Chloe had her first trip to the beach a couple of weekends ago. Kevin's grandmother lives near Galveston. She had not met Chloe, so we took a 5 hour road trip to see her. Kevin and I were a little concerned about how Chloe would travel in the car. After short distances she gets fussy about being in her car seat. We decided to travel at night with the hopes that she would sleep. She did sleep some on the way, and overall did great.
Chloe loved the beach and loved being in the water. I couldn't believe how comfortable she was in the water. She was not afraid at all. Her and Caleb had a great time playing in the sand as well. This is kind of a funny story about her. I was sitting on a towel just watching Kevin and the kids. A lady walked by and from the back Chloe thought it was me. Chloe started to follow the lady down the beach. Then when the lady turned around, Chloe burst out into tears because it was not me. So sweet, she does love her mother.
We made our annual trip to the State Fair. Chloe had a blast. I definitely think she fits in great with our family. She was able to hang with us for the 7 or 8 hours we were there without getting fussy. And of course, there is lots of eating at the fair which she enjoyed too. She had her first carousel ride. She was a little apprehensive at first, but by the end she had stopped holding onto me and was holding onto the horse. There were lots of animals which she enjoyed. At the petting zoo part she loved feeding the animals and was not afraid one bit.
Halloween was also a lot of fun. Caleb dressed up like Harry Potter. He wanted Chloe to be Harry Potter's owl Hedwig. Not exactly the girlish cute costume I was thinking of, but if that is what Caleb wants, I could go with it. When we first got the costume, she would only have it on for a minute and then would take it off. But with time, she really liked the costume and even took a nap it in one day. Chloe loved trick or treating. The first house we went to, Caleb and his friend said "trick or treat" and got candy in their pail. When Chloe saw that, she got down and held out her pail too. She immediately wanted to eat it. For the night she ate a package of pretzels, fruit snacks, smarties and 3 lollipops! I think she would have eaten more if I would have let her. That girl does love to eat.
She is also doing great at church. Tonight was the first night that she did not cry when I dropped her off at the nursery! Wow! Even when Caleb was that age, he would cry when I dropped him off for almost a year. We still are amazed at how adaptable she is.
Chloe has been such a blessing in our lives. When I reflect back on the whole journey it amazes me. Kevin and I felt like God was calling us to adopt a child from China. We went out on faith to be obedient to that calling. The waiting was not easy and the bumps in the road were frustrating, but the outcome has blown me away. What I have learned from this experience is that if you follow what God calls you to do, you will be blessed beyond what you could even think imaginable. It may not be easy or immediate, but if you stay the course, the pay off can be better than you ever dreamed. Chloe is an absolutely amazing child. So smart, funny and sweet. For those of you that have spent any time with her, I think you would agree that she fits in perfectly to our family. There is no way that it would be humanly possible to pick such a perfect match. I am so thankful that God paired us together to be a forever family.
