The Big 1

Chloe,

Here I am thinking of you on your birthday...
How you put large handfuls of spinach lasagna in your mouth, then in your eye, then in your hair and have no clue what an absolute mess you are
How I can't change you fast enough and have to put the diaper on as you crawl away
How you fell asleep in my arms last night for the first time since you were a newborn
How determined you are and how you climbed your first step after 5 minutes of trying
How quickly you can climb up the steps
How playful you are and your adorable laugh
How you love watching Noah and crawl after him
How you shout and squeal when you are happy
How you cry when you have to leave the tub
How much you love avocados and anything with a crunch to it
How you love the sand
How you crawl to my feet in hopes of me picking you up
How you sniffle back at me when I sniffle at you
How you say"mama" and "uh-oh"
How pretty your eyes are
How much you have made us love having a little girl
How I love holding you
How I'm going to miss these days tremendously!
Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

4 Years & counting!

We celebrated our 4th year Anniversary a little late this year due to the crazy summer and a little girly who loves her mama too much.  Danny and I went out for dinner at Volt in Frederick.  We had special seats in the kitchen right in front of the chefs!  We ate a 21 course meal over 3 hours and went home hungry :)  I soon realized that the chef in front of us often cracked the celery macaroon and would have to start from scratch, so I worked some magic and became his garbage disposal for a short period :) Yummy! We had a lot of fun and laughed a lot.  

Thank you Danny for a wonderful evening and the best 4 years of my life! Thank you for loving me FAITHFULLY.  Thank you for the way you have been "washing me with the word" in your prayers and encouragements.  You have served my soul through those emails you write me in the morning or during your lunch hours.  You make me desire the truth more.   I am so grateful that we get to share the rest of our lives together here on earth and then through eternity!  I love you.

August

In August we did our annual trip to Bethany Beach with our parents.  We had a challenging-ly wonderful time. (At least we can say that now after coming home early with 2 sick kids).   Long story short we came home feeling like we really needed a vacation.

However, we were courageous enough to brave the beach again for Labor day weekend, this time with the Devries and their 2 girls.  It was called our "redemption weekend" and indeed it was redeemed.  Although, I think we owe the Devries a redemption weekend from redemption weekend.   The kids had a wonderful time playing on the beach, playing with each other, riding the rides at Funland, and just experiencing over- stimulation. Noah loved every minute digging in the sand, jumping in the ocean with Daddy, walking on the boardwalk, and doing it all with his best friend, Makenna by his side.  Grace abounded and they played so well together.  Chloe really loved sharing the baby pool and veggie straws with Kaelyn and crawling in the sand.  The first time we went she only wanted to eat the sand, handfuls at a time. As for the parents, we enjoyed nap times and bed times.  We enjoyed our times at the beach and several games of Settlers of Catan.  I think our highlight was when we all went into the ocean at the same time even with the little ones.

A special THANK YOU for Dave and Hannah for making that weekend possible and memorable.  There were sacrifices made during that weekend and we so appreciated your joyful hearts and your selflessness. You guys are a guaranteed good time.

And to conclude the summer, our garden was so successful thanks to my hard working hubster!  We've enjoyed an abundance of tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, carrots, green beans, peppers, and lots of herbs.  We have a watermelon growing too! Noah loves to water the garden and pick the veggies with Daddy.  He's more excited to eat them too.  He's growing up too fast and we're trying to keep up with his appetite.

No better way to end the day

I had a rough evening today.  Once the kids were down, I started to clean up after dinner.  I haven't been turning on the monitors much lately.  Noah, as of this week, comes downstairs when he is up and proudly says, "I get out of the bed by myself mommy."  He just figured out he can climb over his bedrails :) And Chloe was born with quite a set of lungs, and she will make sure everyone knows when she's up.
Anyways, I like to turn on the monitors now just to hear their sweet voices when they put themselves to sleep.  Chloe hums herself to sleep with an occasional "yaya."  And Noah has become a little musician.  He loves to sleep with his guitar and sing to sleep.  And tonight, he cared for my soul reminding me as he sang, "God is so good, so gooood to me!" and repeated it over and over for 20 minutes.  It was just what I needed. Thank you buddy for reminding me of truth this evening.

Missouri

A couple weeks ago we flew to Missouri to visit our good friends Jerry & Emily, and their 2 boys Grant & Harper.  We had such a great time and the kids had so much fun together.  I think the highlight was when Emily's parents kindly watched all 4 kids (during waking hours) while we went out for dinner at a really yummy restaurant.  It was great catching up with them and we both really wished they lived closer.  Despite our distance, no direct flights and increasing number of children, we hope to get together again!

Chloe misses Harper

And this picture here (above) has it's own story.  Noah really enjoyed this car ride.  It was 50 cents well spent (so we thought).  We later realized that it wasn't only the car ride that he enjoyed, but the process of putting the coins in the machine was most exhilarating. Here's how we know.  I often let Noah play in our car while I'm in the kitchen doing something.  I can see him through the garage door, and he can pretend he's driving for a good 30 minutes.  (When I later go to use the car, all the signals, lights and wipers go off.) Anyway, he had an exceptionally good time the day after we returned from MO. It was 90 degree weather and I had to force him inside our home.

The following day I took the kids out and was disappointed to find the CD player not working properly.  That's odd for a Toyota, I thought.  I let Danny know, and being the handy man that we think he is, he quickly discovered the problem.  He had me peek inside the cassette player, and there I saw the shining edges of what was once my toll money jammed inside.  EVERY SINGLE COIN. Danny spent 2 hours taking 4 dollars worth of change out, and they weren't all quarters :) Good thing real cars don't start that way! Until next time...

Noah & Chloe

Noah,

It's hard to believe you are 2 1/2 already. What a sweet and gentle spirit you have. You just started saying "I love you," and it melts my heart every time. You love to talk now. Today you told me, "cose the door, Chowee's seeping." You love your little sister. I just have to set her down and you bring all her toys to her. You know how to make her laugh (really laugh) and she adores you. She always looks for you when she hears your voice. You have a love for the outside world. I'm trying to get as much done before you wake up, because the first things you say to me in the morning, is "whey's Daddy? and "play outside?" It's a challenge sometimes to get you to eat breakfast because you just want to push your lawnmower outside. I love how you say "HIIII!!!" to all our neighbors. You are so friendly. When we leave people's homes, you give everyone hugs without us telling you to. Your Daddy has taught you well.

Tayta bought you a toy guitar because you love music and the CLC band. You stand in front of Chloe, and tap your little foot, and do the hand motions as you sing, "This is the Day the Lord has made," over and over and over again. She responds by clapping :) Your guitar and your mower are definitely your favorite toys now. Then there's your love for Daddy. Man, you love to do everything just like him. You wear your hat backwards, you pretend to turn on the lawn mower like he does, and you put your feet up on the couch with a blanket and the remote like he does to watch the game :) You are a very quick learner. You love to unload the dishwasher and put the silverware in the drawer (and in the right spot)! You love to hold hands and "Amen" with us, and you love Bible reading with Daddy before bedtime. I am loving every minute with you. I miss my big baby, but I look forward to watching you grow in the coming years. I love you!

Chloe,

You are just about 9 months with the strong will of your Momma. You amaze me at how much personality and energy you have! You are all over the place. You roll around all over the family room. I have to hold ou down with 2 arms sometimes while I change your diaper. You love your jumper, and now you think everything is a jumper. On Sunday you nearly took down the high chair when I was feeding you. You were having so much fun jumping and rocking back in forth. You love to talk too and you love to be talked too. You can "talk" (scream) loud, very loud. You are so social and you love attention all the time. You give me the "you don't want to play with me?" look when I set you down, unless it's in the jumper. I love to talk and sing to you and see your dimple when you smile. I am so grateful for an older brother who loves to entertain you. You clap your hands for him when he sings and when the music comes on.

You have 6 teeth and you would rather eat your shoes and paper of all sorts than anything I make. You are very determined to get anything you reach for, and oh how happy you are when you get it. You love bath time with Noah. You get so excited. You've come close to getting a concussion in the tub, and therefore it takes 2 to bathe you. You are such a happy baby. I love to get you when you wake up. I walk through the door and stop. I see you on your belly with your little head trying to look over the crib to see me. And that smile I get makes up for all your feisty-ness. You are so lovable and so much fun and I look forward to getting to know you more. I love you!

A party for my mom

This past Saturday we had a retirement party for my mom.  My mom worked for 38 years as a nurse at Washington Adventist Hospital.  She had to work full time her whole career, and I am so glad that she finally gets a break! Now she works for me part time :) I love her so much, and I can write endlessly about her.  My mom is a giver, and it's always a challenge to find gifts that she won't return.  So we surprised her with a party with about 70% of her side of the family, and these were the words I spoke to her...

Mom,

Thank you for many years of hard work. For serving faithfully not only in your job, but at home.Thank you for how you serve joyfully and whole heartedly.  You always put others before yourself.  You’ve come to help me out with caring for our kids and doing house chores even when you are sick, and you did it without complaining. 

Jesus says, " If someone forces you to go one mile, then go with him 2 miles." You always go the extra mile, and you always bring extra food :)  I am so grateful and feel so undeserved to have a mom like you. For the 30 years I’ve known you you’ve been unstoppable.  You worked very hard to provide for our family, and with God’s help you persevered through the suffering and sickness in our family.



Susan and I joke around saying you are made of stainless steel.  You never stop serving. Your strength is a gift from the Lord and he gives you so much grace to do things you do.  Thank you for honoring the Lord with your life and using your giftings to bless others. We are indebted to your care, kindness, patience, and your love.



We’ve been wanting to bless you for a long time.  We know you love your family and food, so everyone is here and I think there’s enough food.  We couldn’t make it to the Korean Market for a gift card, so here is a non refundable gift card to the spa. Yes, the spa.  It is time for your long awaited back massage and pedicure. You can take me with you!

 This is only half of my mom's side!

My mom and her 5 sisters. I just love them!

The Sutton's at the OBX

This past week the entire Sutton family went the OBX for the week.  This was the first time we were all together in the same home, and probably not the last.  It was so much fun! There was ghost crab hunting, a bonfire & s'mores on the beach,  driving on the beach to see the wild horses, and a workout climbing 200 + stairs to the top of a lighthouse, and of course Corn Hole :)  The rest of time was spent relaxing at the pool/ hot tub and the beach.
We enjoyed the time spent with the siblings and Noah had a blast playing with all his cousins.  We would put him down by 1 and then try to pry his eyes open at 4.  One time we got him up, and he fell back asleep on our bed while we were getting ready for dinner.  Noah had 2 questions the entire week-  "whe's Cole?"  and "whe's Fia?"  He loves all his cousins, but those 2 had to be accounted for through out the week. (Those are the names he pronouncs best). Chloe had a great time at the beach and pool. We played a lot of fun games, and for the record, I stayed up until midnight a few times! It was a great time and we look forward to the next time we can make it happen again.

 (For those considering the minivan, this is an SUV with 2 kids)

small victories

We've been sorta potty training Noah here and there. Once in a while he'll want to poop on the potty, and other times the diaper is more convenient.  Last night, we were eating dinner and once again came the urge...

Noah: Mommy, poo-poo!
Me: Ok, lets go poo-poo on the potty!
Noah: (running to the toilet) poo-poo, poo-poo!
Noah sits on the toilet and waits patiently.
Noah: Mommy! poo-poo coming!
Me: Come on poo-poo!
Noah: Mommy, poo-poo here!
Noah gets up pointing proudly, "See it?!"

Oh the joys.

Happy Mother's Day

Mommy/Honey,


Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I want you to know how much you mean to the kids and me. 


Chloe wants to thank you for the organic milk she drinks every 4 hours (she says it's always fresh), the opportunity to eat big people food so early in her life, all the Arabic nicknames you call her, the way you make her laugh, cleaning up all of her blowouts(and yes, she is aware she has more than the average girl) and just loving on her.  She loves you sooooo much and is looking forward to learning more and more things from mommy.


Noah wanted you to know that you're "DA BES"!  He wanted to thank you for always listening to him even though his topics of conversation center around lawnmowers, airplanes, tractors, lawnmowers, Cole, diggers, and even more lawnmowers.  He is grateful that you pray for him when he gets a booboo.  He loves all the yummy food you make, especially when you douse it with yogurt.  He has fond memories of watching "Diggers Live" up in Arora Hills, you reading him books and teaching him colors, shapes, numbers and all sorts of other fun things.  He is grateful that he gets to see mommy everyday and that you have given him a sister to play with. He loves you so much and one days hopes to marry a woman just like you.


So I've said it before and I'll say it again...you AMAZE me.  I can't imagine life without you.  Thank you for sacrificing your professional career and taking on an even more challenging career as a homemaker.  I finally figured out why you're so tired these days.  It's because you're nursing, cleaning, changing diapers, cooking, washing clothes, running errands, meal planning, playing with kids, doctors visits, romancing me and about
 100+ other things.  Thank you for ALL that you do, especially the things that I'm probably not even aware of.  


I also wanted to thank you for the way that you have reminded me lately of where our true home is.  Matthew 6 says:


“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


You have provoked me to think more about our Savior and less about the "stuff" of this world.  As my helpmate, that's one of the best things you can do for me, and the kiddos.  I love you baby and pray that you realize how much the kids and I love and appreciate you.


Love,
danny, noah and chloe

Camping May 2012

The first weekend of May came by so quickly.  We missed camping in October due to bad weather, and I think that was the first time in the Sutton history. We love to camp, well, for the most part.  Camping for 2 nights was definitely more challenging this year with a toddler and an infant.  And the fact that the stinkbugs have made it up north didn't make it very pleasurable.   I'm either getting old or becoming a little more high maintenance since sleeping on the ground was not very comfortable this time around.  And yup, there went my complaining heart.  Woe is me.  My dear husband cared for me one night as we were driving through the campsite trying to put our over stimulated kids to sleep.  I was trying to convince him we should drive home and try again next time.  I'm glad he didn't listen to me.  I was more aware of my inconveniences than of grace and more aware of me than of others.  We prayed together, and that night actually ended up not being so bad once we returned to the campsite. And so, I rewarded myself with an extra s'more :) It was still fun being with the family, watching the kids play, and eating lots of bacon with aunt Val.  (Not the healthiest weekend).  I will have to prepare my heart a little better for next time, and also hope that the smoke and fire won't bother Noah. Not many pics this year but not to my surprise:

Chloe Dedicated

Chloe,

This past Sunday we dedicated you to the Lord.  We are so grateful that he has given you to us, but you ultimately belong to him.  And there is no one better to belong to. There is no other God like the one we serve.  You were born an imperfect child in need of a Savior.  Our God has sent his son, Jesus, to live the perfect life you will never live so that you can be made right with your Creator. We will be faithful to teach you what He has taught us and to instruct you according to His ways.  It is our prayer that the ways of this world would be foolish in your eyes, and you would find the everlasting joy of knowing Jesus as Lord over your life. We love you!