the one with the same

 same age, same onesie, same kitchen. same fraggle rock hair.

the one with the prom date

AK always loves to chaperone the prom. He didn't actually take this little cutie as his date, but she got all dressed up to take the traditional prom pose pic. She's pretty amazing, huh?

the one with pictures

My life is fuller than its ever been. I have lots to say. I have no time to say it. So, here are a few facebook albums that I put together tonight. I haven't even been taking the time to do fb albums, but somebody made a comment this weekend about how we aren't doing for the second child what we did for the first and it made me mad so I spent an hour making albums. Ridiculous, right?

general springtime cuteness

thomas the train day of fun

spring break

my brother got married!

the one where I scream, THIS IS HALLOWEEN

the one where they're the same

People always tell me that Lily and Chloe Belle look just alike. Normally I don't agree.

This weekend Lily had rice cereal for the first time. yay! When we uploaded the pictures we went and found the pics from the first time CB had rice cereal.

Lily's in orange, Chloe Belle's in green.

What do you think? Just alike, or totally different?

the one with changes

just thinking the other day about how life is different after giving birth to two baby girls:

1. my feet are definitely a half-size bigger. the result: all my shoes hurt but who has the money to replace a closet full of shoes??

2. i have baby bangs. this is when the beautiful hair that you grow during pregnancy falls out and then little hair regrows. i have inch-long bangs now. the result: ponytails aren't really an option for me these days.

3. my right eye is permanently paralyzed. ok, that one sounds extreme. i had bells palsy with both babies, and my right eye is just never going to fully recover. the result: i'm super self conscious about my pirate eye.

4. i am permanently late. i was late before chloe belle, then she made me really late. now with two babies i am LATE. the result: i have left the house for work several times in the last two weeks after 8:00. (i'm supposed to be at work at 8. it takes 45 min to go from home, to dayschool, and then to work. late.)

5. i find myself being a disaster all the time. case in point: last thursday they call me from dayschool because lily is out of control, i go get her, she throws up all over bethany's work clothes, and then i forget her carseat. the result: i am a crazy person (but very thankful for good friends like bethany).

6. my life is absolutely busting at the seams with joy. i simply never could have imagined that my little life could contain so much joy, so much laughter, so many smiles, so much happiness, so many cuddles, hugs, and kisses.
the result: bliss.

happy moments with two babies:

two babies deciding they love each other.

chloe belle correcting answering the question, "where is sissy's nose?"
poor sissy.

chloe belle making sure that sissy gives Mr. Bear his night-night kiss.

the one that's funny

Remember the awesome hair moment from There's Something About Mary?

Here's Chloe Belle this past weekend:

Chloe Belle's do was the result of some buggar smeared in her hair. Please don't leave me a comment telling me I'm a terrible mother for comparing these two moments. You know it's funny.

Thanks to Brandy for the photo.

the one when I'm up all night

For those of you new mommies, you know that the question you dread is, "are they sleeping through the night?" For those mommies whose kiddos slept through the night at 8 weeks, they wear it around like a badge of honor. For those of us whose kiddos are still waking up at 13 weeks, it's the mark of the beast.

Last night I was up all night, and I want to tell you why I love it.

9:30pm: I feed Lily around 10:30 each night. Usually I don't go to sleep until after she eats but last night I was exhausted so I fell asleep with my husband, which is rare, around 9:30

10:20pm: Alarm goes off. Somehow my husband knows I don't want to get up [maybe it was all the groaning and fussing?] and he rolls over to whisper sweet encouragement in my ear. I love my man. I go to feed Lily. I love pulling her up from the crib when she's in a deep sleep. I love how she stretches and smacks on her little hands without ever waking up. She's a cutie.

10:45pm: Luckily my little Lily is a champion eater, so I'm back in the bed.

11:15pm: Chloe Belle starts crying. I remember that she's cutting teeth bad and I forgot to give her motrin before bed. I get up, get the motrin from the kitchen, and go into her room. I pull her up from the crib, give her the motrin, and sit down on the edge of the bed [cb's room doubles as the guest bedroom]. She snuggles up to me, wraps her little arms around my neck, and lays her head in the crook of my neck, falling asleep. I hold her for a few moments, praying I'll always remember what that feels like.

3:00am: Chloe Belle is crying again. This time sweet husband goes in to comfort her. He tells me later that he laid down on the bed with her and could have stayed there all night. I love how he loves her.

5:15am: Lily wakes up. She's so close to sleeping through the night! One of my favorite things about feeding her in the middle of the night is how when she's done she rolls back, stretches her arms and legs reeeeaaaal far, belly bulging, and then curls up in a little ball against me. Chloe Belle did it exactly the same way. Even if its 3 am I love to just sit there for a few minutes, holding my sleeping sweet baby, and adore her precious little life.

5:45am: back in bed. Chloe Belle is crying again. I hold hands with my husband and listen to him say how sad he is that she's in pain. He closes his eyes and I think about how much I love him. Then I close my eyes and think about how much I love my girls.

6:10am: Time to get up and start a new day. Today I go back to work/church for the first time since Lily arrived. I love my job/church.

So you see, waking up in the middle of the night isn't so bad after all.

the one for Chloe Belle

Happy Day sweet girl! Today you are officially a year and a half old. It's amazing to me how quickly the time has passed. Each day with you is better than the last. I keep dreading you growing up and leaving each sweet little baby phase behind you, but I have thoroughly enjoyed each new little phase as it comes.
Today you are full of curiosity and what seems like boundless energy. Your hair is growing out; it finally lays down on your head, but we can't seem to keep it out of your eyes. Today you scream like a madwoman when getting your diaper changed. Mommy painted your toes for the first time to celebrate being a big girl. Your favorite foods are cheerios, oranges, chicken, and strawberries. Oh, and let's not forget milk. Milk makes your world go round. Today you are struggling with having more temper tantrums. Sometimes you wear mommy and daddy out. You love to climb on any and everything. You love bubbles. Today you love to play outside, finding wonder in every clod of dirt, leaf, and flower. You love Mr. Bear more than life itself. Your favorite toys are books. You scream "boookie" whenever you bring a book to mommy and daddy you want read. You love your little sister. You brush her hair, pat her mouth with a burp cloth, sing to her in her bouncy seat, and sometimes even give her Mr. Bear to show her you love her. You give the best hugs and kisses in the world, well, right after daddy.
You can say all of these words: mommy, daddy, woof, book, bear, ball, eyes, nose, nana, papa, abby, brush, shoe, flower, apple, nana [for banana], fish, no, hi, bye, baby, duck, bubble, sit, and amen.
When asked, you can point to all these body parts on you or your baby sister: hair, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, ears, belly, leg, knee, and toes. When asked to find your belly you always pull up your shirt and pat your big tummy, and when asked to find your toes you always stick them in your mouth. Your daddy taught you those...
You make the best animal sounds: quack, woof, baa, sssss for snake, oh ah ah for a monkey, and the cutest little roar of all time.

You are one awesome 18 month old Chloe Belle. I love you.

the one with my family

the one where we're alone

Adam's mom came and got Chloe Belle on Monday and took her back to Beulah for a week. I'm so grateful for her because we really needed a break. It's funny, though. We desperately needed the peace and quiet, but I have to say that both mommy and daddy are desperately missing their little girl. So sad not to see her playing around the house all day long.

I miss Chloe Belle.

But, we are so happy to have a few days with just Lily. With your first child you take for grated all of the undivided attention you are able to lavish on them the first days of life. This week I've had lots of goals, from cleaning the kitchen to paying bills, but I'm trying to soak up each moment I have to hold and love on Lily. It's been super nice to be able to give her all our love.

We like her. I think she's for keeps.

the one with pictures

added a new album to facebook of the two kiddos. check it out. here are some photos that didn't make the fb album, exclusive here for the three friends of mine who read this blog...

the one with the lovely

I have done some extensive research and study, and have come to the undeniable conclusion that Chloe Belle is the most beautiful little girl in all the world.

the one with my two favorites

snuggling in bed watching Baby Einstein

snuggling after wrestling on the den floor

enjoying the last night with a bottle together

opening daddy's presents from New York

the one with the three buddies

the one when I'm a bad mom

I love blogs (thanks Jamie and Bethany). I have converted to Google Reader and I have a whole section of "mommy blogs." Almost all of them occasionally post about how they had a horrible mom day. It's usually because:

• they fed their kids McDonalds all three meals
• they were angry, short, and frustrated and snapped at everybody
• they said a bad word in front of their kids
• they weren't feeling particularly loving

Today I feel like a horrible mom. It's because I have a mental list of things I'd rather do than take care of Chloe Belle today:

• lay in bed and re-read Harry Potter for the zillionth time
• take a nap
• lay in bed and watch a movie
• take a nap
• order a pizza and eat in while laying in bed
• take a nap
• lay in bed and read funny blogs, crafty blogs, friends' blogs (anything but serious blogs that would make me feel bad about myself)
• take a nap

I wonder, are there other moms out there who are as selfish as me? I'm feeding CB great food today, I haven't cussed, I love her alot, and I'm not frustrated. But I sure as heck just want a day off to be utterly selfish.

Anybody ever feel the same way, or is it just me?

the one where you'll laugh

remember this post from a few days ago?

from Awkward Family Pet Photos

the one where I love etsy!

got little cb two beanies for winter. the monkey one is for her sock monkey themed 1st birthday party! can't wait till they get here!

the one when I learn

It's amazing how much being a parent teaches you about God. I feel like almost every little interaction I have with Chloe Belle is insight into the heart of my Father. Two little lessons I've learned lately:

#1 As Chloe Belle is growing and changing, my love for her grows each day. She's more verbal and extremely mobile, and more like a little person. I feel like each day I fall in love with her all over again. The other day we were driving and I stopped at a red light. I looked back at her to check on her. She's still in the pumpkin seat facing backwards. Often all I can see are her little feet kicking, or sometimes the top of her head. Stopped at the red light all I could see of my wee one was her little thumb hooked around one of her links. That's it: just a tiny little thumb. I teared up at the sight of it, overwhelmed by my love for that little thumb.
As I turned back around, I was completely caught off guard by this thought: If I am brought to tears over the love of my daughter just by seeing her finger, what is the magnitude of the love my Father feels for me?
I couldn't stop thinking about it all day, just pondering the depth of the Father's love for me. It was overwhelming.

#2 I love this new phase CB is in where she's pulling up and cruising around on everything. I don't love that she'll be walking in just a few weeks, but it is so much fun to watch her adventure and explore all the time. However, with crawling, pulling up, and exploring comes hardship. She's falling down quite a bit lately.
Her favorite place to go explore is the dog's area. She likes to bang on the crate, push around the big container of dog food, and of course, tip over their water bowl. I've been trying hard to discipline her to show her that this tiny area of the kitchen is off limits. Every time I tell her no, I think it just increases her desire to be over there. It's amazing how her little life is my big foolish life in miniature. Why do some sins remain so desirable when my Father has told me repeatedly to stay away??
Today CB was playing over in the dog area. Before I could get to her to pull her away, she pulled the dog food container down on her, falling on the floor and banging her little head against the hard floor. Man oh man did she scream.
As I comforted her, I knew that if she had only listened to my correction there wouldn't be this pain. And I knew that the same is true in my own life. How God would have saved me from heartache if I had only listened to His voice.

I love this parenting journey. I'm learning so much about myself and my God and having an absolute blast along the way.

the one that's not so cute

remember these super fun posts when I was making my own baby food and it was all colorful and precious?

things are not so cute anymore.


I've started making Chloe Belle turkey. It was not fun to puree, it is not cute, and she hates the way it tastes. Who knows? Maybe after all these awesome vegetables, Chloe Belle has decided to become a vegetarian.

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