Our Little Songwriter

Chloe has discovered Toy Story.
The first two movies were on tv over Christmas break, so I dvr-ed them, thinking someday she will want to see them. She hasn't had any interest in movies up to this point.

Well, she LOVES Toy Story! All of a sudden it is the only thing she wants to watch. Over and over and over.

She got a plush Woody doll for Christmas, who MUST sleep with her in her crib at night.
Keith and I heard her singing a song over the monitor one evening. We couldn't believe what we heard, so we turned the volume up a notch. Sure enough, Chloe was singing, "Everbody's got a Woody!" again and again and again.

Oh boy. Let's hope that song doesn't go public. I have a feeling some people just wouldn't understand.

Back In The Swing of Things

I don't even remember when my last post was. I'm not going to look. I know that it has been a loooong time.

So, quick update.

I'm still stay home with our 2.5 year old daughter. That in itself should give me plenty of blogging material!

I still love love love reading, coffee, and long conversations with my friends.

I am still trying to figure out how to be the wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend that God created me to be. Some days I feel like I am beginning to grasp it and other days I have never felt so confused. On those days, I try to just rest in the fact that He loves me.

I'm excited about rejoining the blogging world! Here's to plentiful posts in 2011!

Shame, Shame

I cannot believe my last post was almost 2 months ago!

Talk about blog neglect. Wow. Shame on me.

I have developed another internet addiction, Facebook. (Thanks Val)
I haven't figured out how to juggle blogging and Facebook. If anyone knows how, please let me know! :)

Chloe turned one! Well, a month ago. I cannot believe out little girl is one year old. Some people call her a toddler now. I am still gonna refer to her as my baby because she isn't walking yet and is still relatively bald. I want to hang on to her "baby-ness" for as long as I can. It's already gone by too quickly.

Other than that, we've just been enjoying summer. Trips to the pool, walks outside, playing at the park, yardwork, and all the stuff that comes with summer.

Here are a few pictures.... I haven't posted pictures in ages either. Again, shame on me.

Away... Round 2

So, this is the second time we have left Chloe. The first time was overnight in February for a marriage retreat with our church. This time, it is for 4 nights. Yeah, you read that right... 4 long nights. Over 96 hours, over 5760 minutes... you get the picture.

Keith's best friend and old college roommate is getting married. Outside Detroit. So, I am posting this from our hotel room in Michigan. It wasn't feasible for Chloe to make the trip with us, so we took her to my mom's on Wednesday and left after we put her to bed.

It.was.so.hard.

SO HARD.

I have fought back tears on more than one occasion.

Keith and I went to dinner last night, just the two of us. A rarity since becoming parents. We decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot. We looked through all the pictures of Chloe on our phone.

When we got back to the hotel, my mom had emailed pictures of their day.
Surprisingly, my daughter was smiling and playing. I guess she does ok without us!

Actually, I know she is fine. I'm sure she misses us, but I know she is fine. My mom and I are soooo similar, so Chloe is with the next best thing. She ate and napped and slept just like she always does.

That puts a mommy's mind at ease.

I thought it would get harder each day we were away, but today is a little easier so far. Maybe its because I am enjoying a cup of Starbucks. Don't get me wrong... I will be more excited than anything to get back to her on Sunday, pick her up and give her 10,000 kisses.

(Momma, if you are reading this, give her hugs and kisses from me!)

Hello, Old Friend

On Sunday I got reacquainted with an old friend....

my morning cup of coffee.

Oh, friend, how I missed you. We haven't spent time together since October 2007, when I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't spend time with you until I was done nursing Chloe.

Now I'm done breastfeeding. And, while I am still sad about that part of my life being done, I am looking forward to spending more time with you.
I have to admit, I tried to replace you with decaf, but decaf just wasn't the same.

I expect our friendship to pick up right where we left off.
So far, from what I can see, you haven't changed a bit.

My Little Hiatus

I can't believe it's been more than 2 weeks since I last posted.
It was nice, actually. One less thing I felt like I had to do. That is what blogging had become- a to-do. I needed the break. I felt pressure to post, to read, to comment.

And now, after these 2 weeks.... I miss my blogging friends. I miss reading your blogs and knowing what is going on in your lives. Funny, isn't it? How you can miss someone you have never even met.

So, I don't think I am ready to give up on my blog, but I do think that I won't be posting as frequently.

Alot has happened this month. Just a rundown of whats been going on while I've been MIA....

I am weaning Chloe. We are down to one nursing session a day and that is the one right before bed. I've switched her to goat's milk. It was a very big decision. I was struggling between organic formula and goat's milk and in the end, decided to go the goat milk route.

Why am I weaning her before 1 year? Because we are going to be away from her for 4 days in a couple of weeks. We have a wedding out of town and my mom will be watching her while we are gone. I didn't want to pump while we were gone, plus, I didn't want to leave her while I was still nursing. 4 days... I can't even think about being away from her for that long without panic starting to settle in.

Keith turned 31. My mom and dad both had birthdays too. I didn't even give them their proper birthday posts. Sigh.

Chloe had her first Easter. It was great. I cannot wait until she is old enough to understand the importance of Easter. It is one of the most exciting days to a Christian.

I am starting to plan for her first birthday. Is it really just over one month away?

We have decided to go to NC this summer to visit our friends, Bart and Tracy and their two little girls. Another panic- a 12 hour car ride. But, I still have months to figure that out...

Just a few updates from my life.
I can't wait to catch up on all of yours.

???

So, I've been feeling ho-hum lately, especially when it comes to blogging.

I've been contemplating if it is time to end the blog. For more than one reason.

We started a new series at church yesterday. 30 Days to Live.

How would you spend your last 30 days? I don't think I would spend mine blogging. Actually, I know I wouldn't.
And, I should spend each day as if it could be my last.

So, I'm going to pause for a bit. Stop and consider why I am blogging and if I should continue. Along with re-evaluating many other areas of my life.

I'll miss alot of you, especially if blogging is the only form of communication we have. I think I am going to try to give it a week, at first. I may extend it after a week. We'll see.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday.