Chloe turns 6!

After weeks of trying to decide the theme of her cake she settled on 'Hello Kitty'.  Don't laugh at the candle, its last year's five that we had to convert to a six.  Mom forgot to get a six.  First we went to Applebee's at Chloe's request.  She thinks it is so cool when all the waiters come out and sing.  She got her birthday cake there.  Later we went to grandma and grandpa's house and ate more cake and opened a few presents.  The next day she had one of her friends over and was planning to open more gifts but they played so hard we all forgot about the gifts.  So she opened them the next day.  All in all I think she was able to drag her birthday out for a total of three days.  Jeff teases her that since she had three birthdays she must be eight years old now.  Hard to believe my little Guatemalan rose is six.  That's one third of the way to graduation day.  yikes!!!

Baby Girl is Nine Months Old Today!

Emi is a joy and delight.  I can't believe its already been nine months since we brought her home.  Oh I knew it would fly by but here I am posting a nine month marker.  It just amazes me.  She is really developing her personality.  It is happy, obstinate, bossy, and a little bit mean sometimes.  She loves her mommy and we are having to work out a bit of total ownership of me.  She is not happy to share.  She can say 'kick' while she's pounding you with both feet.  She can say 'daddy' and yum!  She is hitting her milestones.  Her head is in the 90 percentile while her body is in the 10 percentile but doctors are not worried.  She's just a little bit of an egg head. She knows how to charm everyone she meets and lays a happy smile on anyone who will make eye contact with her.  She is a joy to take places as she steals everyone's attention.  She is not crawling yet but I blame myself there.  I hardly ever put her down to learn how.  She wants to be everywhere there's action.  I think she could do the laundry or cook a meal by now with all the watching she has done.  Everyone in the family loves her dearly and she has been a blessing to us all.  We thank God for the gifts He gives us on this earth!  We are so undeserving yet so thankful for the honor that God lends these children to us.  May we be worthy to carry out the task before us!

Mrs. Beasley?

Emi's First Hair Extensions

Not likely to fall into her big sis's pageant shoes. She kept pulling them off and throwing them to the dog. She never gave me a smile only smirks and scowls so I'm thinking basketball player for now :)

Then and Now

Fifteen years separate these two photos.  I scarcely know where the time went.  The sweet chubby cheeks and innocent smiles along with the inquisitive little minds of then are replaced with a confident smile, a mature face, and minds full of knowledge and wisdom.  Dreams of being a secret agent, an army man, and a paleontologist are replaced with Chemical Engineering, Law degrees and figuring out how to get 'rich'.  Cowboy boots and wrangler jeans are replaced with Buckle, AE, and Miss Me.  Jeff and I who were giant role models and superheros of then are now competent, older, less invincible but still holding the anchor sort of clueless to the times parents.  Being awesome in their eyes back then has been replaced with a grownup friendship that is just as rewarding.  I can't choose the most favorite time I have had with my children.  Every phase has been full.  Holding them as infants gave me a euphoria not unlike a drug.  Watching them grow and learn filled me with pride.  Seeing them make choices both right and wrong allowed me the let them grow.  Letting them go allowed me to grow.  Now I cherish the memories, value the time we have together, and look forward to going along with them as they live their lives.