Chloecakes: 11 Months

I can't believe this little cupcake is almost a year old, I swear it was last month that we were bringing her home! She is growing so quickly, and it seems like she's just one of the gang! Here is a little bit more about my favorite girl:

Here she is in her "big girl chair" that Grandma bought her.

Need I mention, that she loves it? :)

She LOVES greek yogurt. Unflavored, tangy yogurt.

Her favorite word to say is Mooooooo! She loves playing with her animal book, and hearing her Mommy be silly and make all the sounds. She gives fives, hugs (or squeezes) and loves to share anything she is holding in her hands. She is super vocal, loves to squeal, says mamama, dadada, bababa, and the occasional Hi! She still loves to climb the stairs, and on the off chance that she makes it by undetected, when you say something to her, she will squeal, giggle and climb faster. :) She has been walking for about a good month now, but just in the last week has become more confident in her strides-and also, giggles like crazy while she goes. (But nonetheless, still prefers the oh-so-faster form of crawling!) She is such a good natured baby, and loves to tease and be teased. Especially by her Uncle Adam! Chloe loves to sing (she has a "baby ipod" its a cute little baby einstein music toy that she LOVES), play the piano and read her books. She is also in to anything with buttons or a screen. She loves grandma's "baby ipad"(which she can use correctly!) any cell phone, and remotes. As of this morning, she is 24 lbs and 30 inches- officially in the 18 month clothing range. She is between 70%-90% for height, and 90%-95% for weight. I love my baby girl and am amazed how fast time flies!

Here she is reading her book, upside down :)

 

She's learning to smile as soon as she sees the camera!

 Chloe loves playing with Uncle Adam, he teases her and she teases him back.

Good Read: The Ensign

(I'm sure there are thousands of LDS people who do this already, but it's an idea I've been toying with for a few weeks now.) In my emotional situation of late, I've realized that doing my bare minimum isn't enough anymore. To simply read my scriptures and say daily prayers seems to hold me over, but it leaves me wanting something more. All of these recurring thoughts led me to one other thought-The Ensign. Generally, I am inclined to get our copy from the mail, and read it cover to cover in a day or two. After a few months of not reading at all, I've decided that starting with the March issue, (tomorrow) I will read one article, reader's submission, poem, etc every day.  Hopefully this will be one small change that I can integrate into my schedule. I know it will be super easy, and may only take 30 seconds some days-but the bigger picture, is that I will have a small, uplifting minute or two in my otherwise mentally chaotic day, to help push me that little-bit-farther. Wish me luck!

Brandon's Swearing-In Ceremony

Last Monday, Chloe and I dropped Brandon in the Tri-Cities, where he took a shuttle to Spokane to spend the night. Tuesday morning, he had MEPS- (which is Military Entrance Processing Station) for last round paperwork, physical, and signing of his contract. My Mom drove up with Chloe and I, so we could see Brandon for a little bit before he flew out. Right after we got there, they gathered us in a small room for his swearing in ceremony. It was kind of neat to see a glimpse of what he might be doing for the next 8 weeks. After that, we got to hang out with him for a few hours. We took him to the airport, and said our goodbye's (I was proud of myself for not crying in the airport!) Here are a few photos 

*tap, tap* Is this thing on??

After a months-long hiatus, I've decided it's time to come back. I suddenly find myself with enormous amounts of extra time. As most may know, Brandon now lives in San Antonio, Texas at Lackland Air Force Base. After researching his (our) options late last Summer, he (we) decided that enlisting in the Air Force would be the best choice for our family at this time. We moved home, to live with my parents-so that Chloe and I could have a little help while he was gone. His career in the AF will be Cyber Transport Systems. He is soo excited to be able to work with computers, and learn all about networking and troubleshooting.  He will be at basic training until the end of April, and after finishing will report to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. Chloe and I will be able to join him there early this Summer. We are very excited and look forward to starting this new chapter in our lives.
Another factor in my abundance of time, is that I have left my position at the bank. It was not a super positive experience, and although I liked the job itself, and the small town feel-lets just say working with 10 women, reminded me so much why I am picky about my girlfriends. There was just too much selfishness, drama and total lack of communication happening. Needless to say, it was dragging me down-and I felt the best thing for me was to get out of there, and spend more time with my sweet Chloe. Starting this week, I will be spending the first half of the day with Clo-Bug and the second half of the day working on small projects at my Mom's office. I am so grateful that the Ashton's are willing to let me help-so that I can still have some kind of income.
So, now that I have a little more time to myself, I hope to keep this blog a little more updated! In the meantime, here is a picture of Chloe! :) This was us at Brandon's swearing-in ceremony last Tuesday, what a ham!!

Chloe's Blessing

I suppose I ought to mention the fact that we blessed Chloe on the 1st of May. We had a great weekend, lots of family were able to make it up for the occasion and it was good to see them all. Saturday the gang helped us move to our new place in Meridian, and Sunday we had lunch at my Aunt Irene and Uncle Mike's house, Brandon did a great job and so did Chloe. :) 

1 Month Stats

Geez does my baby really need to be a month and a half already?!  We went to the doc today and Chloe was weighed, measured, poked and prodded. She got her first round of imms today, but only cried for a minute, and just wanted to be snuggled so she could fall asleep. We were so proud! :) (Insert cheesy grin)

Weight: 11.35 lbs

Height: 23 inches

Head Circumference: 15 inches

According to the growth charts, she is 82% for weight, and 90% for length! We may just have a b-ball player on our hands... :) at her first check up she was only in the 20% for weight....so I think we must be feeding her enough. Lol

Chloe's new favorite calming position:

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Here's to another 1/2  century! :D We Love You!

Chloe's first trip to Washington!

Last weekend Chloe and I made a sneak trip home. I had to go back to work this week, so I decided I wanted to visit my family one last time. We had lots of fun visiting (with lots of people!) Thursday night we stopped at Grammy and Papa Harvill's house and had a good time wiggling and meeting the puppies. I surprised my parents late Thursday night, they had gone to a show in Tri-Cities, and didn't get home until Midnight. Chloe and I had fallen asleep in the recliner, and my Mom totally thought it was my sister Britney--until she saw the baby bottles in the fridge :) It was fun to surprise everyone, and I was glad that they were so excited to see us. We hung out on Friday, got to visit Grandpa Rawlings at McCains, and see all of our friends there. All the ladies fawned over her and each took a turn to hold her. We also made a quick trip to the elementary to see Grammy DeeDee. Friday night we got to meet "gramma" Judy and "grampa" Jim (it was his birfday) :)  Saturday we got to see Jenny and Rod, Levi and Clare and Uncle Nate. I wish we would have had more time to spend, but we had lots of fun, and enjoyed every minute. I almost forgot to mention-Chloe made her first trip to Casa Mexicana on Friday night. She enjoyed her Pirata, Chips and Salsa and Sopapillas :D (Almost as much as her mommy did) :)

Pictures!

A glimpse into Chloe's life so far....I'm feeling too lazy to detail these...but enjoy them anyway!