Summer 2012

All of our kiddos...even the furry one!!

Chloe is Five!!

The anticipation nearly crippled her.  The impatience nearly drove me crazy.  However, we made it!!  Chloe's birthday finally arrived!!!  She is 5 years old now!

Her day was fun-filled....  Lunch at her favorite restaurant, a trip to the park, bowling, ice cream and cake/cupcakes!

Five is apparently the age at which children are able to start making all of their own decisions....  Chloe informed me as soon as she woke up that she will be doing whatever she wants now.  I believe the conversation went a little like this...
Chloe - "Mom, am I five now?"
Mom - "Yes, Chloe."
Chloe - "Well, now I get to do whatever I want and you are not the boss anymore."
Mom - "Dream on, Chloe.  You are not the boss."
Chloe - "Actually, I am.  I am five now."
Mom - "Chloe, you have to be much older to be in charge."
Chloe - "How old?  Six?"

Yep...welcome to our world of Chloe!
She's 5 going on 15!

A little about our Chloe Belle...
She loves singing and dancing.  She'll do both in public with no care in the world about anyone seeing her.  She introduces herself to anyone and everyone we meet.  She loves animals and getting dirty.  She is curious about everything!  She can make a mess faster than anyone we know.

She's so loveable and has the sweetest way of showing it.  She loves fighting with her brother and sister.  We think one of her favorite things is to get her brother and sister angry, and she's very good at it!  She makes us laugh so hard and brings so much love into our home.  Such a special girl!

Happy 5th Birthday, Chloe!!

Spelling Bee

Miss Samantha made it into the Spelling Bee this year!  She did an excellent job!  I believe she ended up 7th, but we couldn't be more proud.  Each time she spelled her word correctly, she'd walk back to her chair, take a deep breath of relief and then turn to look at Chad and I sitting in the audience.  A thumbs up was always our quiet response to a job well done.

Way to go, Samantha Grace!!

Her first time up to spell a word.

There were 30 kids that qualified for the Spelling Bee.

Getting down to the end.

When she got out, she was greeted with hugs from a few of her good friends.  Then they decided to pose for me.  :-) 

Preschool Graduation

Our baby girl graduated from Preschool.  I'd be lying if I didn't say that this makes me a little sad.  However, the sadness is overshadowed by the amount of pride and love I have for Miss Chloe and all of her accomplishments!  This Preschool year has been one of trials and triumphs.

We've come a long way from the first day....

1st day - Screaming at the top of her lungs and clinging to me for dear life.

Last day - She was sad that she has to leave her teacher, asking "Can I take Miss Julia with me to Kindergarten?"

What a difference a year makes!  Congratulations, Chloe Belle!!

So...On Chloe's last day of Preschool I asked her if I could get a picture(singular).  She was more than accommodating!  She requested me to keep taking pictures while she posed.  And, so I did.  Here is the results!  :-)

Going to the Preschool Graduation!

Chloe with her teacher, Miss Julia.

Chloe and her best bud, Lauren!

Chloe's Preschool Diploma

 These two.... What one doesn't think of the other one does!  It's both terrifying and hilarious!  :-)

Preschool Graduation Ceremony

Birthday Girl

Miss Samantha turned 9 years old this week!  She has been so excited for her birthday and reminding us everyday that we were just one day closer.  I can't say I blame her, I love birthdays too!  She celebrated her day by taking cupcakes to share with her class at school, getting two floral bouquets, bowling after school, dinner at her favorite restaurant, and getting a few birthday gifts!  It was a pretty special day for a very special girl!

At the Bowling Alley

Waiting Patiently

Samantha is rethinking the bowling idea...

And, this is why... Birthday girl lost.  :-(

At her favorite restaurant, El Camino!

She is so excited to get the "birthday treatment"!

Sombrero, Dessert, and whipped cream on your face!!  She loved it!

Yes!  Happy Birthday, Samantha!

Chloe had to try it out.

Don't forget Code-man.

A rose and balloon from Grandma and Grandpa Sillman.

A flower bouquet from Grandma Jane and Grandpa David was delivered to Samantha at school!  She thought that was so special!

Play Ball

Baseball has started for Cody.  This year Cody is playing on the kid pitch team.  It's definitely been an adjustment from the previous years.  There is certainly something to be said for the learning curve that comes from the comfort of having the coach pitch all the time to having 9/10 years old's throwing balls at you with so little experience. 

Cody's expressed interest in pitching and 1st base, so that is where he's been spending his time.  Even with just two games under his belt, we can already see improvement.  His pitching is improving and he's feeling more comfortable covering 1st.  I think it's going to be a great summer!

 Pitching

Pitching

Pitching

Give it a ride, Cody!

Running the bases.  Awesome number, Williams!  :-)

On 3rd.

Rock and Fire, Code!

Playing 1st Base

One of a kind

Miss Chloe is one of a kind.  Her antics never cease to amaze us.  So much laughter in our home happens because of her carefree and unapologetic love for life.  And, here she is once more....being Chloe.

In her jammies, playing on the iPad sporting a kool-aid mustache.

 All dolled up for the day.

What's Happening?

It's a reoccurring theme around here...  Busy, busy, busy!  That's the name of the game for now and I don't look for it to change anytime soon.  And to be very honest, I don't know if I'd know how to handle "boring". 

So, here's the run down on our busy and fun-filled lives:

Chad is doing great.  Loving his job.  Changed to a new position.  Graduating in a few weeks with his Associates degree.  Will continue on to UCM this fall to get his Bachelors in Industrial Technology. 

I am doing well also.  Love my job. :-)  No new position for me.  I have one more semester left before I graduate with my Associates in Business Management.  I've decided to continue on after I graduate to get my Bachelors in Business. 

Cody is playing baseball this summer.  Looks like he'll be rotating between the pitchers mound and 1st base.  Archery is done for this school year.  He had a blast and plans to continue with the Archery team in the fall when he starts 5th grade (WHAT?!).

Samantha Grace just finished her Spring Soccer season.  She continues to love drawing.  We've bought her three drawing portfolios and she has filled two of them already.  She definitely has a gift for drawing.  Can't believe she'll be 9 in a few weeks and finishing up with her 3rd grade year!!

Chloe Faith also just finished up with her Spring Soccer season.  She absolutely loved soccer this season!  She scored a few goals and was able to kick around the ball quite a bit.  Kindergarten Round-Up was a couple weeks ago, so she is all ready to start school in the fall.  It's definitely going to be a change for all us, but very exciting too!

Bubbles is doing great.  He doesn't move as fast as he did a few years ago, but then again he will be 13 years old this August!  He's getting a bit more sassy in his old age, but we love him more and more everyday!  Such a sweet "furry" soul. 

Well, that about does it for the updates.  I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!!

Kindergarten Round-Up

Our baby girl is getting ready to attend Kindergarten in the fall.  For the life of me, I simply cannot understand how time has slipped by us this quickly.  It really seems like just yesterday we were beginning our lives as a family of five.  Chloe Faith has brought us more joy and laughter than we could have ever dreamed of and we're about to begin another adventure together...all three children in school all day.  I can't even begin to understand what that will look or feel like, but I know we're going to have a blast finding out!

Yay, Chloe!!  You are such a smart, funny and beautiful little girl!!  You are going to knock their socks off!  :-)  

Easter Service

We stayed home for Easter this year.  Our church's renovations were far enough along that we were able to have service in our new sanctuary.  We were also staying because Chad and the kids were going to be a part of the Easter service.  Chad would narrate during the Cantata and the kids were going to sing and recite scripture.

Our day started with a sunrise service early in the morning, a potluck breakfast, an Easter egg hunt, bible study, and our main service.  A very busy morning, but along with it came many blessings.  We hope your Easter activities were as wonderful as ours!

The front of the new sanctuary.

Cody, Chloe, and Samantha  ~Easter 2012

The sanctuary. During the Easter Cantata.

Chad is narrating.

Our Family  ~ Easter 2012

 Some of our Church Family.

After the Storm

After a fairly heavy storm rolled through the area, we looked out our front door to find this...

Just beautiful!

Spring Soccer for Samantha

It seems as though Samantha has tried many different sports.  Dance, Gymnastics, and Baseball to name a few.  However, none of them hold a candle to the love she has for Soccer!  She loves it and she is getting better with each passing season.  This season especially seems to be a turning point for her and her understanding of the sport.  She's scored numerous goals, played many positions and has become more aggressive.  It's really exciting to watch her grow and find her place within the team and on the field.  Way to go, Samantha!!