Merry Christmas/year end review

I would like to wish all my family and friends a very heart felt Merry Christmas. It seems that this year is the most special yet, we have Chloe to celebrate our Christmas, what a wonderful life Gary, Chloe and I have. I truly feel blessed beyond measure to have what we have this Christmas. As I was sitting by our fire place playing with Chloe and gar, I thought This must be what it means to have a merry little Christmas. It's about the love you share with those around you. Life is so sweet when you have reasons to celebrate!

What a perfect season to Celebrate. What I love about this season is the hope and new life that it brings. Often we set goals to become better, as a new year's resolution, and I love it. What better time than for Christmas to celebrate our year end review.

So here is our year end review

Chloe's Birth
+Graduation with a Pharm D
+mommy staying home (sahm)
-living on student loans
_________________________
one happy family in Iowa Falls

that is us this year of course I can't forget the little things Chloe has done this year, like smile at me for the first time, slept through the night (happen at 9 1/2 months,)and many many more new things. Gary and I closing on our first house, Meeting every one he works with. Getting to know new people in Iowa Falls and growing up to be a stay at home mom.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Parties

We had so much fun at our Christmas Parties, and we still have one more to go to today! busy busy funnes! Chloe didn't know what to think about Santa, she was fine after she had daddy beside her and the gift helped her feel more relaxed. We had lots of fun and I wish I could chat more but this is a quick update with pics so enjoy the Christmas season!

lots of Christmas projects coming together

Our Christmas lights I Love our light display, and Chloe loves looking at them, as she sqeals and coos ever time she sees them light up at night!





One of my favorite things during the holidays are crafts, and Christmas projects. I love making Christmas decorations, it's the one thing I can't get enough off. Although our decorations are always a work in progress I feel a sense of warmth and thanksgiving as we decorate. some of my favorite things to craft during Christmas is, first and foremost, a Christmas Card, although I thought it was simple and needed more embellishments I still enjoyed making all 60 of them. I have always wanted to make some Christmas wreaths, with picks that I picked out with care, I made two, one is already to give away while the other one, (the one you see the picture of) I am having a hard time giving it away since I love it, but I know that who ever get's it will love it (they are both for family Christmas Parties we have this weekend.) The next thing that I can't live with out that I tried for the first time this Christmas season is home made cookies, and lots of them! I made cookie press cookies, and they are so yummy They have almond extract in them and then they are dipped in chocolate. the picture of Chloe eating a cookie is one that I made, she loved it and then had to eat some off daddies cookie, lucky for her I made 12 dozen cookies!

So what do you do with 12 dozen cookies, you make them for two big Christmas parties you have in one weekend! both families parties have upwards to 50-75 people!

I love having a baby during Christmas it brings something new and exciting to the season! I hope that you guys will have a very merry Christmas and to enjoy the festivities that this season is all about!

the joy of this Christmas Season

Yes, Chloe loves making messes, I think this is such a great learning experience, for her and then after wards its bath time so what isn't fun about that? maybe the clean up for mommy? I can't complain she is learning so much from trying to feed her self!

This week we got a massive snow storm, look out the patio window, the snow drift is huge! Gar was able to make it into work after snow blowing his way out all three days of this yukky storm, I was grateful that we were able to stay warm and cozy by our fire.

Christmas plans are coming together, Chloe Gar, and I, got to go caroling at the nursing home where I volunteer at, she loves meeting the residence and they love her, it's such a great time to visit. there must be something about the snow that makes me want to bake, I have two big family Christmas parties to bake for, and some people that have been on my "list" to thank with some treats. These treats include, butter cookies from my handy dandy cookie press (the best recipe is on Wilton's website) Chocolate mint stars, ginger bread cookies and maybe some sugar cookies. I need to get all of this baking done by Friday of next week... I also need to make a wreath, and get some last minute decorations done. Why do we do so much during the Christmas season?

Celebrate the Joy of Christmas!

my new outlook on Family!

Our family has been so busy and I hope to get more pictures up, for now these pictures will have to work for now!

As always the Christmas Season get's so packed with special events that Gary and I look forward too. The biggest change this year is Chloe, and how she views her little world around her. every time she looks at the Christmas lights out side our house or the rein deer (pictures to follow shortly) she goes ummm, oahhh maaa maama... Not sure what that means but the best translation I can give is cool what is that mama?

We are also looking forward to our Higgins annual Christmas Party, Chloe get's to meet Santa for the first time! I can't wait to get some awesome pictures!

This holiday season has been a turning point in my life, with various things that have shaped my life and those around me, and now being a mom this is my new out look on life, it might sound a little selfish but I firmly believe it works:

life is too short to worry about those that don't care about you! Make life fun and only do what you want to do, as long as it makes you feel whole inside. The rest of the day to day stuff, and people is just fluff. your real family is what really matters and those are the people you need to watch out for daily and edify those relationships. I have found that it's such a better place to live in, to deeply care about those that mean the most to you and for those that maybe don't care, you have to let them be and know that you did your best.

So you might think why is this coming out of me during the holiday season when this is the season to reconnect with those you loss contact with, right? I wish I could say that I came up with this new logic because of something wonderful that happened, however, not so much in my case. I don't want to get into it too much but I just want to say that my feelings for the ones that love me and are the closest to me mean the most to me in my life. I truly believe that when you are surrounded by the purest love you make your world a better place.

So anyways here are some way cute pictures of Chloe and our first Thanks giving!

reasons why my posting is not very consistent:

 

 

Always picking up, and cleaning

visiting with family on the weekends

visiting our friends at the nursing home 2 blocks for our house

trying to nurse Chloe

Trying to Feed Chloe

Distressing after a battle of wills while trying to get Chloe to eat something

exercising on my Wii Fit

learning awesome new tricks in photoshop! (I can spend all my time on this)

Spending time with my girlies (Mel, Laura, Anya, and Jamie)

Talking on the phone with such Girlies

planning my grocery list for the next month so we can save money and time by going shopping once a month instead of 4x a month or more (This is a new thing that I am trying to do and it seems to be working out better than I imagined it)

Taking pictures of my sweet baby girl

editing pictures of my sweet baby girl

spending time with Gar (although I can't remember the last "real" date I had with him unless going to the temple is considered a "date")

and last but not least watching Martha Stewart!

 

So that has been why my posting is not consistent. Chloe had her 9 month cheek up and... she is perfect. although she hasn't gained any weight since 6 month the doc isn't too worried about her as she doesn't look like she is starving or anything. However he did say that she needs more milk! ahh that is the last thing a nursing mother wants to hear when she know her child is weaning, and when she hates formula, she spits it out and wants nothing to do with it! oh well I guess you can't have a perfect baby but she is so close!

9 months

I can't believe it's been 9 months! how crazy the time has gone by Chloe is now almost a toddler, not even a baby! I am so happy with the pictures I had taken, they are sort of like in a documentary series of what we do at night, after supper, I hope you enjoy!

I am so amazed at how fast Chloe is growing up can you believe it will be 9 months on Friday! wow just this week she is crusing and is standing for a short time! We got some baby proofing to do!

For Halloween we got to go to the nursing home that we volunteer/visit at, all the residence were so excited to see Chloe and loved her pokey the puppy costume! I felt sorta bad because they kept giving her "extra"candy that she will not be able to eat. One resident even gave her a unicorn Beanie Baby! It was so nice of the Heritage Care Center to have us go trick or treating, I guess that is where all the little kids go in town they expect about 700 trick or treaters, which I think is really amazing!

The whole month of October every one said that Ellis (our street) is the street to Trick or Treat and that we should have a lot of candy, so we bought more than what I would consider normal thinking we will be out by 7:00pm. We now have 4 or 5 bags of candy left! we didn't get as many as I thought, had we know we would have given out two to every one that came, we figured we had about 100 trick or treaters.

So does any one have any creative ideas what to do with left over candy?

Here is what's new with Chloe!

Here are the pictures that I should have posted with the last post, The Halloween party was great and the pictures show it!

I had a great time getting ready for the Halloween Party, I must say I love throwing parties and this one was the best holiday party I have thrown! We had a great time doing a popcorn relay out side! the kiddo's loved it, and the for the adults, we had a back to back balloon race, it was so fun I laughed the entire time! I hope to post recipes along with pictures of the food for everyone that wanted the recipes. What is so fun about having a Halloween party for kids is that they all really enjoyed it, they all loved the skeleton craft they made and everyone love playing the cheap balloons, playing bag-o, and the golf toss game. The treats were a huge hit, as I made monster cookies out of Oreos. reeses pieces and pretzels, my famous Autumn trail mix with M&M's , apple tarts with carmel and nuts and a scrumptious pork roast. It was such a fun party!

During our Pop Corn race, you had to get pop corn in to your bowl with a spoon but be careful, it's sorta windy that is why Elmo is holding his popcorn

 

 

this adorable Skeletons were great for the kids to make!

 

Aiden is trying to get lots of popcorn in his bowl... Go Darth Vader Go!

 

Playing out side on a beautiful afternoon

My sweet Daughter did have her costume on, and then she needed to take a nap right before the party got started! perfect timing huh? this is after her little cat nap and wanted her mommy isn't she cute?

 

This is my Favorite picture, you have Elmo and Darth Vader! what a cute combo! We love you Joe!

 

Our Princesses wishing by the wishing well..

 

We all had a great time and we will do it again next year!

Chloe Christensen.JPG - United States, KCCI's u local Photo - u local, Your Des Moines Photos & Videos

Chloe Christensen.JPG - United States, KCCI's u local Photo - u local, Your Des Moines Photos & Videos

October

For those that are coming to our Halloween Party you will be greeted with the Poky Little Puppy!

We are getting busy every day as Halloween approaches it's so fun to see Chloe enjoying the seasons, she sees leaves falling and just stares out the window wondering what is going on out side, she isn't liking her jacket much or her hat for that matter and she doesn't know what to think about her new shoes that I put on her... I wonder what she is thinking, her expressions tell a lot these days

We are starting to baby proof, I am constantly saying, oh that's for mommies or for Daddies, or oh you can't have that let mommy see that, thank you Chloe. Chloe is cruising and not really wanting to crawl much, if she can chose she would rather walk (with my help of course) it's so fun to see her learn to walk.

Gary and I are enjoying the season by doing yard work, I thought it would end but not so much, I have been digging in the dirt and raking leaves, we have 3 big maple trees that are dropping leaves by the ton!

8 month pictures

here are pictures that I have taken for her 8 months, I refuse to go to a portrait studio since I can do a better job, and it's more personable/meaningful when I can do it. I love them all and I am not done but here are my favs!







That's right she is standing up on her own look out she might start to walk before she can crawl! Heaven Help me, how can she be a toddler so soon? Let me know what you think about these pictures, I am still on the edge on starting small photo sessions in IA falls.

8 months already!

Chloe is growing up so fast, It's so much fun to get to know her, these are the things I know about her:

Love puppies aka: Drago and Adrian
Loves playing with her piano, her frogies (baby Pad) and knocking down blocks I stack up
Loves sweet potatoes and apple sauce
Loves to sleep in the dark Her eyes are very sensitive to the light
Doesn't like loud people
She seems to already have an opinion on everything that deals with her life... humm I think she takes this after her mommy
I think she is going to walk before she can crawl, as she holds on to our hands and walks just fine, and has yet to try to crawl...
Loves sesame street and other cartoons
Loves orange Popsicle (gar's favorite flavor also)
I think she weighs about 20 lb and is still really tall for her age, maybe 29 inches or so...
She is so sweet, she squeals and talks to any thing or anybody, she is learning to stand up and start cruising She is so much fun!

who has teeth?

Chloe loves Sesame Street, so do I, after breakfast we watch Sesame Street while I get to do stuff in the kitchen like doing dishes, cleaning, making menus, getting stuff ready for the day.... the list goes on and on but I am so happy Sesame street keeps her attention at 8 months! she usually lasts for about 30 minutes and then she wants to do something else, at which time I put her on the floor so she can play with her piano... got a love tv....