Pocket shirt

I sewed a big pocket all the way around one of Chloe's shirts so she could hold and bond with our little lovies. Abby and I let them in our shirts all the time, but they sometimes try to make a break for it. So I thought if I sewed a compartment around Chloe's shirt she could hold them with no worries of them getting out. The only opening is up on the chest of the shirt so it's super cute when they come peep their little noses out to say hi. Chloe was very excited to hold them and feel them moving around. She said "It tickles!". She was very careful when they wanted to go around to her back that she didn't squish them. Now I'm thinking about ways to make a removable sleeve or something she can wear with any shirt. Hmmm...

Roller skating

Chloe and I went roller skating today and had a good time! She especially liked to go in the middle and chase the lights on the floor. She made a little friend and skated around with her for a while. I was proud of her for trying to go faster and taking my advice to stay off the wall if she wanted to get better. She even entered the fast race knowing she wouldn't win. We recently read a book about doing things and having fun, not needing to win every time. She didn't win, but she didn't come in last either. She got in line to do the limbo, got her skates loosened up, and started learning to use the toe stopper. It was so nice to see she wasn't holding herself back.

Report Card

Two families

Sushi

Chloe had sushi at a restaurant for the first time. She said the sticky rice tasted funny, but she did a good job with her chopsticks. As we sat at dinner she told us about what happens when kids get in trouble at school. The first "step" is being held back from recess. She's only been held back once, for talking to a friend when she was supposed to be listening. Sounds familiar to when I was in school.

We played goofy with our straw wrappers and at one point she told Abby and me we are the best moms in the WORLD. Of course that always feels good.

After dinner, we went grocery shopping. The rule is that Chloe can choose anything she wants from the produce section. This time she chose blueberries and strawberries. We also had a very goofy time talking about grape nuts. I like them and Abby doesn't, or at least she used to not. So we let Chloe try them. It was hilarious Abby talking about how bad they tasted- exaggerating for the fun of it- and Chloe and I saying we were gonna make different things out of them and trick her into eating them.

When we got to the check out, the guy working there said he wanted to help us because we looked to happy. And when we got to the van, Chloe was helping with the groceries.
It was bedtime when we got home, and Chloe was very good about making the transition. It was a nice evening. I love spending family time.

Valentines Day!

Chloe got picked up from school by Grandma Vicki who had some valentines for her, including this huggable caterpillar.
Then when we got home we were surprised by our sweet valentines on the stairs from Abby!
Grandma Kris had gotten Chloe some cute new outfits, and she immediately loved them! She asked if she could put an outfit on to go to dinner in.
Then we snapped a quick picture before leaving to have a fun, family dinner out.
We had a collection of Valentine coloring and activity pages we did together at the restaurant.
And, it was made extra special by Chloe and my surprise birthday party for Abby! Chloe missed out on Abby's birthday so we wanted to do something all together. Chloe and I bought Abby her dream hammer for work and had the waitress put candles in her burger! She was SO surprised! Chloe was happy to have given such an awesome gift and surprise!

Goodbye in the morning

She felt so good to hold. I realized it won't be long before I will never pick her up that way again. I feel deeply sad and proud of her at the same time.

Cousin Kayla

Kayla came for a sleepover! It was fun to hang out with her. Chloe was excited to have her sleep on the trundle bed in her room. We went to the mall and out to eat. Chloe was being very silly and cute trying on the sunglasses, until I took out the camera. Then she was quite serious and still until I gave up and put it away. We didn't take as many pictures as we should have, but these are a couple from the weekend.

Little Babies

One Saturday we woke up and we were all three in the kitchen having some breakfast. We were talking about what we might do for the day. Abby said: "I know!!! We're going to get some baby pet rats!!" and we all said yyyeeeaaaa!!! It was pretty spontaneous, but we'd talked about it a little before. So we headed out down to the local pat store on railroad. Abby told us stories on the way down there about how she'd gone there as a kid with her dad to get her first pet rats. We called it "the little Abby store", but decided that at some point it'd be called the "little Chloe store", too. So we went in and found one small enclosure with two little baby girls. Just what we wanted!! We shopped around for all the necessities and bought our first pet rats! We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about cute, fun names for them, and finally decided on RuPaul and Rainbow. Abby told us how all her rats had started with R. So we kept the tradition. They are cute names, but we mostly call them "the babies".

Talk about differences

Shana posed a question about talking to young kids about acceptance, celebrating the differences in people, etc.
This morning my thoughts are this:
I've talked to Chloe a lot about this stuff. What I've come to think is: any thing I can think to say to her about "differences are beautiful" have mostly been lost. I think maybe those concepts are too big. Talking doesn't do much for opening their little minds. If we point out and talk about differences in people, we are still bringing more attention to differences than accepting them as normal, acceptable, and good. The things that help the most are actually LIVING the message. Spending time around "differences", modeling behavior, and taking away the novelty goes a long way. No matter what we say about differences in people being normal, it will never be true for them until it's actually true in their lives. Just the other day, Chloe saw a picture of a baby with a cleft pallet on the computer and said it was gross. Of course I told her what it was, and that it wasn't gross. I explained how it happens and how it's treated, she understood and didn't think it was gross anymore. But I've had that same conversation with her a few times before in her life, about the same thing. I suspect it will always be a bit weird, shocking and yes even "gross" until she has a real life experience to pull from. And it's tough, I mean, it's impossible to go make friends with and spend time with enough people who embody all differences. So, we can continue to talk about things in an open and accepting way, and hope it begins to stick at some point. In the meantime, we can lovingly point out and celebrate our (relatively slight) differences among us in our immediate families.
My goal for Chloe is that she grows up around people who unyieldingly show openmindedness and and graceful acceptance of differences and she will learn the way to be and the way to approach differences in her own life. I suppose at some point she'll be privy to the opposite and likely feel and see the pain caused by judgement. Of course it makes me sad to think of her ever experiencing pain... It helps to know she'll have a good reference point in the world and a soft place to land. I will always strive to be that for her.

MLK Jr.

Chloe did a little book in school to celebrate the holiday. On the back page, she drew his picture of him.

Having two homes

Chloe tells me that she really loves having two homes. She said she thinks it would be boring if she only had one. She likes having different chores and responsibilities at each house and getting a break from them when she changes.
I hope she always has such good feelings about having two homes.
She also said she likes having two sets of holidays.
I would, too!

She knows I like em

Chloe drew this adorable elephant for me! And yellow paper?
She said "It's because I know you like 'em!"

Crayon art

Chloe painted a small canvas pink and chose all of these beautiful crayons to glue to it.  Then we stood up the canvas and melted all the crayons.  It was really pretty watching all the colors drip down. Chloe liked it when we turned it upside down. 

I made some hats

Lately I've been having fun with my sewing machine.  I've been using old shirts to make hats with.  This cream colored one I made for Chloe just fit her so good.  She wanted to wear it to school the next day-then she found out she's not allowed to wear hats in school.  I've always thought she looks super cute in hats.  Here she is also enjoying a home-made coconut popsicle.  Yummm.

Holidays at Dads

With Ditto snuggled up in the decorations and Chloe playing her new Xbox Kinect.

And Chloe tells us she got to stay up, watching movies to ring in the new year!! She was very proud and excited.

Strides in reading

As we were reading together last night:
She was readily reading Amelia Bedelia with sporadic help with words like "enough" and "should", when she sounded out the words "exclaimed" and "remembered".
Pretty darn good, I'll say.

Salmon zombie

Chloe, as she's devouring the broiled salmon Shell made for dinner:
"I'm the salmon zombie!"

Because I made you

When I tuck Chloe in bed at night I tell her that the quilts she covers up with (made by grandma Vicki, Grandma Kris, and Aunt Tia) arent made of fabric. They are made of love. Every inch and every stitch has love in it from them. I tuck the love all around her until she feels safe and comforted.
Last night I said:
"No one else in the whole world loves you as much as I love you... You know why? Because I made you."
She smiled so big and squeezed me so hard.
I live for the love moments.

Singing

Chloe says to her friend Kylee: "I pretty much sing like an adult."
They are pretty cute the two of them rocking out to Katy Perry "Firework" belting out sometimes the right words.

She loves singing, but doesn't like to be heard, so usually I'm listening intently without looking at her. At night before she falls asleep, she sings and chats and plays... Sometimes I want to hide a baby monitor in her room so I can listen to her.
And of course I always relish the (fleeting) moments she is in the mood for performing.