Saturday, March 16, 2013

Spring Time and Silly Kids

The weather has been beautiful. A little up and down, but for most of March it has been pretty great. We have spent a lot of time outside playing, taking walks and we just got a bike seat for Chloe so now we can take bike rides. I love this weather. I hope it stays and doesn't turn cold again. 
Trying to get Chloe to learn what smiling for the camera means...take 1

Take 2
Take 3
The wind in her hair :)
This is how we found Levi. He figured out how to get out of his straps and stand and swing himself. He was really happy about it, but I was not to excited about it.
We also were able to spend an evening with Nana and Grandpa (Zach's grandparents). It was nice to be able to sit around and visit with them and see how well the kids took to them. Levi went right up to Grandpa and would let him hold him. While we were at the dinner table whenever Nana would leave the table and Chloe would keep asking for her to come back in. She liked playing with Nana.
Chloe and Levi with Nana and Grandpa
Oh and the whole Daylight Savings Time we had to do has not been too bad. I now get home and there is still time to go out in the light. I do think that changing time in the Fall is pointless so I was happy to gain back the hour that was lost. Why do we change time anyways... 

Girls Just Want to Have Fun....

Chloe had her first sleepover! Alemitu and Sabrina came for a long weekend to Texas and the girls had one long sleepover. Now they didn't sleep in the same bed or even same room, but I would still count it as a sleepover. It was all play all day! They came in on Friday late afternoon and left on Monday evening. We had so much fun. We really didn't do a whole lot, but hung out together talking, laughing, obsessing and just enjoying the loud house....I mean it was loud at some points. But all worth it! The weather wasn't the best so we pretty much stayed around the house, but the girls didn't care they had each other and had a blast playing together.

The girls are so different in so many ways, but they both have a whole lot of attitude. Our first night we were sitting at dinner and Chloe would tell Alemitu to chew her food and drink her milk. They weren't here but a few hours and Chloe was already trying to tell her who was boss. The girls get along great and love playing with each other, but they are trouble together. They both spent time in time out throughout the weekend. There was lots of candy and sugar going through their systems. Levi tried to join in, but he was often chasing after them rather than being included in the fun.
Believe it or not this is actually a hug, not a tackle :)
Trying to get the girls to stop jumping on the bed and take a picture...they won
Silly girls
To a new bed to jump on!
Picking "flowers" and playing in the yard.
Playing on the slide with their doggies
You may not know the significance of this photo...however...this is BIG that Alemitu would get this close to Daisy let alone pet her. Had to share this as it use to be if Daisy was within 10 feet Alemitu would scream.
Holding hands walking to the truck to go on the round and round up and down.
Chloe getting her 2nd haircut..she was very serious and would not smile.
Levi did get into some of the fun
It was a great weekend and made me really miss Phoenix. It was really hard to see them go and even harder to hear Alemitu try to beg Sabrina to stay with Chloe. It is nice to know that we will see them again in June, but still it was extremely hard to see them go.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Fun Filled Family February

We had a great February. It started out with my birthday, so how could it not be great, and we had a whole family day together. We went downtown Dallas to the Children's Aquarium for the first time and then headed for lunch at Chik-fil-a and a ride on the round and round up and down as Chloe calls it, which is as us normal people would call a carousel. The aquarium was perfect. We spent just about an hour there and it wasn't too much for the kids. All of the displays are designed to be more at toddler/grade school age kids heights so Chloe could see pretty much everything without any help. Levi could also see most of the displays from his stroller. Chloe loved to stay at the "touch pool" even though she would not reach in and touch any of the crabs or fish. She kept wanting to go back to that area to watch the critters and fish.
 We also took a trip down to the stockyards. The annual stock show was going on in Fort Worth and I wanted to check it out and let Chloe walk around and see all the animals. So we checked to see when the best day to go and headed down there, however, we never made it. There is the Stockyards and the Stockyards Show. One would think that the show would be at the same place, but it wasn't. For all of you not familiar with the area the Stockyards is more of just an area of town that is now like a little cowboy town area of Fort Worth. So even though Zach and I talked multiple times how they are two different things somehow his directions sent us to the Stockyards and not the show, that had all the animals. It was quite comical as we drove in and parked and the parking attendant made a comment how many people get confused and we laughed....but we were one of those people so joke was on us. We still had a great time. There was a little petting zoo for the kids, some longhorn cattle on the property that we could go and look at, neat little shops, lots of horses on patrol and then a little cattle drive down the main street. The kids didn't know any different and they still saw animals so they were happy. Chloe actually rode on a real pony. She was excited and a little uneasy, but had a great time. The guy who ran the thing would say "Okay kids, lets say a big Yee-Haw" and so she would say "Hee-Haw". It was funny.
We now have a zoo membership which has been great. We have had a few nice days and have taken advantage of the pass and we will continue to go as often as possible. Chloe really enjoys seeing all the animals and throughout the time she would start calling out for Toodles, which is a character on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Not sure why she started that, but she would put her hand up to her face and yell for Toodles just like they do in the show. It was funny. She also really likes to walk on her own. She will walk the whole zoo if we let her, taking breaks for water but she does not want to get back in the wagon. She really wanted to pull Levi in the wagon so she pulled him in the wagon showing him all the animals and not wanting us to help her pull. She's getting so big.
The weather has been up and down. One day it is nice and sunny and the next it is cold and windy. We have been able to take advantage and go on walks and play in the backyard a lot. Both kids really enjoy the swing set that Zach built. We have also been going to ride on the round and round up and down a lot. Chloe has also found her love of peanut butter.
Chloe and her "swim" cap. She is ready for the beach!
To wrap up the month my mom came to visit on a quick trip because she somehow convinced herself that Dallas was on the way from San Fransisco. However she came up with the rationale to get herself here we didn't mind. When we told Chloe she said, "mama hold Chloe and papa hold Levi." That's what she always says and then we always have to remind her that she needs to share mama with Levi too. This time especially because papa was not here for the visit. We had a great few days. We took mom to the aquarium because it was too cold for the zoo and of course we had to make a trip over to the carousel.