Chloe's Bow-tique

I just started a new blog, Chloe's Bow-tique, to help raise funds for the playground. Check it out, but please realize it's a work in progress! Right now I'm just doing one type of bow, but I plan to expand. Let me know what you think!

One Year Older

I knew my birthday was going to be great when it started out with Chloe letting me sleep in! Sleeping in is my favorite thing in the world, so what a wonderful gift she gave me! Granted, she had been up ALL night crying. I took her to the doc first thing (after the wonderful sleep-in, that is) only to find out this poor little sweetie now has thrush....

Chloe on the Dr's office paper -- her favorite!

She got it because of the antibiotic she's been on for the double ear infection she had a couple weeks ago that she got because of the pink eye! Cute Chloe, though.... it's all smiles (90% of the time, and then we just try not to talk about the other 10%). I couldn't ask for a happier child, even when she's sick. She even allowed my mom and I to go out to lunch and shopping when she was feeling so icky! For dinner I indulged in my favorite pizza after being lavished with gifts and attention all day. (My big present is coming in May when I go for a girl's trip to San Francisco.... Can't wait!!!) Then we had the most delicious cupcakes from Cutsie Cakes.... fattening, but totally worth it on my birthday!!!




Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so fabulous! I have the most incredible friends and family a person could EVER ask for, it makes getting OLD a little less horrifying and a lot more fantastic!!!

I'll Have My Cake (and eat it too!)

I've never understood that phrase.... of course you'll eat the cake if you have it. Isn't that what it's for????

So my birthday is this week and Oby's mom decided to have the fam over for dinner to celebrate! How nice! Chloe was just excited to see Papa. She's obsessed....


I was just excited for the cake. I requested Nana's lemon cake. It's SO easy and it's my FAVORITE! Here's the recipe....


1 Pkg. yellow or lemon cake mix (Nana likes it best w/ lemon)
1 Pkg. instant lemon pie pudding mix
4 eggs
1 Cup water
1/4 Cup vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl mix all ingredients and beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Then beat on high for another minute.
Pour mixture into a greased and floured 9 x13" cake pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
When baked take the cake out of the oven let it sit 2 or 3 minutes. Prick the cake all the way through with a fork. Be careful because the cake will tear and big crumbs will come back up with the fork if you are not. Prick the whole cake. Then pour the glaze over it.

Glaze Recipe:
Juice of 2 lemons
2 Cups powdered sugar
Mix well. It will be lumpy at first just keep mixing. Let the cake sit 5 to 7 minutes. Make another batch of glaze or double it in the first place. Then glaze the cake again. You don't need to glaze it twice but Nana has to have everything a little over the top and OH MY it is GOOD!!

Chloe wanted to have the crayons and eat them too. Seriously, she played with this container of crayons for at least an hour, just picking them up and dropping them, then doing it again. Who'd've thought???....

This Place is a Zoo!

Our Saturday started out with yard work and a nice long bike ride. Then we got all cleaned up and Chloe looked too cute to just stay home all day....


So when Grammy, Papa and Jake invited us to go to the zoo, we said, "Heck yes!"



We forgot that we had already been invited to go to the zoo by Angel's Hands, and we ran into one of our Angel's Hands friends, Breanna. She and Chloe were SO excited to see each other!....


The weather was fab and it was a wonderful day. Thank you, Grammy and Papa!!!

Prom: Circa 1994

When one of my best friends, Janica, called me awhile back and said she wanted to throw a 90's flashback prom for her husband, I happily agreed to help her with it! Ever since then, I've been thinking of our days in high school and the many good times we had! I love this girl to death....

Janica & I on our way to a St Patrick's Day Stomp

I was only sad that I had just donated this poofy-shouldered dress just a couple months ago....

Can you believe this was ever in style???

I was in charge of the invitation and the play list. Check out Randy's awesome hair!....



The party was a great success filled with poofy sleeves, big hair, corsages and chaperons....


Oh, the good times!....


Thanks, Janica and Happy Birthday, Randy!!! Love you guys!

How We Roll

The weather has been sublime for a couple days now, so I dusted off the bike and the bike trailer and we found the pump to pump up the tires. We were ready to ride!

Or that's what I thought til I tried sitting Chloe in the bike trailer this morning. It just wasn't happening. The last two summers, we would lay her on her side and buckle her up. But now she's way too long for that! And she still doesn't have enough trunk support to sit up and be buckled in the way the bike trailer was meant for kiddos to be in. So I jimmy-rigged her special tomato seat in there and away we went! I used the bike trailer straps, but that wasn't enough, so yes -- there are hair ties holding my child in! I don't know what else you'd expect from the goat people - that's just how we roll around here!


Our ride was fantastic! My feet didn't hurt at all and Chloe had a blast! We passed some horses and I didn't think it was a big deal. But Chloe kept yelling at me. I was trying to figure out what was wrong, and finally I asked, "Do you want to go back and say hi to the horses?" She said, "Uh huh!" How do you say no to that? You don't!....

Just the Tip of the Iceberg

I think it's ironic that our first fund-raising event was held at Iceberg Drive-Inn, because truly this really is the tip of the iceberg of all the events we will have for this project!

And it was a great event!

In addition to yummy food, there were some pretty amazing people who showed up to support our cause!

Chloe & Mayor Jamie Nagle

There was a fire truck for all the kiddos to check out!

Zeke

But Chloe was most into the men who came in the fire truck! *wink*wink*

Chloe & the firemen

Of course everyone loved the police car (and policeman) as well! What is it about a man in uniform? I dunno, but it starts at a young age.... just ask Chloe & Izzy!

Chloe & Izzy giggling about their crush

Thank you everyone for your support, it was a huge success! Even if you couldn't make it tonight, I feel the support of everyone so much with this project and it really does keep me going - it means the world to me!

Pizza Party!

I think I've mentioned before that Oby and I teach a primary class of 8-9 year-olds. They are such a fun group of kids! One thing we've been trying to get them to do since the beginning of the year is to bring their scriptures every week. When Oby promised a pizza party, you better believe the kiddos all started bringing their scriptures! One week, we found out later, that one kid forgot his scriptures and he didn't want to ruin the chances of the pizza party, so he skipped class! lol! Anyway, so tonight was the big event....


Cheap and quick and yummy - my favorite!....


And don't forget dessert - a Reese's ice cream cake - yum!....


Everyone had so much fun eating, chatting, playing games, and just being together! They were all so cute to include Chloe and play with her - she LOVEd it!....

A Tribute to Chloe'sTherapists

I got a call today from the manager of the clinic where I take Chloe for physical and occupational therapy. She asked if I would write something about my experience with the therapists who work with Chloe that they could use in a newsletter. I happily obliged. Here's what I wrote....

I believe it is a profound privilege to be the parent of a child with special needs. One of the unique privileges of this calling is being able to associate with my child’s therapists. My experience with them has been nothing but positive. They give my daughter unconditional acceptance. Because they sincerely care for her, they are optimistic about what she can do rather than focusing on her limitations. They seek solutions rather than focus on problems. What I’m sure they don’t realize is that as much as they help my daughter, I believe they actually help me more. They teach me that there are good people in the world who dedicate their lives to doing good for others. As I sit watching them, I am filled with hope and that is the greatest gift possible for a person in my situation.

Oby's Birthday Weekend!

Oby's birthday is April 11th (today), but we kind of celebrated from Thursday on. We kicked things off with a fun family night to The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve. To anyone in the Davis County area.... you've got to check this place out! It was less than a 5 minute drive from our house... it was free and VERY cool! There's a nice mile-long boardwalk through this nature preserve, with birds galore.... There are observatory towers and mountain views in every direction! I can't believe we've never been there before!....






Friday night we decided to give The Office a chance. Everyone I know thinks the show is hilarious, and well, I know this is blasphemy to most people, but..... I don't like it! I've caught an episode here and there and haven't thought it was funny at all. (gasp!) I know, I know... So I thought, well maybe if we start from the beginning, I'll get the characters better and the show will be more funny. So we started with the pilot and watched through the 2nd season....


Sadly, I'm still not sold on it. There are funny parts, but truly there are much funnier shows out there! I've decided to give it through season 3, though. Oby likes it a little more than I do, but feels kinda the same as me.... We are left scratching our heads thinking, 'Why does everyone like this show so much?'

Saturday the sun decided to come for a visit, so we got to work on the yard! Okay, Oby worked on the yard while Chloe and I observed, but everyone needs a cheerleader, right?....


He made lots of headway and prep work so we can really get going on things the next few weeks. It made me so happy and I kept singing, "She thinks my tractor's sexy.... It really turns her on!" 'cause seriously it is sexy - am I right, ladies? ;)



That night my parents watched Chloe so Oby and I could go out on a date. It was such a nice date! In my opinion, all great dates should start out with all-you-can-eat sushi! Again, to all the Davis County-ers, you've gotta check out Sushi Ya. It just opened. It has all you can eat sushi - $13 for lunch and $18 for dinner. I thought for that price it would be sub-par, but seriously it was FAB!....


We saw Ghost Writer with Ewan & Pierce - two of my favs! It was a tad slow, but I really liked it!....



Today was Oby's actual birthday, so it of course started out with presents!....


After present-opening, we all went to church. Oh my goodness the funniest thing happened. I had been asked to give the closing prayer in sacrament meeting. No big deal. Well about half way through the meeting, Chloe got fussy so I took her out to the hall. Even though there are speakers out there, I ended up chatting with some other ladies about the playground and a few events we have coming up. All of a sudden, Oby comes running out and says, "Tara, did you remember you were going to say the prayer?" I literally threw Chloe into his arms, ran back into the chapel with a bottle in one hand and a blanket in the other. The entire room had an awkward tension to it because everyone was waiting for me! The bishop was trying not to giggle as I handed him the bottle and blanket so I could give a proper prayer. LOL! It was hilarious and so embarrassing!

Afterward, we went for a beautiful scenic drive. I thought I was okay just having a small snack before we left, but midway through the drive I informed Oby that I HAD to eat as soon as possible. We ended up stopping at this dive of a restaurant in Ogden canyon, The Oaks. We were just crossing our fingers that the food would be edible. Not only did the food impress, but there was also live music - my favorite thing ever! AND just as a bonus, the band was seriously so awesome! They were soul/acoustic/classic rock/bluegrass. Wow, that seems like a bizarre genre, but they worked it out! The restaurant was tiny so it felt like a personal little concert. They fell in LOVE with Chloe and even dedicated a song to her!.... "Here Comes the Sun." She LOVED it, was kicking and squealing every second! The harmonica player had tears in his eyes watching her. It was so sweet :) We loved them so much that we found out where/when they play and we're planning on checking them out some more!

I hope Oby had a wonderful birthday. It's hard to truly celebrate the life of someone you love so much and let them know just how grateful you are for them. He truly is my perfect match and best friend! I love ya, Oby! Here's to many many more years!

Musical Monday: Random Songs

I just found this song form India Arie this week. Oh my, I love it!....



And I had to share Jack Johnson's recent single. His full new album comes out in June and I'm giddy excited about it!....



And last, but not least, I had to share Casey James (from American Idol) version of Jealous Guy. He is not usually my favorite contestant (I'm a Lee fan actually), but I LOVED this one. Loved it!....

I Love This Girl...

Do you know what a privilege it is to call Chloe my daughter? She is such a blessing. I think these pictures really capture her true spirit. Look at those eyes and that simply stunning smile, all the while she's working SO hard just to hold her head up. What a sweetie....










Photos by the talented Ashley of Miles of Memories. Thanks, Ash!

Happy BDay Nana!

It's no secret that Chloe has the BEST grandparents EVER! And since today is her Nana's birthday, she was so excited to go to the party tonight and give Nana a BIG Happy Birthday HUG!....


However, she decided to come down with pink eye, so sadly she won't be attending the party.....


I decided she still needed to give Nana a personal Birthday message, so here it is....








We love you, Nana!!!