Happy Birthday Kim!

Kim's birthday was on Sunday, so we went up to Ogden to help her celebrate! I made her a 'penguin' cake because she loves penguins... and it's winter. I am so grateful to have Kimmy living semi-close to me. She is always a ton of fun to hang out with; she's optimistic, creative, and hilarious. And did I mention a great shopping buddy? Happy Birthday Kim!

PS - Lincoln is WALKING!

Christmas Countdown

Christmas is just 3 days away! We're on our way to Arizona to spend Christmas with the DeFrancis side of the family! I thought I'd take advantage of the 10-12 hour drive and post some of the Christmasy things we've done thus far. Most of the pictures speak for themselves, and are activities from our advent calendar. When I was a kid our family had an advent calendar, and each day we pulled out a slip of paper with a Christmas activity written on it. They ranged anywhere from seeing Christmas lights, to singing at the nursing home, to drinking hot chocolate with candy canes. So a few years ago my sisters and I made advent calendars just like the one we had growing up (thanks to my mom who did most of the work) and we use those now with our own families. My kids love pulling out the slip of paper each day and get so excited about each activity, no matter how small. One day we turned off the lights and read Christmas books around the fire. Some of our favorites to date: Santa Comes to Little House (Laura Ingalls Wilder), Moosletoe (Margie Palatini), A Christmas Stocking Story (Hilary Knight) and The Little Drummer Boy (Ezra Jack Keats).

Chase's Christmas list this year consisted of Star Wars Lego's (big surprise), and Skis.

Clara's Christmas list was simply: a Hippopotamus, a purple flip phone that worked (in other words not a toy), nail polish, Girl Bakugans (Zoobles), and Ice Skates. I have no idea where she came up with the hippopotamus - I don't think she's even heard the song! And she'll have to wait a few years for the cell phone too, poor thing.

We have had such a busy and fun December, and I can't wait for even more of it all with the family in Arizona!

Go Neil!

Yes!!! Neil Diamond was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame today. Diamondheads worldwide (such as myself) are thrilled.

Ellas Art Festival

The cute seven year old next door, Ella, decided to put together an art festival to raise money for the local women's shelter. She invited all of the children (and adults) in the neighborhood and at school to submit their art. Then she hosted an art show, and everyone who attended brought donations for the shelter.

Chase wanted to make a Christmas themed sculpture: A Snowman Jack-In-The-Box. Let me just say it was more difficult and time consuming than either of us anticipated it would be. Maybe because it was our first experience with paper mache (not as easy as it looks), and maybe because our wire wasn't strong enough (we had to call in Brian to help) to hold it up. But in the end Chase had a wonderful sculpture to submit.

While I was busy helping Chase with his art, Clara was left completely to her own devices. She of course wanted to make art for the show too, so she gathered her supplies and got to it. When I finally looked over and saw what she made I couldn't believe it. I know I am her totally biased mother, but seriously - this girl has some creativity!

Her first piece she called "Santa with his bag of toys" - and she taped a red balloon on for the bag. Genius!

And this is her second piece, which she called 'Sunset' -made with glitter glue, crayons, cut paper, and paint. Again, considering she had no help from me whatsoever I am amazed at what she came up with. I'm so proud of both my little artists!

Chats with Clara

Clara: Where did you go tonight?

Mom: I went to the Temple

Clara: Was Jesus there?

Mom: Yes, he was there

Clara: Did he walk with you?

Mom: Yes, he did

Clara: What did you wear?

Mom: I wore white clothes and white socks

Clara: Was Jesus teaching people?

Mom: Yes, he was

Clara: Was he teaching you how to tie your shoes so you don’t have to wear white socks?

Mom: No, he was telling us how much he loves us, and he told how much he loves you too

Clara: Mom, you take me to that exact temple tomorrow so I can see Jesus and he can tell me he loves me and teach me how to tie my shoes. And Mom, is it still going to be white day tomorrow at the temple or a different color? I have white socks, so I hope its white day.

Mom: (Wishing more than anything that I could take Clara to see Jesus tomorrow) How about we go to church tomorrow instead, and you can wear your white socks there.

We got one!

Way to go Bri! He just sent me this picture that he took on his phone when we went to see Tangled over Thanksgiving weekend. We now officially have one picture of our trip!

Gobble Gobble

Our family had a fabulous Thanksgiving in St. George - SO relaxing in fact that I didn't take a single picture! I can't believe it, but seriously that just goes to show how laid back I was feeling. We went with the whole Ebert clan and stayed at a beautiful home equipped with anything and everything. You'll just have to imagine Chase and Clara hanging out in the hot tub, playing pool or air hockey, or spending time in the amazing 'play house.' And you'll also have to imagine the delicious food, the guys golfing, the Black Friday shopping, and the afternoon napping. And even though it hit record breaking low temperatures, it was much more pleasant than what we were escaping in Salt Lake. Our only incident happened on the way home when we hit a nasty blizzard. Our usual 3.5 hour drive turned into a 9.5 hour drive (no joke)! Fortunately we traded vehicles with Bri's parents who left the day before, and ended up with a 4 wheel drive truck with chains instead of our little CNG Civic (which never would have made it). Our kids were amazing though (maybe they were fascinated by all the cars sliding off the road) which we were so grateful for. And even though we'd never choose to be in that situation again, it was good practice for our upcoming drive to AZ!

A Language of Their Own

You know how sometimes kids say something that's completely incorrect, but is so cute that you can't bear to correct them? This post is inspired by Clara's latest little mix-up. She has very sensitive skin and is constantly irritated by seams, tags, and any other itchy, stiff or uncomfortable clothing. Lately she's started to describe her discomfort as 'boring.' She knows boring is a negative term, but apparently doesn't know what it really means. For example, if the seam on her socks or tights is slightly out of place she says: "These socks are TOO BORING!" She often complains about 'boring' sweaters, jeans, dresses, jammies, and even told me in the store the other day that her underwear was boring. She would love to walk around naked if she could... and come to think of it life would be a lot less boring if we did!

As for Chase, my sister recently reminded me of something he used to say when he was two that I had completely forgotten about, but it used to make me almost cry with laughter. He switched the words 'don't' and 'can't' and also used 'huh?' instead of 'OK.' So when he was going through this little two year old rebellious stage, every time we asked him to do something (like put on PJ's or go to bed) he'd yell "I can't wanna, HUH?!" It was especially funny because he'd be so serious, so upset, and always emphasized the 'HUH!?' at the end. We couldn't help but laugh, and then he'd get even more mad and say "STOP LAUGHING - HUUUHH!?" Hilarious.

Spookalicious!

Happy Halloween! Clara was 'Jesse' from Toy Story, and Chase was 'Dracula.' We celebrated the fun holiday with school parades and parties, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating and tons of candy... oh yeah and a trip to the Instacare. Once we got the kids in their costumes and ready to go, Clara started complaining of a tummy ache. Not too big of a deal (probably the mummy hot dogs), other than she had been around a Friend with strep throat two days before. The last time she had been exposed to strep and had a tummy ache she turned out to have strep herself. We thought before we sent her door to door throughout the neighborhood we should get her tested just to be safe. Of course there were very few Dr. offices open on Saturday night, so we had to go out to Saratoga Springs. The weather was cold and rainy anyway so we hopped in the car and made the trek to the Instacare. Thirty minutes later we were leaving with a clean bill of health, and the rain had stopped! The kids literally hit the road running and didn't stop till they couldn't fit one more piece of candy in their bags. What fun!

So the annual dilemma is what to do with all the candy. When I was a kid, we ate one piece every day until it ran out. Our dentist suggests letting the kids eat as much as they want for one day and that's it. His theory; the kids will make themselves sick on candy before too long, plus they don't get in the habit of eating candy every day and end up with cavities. He even offers to 'buy back' the candy so the kids are more motivated to give it up. It worked for Chase, he got ten bucks for his leftover candy! I have to say I think our dentist is a genius. Especially because when chocolate is laying around, Mom eats it!

Toothless Vampire

Chase had two wishes come true this week (none involving pet dragons unfortunately)! First, he lost a tooth at school - meaning he got to go to the office and get a super cool 5 cent plastic treasure chest to keep it in 'till he came home. He's been waiting for two years for this to happen and of course he was thrilled when it finally did. I can just picture him walking through the halls with an ear to ear toothless grin, carrying his prized treasure chest.... hilarious. And this is what he looks like with out his two front teeth. Pretty ironic that he was a vampire for Halloween!

Second, Chase got a red dollar sign stamp on his hand at lunch indicating that his account was out of money. This just goes to show how much I love my son, because it was very difficult for me to let this one happen. I typically would have deposited more money to his account at least a week before it ran out. I even casually said "hey I'm just gonna send a check to the school today for your lunch" more than once, but Chase was adamant that we let the money run out so he could get the crazy stamp. He really wanted the stamp on his forehead (don't ask me why he thought they would do that to a child) but had to settle for it on his hand instead. He also brought home a letter explaining that we had a .30 cent negative balance, and outlining how we could sign up to receive government subsidised lunches! I about died laughing - .30 cents! (Thanks Barack, but that won't be necessary) Anyway, this morning I went in to the school and added more money to the account and the lunch lady told me she'd never seen a kid get so excited about the hand stamp. She said Chase yelled 'Finally!' when she put it on his hand. I really hope he enjoyed the moment because that's the last time we're letting the lunch account run out. :)

Fabulous Fall

I don't even know where to start with our fun fall adventures. To describe it all in a word: fabulous! We have definitely taken advantage of the beautiful weather, crafted our hearts out, baked, decorated, visited the witches at Gardner Village, played with friends, partied with the neighborhood, and more. Believe it or not we only captured about half of the activities on camera, and we aren't done yet! We are looking forward to carving pumpkins tomorrow, attending three halloween parties throughout the week, and of course Trick-or-Treating on Saturday. How are we keeping up our energy? Candy of course!

Happy Birthday Brian!

Bri turned 33 this month, and we celebrated as much as he let us (he doesn't like to make a big deal about his birthdays but he's a very good sport). :) Brian likes 'experiences' as gifts which I think is so fun, especially since I usually get to participate also. So the weekend prior to his birthday I took him to the Glass Blowing Art gallery/studio at Thanksgiving Point where we made a glass flower. It was a really fun, hot, and educational experience. I seriously don't know how those glass blowers do it in those extreme temperatures - I thought Bri's arm hair was going to catch on fire! Luckily it didn't...

From Bri's 33

Then we went out to dinner at Asian Star - one of our all time favorite restaurants. We hadn't been there in a while and we loved it!

From Bri's 33

On Brian's actual birthday, the kids and I attempted breakfast in bed but he gets up TOO EARLY so we had to improvise a little. We did manage to catch him before he left for work, and give him a poster the kids colored and covered with his favorite candies, some presents and a quick breakfast. He had a boy scout court of honor that evening (talk about a dedicated scouter) that we all attended instead of partying. The boys weren't about to let Bri get off easy though; they surprised him with a 'Best Scout Master' trophy. I agree with the scouts, but have to say that even more than a dedicated Scout Master, Bri is the best husband and father anyone could ask for.

From Bri's 33

Happy Birthday Brian - We LOVE You!

Busy September

Our September was one BUSY month! The weekend after our three day family campout at the lake, we went on a fun and relaxing trip to St. George. One of Chase's favorite things to do while we're there is going to the 'Dangerous Park' as he calls it. I have to admit the unique equipment is a lot of fun!

From Busy September

From Busy September

The next weekend we were off to Yellowstone with Bri's whole family! We celebrated Michelle's birthday and had a great time searching for animals, hiking, and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

From Busy September

From Busy September

From Busy September

From Busy September

From Busy September

The following weekend I went on a fabulous 'girls night away' to Park City with some friends in my ward. We ate, saw a chick flick, shopped, got pedi's at the spa, laughed, talked, and talked some more. So much fun, so little sleep!

From Busy September

From Busy September

Straight from Park City I met up with my dear family and went to Lagoon for Allstate's annual summer party. 'Frightmares' was going on at the park, the weather was perfect and it was surprisingly not crowded! Chase and Clara are at such fun ages right now for amusement parks too, so we had a blast. I tried my best to keep my energy up even though I was completely exhausted!

Needless to say we missed a lot of soccer games in September, but the fun times we shared as a family was worth it.

Deer Creek Resivoir

One of my all-time favorite things to do: spend a day on a lake in a boat with my family in the hot hot sun! The problem is we don't have a boat, and this summer almost slipped away without a single chance to get out on the lake. Thankfully our friends came to the rescue and hooked us up with a picture perfect end-of-summer day that will deliver warm memories for months to come!

The Guilty Face

This is what Clara looks like when she sneaks something out of the pantry she's not supposed to have, or runs outside to play without telling me, or trashes her room, or... well you get the picture. Her thoughts are a mixture of "How much do you really know?" and "You aren't mad are you?" and "I'm in trouble." It's so hard to get upset with this face, I usually end up just kissing it.

The BEST restaurant in town!

Chase loves to play pretend, dress-up, act, etc. One of his favorite characters to assume is a waiter at a fancy restaurant. He goes to great lengths to get the kitchen/nook area spiffy, make a sign for the restaurant, an 'open' sign for the front door, even designate where the bathrooms are. Of course he doesn't forget about the classical music and even decorates according to the theme of the restaurant (Pirate Island Pizza was the most elaborate - with pirate hats, a burned and rolled parchment paper menu, spider webs and parrots and buried treasure decor... I get tired just remembering it!). He then carefully hand writes the 'menu' for the evening with illustrations and all. And then the fun begins, and usually goes something like this:


Dinner: Act 1
(under the direction of Chase)
Mom: Lets eat out tonight - I heard about a great new restaurant called Eberts!
Dad: Sounds good to me.
Chase: (wearing his basketball clothes) Oh shoot, I have a basketball game tonight. Sorry, I'll have to miss dinner. (Exits right, changes costume into his church suit and tie, with hand towel over arm and slicked back hair)

Dinner: Act 2
The family arrives at the restaurant. Chase proceeds to display the menu, take orders, fill water glasses, and bring out meals. After we are done eating our places are cleared and our waiter excuses himself. Shortly after, Chase changes back into his basketball clothes, goes outside and comes back in again as Chase... not kidding.

Dinner: Act 3
Chase: (Coming in from the front door) Hey! How was dinner? I won my game 3-2, it was awesome.
Family: Great! We had the best waiter, so sorry you had to miss it.
Chase: I hope you left him a good tip! Wink-wink.

I seriously love that kid! :)

Smith & Moorehouse Lake

The first weekend after school started we took a family camping trip to Smith & Moorehouse Lake. It's such a beautiful spot in the world! We had scheduled the trip and reserved the site back in May, so even with threats of inclement weather we decided to go for it. A storm chased us up the canyon and the minute we pulled into the camp we flew to get the tent up and fire started - trying to beat the rain. I tossed our pre-made tin foil dinners on the fire while Bri worked on the tent and all our scrambling paid off! We ate dinner warm and dry under the 'porch' of the tent as the rain poured down around us. It continued to pour and pour all night - which was fine because we were in our tent. But then the lightening and thunder started. We woke up the kids and ran through the rain to the car to avoid being struck by lightening and it became a very cramped and uncomfortable situation before long. Eventually the storm cleared so the dog and I went back to the tent to spread out and get some sleep. No such luck! Within 20 minutes the storm was raging again and the lightening was on top of us - so we ran to the car once more. In the morning we were stiff and sore and still tired from the sleepless night. But by 10 am the storm had officially cleared and we were excited to have a fun day together. And a fun day we had! We fished, hiked, played cards, took a nap etc. It was sunny and warm (at least by afternoon) and dry! We watched the sky closely because Brian and I did NOT intend to spend another stormy night in the car, but it remained pleasant. After roasting hot dogs and smores over the campfire we enjoyed a restful nights sleep in the tent with no interruptions. Overall we had such a great time and made some fun memories - storm and all - on our family camp out. Even after two nights the kids still didn't want to come home! We will definitely have to make it an annual event.

Watch out pre-school!

Clara is officially growing up on me! She started pre-school and a creative dance class in September and loves them both. I really enjoy watching her participate in social activities because she is such a social butterfly and has so much fun being 'involved'!

From Clara Preschool

If you have ever wondered what Brian would look like in a dress and pig-tails this is it! Pretty cute.

First day at 'The Little Gray Elephant' Pre-school...

From Clara Preschool

And at her creative dance class!

1st Grade

My little Chase is a BIG first grader! He is so excited about going back to school - all day. I can't wait to see everything he learns and does this year, but I'm sure going to miss him.

Chocolate Factory!

At the end of the summer break, the kids and I went on a little field trip to the Vie Chocolate Factory. YUMMY!

It was so fun spending the summer with my kids. We truly enjoyed ourselves sleeping in, hanging out at the pool and going on little outings such as the chocolate factory. Chase and Clara are at the best ages right now - I just love spending time with them!

DeFrancis Family Reunion

In August the whole DeFrancis crew met at the Cornwall Cabin for a three-day family reunion! It was a total blast. We pulled off a surprise party celebrating Annie & Paul's 60th birthdays. We also played games, floated home-made boats down the river, did skits, rode horses, made crafts, had a dance party, made s'mores, had a scavenger hunt, hiked, swam, talked, ate, relaxed and more. It was especially fun to see the cousins and what fun they had together even though they live so far apart from one another. And with only one trip to the ER with cousin Elliot we are calling the reunion a huge success. We can't wait to see everyone again (hopefully next summer?)!

Albion Basin

Our family loves to spend time in the beautiful Utah mountains during the summer. Albion Basin is one of our favorite spots to hike, picnic and take pix of the kids. Unfortunately we forgot bug spray and brought several souvenir mosquito bites home with us... we'll not make the same mistake next time!

Chase is 7!

They say 7 is a lucky number, and they must be right because Chase's 7th birthday was the best ever! For breakfast he got sugar cereal, a rare treat, and then opened his presents. One of them was a live caterpillar/butterfly kit. The caterpillars had arrived in the mail the week before, and started forming cocoons after a few days. We had wanted Chase to be able to see the whole process so we let him in on the present early. He was so excited, he checked on them every day. Then on the morning of his birthday the butterflies started hatching(?) out of their cocoons! All but one of them came out on his birthday and the last one came out two days later on the morning of his party. How lucky is that? Anyway, later that day we went to Utah's newest water park 'Cowabunga Bay' with some friends and had a blast on the water slides and in the lazy river. We even went to McDonalds for Dinner, per Chase's request. Lucky, Lucky, Lucky! A couple days later we had Chase's 'How to Train Your Dragon' party. My Mom, sister and I had made cute viking cupcakes that we gave each of the kids with their invitations. At the party the kids wore viking hats and decorated viking shields - then Brian chased them around the yard with 'dragon fire' silly string. They took turns shooting down the dragon pinata with Chase's nerf bow & arrow and played 'Hiccup Says.' And then there was the cake. On it was a viking ship sailing next to an island/volcano. Out of the volcano flew 'Hiccup' riding his dragon 'Toothless.' The best part was the roman candle which was stuck in the top of the volcano. Once lit, it created quite an exciting explosion of fireworks! Chase was in heavan. After the party Bri left on a scout campout and the kids and I went to another water park to beat/enjoy the scorching heat (for the record, I love it). After that we met up with friends for dinner at Zupas. We were all pretty much exhausted after all this fun, but managed to find enough energy to head down to Provo for Zack's last BYU soccer game. We love watching Zack play - Go Cougars! Needless to say, we slept the rest of the weekend!

Washington DC

Our trip to Washington DC with Chase over the 4th of July was fantastic! Despite record breaking temperatures and humidity we made some wonderful memories. I had so much fun sharing many of my own memories with Bri and Chase as we toured my childhood town too. Chase travelled like a champ (no surprise there) and seemed to not only put up with being hauled from site to site at breakneck speed, but actually really enjoyed it! With everything we did and saw the six days went by like a blur, but Chase retained a lot more than I expected him to. Great trip!

Clara the Brave

Every year we get a free family pass to Lagoon, and try to take advantage of it because there's no way we'd actually pay to take the family there! At least not while the kids are still relatively young and can only really appreciate a handful of rides. Anyway, this year we went and while we were on the sky-ride that takes you from one end of the park to the other, it stopped. Yikes! I am not terrified of heights but I really really dislike them, and if I'm forced there against my will I'm pretty close to terrified. Clara and I were sharing a car and Brian and Chase were in the car in front of us. After a few minutes of dangling there, Bri looked back at me helplessly (knowing that I was undoubtedly freaking out) and I tried not to panic in front of Clara. Nevertheless, she's pretty keen (maybe my white clenched knuckles and hyperventilating tipped her off) and said "It's OK Mom, we can sing a song if we're scared!" I looked at my thee year old, amazed, and didn't really know what to say! "We can sing the Jesus song" she said again. I eventually got a grip and started singing the 'Jesus Song' (I Am a Child of God) with her until the ride finally started up again. I'm so glad my daughter was able to keep it together when I was falling apart! She's incredible!

Five Days...

In five days Brian, Chase, and I are heading for Washington DC! It's something I've wanted to do for a long time (I was born there and lived there for twelve years before moving to AZ) and I'm SO excited! I can't wait to show Brian and Chase everything and as a result our itinerary is jam-packed. We will seriously be running our buns off the entire time - it's going to be a blast! Chase learned about DC, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, the White House, etc. this year at school and really wanted to tour the White House while we were there. We signed up for a tour back in January and after being told by one Congressman that we were put on a waiting list, we just found out from another Senator (we tried every source we could) that we got it! Yay! I feel slightly guilty about leaving Clara behind, but this just isn't the type of trip she'd appreciate - yet. I have to keep telling myself that she will have much more fun here with Zack, Kylee, and her Grandmas then she would have 'not touching anything' at the Smithsonian. And when I think about trying to keep track of her (she has no fear of strangers) on the 4th of July at the Washington DC Mall, my guilt is all but gone.

Take me out to the ball game...

Chase is playing coach-pitch baseball this summer with a couple of his buddies. It's his first time playing the sport, but so far he seems to like it. He gets slightly bored when waiting for his turn to bat, and slightly more bored when his team is playing in the field but all in all I think it's a good experience for him. I always find myself wondering what he's going to really 'get into' and it's fun to watch him try out different sports and activities. So far he doesn't seem to show much of a competitive nature (no surprise considering neither Brian or I are super competitive) and I'm OK with that as long as he has fun!

Timponogos Cave

When Steve was here last month we spent an afternoon hiking up to the Timponogos Cave. Chase, Clara, and our friend Lily were absolute troopers! I forgot how strenuous the climb is up to the caves, and it even started raining on us as we neared the top, but they made it. The inside of the caves are amazing, though wet ant cold. Chase's favorite part was the 'alligator' shaped formation that he remembered from two years ago when we hiked it last. Clara and Lily loved the 'heart' of the cave, and the yummy chocolate covered pretzels we devoured all the way back down.

Chats with Chase

Chase and Parker, running around the house using bendy straws as guns...
"Hurry! We have to get ready! The evil summer boredom is trying to get us! We must fight him with our imagination!"

Dance Festival!

Last year I blogged about the end-of-year dance festival which I was pathetically unprepared for. I'm happy to report that this year I made some serious progress! I showed up the night before to set out our camp chairs (mine were the first ones out!). The morning of we arrived early (uncharictaristic for me) armed with water bottles, snacks, sunscreen and my camera. I was all over it! Oh yeah, and the dance festival was super cute too. Chase's class did 'Lolli-Pop' and his favorite part was eating his huge lolli-pop prop when it was over!

Yay Steve!

We were spoiled to have Steve come stay with us for a couple weeks after he finished his PA schooling and before he started a new job working for a Cardiologist in Colorado. We got to throw him a little graduation party - and Chase acted as our waiter (he loves to role play)! We're only 6.5 hours away from Steve's new place in CO, and can't wait to see his digs. We're of course very proud of him and everything he's accomplished over the last couple years.

Lincoln's Baby Blessing

We got to see most of the DeFrancis clan for little Lincoln's Baby Blessing in May. He was so good, and handsome, and so tolerant of all of us invading his normally tranquil home for the weekend.

Spring!

Spring sprung a little late this year (most of May seemed to be wet and cold) but there were a few sunny beautiful days in there too that we took full advantage of. Of course we hit the super fabulous Tulip Festival and rolled down the huge grassy hills at Thanksgiving Point. We also let Chase and Clara loose with the neighbor kids and their warm water hose for the first outdoor water fun of the year. My favorite part of May was visiting my friend Terra in Spokane, WA for a few days by myself! With her husband out of town too, we had some seriously relaxing gal pal time. And before we knew it we were at the end of the school year getting ready to kick off the summer. Hooray!

Before and After

This is Claras favorite outfit; she wears it at least three times a week and would wear it every day if I let her! Although it's a summer dress, she managed to wear it all winter too with leggings and snow boots. I seriously have no idea why she loves it so much but she does. Anyway she's had it forever (it's size 24 mo. and she wears a 4T now), but every attempt I made to dispose of it, or at least put it in the 'too small' bin resulted in serious tantrums. So I decided to cut off the straps and turn it into a skirt. I'm not much of a seamstress, but luckily it was an easy project. Also lucky for me - she loves the skirt version as much as the dress version. Fhew!

USS TeamEbert

It's no secret that Chase has a little bit of an obsession with constructing make-believe things out of boxes, paper, tape, sticks, paper towel tubes, etc. I have to replenish our supply of duct tape as often as I have to buy a gallon of milk around here! So it was also no surprise when Chase wanted to build an aircraft carrier out of a box for an FHE acticity one night. I thought I should probably document the event since it's so typical of what goes on at our house. I loved how Chase wrote the numbers for his countdown on the control panel backwards, but my favorite part was when he got to zero and we all threw our paper planes into the air! Silly...

St. George in March

We were lucky enough to visit St. George twice this spring, the later trip with Bri's family. Chase learned how to build a tower of cards and Clara learned about caterpillars!

Chats with Clara

We were visiting Kimmy and Brad's ward on Sunday for their baby's blessing, and Clara said "This is Kimmy and Brad's church, but they're letting us borrow it today huh?"

Chats with Chase

Mom: Chase, you can come downstairs when your [extremely messy] room is clean and your pajamas are on.
Chase: Got it.
A few minutes later Chase appears...
Mom: That was fast, is your room really clean enough that I can walk around in there?
Chase: No it's still a mess but don't worry; everything on the floor is soft stuff so you can still walk around.

Orville Herbert Schroer

June 20, 1917 - April 14, 2010
Well done, thou good and faithful servant