all about the photos

busy, busy

2012-01-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

We've pretty much got the baby's room all put together, the final detail is hanging the chandelier, which our awesome electrician-cousin is helping with this week!

I've been obsessed with projects and trying different diy crafts...I made these pom-poms from felt and they are hanging in the corner of Tempe's room. (here's the link to the site where I got the tutorial: http://www.spendinglesslivingmore.com/2011/01/24/felt-roses/)

I also made some easy art projects for the master bedroom (inspirations from Pinterest!); like this easy fabric, mod-podge, and canvas piece.
And, I also found this really cute idea on making pom-pom fabric necklaces and had to try it - I like it! (http://www.littlemissmomma.com/2010/12/pom-pom-bib-necklace-tutorial-lmm.html)

And lastly (but not for long) I made this shag pillow for our master bedroom (it has all-white bedding). Chase helped me stuff it and wanted to help model it afterwards...
(http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2011/04/v-and-co-how-to-shag-pillow.html)

All of these projects were easy, but some were very time-consuming (good thing I've been hanging out at home "taking it easy", waiting for baby!).
I've got lots more ideas and stuff I want to try, but for now it's time to put that on hold and prepare for a baby - only 4 more days! I'm excited to see my parents and meet the new little one who thinks my belly has endless stretching abilities!

baby room projects; dresser & wreath

2012-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

I realize now I've only got about 4 weeks left before this baby is coming and we've still got a lot to do! This is the first time we've actually decorated a nursery for a baby so I'm pretty excited to see it all come together...eventually.

First I knew we would need a dresser as the closet is tiny...and we're having a girl...girls need BIG closets! ;)

So, I sold a couple things on craigslist and it covered the cost of buying a dresser that I found on craigslist. I took the knobs off and sanded it...

Then painted it white and added new, "crystal" knobs, which I LOVE! I also painted to changing table white to match and I'm working on the crib!

I saw this cute idea on pinterest (of course) on making a tutu wreath...being the crafty person that I am (yeah right) I decided that it looked simple enough for even me to try!
The colors in the room are black/white and lavender - a HUGE thanks to a cousin and friend, Kyle, for coming over and getting the room painted for us! It probably wouldn't have gotten done and she'd be stuck in bright orange room!

I like how it turned out and want to add just a couple embellishments, but so cheap (about $3-$4) and easy for a little girl's room!

We've still got a lot to do to finish the room, and a few more projects in the works!

oh yea, Christmas!

2012-01-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

We had a good Christmas in our family! Chase got a skateboard from his Uncle Patrick & Aunt Jess, which he loves because it's just like daddy's balance board that he plays on.

Chase was very excited about Christmas this year and everything that came with it!

On several occassions he would yell; "Christmas! I LOVE Christmas!"

He wanted to help everyone else open their gifts too... so thoughtful ;)

As soon as Bennett opened his first gift, that's all he wanted. He didn't quit understand there was "more where that came from..." as they say, and was quit upset when we would pull him away from trying to play with his new toy to try and open another present!

One thing we learned from Christmas this year...the boys will get the SAME thing next year! They fought non-stop over toys and and I grew quit sick and tired of all the screaming...so I went and got a duplicate just to make it STOP! They are close enough in age that they love the same things and so just getting them similar toys was not enough apparently...they wanted EXACTLY what the other brother was playing with.
Oh well - makes next year easier, I guess!!!
So now we packed up Christmas (the very next morning) as we have a baby to get ready for!

playing with his Christmas toys

2011-12-30T14:06:00.001-08:00

Thanks Mamas and Papas for the awesome Christmas gift; Chase loves it!

We Love Christmas!

2011-12-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Right after Thanksgiving I'm begging Bruce to go get our Christmas tree! I love this time of year and want to enjoy it as long as possible! So, we set off with Gramma and Granpapas to find our tree and the boys were all excited to help...

Chase couldn't wait to get the Christmas decorations out and kept peeking in the bins each day until I said we could put them up. He was especially anxious to put up the star on the tree...he and daddy have done that together for the past few years.

Chase is loving pre-school and doing really well! He was VERY excited about this gingerbread house he made today and the teachers said he was very focused and intent on making it perfect! He was excited to take a picture and share it with daddy.

Also exciting about Christmas...it means I'm almost done with pregnancy! I've only got about 7 or 8 weeks left and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not a fan of pregnancy, so I'm ready to be done with all the uncomfortableness! We still have a lot to do to get ready for our baby girl and other than some fancy church dresses and shoes (I can't get enough of those baby girl dress clothes!) we don't really have anything yet! Oh darn, I guess I'll have to go shopping for baby girl clothes...! ;)

making Christmas

2011-12-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

I made a Christmas wrapping paper wreath (super easy), and I really wanted to do an advent calendar with the boys this year, so I found one that was really easy to make and that I didn't have to store (not ready to commit yet!). This was a cute idea to make cones from wrapping paper then tie them to branches. Each of the cones have a scripture or quote having to do with Christmas inside, and every few days the boys also get some type of surprise (a new book, a Christmas movie, special activity, etc.). It's been fun and the boys like counting down to Christmas!

We finally got real stockings this year! I had everyone's name put on them and even baby Tempe has one! The boys are a little too into the tree this year and so I wasn't too eager to put too many decorations on it. Especially when I'm not really thrilled about having to clean all this up and put it away in a couple weeks (that's why I get my tree the weekend after Thanksgiving...so we can enjoy it longer!).

turning 4

2011-11-17T08:04:00.001-08:00

He's been looking forward to his birthday for months! He practiced holding up 4 fingers so he could tell everyone he was 4 on his special day (he does 3 like his mommy...putting his pointer and thumb together...kinda silly!) He may have peaked at a couple gifts early, but that didn't stop his excitement when he got to actually open them!
He's still obsessed with trains and was super happy to get more train stuff from both sets of Grandparents!

When it came time for cake; which he couldn't stop talking about all day, he got a little freaked out by the candles and refused to get near them, so daddy had to help blow them out.

Both boys' love trains and quickly got to looking at the list of other toys available in the collection and picking out what ones they wanted...

I think this is all he ate of the cake I worked so hard on...oh well.

and of course, no birthday is truly complete without balloons! this is my boys' favorite part about birthdays...getting to play with balloons!

It was fun to see him so excited about his birthday and its so fun to watch him grow and become his own little personality...strong and stubborn as it is!!!

Pumpkin Patch & Halloween

2011-11-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Chase got to go on his very first field trip for school! They went to a local orchard/pumpkin patch and he had a blast! He loved riding the tractor and picking hid own pumpkin and apple from the farm!

He also did awesome in the corn maze! I let him lead the way and he found all the little hidden attractions inside the maze all on his own. His favorite was the slide...

Chase loved the pumpkin patch so much that we decided to go back again a couple days later as a family. It was a little chilly, but the boys still loved it! Chase kept talking about the tractor ride and was so glad he got to go on it again.

This was the best we could do as a family picture...not sure why Chase wouldn't show his face!

We couldn't drag him away from these little mini tractors!

My city cowboy!

For halloween this year, Chase finally decided he wanted to be a monster truck after looking at dozens of costume pictures online. I wanted to make the boys' costumes this year so this was going to be a task!

They looked so great and they loved their costumes!

I got the pattern for the trucks from this website;

http://www.fivehens.com/cardboard-halloween-costumes/

I ran out of time so I had to improvise a little, but they still had fun!

Awesome give-away!

2011-10-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Check out my sister's health and fitness blog http://fabulouslyfitwithfive.blogspot.com/. She's got a really great give-away going on right now! With just a few more months left to go with this pregnancy I'm gearing up for another round of "battle with the body" and losing the extra weight. She's a big inspiration and help for me to do that...and you'd think that having the same genetics would mean I could have her abs too...!
Check it out! Fabulously Fit With Five

homemade halloween

2011-10-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't really decorated my house for halloween before and I decided I would start this year! I want my kids to be excited about different traditions and holidays, but they don't ever really know what's going on 'cause I'm too grinch-like to take the time to decorate usually! All I can think is....'but I'm just going to have to take it all down in a few weeks and pack it away again...'!

So, I decided to make as much of the halloween decor as I could...I'm not that great with this kind of stuff so it was a little frustrating and challenging because I just wanted stuff to be done! But, I'm pretty happy with what we have this year...and even better; a lot of it can get thrown away rather than packed!

I made the halloween clock, "boo blocks", and apothecary jars (that was a ward 'super saturday' craft this year) and a few other things around the house. I had the boys color and glue together pumpkin faces on some paper plates to make a garland for the fireplace and they loved that! Chase loves turn on the spotlight over the mantle and talk about his halloween pumpkins he made.

And...it wouldn't be a real homemade halloween if I didn't make the boys' costumes too! So...pics to come as soon as I'm done (I had to start early enough to make sure there was time to go to the store if the costumes don't work out!)

school days are here!

2011-10-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Chase started pre-school this year and so far he absolutely LOVES it! We were really nervous about how he would do and if it would be a huge waste of money, but it's been the best thing for all of us so far! He FINALLY decided to cooperate with potty-training, weeks before school started (good thing too, because the registration fee was non-refundable and we had to send in the first month's tuition too!) and he's done great ever since (took him long enough!).

Little brother is a little jealous he doesn't get to go too. Ever time we have to drop Chase off and pick him up, Bennett gets upset that he can't stay. Next year little one!

Chase loves his back-pack and his favorite thing to do on pre-school days is to pick out his snack and pack it in his back-pack! We even had his name put on his back-pack and it makes him feel very special!

We're so glad he loves pre-school and grateful he gets to have the experience it provides! We really wanted him to be in an environment where he could play with other kids his age or older and learn to cooperate in a group and with someone other than his parents telling him what to do!

He's also been doing great at church in Sunbeams and that's all thanks to his AWESOME teachers! Sis. Brock is AMAZING with him and that has made all the difference in how he acts and does at church now!

skirts and bows and painted little toes!

2011-10-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

So we are expecting baby #3 in early February and we were quit surprised to find out its a girl! Chase has been telling us from the beginning that it was a girl and he even offered to let us name her "Chase" (so thoughtful of him) ;) But, we really weren't counting on it!

I'm about 23 weeks now and over all the sickness, just really tired...but I can never tell if that's from the pregnancy or the 2 toddler boys, probably both!

I really didn't think I would have a little girl, and now that I am I've gone way girly! I'm not usually into frills and girly-girl stuff, but somehow that's where my tastes have gone lately when it comes to the baby stuff! Probably to make up for all the cars, trucks and superheroes I've been surrounded with!

As for her name...

I first heard the name on a show we really like, and thought it was interesting. Both our boys have family names and I kinda wanted to keep that going. For Christmas, my mom gave each of us kids a family history book she'd compiled with tons of geneology including pictures and stories. While looking through that I discovered this same name way back in the family line - that made me instantly like it that much more! I don't expect everyone to like it, but TOUGH! ;)

We're excited to meet Temperance Elizabeth in less than 4 months!

fixing the quad

2011-08-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

Daddy had his tools out so he could fix the garbage disposal and apparently that was a perfect opportunity for the boys to "fix" the toy quad...

I wonder where they learned to do this?! Like Grandfather, father, and son!

Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary!!

2011-07-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the little guy's 2nd birthday a couple weeks ago! Right now his favorite thing is trains (thanks to big brother) so he got his very own train set to play with (hopefully that means no more sneaking off with his brother's while no one is looking!)

My boys are so different when it comes to eating cake...this one avoids the mess and just "dabbles" or licks the frosting

while this one really knows how to enjoy a cupcake!!!

Both the boys really love balloons and I think they had more fun playing with the balloons I got rather than any of the toys!

We also celebrated our 8 year anniversary the same week! We had a lot going on so we ended up celebrating over a couple different days...all the more memorable and fun!

My absolute favorite is lillies! There were 8 purple roses scattered throughout the lilly bouquet! Along with a beautiful silver locket, a couple dinners out and a night at the movies, we really know how to celebrate ;)

I got him a new wedding ring (since he lost his last year) and now he has to get used to wearing one all over again (ahhh, poor guy).

I LOVE YOU, and I'm still so happy with you and glad we are together!

playing around

2011-07-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

We finally started getting some nice, warm weather so we made sure to spend time outside to enjoy it! Chase was excited to have his picture taken and kept asking for more, while Bennett on the other hand, kept hiding from the camera...

He even ran behind a tree and would peek around to see if I was still watching; which I was!

As soon as we got the little pool filled with water both boys really had a great time! Chase loves to jump in and Bennett is quit entertained by his older brother, but content just playing on the side...who knows what Chase is going to do next!

silly boys

2011-07-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Poor Shasta; we love our dog...sometimes maybe just a little too much!

A rare occasion in which they played nicely together...for a little bit anyway!

pump it up!

2011-06-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

We were tired of the rain and being stuck inside so much, so I decided to take the kids to the Pump it Up Park! It was B's first time and I'm sure his big brother doesn't even remember the last time he went, so I was eager to see how they did...

They absolutely loved it and didn't want to leave (would you?!). We've got plans to go back soon! One of the best parts of Pump it Up...parents get to play too! ;)

Easter 2011

2011-05-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Celebrating different holidays is getting more and more fun as the kids get bigger and more aware of what's going on! I'm still not sure the spiritual meaning of each holiday is really registering yet, but we're gettin' there!

Bennett loved his little Easter basket and carried it around all day...make that all week! The boys played with them constantly until I finally decided to pack them away again.

This was the first year we colored eggs with the boys and they really loved it! Naturally we had a few messes to clean up and clothes were thought to have been ruined (stain remover is SO much better than it used to be!), but overall we had a great time!...even if the dye doesn't quit look the same on brown eggs...hey if I have to eat them, then I'm using good eggs!!! ;)

I learned to count all the eggs right before "hiding" them; that's a lesson my Mom taught me when my siblings and I spent one Easter searching the entire house for what felt like hours trying to find that one last egg only to have my Mom suddenly remember she had eaten an egg the night before...

happy birthday to me

2011-05-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

In the middle of all the vomiting and diarrhea, I had a birthday. My awesome hubby had flowers delivered (apparently the colors are wrong - he wanted white lilies and red or orange roses -oh well!) and got one of my favs for dinner - chinese take out! He had already surprised me a few days earlier with my present from him and my in-laws, by taking me to get new athletic gear! Now that might be offensive to some women, but its just what I wanted! My work-out shes were shot and I desperately wanted new ones! I enjoy the gym - thanks largely to my sis! and I will take new running shoes and work-out clothes over a coach bag any day! ;)

My hubby really tried to make my birthday happy - despite the sick kids and super early mornings (seriously hated getting up at 4:30 with a wide awake kid!). I really appreciate hime and love my family so much! No matter how old I may get...he will always be older! ;)

poor little guy

2011-05-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

This poor little guy had a rough couple weeks! He got some kind of stomach virus and couldn't keep anything down, after a couple days I took him to the doctor and a blood test came back with unexpected results, requiring us to take him to the hospital for an IV.

Its really heart-breaking to see your baby in the hospital with a tube in his arm - I can't imagine what some parents must have to go through with much more difficult circumstances.

He did great while we were there (still vomiting, but didn't make a big fuss about having to stay in a little room) and we were able to take him home that night to sleep in his own bed (much better for all of us!). He continued to vomit for another 4-5 days, and it took even longer for him to really get back to being himself again. As a result of his little traumatic experience he refuses to go to nursery at church or even be left at the kids club at the gym. He has total separation issues! Can't say I really blame him...but its sure making getting back to our routine more difficult!

After leaving the hospital with B., we went to pick up his big brother at Grandma and Grandpapa's house. And what would make my day more complete? But to have big brother start throwing up not minutes after walking through the door! He threw up 4-5 times through that evening & night, but bounced right back and didn't have nearly the same situation as little bro, thank goodness! 'Cause I got sick shortly after that too!

So glad to have this all behind us now!!!

wanna get away?!

2011-05-05T08:27:00.001-07:00

We took a vacation to sunny Arizona and absolutely loved taking time away as a family!

We made sure to take the kids to the Phoenix Children's Museum and it was so much fun! There was so much to do and not enough time between meals and naps to do it! ;) We adults enjoyed ourselves too! ;)

All 3 boys had a blast playing in the maze room; there were dozens of different sized balls you could put into different mazes and watch them roll around the entire room! Almost everything was made from household recycled items, it was pretty cool!

My sis-in-law got a great tip about this train park in Scottsdale and since both the boys are obsessed with trains, we had to go check it out. There was this huge train that you could tour and the boys got so excited when they got to see a real train close up! They also loved the little train ride around the park!

There was a whole collection of old railroad and train related artifacts and Chase loved everything about it!

The rooms were so small! How awkward would it be to be the person going to bathroom while everyone else is sitting at the table talking?! ;)

We love visiting our old "stomping grounds" and sharing that with our boys! It brings back a lot of fun memories and we love being able to visit our family and enjoy the warm sunshine!

Next time I hope to go when we can make it to the waterparks - absolutely LOVE those!

32!

2011-03-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my favorite husband ever!
I wanted to surprise him with a night away and it took a lot of "little white lies" to make it work, but I managed to pull it off! When he got home from work on the Friday before his birthday he was welcomed by a beautiful wife all ready to go out for a date! He went to change while I snuck away to get the babysitter. I didn't tell him where we were going until we got there (dinner at Claim Jumper) then surprised him again by arranging to have our good friends meet us there for dinner!
But I wasn't done...the last surprise was that we weren't going home! I booked a hotel and we got to enjoy a night away from kids and early morning wake-ups!
The next day we made a trip to Trader Joe's (love that place!) and it was fantastic not to have two little toddlers running around pulling everything off the shelves! We finished our "weekend away" with lunch at an Indian food restaurant that he loves and then it was back to reality!

In true family tradition his birthday was spread out over a week and we enjoyed ribs for his birthday dinner! I'm not sure who was more excited about the vintage Superman lunch box, daddy or Chase!

He wanted one of his favorites for dessert instead of birthday cake - Lemon Cream Cheese Pie, and since it's his birthday that's what we had!

Love you babe and I hope you had a great birthday ya' old man!

much better this trip

2011-03-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

We made the 12 hour drive to visit my family and the boys did much better this time! They still don't sleep well in the car but the new dual-screen portable dvd player made the trip bearable! The boys thought it was so great they each got their own screen to watch and kept sneeking glances at each others to see if they were watching something different. I almost missed this sign (again - I try to remember to get a picture every time we drive by) but I think it's hilarious and had to get a shot (as bad as the picture is)! We went to the mall one afternoon and the kids got the play; such a natural!

We took the boys and a cousin on the train for their first time and they loved it! It would've been perfect if it wasn't for the 45 minute wait to come back...not enough time to go anywhere and too much time for the boys to sit and wait patiently! They ended up running around the train until one of the workers let them push the button for the horn! (he said, just DON'T push the yellow button...now I'm REALLY curious what that button does!!!)

watching everything rush by the train

They both love trains and thought this was so fun!

It was Valentine's weekend, hence the hearts on the windows.

It was a quick trip, but we wanted to be their for our nephew's baby blessing! We loved seeing the family and how all the nephews and neice have grown up so much, we love you guys!

2 cuties

2011-03-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

This guy has become quit obsessed with stickers. It started because every time we go to the gym they get a sticker on their back with a number to help keep track of each kid and who they belong to. Now, he figured out that when we go to the bank they have stickers to hand out also, and makes sure to ask for one.
One day he found a bunch of little stickers and thought it was funny to put them all over his face...but he was stubborn about taking a picture! (wonder where he gets that...) He's also recently discovered the iPod and loves to watch Mater cartoons on youtube with it.

The little guy likes to wear daddy's hat and shoes all the time and see how far he can make it around the house.

He also LOVES to play the piano. He will go play all on his own throughout the day.

But then big brother comes along and tries to take over most times.

These two are definitely busy and keeping us on our toes!

what a mess!

2011-02-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

As it usually is, the pictures don't do this mess justice. In record time both the boys managed to cover the pantry, the house, and themselves in cornstarch and, I think, pancake mix. They had pulled food off the shelves and everything was covered! Where was I, you ask?....I may have fallen asleep about 10 feet away. But trust me, it only took about 10 minutes for this mess to happen.

After I saw what they had done they started running around the house...creating a cornstarch cloud that now has my vacuum looking white. I was still cleaning when bruce got home from work, and the smart man that he is, took both the kids with him as he went to go pick up dinner for us - just assuming that I was in no mood to cook!

They thought they were pretty funny. Me...not so much.

starting Sunbeams & Nursery

2011-01-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

It's a big year for Chase, he gets to be in Sunbeams at church now! Also, Bennett gets to finally go and play in nursery (not sure who's more excited; him or mommy & daddy!). They've both done ok so far...they aren't completely comfortable with the new routine yet, but they're getting used to it. Chase finally went to Sunbeams and Primary the whole time without needing me (I've either sat with him or subed his class the first 3 weeks), hopefully he continues!
Bennett still gets a little upset after a while in nursery, but I think he just hasn't been feeling well, so hopefully this next week will go great! What will I do with myself if I'm not roaming the halls with kids? What are they even teaching in class this year (and where is class?)?! haha!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

Chase could not wait until "Ma" and "Papa" came over on Christmas morning, he was so excited to see everything under the tree! We kept reminding him we needed to wait for Ma and Papa, so he would just sit right be the tree and look or sit on the stairs by the door waiting for them to arrive. We did stockings then had Christmas breakfast before opening presents...I don't think we could've held the kids off any longer!Bennett knew what he was doing and loved opening the gifts just as much as the rest of us!Bennett loves to play with his big brother's Toy Story stuff, so he was pretty happy to get his own!Chase was so much fun this year! He really got into it and loved everything about Christmas this year - the lights, Christmas movies, music, and of course, the presents...we had an FHE on the real reason for Christmas and talked about Christ's birth...not sure it really sunk in yet...we'll try again next year!Chase was so excited for everything he opened, even if it was clothes or something he had no idea about; he would still yell "Ooohhh, Wow!" so fun to watch him this year!Santa might have gotten Bennett something that was just as tall as him! He took his time tearing piece by piece, but eventually he got the whole thing unwrapped!Daddy set up the Toy Story 3 train set that Chase got from Santa and for 2 days straight Chase spent the whole time in his room just watching the train go round and round!We went over to Bruce's parent's for Christmas dinner and more gifts. The boys insisted on wearing their new Buzz and Woody costumes they got.

We had a great Christmas and it was especially fun with both the boys this year. We're excited for this new year and everything that it might bring! The boys are growing up fast and we hope to do more fun things together as a family this year!

what we've been doing...

2010-12-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

We let this little guy help bake a couple times...he loves to help stir the bowl!

For Thanksgiving I baked a couple pies...except if you're my mom you would say I cheated and it doesn't count (I used canned filling for one and boxed pie crust...such a disappointment to my mom who bakes anywhere from 8-13 pies each Thanksgiving entirely from scratch!!! it's hard to top that!) I really missed your pies this year mom!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Bruce's parents' and had a good time hangin' out with family for dessert later that evening.I love getting a Christmas tree and I "encouraged" Bruce every day after Thanksgiving until we finally went to get one! It's about 8' tall and wide...just like I like them (no skinny, anorexic trees for me!)
Besides...we still don't have much by way of furniture in our front room (a piano and a single, lonely side chair) so getting a big tree would help fill it up! ;) Ever since we got the tree up and decorated this guy has been obsessed! He loves Christmas trees and points them out wherever we go and every time he sees it in a movie (The Polar Express is big in home right now). He found this Christmas tree night light and it's his perfect decoration for his room! The day we got it he just held it the who time until it was time for bed and he could plug it in.

We're so ready for the Christmas season and we look forward to what the new year has to bring (like 2 new baby nephews come January!!!)

family visit

2010-12-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

"PB&J" (as Bruce calls his brother's family) came to visit before Thanksgiving. We got to see their little guy and catch-up!

These 2 are so different, yet so similar at the same time...brothers! Chase loved all the family time and activity that went on the whole week and warmed up to his uncle quit fast!

("Patrick, can you help me?") I love this girl! She cut me hair for me and I LOVE it! And, it was so nice having a work-out buddy at the gym for a week!

We went on a date with Patrick and Jessica (and cousins!) and we did dinner and a movie...it will be a memorable night if only for how HORRIBLE the movie was! It made poor Jess sick...literally! ;)

Jess & I went bowling for a "girls' night" with a couple cousins, and it's a good thing I forgot my camera, 'cause we weren't that good! I watched some teenager next to us bowl while he was texting and get a strike...I was lucky if I could lift the bowling ball! :)

We had a great time though and it was so nice getting to see them! We're hoping to make a trip to AZ again this spring and spend more time with PB&J!

snow!...BEFORE Thanksgiving, it's a miracle!

2010-11-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

We only got a little bit, and it only lasted a day or so, but these little guys were so excited to go try it out! It gave them an excuse to wear their new snow pants! They didn't last long before Bennett fell in the grass and couldn't get up...(haha, reminds me of a movie...!). His poor little hands got so cold trying to push himself up; he was done after that and wanted nothing more to do with the snow!

It came so early we were a little shocked, but hopefully we get more

pretty snow to enjoy this year!

3rd birthday!

2010-11-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

He was very excited about his birthday and all the fun stuff he got to do! In true "Chase" family tradition, his birthday was a week-long celebration as we wanted to wait for PB&J (his Aunt & Uncle and baby cousin) to arrive from out-of-town to have his official birthday party.

On his birthday he got to open his gift from Mamas and Papa - he got a couple church books. One was a magnet book and he wasted no time getting all the little magnet pieces set up -hopefully we don't lose too many!

He got to go out to dinner on his birthday and he picked his favorite - PIZZA! (or as he says it, "pazzi").

His uncle's birthday is a few days after his, so when they came to visit he shared his b-day party and cake with his cool uncle patrick!
I don't know why I even bother with a cake for Chase, he likes to look at it and even tried blowing out the candles, but when it comes to eating it...This is all he'll do...barely lick the frosting and then leave the actual cake! At least this little guy enjoyed it! He had no problem digging right in, although I'm not sure how much he actually got IN his mouth...!

It's fun to watch him open presents now as he's old enough to actually do it himself. He gets that there is more than just the fun wrapping to play with!

Aunt Jess and Uncle Patrick also came with a gift for this little guy - can't leave him out!

Happy 3rd Birthday Chase! We love you!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

My kids still don't quit get holidays yet, but they still had a good time dressing up as superheroes! Chase wore his batman mask...until it came time for halloween, then he didn't want anything to do with it. oh well!We were invited to a couple halloween parties, so we got to dress up this year too. We decided to go as Alice and the Mad Hatter and had a lot of fun! It took a few weeks to get the costumes all put together as we had to piece things together from second-hand stores and fabric stores, but I think Bruce's Mad Hatter costume came out great!!!

Since the kids don't really understand halloween yet (getting free candy), we were able to really limit the candy they did get (which means less candy in the house for mom and dad to eat too, phew!). But, unfortunately, I think Chase is catching on and we won't be able to be such "scrooges" next year!

Disney on Ice

2010-10-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to take Chase to see Disney on Ice this year. We had plans to go with some friends, but things changed and it ended up just being a little date with me and my little guy! We started the evening off by going out to frozen yogurt - LOVE IT! Chase mostly just likes to eat the toppings...After we got there, I let him pick a souvenier before we sat down for the show; he picked a shiny Buzz Lightyear...surprise, surprise!

Every morning Chase comes downstairs asking to watch Mickey Mouse, so when I told him we were going to see Mickey with Disney on Ice, he was VERY excited! The whole drive he kept saying, "Going to see Mickey Mouse!"
They saved the Toy Story characters for the very last and that really got Chase excited - seeing Mickey and Buzz & Woody at the same time!

He did great, even with the late night. I had such a great time just being one-on-one with my little guy and I'm looking forward to going as a family next year!

I tried...again

2010-10-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

One of these days I'm going to get a picture of both my little guys together AND looking at the camera! I don't even care if they are smiling...just LOOK at the camera! ;) I was doing a senior portrait shoot for a family friend and the two little ones had to tag along. During a break I noticed they were both sitting together, so I tried to "sneak" a picture...Bennett caught on and started looking and smiling for me, but as soon as Chase saw what I was doing (he was a little "zoned" for a bit)...He did what he does best, and ran away!

Oh well, I tried. Again.

what's the definition of insanity again?...

*check out my photography blog, I've updated and posted pictures from my latest projects with losts more still to come!

enjoying the pretty fall!

2010-10-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm shocked at the beautiful, sunny fall days we've been having! I made sure the boys got to play outside as much as they could to enjoy it while it lasted...lots of rain ahead! They've started playing together more and Chase has even started sharing his toys...as long as he can push and/or pull his little brother all around the yard!

Bennett is getting so big and talking more and more every day. He was so excited the first day he got to play in the backyard without mommy right at his side to stop him from doing all the "fun" stuff...like playing in the dirt and bushes!

This is the best I can get of Chase anymore...he rarely slows down long enough for me to get a picture!

playing with cousins

2010-10-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

We visited family recently and it was the first time we made the 11-12 hour drive with the kids...they did okay the first time and much better on the way home. We stopped for a break and quick bite to eat at a McDonald's on the way there and kids loved being able to run around for a bit!
This is the first time this little guy has ever gotten to play on something like this (it's the first time either boy has played at a McDonald's...haha) so he was having a blast! From the time we got there both the boys were so excited to have cousins to play with anytime they wanted! All the kids got along well...as long as "Thomas the Train" wasn't involved...

We had a great time and loved seeing the kids enjoy themselves! They sure do love their cousins!

pictures of the kids

2010-09-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

Chase thought he was being so funny by wearing Grandpa's hat and running around their house...The rare occasion where he stands still for a picture and actually looks at the camera...now if I could just get a big smile to go with it we'd be set! (not asking for too much, am I?!) Bennett won't miss a chance to smile big for the camera!
This was daddy's chair when he was a little boy and we had to get a picture of Chase in it when he was younger, and now Bennett. They both love to sit and rock in it. We get to visit family in Utah in about a week and we're excited to see everyone! It'll be our first time driving with the kids...so we'll see how that goes!

more summer boating

2010-09-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

We've been able to get to the lake a few times this summer and we've had a lot of fun! The boys love to take the boat out too and I'm glad they do so well! Bruce & I got to wakeboard together finally and that made me happy! This is about all I can do...not much! ;) Since I'm not only goofy-foot, but also goofy in general, for some reason I don't like going "toe-side" - but I'm determined to make it happen and jump!

Awww, hot cute!

Every time we go out, Bennett gets more and more involved! He likes to hold the flag and push the horn on the boat, and if daddy will let him, he even loves to drive (we just don't tell him the boat is parked on the trailer)! ;)

Chase has gone out on the tube again this year, but mostly just wants to hang in the boat and not get in the water too much. He loves to sit in daddy's lap while he's driving the boat.

Bruce really likes to wake-surf. Here he is on the opposite side of the wake than normal (showing off, I'm sure!).

Boating season is so short here it makes me sad! It's already getting dark too early and cutting into our play time! I'm just glad we're able to go and we have a lot of fun with our friends and family who come along too!

boys will be boys

2010-08-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

One of Chase's favorite things to do is ride the lawn-mower at Grandpa's house, so anytime he sees one of these he has to get on and ride! It makes stores like Home Depot/Lowe's among his favorites!This little guy was enjoying the ride in the cart!
Bennett thinks he's pretty funny and likes to make us laugh by trying almost anything. He likes to be silly and we can see his personality really coming out in full bloom!

We finally took out some bushes/trees from the backyard that I've been wanting gone since we moved in...Bruce may have enjoyed the chainsaw a little too much! The tree stump looks like legs...creepy!

This is what I found one day while the boys were playing...Bennett was in the car while Chase piled all the blankets in there with him! Bennett thought it was funny too, I guess!

While I was trying to get pictures, Chase kept trying to pop his head in front of the camera...sometimes I feel like I live in a circus!

these are my boys and they're "siwwy" as Chase says!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2010-07-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a whole year since this little guy came along and joined our family! He's such a sweet boy and we love him so much! We had a small birthday party for him (I'm not big on huge celebrations that won't get fully appreciated!) He loved all the attention he was getting!

He didn't quit understand what to do with the presents, but loved the surprises inside! It's been difficult explaining to his big brother that these are Bennett's presents!When it came time to have birthday cake this little guy wasn't too interested. He gave us this look that said "no thanks" and he pushed the cake away! Oh well, I'm not crushed that my kids don't eat their 1st birthday cakes 'cause I don't spend a lot of money on it anyways! ;) Chase, however, very much enjoyed the cake and that made me happy that someone appreciated the treat!

I love my boys and its fun to see how different and similar they are in so many ways! Bennett loves to be held and snuggle on your shoulder (doesn't matter who you are!) and some of his other favorites right now include: bananas, cheese, playing in the water, playing with his brother, climbing the stairs, throwing objects on the hardwood floors, and climbing onto everything!

Happy Birthday Bennett!

4th of July & boating

2010-07-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

It's my 2nd favorite holiday - Independence Day! I love all the warm weather, BBQ's, fireworks, and flags! We had some family over for a BBQ and then watched a great fireworks show that gets set off at the golf course across the street from our neighborhood. This year I had the family in matching shirts and had no shame about it! (I'm very corny when it comes to my favorite holidays!) Bruce did a great job with our new bbq (finally got one!) and it was all great food!

The boys are playing more and more together, which is both fun and difficult. Chase doesn't quit get it that his brother is still too young and small for all the wrestling! But, Bennett can also "dish it out" pretty good sometimes!

I love my boys!

getting a picture with Chase is difficult these days; he's either running away (which he's trying to do here) or closing his eyes/covering his face in some way - such a "turkey", as we call him!

We had a lot fun 4th of July weekend and had the opportunity to spend a day at the lake! It really takes it out of the boys, but they do pretty good just napping on the boat.

my poor fair-skinned boys (including daddy) have to stay in hats and shirts, lathered in sunscreen or they get red so fast! But we gotta keep this cute little face kissable!

we had a great time and I'm glad we get to enjoy the boat more this year! the boys do great and we love to watch daddy do his thing on the wake surf board!

Bennett's 1st haircut

2010-06-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

This little guy doesn't have a lot of hair, but what he does have was getting very crazy! He's got more hair than his brother at this age, which isn't saying much, so we decided to trim his hair a little and give him his first haircut! He thought it was great right up until we turned on the shears, then he wasn't so sure! He did awesome though! My baby is 11 months old already - he's been walking for a couple weeks and loves to play with his older brother! He's FINALLY got some teeth (4) and he loves to eat "real" food!

sand dunes

2010-06-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

We made our annual camping trip to the dunes for Memorial weekend and had a great time. Luckily, the weather was great and didn't rain until Monday when we were leaving anyways! This whole trip we kept talking about how much we want a side-by-side so we can all go out riding as a family. This can be such an expensive hobby!It was Bennett's 2nd time camping at the dunes, although he was only about 7 weeks old last time, so this was a whole new experience for him! He loved "put-putting" around with Daddy and had the riding thing all figured out on his own!It had rained so much prior to our weekend that a lot of the area was flooded. There happened to be a huge "lake" right next to our camp site, and it took a lot of effort to keep the kids out of it...and we didn't succeed. Chase was soaked! I just kept telling myself it was just like playing at the beach (water on sand) but that really didn't make me feel all that better when I had to clean him up!After we got home and settled we were trying to decide how early we wanted to put the boys to bed, but this little guy crashed during dinner! It was a fun weekend and we enjoyed spending time with other family too!

Arizona trip

2010-04-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

We were so excited for our AZ trip! Bruce's brother and sister-in-law had their baby and we flew down there for the blessing, but we had a lot of fun enjoying our family vacation too! We got to meet up with my big bro and most of his family at a mall and this is how we spent our time...Chase and his cousin Kylee are about a week apart in age. They were having a lot of fun running around on all the toys, but didn't want to stop for any pictures...this is the best I got...Since the weather was great there, we spent a lot of time playing outside. Chase was VERY excited that it was ALWAYS outdoor weather there and kept asking to go for a walk or just play outside.Bennett had a good time too! It was his first time actually getting on the playground, normally he just sits in his stroller and watches. Now, he's hooked!Our sister-in-law does hair, so I made sure to "make an appointment" for both me and Bruce! I love changing my hair, and I'm just bummed we didn't get enough time to finish everything I wanted to do...next time J! Bruce's haircut was a long time comin'! We were excited to have a real professional do it (since I don't really know how to do much more than a single lenth all over!). Don't we look great! Thanks J!Bennett loved playing with the baby and it made me realize just how big he's gotten!Since we were going to be in AZ for my birthday, we decided to do our traditional, celebratory meal there...at one of my most favorite places, Costa Vida! I also got to do some shopping which made me happy, home is seriously lacking in the shopping options!We went to a newer, outdoor mall they finished after we moved away. There is a fun water/play area for kids and we enjoyed watching Chase, "chase" all the fountains!We went to check on our condo while we were there and made sure to grab the pool key! These poor kids don't see or experience a pool all that often and they really weren't all that sure what to do! We really need to get them in the water more!We were there for our little nephew's blessing and it was great to have the whole family together!

This was the first time we've all been on an airplane together as a family and it went pretty well...I'm just not so sure we'll be doing that often or to anyplace much further than AZ!

Easter

2010-04-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter Sunday this year and the boys were fun to watch as they tried to figure out what was going on...

Chase got another train from "Thomas the Train" and he hasn't put it down since! He LOVES it and he also loves the new movie the boys got too.In the afternoon we went over to Grandma and Papa's house for Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt, we could hardly keep Chase from running around the house to grab the eggs before we were actually ready to start! But, once he was allowed to start, he just ran everywhere! He wouldn't slow down for a second and he didn't want to carry his basket with him. He just set it down in one spot and would run back to put his eggs in it after he picked 1 or 2 up. He was really funny to watch!

His most favorite part was when he discovered there was something inside the plastic eggs, treats! His favorite is M&M's, so that's what he got!

He's still a little unsure of what all this is about, but it's getting more and more fun every year! We got a great children's book a while back from Mamas that tells the Easter story and we like to read it every year!

Happy belated Birthday Bruce!

2010-04-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

So we had Bruce's birthday a few weeks ago. He wasn't too excited about it, but I think he finally came around and realized it doesn't really matter what the number is, just that you feel great! Happy Birthday Bruce! He's been getting so excited about summer and boating season, so I wanted to do something to help get him ready. He got a balance board for his birthday and he's been practicing on it ever since (maybe one day he'll get good enough to move it off the carpet! haha). He also got some new swim gear from his parents, so he's all set!....now if we could just get the rain to stop!

Love you lots and hopefully you know that we don't care that you're and old man...we think you're great anyways!!! ;)

crawling stage

2010-03-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

He's officially crawling now! He's been rolling and scooting for a while, but he's officially crawling in a forward motion now! He's decided that's not enough and has already started to pull himself up on things (this makes me nervous!). Here's a picture I took a while back, but just found it...the boys have fun playing together!

Here's a video of the little guy just starting to crawl...he wouldn't really do it for me while I was filming him, but he was having fun so I thought it was cute anyways!

getting a picture of the impossible

2010-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

so this is what I normally get when I try to take a picture of the two boys together...

Chase will only look at the camera and smile if he's the center of attention, not when he has to share the spotlight! Bennett, on the other hand, thought the attention was fantastic!

the cheesy grin on B's face is a common thing, he gets it from his dad...!

Needless to say, I don't have a lot of pictures of them together...if any. He's pushing 8 months and he's mastered rolling. And just this past week he's started getting in the crawling position with a huge grin on his face...oh boy

Chase finally saw that Bennett was enjoying the spotlight on his own and decided that wasn't fair. So I think this is the first ever picture I have of them both looking at me and smiling!

A few cute things they've been doing...

waiting patiently for dinner to finish (I think I had made cookies as a special treat for dessert and he was more anxious to get dinner over with for those!)

He stops and takes a rest every once in a while, but not too often!

Bennett is loving real foods and doesn't take the bottle all that well right now...it's too boring for him. His favorites seem to be squash and Gerber puffs.He also went on his first airplane ride! We went to visit some family (just me and him...I really missed Bruce & Chase!). He did really well and would talk to anyone that would listen. It's sooo nice when flights aren't booked, so I can have a whole row to myself! He's been teething for months, but nothing has popped through yet. Dr. Dad is getting anxious to get him on a brushing schedule!

spotlight

2010-01-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

This little guy sure does like the camera! I've been wanting to get more pictures of the boys together, but Little Bubba only cooperates when he's the center of attention and the only act on stage!He likes to brush his teeth....(hmm I wonder where he gets that from, 'cause it's definitely NOT his mommy!). He's slowly getting interested in the potty training thing...but usually only when it doesn't interfere with playtime (which might be why we haven't had much luck yet...!) We took him to pick out some "big boy undies" and he chose 'Thomas the Train'. I'm not pushing him, but I am trying to find ways to encourage the interest in potty training!
He FINALLY likes going to nursery at church now as we recently discovered a couple weeks ago when we had to leave early. He cried and screamed when we got in the car and kept pointing back at the church saying he wanted "nursey". It only took 8 months, but he finally likes it! He still cries when daddy leaves, but calms right down - this is HUGE! Now if we could just get him to not act like such a bully to the other kids...one thing at a time...

6 months later

2010-01-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Our little guy is always so smiley! He gives me a big smile when I get him each morning and after naps and he's always got a big smile ready for daddy when he gets home from work. He's definitely a happy boy! He weighs 19lbs.3 oz. and is about 27'' tall (almost exactly the same as his older brother at this age!). These last 6 months have gone by fast for me! He can sit up on his own pretty well now and he loves most foods (except for green veggies...he takes his sweet time eating those, but give him squash or carrots and it's gone faster than I can spoon it out!). He thinks his brother is the most entertaining person he's ever seen (probably is!) and he's VERY tickleish. He's found his voice and likes to make himself heard!

We changed him over to a regular car seat, and not the carrier - mommy's arms couldn't handle the work-out anymore!

(his hood fell over his face and he fell asleep...I think he thought it was "lights out")

This last week I worked on getting him to sleep through the night and not wake up for a bottle (I got him down to 2 oz. and he would still wake up...is 2 oz. really worth it?!) He's doing really well and might wake up once, but he'll fall back asleep - let the restful nights begin! ahhhhh, I'm SO READY FOR THIS!

I'm excited to visit my family in a few weeks and for them to spend some time with the little guy. I'm lucky enough to have great in-laws who can take Chase while daddy's at work so me and Bennett can go out-of-town for the weekend! (Chase isn't getting left out of anything...he'll think spending a whole day with Grandpa is the best vacation ever!)

'twas baby's first Christmas (and Chase's 3rd...)

2009-12-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

Chase was really into all the Christmas lights this year, which meant listening to him screem out "TREE!" at every house that had any kind of lights up. Right after Thanksgiving when all the Christmas lights came out we pointed to our neighbors across the street who had their Christmas tree all lit up in their front window and told Chase, "Look at the tree!"...well, now he thinks all lights mean "tree"...oh well, we'll fix that next year!

We went with some friends to P.I.R. where they let you drive on the race track and they have these huge light displays. It was a nice, warm way to enjoy the lights!

We had the annual family (extended included) Christmas dinner and it was fun to watch the kids get sooo excited when Santa came to visit! Chase, however, wanted nothing to do with him...there is a picture of him screaming on Santa's lap that I need to get from Bruce's cousin. I had to have at least one, no matter how mad it made him!Right before Christmas pretty much all of us got sick with an annoying cold, so this is how we spent our time. Poor guy really wasn't feeling good, but that meant he got to watch "Polar Express" over and over.This was the first Christmas that required Bruce to put together something before Christmas morning, aahhhhhh what a milestone! haha

Christmas morning started a little rough as Chase wasn't feeling too great. He didn't want to look in his stocking until daddy showed him that Santa brought a new car for him, "Mater". Then Chase cheered right up!Of course, Bennett had no idea what was going on. He just thought it was great to play with all the paper!He did get excited about some new toys that he got (we're still explaining to Chase that these are for Bennett...it's really hard to reason with a 2 year old!)

Even though they lost (big time) in their bowl game...we still love OSU! And, I got a keychain to show my pride!

It's pretty easy to figure out what Bruce likes...SUPERMAN! He got some new Superman pajamas and Chase has developed the same love for the action hero too.

Chase is still obsessed with "Cars" and so that's mostly what he got for Christmas. He was so excited that he wouldn't open up any more presents because he just wanted to play with his new car. Bruce had to open his other gifts so he could see that he got more fun stuff. Santa brought Chase his very own car this year! (do you think it will last until he's 16?!) It took a while to get him to open it, but after he finally turned around to see what it was he jumped right in and hasn't gotten out for much since! He loves his car and asks to play with it as soon as he gets up in the morning and from his naps. He'll even try to eat his snacks in it! Good job Santa!

My parents put together this amazing book with our family history and gave it to us "kids" for Christmas. It has pictures and stories of family members from generations past. I can't believe how many hours went into putting that together, thanks so much!

Bennett was just happy to be part of the action! He liked all the wrapping paper and boxes and it was nice to have at least one of my kids in a good mood on Christmas!

After opening stockings and gifts at our house, we got ready and went over to Grandma and Grandpa's to open more gifts. I'm not sure what's with the funny face Bennett is making (above), but I love the little shoes he got for Christmas from his Grandparents!

This is about when the pictures stopped...! The kids were ready for naps and still weren't feeling all that great. My in-laws are always so great and I really appreciated them letting me have Christmas morning at my house with them! One of the gifts I'm VERY excited about is a label maker they got me! Seriously, I'm VERY excited! I've already got big plans for that thing! Thanks!

We had a great Christmas and it was nice to be with family. It will be fun to enjoy more holidays as our family grows and we're excited for next year with our nephew on the way!

eating "solids"

2009-12-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

Wow! My little guy is old enough to start "real" food! (I don't know if I'd classify runny, baby cereal as food). He's been eyeing our food for a little while now so I knew he was definitely ready for his own!

We let him try it and he had a serious face at first and then... He thought it was the funnest thing ever! He likes "helping" every time the spoon gets close (as seen above) and he gets a funny thinkers look on his face for every bite. He's doing a lot better than his older brother did with starting solids, but I think it's just 'cause now he gets to join the table!

"it's the most wonderful time of the year..."

2009-12-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday and weekend! It was so nice to have Bruce home for a few extra days and spending time together. We got to see "New Moon" and we also got our Christmas tree! It's our first Christmas in this house and I'm very excited about that! I love "fat" trees and my loving husband let me have the final say in what tree we got (since I think it matters more to me than him!) and I'm so glad because I picked one that I don't think he would've chosen! ;) Chase had a good time being with "the guys" (Grandpa and Daddy). He liked to pretend he was helping them. Bennett was, of course, oblivious to what was going on!

Here's Chase "helping" Grandpa get the tree set up in the house.

I LOVE having a big, fat Christmas trees, but then it came time to decorate it...

2 trips to the store for more lights later (plus we already had some from previous years) I finally got the tree all lit up!

Bruce put the star on top (and even if I wanted to do it myself, I couldn't reach it even using a chair, hahaha! wow, I'm short!)

It's nice not having any furniture in the front room...we didn't have to move anything in order to fit the tree! Yah! I have my big, fat Christmas tree, which for me is one of the best Christmas presents EVER!

my little guys

2009-11-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

going "home"

2009-11-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Last week we drove to southern Oregon where I grew up, for my "little" brother's wedding. It was the first time the whole "Chase" family has been together in a long time, and of course we had to visit our most favorite restaurant ever...SILVER DRAGON! Even though I don't live there anymore, I still have the restaurant's phone number in my phone contact list...just-in-case!
The little guy was having a good time with all the people around to be entertained by. He was all smiles pretty much the whole trip.

Chase was loving having his cousins around to play with. He was VERY excited to see his "Aunt Ame" as he says and his Papa "ooh ooh".

My brother got married in the Medford Temple, which is where Bruce & I got married a little over 6 years ago. It was so great to go back and have the whole family together in the temple!

We just met his wife (or re-met...I knew her as a little girl, but mostly remember her older siblings) and we think she's great! They are so cute and fun together. And we love telling everyone that my brother married his brother-in-law's cousin!

The night before the wedding I got sick, so I wasn't feeling all that great. My sister helped me with the wedding pictures and I have to say that I LOVE working with her! (believe me...that's a shocker!) She knows my style and helps a lot - thanks Amy!

All the little grandchildren wore matching clothes for the reception and family pictures and they looked so adorable! I don't have girls, but the little dresses they wore almost made me want one...(not quit!).

We had tickets to see the So You Think You Can Dance (season 5) concert tour that was showing that night but had to give them up when my little bro said he was getting married that day. After we got back we heard from our friends that we were supposed to go with that they got moved closer to the stage since their original seats had equipment in the way...of course they did!! That's okay though, my brothers wedding is a worthy substitute ;) !!!

yay for birthdays!

2009-11-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Fun part about turning 2 years old;
1. presents (which he can actually open mostly by himself!)
2. cake (which he now doesn't hesitate to devour)
3. spending the day with family and friends (who are all there to give him attention)
4. getting to pick what you wear (even if it doesn't match and makes mommy nuts!)

Not so fun part about turning 2 years old;

1. doctor's visits (and having to get 2 shots)

2. the tantrums get 2x stronger!

Chase had a "Cars" themed birthday this year. Most everything he got was Cars related and even his cupcakes had "Cars" wrappers. He was very excited when he saw his gifts wrapped in "Cars" wrapping paper and then the fun got that much better when he realized that wasn't the best part!

He's got the whole cake-eating thing down this year! It didn't take him long to dig right in!

All week I've been working with him and finally on his birthday it all came together - When we ask him how old he is (holding up 2 fingers) he'll say, "2"!

At 2 years old some of my favorite things he does:

When you ask him "Where's Superman?" or "Who's Superman?" he points to himself and says, "ME!"

He admits to having a "stinky" diaper.

He says, "I love you" back to us.

Whenever he's eating something he really likes he keeps saying, "Mmmm! Mmmmm!" over and over!

He talks/sings along with some of his favorite shows.

momma's boys

2009-11-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to keep on the pictures since Bennett was born...knowing that inevitably he will have less pictures taken of him than his older brother as now I'm being pulled in multiple directions all the time.
We got the boys matching pajamas and I wanted a picture...when I look at it all I can think is that they don't really look much alike right now! Keeping Chase entertained is no easy task and a full time job! He likes to climb all over us and one of his favorite things is to run around the house pushing his shopping cart...so I pushed him for a while.

What a poser! He's definitely grown up around a camera.

Now that the baby is getting bigger I've been pulling out some of Chase's old toys for Bennett to have...except Chase thinks these old toys are fantastic again and keeps telling Bennett "mine!"

Oh well, at least the baby isn't old enough to care, yet...

Boo!

2009-11-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

So we really weren't planning on doing that much this year as far as Halloween goes, as we've all been sick and my kids are still young enough not to know what they are missing! But, we were feeling much better on Halloween and luckily last year's costume still fit!
We started the night by trick-or-treating Grandma and Grandpa's and this little guy couldn't believe his score! A full-size M&M bag just for him and a "Cars" toy too! He quickly caught on to the whole "treat" thing... Out little guy was "Benny the Beaver"! And, thank goodness OSU won their game, otherwise how depressing!

I was surprised at how many trick-or-treaters we had come to our house! It was fun to watch Chase run to the door everytime someone knocked, he loved seeing all the kids in their costumes. Bruce took him around the neighborhood to a few houses and he loved it.

Our friends stopped by so we could see their little guy in his costume...an OSU Beaver, it was awesome! He looked so great! These two love playing together.

I almost feel bad for Chase; he went around and collected all that candy and now Mom & Dad are eating most of it for him...almost feel bad!

hangin' out

2009-10-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

We've been hangin' out these past few days at home as a couple of us have been sick. We're feeling a little better and we appreciate Bruce being able to stay home a couple days to take care of us!
I got a few pictures of the boys while we were all feeling better (funny how later that night things got worse again...). My little guy is almost 4 months old now - he's growing constantly and pretty much has skipped over all his 3-6 mo. clothes.

Chase likes to make his little brother smile and laugh, but after getting caught with the camera he gets shy.

A while ago I finished Chase's room and finally got to hang some stuff on the wall (my sis made me the name blocks and I made his name boards over 2 years ago and just now am getting to use them!)

We're not sure how much we're going to do this weekend for Halloween, we're still not feeling all that great and the last thing a 2 year old needs when he's got a tummy ache is a bunch of candy! (mommy's don't need it either when they're working on getting back in shape!)

carving pumpkins

2009-10-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

We got together with some friends and carved pumpkins last weekend. We said it was for the kids, but I don't remember seeing the kids helping us! ;)
I forgot how much I actually don't like cleaning out pumpkins...it's really pretty gross!

I even gave Little Bubba the chance to reach in and help clean out the pumpkin and he looked at me like I was crazy! "No." was all he said!

We had a good time hangin' out with friends though.

Maybe next year I'll just paint the pumpkins...

helping others

2009-10-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

Right now at church we're taking part in this year's "Make A Difference Day" which is an interfaith food drive. We're asked to help by donating peanut butter.
Well, Monday evening for FHE we did a small lesson (with an almost 2 yr old it has to be small and quick!) on helping others. We talked about how Chase is a good helper at home and how he can also be a good helper to others. We talked about how there are other families who need food and how we can help by asking our neighbors to donate some food too. So, we then went for a walk around our neighborhood and handed out flyers talking about our efforts and asking them to donate some peanut butter for the food drive as well. We are leaving a box outside our door for anyone who wants to participate. Chase LOVED it! He was so excited to go for a walk and then when he saw we were walking up to all the doors, he got even more excited. He liked that we even let him hold the flyers.

It was really fun to see him having so much fun with this, and hopefully one day he'll more fully grasp the idea of helping others (but for now, I just think he liked going for a walk!).

Yesterday we got home from running errands and as I was unloading the car Chase grabbed his shoes (he likes to take them off in the car) and ran them inside to put them away in the hall closet. I said, "Awesome! Good helper Chase!" and you know what he yelled back to me as he was running down the hall........."I KNOW!"

Hawaiian leis

2009-10-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went to a surprise 70th birthday party for one of Bruce's uncles. Little Bubba was shy at first and would only sit on Grandpa's lap, but after a while he was the life of the party! He began collecting leis... By the time we got ready to leave he had collected 22 leis that he was wearing around his neck...he thought he was quit funny too!

Bennett loved the attention he was getting and even cracked a few smiles for people. He's started laughing and daddy and I are really loving this new addition to the family! He's even more bald than his brother was as a baby...if that's even possible! Our baby is already 3 months old!

big boy bed

2009-10-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Chase is in his "big boy" bed now! We finally got the bunk beds put together and Little Bubba had no problem adjusting. He loves his big bed and especially the "Cars" sheets he gets to sleep on (he got to pick them out and was VERY excited). We've been lucky so far and he hasn't tried to get out of bed and wonder...but he's been sleeping on a mattress on the floor for the past couple months so this isn't much of a change for him in that sense!I'm working on finishing up his room and getting all the shelves and pictures up on the walls...it'll be the first room in the house to be all done!

Beaver fans!

2009-09-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about our neighborhood is all the outgoing OSU vs. U of O fans! About half the houses in the area have either Beaver or Duck pride showing in some way (house numbers painted on the sidewalk in orange or green, flags, etc.). There's this house that you can see when you first turn onto our block that always puts up this GIANT duck on their lawn every game day and its the first thing you see when you pull in to the neighborhood...we can't have that!

So, we decided to get an OSU flag to hang outside (since our house is before the GIANT duck's!) and while we were hanging it up on game day some neighbors across the street were setting up their brand new GIANT Beaver on their lawn!!! AWESOME! I told Bruce I would never allow a GIANT ANYTHING on my lawn, but I'm glad the neighbors are doing it!Now there are 2 houses with OSU pride that show before the ducks!!! YEAH BEAVERS! As neighbors we thought it was great...and funny that we were thinking the same thing about hiding the GIANT duck!

baby blessing

2009-09-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Back on August 3oth we blessed the baby at church. Most of my family and Bruce's brother was able to come from out-of-state to be here for it, which was really nice! Afterwards we came back to our house for a quick brunch before my family had to start the LONG drive back and we took some pictures, but the baby wasn't too happy!

Papa and Mamas with grandchild #8...however now they have 9 as one more has arrived! We got his name from Papa's side of the family.

While my sister was here she brought 2 of her 4 kids and Little Bubba loved playing with his cousins! They did everything together, like pretend to be on cell phones...He loved having his cousin here who also likes to wrestle (she's got 2 older brothers...she can handle her own!). They were a lot of fun to watch playing together.

But, after everyone left he was pretty lonely!

spoons and watermelon rooms

2009-08-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

The room is done - with the painting at least. We still have to put stuff on the walls and actually move the boys beds in there, but we're taking this at baby steps! (actually we have to wait until after my family leaves from there visit this coming weekend) I like how it turned out though! This little guy has been learning a lot! He's gotten really good at using his spoon & fork and he also has been learning lots of words. Although, I'm not sure I like what he's retaining...the other day I heard him talking to himself and this is what he was saying; "No, stop it! No, stop it!" over and over! I wonder where he heard that...can you tell we had a rather difficult day that day?!

We love taking the boat out and I even drove a few times! I'm pretty proud of myself for getting the boat onto the trailer in 1 try, I'd hate to have crashed our barely enjoyed boat!

Both the boys do really good on the boat (despite my sister's nightmares and fears...kids can be safe on a boat!)

We were taking a break for a minute so I could feed the little guy and this is when Chase likes to sit at the edge and splash his feet in the water (don't worry sis -they have life jackets!)

We're blessing the baby this weekend in church and I'm excited to have my family back in town to visit. Hey sis, wanna go out on the boat?!!!

our excellent boating adventure

2009-08-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

I finally got to go out on our boat yesterday, and it was a lot of fun! We took off after Bruce got home from work and it was such a nice day...the water was over 70 degrees, which amazed me! Thanks to Bruce's cousin for coming with us so I could learn how to drive the boat and also have some fun on the wakeboard!

I'm soooo weak! I couldn't believe how fast my muscles got tired, it felt good to finally use them again though!

Chase even had a good time watching mommy & daddy wakeboard, he kept smiling and laughing at us and thought it was so funny that we were being dragged behind the boat in the water. He finally got in the water and swam a little bit...each time he goes out he gets a little more brave, one day we'll get him out on a tube or something!

It's not the easiest boat to surf behind (it's a ski boat, not a wakeboarding boat!) but that doesn't stop us from trying anyways!

I'm already getting excited to go out again, I missed half the summer being pregnant, now I've got to hurry and get all my summer fun in before it gets rainy and cold again!

I'm still missing a lot of brain cells, 'cause I completely forgot to get a picture of the boat! Oh well, maybe next time...

all the pretty horses

2009-08-11T07:59:00.001-07:00

Saturday evening we decided to take the boys to the park. There is this cool indoor carousel there and Chase has never been on it. At first he wasn't too sure about it (he wouldn't ride on the moving horses) but once he saw he could just sit in the stationary wagon, he was good! He got to ride it twice, once with daddy and again with mommy! He was finally getting the hang of it and wanted to go again!

Afterwards we walked around and then took him to play on the playgroud. He's such an active, outdoor kid and we struggle to always keep up!

some baby pics

2009-07-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

When I talk to my family they ask for more pictures, so here you go!
I love this one with daddy & his new son...!

While I was trying to get some quick pictures of the new little guy, guess who else wanted in on the shoot?! He kept saying, "cheese!" and trying to get in all the pictures...
until finally he took over the set! what a poser!

(FYI, I also have some baby pictures posted on my photography blog at http://photos-by-erin.blogspot.com/)

now a family of 4!

2009-07-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Bennett Wayne arrived on Thursday, July 9th at 5:55 pm. He was 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 3/4 inches. He's pretty much been asleep since then! I saw my doctor that morning and he told me to go to the hospital as I would be having the baby that afternoon and NOT on Saturday as was scheduled! So, I went home (after running a few last minute errands first!) and tried to relax and get once last nap in before the big event! Little Bubba and I enjoyed our last afternoon alone for a while then he went to spend the rest of the day with Grandpa while daddy came home from work early to take mommy to the hospital!
I was having contractions and they were getting quit strong while we were waiting for our turn to go into surgery. The doctor was held up in other surgeries so we had to wait a couple hours longer than expected. But...finally I can say I had a GOOD experience at the hospital and having a baby! It's such a relief to have it go well...I was fighting anxiety the whole time!
Here's me and my 2 boys!

Chase still isn't quit sure what to do about the new addition. He's having a hard time adjusting and doesn't like that mommy can't pick him up all the time. Hopefully he knows we still love him just the same!
I was able to come home early from the hospital as all was going really well with me and the baby. Bruce & I were really surprised by how well everything was going this time (perhaps to compensate for how difficult things are going with Chase?!).

We are now a family of 4! I love all my boys and am so grateful my parents were able to come visit and help this week! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Wayne for all their help while Bruce & I were in the hospital...we have EXCELLENT family!

HAPPY 6 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BRUCE! Today we get to "celebrate" (aka remember) our wedding anniversary and I'm very blessed to have a loving husband who supports me when I say...I REALLY don't like breastfeeding! :)

20 months...already!

2009-07-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Look who's 20 months old this week! He's growing up a lot right now...his vocabulary has pretty much doubled (which still isn't saying much considering he didn't say a whole lot of words before!). He tries to put on his own shoes because his most favorite place to be is outside (and he's learned how to unlock and open the sliding -glass door). He'll grab his own out of the closet and even get mine if I'm not moving fast enough. One day I was a little pre-occupied and looked down to find him trying to put my sandals on my feet for me, it was pretty funny when he kept grabbing my foot and trying to slide the shoe underneath! He likes the water, as long as someone is with him. Mostly he likes playing with the hose and running through the sprinklers at the park.

He REALLY loves playing on the playground at the park...here he is on his little slide at our house, it was given to us for free, which we really appreciate! This little guy LOVES being outside and climbing on things.

He also likes to climb in the pantry or fridge to reach whatever food he's wanting...because mommy is too slow or doesn't know what he's saying! He's got a mouth full of food and still wants more!

He runs everywhere and his favorite person is still his Grandpa Wayne. He's finally acknowledging a baby brother in my tummy and will give baby bennett "hugs" by laying his head down on my belly. He's being rather difficult at bedtime right now...not sure when this phase will end, but any day is fine with me! His world is going to change when we bring home a new baby in just a few days!

(words he's saying: "daddy", "mommy", "grandpa" or "papa", "bye-bye", "hi", "walk"/"water" -sound the same, "Bolt" his favorite movie, "cookie", "fruit snack", "cracker", "no" -my favorite..., "please", "more", and he's also started saying "airplane" today!) of course nothing is crystal clear, but he's learning!

my 2nd favorite holiday!

2009-07-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

While Christmas is my all-time most favorite holiday of the year...4th of July, Independence Day is my 2nd favorite holiday!!!

I love all the flags, fireworks, BBQ's, family & friends, sunny weather, and remembering the blessing of living in this beautiful country! We had some friends over to enjoy pizza (not a BBQ, but that would require we actually buy a BBQ...some day!) and then we girls lost in a game of Scene It -Friends...sad to say we lost to our husbands...weird!

Since it doesn't get dark till about 10pm, we decided to do our own fireworks a little early (the kids were getting tired!)...it wasn't early enough because Little Bubba was NOT liking the fireworks at all! He did fine last year, but this year he was overwhelmed with all the lights and sounds (we had neighbors doing some as well).

After our fireworks, we walked down the street to watch the big fireworks show at the golf course (I love living within walking distance of a good fireworks show!). I gave the little guy a glow stick in hopes it might keep him occupied and not so worried about the fireworks...it actually worked! He LOVED that thing and wouldn't put it down the rest of the night. I had to grab it from him after he fell asleep at home!

It's hard to celebrate a good 4th of July with little ones...all the good fireworks happen after bedtime! But, I still love this holiday and plan to go "all out" next year, which I've been looking forward to doing for years!

this and that...and first sentences!

2009-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

We've been busy, but with what exactly I couldn't tell ya! I feel like we've been going a hundred miles and hour for the last couple weeks and I need some time to just stop! Between working (I did the photography for our stake girls camp and then a wedding for one of B.'s cousins -all last week) and getting things ready for the baby, I need a LONG nap!
Chase has discovered he LOVES to watch a movie...not any movie, but a very specific movie. He absolutely loves to watch "Bolt" and that is all he will watch. Here he is watching his favorite movie (which daddy & I have now memorized after seeing it too many times to count).
I've been doing a few projects for the new baby and one was getting his name sign ready for the room. It's a bad picture, but it'll have to do! I've also made a few burp cloths, a tag blankie, an i-spy bag (great for a reverent activity during church for big brother), and I'm working on sewing a skirt...that probably won't ever turn out, but I'm trying!

Lastly, we did have a good time for Father's Day. We added to daddy's collection of Superman shirts and he and Little Bubba enjoyed looking alike. Daddy got a few of his "favorite" things, but I know what he really wanted was a car...sorry babe! We love you though and appreciate all you do, you're a great dad! On Tuesday morning (also Grandma's birthday...) Chase finally said his first sentence!!! It shocked us both because he was so clear and we both understood him! Daddy was leaving for work and on his way out the door he said, "Bye Chase, I love you." and then Chase said... (wait for it...)
"I love you." !!!
Ahhh, how sweet! We can't get him to say it again, but that might be because we were both so shocked the first time we may have scared him...! He barely says any single words, let alone phrases, so for him to say that was amazing to us. I'm realizing that my "baby" is growing up and I'm not ready for him to! Make it stop!

Memorial weekend '09

2009-05-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

As per Sellers' family tradition, we packed up our gear and headed west! We went camping at the sand dunes by the coast again and we had a great time (despite being 32 weeks along!). These last couple months, Little Bubba hasn't wanted anything to do with the quads...we've tried getting him to ride with us at Grandpa's house, but he refuses and acts scared. We were bummed and didn't think he would want to ride this weekend...if only that were the case!

ALL HE WANTED TO DO WAS GO FOR A RIDE! As soon as we got there he saw everyone out riding and that's all it took. From then on, every chance he could get he would drag us over to the quads and ask for a ride. Since we didn't think he'd want to we didn't have a helmet for him, but thanks to KEMM for being life savers (the let us borrow their little helmet).

We also went over to the beach and enjoyed the view. Little Bubba was just happy to play in the sand.

A bunch of the other kids brought kites to play with and we had to get in on some of the action...

Mostly, it was just nice to get away for a few days. We love that Grandpa lets us share his toy-hauler...otherwise we would actually have to camp...with a tent and everything!! ;)

When we got home on Monday it was warm and we were feeling a little dirty from all the sand, so the first thing we did was daddy took the little guy out back to play in the sprinkler. It felt so refreshing! He didn't even wait to change into swim clothes!

Bruce is really hoping to go on the 4th of July camping trip too, which happens to be 1 week before I go in to have the baby...a little too close for my comfort. The dunes are 3 hours away, and there's no way I'm risking that drive if anything happens early (like it did with our 1st!)

my heroes

2009-05-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

I found this shirt for the little guy and knew I'd seen it somewhere before...I knew it would be perfect and that daddy would love it!

table for 8+

2009-05-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got a dining room table! Now, when my family comes to visit we will actually have someplace to sit and eat. I love it because we found it on craigslist for a good deal and it seats 8 (with room for 2 more!)...not that I EVER plan on having a family of my own large enough to fill this table, but it'll be nice to have room for company & family gatherings! I want to refinish it, but I'm still deciding what color/stain. Don't mind the little guy in the corner...he saw me taking pictures and lingered around so he could get in a few!

18 months

2009-05-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

My baby is 18 months old! We had his dr. appointment yesterday and he did quit well...up until they poked him 3 times with a needle -after that he just wanted to get out of there (who can blame him?!). He weighed in at just over 27 lbs. (that's it?! I swear he feels more like 37!) and he's almost 34'' tall (which puts him on the larger/taller side for an 18 mo. old!). He's mostly interested in being a big boy right now...wants to sit in the regular chair at the dinner table (no high chair or booster), wants to climb on everything, and he copies EVERYTHING Daddy does! He loves to wrestle with his dad and Grandma is even teaching him how to jump (which he will soon discover is more fun from higher ground!).
He's jabbering a lot, but doesn't say a whole lot of words right now...too busy being a boy and developing other, more important skills! He's still not showing much interest in getting rid of his crib...but we'll be needing that soon!

FYI...my c-section is officially scheduled with the hospital for July, I have to be there at 5:30am!

getting organized

2009-05-12T15:38:00.001-07:00

So I have this awesome walk-in pantry in my kitchen and we're working on getting our food storage compiled. I wanted a way to organize and keep track of what we have and need without having to inventory the complete pantry every few months and I came across a few ideas online... I put my own "OCD" style on one idea that I found and I think it'll work good for us! I came up with 7 categories (but I'm sure I'll add more later...) of food items like; veggies, fruits, soups/sauces, etc. and then made a folder/pocket for each one out of scrapbooking paper. Then I have index cards for each item (i.e., canned corn 15 oz., or frozen corn 5lbs, etc.).

As I use an item I pull the index card and put it in a pocket marked "shopping" and when I do my grocery list I just pull all the cards of items I've used so I can restock without cutting into my supply too much!

I even have colored ribbon or cards for each category so the items stay in the right place...(like I said, my own "OCD" style). Each card will list how many I have of that item & what size so when I go to replace it I get the same thing...

It works in theory, but we'll see how well it goes as my food storage grows!

my Mother's Day weekend

2009-05-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm really liking my family's tradition of dragging out birthdays and holidays for as long as we possibly can! Instead of just 1 day for Mother's Day this year, it became a weekend!

It's only my 2nd Mother's Day being a Mom myself, but my hubby is a pro & made me feel VERY loved and appreciated! We started out with a date night on Friday and went to the movies (we saw "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past...NOT WORTH IT!), then we spent Saturday with his parents in Portland, shopping & eating at the Cheescake Factory! I've been wanting to get a hanging plant for my back patio and guess what beautiful flowers I got for Mother's Day...fuschia!

B. was so sweet about it & even got me a little watering pale...but he's the one who has to water it because I can't really reach! (FYI, I'm about 7 months pregnant & had no intention of posting pics of me and my belly...don't expect any more!)
I also got this awesome addition to my slowly growing collection of Willow Tree statues. It's a Mother with her 2 boys...it's called, "Quietly" which is ironic since I've never associated having 2 boys as being anything close to quiet!

In church on Sunday they gave all the Mother's Sees' Candy (now that's how you show appreciation!) and we had dinner & dessert (fresh strawberry pie from Marie Calendars) with my in-laws (Grandpa is an excellent cook!). With all our activities...little bubba got wore out!
Saturday night we watched another movie -"Bride Wars" and we were disappointed with that one too, so when we finished Mother's Day with a movie of my choice...umm I didn't want to have a 3rd failure, so a 5th viewing of "Twilight" was the only option!

It was SO NICE to have such a good weekend! I LOVE my family and am very excited to meet our new baby soon!

I love you, Mom and I'm grateful to have you -you are my best friend!

to answer your question...

2009-05-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

My sister- who has 4 kids of her own- sees me with my 1 and often asks..."What do you do all day?" Now I know she's truly baffled by what could possibly fill my day when there's only 1 child to keep alive, and I didn't know how to answer her until I started taking notice of what I do all day...

1st, I clean up this mess...

then I clean up this one...

(I have to scavenger for all my rugs that he has moved throughout the house)

If I'm lucky, he'll play right where I need to stand in the kitchen to make lunch or dinner...

If I'm REALLY lucky, the weather will be nice enough to let him go outside

(usually not that lucky!)

I search for lost shoes....usually mine!

(B. doesn't like knowing that his son walks around in his mom's shoes all day!)

And, just when I think I've managed to keep this 1 child alive another day...
he discovers climbing.

I pray he NEVER gives up his nap time...

Because I'm about to be outnumbered and I will soon ask myself (as my sis does often)...

"what did I do all day with just 1?"

love ya sis, you're a rock star!!!

Happy Meal

2009-05-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

We treated the little guy to a happy meal last week (thanks to his Mamas & Poppa!) and his favorite part was having his own drink! He kept sharing with Mommy & Daddy and thought it was so funny to feed daddy (he'd reach behind his head and shove a fry in dad's mouth). And, since when does McDonald's not give out toys in their happy meals?! What's with these kids cd's? Maybe if my kid was old enough to care about getting a cd...how am I supposed to keep him entertained so I can eat my own lunch? It's not like there was a cd player at the table for me to use, so he didn't get to play with anything afterwards, bummer. ;)

all the kidies

2009-05-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

While we were visiting my fam in Utah, we took a picture of all the grandchildren (tried...). It proved rather difficult as we got them all dressed up and then took them out on the playground and said....now sit still! What did we expect?! With kids ranging in age from about 6 months to 6 years old...sitting still on a playground in sunny, warm weather is IMPOSSIBLE!

We did manage to get one with Mamas surrounded by her grandkids.This was the best we got of the kids together...the bigger our family gets, the harder it is to get the kids to take a picture (by the time you get one settled, another one has moved!)We let them play around for a while afterwards...amazing how they found their smiles so easily then! I got a few pictures of them while they were playing...
The newest edition...until July! He's adorable and so easy-going, which is a good thing, because it's my sis' #4, so there's a lot going on with #1, 2, & 3 already!

Such a diva! She KNOWS she's adorable and no need to ask "who's a princess?!"....she'll let you know she is! But, as the only girl with 3 brothers...she deserves royal treatment!

Definitely the man of trouble! He's adorable too, but don't let that fool you!

And here's the oldest grandkid! I asked him who his favorite superhero is and this is what he showed me! He's a lot of fun! (by-the-way...I asked his brother -pic above-who his fav superhero was and his answer was typical..."ME!")

These are the 2 dolls from AZ! My bro's kids and they have another on the way (due Oct.!) and excited to say, it's a boy! My brother is VERY excited to get a boy and we're happy for them too.

Mostly it was all the adults chasing all the kids....how many adults does it take for a grandkid photo shoot? (ALL OF THEM!)

new hair...again

2009-04-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

What's a trip to Utah without a new hair style?! My sister thinks I plan my visits around my hair and when it needs to be redone...she may be right!
So, because it had been a few months, I decided it was time for another change (changing my hair is so common with me it's not even considered "change" anymore!)
My husband says he' never knows what to expect when I come home...it's like he gets a whole new woman every time!

Happy Birthday To Me

2009-04-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

We went to Red Robin yesterday for lunch to celebrate my birthday! KEMM joined us along with my in-laws, it's been so long since we've been there to eat -we had a good time!

I got an awesome new digital camera (point-and-shoot, so I don't have to carry around my big one all the time!) and I LOVE it! Thanks!

Later, we went to a pool party for some cousins' birthdays (they did a joint party, which was really cool!) and the little guy loved swimming! We weren't sure how he would do since it's been since last summer that we've been swimming, but once he got in he didn't want to get out.

None of us have been feeling well since getting back from Utah, so it's been hard to really enjoy my birthday, but oh well!

You know what makes everything better though...chocolate covered strawberries!!! My awesome, amazing, mother-in-law made some for me for my birthday and they're already gone! Thanks so much!

FYI...I'm getting very excited to meet baby Bennett! I'm ready for him to get here (it's not like I'm sleeping all that well right now anyways!) Only about 2 1/2 months left!

Love you Mom, Happy Birthday...SURPRISE!

2009-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

The little guy and I just got back from visiting my Mom and the rest of my family in Utah. It was a big surprise visit for my Mom's birthday and even my older bro & sis-in-law came up from Arizona with their 2 girls to surprise her!

I wish I had the picture of her face when she saw all of us...she was definitely surprised!

(since I was in UT visiting family this weekend...I obviously wasn't home painting like I said, just trying to keep Mom off the secret! But, Bruce stayed home and he was painting for me, thanks babe! the room isn't done yet, it's more of a watermelon now than just pink...improvement?)

It was the first time my little guy and his cousin Kylee have met (they're 1 week apart in age) and it was interesting...he's kind of a bully!

For my Mom's birthday gift, we made sure to get an updated picture of all her grandkids together (there are 7 now, with 2 on the way!)...even though it will be outdated in just a couple months! I don't have it loaded on my computer to post yet, but these were taken the last evening we were together while the kids were playing around. I wanted to get a couple of Chase with some of his cousins....but they ALL wanted in on the action (funny...why weren't they this way when we were doing the actual photo shoot?!).

I don't remember asking them to make a funny face...but all of them seem to have had the same idea at the same time!

I think they were getting the idea from all the adults standing behind me making faces to get them to smile & laugh!

When I was done taking pictures, I got up and started to walk away...but a few of the kids wanted to do what the adults were doing...trying to get the other kids to keep smiling...I thought it was funny and got a picture of them trying to make the other kids smile for the camera that wasn't around anymore!

When I was planning the trip out there, my sis suggested getting this monkey back-pack that has a leash for a tail, so I could keep tabs on my, very active, little guy while we went through the airport. He liked wearing it...if he could hold the leash himself...(kind of counter-productive, but oh well!). It worked out pretty good actually and I didn't have to struggle to keep in close! I wanted to get a picture of him in the airport with it on and as soon as I got out the camera he was smiling and ready for his picture to be taken...later a bunch of people commented on how cute they thought he was and how he loved the camera, I didn't realize he was drawing such a crowd of attention!

We had a good time and it was fun to surprise my Mom! We're looking forward to having my parents & sis come out for baby Bennett's arrival this summer!

(P.S. - congrats to my bro Billy & sis-in-law Bri on their little one expected in Oct...I'm not spilling boy/girl until they say so first on their blog!)

say goodbye to pink!

2009-04-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our new house the previous owners had painted most of the rooms (pretty much ALL of the rooms!). Mostly, none of the paint choices bother me enough to do anything about it...too much work! BUT, their daughter's room was painted pink stripes...cute, I guess, but definitely NOT for me! I was even willing to let this go if we were going to have a girl (which is saying something about how little I want to repaint, because I really don't like pink!) but since we're having another boy...away it goes! We bought paint and have taped off most of the room. This is our big project this weekend! We finally get some gorgeous weather and we're going to spend the time indoors, painting.

little rocking chair

2009-04-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Grandma & Grandpa have this adorable little rocking chair and my hubby has been asking me for months to get a picture of our little guy in it before he gets too big. When we went to take the pictures, Little Bubba was really excited, but he wouldn't let go of his sippy cup!Daddy got in on the action too! They were dressed the same...but I don't think it was intentional.
We got a couple cute shots in...he's sporting his "Boys Rule" t-shirt and with another little boy on the way...I agree!

Finally, after we were all done he just sat on the couch like he was sooo tired from his photo shoot! hahaha, what a poser!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

We had a good day on Easter (aside from the rain, which moved out Easter egg hunt indoors)! First we got ready for church and Little Bubba was in a good mood! He's a pro with the camera...always has his smile ready!

After we got home from church we ate lunch and put the little guy down for nap, but afterwards Grandma & Grandpa came over to watch him with his first ever Easter egg hunt! It's not really a "hunt" when all the eggs are sitting out in plain sight, but he's only 17 months...you make do! He got a few things in his basket, but mostly he was interested in getting the eggs!
I don't have pictures of him picking up eggs (it's on video) but he was pretty cute to watch. He REFUSED to put them in his Easter basket and would instead insist on stacking them in the corner. He go pick up an egg, then run back to his stash and add it, then run to another egg...funny guy! It was even better when he realized there was stuff inside (we used plastic eggs)...he started throwing them to watch them break open, and he thought he was quit funny.

A tradition that we started (2nd year we've done it now) is to read "In The Garden" - a children's book about the story of Easter and Christ. Mamas & Papa got it for him last Easter and we think it's a great way to focus on the real meaning and reason for Easter!

We finished the day with an awesome dinner at Grandma & Grandpa's house (Little Bubba always love going over there, and especially sitting in his very own chair they got for him!). Thanks for dinner!

successful day?

2009-03-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today I got up and fed the little guy breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed the downstairs, mopped the floors, created & emailed a newsletter for church, took a shower AND washed my hair! All before 10:30 am...I'd say it's been a pretty successful day!

Now...if I could just win the lottery and manage to get a long nap too...!Here's the little guy helping me take pictures at church, he was showing all the women how you pose and look at the camera when it's pointed at you!

want it...

2009-03-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

I want this chair from Pier 1 Imports...but there's no way I'm spending $450 on it, even if it is "on sale". Oh well...Little Bubba is enjoying the empty, furniture-challenged house right now!

folding his arms

2009-03-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Just these last couple days, Little Bubba has started folding his arms for prayer. It's really adorable and I can't believe he actually does something we ask him to! (obeying is NOT one of his best traits right now!) He doesn't keep them folded, but hey it's a start!
He won't say the words he used to and we think he's just being stubborn about the whole talking thing...why use words when screaming and whining work too?! And this way, mommy gets to work on her patience problem at the same time!

But, when I see him fold his arms for prayer, I think we must be doing something right!

Happy Birthday Dr.!

2009-03-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

We've officially started the birthday festivities! Birthdays have turned into a week-long event in my family due mostly to busy schedules and chaotic lives! Now that I've got a family of my own...not much has changed there!
I got up early (which I DON'T do for just anyone) and made my man some cinnamon rolls for breakfast (it took a lot of time popping open the Pillsbury can!) and also today they celebrated B.'s birthday at his office and they decorated his area with Superman stuff (you can get older, but you never really grow up!). We (of course the little guy had to help!) opened presents after he got home.Little Bubba got his daddy some new running shoes...which daddy needs in order to keep up with him now! His oh-so-loving, amazingly thoughtful, giving, extraordinary wife (his words, I assure you...!) got him a massage, he has an appointment for relaxation later this week! (hint to my hubby...I have a birthday coming up soon too!)

Because of the Superman themed party at his office today, we surprised B. right before lunch and the little guy was wearing a Superman cape. He was VERY excited to see daddy and started cheering when we pulled into the parking lot...he recognizes the building now, how funny!
After dinner B. put the cape on the little guy again and he thought that was great! He started running all around the house just watching it fly behind him. Then he'd also try to hide behind it. Life father, like son!!!

Aside from B.'s favorite cassarole and lemon cupcakes (his favorite...definitely NOT mine!) that I made today for him, we're having his birthday dinner with his parents later this week (like I said...week-long birthdays are now a tradition!). Also coming up, we're going out to the movies! Usually we go out to a restaurant of the birthday boy's choice and invite any family or friends that want to come, but this year he decided he just wanted to go to the movies with me instead (ahh how sweet), I'm good with that too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK BABE!!!

(and p.s. - we don't care that you're old!)

evening at the park

2009-03-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

After dinner we decided to take the little guy to a park nearby (no rain today!). Mostly he was interested in just walking around, or the 2 dogs that were there with their owner, but we got him to try a few things. Its an older park in a small neighborhood so there were some old school playground toys there, like an old-fashioned single, super tall slide (okay so it probably just seemed super tall when we were kids...). And, there were these rocking horses there too -haven't seen those on a playground in ages!

I'm SO ready for the weather to warm up, give me summer (I'll skip spring if I can have summer!). It will be nice to let Little Bubba get out of the house and play! (not that he wouldn't love to go out and play in the rain and mud...every mom's dream-come-true!)

He Loves Me!

2009-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

We don't really do Valentine's day because I just don't really care! We weren't planning on doing anything this year either but on Friday (the day before Valentine's) my hubby surprised me at lunch by showing up at home! He had flowers and even a little poem I'm sure he made up all by himself..."Roses are red, violets are blue. Your husband Bruce will always love you!" (ahhh thanks honey!)

This really is a RARE treat for me to get flowers from my husband, I can count on one hand (with spare fingers) how many times he's done this! I love him with all my heart! Now my kitchen smells like fresh roses, yumm!

budding personality

2009-02-17T09:18:00.000-08:00

Little Bubba has been developing quit the personality! He talks a lot, but doesn't say much! One of these days we'll actually be able to understand what he's saying. He's gotten both bottom and top mollars in (that was an interesting teething process!) but despite the new chewing capabilities, his favorite food right now is yogurt! He likes to play with doors...even if it means closing himself inside a room without a way out! I'll hear a faint knock on a door and know he's done it again! He's also become quit the helper! He likes to throw his own trash away in the garbage (we've seen him actually do it without touching anything else...amazing!). But, that also means I've found his sippy cup in the trash as well...! Baby steps!A good friend gave Little Bubba a big teddy bear that is REALLY soft and he loves it! He cuddles with it and was even wrestling around with it.

Thanks Kathy, he loves it!

the ultrasound says...

2009-02-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

We went to the doctor's office today for an ultrasound & to see if we're having a boy or girl. The first time we did this (with Chase) I had no idea what I was looking at and couldn't tell really what anything was! This time, it was very different...I could see everthing and it was great! Now that I know what I was looking for it was a lot of fun! So...surprise, surprise, we're having another BOY!
I'm so excited and am happy either way. I think it will be nice for the boys to have each other!
I'm pretty sure we're sticking with the name we've had picked out for a while now (they're family names) Bennett Wayne.

Bruce is excited, however, he realized he needs to paint "the pink room" to accommodate a more masculine occupant! I think he was secretly hoping for a girl just so he wouldn't have to paint that room!

loving laundry!

2009-02-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

Who knew I'd ever be so excited to do laundry?! We finally got a washer & dryer and after a small disaster (water pipe broke while the water was on...running around trying to turn the water off, frantic phone call for help, tearing up the drywall, trip to Lowe's...no big deal -all part of being a homeowner!), we're up and running! Thanks Wayne for all your help...you're such a handy-man!

he's got moves!

2009-02-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

Little Bubba is enjoying his new house! He loves running around and especially chasing the dog everywhere. He's discovered his inner rhythm and loves to dance, we laughed so hard when he first started doing it and it still makes me smile!

We also pulled out some new toys that he got for Christmas but we were waiting to use them until we moved. He really like the giant Superman punching bag, but forget punching it...he'd much rather wrestle and bounce off of it!

donkey basketball

2009-02-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

So have you ever seen or even heard of donkey basketball?...I don't think its going to catch on any time soon, but it was entertaining for a minute or two. We went with some friends and none of us had any idea what it was or what was going on, well, it's exactly what it says it is! People came out on donkeys and TRIED to play basketball (while riding the stubborn animals)! Little Bubba watched intently for a little while and we even took him up to touch one of the donkeys, but he wasn't too sure about that!

Our New House!

2009-01-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

We're still moving stuff into our new house, but we should be all moved in (not unpacked...that'll take decades!) tomorrow! Little Bubba enjoys making trips over to the house and "helping" us move the boxes. We're finding new challenges to overcome with the new place...the little guy has discovered blinds! I don't have a lot of pictures...it's hard to get good pictures of empty rooms without it looking like just a random corner of an empty room!Little Bubba was LOVING the backyard! He got to go out and play for a little bit and kept staring outside after that. (by-the-way...these curtains were left by the previous owners...not my thing, so if anyone wants some floral curtains, let me know!) And of course...his favorite thing, the stairs! He likes to slide down as fast as he can.

I love the open feel of the house and look forward to making it my own (that could take a while...we need A LOT of furniture before it even looks lived in!).

I'm also looking forward to having my family come visit and stay with us!