Saying Goodbye To McQueen! - Mar 10

Well, it hasn't been used nearly as much as I had hoped it would, but the time has finally come to say goodbye to Lightning McQueen.

When Chloe was 2(turning 3) she really wanted a "Cars" themed birthday party and I knew right away what I wanted to get her as a gift. I had been waiting my entire life to have a child, boy or girl, to get some kind of "power wheels" thing for and I was certain it would be used until it broke, rebuilt, and then used until it broke again. Chloe was so excited when she saw her McQueen and she was more excited once she found out she could actually ride in him. Over the course of time, Chloe used it less and less and for the last probably 2 years(?) it has lived under a blanket in our garage. Every once in a while I would suggest we take it for a drive before she is to big for it. She has basically been to big for it for at least a year but she refused to let me let him go. I had planned the last 2 years to put him up for sale around Christmas time figuring it would be the best opportunity for a sale and I was told no, lets keep it. As a point of fact, I love the thing. I would love to build a shelf and display it on the wall but the bottom line is, we need the space. As soon as he goes, something else will live right in it's place(most likely bicycles). It is what it is.

My buddy Todd has a couple of kids and he has a son who is around the age that Chloe was when we first got it for her. He came over the other night to help me do some work on my car and he spotted McQueen and he was all over it. I told him I would have to check with Chloe and see if she was willing to let it go and to my surprise, she was. By her request(and I believe as a suggestion from Heather) she wanted me to charge his battery and let her try to have one list time driving it. Say no more. I charged it up and the next day, we took on the hilarious task of wedging Chloe in and letting her take one last ride. The sad thing is, she loved it. She was having so much fun but she was knee to chest wedged in there. It's time to say goodbye. It was fun while it lasted. =)

Have a great weekend, folks~

Brian

ps, here is the post from her 3rd birthday when we gave it to her..convenient to have a weekly record of things. LOL.
http://baby-gross.blogspot.com/2013/01/im-having-cars-party-jan-18.html

Cherry Blossoms Ver 6.0 - Mar 3

All the rain and bad weather has taken a break this week and we were finally able to make the trip over and check out my "secret" photo spot with our favorite trees. Type of tree, not 100% sure but once again we are just referring to them as "Cherry Blossoms" We are still waiting for our trees in our neighborhood coming around but I have a feeling maybe that will happen this weekend.

While the weather has warmed up as the week has progressed, when we shot these photos it was actually a bit overcast and cold. Well, cold to a 7 year old wearing a dress, lol. The ground was also fairly soggy still in many places so we were very limited in our options as far as where I could actually shoot. Made for an interesting challenge and we did not shoot very long but we certainly got some cute stuff. Another fun little mini-tradition that Chloe actually is on board with, even if she complains the entire time about the temperature. =)

Have a great weekend, folks~

-B

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