Getting back in the groove of things

Hi all! We're back from the beach, got back friday night after a great week of relaxing. We all had a wonderful time and again Chloe just adored the beach and being on vacation but was a little confused at first about why she wasn't at home and was having to sleep with me. I of course took tons of pictures each day and will post them in the next few days. For a little pre beach recap...like i mentioned in the last post we went to a reunion with our China travel group and it went great. It was so nice to see all the girls again and see how much they have grown in 7 months and just spend time with the people we spent the two weeks in China with. Every family except for one were able to come (the other family lives in California but we were able to talk to them on the phone for a little bit so that was nice) and we took a "not so red couch" picture like the one taken back in december and they did a little better with this one than the last one as most of them weren't screaming their heads off this time!

Left to right: Jasmine, Madison, Chloe, Emily, Emily's sister Holly, Sarah Tate, Toby Ann

Im still working on getting all the beach pictures downloaded on my computer so once i do that and try to make a few collages i will post the beach pictures!!

Fun at the lake!

Yesterday we ( me, mom, dad and Chloe) went to Lake Bowen where some friends of ours have a lake house and had fun with some close friends. It was Chloe's first time on the lake and also her first boat ride! She really had fun playing with the kids there and got to get in the water and splash around for a bit in her brand new swimsuit, and really enjoyed herself. As usual she was the center of attention as she was the youngest there and the only kid under the age of 10 so it was pretty much all eyes on her. She loved being outside especially since she hasn't been allowed to go outside and play for almost a week now and didn't want to leave. I'm so glad she got to feeling better and we were able to go yesterday, she definetly deserved to go outside and play after the bad week she had!

Celebrate

Saturday night, one of my bestest friends Mary had a little get-together to celebrate her graduating, just her family and close friends got together for food, swimming and fun! Of course me, my parents and Chloe went and had a really good time celebrating this milestone in her life. Last year my parents threw me a surprise graduation party at the same place Mary had hers (my mom's best friends house) Anyway, I was SO glad to have Chloe here to help us celebrate this year, and i think Mary was too! Im so very proud of her and this accomplishment in her life, especially after the struggle she had with Leukemia. It was certainly a day of celebration. She doesn't graduate for another 2 weeks, but you can be sure that me and CM will be there with bells on! As usual, we took pictures!!


With that said, I hope you all take a moment today to remember every person who has sacrificed his/her life by serving in our military and ensuring our freedom. Happy Memorial Day............

Me & My Friend!

Wednesday me, mom and Chloe met up with the Newsome's again, this time just Madison and her mommy for a little "girls day" and took the little girls to Kidsenses which was a BLAST!! The girls LOVED it and got along so well, they were so sweet together and i love seeing them interact and have fun together! Just seeing them together again makes me smile, 2 PRECIOUS girls!!

Ready to go see Madison, YAY!

Chloe and Madison ready to "shop" in kidsenses...SOO adorable with their tiny grocery carts

"Im gonna get you sissy!"

They crawled up the stairs SO many times

It was very hard to get them to sit still in the kayak together long enough to snap a picture!My little "drummer girl!"
Me and Chloe Madison in the firetruck

Chloe "driving" the firetruck!!

Madison Mei came back to Chloe Madison's house afterwards to play for a bit!! They were so funny together with their washcloths..i just HAD to take a picture!!

Strollin with friends and Shopping again!

Sorry for taking so long to update, I had planned on posting yesterdays pics this morning but the internet was down, so im just now getting a chance to post....Yesterday (sunday) was a pretty relaxing day, but it was cooold =( after a week of pretty weather here comes the cold again which really upsets me because after all that nice weather i had gotten excited about summer, right when it gets bitter cold again!! Yesterday afternoon CM had some visitors come over to see her!! Catherine and Carlie (AKA the redheads) walked over to my house (Cat's dad lives in my neighborhood so they didnt walk far..lol) and we decided to put Chloe in the stroller and get some fresh (cold) air so I bundled CM up and plopped her in her stroller and off we went. Well obviously with 2 girls along i didn't get to stroll her long, because the whole time they were fighting over who was going to stroll her next..sheesh it was like a competition or something..lol. Well we went inside after we all got cold and watched a movie, so yea it was a pretty good day overall!! Enjoy the pics from yesterday and today!!!

Baby, its cold outside
Carlie, Chloe and Catherine strolling around the neighborhood on sunday (& yea it was freezing but Carlie and Cat decided they didnt need jackets but ended up freezing..lol)
haha after the stroll Carlie and Catherine started playing with Chloe's table and were having so much fun that I decided to give them sippy cups to drink out of..lol..since they were playing with a baby toy..they were like "I DONT think so!!"
In case you haven't realized it yet, this kid LOVES to clap...lol

Lovin on her ducky =) sooooo sweet!

"I love bathtime =)"

Today me mom and Chloe went shopping again (yes we shop all the time lol) and went to Toys R Us to look at some beach things for CM and ended up letting her "test" some of the riding toys..and she totally fell in LOVE with this little pink and purple horsey that lights up and moves its mouth when you press its ear, Chloe Madison started "dancing" every time the button was pressed and decided to pitch a little fit when i got her off of it...hmm maybe the Easter Bunny will surprise her with one ;)

"this thing is pretty nifty..i think i love it..lol!"

Good Friends, A New Ride, & Piggytails!

I'm playing catch up since im a little behind on blogging...well last saturday night, we went to eat with the Newsome family, who was in our travel group and who also live very close to us AND whose daughter, Madison Mei was Chloe Madison's orphanage sister in Maonan SWI, so with everything we have in common we couldn't stand not seeing each other and have decided to get together at least once a month so the girls can continue to see each other grow. Anyways during the trip to China we grew very close to every family in our group and consider everyone lifelong friends of ours who share this amazing bond that no one can break! After a great meal and much laughter we decided to get someone to take a picture of our families...and it turned out quite well i think!

So after that, Me, mom, dad and Chloe went to Target to do a little shopping and decided to buy Chloe a new "ride" to celebrate our one month since returning from China...when we got home and put it together she was so excited and just LOVES to ride it..its so adorable!

Also earlier that week i was babysitting Chloe while mom went and got her hair done, so I decided to just try and put her hair in little piggytails for the first time and to my surprise she actually didn't mind me putting them in and kept both in for at least 30 minutes!! She looked darling and i cannot wait until this summer when she has a little more hair to put more piggytails in...hehe =).....

Baby Dedication & a Celebration

Last Sunday, Chloe was dedicated at our church along with about 7 other babies ( 2 of which are twin boys!)..so needless to say, Chloe will have many playmates at the church to grow up with! Baby dedication is where parents and other family members promise to raise their child with the Christian beliefs, the babies each get a little bible at the end of the service. Miss. Chloe Madison had on her beautiful white silk Chinese dress on and if i say so myself looked precious!!

during the dedication (Chloe got a little antsy..lol)

Chloe was ready to grab her bible and sit down

Precious girl!

Later that night, one of my best friends Mary had a little "no more chemo" party! It was just a time to celebrate this momentious time, when after 2 years, Mary is officially cancer free and finished with chemo =). Of couse Chloe Madison wanted to go and show Mary how much she loved her and of course I took pictures..LOL.

I LOVE this picture of us..its the first picture of all 3 of us =)

My 2 favorite redheads Carlie (in pink) and Catherine (in blue..Marys sister)