10 years

This weekend marks the anniversary of Princess Diana's death, and with all the news covering that event I thought about that weekend 10 years ago and it was truly the hardest I had ever faced at that time. Not specifically because of her, but that just added to it. That weekend I had to say good bye to Eric for two years while he served a mission and leave the comfort of my parents home and move into the dorms at college. There's nothing like taking your ID card picture after bawling for the entire two hour car ride down! It was an awful weekend and when I met up with a friend at school that night and she told me what had happened to Diana I had the most unsettling feeling. Here I was away from home, no Eric, new roommates, and now the world was mourning the loss of Diana. It was so hard to get happy, even for me! This reflection just made me realize how grateful I am to my life now. Although we have rough days and life's not perfect, having Eric and my girls keeps the other stuff manageable. I am so grateful not to be 19 again!

Cabin Fever

So last week Eric went out of town for a good friends wedding and the girls and I stayed here. Right after he left, I got the cough that he had and then two days after I sounded better Chloe got it. With the weather being a little rainy lately, we had been stuck in the house for too long! So, I got the girls all dressed up in their rain gear, (which I now know snow boots on Chloe do not make good rain shoes), and we headed outside for a rain walk. Chloe was loving the puddles! The girls had a blast and I felt like I was back in Oregon again. We even came back inside and had hot chocolate! Could it really be August? Today, the humidity is back and the ac is on. The hot chocolate was fun while it lasted though!

Birthday Highlights

Chloe with all her presents!
Me with my baby and Chloe with hers. PJ's from Grandma and Grandpa were a big hit!Chloe taking birthday calls.
Finally got the candle blown out with a little help from Ella.

Chloe Bug is TWO!!

Happy Birthday to Chloe! I really can't believe my baby is two already. We are having a small family birthday party tonight when Eric gets home. I'll post those pictures tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few facts about Miss Chloe!

*My delivery with her was so fantastic. Induced early, epidural perfect, labor minimum. The nurses kept telling me I didn't look like I was having a baby because I was still smiling. Thank you Chloe!

*She has a favorite bunny blanket that she has to have to go to sleep.

*She LOVES babies! Live ones and dolls.

*She is the girly one in our family. She loves to play dress up.

*She has the best belly laugh and her smile lights up a room.

*She is a mommy's girl.

*She is a great eater. I can't name one thing that I make that she won't eat. I love it!

*She is becoming very independent. "I do it" is a very common phrase heard at our house.

*She cries when kids we don't know get to close to her. The park can be an interesting place for us.

*She is one of the goofiest kids I know.

*She loves dogs! She will notice a dog from a great distance away. It was one of her first words too.

*She loves her sister and tries really hard to be just like her. (We are hoping for early potty training!)

*Her hair gets her noticed where ever we are. Verdict is still out on which side of the family she got her curls. Eric and I both have some wave, but the ringlets might be from the Jacobsen side, Aunt Kristin and her girls all have curly hair or the Middleton side my mom and Uncle Jeremy have the curls. I'm actually surprised by how straight Ella's hair is.

*Our family is so blessed to have her!

Happy Birthday Chloe Bug!

Go Fishermen!

Ahh, the Astoria Fighting Fishermen! Isn't that the best mascot? So fierce! This weekend is my 10 year high school reunion. It's hard to believe it's been that long already. I'm a little sad to miss out, but not enough to fly to Oregon. I am so relieved that it's here and all the planning is finally done. I didn't realize how much time I was going to be putting into this weekend. I have been working on it since January. I managed to find about 60 classmates and considering I graduated in a class of 110, that's not too bad. It has been fun to hear from people and find out what they've been up to these past years. I've had my own little reunion via emails which has been fun. Nothing like a small town high school where everyone knows each other! I really did have some great people in my class. I can't wait for the full detailed report on Sunday!

*Sorry, to disappoint and post no high school pictures of me. I don't have a scanner. Too bad!