The (Almost) Tree! - Feb 24

The weekly reoccurring theme for February has been RAIN. This week once again as been no exception but as we move into the later portion of the week, it seems as if we will get a little reprieve for the next week or so. Thank god because I wasn't sure how much more we could take!

This time of year is always marked by the blossoming of our beloved "Cherry" trees(which we know in my neighborhood at least to be PLUM trees) but looking back year over year, we are a little behind on the trees being in full bloom. I imagine it is somewhat a result of the amount of rain we have gotten this year or the lack of rain in years past but either way, with a little bit of sunshine on the horizon it won't be long before our trees are blooming. =)

Chloe, has always been a fan of climbing one particular tree in our neighborhood and this week she has decided after months and months of not doing it that she was ready to try again. It's interesting to me to see a gigantic version of the kid that could barely climb the tree grow into a kid that could probably climb to the top if I let her. I look forward to shooting some pictures with her in front of our tree soon and more than that I am looking forward to picking and eating the plums in a few months once they are ready.

Also, an unrelated thing that happened a couple weeks back, actually. Our neighbor next door sort of abruptly moved out because they ended up putting the house up for sale. The guy lived there alone and was hardly ever there but he also had 2 kids that lived out of state and would visit there from time to time. Apparently he left the kids bikes behind in the garage and one morning I was outside talking to the realtor and she asked if I knew anyone that would want a kids bike. I checked it out and there was a boys bike and a girls bike and the girls bike was just a little bigger than the one Chloe currently has and most importantly HAD A KICKSTAND which Chloe had been dying for me to put on her bike. So I told the lady I would take them and find them homes one way or the other thinking I would take the kickstand and put it on Chloe's bike and then give the bike away. Chloe came home and she quickly decided that she liked the bike as it was and she wanted it for herself, lol. The boys bike I ended up giving it to a friend who has a couple boys and now Chloe has a new/used bike. I will be sure to find a home for her old bike and sort of "pay it forward" somehow. So we have still been going for bike rides but now it's on a Purple bike instead of white and bright pink. LOL.

Have a great weekend, folks~

-B

Cuddle Addict! - Feb 17

Chloe's school sent out several emails leading up to Valentine's Day expressing in no uncertain terms please do not bring CANDY as part of the Valentine's exchanges.

Hmm.

So Tuesday was Valentine's Day and Chloe was super excited to do their Valentine exchange in her class. The day started with a few Valentine's surprises as Chloe got up early for what would ultimately be a short school day. I'm not a big Valentine's Day guy but, I try to make it fun for Chloe and of course nice for my wife. 2017 marks the 20th Valentines Day for Heather and I so it seemed appropriate to celebrate low key at home with our daughter especially considering it fell on both a TUESDAY night as well as a SCHOOL night. LOL. Perfectly acceptable to me. =)

Just a few pics of Miss Chloe this week from Valentine's Day. Thankfully, Chloe did not get any weird love notes from any of the kids at school and her favorite card actually came from...her teacher. Bonus it included a pencil. =)

Have a great weekend, folks~

-B

Preparing To Valentine! - Feb 9

I'm pretty sure since last week it has rained basically every day. I know we have been in a drought and I know we need this rain but..I've had enough. LOL

Actually, last Saturday the rain held off during the day just long enough for Chloe and I to take a return trip to her preschool for a couple hours. See, every year around this time they host a "Science Day" which is free and lasts about 2 hours where the kids can come and do all sorts of fun, science-y things. We have gone basically every year and since she has been out of that school a couple years, it's been a fun way to see the teachers and to see the school and all that may have changed. It's always a chaotic mix of parents and kids wandering about and I actually completely forgot to bring a camera..dad fail.

The rest of the week as you know we have been bombarded with rain. Chloe spent some time at her desk putting together and writing her name on some little Valentines Day cards for her classmates. They aren't allowed to bring or give out cards with candy so I found some cards at Target that had little magnets. Chloe was excited but possibly more excited that we have some extras that she can keep. LOL.

Have a great weekend, folks~

-B

=)

Six More Weeks Of Winter! - Feb 3

Yesterday was Groundhog Day and while I pretty much forgot, Chloe's class got to follow along to find out if good old Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow or not. Apparently he did see his shadow which is supposed to mean we are in for another 6 weeks of winter. UGH.

This last week we actually had pretty nice weather and we have been taking advantage of it with bike rides and whatever outdoor activities we could handle. This week we found ourselves back into a few rainy days but so far it has been nothing like previous storms. If that stinky groundhog is correct and we cannot have our spring soon, we just might lose our minds around here. Fortunately Chloe loves to read and often I will find her after we get home from school reading a book quietly. She has found her way into much longer books and she gets this fire in her to finish books within a day or two. I guess who are we to stop her? lol =0 Just a few pics grabbed of Chloe in a fairly low speed week around here doing what she loves to do.

Have a great weekend~

-B

The Longest Ride! - Jan 27

Lately we have been going through what I have been calling (and some news stations copied me) STORMAGEDDON 2017. We have been having an insane amount of rain lately so as you might imagine indoor activities have run their course. Chloe recently has become re-interested in riding her bike and started asking if I would get my bike down so I could ride with her so a week or two ago I did and Chloe was jazzed. We got in a few rides and then we got hit by like a week or more of rainy days but this week we have finally had some great weather so back to the bike rides we went.

On Thursday I decided to see if Chloe wanted to try a longer ride than usual and like virtually everything put before her, she was willing to try. Generally we have been riding around our "big block" once and then she likes to do a series of circles at the top of our street by herself. Typically this is after we have walked the dog either half way or all the way around the block to which Chloe has been riding her bike along while I walk with the dog. On Thursday, we went around the entire country club complex. It's pretty far. LOL.

We got about half way up the uphill portion and Chloe kept asking me if we were almost to the downhill part yet. I assured her there was still a way to go but then we would have a lot of downhill and she could go fast. She pedaled and pedaled and when the downhill part came..she was all smiles and having a blast. PS it's probably 50 degrees outside and my face is freezing in the wind. The last stretch is the long uphill leading to our house and she tried her hardest but we did end up walking about 5 minutes and then she was determined to ride the rest of the way. She did and I was not surprised. Impressed, but not surprised. =)

Then, while I was making dinner I asked Chloe what she was doing and she said she was "writing a story" which I found unusual and awesome at the same time. A little while after that, Heather was reading me the story that Chloe wrote, all by herself and I think I actually felt my heart melt...and that's not a term I think I have ever used. You'll see Chloe's story at the end...

Just a few random shots of Chloe on her bike. I wasn't willing to risk riding my bike and holding a really expensive camera at the same time so, no footage like that. LOL.

Have a great weekend, folks~

B

Time For A Haircut! - Jan 20

This week we find ourselves experiencing another first with Chloe, HER FIRST HAIRCUT!

Yes, we know. How did you not cut her hair in the last 7 years?? I can't really answer that question. I don't know what the "typical" time a kid gets their first haircut, but for Chloe the answer is 7 years and 2 weeks, approximately. Heather made the appointment with this haircut place in Danville I guess that specializes in doing kids haircuts. Part of what she is known for is you can have this extra tinsel and a feather put in at the end..."bling" as the lady called it. Heather thought it would be something Chloe would enjoy so, away we went.

We arrived for our appointment and the lady seemed to be barely just starting a little girl for a cut and she was the only one working there. Within 10 minutes I was pretty irritated as she just continued to talk and talk to the kids mother while we just waited and waited. Ultimately, 30 minutes after our appointed time it was Chloe's turn. My irritation somewhat took away from what might have otherwise been a good experience because the lady actually did a great job on Chloe's hair. For whatever reason she wanted to talk about various hair products and tried the entire time to "soft sell" Heather on a bunch of these hair products for Chloe. Also, of course, since Chloe's appointment started 30 minutes late, TWO more people had arrived and started waiting for their appointments (which of course only further irritated me). LOL. Heather knows this about me but, I have a thing for being on time and this lady doing the haircut was absolutely driving me nuts. In the end, it was fine because Chloe was able to pick out the tinsel and feather that she wanted and all was right with the world. Apparently the "bling" stays in her hair as long as she wants it to. It's kind of clamped in and to remove it I actually need to use pliers so..that sounds fun. LOL.

Here are just a few pictures from Chloe's first haircut! At the rate we're going I suppose we will revisit this when she's...what..14? =P

Have a great weekend, folks~

-B