Go ahead and remove my name from the Mother-of-the-Year Ballot

When I was a little tike, I loved The Baby-Sitter's Club books. I read all of them. Even the Jr. Club books (and those were lame). So, needless to say, I was a pretty dedicated member of the Ann M. Martin fan club. In one book (#33 Claudia & the Great Search--google it), Claudia is convinced that she is adopted for a variety of reasons, one of which is that her parent's don't have as many pictures of her childhood as her older sister.

Now that I've taken you through a second grade book report, I'll explain what made me think of that story. Our sweet Lizzie is adorable. She is sweet. She has the most beautiful blue eyes you've ever seen. And, me, her pathetic mother, have a few handfuls of pictures of her.

When Halle was 8 months old, I had a few thousand pics of every possible baby moment available. When Chase came, my documentation slowed significantly, but there are still lots of pictures of most of Chase's babyhood.

I have to remind myself to take pictures of Lizzie. I don't pack the camera around most of the time. If I did, Chase would bury it in the sandbox, or squirt it with the hose. To me, that's a pretty good excuse.

So, one day, when Lizzie comes up to me and asks why Halle & Chase photo pile trumps hers, I'll hand her a really old, ragged copy of The Baby-Sitter's Club because I'm pretty sure that Claudia's parents gave her some good, loving advice at the end of that book.

Isn't it amazing how "literature" can help us out! Thank you, Miss Ann M. Martin.

First Day of First Grade

Last night at our annual (two years running) "Back-to-School Dinner Extravaganza," Sam and I both told Halle all about our first grade years. It was amazing how much we remembered. So, it's a little surreal that we have a little girl entering the first grade.

Halle has been so excited to start school. She loves school, and we love that she loves it.

When we saw her class list this year, she was a little disappointed that she didn't have any friends in her class. After a few days of feeling bad, she finally said, "Mom, I'm just going to be super nice to everybody, and be everyone's friend." What a sweetie.


We are so excited to watch Halle learn and grow this year. First grade is going to be great!

You Don't Know the Trouble I've Seen...

In the next issue of the dictionary, I'm pretty sure if you look up the word "trouble" there will be a picture of Chase next to it. I know, I know. Everyone says that their two-year-old is challenging, but according to Sam, Chase is in the top 5% of naughty two-year-olds. I don't know what research he conducted to come up with that statistic, but I'm pretty sure he's right.

But every now and again, Chase is completely adorable. His big, brown eyes have super powers. It's true. He can get pretty much anything he wants with those puppy-dogs.

Today was one of those days when Chase completely melted our hearts. He started toddler class today. His class is part of the early intervention program that he is a part of to improve his speech. He walked right into class (backpack included) and didn't bat an eye when we left.

His teacher said he had a fabulous day. Imagine that! I was nervous that he was going to get the ol' "heave ho" after day one. But, alas, Chase behaved. We couldn't be prouder.

Once he turns 3, he will enter a speech preschool. We are hopeful that these opportunities give him as much help as he needs to work on his speech delay. But, in the meantime, he is growing up, and having a great time. So, watch out, World. Here comes Trouble!

Dog Days of Summer

I remember as a child, summer always reached a point where it was definitely time to go back to school. I'd splashed, rode, and eaten enough popsicles to suffice my needs. Eventually--even though I hated to admit it--I needed a schedule.

We have nearly reached that point in our house this summer. We love the sunshine and the fun of outdoors, but we need a reason to be out of our pajamas before 11:00. The last few weeks have entered Groundhog Day mode. Each day is a near mirror image of the prior day. Here's our rundown:

8 a.m.: Halle heads downstairs to watch t.v. in her underwear. Always in her underwear. Apparently she's decided putting on pajamas takes too much work. Lizzie plays with toys. Chase is still asleep. Sam heads off to work, and I start getting ready for the day.

9:00 a.m.: Chase wakes up and asks for dad. Not home. Chase cries. Halle still in the basement. Lizzie eats. Me? Still not ready.

10:00 a.m.: Halle & Chase fight. I break it up. Lizzie naps. Chase wakes her up. Me? Closer, but still not ready.

12:00 p.m.: Lunch. Everyone is finally ready.

1:00 p.m.: We head outside, where we will remain for most of the day. Chase proceeds to start moving the recycling bins around. He likes to line up our trash cans with the neighbors. Sometimes he can convince a neighbor kid to help him out on his quest. Apparently, the outdoor toys are no longer fun, so we have to look for other forms of entertainment. Lizzie chills on my lap or in her playpen. Halle plays with friends.

2:00 p.m.: Popsicles.

4:00 p.m.: Lizzie heads in to nap.

5:30 p.m.: Sam comes home! I hand Chase off to him. Lizzie wakes up. I start making dinner with Lizzie perched on my hip.

6:30 ish: Dinner. Someone spills something.
7:00 p.m.: Back outside for a walk or chit-chat with the neighbors.

8:30 p.m.: We come in and try to convince the kids to go to bed. Lizzie obeys. Halle & Chase don't. Cartoons.

9:30 p.m.: Chase falls asleep. Halle occupies herself. I don't know what she does. I'm too exhausted to check.

10:00 p.m.: News.

11:00 p.m.: Sleep.

12:30 a.m.: Lizzie cries. Sam never hears her. I always do.

And then, we do it again...

Summertime. And the Livin' is Easy.

Oh, Summer. I love you. It is so much fun to bask in the sunshine, and spend hours sitting on the grass. I love you so much, that blogging has taken a backseat. A major backseat. So, what does one do when there's lots of pictures and only so much time inside to blog? I know! A big, fat, throw everything into one blog post, kind of post. So here you go, peeps. Our summer. At least the last few weeks of it.

We made our grand reentrance to Salina for the 4th of July. It has been years since I have been back for the 4th, and we had a fabulous time. The carnival was great. We left with pocketfuls of prized possessions. Lunch at El Mexicano was super tasty, and visits with my grandparents were long overdue.

We headed back to SLC in the afternoon to enjoy a BBQ with Sam's family and one of the greatest fireworks shows I have ever seen. My father-in-law is like a 12-year-old when it comes to blowing things up.

We have been using my parent's Thanksgiving Point pass a lot. My kids love that place. And, when we are there, we are happy.

Of course, until we aren't....

And the sun is shining...

And the water is splashing...

And the horses are perfectly kid-friendly....

And, the toys are tasty....

And, pretty much that sums up our summer. Or, at least a few days of it. The rest of the time we are outside. But, I mentioned that already. I, don't, however, have any pictures of that. Feel free to imagine for yourselves...

Happy Weekend, All! Enjoy some sunshine!

Grab Bag

Life is gloriously simple at our house these days. We pretty much spend all day outside basking in every minute of sunshine available. Chase is completely hilarious. He wakes up every morning and grabs his Crocs so he can go outside. Sometimes we wonder if we should just pitch a tent for him in the backyard, so he doesn't even have to come in at night.

In the middle of our simplicity, we do have completely memorable moments. For one, Chase is obsessed with lambs. Like totally obsessed. He goes around saying, "baa baa" all the time. So, when Sam found out about the sheep festival at Thanksgiving Point, he knew it was a perfect activity for them. Sam said that Chase had his perfect day. I keep telling Sam that I want to get Chase a pet lamb with a little bell that Chase can walk around like a dog. And, as a bonus, it would help out on Sam's mowing responsibilities. Not a bad idea, right?

In "Lizzie Land," life has had a few exciting changes. For one, she finally gets to add to her diet! Rice cereal, baby! She eats like a champion, and most recently slept through the night. It's about time! She's adorable, and we just love her.

Halle finished kindergarten! She has loved school this year, and we have loved watching her learn. She never forgets about homework or reading time. She is looking forward to first grade, because in her words, "eating lunch at school is going to be awesome."

She also had her spring dance recital. She is such a showy performer. We love watching her dance.

The older girls in Halle's dance company did a Toy Story production number. It was amazing. Check out these costumes... spot on.

Even though life is relatively simple, we still play hard, and sometimes get completely tuckered out...

Life is good!

It's a Beautiful Life

I have to admit, I spend a lot of my time in "if only" land. "If only" we made more money. "If only" we had a walk-in closet. "If only" I had washboard abs. But, at the end of the day we are incredibly blessed. Why? Because we have been given the sweetest, cutest, best 3 children around. They make our life beautiful.

Photos from here.