A Fabulous Trip

It's been a couple of weeks since Chloe, Nana and I went to San Fran to visit Oby's sister and her fam. Sadly my camera got left behind and it took awhile for me to get it back, get the pix uploaded, etc, etc. Well, I think it was worth the wait! It was fun re-living our trip, but it made me miss those crazy kids who stayed behind in California. BOO to family living far away..... BOO!!!

Here's a re-cap.....

Plane Ride:

Chloe looked oh-so-fab ;)

Chloe was an excellent passenger. But this trip helped me realize that there is no way I could do air travel with Chloe alone. I definitely needed another adult to help me carry her, her chair, my purse, fold up the stroller, etc, etc. Because of her special stroller/chair set-up and bottles, we had to go through extensive security screenings several times on the trip. I must say, though, all the airport personnel were very nice and made what could have been a dreaded experience pretty delightful after all. I think they were probably smitten with this girl....

Barbie: check. Rainbow Brite: check. Magazine: check.
Okay, Captain, we're ready for lift-off!

Chloe and friends loved the ride, especially when we landed.
Who knew landing could be so funny?!?! I dunno, but Chloe sure thought it was!

Just Hangin' Out:

All the tourist attractions in the world couldn't have compared with just hanging out with the people we came all that way to see!

Henry & PJ showing off their bike skillz

Will, Nana & Chloe look on in amazement

Everyone loved being together.... and watching cartoons!

Disney Museum:

If you're ever in the San Fran area, I recommend this museum. It's more for adults (although PJ and Henry liked it, Chloe not so much). I tell ya what.... that Walt guy was pretty amazing. I was very inspired.

PJ & Chloe loved this floor!

This pic does not come close to doing this view justice.
PJ, Will, Chloe & Henry

Fisherman's Wharf:

This was a great place where our vacation line began. Taylor parked to go to Fisherman's Wharf. Tami insisted the parking spot was very far away from where we wanted to be.

"I'm tellin' ya!" she kept saying.

It only took 1.5 minutes to get to the wharf, so poor Tami was wrong. We teased her incessantly the rest of the trip with, "I'm tellin' ya!"

The restaurant we went to was just divine. It was a bakery called Boudin. Yummo!!!

Tami drowning her teasing sorrows in lobster and pasta ;)

Oakland Zoo:

This zoo was wonderful! A bit hilly, which made for a nice workout, in addition to gawking at all the cute animals!

This tree-swinging monkey was my favorite. Actually, a zoo worker corrected me when she overheard me calling this a monkey. She said it was actually in the ape family. Whatever you want to call it, it sure was cute, swinging all around on the branches, then stopping every once in awhile to literally hang out. That's the life!....

Hanging out

Henry looking at the chimpanzee looking at Henry

PJ & Henry on the lily pads

Chloe trying to stretch her neck like the turtles do ;)

Chloe in front of the giraffes and gazelles

Chloe & Will liked the elephants

Henry, Chloe & PJ in the bamboo by the tigers!

Taylor, Henry & PJ on the carousel

Chloe's Pigtails:

Since Aunt Taylor is a hair stylist, I thought she could teach me how to put Chloe's hair in pigtails. I can never replicate it to be quite this cute, what with Chloe's curls, cowlicks and wobbly head, but I try because I just love Chloe's hair like this!...







Half Moon Bay:

Despite the windy day, we still LOVED going to the beach! It was a perfect ending to our fabulous trip!....

Chloe & Mom: Beach Babes!

Chloe has an affinity for wind.
It's like she thinks Mother Nature is playing a game with her.
She just laughs and laughs. It cracks me up!

Henry & PJ ran, splashed and dug to their heart's content!

Cute William

The Norseth Fam
Thanks, you guys, for putting up with us and showing us a GREAT time!

So Proud!

Yesterday Chloe had her first of several evaluations to ensure she qualifies for special needs preschool.

The person who did the evaluation told me beforehand that it was a hands-on evaluation for Chloe to show what she can do, not for me to tell what she can and can't do. I was fine with that. But the very first activity, it was hard for me not to tell the assessor that Chloe couldn't do it - because I didn't think she could.

There was a baby doll sitting on a chair with a table. Then they put five little toys (a plane, a truck, a cup, a toothbrush, and a block) in front of Chloe and said, "The baby is thirsty. Pick the thing the baby can use to take a drink and put it on the table."

It's not that I think Chloe isn't smart. I know that she IS smart. But I didn't think she could pick the right toy because of her limited motor skills. And I really didn't think she could follow the second set of instructions to then put the toy on the table.

Boy, was I wrong! She reached very intently for that cup. She got it. She put it on the table.

And then she went on surprising me, proving me wrong, and making me BEAM with pride and joy!!!

She picked the toothbrush to clean the baby's mouth after the baby had a drink.

She attempted time after time after time after time to put rings on a peg.

She picked a round shape out of many shapes when she was told to.

She stacked blocks.

She eye-gazed at a picture board and 'selected' the correct answer when asked, "Where is the dog?" "Where is the ball?" etc, etc, etc.

She wasn't done making me proud, though. Later we went to the dentist. Her first visit to the dentist went surprisingly smooth, so I guess I shouldn't have been expecting the worst this time. But c'mon.... she's three. Three-year-olds don't like the dentist, do they?

Well, Chloe does! Every time they said, "Open wide," or "Say awwww," she did it! With a smile! Then she'd always look over at me, like, 'Look, Mom. I'm a big girl!'


I couldn't believe it! I was soooooo proud of her. I'm so excited for her future! I can't wait for her to prove me wrong and exceed expectations time after time.

Live, Laugh, Breathe.

Life has been crazy-fun with birthday parties, sickness, Mother's Day festivities and a little vay-cay Chloe and I took to see Oby's sister's fam in San Fransisco. (More on that later when I get my camera mailed to me because I left it in my SIL's purse. I don't know how that happened, but at least the camera is no longer missing :)

In the meantime, I just wanted to spread the word about something my good friend, Kendra, is up to. I know many of you know that Kendra's baby Makenzie lost her battle with a rare neuromuscular disease last December. Well, Kendra and her husband Ryan are doing amazing things to ensure Makenzie's name lives on.... a carnival to raise funds for research of her disease, a baby leggings project for children in ICU's, and many more things to come.

I just wanted to share their blog that will follow this journey. It is called Just Breathe. It is a very special blog about a very special girl and her very special parents. I hope you can take a second to check it out and support Kendra and Ryan in any way you can. The strength they are showing in the middle of this intense pain is truly inspiring to me....

"Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are." ~Arthur Golden

Aloha!

As promised, here's the scoop on Chloe's Rainbow Brite Luau.

What exactly IS a "Rainbow Brite Luau," you ask? It's when two worlds collide because a mother cannot pick a theme for her daughter's 3rd birthday....

'Rainbow Brite or Luau?' I kept thinking. So I asked my facebook friends.... Rainbow Brite or Luau? They suggested Rainbow Brite GO to a luau..... Genius!

And this was the result....

A rainbow-inspired invitation to come swim with Chloe....


Chloe was decked out in a rainbow tutu, a rainbow swimming suit, a rainbow lei necklace, a rainbow lei bracelet, fab sunglasses, an over-sized flower in her hair, an 'Aloha!' sign on the back of her wheelchair, and last but not least - a blue star on her cheek (just like Rainbow Brite!)....

The whole family got decked out for the occasion!....

Then, with supplies from Zurcher's party store, we decked out some tables at the swimming pool! If it weren't for the giant white bubble overhead, you would have thought we were actually on a beach in Maui! With Rainbow Brite, no less!....

Not only did the cake look adorable....

It was delicious too!....

We served the cake with Island Way Sorbet.

Sorbet in a real fruit shell = yummo!

Chloe definitely felt like a princess, especially with this crown from Better Than Normal (Thanks again, Melanie. Chloe LOVES this thing!)....

Seriously, if you're in the market for a birthday crown, I recommend these custom felt ones. Not only are they sturdy & adorable, but the proceeds go to a good cause, treatment that is not covered by insurance for a special little boy named Daniel. Find out more HERE.

Chloe truly had the BEST time swimming and partying!....

I think it's safe to say that EVERYONE had a great time!!!....

After swimming, Chloe and Rainbow Brite dried off in this fabulous flamingo robe....

And then it was time for PRESENTS! Even though we specifically told everyone that their presence was Chloe's present, we were still grateful for the gifts. Chloe especially liked taking the paper out of the bags!!!....

She was showered with fun toys, cute clothes and books galore. Her main present was the new bedspread and decorations in her bedroom. Cute, bright, cheery & inspiring - perfect for Chloe!....

On her actual birthday, poor little Missy got a fever and was a bit under the weather. It was okay relaxing, though, since we did enough partying for a lifetime on Friday. And she had cute birthday PJ's to relax in!....

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! I hope you had FUN and felt just how much you are LOVED!!!! And thank you to everyone who helped Chloe celebrate her big day in a big way!!!

"Life is like a rainbow.
You need both the sun and the rain
to make its colors appear."

Three Years

This year Chloe's birthday lands on Mother's Day.... It's got me thinking more than usual about the day of her birth.

Perfect. Beautiful. Big blue eyes. Button nose. Lovely lips (I had been worried about those lips - they were HUGE in her 3D ultrasounds!). Long skinny fingers. 10 little wiggly piggies. Sweet smell.

To be honest, I was scared to be a mother. I didn't think I would be good at it. Being completely responsible of such a tiny, precious little bundle.... I just didn't know if I was capable of such a responsibility. But I promised my little angel that I would do everything I could.

She was just 4-days-old on my first Mother's Day. It was the first morning she woke up at home. Oby got her dressed....


She was the most perfect Mother's Day gift I could ever have imagined!

This was also the first day that she decided to let us know that she wasn't here to be a "typical" child. She took us on a wild ride that first Mother's Day. She spiked a fever out of nowhere. We were told to bring her in to the ER. They had to do a spinal tap and some other tests to rule out any serious illnesses. A spinal tap on a four-day-old - MY four-day-old. I had to go to the other side of the hospital or I would have grabbed that huge spinal tap needle and stuck it in the guy who was planning to stick it in my baby's spine. Oby held her while they did it.

Every day since then has been Mother's Day for me.... a constant reminder that Chloe needs me and loves me completely. A constant reminder of the love and joy she has brought to my life....


Every day since has also been a wild ride. Highs and lows, and going by soooo fast! I actually registered her for preschool last week. Can you believe it? She'll be starting preschool this fall. Wasn't it just yesterday I was counting all her toes????

We threw a Rainbow Brite Luau last night to celebrate Chloe's third birthday. It was a hit. Here's a little sneak peek....




Thank you, Chloe, for believing in me to be a good mom, in helping me learn how to be a good mom, in helping me learn how to be a better person every day. It's a privilege that someone so pure looks at me with those eyes, and every once in a while calls me, "Mama." Thank you for being you.... such a bundle of joy and surprise and perspective. Love you, girl! xo