HELLO, 2011

My name is Roxane, and I am a slacker. I can't believe I haven't blogged in so long!!! I have no excuse so I'll just get to it.

2011 has been full of ups and downs. Let's get the downs over with - Miker and I both lost Grandmothers within 2 months of each other. My sweet Grandma passed in November and Miker's unforgettable Nannie passed in January. Chloe was so lucky to have had these 2 women in her life even for such a short time. They are missed.

We have just really been trying to enjoy each other and remain so thankful for the life we are living. Miker is excelling at work and I am keeping the house and the kiddo in order.

This year I turned 35 and that is pretty surreal. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was celebrating my 30th with all my pals out in LA. My what a difference 5 years makes.

Now let's get down to the most important topic...CHLOE!! That girl! I am so amazed daily by that childs ability to keep me on my toes. She has turned into such a "kid". She is so articulate and inquisitive. She is still very tiny but because she's so lanky, it makes her look taller. I am having such a blast watching her grow.

Chloe just celebrated her 4th birthday and let me just say, it's been quite an event. My parents got us season passes to Six Flags so we headed to Arlington with them last weekend. We all had a great time. Chloe rode her first roller coaster and was completely unfazed. ( I, on the other hand, was about to pass out as I watched her!) After the park, we had pizza and presents with my folks. Chloe got a bunch of cool stuff but the one gift that sticks out to me is a super cool karaoke machine. She LOVES it!!

The next day, Miker participated in the "Warrior Run". It's basically a bunch of people drinking beer in crazy costumes and at some point they run a 3 mile obstacle course filled with fire, mud and sweat. Miker did a great job and Chloe and I were at the finish line to cheer him on.

Later that night, we gave Chloe the present from us. We got her a super girlie princess bike. She flipped out and has enjoyed riding it since.

Tomorrow will end the birthday celebration with a full blown Chuck E Cheese party. Chloe can't wait!!

Today we headed out to do some birthday/Easter shots. I've included a few.

Hope everyone has a great Easter!!!

MY OPERA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR79ESMOVW0

Enjoy!

3 1/2!!!!!!

Chloe is officially the big 3 1/2!!!!!! Time is just flying. I decided to look at some pictures of her that were taken this time last year and I was floored by how much she's grown and changed!!!
Chloe then:

Chloe now:

Not only has she changed so much physically she is just so amazingly smart and funny.

I really couldn't ask for a cooler kid. Love you baby koala!!

I THINK I'M IN TROUBLE.....

Chloe: Mommy, how do I look?
Me: Really cute!
Chloe: (pause) Adorable?
Me: Yes! You always look adorable.
Chloe: Like a model?
Me: What does a model look like?
Chloe: You know, all stylish.
Me: Then yes, you look like a model
Chloe: Thanks!





Chloe is quite the girl. I tell ya, this little lady lives for fashion. I documented one day all of her different changes. She changed before I could get her in her morning pjs, so I had her hold up what she had worn (aka the Dora night gown). Here ya go!!











Just your typical day. Now, I have to go do laundry...;)

OOMPA OOMPA

WOWIE ZOWIE its been so long since I posted on here!! I felt the need to after the fun fun weekend we have had. The highlight has been Oktoberfest in Addison. It was super hot but super fun. Lots of interesting people and enough Polka music to last a lifetime. Chloe hit up all the cool kid activities. First stop - the Bungee Jump (I just made that name up). It's a place where kids get strapped in and jump on a big ol' inflated thingy. They were afraid they weren't gonna be able to get the harness tight enough, but alas, all worked out! She just kept wanting to go higher and higher and higher!

Next we headed to the Spiderman Bouncy House. WHile there I ran into a friend from high school! Totally random. It was so cool to see her. We hung out a bit and then the fam hit up the carnival. Ahhhh, the carnival. It was exactly what you think. Dad and Chloe rode the carousel and afterward mom and Chloe rode the tea cups.


So, the last stop at the carnival was the crazy ride that takes you up super high and then drops you down. If you know me, you know - I HATE RIDES. However, after some pressure from the hubby and kiddo I decided to give it a try. Try not to envy my white legs in the pic.

Chloe didn't really like seeing me up that high.

The day ended with a great surprise. We ran into a friend of ours from Austin. We haven't seen her since the day before we moved to LA. It was so fun to catch up!!

It was such a fun day!!! Here are some random shots from our adventure:




PS - That pic of Chloe sitting in the tree is my favorite that I've taken in a long time!! She looks like such a big girl.

;0

EVIL ASPARTAME!!

So, I normally like to keep it light on here and talk about cute stuff that Chloe does. I am compelled today to pass on some info that I find completely disturbing. I have recently cut out diet sodas and while it sounds like no big deal I have been drinking them pretty much on a daily basis since the 6th grade. It was tough!! I took a 2 1/2 month break and one day decided to have a Diet Dr. Pepper. About 30 minutes later I had a horrible headache (that lasted a solid 24 hours), my back started hurting, I had awful stomach cramps.... it was bad! I told Kendra about it and she sent this link to me. I was shocked and saddened. I can honestly say - I will NEVER drink another diet drink again. It's just not worth it. I'm not trying to be preachy, I just wanted to share this info.

From 10,000consumer complaintsthe FDA compiled a list of 92Symptomsreported fromaspartameuse, including death.

FDA list of 92aspartame-relatedsymptoms:

• Abdominal Pain
• Anxiety Attacks
• Arthritis, Asthma
• Asthmatic Reactions
• Bloating
• Edema (Fluid Retention)
• Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
• Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
• Breathing Difficulties
• Burning Eyes or Throat
• Burning Urination
• Can't Think Straight
• Chest Pains
• Chronic Cough
• Chronic Fatigue
• Confusion
• Death
• Depression
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Excessive Thirst or Hunger
• Fatigue
• Feel Unreal
• Flushing of Face
• Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
• Headaches/Migraines
• Hearing Loss
• Heart Palpitations
• Hives (Urticaria)
• Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
• Impotency and Sexual Problems
• Inability to Concentrate
• Infection Susceptibility
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Itching
• Joint Pains
• Laryngitis
• "Like Thinking in a Fog"
• Marked Personality Changes
• Memory loss
• Menstrual Problems or Changes
• Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
• Muscle spasms, Nausea or Vomiting, Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
• Other Allergic-Like Reactions
• Panic Attacks
• Phobias
• Poor Memory
• Rapid Heart Beat
• Rashes
• Seizures and Convulsions
• Slurring of Speech
• Swallowing Pain
• Tachycardia
• Tremors
• Tinnitus
• Vertigo
• Vision Loss
• Weight Gain.

AspartameDisease/Toxicity MimicsSymptomsor Worsens the Following Diseases:

• Fibromyalgia
• Arthritis
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Parkinson's Disease
• Lupus
• Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
• Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
• Epilepsy
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Birth Defects
• Chronic FatigueSyndrome
• Lymphoma
• Lyme Disease
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Panic Disorder,
• Depression and other Psychological Disorders.

I don't know about you but, this freaks me out. I'm stickin' to good ol' fashioned tea and water.

THE POTTY CHRONICLES

Ok, this is kind of old news but, I still wanted to share. This whole potty training thing is so weird. Chloe was doing really great and then out of nowhere she just sorta stopped wanting to use the potty. So, I created what we called a "Potty Chart". Every time Chloe used the potty she'd get a sticker. Miker thought of the magic number of 20 to be her goal. Once she hit that she got to pick something to do. She immediately said she wanted her prize to be a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. As soon as this "contest" started she didn't have any accidents and to Miker's surprise she hit her goal in 3 DAYS!!!! So, the minute she got her 20 stickers we loaded up and hit the pizza place.



It was so much fun. We played SO many games, ate gross pizza and Chloe walked away with some sweet cheap jewelry and a Tinkerbell purse.

Now we have a new potty chart but we haven't really set a goal number yet. Chloe's not sure what she wants her prize to be but I'm sure she'll think of something cool.