Happy 3rd Birthday!

Can't believe my baby girl is 3! She had a fun birthday and a few days of celebration. We had a party for her and invited all of her friends. Originally it was going to be at the park but it was a rainy day so the gym at the church was the final location. I decided all you need at a birthday party is lots of balloons and a big area to run. That was a big hit! It was a costume party so that was pretty entertaining too. She is growing up and learning how to pronounce words like "truck" which for so long has been pronounced with an "f" at the beginning instead of the "tr". She loves to tackle her little brother...it sounds cruel...but she really is very soft with him and the tackling makes them both laugh so hard. Someday though its gonna cause tears. She loves to sing songs now. That is a new thing. For most of her speaking life if someone (mostly me) sings to her she holds out her little hand with authority and shouts "No! Stop!" This really hurt me actually...I sing alright I would tell myself. Surely if I had a repelent (sp) voice my Choir teacher would have let me in on it in High School. I was glad to find out that others had also experienced this with her (sorry grandmas'). She knows her own mind and once its made up well thats the way she feels. Anyway, singing is a good time now...she used to love it as a baby...I thought....

I really didn't mean to get lost on that little tangent. My own insecurities surfacing.

So yes that is me in a Rainbow Bright costume for her birthday party. Savannah was so happy I broke it out just for the occasion. My mom really deserves the credit for the amazing costume. Thanks Mom! She made it for me in college.

My favorite things she has been expressing are:

-when offered something to eat...."No, I good." using my own words against me when I tell her "No, you're good, you've had enough juice."

-"Moos-kick" for music

-(whispers) "I tinkerbell" because tickerbell doesn't talk she only twinkles.

Happy Birthday my darling girl!OliverTylin

Jacob

Adam

Brynne

Kelsie & Lauren

Matthew

Ella

Why all the pictures you ask??? Because they wouldn't hold still for the group picture and because I'm nuts!

2 months later...

So time went by fast and now the summer is over. I actually had to turn on the heater today. It was so chilly. We've had a good summer though. Chase is 7 months old now (I can't believe it!) and Savannah is getting ready to be 3 years old. They are so fun to watch grow up and interact. I'm so proud of my kids, they love eachother so much and that just makes me so happy.

So hmm... to catch everyone up...Our computer crashed. We lost everything on our hard drive. Which was very sad and stressful. I had the task of putting it all back on the computer which proved to be too much for me. So we hired a new book keeper. She was Joe's old boss's wife who did the books for their business. So she already knows the business and will be able to give us great insight. We're really excited. We've partied it up we went to a luau and a couple parades and the fair and now we're ready for fall.

Chase was our family's Big Kahuna at the ward luau.

Savannah watched the water balloon fight in disappointment when her water balloon broke before she could get in on the action.

They also had their very first bath together and it was quite an event. Savannah was so excited to have a buddy in the tub with her. Chase wasn't quite prepared for her enthusiasm but as often is the case he tried his best to be a good sport as she squealed and splashed. Adorable!

Last night we went to Music in the Park. Every thursday at 8pm at Claudia Driscoll park they are having a band of some kind play. Its so fun! Its been so fun to get out and feel part of the community I live in. Last week the Bitterroot Band played and this week the Kent Curtiss Band played. Savannah loves it she flits and dances all over the place and I even got up and jammed with her for a while. Chase loves it too he likes to stare off at the sky and listen. I think hes gonna be a deep thinker. We took our fun wagon and walked to the park and met some friends there and had some snacks. The kids wore themselves down and by the time it was over they were pooped. So on the walk home (they were in the wagon of course) Savannah and Chase wound down and were all ready for bed. It was a great evening....all except for one part...you know those fireman poles at play grounds that you slide down? Well there was a little boy in front of Savannah and she saw him step off the edge and go down. But I don't think she understood he was using the pole to slide down. She must of thought he just floated down somehow. Because she stepped off the edge didn't reach for the pole and landed on her back and bit her tounge. Oh she cried! And I was clear across the park feeding chase when it happened. I felt so bad.

Savannah running for Mayor

Got a deal on pictures for Fathers Day and thought hey why not. I'm pretty happy with them so wanted to share. However I feel that this will be the last time I try to go without some back up. Savannah bless her sweet heart was bored to tears. The picture taking process is really not a problem because she can be the center of attention. But when that part is over and its time for Mom to pick out what picture we want Savannah went to great lengths to entertain herself....
Chase, my sweet boy, was smiley and happy and more than willing to cooperate during the picture process too. He did a great job! I really was expecting more of a struggle with him but again the picture taking process was good...

So we went and had lunch after....the studio requested a few minutes to get everything ready to show us. When we got back there were people everwhere. Standing room only. Okay maybe thats an exaggeration. So we wait another 45 minutes (that is not an exaggeration) in this little tiny waiting room with 3 other families. My stroller is constantly in the way because Savannah is trying to take it for a walk. And my son is ready for a nap and I'm thinking I'm gonna leave... you people suck. But I didn't want to do that because its not like I can just run back over when its convenient. Its an hour drive from Hamilton. Not to mention the whole reason we went was to give a picture to Daddy for Fathers Day and that wasn't going to happen if I left. So I stayed.


Sigh.... Then Savannah started to meet the people. I like to call it "Running for Mayor" because she turns on this charm and will not relent until they have been charmed. Which they all think is really cute and stuff but it makes me crazy sometimes. The waiting room of Sears portrait studio is more like a very small section of the store. There are no doors to close to contain my 2 and half year old. Across the way is the infant section of the store where Savannah thinks it would be nice to go shopping. And there is also an exit to the parking lot right next to where I'm sitting. So people are walking in and out of this door all the time. She is welcoming these people in, she even gave a couple little girls a hug just for visiting sears that day!
Her crowning achievement was when a family with a little almost 2 yr old boy came in and his daddy was in a wheel chair. And Savannah made fast friends with them by playing ring around the rosy circling the wheel chair. They went in to take their pictures. in the adjoining room....again no doors....nothing is holding her back. And of course she is curious. So she peeks in and I'm telling her "Its there turn to take pictures now, you need to stay right there." Okay Mamma is her reply and she seems content just to peek in. And by this time the stinking sales lady is ready to talk to me about our pictures...so I'm doing the head bob trying to give my attention to both events. Savannah really was a good girls for most of it... I'm just relating the "social" encounters she had. So after a while I feel confident she is going to stay still and just watch. As I'm making my final selections I hear this "Vanna's turn now!" (she calls herself Vanna...Savannah is hard to say) and she climbs over the daddy in the wheelchair past the photographer and parks herself right next to that little boy in the middle of taking pictures. What can I say...they all thought it was hilarious...so no harm no foul. But I sure was happy to have everyone in their carseats and driving home.

We love our backyard!

Freedom! As many of you may know our yard has resembled a construction site for the last year since our business has taken off. It really caught us by storm and we weren't prepared with a storage plan for all the gear. So just recently we got it all cleaned up and child proof. So now it is Savannah's wonderland and she had been loving exploring in a world of her very own (until Chase grows up of course) So we decided we needed a swing set to finish it off. And we have been loving it.

Potty training has taken off in the last week I finally got serious about it I think. We didn't go anywhere for 4 days and focused on the potty. Of course we did other stuff in between. SO it turns out that Savannah needed to actually wet her "big girl panties" in order to take the whole thing seriously. Shes the kind of kid that would sit in pee or poo forever. But getting her panties dirty was a sad sad thing for her. So we're going through a little more laundry than I'd like but hey...at least we're learning.

Chase our sweet boy, has been teething for the last month and we have pretty much no progress so thats just awesome. Hopefully it will be better than Savannah we started teething at 3 months and never got a single tooth until she was 13 months old. He however is a giggler which Savannah was not. He laughs when I change his clothes... shoving his arms in and out of sleeves is the funniest thing to him. Its so darling. He will outright crack up. I love my boy. And he is growing lots. This week he started reaching for things and has been successful already so far his left hand is better at it... we'll see if it stays that way.

As for the two of them they are thick as theives. Savannah loves to play with him. She bends over and lets her hair hang in his face and he doesn't really like it but she thinks he does because each time he opens his mouth and kinda smiles (I think he thinks hes supposed to eat it) so she thinks hes laughing or at least smiling at her. He is making lots of sounds now and the two of them chatter away ( in baby talk) and giggle. I love my kids.

Cute Kids!

Savannah and Chase are making friends now. Savannah is learning how to make him smile and even giggle once in a while. So cute! And he is so patient with his big sister who doesn't always remember to "be soft" and repeatedly startles him awake with her squeals of excitment. I love this new mother of two business. I feel very blessed to have such darlings in my life.

Oh how time flies!

Who doesn't love a little yoga in the morning? Baby Chase 2 months old!
Our neighbor gave us these two giant bunnies (so nice) and so we justhad to have a cute easter picture.
and another
and another

Isn't he sweet! Still has all his hair... its so darling

Savannah is beginning that oh so fun mile stone POTTY TRAINING! Her expression below is a pretty good visual for how she feels about the whole thing. "If it ain't broke don't fix it Mom!" She likes the arrangement we've had up to this point. But this time we're in it for the long haul!
Joe is pretty proud of his boy! As shown here, Joe displaying his son's Darth Vader "Who's your daddy?" onsie. You can't read it very well but thats what it says.
Savannah has got a new obsession, "Princess" anything. A princess by her definition is a dress especially the fancy kind. She must wear one at all times. So when bed time rolls around getting into PJ's is a tragedy. So here she is in her princess nightgown. Its not as good as a real "princess" but its better than nothing.

Happy Easter! The "Es-a Bunny" came to our house!

We are a happy Family!

Here we are together together together, oh here we are together, See? Even Mommy! Theres Daddy and Savannah and Baby Chase and Mommy! Oh here we are together Our Happy Family!