Back Home Again in Indiana...

Walking back from the DQ

We were lucky enough to make a trip back home to Indiana this summer. I wasn't sure it was going to happen since we took a long vacation to Disney and Hilton Head Island this year, but we all made it happen. I'm so glad we did!

We had such a good time. Growing up I definitely took advantage of my little town. I didn't appreciate all the opportunities and morals and way of life that it helped instill in me. I think I thought that all towns were the same and everyone had that same kind of community feel. When I lived there and even soon after I was annoyed at the thought that everyone would know your business, but what I didn't realize was that it wasn't so much that everyone knew your business, but everyone looked out for everyone else. You say hi and wave to people passing by. Now that I have kids I can really appreciate that feeling and sense of safety that a town like Danville can bring. So this trip home was a nice reminder of how lucky I was to grow up in a small town that in whole had a great community vibe.

We didn't do too terribly much. I like to take it easy and go to my favorite restaurants. I like to go to the zoo because it is a real zoo with animals you wouldn't normally see at zoos like dolphins and polar bears. We go to parks and always have to make a trip to the DQ, even though it is painted and now has a drive-thru. That is what we did. We had a lot of family time too. The  kids got to play a lot with Mama and Papa as well as Aunt Tina, Uncle Phil and cousins Sydney and Carter. Chloe really is smitten with them all especially my mom, sister and Sydney. It was all about them. I couldn't do anything for her as one of them had to do it. I couldn't even think about taking her out of the car because Mama or Tina or Sydney was suppose to. It was also really nice to see how Sydney interacted and just loved on Chloe. They may be about 5 years apart, but they still play so well together. We are truly blessed to be such a loving family. We also were able to spend some time with both of my grandparents, some of our friends and Zach and I were even able to go out by ourselves to the little bar/pub/burger place on the square.

Now it wasn't all nice and rosy...Levi was just a monster on the plane ride. He is still young enough so we don't have to purchase a ticket for him so he was a lap child..not a very good lap child. He squirmed all over the place and did not leave his headphones on very long for the movie. He also wanted to just keep pushing buttons on the iPad and Chloe was not too excited about it. On the way home he finally fell asleep, maybe for only 15-20 minutes but it was a nice 15-20 minutes. When we were at my parents house the first night Chloe was sleeping on a mattress on the floor next to Zach and I and she didn't go to sleep until about 1:30am!! She has only slept with us about 3 times in her life and 2 were because she was sick and the other was when we had a slumber party. If she realizes that we are in the room she just wants to play and talk and play and tell me how I am holding her animal the wrong way. So  it was a long first night, but the rest of the nights we went to bed after her so she was already asleep and we didn't have many issues. I think my least favorite part was when Zach said I couldn't bring any pizza home with us from my favorite pizza place!! I shake my head in disappointment still because if I would have known that I would have ate more while I could. Oh well...there is always next time.

Chloe learned a new hairstyle the "Tina". My sister wore her hair halfway pulled up and Chloe wanted to wear it just like her so it is her new hairstyle. It has actually worked out really well because it is the only hairstyle that Chloe will not immediately pull out. She even had a fun time pulling apart my mom's fake flowers and putting them in her hair. Not sure why, but for two days straight she had to have a flower in her hair. Silly girl! Levi also had some new food. He devoured my favorite pizza, my grandma's 24 hour marshmallow salad, jello salad, strawberries from Grey's strawberry pie and his first ice cream cone from DQ. He was a mess after every meal!

All in all it was a great time and probably one of the hardest times to leave because we had such a great time. Even Chloe was not excited to leave. She did not want to go into the airport or on the plane and she kept telling me and my mom "Please no go home, please no go to the airport" or "Please Mama Please No". She gripped onto my mom at the airport, but eventually came to terms and got on the airplane. Even when we were sitting in the airport waiting for our plane she was telling another lady that she wanted to go back to Mama's house. So I would say she had a great time. We all did and are looking forward to the next time to be together, which will be in just a few short months for Christmas!

Chloe excited before we were leaving to go to Indiana with her back pack filled with animals for the plane.

Chloe and Levi watching the iPad on the way to Indiana

At the Zoo in the dolphin area

Chloe feeding the Giraffe

Papa and Levi on the Carousel

Chloe and Mama on the Carousel

Carter and Tina on the Carousel

Going down the big slide at the park

Daddy and Levi going down the big slide

"Tina" hairstyle with her flower

Chloe and Mama watching Carter's soccer game

Great Grandma Allen picked up these sparkly wings for Chloe. She would run around the house wearing them not wanting to stop for any pictures!

Carter chasing Chloe...which was an everyday event while we were there.

It was too hot for Chloe in the car so she covered herself with her blankie, she didn't like the sun on her side of the car.

Silly faces!

About as good as we could get them all together looking at the camera without any "silly" faces.

My 15-20 minutes of quiet time on the plane on the way home..Ahhh..so nice

Peek-a-boo!!

Who could forget about Levi

Levi is just changing every day. He is picking up everything that Chloe does and really enjoys his books. He loves to be read to and to read to himself. Levi is a ball of energy, always on the go and fearless in everything that he does. Levi is a big flirt. He likes to show off his big blue eyes and big smile while we are out. He is loud...Chloe was never loud, but Levi is so loud in everything that he does. He likes to chase his sister and steal toys from her and then run away. He wants to do anything that Chloe does. He has even started to put himself in time out with his nose in the corner when she has to go to time out. Levi would spend all day outside or in the pool if he could. Levi loves to talk on the phone. He picks up anything and just says hi, hello and see ya over and over again. 

Levi is also a lover of animals. He loves both our dogs. He likes to feed them, which he gets in trouble for but he still thinks it is funny. He will go up to both of them and just pet them or give them a hug and a kiss. The one thing he is not good about is the dog bones. He likes to steal them from the dogs. We are lucky that neither of the dogs really care, they don't like it but they aren't aggressive with their food so they just let him take it. Daisy had a bone and Levi came over and grabbed it from her mouth, but on his back swing he hit Chloe upside the head. Zach took the bone and gave it back to Daisy then a few seconds later Levi goes back over and does the same thing hitting Chloe again. Again, Zach takes it away and gives it back to Daisy. This time he grabbed the bone from Daisy, but didn't hit Chloe with his back swing. So since she wasn't there he went and walked over to her and bonked her on the head with the bone. Levi thought it was hilarious...Chloe not so much, but Levi sure did love it!

When Chloe goes to school he won't know what to do without his big sister at home for two days each week. He is ALL boy! Loves dirt, running and to play in his daddy's truck and more importantly he will eat almost anything and everything. He is our little human garbage disposal. 

Levi playing with his sister's sunglasses...silly boy!

In his daddy's truck...one day boy this will probably be yours..lets see how long that smile lasts :)

An ice cream sandwich...the new favorite snack at Grammie and Grumpy's house while swimming.

Chloe was the one who was suppose to be in time out, but Levi decided he should be as well.

Levi riding the lawn mower with Grumpy...it didn't last long after the lawn mower back fired. Levi soon wanted off.

What's new with Chloe

It has been a great summer. It is almost over, but still a few more weeks until we send Chloe off to school....preschool that is :O) Chloe is getting so big. I feel silly even saying that because I feel that is something to say about Levi who is still a "baby". Chloe is talking and talking and wanting to be so independent. She's only two and a half and I feel like she is just too big. She is just a sponge, so observant to everything around her. She's been saying a lot of new phrases lately that sound funny coming from her and we wonder where she picks up on these things. Below are are some of her most used new phrases.

1. Well....
2. That's the thing
3. Calm down (insert name, normally mommy)
4. I tell you
5. I just told you
6. See
7. I'm busy 
8. I just be right back

Then one day we were having dinner and I used about 3 of them in a row and it was like a light went off. She's just picking up everything. She's starting to sing a lot of songs and she makes up the words when she doesn't know them. Zach says she sings just like me and remembers songs just like I do, which means she doesn't remember anything just a word or two and then mumbles through the rest. Chloe is also partially potty trained. She is fully potty trained during the day, but still at night and nap time she is in a diaper. She is also really interested in helping us cook. She likes to "spill" things in the bowl. It makes me smile when she wants to help cook. I am looking forward to the day that I can teach her how to bake and make all the wonderful casseroles and dumplings.

Chloe is really loving church right now. She loves to go to church and she loves to read the Bible. She will take her Bible to her Grammie's house, take it in the car when we go, read to Levi and want to sleep with it. She knows the stories and likes to "read" them to us. When we sit down to eat she says the prayer which normally just goes like Thank you for world, thank you for sweet, thank you Jesus for everything, Amen. Reading the Bible is something that gets her into bed. She will start to argue about going to bed, but when I tell her that Daddy is ready to read a story she normally gets up and runs to her room. I'm glad she feels so comfortable and enjoys church so much because that is where her preschool is. I'm ready for her to get the experience and the benefits of preschool, but it just means she is growing up right before us!

Her first cone...she loves ice cream, but this was her first cone. It takes her a long time to finish it, but she will eat every bite including the cone.

Zach found a little splash park near our house to take the kids to. They love it as long as there isn't a large group of other kids there.

Chloe was riding her horse to Papa's house..she only made it a few laps around the kitchen.

It was raining all day and as we walked back to the truck after church Chloe had to hold the umbrella, however, she was the only one of the four of us that made it under the umbrella. It looked like an umbrella with legs from behind.

Daddy was teaching Chloe how to cut peppers...maybe not the best idea, but she had fun. No accidents :)

She was suppose to be taking a nap, but instead she was looking out her bedroom window.

We went for a check up and this was the first time Chloe had to wear a gown..she looked so cute

Doing some intense coloring...or so it looks

Chloe running around with her new back pack or "pack pack" as she calls it

Baking with Mommy, warms my heart