Chase is 20 months...and 15 days

I have avoided this blog for the past couple of months - always finding something else to do instead of blogging.

But my mom requested that I start it back up, so this post is for her.

I am a little late on Chase's 20 month post, hence the disclaimer in the title and his little sign.

Dear Chase,

You are still our sweet little baby but you are looking more and more like a little boy each day.





You weigh 26 pounds and are 33 inches in length.

You are wearing size 24 months and 2T in clothes and a size 4 diaper.

You have 16 pearly white teeth. Your daddy is concerned about you having an over bite because you suck your fingers at night. But, there isn't anything we can do about it now. I am sure braces are in your future but you have a beautiful smile that lights up the room.

Overall, I would say that you are a good eater. You definitely have favorites - mashed potatoes probably being number 1.





You also love junk food like chips, ice cream, and doughnuts. When we go to Wyatt's soccer games, we bring a bag of snacks to keep you occupied so we can watch the game instead of chasing you around.

Here is some evidence of your sweet tooth. This day you were a sticky mess from eating (and drooling) on a sucker.





You have a great personality! You are very happy most of the time and you give out smiles to just about anyone. You crack us up with your expressions and looks. You love showing people your belly. You had an audience at a soccer game and you just ate it up.





Dit Dit is still your very best friend. He goes everywhere with us. All your little caretakers know about Dit Dit and are good about helping us keep up with him. I am thinking about writing a letter to Gund and sending them pictures of their much loved bear.





Now to the talking, or should I say the lack of talking.

I think most of it can be attributed to you being the "third" child in our family now. We have busy lives and I know I don't spend enough time going over words with you but I am working on that. You do LOVE books and love to look at them. I know the words will come in time, the more we practice.





You do repeat what you hear. Just this morning you were putting Dit Dit in your crib and saying "night night" which sounded more like "nigh nigh". You also tell us "all done" when you get your diaper changed and when you are finished eating.

I mentioned the time out chair in your 18 month old post but we really have not been having to use it. I am not sure what that is about. I think we are just too busy for you to get bored and get into trouble.





You are still enjoying the little matchbox cars from the Cars movies. Your new favorite toy is the soccer ball. I can tell you have been watching Wyatt out on the field because you kick the ball all around the house. You are actually really good for your age. You even throw it like they do from the sidelines. You are an observant little guy for sure.





You did a short stint in daycare because Mommy thought she needed to get a job. But you ended up being sick so much that it wasn't worth it after all. You had 2 or 3 stomach bugs and one of those had your tummy all messed up for 2 weeks straight. We have adjusted some things in your diet and you seem to be finally back to normal. You are now going to the Mother's Morning Out program 2 days a week. You went from being the oldest in your class to the youngest. I think you will be challenged but it was still hard to leave you in there with those "big kids." You have only gone once so far so it is too early to say much about it. I am glad I got to keep you at 1st Baptist with familiar faces and also for you to have some socialization time with other kids.





I think that is a pretty good update on you. We love you and are blessed to have you!

1st Day at WCA!

It seems like we were just here the other day...




...yet here we are!




Wyatt and Morgan had their first day of school this week.

Morgan started back to middle school as a 7th grader!

She is cheering for the middle school football team this year. She has practice a few times a week and games will start up later this month. Her plate is definitely full between that and her classes but she is excited about what the year has in store for her and we are too.

And my baby started Kindergarten!




His teacher is new to the school but has taught Kindergarten for the last 7 years. I think Wyatt will really enjoy her class once he learns what her rules are and what she expects. So far, so good. When I picked him up after the first day he asked if he could go back again tomorrow. And he has already decided he wants to go to 1st grade there as well.





I was able to take him to his classroom on the first morning. I saw so many familiar faces everywhere I turned. I ran into my sweet 4th grade teacher who is still there. The principal was my high school math teacher. The 1st grade teacher is a childhood friend. And then there were many parents I knew as well. It was definitely a little mini-reunion.

This morning I dropped Wyatt off out front and he headed inside all on his own. That was definitely tougher than I thought - watching that little boy walk into a new school all by himself. Fortunately, he found his buddy Lawson and they waited together outside the classroom until it was time to go in. BUT, I didn't know that until I picked him up so I was a little worried for him.

This is his little friend Lawson - although he is about a head taller than Wyatt!



Lawson's mom graduated with my brother Aaron and she is the sister-in-law of one of my "oldest" friends! I already feel like we have joined a great big family that we will cherish for years to come.

18 Months and Counting!

Sweet Chase -

So I feel like you were this age just the other day.




But here we are!



18 months old!


You weigh 24 pounds and are 32 3/4 inches in length.

You are wearing size 24 months and 2T in clothes and a size 4 diaper.

You have lots of new chompers! 12 total with 6 on top and 6 on the bottom. Those big molars that came through were painful but we got through it!


You have days that you are picky and don't seem to want to eat. Then you have days that you are eating everything in sight. Overall you are good eater and make us all laugh with your expressive "Mmmmmm" you give after tasting something yummy. Sunday you were begging peach pie with whipped cream off of everyone's plate. You definitely never pass up a dessert!


You make the silliest faces and expressions. One of your favorites is puckering those lips up!




Well, your little facial expressions and personality definitely make up for your lack of interest in TALKING!

First the walking and now the talking!

You do jibber all the time but you aren't really picking up very many new words. You have a handful of words you say - with Dada and Mama being the most used. Then you say all kinds of things and I can tell you are trying to tell me but you just don't have the words yet.

But I can tell you to do most anything and you totally understand what I am saying to you. You also can pick out animals or objects from books when I ask you to point them out. Your main way to communicate with me is to say MAMA very loud and point at whatever it is you want. I know you will pick up the words on your own time - just like the walking.


Something new we have just started in the last couple of weeks - TIMEOUT. Jeremy actually put you in it first and after he made you stay seated a couple of times, you got it.

This is the time out chair




and this is the timeout timer.



Just 1 minute is all the time you have to do for now! You cry really loud until the timer beeps and then you know you are free and I will be coming to get you.


You still love your Toy Story 3 push car but are also loving the little matchbox cars from Cars and Cars 2. You make the engine noises when you drive them around the floor or edge of the tub.


You now like to run everywhere instead of just walking. So the bumps and bruises are coming right after each other. You have 2 big boo boos on your forehead right now. All I can say is bless your heart.


You are very much loved, especially by these 2!

Worst Blogger Ever!

You know when you mean to do something...

but you get busy and you don't get around to it?

Then you get to the point that you KNOW you are really behind...

so then you start just avoiding it altogether?

No?

Well, me neither.

But if I did find myself in that predicament, say in relation to a blog, then I am glad to say that I am over it.

Yes. I am facing up to being a total blogger slacker.

I don't even have a good excuse.

My only excuse is monotony.

We play. We swim. I Zumba. We clean up. But that is rather boring to blog about.

We've had a few outings here and there but I just haven't felt motivated.

Until now.

So, with bated breath, I bring you...

PICTURES FROM FALLS MILL!!!




No, really, that is all I got.

But I AM incorporating pics from 4 years ago at the same location to bring the whole "then and now" feel to it.

See? Here is Wyatt with me by the falls when he was 14 months old.



And here he is by the falls at age 5.




Only this time around we got Little Bit with us too!




The great thing about Falls Mill is that there is so much shade, that I actually didn't even break a sweat - and it was an outdoor activity involving kids! That almost never happens for me.

And the water - FRIGID - which was perfect on a hot summer day.




Wyatt fished (netted?) for minnows,




Chase loved playing in the water with his little shovel,




throwing rocks in the creek,




and giving them the ole taste test as well.




Apparently I must watch way too many 'When Nature Attacks' or 'I Shouldn't Be Alive' shows because the whole time, I was constantly scanning the water and banks for snakes or any other scary creature that may rain on our parade.

I had visions of having to apply a tourniquet to a snake bite and had even decided Wyatt's shirt would probably work the best.

No. I. am. not. kidding.

I worry about these things - everything is all 'fun in the water' and then BAM - you are retelling your story on Animal Planet.

But it was all for not - the only rescuing we did was of a caterpillar that had fallen from a tree and was on a rock in the middle of the creek.

And a couple of little beauty tips for you...

If you wear a hat - you don't have to do your hair

AND

If you wear sunglasses - you don't have to put on eye makeup!

Genius!

She's Got Spirit!

What about me?



Check out my clapping. THAT is Spirit.


Not you Chase.

Morgan.

Here is her squad performing what they learned at cheer camp. Apparently this is the only group picture I got.



She is in the back row and all the way to the left - with the girl's elbow in front of her face.


They did some impressive stunts and Morgan is a base - she has got some good arm muscles!


Morgan won a ribbon and got a megaphone for Super Spirit.




And Chase won a ribbon for best sugary sweet expression.




Morgan had her own cheerleader in the stands cheering her on. YoYo was impressed with all the "real cheerleaders." I think they ranked up there with the princesses at Disney.




Morgan's other fans...







We are looking forward to football season and watching Morgan cheer her team on!

Beachpalooza 2011!

Wow - finally something to blog about!

We just returned from our trip down to Sandestin for an extended weekend getaway. Our friends Mark and Leslie also went along with their little boy Clay, who is closer to 3 than 2, and Mark's mom Nan.

Here is Clay enjoying the beach - he loved everything about it!




Ditda went along with us and we were so glad to have her help. Chase was a little bit of a handful which I think comes with him being so young. This was also his first overnight trip away from home so this was a new experience for him.

For some reason, Chase did not sleep a wink the entire trip down there - that is 6 hours in a car with an awake 16 month old.

Then, after we got there, we drug him OUT TO DINNER. I don't know why I thought that would work. So he didn't nap and then was up really late. Not a great start to his trip.

The house we rented was wonderful. One of the bedrooms had 2 sets of bunk beds so Morgan, Wyatt, and Ditda "bunked" in there. Wyatt was super excited about getting to sleep on the top bunk.

Our bedroom had a large walk in closet so we set up Chase's pack n play inside of it. It made a perfect "bedroom" for him and thankfully he slept well at night.

We spent the first day at the beach. Chase was not a fan.



I think he was still grumpy from being sleep deprived and it was just too stinking hot for him. Ditda went back to the house with him while we stayed the rest of the day. Leslie and I ended up getting too much sun. The first day. Nice. Apparently you have to reapply the sunscreen after you get out of the ocean. Even if you try to hide under an umbrella.

On Saturday the girls went out to lunch at The Back Porch restaurant and then hit the outlets for some serious shopping. We left the men folk back at the ranch to attend to the kids. Needless to say they were happy when we got home - both the kids and the men folk. I think I could have spent another day at the outlets - great prices with air conditioning was what I needed that day.

That night we all went to dinner at Pompano Joe's where Wyatt had his first "smoothie" like Mama's - without the rum.



He also went up on stage and played a percussion instrument along with some other kids. I was proud of him - a year ago he wouldn't have done that.



After dinner, we went down to the beach armed with buckets and flash lights. We had a great time chasing fish and crabs.



We decided to spend Sunday morning at the pool. Then we sent out the 2 dads for their very own Father's Day outing to get a good lunch and just get away for a bit. We got the kids down for naps and relaxed on the back deck with our kindles, books, and a cocktail. My kind of afternoon.

Later that day we went back to the beach and it was a much better experience for all of us.



It was not nearly as crowded or hot. We were able to set up right by the water so we could easily watch the kids. Plus it was a better time of day for picture taking.

Lessons learned:

1) Give baby a little shot of Benadryl or some other sleep aid for the trip down.

2) Skip the middle of the day beach outing - go late afternoon.

3) Reapply sunscreen after getting out of the ocean.

4) Bring toys for the time the kids are not at pool or beach. Poor Clay - his Mama was smart enough to bring his big Mack Truck with all the cars from the movie Cars. My boys Mama - that would be yours truly - brought one small ball.

5) Try for a late Spring or early Fall trip when it isn't SO STINKING HOT! My family is a fair skinned family and all the sunscreen in the world can't protect us from getting too much sun.

All in all - we had a wonderful time. Wyatt and Morgan loved the beach, the pool, riding in the golf cart, going out to dinner, shopping, etc. Morgan even got to do the Zip Line and Bungee jumped over at the Wharf one night. She and Ditda biked over after Wyatt was asleep - although he woke up and Nan had to cover for them.



We definitely think the Beachpalooza trip should be an annual event - start saving if you want to come with us!

Trophy Day!

Wyatt's baseball season as a Raptor is coming to an end. Just in time too because it is H.O.T. these days!

His last game is this Tuesday but the coach handed out the trophies after our game on Saturday.

Is Wyatt proud of that trophy or what?



And it is a perfect trophy because it now holds his infamous game ball.

We had a great season and were blessed with Coach Randy who has such a heart for the kids first and then the game.



Wy played coach pitch and Randy would always get down on his knee when he pitched to Wyatt.

My parents braved the heat with us.



And Ditda, who was such a help this season keeping Chase occupied so I could watch Wyatt play.




We learned early on to just bring lots of snacks and he would be content to stay in one place for a little while.



We are really proud of Wyatt for trying another new sport. He definitely improved throughout the season. In fact, he did not play in the dirt in the outfield once on Saturday! I think my favorite part of him playing was watching him run those bases and slide into home!