Celebrating Chloe

Chloe turned four on Saturday. Yes, my "World Cup Baby" is already four--as highlighted by the fact that everybody's excited again about the World Cup happening now. John and I watched many a game during those weeks in Thailand waiting for the baby; usually they were on late at night and we would sit and time contractions while John rubbed my feet. (I had lots of pre-labor.) Then when I was actually in real labor, at one point John had to run to the nurses' station to have them come and check on me again since things were progressing, and of course, what did he find but all of them gathered around a small tv, watching the World Cup! So hearing about the games this year has brought back lots of memories!

But back to Chloe! She had a wonderful birthday this year, and it's not over yet as we will be celebrating with some other June birthday kids tomorrow! Her day on Saturday was a fun one, though. It started out with a card that arrived in the mail from Auntie Sarah! How fun! Chloe was so excited to get mail and this card was extra-special--had five small doors for her to open up. She wanted to have her picture taken with the card, then wanted to take the card with her for her naptime. Love it! We hung a banner. . . (you can see the card is still the object of much attention!)

And decorated a cake! Wait til you see the inside of this six layer cake!

Christin was pretty excited about the birthday festivities . . .

And Chloe was thrilled to use the special plate and mug that are only for birthdays. The mug is huge; practically as big as her face!

Supper was homemade macaroni and cheese with a veggie tray and of course, cake. Fizzy juice (a family favorite) made things extra-special! (Simply 7-up or Sprite with your choice of juice.) Clara Anne was happy about the birthday fun, too, she even got to wear the dress that our helper, Lou, gave to Chloe.

Now it's time for cake! Ooh, pretty! And lest you think I can't count to four, the fourth candle small candle is hiding behind the big four. :)

Blow, Chloe, you can do it! I love her puffed cheeks in this photo!

The special birthday girl with her big smile and big cake! Here she is, enjoying a slice of rainbow cake. It was a six-layer cake with each layer tinted a different color; didn't it turn out pretty? This is the most professional any of my cakes have ever looked! (That's not saying much, I know, but still, I was pleased with it!)

Mmmm.

I found a recipe online and adapted it to use only one white cake mix and a smaller, oval pan, rather than the full two mixes, round pan, and *gasp* FOUR packages of cream cheese that it would have used in the icing! Yikes! We didn't need 16 servings so I halved everything and baked it in the smaller pan; it worked great! Thanks to my friend Amy for loaning me her decorating equipment!

Clara Anne loved the blue layer, of course, and insisted that I take this picture. Since I had it, I figured I might as well post it. Just keeping things real!

No complaining from Christin about the cake, either!

Next Chloe/Clara and Chloe opened some gifts. They were really excited about this puzzle book from dear friends Emma and Samantha!

And we finished off the evening with a special prayer time for our sweet Chloe. At four years old, she is a delight to our family. She loves to sing in a super-high voice, an octave above everybody else. She dances beautifully in her own style without caring what the other girls are doing. She is quite athletic and despite some lingering pigeon-toed-ness, she runs fast and stays very physically active. She loves to ride her bike really fast! She is excellent at puzzles and loves to play with her sisters and the "Arielle dolls." I think she sometimes feels overshadowed by Clara Anne, but we try to affirm her unique qualities and are careful not to compare the two. Chloe is a great snuggler and is very physically affectionate--she's known for her long, loud kisses! She has grown so much in her verbal ability in the last year or so, too. She loves to help me in the kitchen! Chloe can be quite the charmer and yet also struggles with moodiness sometimes. We have seen growth in this area though in the past year. I am so thankful for our Chloe Rachelle! She makes us laugh and plays so well with Clara Anne (usually!). She is a precious gift to our family and is beginning to grasp more of the gospel. How we pray that the Lord will redeem her and she will become His true child!

Happy Birthday Chloe! We love you so much! You bring us so much joy. May the Lord bless you for His name's sake all the days of your life! And may you walk with Him forever.

Love, Mommy and Daddy