A few pictures to share...

I always forget that blogger loads your pictures backwards...this isn't the best picture to start the post with, but some people (mistakenly) have the impression that Chase is a perfect child. He's really, really close, but he does get grumpy on occasion. Here's the proof:

I still think he's cute, even when he's wearing his grumpy pants. :)

Chase LOVES the bathtub! I'm wondering if he will be a swimmer because he LOVES to lay down in the bathtub and kick his feet around like crazy. Most kids hate getting their ears wet, but he loves it! Funny kid.

This is a random picture of the bread sticks I made a few weeks ago...I took a picture because they turned out so perfectly (which NEVER happens!), so I wanted to document it. I was really proud of myself that night. :)

I asked Chase to get me a diaper. He did.

Winding down, watching Signing Time with Tigger and his car blanket. He loves these things!
That's all for now...I probably need to import the pictures from my camera so I can post more recent ones, but that's what I've got for you tonight. I really am trying to be better about blogging!

"Monster"

We borrowed Monster's Inc. from Mom and Dad, so Chase and I have watched it a few times the last couple of weeks. He has never showed any signs of being afraid because of it, and he usually only watches for a few minutes at a time before going back to his toys for a while, then he'll watch a few more minutes, then play again. He's not one to sit glued to the TV for very long (thankfully!)

Anyway, tonight I put it on for him while I made dinner (I know, I made dinner!!!) and he was doing his normal watch/play/watch/play thing. When it got to the part where Sully has to say goodbye to Boo, Chase was riveted on the screen. When Sully gave Boo the final hug, Chase turned around and looked at Wayne and I with super-teary eyes and the saddest little face and said, "Monster". We were so confused, because he wasn't scared at all and we couldn't figure out why he was upset. We were asking each other, "Seriously? Is he sad that they have to say goodbye?!?!" I really think he was! There was no other explanation for it...it was the cutest thing! I wish I had a picture of his sad little face and teary eyes, but it was so unexpected the camera was nowhere near. I just love this little guy. He's full of surprises and he melts my heart a million times a day.

24 Weeks

Here are a few pictures of the belly these days...it's coming along!

Me and my buddy...

Life is going well here in Barrow. Not much new to report, just keeping busy playing with Chase, growing the baby, and keeping the B&B going. I've found that Chase gets really grumpy if we stay home all day long, which is sometimes unfortunate because I have NO problem staying home all day long. So we've been looking for activities to do to get us out of the house...it's just a little inconvenient because of how cold and windy it is all the time. We can't just go play in the yard for a little while (what yard?!?!), and most days it's too cold for a sled ride around the block. I can bundle Chase up really well so that he stays warm, but the wind is so strong that the one little part of his face that's poking out to breathe gets cold and wind burned. Last week we walked over to Mom and Dad's to play for a little while, and it was fine on the way over, but coming home the wind had really picked up and it was awful! I had to totally bury Chase in a blanket and tuck it over his head and face to keep him out of the wind...I'm sure that takes most of the enjoyment out of his sled ride. :( Anyway, the point of all that is that we need indoor activities that get us out of the house, so we've been trying to go to the community gym during family time the last month or so, then we have toddler story time at the library on Saturdays, we go play at Mom and Dad's house for a change of scenery every once in a while, and we usually have one or two days a week that we go to the post office or some other little errand just to get out. The nice part is that the sun is back, so it's a lot more enjoyable to be out and about these days! We are very grateful to have some daylight shining through our one little window again...it makes for much brighter days in so many ways.

Wayne and I are both taking classes this semester, so it seems like every evening we get Chase to bed and the studying begins. It's not the best quality time together, but at least we can do it together! It's nice that Chase goes to bed early enough that Wayne can study at home instead of staying late at the office every night to have some quiet study time. It's just nice to have him around, even when I'm not allowed to talk to him...too much. :)

Well, I think I'm done rambling for now. Hope you have a lovely day in whatever crazy climate you are in!

2 Months Already?!?!

Wow, I don't know how the time goes so quickly between my blog posts. I guess it's time for an update...although this is going to be short because it's 11pm and I'm trying to go to bed earlier these days. The last 3 days, to be exact. It worked 2 of the 3 days! I'm taking a couple class at the college that are actually quite time consuming, and it seems that 9pm-12am are PRIME homework hours around here. Not ideal, but when else are you supposed to concentrate on a book with an almost-2-year-old running around? Speaking of that almost-2-year-old (well, 20 months to be exact), I just happen to have a few photos to share. I'm under no illusions that people check this blog to hear about ME. :)

Chase loves "skitchers"...we gave him his own Book of Mormon and this is what he does! I know, where did he come from?!?!

We ordered some cardboard can organizers in early December and they finally came in a few weeks ago! Chase and I spent the better part of 2 days putting them together and loading them up. Chase was quite the helper. We have random V8 juice cans spread through all 20 can organizers! He just kept grabbing cans and saying, "helper, helper". Oh, I do love him. :)

He may appear sad and bored in this picture, but don't be deceived. Coloring is his new favorite pastime. Well, it's probably still second to playing with cars. He comes up to me about 50 times a day with puppy-dog eyes and the cutest little voice saying, "Color, color". Coloring is a 100% supervised activity at our house, so I can't always accommodate his requests, but I try. We spend a good portion of every day coloring. And just to clarify, what he really wants when he asks to color is to hold a crayon and see what YOU can color. He certainly does his share of scribbling, but if I stop coloring for a few seconds, he immediately shoves a crayon my direction and says, "Color, color!" I really am not very creative in this department, but my artistic talents are expanding thanks to my Chase-man.

Another one of Chase's favorite things to do is push the little blue stool around to whatever he wants to climb on. He's figured out how to climb up onto his chair and somehow squirms himself around in a really awkward way (but without falling!) to sit facing forward. I don't know how he does it without crashing on his head every time, but he's got a system. I think this picture is a Cheerio hand-off. You can also clearly see my kitchen...the whole thing. We're a little short on counter space (well, we're a little short on ALL space) but it works!

Chase got a parking garage play set for Christmas from G&G Elbert, and he LOVES it. This was the night Wayne put it together for him, and Chase was in car heaven. He lets the car down the ramp and says, "Whoa, car!" Boys...how do they know they are supposed to like cars?!?!

Okay, that's it for tonight. I've got more pictures to share, but it's now 11:23pm and I'm definitely not getting credit for going to bed early tonight. However, I WILL get credit for blogging finally, and that's worth staying up late for...every two months or so. I'm tired of all the complaints I keep getting! But I'm glad you all love my child. We love him too. :)