Kids say the darndest things

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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....

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

Preschool Graduation

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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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!