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!

End of the Year Recap

Whew - I am glad there is only one last week of school. We had an event every day or evening of the week.

On Wednesday, Wyatt's preschool had an end of the year picnic for all the children and their families. The weather turned out to be perfect - not too hot and a nice breeze.




The preschool provided lunch and there were games, a petting zoo, pony rides, balloons, a bounce house, and lots of room to run and play outside.




Wy and Chase's cousin Jackson was there which was an added bonus for both my boys.







We had a great time and Chase enjoyed being outside.



He is a people watcher like me!




On Thursday, I wanted to take a last day of school picture of the kids.

Here is the picture I took last August on the first day of school.




And here is the end of the year pic.




Wow - they have all changed but I think Morgan has changed the most!

Of course there is a story behind Wy's less than pleased expression. He had his Nintendo DS and Chase was throwing a fit for it. I told Wyatt to let Chase hold it. Well, Chase pressed some buttons and it made Wyatt's character in the game die. Hence the "I am so not happy with my little brother" look.

Then Thursday night was Wyatt's end of the year program.




They recited things they had learned during the year and sang songs. They did some cute skits as well which was so fun to watch. Wyatt was Percy Pig in Mrs. Leigh Ann's version of the 3 little pigs.



In her version, Wy lived in a condo and then the wolf knocked it down with a Bobcat. Very cute.

They also sang a song called "Who Let the Letters Out" which was sung to the tune of "Who Let the Dogs Out".



Those are dog hats they are wearing with the sunglasses. Loved this.

So my little one has completed Pre-Kindergarten and is now ready to begin Kindergarten in the fall.




We are looking forward to a summer of fun which will include NOT DRIVING to town everyday, lots of swimming, playing with cousins, and a trip to the beach! Hope your summer is just as fun!

Happy 16 Months Chase!

Sweet Chase -

What a week to turn 16 months! I can't believe I actually remembered to get some pictures of you today with all the end of the school year madness going on.




I have to do a quick flashback from 1 year ago when you were just 4 months old.



Back when you would stay still in your crib and we still had Sophie!


So I haven't done an update since you were 14 months old.




You weigh about 23 pounds and are about 30 inches in length.

You are wearing size 18 - 24 months in clothes and a size 4 diaper.

You actually gained your two top molars which brings your teeth total to 8. And the bottom ones are working on pushing through as well.




You are still doing well when it comes to eating. I always have little bags of snacks with me whenever I take you places because I know if all else fails, you will be happy to eat. You are interested in using a spoon and you can dip it into the yogurt container and get it in your mouth. I just have to hold the container for you. Sometimes I think you just want to hold a spoon no matter what it is you are eating. You also want to feed yourself so you are still getting plenty of baths.

I am trying to work with you on learning the parts of your face: eyes, ears, nose, etc. We are also working on learning names for things like tree, ball, juice, etc. You are at that stage where I can say "go get the ball" and you will do it. But when I tell you to say ball, you just look at me and say DONG. You kinda say DONG for everything.




Your little personality is really coming out. You definitely let it be known if you are unhappy about something. Recently you have been expressing your dislike for your car seat by screaming and arching your back when I try to put you in. I don't really blame you for that - I hate being in the car sometimes too.


You will give kisses if we ask for one. In fact, you will kiss just about anyone who does ask you. It is sweet to watch your big cousins get in line to get kisses from you. They do love to play with you and you are equally enthralled by them.


Your favorite indoor activity is to zoom around the house on your Toy Story 3 push car. And you love it even more when Wyatt gets on behind you and zooms you both around because he makes you go super fast!




Your favorite outdoor activity would be riding on the Gator with Wyatt. You like to hold the steering wheel while Wyatt pushes the "go pedal."




And of course I had to already share the big news that you FINALLY decided to walk! And you chose an otherwise unhappy day to do so. Such a sweet boy to give me a reason to smile that day. You had acually been walking as long as you held onto someone's finger. So we knew you could do it but you just didn't have the confidence until that day. I still do a double take when I see you walk by. You are getting steadier as each day goes by but you already have the bumps and bruises that come with a new walker.

Wow - the next update will be when you are 18 months old! You are growing up so fast little one. We love you.