Chase Family Life

San Diego Final Edition

2012-01-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

I loved SeaWorld! I'm sure I went when I was little; but I don't remember. We had to drive home that day so we only stayed until three; but we could have kept going for several hours.

The boys loved bringing their whales; that they named Shamu; to the Shamu shows. It was so funny watching them make their little animals flip when the big animals did. Luckily we did not get wet; I did not want fishy smell in the car for a seven hour drive.
I know this is not technically the best picture; but I just love it. Look at how cute they are holding hands and carrying their new Shamu. Makes me melt.
After much research; I found the best way to get a souvenir was to win one. After a few "whale races" both boys came away victorious.
They had a little Sesame Street area for the kids. They had rides; shows; games; and huge inflatables to bounce on. I think Logan is getting a little too cool for Elmo; but McKay was excited.
There was also a 4D Sesame Street show. It was hilarious watching Logan try to get the cookie that was popping out of the screen. The food was horrible; but we still had a great time. The sea lion show was hilarious; and the opportunity to spend six days on vacation with my family was priceless.

San Diego Zoo Edition

2012-01-31T15:33:00.000-08:00

We had to do the zoo. Even though we were exhausted. And it is a really hilly zoo. I had no idea how hard it would be to push the stroller up hill. Finally I gave up and made them walk.

This little guy joined us for our picnic outside of the zoo. He especially liked oranges and bread; and would eat right out of your hand. The kids were even brave and tried it.
Of course; McKay liked feeding everything. He kept finding leaves on the ground and giving it to the goat. After a little bit of time; Logan got in on it. They also liked running around the playground.
The zoo had a little helicopter the kids could play in; plus a few little pieces of equipment here and there. After all the excitement of Legoland the animals were not quite as appealing. It was kind of nice to quietly stroll; though. I especially loved the red panda. Google it. So cute.

After the zoo we took our passes and ran to the Natural History Museum; which is so lame I can't even explain; and the Science Center; which was quite cool. We got a quick nap while Loren and Logan watched an IMAX movie on sharks. After a full day out we stayed in our hotel to have dinner and watch the football bowl game. Of course; that night I spent the evening puking fish tacos; but that is another story.

San Diego Knotts Berry Farm Edition

2012-01-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

After our Legoland fun we jaunted up to Anaheim to see Knotts Berry Farm. It was on our Culture Pass so we thought it was worth the drive. They have a little section of the Park called "Camp Snoopy" which had little kids rides and activities. We stayed in this little area the whole time.

It is a little blurry... but can you see the pure joy? The more nauseous a ride is; the more they liked it. Here they took them up and dropped 'em down. The kids threw their arms up in the air and giggled all the way down.
Of course; they loved that they could drive a big "Grandpa truck." They were quite noisy. I was starting to get a little sick; so Loren was a trooper and took them on any ride where I thought I might lose my lunch. They loved the roller coasters; McKay was a little sad he couldn't ride on all of them. Logan surprised me and looked for the biggest; fastest; spinniest ones he could find. And he wanted to ride in the front! The workers would pull him off and make sure he fit because he looked so little. McKay wore thick shoes and a hat to try to sneak on some.
We stayed until closing; and the kids slept all the way back to San Diego. They did so great; no whining or complaining; and only one melt down over not being big enough to ride. So much fun.

San Diego Legoland Edition

2012-01-31T14:35:00.001-08:00

For Christmas this year the boys got Go San Diego passes; which enabled them to see any of 38 attractions over three days. We put those passes to work! Our first stop was Legoland. I had never been there; but had heard that it was great for smaller children. The boys loved it. McKay could go on almost all of the rides; and was easily bribed when he couldn't go on the few coasters Logan could.

Yes; McKay is driving. He was very insulted when I tried to help. Legoland was a boys' dream. They had boats; jeeps; race cars; fire trucks; helicopters; and airplanes. The boys got to drive them all; as well as earn their drivers licence.
The rides were tame enough that Mom and Dad could go on all of them. I even enjoyed the coasters here. We skipped all the play areas in favor of the rides; we have playgrounds in Arizona.
We did have to take a few breaks to rest Loren's feet; however.
We had a great time; and stayed up through nap time. I would certainly go again; there was so much to see and do. Logan said it was his favorite part of the year.

San Diego Boy Edition

2012-01-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

While Loren was working; I had some time to kill. So I took the boys down to the Firehouse Museum in downtown San Diego. We got lost several times; but finally we made it.

There wasn't much to do; but the boys did have some fun checking out the old trucks and equipment.
Then we headed to Home Depot to do some manly projects. McKay built and painted a tool box. Logan built a helicopter; which he preferred in its natural wood color. I freaked out with all the mass of people and bad directions.
We also took the boys to the Visitor's Center at the Mormon Battalion in Old Town. It has been completed remodeled and is very multimedia and hands on. The boys got to get geared up for the march; and experience the wind and rain of the plains. They also got to pan for gold again. Later; we found a Root Beer and Beef Jerky store. Loren was in husband heaven.
The San Diego Temple has always been one of my favorites; so we stopped by to check it out and have a brief Family Home Evening. It is beautiful.

San Diego Beach Edition

2012-01-31T14:13:00.001-08:00

McKay had never been to the beach. It was a sad fact of life. Then Loren got this really wonderful opportunity to give a presentation in San Diego. We; of course; jumped at the chance to accompany him.

Our hotel was right on the beach; so the boys were able to walk outside and play in the sand. You might not be able to tell from the photos; but they are covered in sand. It took me a good fifteen minutes to clean everyone's clothes from this little excursion.

Loren looks so happy! By this time he had finished his presentation and was footloose and fancy free. His presentation was very well received; by the way.
It was slightly difficult to get them to slow down long enough to take pictures. I got them some bubble guns at a swap meet; and they covered the beach in bubbles.

Natural History Museum

2012-01-31T14:06:00.000-08:00

Loren decided to take off a few days around Christmas; so we felt like we got a little vacation. I got a Culture Pass from the library and took everyone to the Natural History Museum; followed by seeing the lights at the Mesa Temple.

While there; you got to pan for gold. The boys went crazy over this; and carried their gold around in their pockets for days. There was a dinosaur section they particularly liked as well.
This is just disgusting. Which is why McKay likes it so much. It makes me want to shudder. Besides getting lost in Mesa we had a great time.

Christmas

2012-01-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

Arg! How do I get so behind on these things? Wasn't it just Logan's birthday? So for Christmas we actually stayed home; which may be the first time in eleven years we have not gone somewhere over the holidays. Crazy.

Logan and McKay were not too impressed with Santa. Although they saw different versions several times; so I think the luster was off.
McKay was quite impressed with his $1 garage sale train transformer. I swear that thing kept him busy for hours.
Sigh. I hate this. The ONLY thing Logan asked for this year was a shot gun. I think because he went clay target shooting with his grandparents and wasn't able to actually shoot a gun. He loved it. I think Loren secretly did as well.

Ah; my cute little shepherd holding a star. Love. Him. Even though he asks for a shotgun.

Harry Potter

2012-01-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

Yes; I am a nerd. I know that. While we were in Orlando we of course stopped at Universal Studios to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The castle was actually a big rollercoster. You got to wind your way through and see offices and dungeons; classrooms and artifacts. It was fun. We only had to wait fifteen minutes in line; which let us hang out and check out everything. Because it was animated and fast I was very proud of myself for going on it and not being a big baby.

We also liked shopping at Hogsmead's village. Butterbeer was delicious and tasted like a melted sucker. The pumpkin juice was disgusting. Julie said it was like french kissing a pumpkin pie. I don't like pumpkin pie so my Mom had to finish it.

I think my Mom was just humoring us since she had never read the books; but she was a good sport and came along for the ride. Julie and I had a great time; although we do wish it were a lot bigger.

Good times.

Disney!

2012-01-11T15:17:00.001-08:00

While Julie was in Afghanistan she made Chief! Yes; I know; she is awesome. While she was stationed for so long; and going through the process; she decided she needed something to look forward to. Thus the trip to DisneyWorld was born. My mom; Julie; and I took off for five fabulous kid free days in Orlando.

We flew out of Phoenix after Thanksgiving and left the boys home with Loren. We chose to stay in a Disney hotel and do the meal plan--which was fabulous. We had great meals at grown up restaurants and didn't have to break down a stroller once. We got to sleep in and leisurely stroll. The kind people at Disney also heard about Julie's service and gave us tickets to Cirque Du Soleil.
I love my girls! It was so fun to hang out with my favorite women ever. We actually didn't spend much time in Disney World; preferring to go to Epcot and the Animal Kingdom.
The Finding Nemo show was amazing. The costumes were just unreal. I wasn't really looking forward to the Animal Kingdom; and just went because my Mom wanted to go. But it ended up being great fun. The safari was interesting and the shows were fabulous.

My Mom liked the Lion King show the best; it was also very entertaining. We brought home a little Mickey for McKay; it has surpassed brown bear as his new lovey. It was hard to come back to reality but I sure did miss my boys!

Balloon Festival

2012-01-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

A balloon festival is on my Mom's bucket list. It has been as long as I can remember. So I was thinking we were pretty lucky when there was a balloon festival in south Phoenix the week before Thanksgiving. Sounds like a good reason for everyone to come visit!

McKay and Julie were checking them out. We had to leave at four in the morning to get there for the dawn launch; but the boys were surprisingly interested. Logan was really into it. We got there early and did some shopping; and stayed late and jumped on bouncies.
It was pretty cool seeing a bunch of them go off as the sun came up. I tried to get close just because I was cold and there was fire. They didn't appreciate that so much. One more thing crossed off!

Soccer Fun

2012-01-03T17:08:00.001-08:00

I don't remember if I have posted about soccer or not. Logan played in the 3-4 year old division this year; and he loved being one of the big boys. He always scored each game; I think his highest was 8 goals. We loved; loved; loved our coach. For some reason; only boys ended up on his team.

What? You want a piece of me?
Bend it like who now?
I love the tiny cleats. I mean "tacos."
Gooooooaaaaaaallllllllllll!
Ah. Hanging out with his team after a particularly muddy and grueling match. McKay can't wait to play next year.

Kids say the darndest things

2011-12-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

While I was in Orlando Loren was kind enough to keep a list of the things the boys said while I was gone. A brief recap:

"They are NOT yummy to me!" McKay on cauliflower
"Logan; if you could be anything in the construction book; what would you be?" "Um.... the the guy reading the paper plans because he gets the most cash money."
"Gage is always the monster. I am sometimes the monster. Ms. Edwards is almost never the monster." Logan on preschool
"Dad; you are not parking in the right spot as Mommy." "I know; McKay; I do things differently from Mommy." Big sigh. "I know..."

I am a Mom of boys

2011-11-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

What? You have never rigged up your balcony so that your boys can repel down the walls? Anyone? No? Huh. Good times.

My little guy turns five!

2011-11-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

I don't believe it. I hate to even think it. He is five. Five! Next year will be kindergarten and I will cry. He is doing soccer again this year, which he loves. It is hilarious to see him running down the field with his "game face" on and his tongue sticking out. His first game he scored six goals. Of course, three were in the wrong goal. Baby steps, right? He averages four to five goals a game and is having a great time. Our coaches this year are amazing.
I should never be put in charge of decorating a cake. Never. This is supposed to be Lightning McQueen.
Logan's grandparents came up for Halloween/Loren's birthday/Logan's birthday and they helped us wrestle a few of his closest friends at a little party in the park. Loren is doing an admirable job of trying to finagle a bunch of little ones in a race. Of course, by the end of the party the cops were called. But that is another story.

Logan is such a sweet, smart little boy. I love how excited he gets about motorcycles. And running. And fixing with dad. I love how he sincerely tries hard to learn and make us proud. I love how he still wants to cuddle with me in the morning. I love it when he works out with me, doing his lunges and sprints. And I love how he is still my little guy. Happy birthday!

Yes. I am a nerd.

2011-11-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't call myself a super Twilight fan. But I certainly do enjoy the books and movies. Even more, I love an excuse to get together with girl friends and giggle. Ladies, I give you the Second Annual Twilight Party.

Co-host Mary and I got together and made homemade mushroom ravioli. From the first book, if you didn't know. Homemade! Like we actually made the pasta! It might not have turned out the prettiest, but I am totally giving us points for trying.
Yes, the cupcakes have Twilight toppers. Awesome. Nicely done, Brit.
And Bella and Edwards red velvet heart-shaped wedding cake. Thanks, Ruth.
No, these are not my action figures. I borrowed them from one of the Young Women. But they are cool, right? If they were mine I would have already taken them out of the packaging and staged a fight.
Of course, LaRisa stands us all up and makes individual lasagnas for everyone! That is just crazy talk. Delicious, delicious, crazy talk.

I'm sad that I didn't take any pictures of the actual party! We had a few games planned but the ladies were having such fun talking that we didn't want to interrupt.

I'm not sure when the last movie is coming out, but you can plan on the 3rd annual party being somewhere close.

Preschool

2011-11-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Logan and McKay both started preschool this year; here they are on their first day of school. McKay goes to a little co-op preschool with some friends from church. Each of us takes a turn with a letter; number; and color. They go once a week for two hours. Crazy enough; it is all boys! McKay loves preschool! He knows all of his letters and numbers; and can count to 20. He especially loves playing with his friends. It is nice to have a little time with Logan as well.

Logan goes to preschool at Anthem Elementary three times a week for two and a half hours. He loves it as well. He knows and can write all of his letters; can count to 100; and is starting to add and subtract. If you tell him his birthday is on the 18th and today is the 2nd he can tell you that there are 16 days left. Smart boy! His teacher evaluations were great; they just wondered what they were going to teach him the rest of the year. He has a good friend there and so especially loves going. I volunteer in the classroom once a month and it is so cute to see him. I thought he was much more shy than he really is. And apparently he loves the ladies just as much as McKay. McKay usually cooperates by taking his nap during Logan's preschool so I can actually accomplish a few tasks. Love my smart little boys!

Camping

2011-11-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

My children love to camp. I don't know why. Is it the peeing on trees? Regardless, they can't get enough. Whenever we want Logan to work on a goal he chooses camping as a reward. So after he finished three months of doing his daily chores we took the boys for a weekend in the woods.

We went to a campsite past Lake Mary's. It rained the whole way up but stopped five minutes from our site. The boys had a blast shooting guns, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, going on hikes, and looking at bugs. Loren was right there for all little gun shooting, don't worry.

We also spent some time crawdadding at Lake Mary's. We barely had time to get our poles in the water before a huge storm rolled in. The boys still had fun checking out crawdad skeletons and drawing in the mud. Loren used to crawdad at this lake when he was younger so it was kind of sweet.

We spent the rest of the time checking out the Flagstaff area and playing in parks. A great weekend away from the heat.

Workin' boys

2011-11-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

So Lowe's does these cute little Saturday workshops for the little ones, I think twice a month. And Home Depot once a month if you are interested. Usually we just let Logan go with Daddy. This time McKay got to go. I love how his apron is the same length as his shorts. The boys got to make binoculars, which they loved. They also got to play with little mini hammers, which they loved even more.

As a side note, I did take Logan once. We "made" a school bus. Yeah. I'm not really trusted with a hammer anymore.

Or a "chicken" as the boys call hammers. I don't really know why.

Summer in Arizona

2011-11-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

I love it when the cacti bloom. It seems so positive and optimistic. Like if a cactus can bloom surely you can do whatever you set your mind to, right?

This was our third Arizona summer and it was kind of a cake walk. That might have something to do with the fact that the kids are older so I am not carrying them around, and something to do with the fact that we have just acclimated. Yeah, I got a little tired of the heat but it was more annoying than anything. Of course, now I am a wussy girl and cannot handle the cold. How did I ever live in Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado? At seventy degrees we are in coats drinking hot chocolate.

I miss you guys!

2011-11-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Arg! It has been so long since I have updated this! I am such a slacker. Way back in June Logan's best friend moved. I got to watch Saylor, Krew, and Dempsey twice a month and loved to see them all play together. Logan was so sad that Saylor left, but since we have family in Idaho hopefully we will get to see them again. Next June?

Montana!

2011-07-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

So my awesome sister Julie got a quick break from Afganistan and we all headed home to Montana to hang out with her. Stacy and I attempted to bring three kids under three and eight pieces of luggage on the plane. It wasn't pretty.

With all the female cousins around McKay's feet never had to touch the ground. All the grandchildren were in town for the first time since Logan was born. The boys loved getting to know their cousins and being spoiled.

Annette's husband Jason is a really good sport. The kids thought it was hilarious to jump on anyone over the age of eight. McKay is without pants. Again.

Annette's kids were so good with my little ones; they showed endless patience.

Logan is really strong! Such a good boy. Who knew that a garden wagon would bring hours of entertainment?

My nephew Eric got married and we had fun planning for that. We also ate a lot of Mexican. And Oreos. And cookies. Okay. Everything. We also visitited old neighbors; celebrated Father's Day with my Dad; had a "pirate party" and went to Julie's reenlistment ceremony. The boys were getting over strep but we still managed to have fun.

Yeah. Not too many hot tubs in Arizona. We were freezing! I wore sweatshirts almost the entire time.

And really what is Montana without a tractor? We swung by my Dad's house to see horses and ride the Rascal up and down the driveway. The boys were transfixed.

I was so happy to see my family. There is nothing like being with them.

Thanksgiving?

I love this guy!

2011-07-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

I can't help it. I love this kid. I know that it is not his third birthday for another three weeks but I have a few minutes and a couple of cute pictures; so it is going to be a little early. Seriously. Look at this kid. He is adorable. And he knows it.

I love that he calls his blanket "white tee tee" just like I did; even though I never taught him. His bear's name is Bear. Of course.
I love that McKay will still snuggle with me and be my little baby. If he is really upset and crying he will start yelling "I want cuddles!" He is so small. He was wearing 12-18 month shorts the other day and I had to roll them to stay up. So it is like he is still my little guy for a little bit longer.

I love that he has boundless energy. He was walking at eight months and really hasn't slowed down.

I love that he is saving for a jet pack. Logan is saving for college.
I love that McKay loves girls. I mean loves them. Once Nursery brought him to me in Young Women's so that I could take him potty. One of the girls was holding him while I finished getting chairs. Then he didn't want to leave. "McKay do you want to go potty?" "No." "Do you want to go to Nursery?" "No." "Do you want a snack?" "No." "Then what did you want to do?" "I want to stay with girls." We are in such trouble with this guy.
I love his cute little dimples. He totally maniuplates me. I love that he is so smart. He knows all of his letters and is working on their sounds. I don't love that he spilled water on this computer and I no longer have access to a comma or a nine; but I still love him.

It seems like McKay has been two forever. I cannot believe he is actually turning three. We love you McKaby!

Potty Training

2011-07-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am officially calling it. McKay is potty trained. I don't know why I bothered as he spends most of the day completely naked. I guess it is because he really did it all by himself. He is exhausted by our summer activities... perhaps you notice him passed out on the floor with his underwear inside out and backwards?

We have been busy this summer. We walk in the mornings; work out at the gym twice a week; go to the summer movie program; hang out at the splashpad; enjoy the Norterra Kids Club; swing by Mother Goose. Pretty much anything that keeps us out of the heat. Of course if we were really smart we wouldn't even be here.

Ummm....

2011-05-27T14:34:00.001-07:00

It was a little quiet this morning. And then I found this.

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

My big sweet boy graduated from preschool! He went one afternoon a week to Busy Kids Preschool, run by Miss Amy. Logan loved preschool, especially when he was the star helper. He got to see the fire station and the aquarium, as well as meet new friends, learn how to write his name, and recognize a few words. At graduation he mentioned he liked making the wind catchers the best.
We brought dimply McKay along for graduation, of course. He loved the candy bar at the end the best.

Logan is next to the girl in pink. He does not like to sing in front of an audience, can you tell?

Here he is marching in. Can you spot my cutie.

We loved Miss Amy, and he learned a ton. I am not ready for summer!

Easter!

2011-05-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Look how big they are this year! I can't even believe it. Loren was nice enough to take the boys to see the Easter Bunny while I was out with the flu, but I forgot to send him with a camera!

Logan has been growing his hair and spiking it with gel. They grow up so fast! Logan and Loren both had strep throat around Easter, but managed to rally for the actual day. We let the boys do an egg hunt in the backyard, they were thrilled.

I think they liked the candy the best, and I found jelly beans work great for "potty candy." I have been slowly working my way through the cadbury eggs I bought on clearance. I love those suckers!

McKay looks so Eastery in his pastels. He loved going to nursery to celebrate. It was weird not having any family here for Easter like we have the past few years.

One of the local churches had a community BBQ and egg hunt. The boys had a great time hunting for eggs, jumping on bounce houses, and trying cotton candy for the first time. We enjoyed being out in the beautiful weather, my allergies were not nearly as bad this year. I'm not real sure why Logan was wearing shooting glasses, but he was happy so....

Rise and Shout

2011-03-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

We are insane. I know it. During our five years at BYU we came to love the University, and all that it stood for. We also love our BYU athletics. Loren and I have been together for ten years, and during that time we have gone to at least one game a year (Texas A&M in the beginning, then BYU). Even in Colorado we made it to a game.

Until this year.

Somehow we made it through the season without making it to a game. This just seemed wrong to me. So when I realized BYU was playing their last MWC tournament in Vegas, I decided we had to go. Plus, you know, Jimmer. I wanted the chance to watch him once. I found some cheap tickets online, got a cheap hotel, and convinced Loren to take a day off work.

We left Wednesday after work and drove the four and a half hours to Vegas. Our room was a little sketchy, but it worked. The next day we had some time to kill so we tried to hit the midway at Excalibur. It was closed, of course.

So we rode the tram quite a few times, looked at some aquariums, got a pretzel, tried to see the lions at MGM, and talked to quite a few MWC fans.

Then off to the game!
I saw a few old friends, which was great. It was so much fun to be surrounded by BYU fans. The game was rocking, it was almost like a home game.
Logan was happy, he has been wanting a hot dog with bun forever. Hot dogs are pretty much banned from this home, so he was ecstatic.
By the end he was cheering and standing, and yelling for BYU. Cutie. He got that from me.

McKay, however, the little turkey. After going to bed at ten thirty and getting up at six, he just couldn't make it. I don't know how he stayed asleep next to a yelling mommy, but he managed. I kind of want my money back. Since he slept we actually got to pay attention to the game, which was nice. Unfortunately, because of his hour long nap, neither child slept on the way home.

While it wasn't the Jimmer-Show-record-breaking-52-points of the next evening, we still won and had a good time.

Now we are ready for March Madness. Go, Cougars!

Just dance!

2011-03-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

We had our amazing Young Women over for a Just Dance (I think, a game on the wii?) competition. The boys loved it! They kept asking the next day when the girls were coming over again. Enjoy some dancing fun! Maybe if we had actually given them a controller they could have avenged the Chase name?

Feeding Time!

2011-03-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last month Loren was asked to give a guest lecture at the University of Arizona in Tuscon. We thought it might be fun to get out of town for a bit, so we loaded up the kids and headed down. We didn't have a lot of time, so besides checking out their main street and having some yummy Greek food we didn't really see much.

But then, oh then, we stopped at the deer/ostrich/bird/donkey/goat feeding place. So fun.

The boys learned the proper feeding methods from their outdoorsy daddy.
And then the cheeseballs took off. They liked the deer the best, and the flapping birds the least. It was so funny to see the difference in the kids. McKay took right to it, thinking it was hilarious. Logan took a lot longer to warm up, a good ten minutes before he would go near the animals, and only then the gentle ones.
McKay however.... A six foot bird? Pssht. I got this, Mom. He sauntered right up to the scary things, even I wouldn't go near them. They bite!
Good times had by all.

Awesome giveaway!

2011-02-24T17:19:00.000-08:00

So. When I worked at the BYU Scholarship Office (and I truly and desperately miss my "family" there) I had the amazing opportunity to not only work with people I loved, but I got to meet genuinely wonderful people. Within the first few months of my working there I met a great young woman, and over the course of the next five years I had to the chance to meet three of her four amazing sisters. I still have the church bag she made for me, perhaps you've seen it? The whole family is wonderful and sweet, and so, so talented. Like, it makes you insanely jealous talented. The. Whole. Family. Not really fair, but what do you do? Anyway, she is doing a giveaway on her blog, so check it out and win some free original artwork: http://lovesamandchas.blogspot.com/. It is quite the inspiring blog, so stick around and read awhile.

(P.S. While I am thinking of BYU... I have officially changed Cosmo's name to Cosmo Jimmer Chase. He needed a middle name anyway. Go, Cougs!)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

We are old. And lame. There is no way anyone in this house is making it to midnight. When did this happen?

My awesome friend Sally had a countdown to noon party for the little ones. Staying up until noon? That I can handle. The boys got pancakes, noisemakers, confetti and balloons. I got to be asleep by ten. Everyone was happy.

After the Easter egg fiasco I was glad that Logan got into the popped balloons and noisemakers.
McKay and Loren made his cute hat, which he wanted to sleep in.

I made five or six goals for the year, and gave the boys two each. Potty training here we come. (That one was McKay's, by the way).

Reunion Fun

2011-01-18T21:14:00.001-08:00

Besides Christmas festivities, we had a great time getting together with the whole Chase clan for some good old fashioned fun. We stayed at a lodge all together for a few days and there was no excuse to be bored.

McKay is modeling his very first pair of Cabela's snow pants. Somewhere my Dad is very, very proud. I think Logan and McKay enjoyed the sledding the best.

Here McKay is being a bear and growling. We found some animal skins lying around--I'm not really sure what type it was.
We also had a family-wide "sock-war." Two of Loren's sister-in-laws are trying to take him down. After taking the picture I jumped in and got him out. Of course, I got picked up and thrown on the floor for my efforts; but he got a foot in the neck. Our boys loved wrestling with their cousins, who were so good natured and willing to play.
We also tried out cross country skiing. I loved it. The boys not so much. Perhaps downhill next time? I took plenty of spills, but still, good times.

Loren pulled the kids in a sled behind him, but they were just too tuckered out. McKay fell asleep in the sled on the way back to the lodge.
We watched movies, played games, had a fireside, ate great food, did crafts, played the Wii, and caught up with all our awesome family members.

Thanks Kevin and Becky, we had a great time!

Christmas with the Chase's

2011-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

After our Idaho jaunt we joined the rest of Loren's brothers and sisters for a little Utah reunion. The boys went crazy with joy. On Christmas Eve the cousins got together to perform the Nativity, sing songs, and read Luke 2. The boys were sheep, and were adorable--as are all Chase children.

Then, we all got to open our new pajamas! Logan got some fire fighter pajamas that he wants to sleep in every night. We made McKay go to bed before this tradition, so he didn't know about his new truck pajamas until the next day.
This was the first year Logan really understood what Christmas was, and it was quite the exciting event!
McKay still doesn't really have a clue, but there was candy so he was happy.

Boys and their Toys

2011-01-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

We left our beautiful 70 degree temperatures to drive up to frigid Utah. We enjoyed the new Hoover Damn bypass, but not the wind and cold that greeted us in Nevada. After some time in Provo seeing friends we headed up to Franklin, Idaho, to stay with Loren's parents. We borrowed snow clothes for the family (thanks, Mary and Lisl) and introduced McKay to the white stuff outside.

While there we got to drive tractors, four wheelers, and shovel snow. For some reason the kids loved shoveling snow. I got to drive the quads for the first time in the snow, and had a great time.

Luckily we only have a rock yard in Phoenix, so Loren has no chance of talking me into one of these.
Everyone got a turn.
Notice the shovel in the background?

We also got to hit the Pepperidge Farm factory, play with new toys, and enjoy spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. Also, one of these days I will win at pinochle. Not any time soon, mind you, but one of these days.

Christmas Part One

2011-01-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

I took the boys to see Santa at a ward party. The enjoyed chasing around the girls and eating ice cream. They were a little less excited to see Santa.

I love Gingerbread Day at the library. I look up the registration day in November, I put it on the calendar, and I call right at nine. I'm a little weird about it, to be honest. But if you could just go, you would understand. The boys get to read Gingerbread stories, sing Gingerbread songs, and then... decorate Gingerbread people! Ah, the happiness of it all. The best part is that they share! McKay's was prettier, as he let me help more, but Logan is quite proud of his creation.

The Polar Express (or Expreth if you are McKay)

2011-01-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

Our boys love trains, especially little McKay. So we decided that we were going to take them on the Polar Express train while they were little, and still in the Christmas mood.

We invited Loren's parents to come down to balmy Arizona and join us in the fun. Besides some fishing, soccer, hunting, and general playing we planned to take the hour or so train ride out of Williams, Arizona.

We stopped at a Route 66 themed restaurant for dinner, which Logan loved. Then to the train! We put on pajamas and enjoyed cookies, hot chocolate, and looking at all the lights.
It was more fun with grandparents!
After going through a magic light tunnel we made it to the North Pole and picked up Jolly Santa Claus.
The boys and Grandpa got bells for being such good kids.
I can still hear the bell ring, can you?

I am officially a soccer mom

2011-01-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know that soccer ended in December... I'll admit I'm a little behind.

This fall we decided to enroll Logan in the beautiful game; futbol. His team was part of our community center, so all the games and practices were five minutes away. We also signed him up with two of his buddies, Collin and Mason, so he was guaranteed a good time.

Soccer for four-year-olds is hilarious, of course. Mostly we were excited if they were running in the right direction. The first game didn't go so well, but as the season progressed he started to warm up. He still fell more than the average child; we worked on getting up without crying.
Here is Logan getting ready to take a kick. Look how small he is! What a little cutie!
By the end of the season he was usually getting a goal or two each time; this picture was taken right before he got a goal.
There is a three month break before the next session, but Logan is already asking when he can start again. McKay is also desperate to get on the field, they play a lot at home and I am glad nothing has broken yet.

I love the cleats (tacos?) and the shin guards. Go, Logan!

I Did It!!!

2010-12-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

I. Don't. Run. Did you see the period at the end of that sentence? Because it was a pretty declarative statement. I remember the fourth grade, being the second to the last person to finish the one mile run--and I'm pretty sure the other kid was walking. I have never been able to run. Whenever we did those Presidential Fitness programs in school I always counted on the "sit-and-reach" and "arm hang" (girls didn't have to do chin-ups) to make up for my truly embarrassing running times. When I learned in health class that certain people are more "white meat" muscles and others are more "dark meat" I just assumed I was the one who couldn't run.

I moved to Arizona last year, which happened to be only an hour and change from my little sister, Stacy. I was talking to her in January when she mentioned she was running a 5k in October. I decided to do it with her. I was extremely nervous, but I thought I had ten months to train so I could probably handle it. Being a new SAHM, I needed a goal to work towards.

When I first started running I could run exactly .2 miles, from our house to our park. That's it. Embarrassing, right? I hadn't run a mile in over 15 years, and had never run more than a mile in my entire life. But I started slow. And kept at it.

In May Stacy and I ran a 2 mile race in Prescott. We came in at about 22 minutes and were extremely proud of ourselves. To be fair, it was a very hilly course. I started working towards three miles, buying a treadmill so I could run inside during these awful Arizona summers.

Then I got up to three miles! Awesome!

(Stacy and I getting ready to run the Anthem Turkey Trot 5k.)
(Me, Stacy, and others from the Eyecare Associates of Prescott team, running the October Fight Against Diabetes 5k.)

A funny thing happened one night in August as I was preparing for our October race. I ran four miles. I realize that to my awesome running friends this is a nice warm-up; but to me it was incredible. I began to get the feeling that maybe I really could run. I decided, as I was running and had nothing to do but think, that maybe I could do more than I thought. I decided to run a 10k in December. I called my father-in-law, Ray, and asked him if he wanted to run with me. He is amazing and jumped right in.

Over the next two months Stacy and I ran our two 5k races and I slowly worked up to my 6.2 miles. When December came I was able to run a nice race, I didn't feel winded or tired, just happy to see everyone.
McKay ran up to meet Ray, who promptly picked him up and ran him across the finish line. Logan joined in soon after this was taken. Cutie!
I finished with a time of 1:01 and change. Had I known I was that close I would have picked it up a little more!

So why the long post? Because I have told myself for 20 years that I can't run. And I can. It might not be fast, and it might not be pretty, but I can do it. So what other things have I told myself that I can't do? I learned that while I may not have innate talents in certain areas, that doesn't mean that they are impossible. It may take a whole year to do it, but it can be done. Now I'm trying to decide what to do for next year.

What have you told yourself you "can't" do?

Thanksgiving!

2010-12-06T19:40:00.001-08:00

A holiday for eating? Count me in. My Mom flew down to hang out with us for a week, and Stacy and Lilly came to join the fun. The kids enjoyed playing with each other:

And they especially loved all the extra attention they received from Grandma!

We took the boys to the Train Park, where they got to take a ride and play on the equipment.

Of course they thought they should climb on the roof:

I'm not really a fan of pumpkin pie (gross), so I made some alternatives:

Loren cooked a delicious turkey, after participating in a hard fought turkey bowl. Stacy, Mom and I thought it would be a great idea to go to the Anthem Outlets at 10 pm on Thanksgiving, which was insanely crowded. We stood in line for two hours, and the interstate was backed up an hour as well. After getting home at midnight we thought it would be great fun to get up at 4:00 for more shopping! Three stores and we were home by 7 to greet our waking kiddos! Um. Perhaps not my smartest move ever. My best purchase was 30 batteries for $3.50. Maybe next year I'll pay extra and sleep.

What a great week!

Logan is Four!

2010-12-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe our little guy is four already! Sometimes it seems as though we've always had him, and other times it feels as though we had him just yesterday. Logan is such a good kid. He is pretty mellow and low key. He is also shy until he warms up. He is so funny in that sometimes he is afraid to show his excitement, and the happier he is the smaller his smile gets. Logan will still cuddle with me, and want to be carried. He really likes to "fix" things with Daddy, and bake with Mommy.

Logan loves Lightning McQueen, he has worn out our copy of the video and consistently asks for McQueen related presents. Here he is blowing out the candle on the Lightning McQueen cake my Mom made for him (notice I took their shirts off before giving them cake--I learned a few things in these four years).

For his birthday we had his Grandma, Aunt Stacy, and cousin Lilly come over for dinner and presents. He has so many people who love him! We also brought cupcakes to park day and preschool, and went out to McDonalds with a friend to celebrate.

In his new Lightning McQueen bedroom, complete with a Cars bedspread and pillow (courtesy of my mom).
The other night while Logan was saying his prayers he mentioned "and thank you to my loyal fans." We sure do love our little guy!

I love Anthem!

2010-11-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

I love, love, love Anthem for Halloween. Growing up in Montana, you really only got to wear a mask because the rest of your costume was covered by your snow suit. Your mom waited in the car with the heat running, and you dashed from house to house. We never even had any trick or treaters brave coming to our house--it was grad school before I ever had to buy candy. Here in Arizona you can wear whatever you want, it is perfect weather. Our neighborhood is so awesome for Halloween, everyone decorates and gets out and has block parties, with food for the parents and treats for the kids. The houses are close as well, so you can clean up in a short amount of time. People are also very generous with the little ones.

Nothing like McKay being a cheeseball to get you in the holiday spirit! His favorite color is orange, and he constantly wanted to wear his pumpkin shirt.

Ah, he cleans up well! Such a ferocious looking dragon!
Very official looking fire fighter.
When it was time for trick-or-treating we were joined by my sister, brother-in-law, and niece Lilly. Aren't they so cute? Stacy, also feeling deprived from Montana Halloween, was a trick-or-treating machine. Finally, Logan asked if he could go home and go to bed. Silly kid.
We love having family close, McKay especially likes getting cuddles from Stacy.

Trampolines, Space, and First Days of School

2010-11-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

Not the greatest picture, I know, but I ran out of batteries before I could take another one. I took the boys to "JumpStreet" with their friends--basically a big bouncy/trampoline place. If you know anything about McKay you know that the kid loves to bounce. All. The. Time. He rocks himself to sleep, he rocks when he's in his car seat, he rocks when he's bored... Needless to say, it was his favorite day ever. Logan was excited just to play with his friends, McKay was excited to spend two and a half hours in perpetual motion. It was a good nap day.

Some day in October, I can't remember which one, was a free museum day sponsored by the Smithsonian. We took the kids to the Space Center, the kids reaction can pretty much be summed up in the picture below:

A little unsure and hesitant. I think they were maybe a little too young, there were a lot of displays they couldn't touch. But, hey, it was free! And they got to eat ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Maybe we'll try again when they are a little older. We did manage to find some fun:
The big news since the last post was that Logan started preschool! He just goes once a week for three hours, but he loves it! Miss Amy at Busy Kids does a great job, and I already knew most of the kids/moms involved. He has made great progress on writing his name and loves to come home and show us his projects. He got a Lightning McQueen backpack to start school, and he feels like such a big boy when he sports it.

Logan

2010-10-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Just two quick notes that I didn't want to forget.

One: I am learning to be a mom of boys. Today while I was running on the treadmill I managed to make a ramp and race cars with Logan, all without breaking my stride or slowing down. I'm learning how to deal with all this boy stuff! Of course, Logan mostly liked to drop cars on the treadmill and watch them go careening off the back.

Two: Logan's hair is kept really short, so we never really brush it. Today he got out of the shower and decided to use my comb. Then, my quiet, shy, sweet little boy looked in the mirror and said, "I look dangerous."

Hysterical.

McKay is Two!

2010-09-13T21:07:00.001-07:00

McKay turned two in August, which is so incredible to me. He is so, so tiny, he is still in 12 month clothes. But he is funny, and loving, and often a pill. He believes that he can get out of anything by dimpling up, the sad thing is, it works more than I would care to admit. McKay loves Thomas the Train, Elmo, cars, and playing with anything that Logan has.

I love him looking down at the Elmo cake, while Logan is obviously thrilled about the prospect of sugar.

He is excited to be in a rocking contraption, as he rocks himself to sleep every night. We actually had to pad his crib because the rocking got so loud, and the back of his head starting losing hair.

My mom got him a new tricycle, which the boys love to fight over. Logan thinks it is his "motorcycle" which he can only drive while wearing his red fire fighter hat and sunglasses. I don't know why.

With his new scooter, tricycle, and Thomas the Train remote control and tracks. He is obviously excited for the "manly" toys.

Excited for cake! One of my favorite things about him is that he calls his special blanket "tee-tee," just like I did. No one ever mentioned it, he just did it. He also tells me he loves me every night, and will still cuddle with me. My favorite part of the day may be listening to his morning conversations with Loren. He wakes up singing, so every day I hear Bob the Builder or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I will take it over the beep of an alarm any day! Although, he doesn't have a snooze button. I love the little guy!

Family fun

2010-08-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed our chance to stay and play with the awesome Chase families of Utah and Idaho. We had sushi with Grandma and Grandpa and Brent and Lori, and crashed Kevin and Becky’s house. The kids absolutely adored hanging out with their cousins, playing in the pool, tinkering with trains, and enjoying the green yard. Thanks for putting up with us, guys! It was so fun to be with you! I didn’t get my camera out much, but here is McKay enjoying his first corn on the cob (raw).

And, as a testament to how much fun Logan had, he didn’t even make it ten minutes in the car before this:

McKay, of course, the little turkey, was a bit more perky.

All in all, a great trip, a nice escape from the heat. Happy times with loved ones!

We love weddings

2010-08-10T20:35:00.001-07:00

The real purpose of our Utah visit, to see our friend Betsy get married, was amazing. I only cried a little. But, it was her wedding and not ours, so here are just a few pictures.

We love you, Betsy!

It has been almost 8 years since we got married here. Aww.

BYU Cougars!

2010-08-10T20:30:00.001-07:00

I had worked with the kids all week, teaching them the BYU fight song so that they would be prepared for our visit. It was so fun to see everyone, have some J-Dawgs, eat some fudge, and enjoy the beauty of Provo. We stayed with my awesome former boss Duane, who graciously put up with our shenanigans. I didn’t get any great shots on campus, but I got some adorable ones at Betsy’s reception that evening.

What happens in Vegas…is pretty tame, actually

2010-08-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

We decided to not push our luck, and broke up our Utah trip into two parts. We did this at the last possible minute, booking a hotel the day we left. Loren’s brilliant idea? Circus Circus in Vegas, baby! Actually, this was a fabulous idea. The only problem was that we got in at 11 at night, and had to stand in line for an hour! What a ridiculous city! I could not believe there was such a line at that hour of night. The kids were a little unsure of the situation, so I did what any good mom would… changed them while we stood in line and then plied them with Fruit Roll Ups. What? It was midnight and they had been in the car for five hours. Don’t judge me.

After a nice rousing rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Bob the Builder” at 4 am (courtesy of McKay, who sings himself to sleep) we all woke up at a nice leisurely 9 am. Heaven. We decided to get the wiggles out before driving another 5 hours, so we took them on a few rides…

And then got $5 worth of tickets and let them play a few games. You can tell Logan/Daddy had some good times. The kitties they won are named “Lightning McQueen” and “Racecar.” After a manager saw the boys fighting over Racecar, he gave a kitty to McKay as well.

Just look at the joy.

We got a great big convoy…

Now if only we could avoid the car ride.

Getting out of the heat!

2010-08-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

One Friday we decided to get out of the heat and head up to Flagstaff. We went ninety minutes north and went from 110 to 82. Ahhh....

One of the activities we tried was the lava tubes. Perhaps a better idea in concept than reality. I think the kids will really like the caves when they are a few years older, but it was cold and wet and they had to climb down a bunch of boulders. Logan wanted to get out right away. It is kind of strange when you think of it, he wants to climb all over everything until he has permission...

We also stopped by the Pioneer Museum so the boys could see the trains. They loved it, of course. They were sad they couldn't go in the trains, but we got plenty of smiles just for getting up close.

McKay kept asking where Thomas the Train was.
Logan picked up this little passport booklet at the visitor center--a former train station. He carried it around everywhere, and when I was reading in the hotel that night he decided he wanted to read his book as well.

It was too cloudy to go to the observatory, but we had fun going to a small Greek restaurant and checking out the shops. Loren grew up in Flagstaff so we saw his old house, elementary school and playing fields.

August has just started so I wouldn't be surprised if we had to go back!

Random Dimply Cuteness

2010-07-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

Is dimply even a word? These didn't fit any where else, but he is just too cute not to share. I posted several entries tonight, so settle in with a nice glass of ice water and scroll on down. Unless you are still in Montana, then maybe a hot chocolate.

There is a picture in Loren's baby book that looks exactly like this! Change the eye color and it is a little spooky! Both cuties!

Ah, love my boy!

Don't Judge Me (Nerds Part Two)

2010-07-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I don't dress up in costume and wait in line for a movie to come out, because that would be way too nerdy. However, throwing a party before a movie comes out? Totally fun!

Mary, Lisa and I (aren't we cute?) decided that we needed to throw a party in honor of the movie Eclipse (now in theaters!)

We got together some of the biggest Twilight fans we knew (looking awesome, ladies), and had a great girls night in. We played some Twilight Scene-It, had a very intense Jacob v. Edward debate, and listened to a very entertaining and educational PowerPoint presentation on Stephenie Meyers. We might have also learned how to stalk her, but I can neither confirm nor deny. You will have to check Lisa's blog. And her directions.
We also had awesome themed foods. Here is some lovely red soda.
Some puppy chow and Emily's chocolate muffins.
And, of course, red hots and vampire cookies. We also had fortune cookies with movie quotes, apples and red velvet cake. Thanks, Mary for the great job on the food. Lisa, nicely done on the entertainment. Thanks for coming ladies! (PS--We still haven't seen the movie yet, but are planning for next week... who's in?)

Science Center (Nerds Part One)

2010-07-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

So, we had free passes to go to the Arizona Science Center. It was air conditioned, it had hands-on stuff for the kids to do... sounds great, right?

The kids had a great time! Maybe the adults did as well.

McKay really liked these dots you stepped on to play different types of music and sound.

Logan liked seeing how much weight dad could lift. We also listed to a little science show, had a little weather demonstration, and put our faces online. All in all a cool day.

Father's Day!

2010-07-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

This year we had a pretty relaxed Father's Day. Logan and I made a little tape measurer out of a mac-n-cheese box (thanks, Family Fun!) that said "You rule, Dad" when you pulled out the tape. Loren also got a candy thermometer, 2 polo shirts, and some beef jerky. Mmmm... Father's Day goodness!

Teeth Time

2010-07-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

A little explaining. First, I let the kids brush their own teeth, but then I "finish up." I brush while singing the ABC's. Second, whenever the kids get hurt we inject them with "medicine" by making our fingers into a pretend syringe and making a "kkkshhhttt" sound. You'd be amazed how long that has worked. I found McKay doing this while I was getting dressed.

Just to make Julie laugh

2010-06-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

So, I took a 2 hour nap and can't sleep. I found this old video of Logan, it is my favorite. Enjoy!

Definitely boys!

2010-06-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

In the past week I took our boys to the train park and camping. One was a certain success, the other, eh, not so much. They loved, loved, loved the trains. Logan especially cannot wait to go back. They took a train and a carousel ride, went on a short little train ride, played in mud, and ran around on the playground equipment.

We took the boys to the ward campout... and learned that McKay is too young to camp. They had fun until we packed up and left at

at 10:30 at night.

I also marked one year as a stay-at-home mom. It is by far my hardest job, but there are certain rewards I cannot receive with other employers. I have learned a few things in my first year:

1) Hand sanitizer takes out marker used on microfiber couches

2) Always keep toilet paper rolls, they are used in a ton of crafts

3) Get the paper. There are a lot of activities going on

around Phoenix, and you can get fun ideas and coupons by just paying attention

4) I have to have an activity planned almost every day. I go crazy if I know I have to stay home all day with the boys, I have to get out of the house. We try to go to something in the morning and leave the afternoon for naps.

5) Enjoy the nap. Relish the nap. Do not take the nap for granted.

6) Kids, if you let them, actually can eat PB and J seven days

a week.

7) Oh, if you find a blue soup like mess in a diaper--it was the Fruit Loops.

A SAHM doesn't get sick days, vacation days, retreats, bonuses, work lunches, or incentives. But, McKay hugs me, Logan tells me he is proud of me, and I get to see all of their little moments. I sure do love my boys.

Just some Children's Museum Pictures for Grandma

2010-05-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

New Stuff

2010-05-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

When our lovely tax return came in we finally got some carpet on our first level. The kids are boys and they need to be able to tumble around. They are loving it! McKay will roll off the couch: "Mommy, I fell down!" Giggle. Repeat. Endlessly. I have even fallen asleep on the floor. We still have a never ending expanse of tile, but we need to take baby steps. At least I no longer hear an echo.

Sigh. Yes, I caved. We had Ray's car for a few weeks, and I got used to having two cars. Loren convinced me it was cheaper to get a motorcycle, and that Arizona is really a great place to own one. The kids love it, I cannot get them loaded into the car until they sit on it a few times. Logan wants to know when he gets one.

May Bits and Pieces

2010-05-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Some cool ladies in the ward and I have set up a co-op preschool for a few 3 year-olds. We each take a turn teaching and assisting. Here is Logan and his friends making a vinegar and baking soda volcano. The letter of the day was "V," he also got to play a violin. Logan can usually tell you what he did, and what letter he learned about. He knows his ABC's by sight, but cannot draw them yet. I have "W" on Monday--any ideas?
Logan has given up nap time (sigh) but will still go upstairs and play quietly for 40 minutes or so. Yesterday he came down with some new attire, and wanted his picture taken. He also has put a tie on McKay (didn't last long enough for a picture, but was adorable) and his friend Mason. Ah, he's getting so big! I was listening to his conversation with his friend Brea last week, it went something like this... Brea: "Let's play house. I'll be the mommy and you be the daddy. Logan: Um... How 'bout I just be the Logan bad guy." I don't force gender roles on him, he is just picking them up.
Mother's Day was awesome! Loren took the boys while I went and got a massage, we all went out for Chinese, and Logan made me this cool present! He is starting preschool one day a week this fall, and went for one session to make sure it was a good fit. It happened to be the day they were making the presents. He got to paint, frost and draw! Score! He is going to love it.

Now for the bitter portion of the blog. We moved here less than a year ago in part to be closer to the two Chase families in the area. One family moved in February, and Mom and Dad Chase moved last week. I might have cried. I love my in-laws, and having them so close by was amazing. The kids have felt very comfortable around them, and have developed a close relationship. I think Dad Chase was pretty proud when McKay came running out of the house towards him yelling "Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa!" Of course, he didn't look so excited when the next sentence was "I POOPED!" We want them to be happy in Idaho, but they better visit as much as they have promised. These boys grow up when you aren't looking.

Does he get a tip?

2010-05-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

I love it when everyone is happy. Wheee!

McKay!

2010-05-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a little video of McKay. He decided this weekend he wanted to go potty on the potty chair, so we let him. Don't get excited, he is not ready, it is just a new toy. But he sits and chats so I thought I would get an example of his new words. What a cutie!

Dolores!

2010-04-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

My lovely and talented aunt/Godmother Dolores came down from Colorado to visit. Logan was beside himself with excitement. He was ecstatic to show all the new skills he has learned in the last year. We went to the Mesa Children's Museum, an art walk, had some Honduran food, went to an Asian festival, and hung out with the boys. Logan keeps asking when she is coming back, but hopefully we will be in Colorado next to see her! It was so great to have her here.

Logan is starting to get serious about giving up his nap, he usually sleeps just one or two days a week. This is a sad, sad development. We have been having quiet time, and he has been helping to make dinner--which he loves. He has been loving the nice weather and playing outside, he wants to ride his tricycle all day long (especially if McKay will consent to ride along). My favorite new thing he does is when you ask him if he wants something, he will say in this very business like tone "That would be great."

McKay is on a growth spurt, I can definitely tell the difference when I pick him up. He is on a speaking frenzy, and can say McKay and Logan and pretty much whatever you ask him to. I defy anyone to be able to say 'no' to him when he holds your cheeks and says "fruit snackths peas mommy?" The lisp is adorable.

I ran 3.1 miles this weekend! It was on the treadmill, but still, I was excited. Stacy (my sister) and I made a New Year's Resolution to run a 5k this year, so I am well on the way. We are running a 2 mile race in Prescott this weekend. I'll post pictures as proof!

Manly man

2010-04-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics of Loren's successful fishing trip with his Dad. Anyone need some catfish?

Easter pics

2010-04-05T21:55:00.001-07:00

Easter!

2010-04-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

On Friday we went to the park with some friends from church and had a cascarones (eggs filled with confetti that you hit over people's head) hunt. Great idea, except for Logan's huge fit. He did not understand why kids were hitting him and then breaking his eggs! Poor guy! McKay just wanted to be held the whole time. Once Logan settled down they enjoyed their time with their friends. Thanks for the fun time, Lisa (sorry about the freak-out)!

I took the boys to see the Easter Bunny and decorate cookies. Neither child was too impressed with the big bunny, but Logan had a cookie with a frosting tower, so he was happy.

Saturday Loren's Mom and Dad came up to play, and we took Logan on his first fishing trip. He "caught" a fish! It was awesome! He also got to drive the boat, and picked up a discarded floating toy. That evening we made gyros by roasting lamb on the grill. We also went to Michael's and made free Easter buckets, the boys loved it.

Sunday we got to watch conference with Ray, Sharon and Alice. We also had an Easter egg hunt and had Easter baskets. Some Easter dinner with everyone capped off a great weekend. (Then on Monday my sister Stacy brought me two Cadbury eggs--making Easter complete!)

Home, home on the range

2010-03-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

I love my family! The boys and I went to Montana to see my family and

celebrate my sister Annette's

wedding. It was super fun to see everyone, and enjoy the opportunity to have a shower every morning. We took the kids to the Montana Children's Museum ($4 and kids under two are free!), the park, to a pampered girls party (Logan came home with purple painted toenails with stickers) and fed them tacos and nachos from my favorite restaurant. McKay desperately loved sitting on the motorcycles at my Mom's work, and didn't want to leave.

The plane ride was okay. My awesome friend Marielle lent us her DVD player, and my mom bought the boys "Cars" so that helped a lot. McKay just doesn't like to sit still so it was a struggle. McKay keeps yelling "airplane, Mommy" whenever he sees one in the air, and Logan asks when we can take another ride. So apparently they had more fun on the plane than I did.

This is my cute sister Annette and her new husband, Jason, and family. Also there is a picture of my sister, Julie, and I wearing the wedding colors of green, black and white. Thanks for playing with us, guys! We love you and miss you!

Haircut!

2010-03-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

After

Before

Arizona just got a little lonely

2010-03-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

Chris, Kendi, and kids, whom we absolutely love, have decided to embark on a new adventure in North Dakota. Because they only lived an hour away we have had the chance to play often, and the boys have absolutely loved hanging out with their cousins. We were able to enjoy the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with this awesome family. As we were driving away after saying good-bye Logan started crying "I want Cody! I want Macie! I want Erin!" It was so sad, he so loves them. Loren has so appreciated the time he had with his brother, and I loved getting to know more amazing Chase family members. The eight months we had with them here were not long enough! Good luck with your new adventure, we love you!

Rrrrrriiiibbbiitt

2010-03-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I'm the only one who thinks this is hilarious--but I think it is the funniest thing McKay does. He can't quite master the jump, but thinks saying ribbit and throwing himself around counts. Cute!

The things kids say!

2010-02-18T14:21:00.001-08:00

I'm really enjoying the three-year and 18-month stages. Logan is now able to have complete conversations, and sometimes they just crack me up. He has tried to be such a big brother, telling me that he wants to catch McKay at the end of the slide and getting him down, helping wake McKay up, and singing songs. The other day I saw the two of them playing on the bath mat: Logan--"Okay, McKay, welcome to preschool. It's time to sit down so we can get started." Hysterical. We use carpet squares for preschool, apparently our bath mat resembles one. I have also seen him holding a little religious booklet like a sheet of music and singing a song entitled "Jesus starts with 'F'" while playing on his keyboard. My favorite Logan statement may be what I heard while Loren was caring him up on his shoulders: "Dad, you're squishing my junk!" I am the mom of boys.

McKay continues to talk up a storm, he will repeat many of the words you say and has a few sentences. He can now sing his ABC's and will sometimes even jam along on the keyboard while singing. He still mostly just tags along with Logan, not being old enough for his own activities yet. But he is starting to drive a few cars in the backyard, and really enjoys pretend play--especially cooking and mixing and pouring.

My mom came and visited for a week, the kids loved playing with their grandma and cousins. Logan got lots of one-on-one learning time and McKay received a lot of cuddles. We took them to the Children's Museum on the free night. Not so sure that was the best idea. It was super crowded and noisy but the kids loved it. Enjoy the pics!

We love you, Grandma

2010-01-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

I just want to write a brief post on the passing of my grandma, Violet Kueffler. She was an amazing, strong woman. She loved babies, and enjoyed the chance she had to hold all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Here she is hanging out with Logan (I was six months pregnant with McKay at the time) and feeding and smiling with McKay.

A couple of memories come to mind. My grandma was my kindergarten teacher and elementary school principal. While I was in kindergarten one of the students called her a mean name. Well, mean to a five-year-old. I punched the kid. Pretty sure I gave him a bloody nose. But when my grandma found out she refused to punish me.

If I had to sum up my grandma in a word it would be tough. By sheer force of will she accomplished so many things. I remember being a second grader and hearing the parents talk about how they were worried about my grandma retiring because she was the only thing keeping St. Joesph's running. They were trying to figure out how to keep her. Turns out, they were right to be worried, a year after she retired the school closed. She was amazing and gave so much to the school and the parish. We love you and will miss you!

Christmas with the Chases

2010-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas is always a happy occasion in our household, and this year was no exception. Logan still doesn't know who Santa is, but enjoyed all the trappings of Christmas. He was a little scared of Santa, but McKay just sat down for a nice little chat. A lovely lady in our ward dropped off a Little People's nativity set for them, which they just loved. McKay especially loved pushing the angel and making music. We had a tiny little Family Home Evening on Jesus and the nativity and Logan kind of got it. When we got out Jesus he said, "Jesus needs his Joseph" and put the whole family together. McKay just put a shepherd in his mouth. Baby steps.

We went down to Casa Grande for the holidays, which the boys just loved. They got to play with their grandparents and cousins, and we got to go to nine o'clock church. Everyone was happy! My favorite picture is the one with Logan sitting down on a little chair with his little cup and a book. Such a cutie!

McKay has started saying sentences, short ones like "what's that?" and "I poop." Actually this is more handy than one would think. Logan has taken to copying us, like when I suddenly had to brake for a coyote yesterday and I hear Logan in the backseat "son a monkey!" Ah, nothing like a three year old fake cursing.

Our refrigerator, dishwasher and disposal have all stopped working in the past three weeks so lets hope for a better time soon!

Cruisin' Along

2009-12-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas we went on an awesome Chase Family Cruise! I think there were 18 kids, and six families. That's a lot of Chase love! We cruised out of LA and went to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. I don't know about anyone else, but we had a ton of fun! There were little programs for the kids, so Logan got to decorate a t-shirt, make hats, meet Santa, watch cartoons, and hang out with his cousins. He loved being carried around by his Mom and Dad, and couldn't get enough of his bunk bed with its own ladder. He didn't usually get naps, which led to him telling us he was tired and going to go to bed at the dinner table! He liked the beach, but wasn't too impressed with the blow hole we saw in Mexico. He keeps asking when we are going back to the "airplane boat." It was so much fun to see everyone and to not have to cook or clean up! We miss the family we don't get to see, it was so great to have everyone together.

So, random picture above is with Matt Malloy. I thought I recognized him from the movies, and Ray was brave enough to check it out. You may recognize him from just about every tv show made in the last five years, I think it was Hitch and Drop Dead Gorgeous that did it for me. Random but fun!

I'm thinking next get together should be just the girls?

Vegas, Thanksgiving, and my sweet family

2009-12-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

My sweet Mom and sister Julie came to visit for Thanksgiving, and proceeded to get lots of cuddles. We left the boys with their grandparents for two days and went to Vegas with Stacy. It was nice to have a break from carrying a diaper bag and worrying about naps. We had buffets, watched New Moon (yeah!), swam, saw the Titanic and Body exhibits, petted some sting rays, and generally had some fun girl times. We had Grandma and Grandpa Chase, the Bundys, Chris and Kendi and Family, and Aunt Alice here for Thanksgiving, which was super fun. Loren played hard in a turkey bowl that morning as well. All in all, a great November!

Proof!

2009-12-03T20:41:00.001-08:00

The last few times I've gone to Vegas I have wanted to do the whole fake skydiving thing. Ladies and gentlemen: I give you the proof! (Oh, and my MOM went as well... how cool is that?)

Logan turns three!

2009-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Awww.... my awesome little boy turned three on the 18th! Some of my favorite things about Logan include: calling hammers "chickens," telling me he is proud of me, and telling McKay "it's okay, Logan's here" when he is crying. We moved this year and he handled it like a champ, even finishing his potty training. He has made some great friends and will be moving to Primary soon.

For his birthday the little boy was lucky enough to have his Grandma and Grandpa Chase, Stacy, Julie, Grandma Thornton and his family here. He had such a fun time making an Elmo cake with his Grandma and blowing out the candles. Logan had pancakes for lunch and lasagna for dinner so it was his favorite day ever!

My favorite picture is the one of him with a little smile looking down at his cake.

Milkshake

2009-11-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

Not the best dancing video, but you can see McKay's costume in full, and the tail cracks me up. He is at our friend Karen's music class, Logan's favorite part of the week!

Halloween, Halloween, Trick-or-Treat

2009-11-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

We love Halloween! It is Loren's favorite holiday, and I'm sure it will be the boys' as well. Thursday we had our ward trunk-or-treat, which was fun because it was actually a little cold out. We had hot chocolate and let our little cow run around. The little black on his nose is when he fell on the asphalt. Friday we went to the shopping center and went trick-or-treating, this time Logan was a dragon. (It still fit from last year--why don't my kids grow?) Saturday we went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Anthem is big on Halloween, it was fabulous. There were all sorts of block parties, and people sat at the end of their driveways with tables of food and drinks. So we had a little root beer, a little nachos, some guacamole that was being thrown up by a pumpkin... all in all good clean fun. We had a great time.

McKay has popped THREE teeth this week, and he has two more to go. Poor little guy. I am letting him take a longer nap than usual. This week my goal is to get the butterfly wallpaper out of his room, the Dora the Explorer has already been stripped. Then--on to painting!

Family, firetrucks and I can't think of a "f" word for caterpillars

2009-10-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

It is a little hard to remember what we have done lately! We took Logan to the fire station open house. He loved it! He got a tour, ate cake, sat in fire trucks, and put out a fake fire. Plus, a new red hat. He also has been loving the library, here is a picture of him with his very own hungry, hungry caterpillar. McKay is desperately trying to work out some teeth, but is having no progress. The other day I was counting the bites Logan had to have before he could get down (3, by the way). So I said, "One." Then McKay said "two!" (You have to imagine the cute little voice drawing it out.) What a smartie!

We just got back from Vegas where we watched BYU trounce all over UNLV. There were more Cougar fans then Rebels, it was a cool game. We also go to see my friends (family?) Duane, Becky and Betsy. So, so good to see them again! I miss everyone! Logan and McKay went to play with their cousins in Casa Grande, which they loved. Logan told me he missed me, but also said, "Logan no go home." Thanks Chris and Kendi, I'm sure church was fun with my two little monkeys!

You'll note the new playlist and background. The 80s music is compliments of Loren, Bob the Builder was a request from Logan. Enjoy!

A little dancing for Julie

2009-10-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Potty training, big mammals and surgery success!

2009-10-01T15:38:00.001-07:00

That's it--I'm calling it! I'm saying that Logan is potty-trained! Whoo-hoo! We took him to this little KidzFaire thing as his present for being potty trained. It wasn't too exciting, although he got to take his picture with Scooby and dance with Dorothy from the Wiggles. McKay was less than impressed. They had a chance to make a few crafts and hang out with kids.

Yesterday I took the kids to the last free day at the zoo. They were more interested in the play areas and slides than the animals. I pointed out a few animals and they looked at me like: "Uh huh. An elephant. Great. Can we go play now?" Maybe wait until they are a little older?

Logan started a weekly music class, which he loves. He dances around and plays instruments. It is his favorite time of the week. Loren has recovered from his surgeries and is feeling much better. It has started cooling down--maybe we have officially made it through our first Arizona summer?

Rise and Shout the Cougars are Out!

2009-09-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

Awesome win against the #3 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday! We love our BYU Cougars!

You make me feel like dancin'

2009-09-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, it is more of a run for Logan and more of a shake for McKay, but they love to "dance"

Is August over?

2009-09-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

It cannot possibly be September! August went by so quickly! McKay turned one on the 18th--he celebrated with his grandparents and some chocolate cake. He is in the .77% for weight so we have got to start feeding this kid more fat! He continues to be his super happy self, although he is cutting three teeth. He is starting to think about giving up a nap, but I am not convinced.

Logan is enjoying story time at the library (do you like the alligator hat?). He has story time on Thursdays, park day on Tuesdays, Mother Goose on Wednesdays and Mommy and Me Music Time on Fridays. So we are slowly filling his week. Monday is for recovering from Sunday with no nap. I loathe 2 o'clock church.

I turned 30 on the 22nd but continue to try to ignore this fact. We kept it pretty low key, although I look forward to celebrating later. Loren had two surgeries in August, so we kept pretty quiet the whole month. His parents were kind enough to stay with the boys through that ordeal. He is looking forward to feeling better soon!

If Logan has only had one accident in two months--is he officially potty trained?

Hot Summer Days

2009-07-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

We've managed to keep pretty busy during these hot summer days. Last weekend we took the kids to see "Montezuma's Castle" which is about a 45 minute drive from here. It was a free weekend, which is good, because the kids were not very impressed. You used to be able to go and look around, but now you just kind of walk a half mile loop near it. The castle is a cliff dwelling made by the local Native American tribe (I can't remember the exact tribe). Loren and I found it interesting, but at over 100 degrees not a place to linger. McKay spent a lot of time entertaining European tourists. We then went to Sodona and had some fudge and ice cream and checked out the art. All in all a good weekend. This weekend Loren took Logan to do a little craft at Lowe's. He got to make a little helicopter with cute little goggles and a little apron to keep. Adorable!

Loren is not having a great time. He has been passing kidney stones for the past couple of days/weeks, and is currently having a ct scan. The pain has been overwhelming and I have been a single mom for most of the past week. We have plans to go on our first date in six months--Harry Potter--so I hope he feels better soon.

We have also taken the boys to a magic show, several play dates, the water park, and library reading times. They have been very busy!

Phoenix Summers

2009-07-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

The boys continue to keep growing, the heat doesn't seem to be affecting them too much. We are in the water if we are outside, otherwise we avoid being in the heat. We took the boys to Chik-fil-a's Cow Appreciation Day. McKay does not seem to impressed with his outfit--but Logan loved coloring spots on his garbage sack. We had great fun. And the whole family got free food! Everyone wins!

This weekend we introduced the boys to Lilly. Logan loved the tractor rides and keeps asking when we are going back. We will be heading to Prescott tomorrow--which means that they actually get to play in the grass! I took a few pictures of the boys with their new stuffed animals, they love hauling them around and cuddling with them. McKay especially likes to walk around with his "Font-font."

We are planning the Chase family reunion this year--and we are all going on a cruise! It is going to be super fun to have all 29 on us together. I'm thinking parasailing! We just about finished one whole room, decorations and furniture and everything! I finally got the house rekeyed, now I need to get all the carpet cleaned and finish cleaning the next few rooms and we are officially settled in!

I spent Sunday in the nursery, and am having a two-year old over for a play date on Friday. Saturday we are thinking of heading out to Motezuma's castle. Will take pictures if we do!

My Arizona Boys

2009-06-24T14:30:00.001-07:00

The boys are pretty much diggin' Arizona! They have had a lot of fun playing with cousins, splashing in the water park, and hitting people with pow-pows (water guns). Logan has also picked up a way to save me money on washing cups!

McKay is now walking full time, and he is so small at ten months that we always get stopped to see how old he is and how long he has been walking. He looks like a little penguin, adorable! Logan has been enjoying his weekly play dates and is slowly, slowly getting better at potty training. He is liking having me home full time so we can work on letters and numbers when McKay is asleep. Last week he went on a backstage tour of the movie theatre and got popcorn and a little film strip. He is starting to say funny things, "Mommy, I love bubbles." "Mommy, there's a wow-wow" (cop car/ambulance/fire truck--it is the noise they make).

The heat hasn't yet broken our spirits. It is still cool enough for nightly walks to the park. Loren is still liking his job, and had to go to a quick conference--in Denver.

Hopefully we close on our house on Friday!

Why do I love people?

2009-06-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

First, the pictures. I have taken some new pictures of the

boys,

but I can't seem to find the cord to download them. So here are pictures of the boys being vets at the Denver Children's Museum. Cute, eh? McKay has a ways to go yet.

Second, the reason for this post. I was really quite stressed out with the move. I had boys to get ready, a house to clean and pack, a house to buy, utilities in two states to organize, showings to clean for, finals to write, grades to submit.... I was a little overwhelmed. A lot of people helped us through those weeks and I just wanted to say thank you for all the kind, kind service that was shown to us.

Ray and Sharon Chase were invaluable. They helped us drive here, putting up with Cosmo--which is no easy task. They have helped to clean and put this house into a livable condition, and they have tirelessly entertained the boys. Kendi has come to entertain me, so I don't go crazy. Julie has sent packages so I feel loved all the way around the world. Sometimes a girl just needs some candy and love! Sometimes she also needs her mommy. My mom sent us travel treats and other settling in goodies--plus good naturedly talks to me when I am going crazy. My dad took Logan on the 18 wheeler and gave him a Kenmore key chain--which he loved. Sarah Mayfield saw our moving van and just walked in to clean our bathroom--and was not taking no for an answer. She also brought the boys fruit tape--which was well appreciated. Dolores was our mom away from home, and we will sorely miss the weekly interaction. This amazing woman not only cooked and babysat for us, but packed a beautiful new purse full of travel goodies for the boys. Amber Martin fed us and packed another bag of goodies and toys for the boys--Logan asks about Joseph every time he sees a blue van. And my beautiful and stylish cousin Loriann sends her amazing hand-me-downs to us--our kids never looked so good. Our two realtors were actually quite amazing, our CO house is now under contract!

I'm sure I'm forgetting someone--and I'm sorry if I did. I just wanted to express my gratitude for all the amazing people I have in my life. Thank you.

Museums, Moving and Full-time Mommyhood

2009-05-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ah! What a month it has been! Loren successfully took his oral exams, and is now officially ABD (all but dissertation). It was a stressful time, but I am so, so proud! After he defended we hopped in the car and took the kids to the Children's Museum in Denver. They loved it! Logan got to dress up as a possum and tunnel under trees, as a fireman and play on a full sized fire truck, as a train conductor and play with a room full of trains... it was never ending fun. McKay just liked to look around and put everything in his mouth. It was a win-win. They had a fabulous time and we took the scenic route home to enjoy the beauty of Colorado.

Then we moved to Arizona! After two days in the car with two kids and a cat we were happy to make it here. We don't have enough furniture to furnish all the rooms, but the kids are loving crawling and playing cars on the never-ending tile. We finally got the AC working which has been a huge help. And we found a washer/dryer and refrigerator on craigslist while we still had the moving van. Slowly, things are coming together.

With my last grade submission I am now a full-time mommy. Most of my time is spent cleaning, unpacking, and organizing. I hope to have summer plans for the kiddos soon. Music class? Swimming lessons? We'll see.

A big, HUGE shout-out to Loren's parents. We literally could not have moved without them. They helped us drive down here, cleaned floors and walls, shopped, watched kids, did manly chores, cooked, baked cookies, gave grandma loves, and took Logan to Ace. Thank you so, so much.

We will miss all our friends in Colorado, and look forward to making new ones here!

Easter, moving, and a whole lotta pain

2009-04-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

Easter was fun this year! We went to a garage sale on Saturday and picked up a wooden train set, an Elmo electric guitar, three new trucks and a pull toy for McKay--all for $3! Logan loved his new toys and McKay loved putting new things in his mouth. Neither was too sure about the Easter bunny, however.

We are enjoying weird weather, hot then snowy. Logan likes to eat snow, here is a picture of his potential last time in the snow. McKay is cruising around the house, walking with the assistance of toys and causing general mayhem. We are continuing to show the house and getting ready to move, which is just a pain all around.

Speaking of pain, Loren has been working on passing kidney stones and has been in intense pain. Poor guy. He needs chocolate and some sympathy.

One Logan story to finish the post. I have been working with Logan on his colors and the numbers 11-15. Loren was trying to entertain Logan in the car while I was in the store--Logan would count to ten and then Loren would turn on the overhead light. Apparently, it was entertaining. Then Loren said, "Logan, what comes after ten?" (working on 11-15, remember). Logan's answer: "Light goes on, Daddy."

Ah, I love my sweet boys.

We have a new house!

2009-04-01T09:10:00.001-07:00

We have a signed contract, so I hope it is official... we have a new house! We purchased a home in Anthem, Arizona, where we will be moving in six weeks. It is ten minutes from Loren's work and has plenty of rooms for the kids to play. I think Loren is especially excited about the outdoor bbq and fireplace. Anthem has a community center with a stocked catch and release lake, water park, sports fields and lots of activities. We're quite thrilled. Now if only we can sell our Colorado home...

McKay's Many Milestones

2009-03-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

McKay has had some busy times. He now has a new top tooth, is crawling frontwards as well as backwards, and is cruising around on furniture. That is a lot to accomplish in a week! He is such a happy little guy. Okay, except when teething.

We just got back from Arizona, where we went for spring break. After two days of looking at houses (thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!) we have put a bid on a home and are anxiously awaiting a response. I will post pictures of whatever house we end up with. The kids loved Arizona! Logan had so much fun playing with his cousins, getting rides in the wagon and shooting the goldfish with water guns. At the end of the day they were just tuckered out (see picture)! Thanks Chris and Kendi and Grandma and Grandpa for making our trip so smooth and easy. We are a little worried about the heat, but we'll make it work. Also, we had a little scare when a scorpion was in the bed with McKay!

The boys traveled well on the plane. In one day Logan got to ride a bus, a train and a plane. It was quite a day for the little guy. Logan is keeping us very entertained by saying what he is grateful for at night. Ace hardware is before Mommy.

Will post pics of our new home as soon as we know what it is!

Much change--no pictures!

2009-03-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

So, I am horrible and have no new pictures to post. This is just a cute one from Christmas. Logan so loved the kitty. In my defense, since the last posting Loren has accepted a job in Phoenix and we are frantically trying to get ready for a move. Mostly that means getting the house ready to sell and finding a house down in Arizona. Of course, we both are teaching this semester, and have small boys to raise, so this is not as easy as one would hope.

But, a couple cute stories I thought I would share. We have been working with Logan on counting. Logan can count to ten, and likes to show off the skill. The other day he was counting peanuts. His conversation went something like this: "... seven, eight, nine, ten! (one drops on the floor) Uh oh. Nine." Ah, my boy can subtract. Perhaps we are showing a bit too much enthusiasm for the counting, however. Today Loren was counting Logan's toys as he was putting them away. The conversation went something like this: Loren: "One bear, two bears, three bears (pause to see if Logan is paying attention). Logan: "Good job, Daddy!" Finally, I was mopping the floor today after giving the broom to Logan as I had finished sweeping. Loren took one look at the mop and came running into the room with the broom... "Trades, Mommy!"

Logan has been having a grand time helping get ready for the move, he has his own little vacuum and has been playing with many tools with DaDa. McKay likes to hear the vacuum run, so he is happy. He has figured out how to get the swing going fast on his own, to the point that it will start lifting from the floor. He will swing for a good half hour, happy as can be with his little hair flying in the breeze. He is currently sick so is not a happy camper, and is mainly just sleeping and blowing his nose. Poor little guy! On my interpersonal communication exam I asked my students what McKay's name should be... Ethan won by 80% of the vote! Thoughts?

The house will be listed on Monday and hopefully we can start settling down then. Maybe we can even expect pictures?

Christmas, potty training, and two new teeth!

2009-01-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

Not the most modest, I know, but c'mon! A National Geographic! Upside down! And bears? It is too funny. I may have to remove this post before he gets too old, but you should enjoy it now. As you can see, Logan has started potty training. He came to me and asked... so we are giving it a try. There are good days and bad days, but overall for three weeks he is doing outstanding. He got some new Elmo undies from Grandma--which he promptly labeled as "Elmo Hat" and put on his head... McKay's head... the bear's head... Besides potty training (is there anything besides potty training when you are in the middle of it?) Logan is working on singing new songs, trying new foods, and moving to a big boy bed. We now need to high-five his bears as well as him when we tuck him in at night. Oh, and hammers are all called "chickens." Not really sure why.

McKay has two new teeth! If there wasn't food in his mouth, you would see that his bottom two teeth came in. Phew! He is back to his happy self, trying desperately to crawl and play with his big brother. He has moved to his crib and can now put himself to sleep. He is still too light to sleep through the night. McKay has also started on solids, he kept grabbing my spoon so we tried cereal. He loves it! Not such a fan of peas, but he will eat any type of cereal you give him. He loves to stand, sit and play, and cannot wait to crawl.

We went to Montana for Christmas, and let my family meet our two little ones. It was fun to see everyone as we hadn't been there in two years. Unfortunately, we picked up a "gift" we could have done with out--we all came back with the flu! We have been passing around a cold these last two weeks, right now it is Loren's turn.

We hope your holiday was fun and that you are not offended by the potty pictures!

Ode to Logan

2008-12-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, I realize that Logan's birthday was in November... but I had to get it in before Christmas pictures! Logan just turned two, and we have had such a great year with him. Logan is such a wonderful little boy! He loves taking things apart, dancing, soccer, and playing with whatever McKay has. He had a great birthday, with his Grandma and Grandpa Chase and Aunt Dolores coming over for cake and ice cream. He loves his light up snow boots, which he likes to show to everyone, and his new cars. Most of all... he loves to dance! He received his own CD player and music from his Grandma Thornton, and in the morning he wakes up by saying "dance?" He likes to skip around and shake his little booty. If I sit down after dancing a few songs with him he will come over and pull me up, saying, "no Mommy down." The pictures are of Logan in his shoes, which he wears as much as possible since he can put them on himself, and with the vegetables from our garden. He has just been so fun this year, learning to talk and interact, everyday he does something to make us laugh. We just love him!

Logan at One

2008-12-08T21:30:00.000-08:00

As Logan just turned two, I thought I would share my favorite video of when he turned one. What a difference a year makes!

Rise and Shout

2008-12-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

The Cougars are out! We had a fabulous time dressing the boys up in their Cougar gear and taking them to the BYU v. CSU game. Thanks to my wonderful friends at BYU we had great seats with the rest of the Cougar fans. I love McKay's little Cougar ears! Both boys had such a fun time, Logan cheered and danced, keeping everyone entertained. Every time he saw Cosmo he yelled "kitty!" Perhaps we should go to the basketball game? BYU eaked out a three point win. Go Cougs!

I'm a big helper!

2008-11-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Logan continues on his quest to become Loren. Here he is working on Dolores' birthday present. Apparently toddlers can sand with the best of them! As of today he no longer wants to sit in his high chair, he would rather sit at the big table like us. He is the best helper a Dad could ask for, always grabbing tools and trying to fix projects. He has tried to "fix" McKay a time or two as well.

McKay laughed for the first time last night, as I was blowing on his tummy. It came out all rough and husky, and he looked quite surprised by the sound. It was super cute! Logan thought it looked so fun he came over to spit on McKay's tummy, too! Ah, what a helper.

Halloween

2008-10-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

This year we took Logan to our Church's "trunk or treat" and "fall festival." He had fun playing the games and winning "tandy." He stood in line for the pinata, although he did not get a chance to hit it. When the pinata finally broke, he took one look at the swarm of kids on the ground and tried to climb up Loren so he could reach all the candy left in the broken pinata. Smart kid!

McKay was a pirate (thanks, Julie) and Logan enjoyed being a dragon (hand-me-down from someone reading this I'm sure). Although Logan can "roar" he couldn't understand why he should do it while in his dragon costume. He has named his stuffed bear "Roar" so he couldn't figure out what we were taking about--his bear was no where in sight!

McKay's baby hair is falling out, and he is turning into a blonde. He is such a smiley, happy child.

Loren continues to work on his papers, while I am testing my students on nonverbal communication and conflict management. We have big plans for Halloween, followed by BYU's game against CSU on Saturday. BYU has generously sent us some nice tickets, so we are going to take Logan to watch the game. I'm not sure if it is too early to turn McKay into a fan... Go Cougs!