outdoors, I got the kids some sunglasses. It was fun trying to keep them on their heads and try to get a shot with the camera. It is much easier getting pictures of them separate rather than together. The kids are so hilarious and giggling and trying to put the glasses in their mouths. Only problem? They are now both infatuated with stealing my glasses at any opportunity they get.

LOOK AT THOSE CHEEKS! Cuddling with her Daddy!
Oh what the Momma will do for a photo-op! Why did she put me in a basket?

We love going to Aubrey Public Library on Tuesdays for Storytime! I bring Chloe's Bumbo for storytime (and on Fridays at Denton Public Library). It is very convenient and so strange to not be carrying her around in the Snugli anymore. She's becoming such a big girl and is very interested in storytime (more so sometimes than her brother)!

Marshall playing with the toys after storytime.

Going out to eat with the Papa (My Dad). It's crazy! She's in her own highchair at a restaurant. What a big girl!!


Playing with her friend Jack.
The kids are just so excited when Daddy comes home!!! Chloe has starting to insist that she also be picked up by Daddy. She doesn't want to be left out and will fuss if Chris goes to Marshall first.

Week 31: Marshall My Buddy & Patio Play

I took Chloe and Marshall to the Gym to practice swimming so that when summer comes in a few weeks they will be prepared! Chloe enjoyed it and was really cute in her little swim suit! What an adorable little Pajama Princess! Poor thing wasn't feeling well early in the week. We took her in to be checked for a UTI infection since she was having difficulty peeing and was running a high fever. It is so horrible holding your child to have a catheter put in. Poor Baby. But she had some antibiotics and was doing much better by the end of the week.Isn't she so cute in her little jammies?! She is starting to really chunk up and fill them in!
Eating Cheerios and chatting up a storm in her jammies!

Marshall and Chloe are such buddies. Look how cute they are together?!

Video of Chloe bugging her brother!

So a few months ago Chris and I had a safety fence installed around the perimeter so now we get to use the back porch as an additional play area! Even better, I remembered that a few years ago I had put this Climber/Slide in our attic that we received from my Dad (a hand-me-down from my brother!) The kids just were so excited about this. They were hovering the whole time I was installing it and as soon as it was up, they couldn't wait to get on it. Chloe had to be helped up and Marshall was not in the mood to share this new awesome toy! :-)