Chloe is three.  Chloe is three.  Chloe is three.

And ANYone who said three would be easier than two is lying.

The word easy wouldn't be a great descriptor of our three year old.  But we wouldn't want easy if it meant exchanging Chloe for anyone else.  

Chloe completes our family.  Things just wouldn't be right without her.  

Things would be much quieter, but not right.

We thank the Lord for our beautiful and amazing Chloe-Belle.

Some of Chloe's favorites at age 3 (and 3 days):

--The number 8.  "Hey Chloe, what's your dolls name?"  "8"

"Hey Chloe, how old are you?"  "8"

"Hey Chloe, what do you want for dinner?"  "8"

--Riding her bike with no pedals.  And she's good.  Really good.  And is scares everyone (except us) half to death most of the time.

--Dora the Explorer and Calliou.  Her two favorite shows which also happen to be the top two most annoying shows to watch over and over and over again.

--Coloring.  Chloe is a thinker and is meticulous in her coloring.  

--Playing sports.  Naturally, she wants to be just like her brother.  She's got quite a kick and loves to play catch with anyone who will agree to play with her.

--Baby doll.  Chloe has one specific baby doll that she loves the most.  She "parents" her, takes care of her, packs a diaper bag for her and sleeps with her every night.

--Swimming.  She's just recently become a fan of the swimming pool.

--Suckers.  Preferably purple suckers.

--The color purple. She picks everything purple when purple is an option, likes purple clothing best and recently told us, "It's purple.  I like purple."  (Really?  Who knew?)

--Anything that makes her the same as "Jo-Jo" her cousin.  Her hair "like Jo-Jo", an outfit like "Jo-Jo", food "like Jo-Jo", going to bed "like Jo-Jo".  

--Getting rubs on her back, her tummy, her arms and her legs.  She's our little kitten.

--Dairy.  String cheese.  Yogurt.  Laughing Cow. Milk. Ice Cream.

--Fruit.  But NO veggies...ever. 

--Going to the bathroom in her diaper!  (Although she did tell me when she was "8" she'd start using the toilet.)

--Bracelets.  Hair-ties.  Brushes.  Lipstick.  Chapstick.  Purses.  Cell Phones.  Necklaces.  Earrings.  Make up.  Perfume.  Hairspray.  

--"Go-D" clothing.  This means anything that a UMD Bulldog athlete would wear ("Go UMD").  Running shorts and a tank top, soccer shorts and a jersey, mesh shorts and a basketball shirt.  Chloe tells us that dresses "aren't pretty" and refuses (really, she's three and she refuses) to wear any of the dresses or "girly" outfits that fill her closet.

God gave us Chloe and created her just how He wanted her to be.  For that, we are thankful. 

We love you, Belle.  

Happy Birthday.

We've mostly been practicing basketball, soccer, t-ball, swimming, and fishing this summer. 

Although, we have done some practice writing.  If you call writing one thank you note to Grandma practice.  

Brooks starts all day every day kindergarten in one month.  Gulp.  He's ready.  And now that it's creeping up so quickly, I'm not sure I am.

I could have predicted that Brooks would be an athlete.  

I don't ever want him to feel like he has to be an athlete (as long as he loves Jesus, I don't really care what he ends up liking), but so far he's enthralled with sports, sporting events and sport stars.

Brooks loves basketball, t-ball, swimming, biking, soccer and Michael Jordan.

He's over his love of hockey.  We are good with that.  Being a hockey mom never did sound very fun.

Today Brooks was asked if he was going to be in 2nd grade.  He has a bit of an advantage on the size side of things.  He's not clumsy though.  Just tall, strong and coordinated.

It's fun to watch Brooks turn into a little man.  

Being a mom to a son is such a blessing.

Happy 4th of July!

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Fourth of July 2009

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Fourth of July 2010

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Fourth of July 2011

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Fourth of July 2012

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We just got back from Arkansas and had a super week visiting Grandma and Grandpa Johnson.  

Brooks could hardly contain himself.  He was so excited to see Grandma and give her cuddles and kisses.

We braved the hundred degree heat every day and managed to stay cool enough to enjoy our time down south. 

We swam, mini-golfed, went to the safari, saw a glass church, had a huge water fight, ate like royalty (thanks, Grandma) and made memories.  

Brooks had a rather large announcement for Grandma on our last night in Arkansas...

He has decided he wants to marry Grandma and move to Arkansas!

Now that's a sign of a good time.

We had a super fun weekend hanging at the pool. Brooks swims like a fish and Chloe is starting to get pretty brave.

The kids are getting along today which makes everything better. As I sit here blogging I just overheard Brooks say to Chloe, "Bring it on dude!".

They play a mad game of basketball and Chloe does pretty well for rarely getting the ball. Some might call Brooks a ball hog.

I think his sister is just happy to be included.

I sometimes joke to Greg that we could fish in the puddle at the end of our driveway. 

Kids seem to hear everything and believe everything they hear.

Brooks was sure he was going to catch something.  The problem is that it was taking forever to get a bite.  So, being the problem solver that he is, he grabbed a chair and enjoyed casting in comfort. 

Oh, and you're wondering about the hockey helmet?  

That's on because Brooks is terrified of bugs and with his helmet on there is no way that the bugs will be able to bite him.

And Sister? 

She was most interested in picking up the worms and being extra cute.

They sure are going to be sad someday when we decide to fix our driveway.

Happy Father's Day to an amazing Dad.

A Dad who:

puts his family first

takes care of us

loves Jesus

loves us

and

holds our family together

We love you, Greg.  

More than we could possibly begin to express.  

Thank you for being you.

So far this summer we've celebrated our Auntie's birthday, had late night baths and TV with cousins, played some T-ball and enjoyed our newly installed zip-line.  

We're busy. 

 We need to be or the number of melt-downs significantly increases.  Yes, having two strong-willed, active children is a blessing.  A blessing that must be managed wisely for the sanity of all involved.