Friends

Another old post that never got published.

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Cory and Colin are an interesting pair. It's a friendship that is most likely based on being their weird selves together and who knows what. I have pictures to prove it!

Thankfully, because of their friendship, Colin's wife, Amy and I have become great friends and our kids love each other. We are probably all bonded on the fact that our husbands are complete weirdos.

Pumpkin Patch

This is an old post that never got published.

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I realize most people go to the pumpkin patch in October. We did go in October, but I didn't get a chance to share.

And, I had to share because we were in Oregon at the time and went with some great family and friends.

And, Oregon is so beautiful, especially in the Fall.

And, it's Chloe and Caden together.

And...

We met our friends, the Lyons, along with Cory's family, Auntie Kaylee, Grandma Shar and Grandpa Jeff at a little farm just outside of town. Caden and Chloe are best friends. They may only see each other twice a year now, but when they get together, it's like they never were separated. They really do love each other. It's so dang cute!

So, back to the pumpkin patch...

The kids loved the animals. There were horses, sheep, and others I don't remember...maybe llamas? It was too long ago, I don't remember. At first, Chloe kept plugging her nose and saying they were stinky, but eventually she warmed up.

 

There was a huge haystack for kids to climb, a gingerbread house (I don't know why, but Chloe loved it!), tractor rides out to the field, and it was all free!

It was raining the whole time, but it stopped for a little bit while we were out in the field picking out our pumpkins. The kids were able to run around trying to find the "perfect" pumpkin while all the adults watched on, trying to let 3 year olds pick pumpkins on their own. Chloe's "perfect" pumpkin was small, which is great to carry back but, I loved that she picked one that wasn't perfectly round, it was tall and lopsided, an organic shaped pumpkin. 

 We also managed to get a few family photos, which is something I usually forget.

 

Ignore the fact that only two/three of us are looking at the camera, it's an actual picture of the Lyons and Huffmans all together. YAY!

So, that was our adventure to the pumpkin patch! I loved it, mostly because I want a farm one day. A small one, something we can live on and provide for our family.

BIG GIRL BIKE

Chloe had her 4th birthday about a month ago. Her big present from us was a big girl bike. She loves her bike and always says she "wants to go out and get some exercise."

There's a lot more than I thought that goes into teaching a kid to ride a bike. It's been a real test of patience for me because she rides so slow! I think she could crawl faster. Part of it is she brakes literally every few seconds. We have yet to make it out of our apartment complex. By the end of the summer, I would love to have her ride down to the park, about a 1/2 mile away. That would be a big accomplishment people.

BUT...
Even with the learning curve for her and me, it has been awesome to watch her learn something new and succeed, even at a slow pace. 

10 THINGS

In the past few months, I have read a few parenting books and heard different speakers talk about parenting. The one thing that has stuck out to me the most is intentionally noticing our kids. Letting them know that we as their parents notice them and they are an important human being. It's such a simple idea, but can be life changing. What person doesn't want to be noticed and appreciated?

So at night, when we pray together, I have really tried to recognize and thank God for something Chloe has done well that day, whether it's her being more obedient, trying to be patient, thoughtful, etc. Tonight, I decided to randomly tell her ten things that I like about her. And random it is.

What I Notice About Chloe:
1. You're beautiful
2. You're smart
3. I love you
4. Your feet stink
5. You're funny
6. Sometimes your breath stinks
7. You were really good at obeying today
8. You're a nice friend to other kids
9. You're polite and have good manners
10. You tell funny jokes

When I was done, Chloe was beaming and giggly, as I expected. But, what I didn't expect was for her to turn around and say ten things she notices about me, her mom. I thought they were too precious not to share.

What Chloe Notices About Me:
1. You braid hair
2. You put kids shows on
3. You are good at drying my hair
4. You give me water
5. You sing me songs
6. You are a good cooker
7. You buy me Lucky Charms
8. You are not going to buy any more Lucky Charms (because she only eats the marshmallows)
9. You give good kisses
10. You let me sleep in your bed

These ten things are pretty random, but to a 3 year old, this is her world. It makes my heart full because she knows if she needs something, as her mother, I'm going to provide it for her. And, obviously number 8 shows that I mean business if she's going to pick through her cereal and only eat the marshmallows.

RESTING

We're here at home, resting from a fun weekend.

My mom left today, after spending two weeks with us, here in Colorado. It went by fast and I really enjoyed having her stay. I was sad to drop her off at the airport this morning, knowing I wouldn't see her for awhile. One of the big downsides to living far away from family.

I hope you have a good Monday. We are trying to, but the house just seems to get more and more messy the more fun we have. Hmmm....

WILL YOU BE MINE?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chloe says, "Happy Valentimes!"

I remember, as a kid, thinking it really was "Valentime". I was so disappointed. I thought the world was messed up. Why doesn't everyone the spell it with "time"? Valentine's takes place at a certain time of year, so it would only make sense that we would say "Valentimes". Right?

Obviously, my childhood was rough, if this was the type of things I had to worry about.

Anyways, I love that we get to celebrate the day with Chloe. It's fun to show her some extra love. Then we are ending the night at Campus Life. How romantic!

WANDER

Lately, I have been loving this quote, reminding me that not everything has to have purpose or an agenda.

It's ok to just wander.