Texas!

While we were in Texas, we LOST OUR CAMERA!! We found it again the day we went to Dallas to visit Lani. Sadly, the only pictures we took of Chloe with her cousins are these:

Lola is so cute! During our stay at Dori and Ben's, Lola and Chloe got in pushing matches. They were so funny, because though Lola is about 10 months younger than Chloe, they are about equally matched (physically). The baby wars were fun to watch. Also, they loved to hug each other, but would end up pulling on each other for support, and toppling over in the effort. These two will be good friends :)

I love this one! Emma, Brooklyn, Chloe, and Lola. It's funny how Brooklyn is trying to hug all the way around Lola's neck, with Chloe between. Lola looks kind of choked, but is still smiling. Emma and Brooklyn were so much fun. Chloe really liked all her cousins.

This one is kind of a mess, but I love how Lola's dancing and smiling!

It was so good to see Dori and Ben and our three nieces. We had our best visit ever, and it was the first time we were able to come to visit just them (so we didn't have to split our time with other family etc).

The Way Home

We stopped in Tulsa and enjoyed Riverwalk Crossing there. We ate at a really nice little Italian restaurant. It was fun to stretch our legs. Everyone was still Texas style friendly in Tulsa.

This is a picture of us at a little restaurant in Kansas City, in the Crown Center. We had dinner at a diner that had a choo choo train theme. They had toy trains that ran around the top of the restaurant and brought you out your dinner! The burgers and sides came out swinging under the trains. At our table a little plastic thing jutted out and the food tray slid onto an elevator, and was lowered to our table. It was pretty cool! The place was really neat too. There was a place that your kids can make their own cards out of Hallmark's left overs (Crown Center is the Hallmark headquarters). There was a huge Crayola store, and a really cool toy store. Only the toy store and the restaurants were open by the time we got there, but it was still cool. There were also cool fountains outside.

We Visited the Dallas Temple

At the end of our trip to Texas, we had a full day to visit my good friend Lani in Dallas! It was so fun to catch up with her, and it was also fun to tour Dallas!

Me and Lani

Trying to get her to smile by making a game out of it... "Ok Chloe... now frown!"

"NOW smile!!!"

Kiss

Chloe loves the temple.

Chloe is Getting So Big

I walked into her room the other day to find that she had piled all her library books up on her bed. She climbed onto the bed and situated herself in the middle, and was "reading" the books to herself. I think she was copying momma, as I tend to read in bed. As you can see, she has the book "Boo Boo" on her lap. When I came into the room she was saying "good food boo boo said" which is repeated a lot in the book. Chloe memorizes library books really quickly, and pretty thoroughly. It always shocks us!

I was staring at this picture tonight and suddenly saw that Chloe looks a lot like me. I had always seen mostly Zach in her features, but now I see that she looks very much like me too.

We sure love this little girl!

Chloe is Two!!!

This top picture actually belongs at the bottom. I can't figure out how to move my pictures once I've put them up (blogger must have changed something). Anyways, this picture is of cows in a little barn area- with Zach and Chloe hugging :) It is from the county fair we went to.

Here is the beginning of Chloe's birthday. She was outside playing baseball with daddy and auntie Maddy. I made a bear cake, and mom made the bumble bee cupcakes.

My end product. I think last year's was cuter and yummier, but Chloe was VERY excited when she saw all the m&m's (or "pee pee candy").

My mom is always outdoing herself with the artistic cakes. The bumble bees were made of doughnuts. They were really good, but in the next couple days, the icing piped on them soaked into the doughnuts, and they became AMAZING! I cannot tell a lie. I ate many bumble bees off the leftover cupcakes!

Grandma Kathy and baby Amara.

Chloe really liked squeeking the balloons!

All day, every time she saw the cupcakes, Chloe threw a fit. She cried and screamed and yelled "PUP TAKE!!!" a lot that day. Here she is when she was finally given her very own (giant) "pup take."

YUM!

Opening presents was a blur. To keep Chloe's attention, Grandma Kathy helped her open them lightning speed. I had to ask later who gave her what. All the presents were really great. So great that Chloe has been playing by herself most of the day for the last 2 days!! Niiiiice.

Grandpa Bob and Auntie Karie came. It was really good to see them.

Grandpa Bob gave Chloe this pink piano. She LOVES it. all day she comes up to me and says "help momma" and shoves it im my face because she can turn it off but not on. I turn it on, and am rewarded with an hour of uninturrupted "demo" music. So far, Chloe really only wants to hear the demo music and dance dance dance. This toy was a winner.

Chloe and mommy on the hammock.

Chloe alone on the hammock.

We had a great time a couple days later at the Franklin county fair. We went down there in hopes of a few carnival rides, but were not too displeased to find that the rides would not be ready for a few days. We had a great time walking around and seeing all the 4H animals. There was a pig show that was quite entertaining. There were fancy show chickens, roosters, ducks, bunnies, and cows as well! Chloe as always was MOST impressed by the dirt and rocks. We had fun!

The pig show.

After the fair, we went out to eat at the worst mom and pop mexican restaurant ever. It was pretty funny. All in all, it was a GREAT weekend with the family. Really! Highly enjoyable 4th of July/Chloe's birthday weekend.

Nana Came To Visit

We went to the Zoo!

Chloe had to nap on my lap.

We visited the down town exhibit of bronze pioneer sculptures. It took up a whole city block! Mom was in heaven.

We went swimming!

After we went swimming, we went to the farm in Minden NE to celebrate Chloe's birthday (as seen in the post above). We had so much fun with my mom and Maddy. It was a treat to have them in our home!! Chloe is still talking about them. She calls Maddy "Auntie Bee Bee."

Orman Family Reunion (Zach's Mother's Side)

Chloe crying and smiling, she had a long day.

A tiny cemetery half filled with Zach's ancestors. We were so excited to buy a genealogy book about the people buried here and their ancestors. It was a huge genealogical score!

Aunt Ruth Orman Wagner, Aunt Jeannie Paterson Olenicoff, and Uncle Morris Turner.

Aunt Ruth Orman Wagner, and Aunt Lillian Orman.

When we got to the reunion there was a very old church, a cemetery, and a lot of people. The church was very interesting because it was the church the original settlers in the area attended. It was previously a sod building, and was re-made in 1926. Zach's ancestors helped to build this place of worship. They came to America to escape religious persecution. In Germany, they could get into trouble for owning a bible.

This is the church as it stands today (Lutheran), in the middle of nowhere.

The house Zach's grandmother Ione Orman was raised, located on the original homestead.

In the middle of nowhere, Nebraska. Quite beautiful. I always marvel when I come upon such beauty out here. Living in Omaha, I start to think Nebraska is nothing special. But it gets pretty gorgeous... as soon as you get to the middle of nowhere.