Getting Closer...

 I keep telling Sam that our life now is reminiscent of a Hallmark movie title. Our family could star in a show called "Homeless for the Holidays" or "The House Without a Christmas Tree." Luckily though, it looks like we might have a house for Christmas!

The house is all painted now. (I need an updated picture that doesn't have the paint mess all around. Will Do.) I love how bright it is.

We certainly have a white thing going on in this house. Not only is much of the outside white, I chose white cabinets to brighten the kitchen. I LOVE white cabinets! The countertops and wood floor have been added since this picture was taken.

I just found a picture that shows a little bit of the countertops...

The bathroom tile is done. The vanities are in place. We still need glass on the shower and fixtures.

So, with a little luck, and maybe a Christmas miracle, we will have a home for Christmas! Things can certainly still go wrong--something my pessimistic husband always reminds me, but I really, really hope that we are in by Christmas.

Chase's Birthday

Somehow, I've gotten in the poor habit of reporting on things weeks after the fact. I'd say I'll try to be better, but that'd be a lie. And, since I'm trying to stay on Santa's nice list right now, lying is not allowed.

Anyway, I digress. My sweet, rambunctious, handsome little guy turned 4 at the beginning of November. 4! I love four-year-olds. They are better behaved (mostly), they listen (not really) and they are funny (completely true).

We celebrated Chase by going to Kangaroo Zoo in Pleasant Grove with my parents. He ran and ran for two hours. It was the perfect place to go for his birthday. Halle and Lizzie tuckered out, but not Chase. He could have climbed up those slides for days. 

Afterwards, Chase chose to go to the Purple Turtle for lunch. He heard the name, and thought it was funny, so we went. I know it's like a PG landmark and all, but we will not be returning. Not my favorite. Chase loved it though, and since it was his birthday, we all lived it up.

On Sunday, his actual birthday, Sam's mom made Chase a birthday dinner that we celebrated at their house. Mashed potatoes! He loved running around with his cousins. 

Chase is such a great kid. He loves going to preschool everyday. He is making great strides with his speech, although it is still a work-in-progress. When we look at how far he has come in a year, it's incredible. We can't wait to see how much he improves in the next year.

At 4, Chase:

*loves playing with his best friend, Marcus

*loves Tom & Jerry

*loves yard work

*loves wearing hoodies, with the hood up

*loves going to BYU games with his daddy

*loves pestering his sisters

*loves playing sports

We love you, Chase!

Halloween: At a Glance

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I decided I was way past due for a post about my little ghosts and goblins. Since we are in-between houses, I am finding it hard to be all festive about the different holidays. All of our decorations are stored about 8 boxes deep. But, alas, we tried to have a fun Halloween.  And, what'd ya know? We totally did!

We went on a witch hunt at Gardner Village in hopes of earning a cookie. A cookie! You mean I get to chase my three kids around, keep track of the witches we'd find and all we get is a cookie? And, on top of that, wait in a incredibly long line for said cookie! After an hour of witch searching, I bought my kids off by telling them I'd buy them each 2 cookies later if we could just go home. Sometimes, I totally rock this motherhood thing. 

\

Chase had his preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. It was cold. Like really cold. I am usually so picky about the pumpkins that my kids pick out, but on this day, Chase got the pumpkin he chose. Lopsided, and all.

When Halloween finally arrived, I got to dress my little darlings up in their costumes. Lizzie dressed up as her hero, Minnie Mouse. We got the costume at Disneyland, and she has been wanting to wear it ever since. Check out the shoes! 

Chase, who has a small obsession with Jake and the Neverland Pirates, dressed up as pirate this year. I loved his costume. He did too!

Our beautiful Halle was a Super Girl for Halloween. She is always looking for an excuse to doll-up, so she loved putting on her dance glitter make-up for the occasion.

All-in-all, Halloween was a success! It wasn't filled with a lot of the usual traditions, but the kids had a blast. And, really, I can't really ask for too much more than that.

House Progress

In about 2 months, we are going to be home owners again! It has been so fun to watch our house take shape. We enjoy it so much, that we do the ol' drive-by a couple times a day. Our new neighborhood is right next to Halle's school, and on the way to Wal-mart, so it makes it pretty easy to stalk the guys working on the house. Our new neighbors probably think we are a bit obsessive. We are.

We started out with a lot of dirt.

And then, we got to watch cement dry for about 2 weeks.

Until, finally, we started to see some progress.

And a few days later, a framed house!

And now, windows, doors, and a roof. Love it!

We are so excited to see everything come together. Insulation and sheetrock should go in next week. We are excited!

Home Run!

Oh, my. I have a new favorite sport: T-Ball. Watching little people try to understand baseball, could quite possibly be, the best thing I have seen in a while. Chase was thrilled to finally play this fall, especially since his daddy was his coach. Truth be told, seeing Sam try to coach baseball while corralling 8 little 3-year-olds could be written into a primetime comedy. 

Chase actually played pretty good, for his first year. He understood most of the rules. Actually, if you combined football & baseball, he understood all of the rules. He and his best friend, Marcus, got a big kick out of tackling their teammates to get to the ball first.

I was so proud of my boys for having such an awesome season. Chase loved playing, and Sam survived coaching. I call that a win-win!

We are looking forward to spring when he gets to play again. Having a little "sporty" boy is the best! Go Little Slugger!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Our family was in dire need of a vacation. Sam and I knew that we wanted to take the kids to Disneyland again, but this time, we decided to surprise the kids. A big box with balloons, shirts and a puzzle was delivered to our house to tell the night before we left. Halle & Chase put the puzzle together, telling them that they were going to Disneyland! Lots of screaming and jumping ensued, and Lizzie kept walking around in a circle saying, "Mimmie! Mimmie! Mimmie!"

We flew out early on a Thursday morning, and went straight to the park upon arrival. It was so much fun! Each of the kids were so happy to be there, and Sam and I think we are kids in Disneyland, too. It's the best!

 

All of the kids loved the characters, especially Lizzie. The girl LOVES Minnie Mouse, so when she saw her in person, she went slightly crazy. For three days, all we heard was, "Mimmie. Mimmie." Even now, at home, she tells everyone, "Mimmie. Hand." Minnie touched her hand, and she walks around holding her hand out, acting as if she'll never wash her hand again. I love that Minnie is her hero.

One of the main reasons we went, was to see the new Cars Land. It didn't disappoint. The rides were so fun, and we literally felt that we had walked into Radiator Springs. Chase loved going on the fast cars. So did Sam, for that matter. He just might love Disneyland more than the kids.

Luckily, all three kids behaved wonderfully, especially Halle. She was beyond helpful, and never complained. She's an amazing girl, and we love her!

It was the best vacation. I love spending time with my family. Disneyland is the best! I want to go back!

Preschool x 2

Chase is adventurous, to say the least. The boy runs from the beginning of the day, until it's time for bed. So, since about May, I've been looking forward to preschool starting again. What can I say? I'm tired. 

This year, Chase gets to go to two different preschools. That's four days a week, people! Happy me! He is going to Miss Karie, the preschool extraordinaire. She's in our ward, and has been teaching preschool for many years. Chase loves her! We hear about Miss Karie all the time, and he's only been there one day so far. He's certainly happy there.

The other days, Chase is attending the special preschool through the district to continue working on his speech. He went there last year, so he's pretty well versed on the happenings at Rosamond. And, bonus! He gets to ride the bus there. By himself. That's your tax dollars at work, folks. He loves it, and I'm so glad that he is able to be around a speech therapist twice a week to continue working on his speech.

We have seen so much improvement in Chase over the summer. He certainly doesn't love speech practice, but he does it, and we are seeing a big change in the way he talks. Other people notice, too. I've learned over the last year, since we received Chase's apraxia diagnosis, that there is no greater joy than seeing him master a new word or sentence. We are hopeful that by attending both preschools, along with individualized speech therapy, it will further his progress. He's a champ!

Welcome Fall!

We have had a crazy summer. So, my little clan is thrilled to welcome fall. In a few weeks, my kiddos will be collecting colored leaves, and planning out their Halloween getup. But, for now, we are full-on geeked to welcome our favorite fall activity: BYU football. A few days before the first game, we went to the Cougar Kickoff to celebrate the return of football season. The kids, especially Chase, had a great time. We are certainly raising some mini-Cougar fanatics. 

Chase and Lizzie did some little football skill footwork activity. Lizzie just ran across the lines, but Chase was quite particular on making sure his feet hit every square.

They also got to improve their tackling skills with the tackle dummies. I'm half-tempted to buy one of these things, just so they have something to tackle other than each other.

We met some super cute cheerleaders, with super cool pom-poms.

Chase worked on his quarterbacking skills, and on the first try, threw the ball right on the money. I don't mean to be "one of those mom's," but I'm pretty sure we have a future little Steve Young on our hands.

We met some of our Cougar faves. Riley Nelson...

and Ross Apo, Kyle VanNoy and Cody Hoffman.

We are looking forward to each weekend to cheer on the Cougars. We've even taught Lizzie to say "BYU." We teach our kids early, what can I say. Here's to a great season!