Sunday, October 2, 2011

Happy Birthday Chase!





Chase had a very special birthday this year: he turned eight! We had a family party for him at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He got several fun gifts, but I think his favorite was an Ant Farm. The kid sure does love critters!

These are things we love about Chase:
- He's an early riser: We're talking between 5-6am! This was difficult when he was younger, but now that he's old enough to fix himself some breakfast, play the Wii, read a book, get dressed, play LEGO's, etc. we love it! We never have to get him going in the morning.
- He's got a heart of gold: I've never known a sweeter boy. He loves to serve his family!
- He listens to his parents: Most kids think their parents are clueless - which he might think someday too - but as for now, he actually listens to our advice and does what we tell him to do. I'm so grateful for that!
- He sets a good example to his sister: We never worry about Clara following in Chase's footsteps.
- He is a good friend: Deeply loyal and lots of fun, Chase loves his buddies and they love him too!
- He loves to read: Chase can read a 'Magic Treehouse' book in one day and gets so excited about trips to the library.
- He has the best imagination!: Truly inspiring, Chase tells great stories and has amazing ideas!
- He loves school and is a good student: Chase went through almost a depression when school ended this year. He truly loves everything school has to offer; structure, learning, friends, books, math and more.
- He dreams big: If only we could make some of his grandiose dreams reality...
- He travels well: we can take him anywhere!

Spontaneous Service

This picture is from a random summer morning when Chase decided to make me 'Breakfast in Bed.' He is such a sweetheart! It wasn't the gourmet toast, strawberries and OJ that he prepared as much as it was the thought that got me. I don't know what I did to deserve such a sensitive son who always watches out for his mom, but I am eternally grateful for it!

Summer Bowling




This summer was one for the record books busy-wise. But one afternoon the kids and I took off to have some fun at the bowling alley in Park City!

Two-Wheeling it!





Shortly after the neighborhood 'Kids Triathalon' Clara decided she was ready to ditch the training wheels on her bike. We knew she was ready - she really could have taken them off last fall - but we wanted to wait until it was her idea. We coaxed her to put on some sneakers while Bri took the training wheels off and within two minutes she was zooming away on two wheels. Great job Clara!

First Triathalon!













Our awesome neighborhood put on a 'Kid's Only' Triathalon this summer! For Clara's age group, the triathalon consisted of a bike 'race,' a hula hoop contest and a foot race. For Chase's age group it was the traditional 'swim, bike, run.' They were feeling pretty 'legit' with their numbers written on their arms/legs, their participant t-shirts and their medals. The whole even was tons of fun and got all the kids really excited about fitness.

Clara, Clara, How Does your Garden Grow?


We bought some 'starts' at the local nursery this year for our garden. We had such a cold, wet, spring that seeds were out of the question. Anyway, Clara and her friend Sophia decided to be extra helpful and plant our garden for us. I was inside making dinner when she came running in yelling "MOM! We planted!" She was so proud of herself. I was a little confused, but she quickly grabbed my hand and showed me what she had done. Sure enough, they had randomly dumped all of the plants in a single grow box (we had bought enough for two grow boxes) and tossed the plastic ID tags aside. Of course I had no idea what was what without the little tags, but I was pretty sure nothing was in it's 'spot.' However, Clara was so proud of herself that I decided to let it be. Now that it's October (I'm playing catch-up on the blog again) I can say that it all worked out and most everything grew. Yes it was crowded and looked a little crazy, but we still had plenty of zucchini for making bread!

Spring Soccer




Chase finished up his soccer season with eight games this spring. Even though they lost the last game, he got another 'real trophy' and that was enough for him! Way to go buddy!

Farewell Grandma Cornwall

After a long battle with cancer, 'Grandma Jodee' Cornwall passed away. We enjoyed being with her so much and will of course miss her like crazy. However, we are blessed to have the knowledge that she has been re-united with her husband on the other side of the vail, and we believe that we will also have the chance to be with her again someday! Her funeral was one of the most touching and uplifting services I have ever been to. The expression of love from so many people whose lives were blessed by hers was so inspiring. We love you Grandma!

Spring Chickens!



Miss Goff's first grade class got some chicken eggs, incubated them for several weeks, and watched them hatch right in the classroom! Chase loved checking on the chickens every day and watching them grow. It was such an educational experience for him in many ways. They even learned about coping with death when some of the chicks didn't survive. He really really really wanted us to 'adopt' one of them but he will have to be satisfied with seeing chickens at the Thanksgiving Point Farm rather than in his back yard. Chase loves animals and would have one of every kind if we let him. I told him when he's older he can work at the Zoo!

Deja Vu

I swear I was just recently in this same predicament. However, this time it wasn't my fault! Believe it or not a massive windstorm bent the garage door in just enough, so when it opened the whole thing popped off the track and caved in. It was mayhem and chaos for a bit; scraping across the top of my car until it finally came to a stop. After going through two garage doors in one year (not fun) we decided to buy the strongest steel door money can buy. It's supposed to withstand a hurricane (says the sales guy of course) so we'll see if it stands a chance against the Lehi winds!

Welcome Baby Corbin!


My best friend Terra had her first baby boy - Corbin - and came to Utah to bless him! I was thrilled because I hadn't had a chance to get to Washington to meet him yet. He was blessed on Mothers Day and it was such a special treat to be there with my two beautiful children and remember their blessing days. I absolutely love being a mother; it's the best job I've ever had! I don't think my kids will ever know what they mean to me - at least not until they have some of their own. :) I'm so happy that Terra will now be able to experience the joys of Motherhood too, and know she's going to be the best Mom ever.

Pre-School Graduation






Clara attended 'The Little Gray Elephant' pre-school for the 2010-2011 school year. She had her ups and downs, but we made it through to the end! The class she was in was for 4 year olds entering Kindergarten, so she was a year younger than all the other students (part of the 'downs' that I mentioned earlier). But that meant she got to participate in graduation (definitely one of the 'ups') even through she still had another year of pre-school ahead of her. She was in charge of leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the ceremony and did a wonderful job! We love you Clara and are proud of you for sticking out the good, the bad, and the ugly of a whole year of pre-school.

Alice in Wonderland!




Chase was in a play! He was Buzz Lightyear, a catarpillar, and part of the Jaberwoki in Up With Kids' version of Alice in Wonderland. He practiced every week for nine whole months and finally the night of the big performance came. It was held at the local high school, and admission was a can of food for the food bank. We invited as many friends and family to attend as possible. He wasn't nervous one bit and did a fantastic job. We were so proud of him!!! At the end of the play each of the kids came out and received an 'Oscar' trophy which Chase was thrilled about. "It's my first trophy!" he said "All my other awards have been necklace medals but finally a real trophy!" We celebrated with ice cream afterward at Emmit and Ethyls. Way to go Chase!