Happy Birthday Chloé

The Birthday girl



A sketch of the sisters drawn at Chuck E Cheese



I think Grandma Marsh is just as excited as Chloé!



The kids blowing out Chloé's candle.

The finished Glitter toes!



Chloé and her friends after getting their toes done.



A picture of the Excited Chloé with her new friend - Julie



Chloé and Grandma at the Build a bear workshop

I can’t believe I have a 6 year old. It’s amazing how fast the years go by! This year has been quite amazing too! Chloé is such a blessing in our lives and we feel so lucky that she’s part of our family.

Today has been totally “birthday” all day! We started off with mom and dad gifts. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks! Dave agreed to get her this American Girl doll which she has literally wanted for over 2 years! She even sleeps with the little catalog! She was so shocked and excited because she was supposed to wait until she was 8 to get one. She promised she’d take good care of her “Julie doll”. The best part of the whole “doll choosing” part for Chloé was that this doll had the same name as her aunt Julie. Needless to say, my sister is quite flattered. After the presents the girls got ready and we went with 4 of Chloé’s friends to get what we call – Glitter toes – It was so cute to see all of them with these super fancy toes. After we went for ice cream – Chloé’s favorite treat. Of coarse when we got home Chlo had to go play American girl with her buddies Madison and Reagan. Thanks girls for making Chlo’s first American girl experience so great. Chloé actually learned about these dolls through these two cute neighbor girls. While Chlo was playing I made her pink cupcakes with fish and drink umbrellas on the top. Yes, quite unique – but that’s what she wanted. Then we were off to Chuck E Cheese with the Nelson family (Just as a side note, Dave and I did get to watch most of the Utah football game – Utah WON!!! They’re on their way to another BCS bowl for sure!) Chuck E Cheese was great fun. Chlo loves spending time with her little cousins! Thanks so much Bryce, Marsha, and Shannon for joining us for the fun. I love their pizza and the kids love the games! What a fun way to end the day.

Yesterday was fun for Chlo too! Grandma Jackman kidnapped her for an "adventure". Grandma took her to Artic Circle for lunch then to the Build a Bear store where she was able to create a new friend. They had so much fun together. Chlo had a blast picking out the outfit and loved the cute little panties :) She named her Bunny Caitlyn - Cute name. Thanks mom for doing that! Chlo will keep that memory close to her forever! You're just beyond amazing!

Chloé, we love you tons and tons. Thanks so much for making our lives so much better!

Jaylee's first Roll

Well, today my baby rolled over for the first time! I can't believe it! She's already getting so big. I was outside taking pictures of her when the neightbor started having a little brawl with a sub-contractor. I figured it was probably a good idea to come back in the house. I figured since I already had the props I'd snap a few of her on her belly. She was on her tummy and while I was turning on the camera - whoop - She flipped on to her back! I figured it was a fluke so I flipped her back onto her tummy again and within a few seconds - over she went again. Go Jaylee. I guess there is no more couch sleeping :) I'm just bummed the picture I took didn't turn out! I tried to snap another one but she was screaming by then. Dang! Next time! :)

I also have to add one more story that totally melted my heart. Honestly to me it proves that kids are VERY close to the veil. Yesterday when we went to pick up Chlo from the bus stop the air smelled like smoke. I asked Carlee why she thought it smelled like that, she said, "It's because Jesus is cooking marshmallows". Oh the sweet tender mercies Heavenly father sends to us through our amazing children. Thanks Carlee for being so close to the spirit. I hope Jesus enjoyed his Marshmallow :)

1st day of Kindergarten

Today was a lot of firsts for our family! Getting up at 6:30 was not our favorite, as a matter of fact when I went to wake up Chlo to let her know it was time to get up and get ready for school she told me she didn't want to go to school, she wanted to sleep. To be honest with you, I was shocked! I was sure she'd jump out of bed and get ready to go... Amazingly enough within about 5-10 minutes she was out of bed jumping around the house talking about how she got to go on the bus today. She ate a good breakfast and we even had time for family scripture study and family prayer. Thanks to my great friend Kim who was telling me she's starting that with her family I figured this was a great time to get us on that schedule too. I LOVE it! Thanks Kim! (the picture of Chloé with the other 2 kids are Kim's kids.) It's pretty strange for it to be 9am and I'm up, showered, dressed and even have makeup on! That's unheard of in my house :)

Chlo was way excited to get to the bus stop but I could tell once we got there she was a little nervous. She did know a few kids at the bus stop which actually made me feel better. The bus driver was awesome! When Chloé got on he introduced himself and told her that he'd pick her up every morning at that same spot. It was way cute!

I followed the bus to school because Chlo wanted me to help her find her classroom. Thankfully the kindergarteners all go to the playground and play until 5 minutes before class starts. That was great for Chloé. She's already made new friends and looked excited to start learning. This morning I was telling Chlo how she got to play on her own playground designed just for kindergarteners, when Carlee found that out she said she wanted to go to that school too. What a nut! I'm so proud of Chloé and I'm excited for all she gets to do this next year!

*Chlo just got home and we were talking about her experience. She said she had lots of fun. She was so excited when she found out there was another "James" in her class. (that was the name of her "boyfriend" last year) They got to read stories and color a picture. I guess the other diabetic boy in her class is "kind of a brat" I guess he was sort of rude to the other kids. Darn. Hopefully Chlo will show that not all diabetics are like that. Chlo said she felt really bad for the kid he was making fun and said it just wasn't nice. Good for you Chlo. She rode home on the bus all by herself and I guess the bus driver was new because he went the wrong direction to bring her home... Oops, I'm glad there was a helper on the bus making sure the kids did get off where they should have. Chlo met a cute boy on the bus who looked like her "except he was a boy". She said he had cute freckles and blonde hair just like her. She had to sit by herself on the bus ride home because she's the only one who gets off at her stop. I guess her new little buddy also sat by himself too. She says "So that's okay". I'm SO glad she had a good experience. I think she's going to have a great time this year.

Old memories

Today was such a special day for me! I had an old roommate from over 8 years ago come and visit me. Thanks Sarah! She's living in Oregon right now and decided to take a trip to Utah to visit her sister and her adorable new baby boy. Sarah and I were really close friends when I started dating Dave. Dave and I actually called her our kid since we all hung out together. It really was fun. Sarah is such a wonderful person and has helped me overcome many tough obstacles I had in my life back then. She even helped me out when I was freaked out one night. To clarify, my room-roommate was out super, super late and snuck in our room to grab a robe to keep her warm while sleeping on the couch in the family room (she didn't want to wake me up) Anyway, instead of not waking me up she totally freaked me out when she pulled her robe off the back of the bedroom door and slid it out of the room. I guess the combination of being woken up and seeing this robe slide out the mostly closed door totally got to me. I ran into Sarah's room and made her check out what was up. (I realize this makes me look like a total doof) I was so thankful she was there to help figure out what was going on. Needless to say she was the brave one in that situation. It was so great to spend an afternoon with her and re-kindle our friendship and get back in touch. Thanks Sarah for being such a great friend!

Jaylee's 2 month Appointment

Well, today Jaylee had her 2 month appointment with Dr. Weipert. Every time I go into that office I am amazed at how amazing they all are. They really do try to make you feel like you're one of their own kids. I love it! Jaylee did great, and like my other two girls, she's growing like a weed! She's 23 3/4 inches long (90%), 12 lbs 10 ounces(90%) and her head circ. is 40 centemeters (75%). She is getting better and better every day with her Colic thanks to the miracle formula Alimentum. It's one of the most expensive formulas you can buy though. I guess whatever we have to do to keep her happy and healthy.

Jaylee, you are truly a blessing in our lives and I honestly can't imagine what I'd do without you. You and your sisters are the most precious gift I have! Thanks for making me smile every day.

Carlee's first day of Preschool

Well, today my second baby started Preschool. I didn't think it would bother me, you know, the whole - been there, done that - idea... I actually did get a little choked up watching her walk into the school and me driving away. For some reason even with Jaylee here, Carlee is like my little girl... Dave and I have been a little worried about her going just because she doesn't do things without one of us being with her. Dave promised her that if she was good he'd let her go to dance class. One of the first things she said when I picked her up was, "Mom! Now I can go to dance class." Dave, I hope you're really willing to hold up your end of your deal :) She had a great time and her teacher said she is an amazing girl. She was Chloé's teacher a few years ago and Chloé just adores Mrs. Harmon. I'm SO SO excited we get to have her again for Carlee. I asked if she'd teach a few more years so she can teach Jaylee as well. What a gift that would be!

Carlee had an outfit picked out last night that she wanted to wear, it was her "girl super hero shirt" and her sparkle jeans. This morning she changed her mind and instead picked out this adorable blue dress. She looked amazing! She even got to wear a pair of my earrings, yes I know it's a bit over the top, what can I say?? In school Carlee was able to do 2 different coloring projects, write her name and even learn about circles and the letter M (Marvin the Monkey). I'm excited for this year, I think Carlee will really do well! Carlee - I'm so proud of you! You did awesome today! I love you!

Sunday Bike Ride and Monday FHE

Yesterday we actually ate dinner early. I've been slacking more and more as the summer goes on. :) The weather was perfect for a walk so the girls grabbed their scooter and bike and we were off. We had a great time and even met some new neighbors who are fantastic! It was so cute to see the girls all decked out in their helmets and pads. I'm so glad I'm lucky enough to live in such a great place where these walks are possible. You can see Jaylee was decked out for the occasion too :)
Tonight for FHE Dave volunteered to give the girls Father's blessings to help with the beginning of school. He did a beautiful job! He is so great with words and seems to be so inspired! Thanks Dave for being worthy and willing to bless all our lives. Carlee startes pre-school tomorrow... Yikes! She's never really done anything without either me or Chloé right at her side, I'm excited to see how she does! Cross your fingers!

A Date with Grandma

This week has been super busy! It was great to take a break and spend an afternoon with Grandma. The girls totally love the little "adventure days" my mom puts together for them. She's so amazing about doing activities that help them learn and explore new things. Thanks mom :) This week we went to lunch then to Cabella's. The girls loved looking at all the animals. They have learned, from my mother, that they can name the fish in the big tank. It's cute to hear the names they come up with. Unfortunatly Chlo was still not feeling good so we had to cut our outing short. Chlo ended up running a fever of 102.5 (which Carlee now has...) so we took her home and put her to bed. Bummer. It was still so great to spend the day with my mom! Thanks so much mom for taking the time to educate my girls while teaching them to love to learn and spend time with you!

I know there is a random picture of Jaylee on this post. It's been a while since I put one on my blog. She's growing SO fast and is getting SO big! It's almost sad. I'm glad I have this time to hold her and just snuggle with her :)

A crazy day!

Today has been totally crazy! Chlo had her quarterly diabetic appointment in SLC this morning at 10, that made the morning nuts! Chloé’s average blood sugars have been super high, so we have some changes to make. They did tell us today though that there is a new meter that can test your blood sugars every 5 minutes, send the information to a pump, which means it can automate all her insulin which in turn will help her blood sugars to stay at better levels. I called my insurance company today and they weren’t much help – from what I could gather they don’t know much but that particular meter and pump aren’t covered… I need to do more research – how nice would that be?!?! They even have a new tester that you can program alarms on so you know if they’re getting too low or too high… That would mean NO MORE NIGHT WAKE UPS!!! I’ve been getting up at least 1-2 times a night sometimes up to 5-6 times just to be sure her blood sugars are not dropping too low - I have no idea what I’d do with myself being able to sleep and not worry about her! I just hope the insurance company will work with us.

After her appointment we headed over to the zoo. We usually do this on Chloé’s mid-summer diabetic appointment. The girls were so ornery! Chlo said she didn’t feel good and Carlee wanted to sit in the stroller with the seat laid back so she could relax – when she couldn’t she had a freak out. Adding that to Jaylee and her Colic – well, I’ve had better trips to the zoo… We stayed long enough to eat and take a train ride, we also had to get our annual family picture taken in front of the gorilla. Funny too how we brought the double stroller for Jaylee and whoever may have needed a ride - ended up that I carried Jaylee and the two "Big sisters" got the stroller! We got to sit in the front two seats of the train so we asked the conductor to take our picture. Huh, 2 family pictures in one day. Too bad Carlee wasn’t looking in the second.

Today was also my dad’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! I LOVE YOU!!! He is honestly the most amazing guy ever! He’s such a hard working, lovable guy. He is good at anything he does and does everything all out! He is super supportive and is there anytime I need him. Thanks Dad! (Jaylee is actually named after him. It’s SO nice to have such great people in our lives huh?) Anyway, we went to dinner with the family then went to see my parent’s new house and have cake and ice cream. It was so fun to spend time with my parents, Heather, Brian and Nate. Becca is with her family in TX (bummer!) and of coarse Julie is in TX with Dave and Justin is still in Zimbabwe – which, by the way, he is getting home on September 24th!!! I can’t wait! It was so fun to chat with the fam while Dave played HORSE with Nate and Brian. Nate won! Chlo was such a great helper and, without being asked, got everyone a cold drink of water. Thanks Chlo! Jaylee didn’t get a real nap today and I could tell Carlee was quite tired as well, so now that all the rugrats are in bed I’d also better take advantage of the sleep time. It was a great day filled with fun activities! Thanks to everyone for making it so wonderful!

Kit Kit Chloé???

Today was a big day for Chloé! She got her first professional haircut and even a few highlights. I figured since I’d cut her hair her entire life it was time for her to experience the fun of getting it done by someone who knew what they were doing. My really good friend Kim did it for her (She is amazing!) I’ve told Chlo for the past few weeks that she was going to get her hair cut and I told her she could cut it any way she wanted. After days of deliberation she decided she wanted it cut like Kit Kittredge - the American Girl doll (She's a little obsessed with the dolls :) ). She looks AWESOME!!! I’m so glad she decided to do it. Dave was sure I made her cut it this short – but nope! – Chlo did exactly what she wanted. I’m hoping with the new school schedule starting in a few weeks this will help speed up the getting ready process.
Thanks Kim for giving Chlo such a fun new look! Carlee is wondering when she’s getting hers done now too – although she wants her hair “long past her bottom”.

Bring on the rain!

Today we finally got some moisture! I’m a total rain freak! I LOVE IT! I’ve decided I need to move somewhere like Seattle, maybe Forks! Anyway, this afternoon it totally hailed! I have never seen hail come down like this. The hail was the size of large marbles! I tried to get a picture of how large it was but by the time I took the picture they’d melted quite a bit. Oh well, it gives the general idea. The girls were enthralled with it too. It sounded really cool! There was a bit of thunder going on with the storm too! I’ve told the girls it’s the way the sky says hello to them. Hopefully this will help them to not be afraid of it. I’m crossing my fingers. After tonight when we had one flash of lightning actually trip off our alarm system and fliped the breaker on a few lights... Crazy! It actually did scare us all a little bit.
Hopefully in the next few days we can get more rain! For some reason rain puts me in the best mood! Bring it on!

Happily Ever After???

I just finished reading the book, “Breaking Dawn”. I am a total Twilight Freak and I LOVE the series. Needless to say I’ve been one of the geeks who’s been counting down to the 4th and final book in the series. I was gifted the audio version of the book which is totally amazing! I can finish the book while taking care of kids and cleaning house!

After anticipating the book for so long I couldn’t stop listening. I was beyond thrilled with the first few chapters – I’m a TOTAL Edward fan. But as the story like progressed it started to get a little strange… It took me several more chapters before I understood why Stephanie would have the story line go that direction. Over all it was definitely amazing! I loved how she made it so everyone was happy and got what they wanted – a feat I didn’t know was possible. I did think she copped out a bit with the final conflict – I think she wanted to be sure all the readers would be happy. I have to admit I'm a little sad it's all over. I guess I can just imagine what would happen with Bella, Edward, Jacob and the other main characters :)

I can’t wait to read the series again but first I’m going to attempt a second try with the Host. That one was quite strange – it took SEVERAL chapters for me to be able to get into it. I think if I try it again now I’ll like it better since I understand the story.

If any of you haven’t picked up “Breaking Dawn” or haven’t attempted the Twilight series I highly recommend you invest some time into it. You won’t regret it!

Remember too that the Twilight movie comes out on December 12th this year. I have the trailer attached at the bottom of my blog. I'm counting down for sure!

Jaylee's blessing

Today was such a special day for us. Dave blessed our little angel in church today. He did an amazing job! He blessed that she would stay close to the gospel and that she'd find a worthy man to marry in the temple. He blessed her to be healthy always (which is a blessing in and of itself in our family!) He told her how much she was loved and how she was named after her 2 grandmas, grandpa and great grandma. It was so beautiful!

We had friends and family come to support us as well. Thank you to everyone who took the time to drive out to support us. We truly feel loved. After church we had a housefull of love! :) We were able to eat yummy raspberry and orange rolls as well as tons of fresh fruit and some good ol' orange juice. I felt bad it was fast Sunday and we fed everyone breakfast...

Jaylee looked amazing - the dress turned out awesome! Thanks to my friend Jana to, Jaylee had an AMAZING bracelet to wear - Thanks Jana! I loved the shoes too, I know you can't even see them when she wears her dress but I couldn't resist.

Thanks everyone for the memorable day!

Girl power

Today the girls and I have been having a little fun. I figured we'd take a break from cleaning the house to do something fun. Wonderful Grandma Marsh got Jaylee this cute little toy and of coarse the girls wanted to use the box for a fort. Unfortunatly the box wasn't quite big enough for that so we decided to make a car instead. Now Chloé is pushing Carlee around the house in it. I even got the steering wheel to turn! Go me :) The fun thing is both of them can actually fit in it.

The other day I was picking up some baby lotion and ran across the funniest thing I've seen in a while - baby leg warmers!!! Is that totally crazy! Since I was in gradeschool when they were popular the first time I totally remember them. I had to get some for my little Jaylee, probably because I never had any and always wanted them. Who knew the 80's would come back with such force!

As a side note - today the new Stephanie Meyer book, "Breaking Dawn" came out. I've already started into it and LOVE it! I hope it turns out where Edward and Bella are together! Cross your fingers :)