I am not a fan.
Layered Banana Pudding Trifle
11 years ago
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Spotlight
Remember these things from primary? Here is one for Chase because he is changing and growing so fast.
-He's almost 2 years old, 27 pounds, and 33 inches tall
-He speaks mostly in 2, 3, and 4 word sentences. ("Bye Bye Uncle", "No! Other cheese!", "Ohhh Mama, look at that!", etc) Unless you spend a lot of time around him, I think he is pretty hard to understand.
-He knows most of his colors, and some of his letters and shapes. He's so incredibly observant and needs to show you EVERYTHING. You must acknowledge that what he's saying or showing you is correct or he'll shout it over and over.
EX: "momo-cycle, momocycle, MOMOCYCLE!!!... "YES, that IS a motorcycle!" (followed by silence and contentment on his part. I think he likes to be right).
-His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", but it has to be read IN CONJUNCTION with "10 Little Animal Sleepyheads". It's insane. Once I tried to read "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" instead... and he got seriously mad.
-His favorite activities are brushing his teeth, washing his hands, and taking baths. He's a very hygienic little kid.
-When we say "I love you", he says "I know".
-The only thing that makes him cry is when I growl. I do this unconsciously when I'm frustrated, and I guess he knows it, because he bursts into tears every time. It makes me feel terrible.
-He folds his arms and bows his head for prayers, and says "amen". He recognizes Jesus in most pictures. His favorite part of FHE is the treat. His favorite prophet is "Ho-Hi" (Lehi).
-He really is a smart, sweet-tempered little boy who wants to please you all the time. We love him to bits.
-He's almost 2 years old, 27 pounds, and 33 inches tall
-He speaks mostly in 2, 3, and 4 word sentences. ("Bye Bye Uncle", "No! Other cheese!", "Ohhh Mama, look at that!", etc) Unless you spend a lot of time around him, I think he is pretty hard to understand.
-He knows most of his colors, and some of his letters and shapes. He's so incredibly observant and needs to show you EVERYTHING. You must acknowledge that what he's saying or showing you is correct or he'll shout it over and over.
EX: "momo-cycle, momocycle, MOMOCYCLE!!!... "YES, that IS a motorcycle!" (followed by silence and contentment on his part. I think he likes to be right).
-His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", but it has to be read IN CONJUNCTION with "10 Little Animal Sleepyheads". It's insane. Once I tried to read "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" instead... and he got seriously mad.
-His favorite activities are brushing his teeth, washing his hands, and taking baths. He's a very hygienic little kid.
-When we say "I love you", he says "I know".
-The only thing that makes him cry is when I growl. I do this unconsciously when I'm frustrated, and I guess he knows it, because he bursts into tears every time. It makes me feel terrible.
-He folds his arms and bows his head for prayers, and says "amen". He recognizes Jesus in most pictures. His favorite part of FHE is the treat. His favorite prophet is "Ho-Hi" (Lehi).
-He really is a smart, sweet-tempered little boy who wants to please you all the time. We love him to bits.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Riley
I can't believe how long it's taken me to get these up, but here are Riley's third ultrasound pictures. He looked like a lump in the first round (he was only 10 weeks or so), and a skeleton in the second (16 weeks), so we were happy to finally get some good pictures of the little guy. He is 100%, without a doubt, a boy. Within seconds of turning on the machine and before the tech said anything I could see SO clearly that he was a boy. Fun Fact- With both Chase and Riley I've had a dream the night before their ultrasound that they were boys. I am a little disappointed not to get to buy a whole new wardrobe (girl), but we are really excited for Chase to have a brother to play with and get into trouble with. There is something so sweet about little boys.
Our ultrasound tech was FABULOUS. She showed us his heart chambers and the heart beating, we saw his arms, legs, toes, bum cheeks, eyeballs, brain, liver, all kinds of stuff. We've taken Chase to all my ultrasounds and he does seem to understand that the thing on a screen is a baby, and lives in my tummy. I'm just not sure he realizes that someday it will live with us.
The tech was fun because she kept laughing at the baby, saying she'd never seen a baby stretch out so much to take up ALL of their mom's tummy (yes, I could have told her that) and exclaiming over what a "gorgeous" spine he has, etc. Tim and I were cracking up, but it was fun to have someone be as excited as we were. We got to see him suck his thumb and move around. It was really a sweet experience. Here are some of his pictures:
Profile with his arm by his face:
Clearly a boy, right?
A little arm:
Two little legs:
And my favorite, two little baby feet:
I've been able to feel this little guy moving since about 14 weeks, and have been having braxton hicks since 16 weeks. My doctor told me to lay down and rest when I have contractions, since I'm having a LOT unusually early. Sometimes this means I just get on and off of the couch all day. I am almost six months, and Riley will be viable next Saturday. *woo hoo* Obviously no baby should be born 3 months early, but it is comforting to know that we are approaching the point where they could intervene and try to save him if anything happened. Considering Chase was 2 weeks late, I'm not really betting on an early baby, but sometimes it still makes me nervous. I'm getting a nice little tummy, but I can still button my pants. Call it vanity, but it will be a sad day when I have to switch to maternity. I hate those stretch waistbands like nothing else. Chase is in the process of getting a whole new room because soon we'll have to boot him out of the nursery. I will post pictures if we ever get it together, and if I can actually get him to sleep in a bed that doesn't have bars caging him in :) Tim is rooting for a Pirate themed bedroom, but so far we only have his furniture picked out.
Our ultrasound tech was FABULOUS. She showed us his heart chambers and the heart beating, we saw his arms, legs, toes, bum cheeks, eyeballs, brain, liver, all kinds of stuff. We've taken Chase to all my ultrasounds and he does seem to understand that the thing on a screen is a baby, and lives in my tummy. I'm just not sure he realizes that someday it will live with us.
The tech was fun because she kept laughing at the baby, saying she'd never seen a baby stretch out so much to take up ALL of their mom's tummy (yes, I could have told her that) and exclaiming over what a "gorgeous" spine he has, etc. Tim and I were cracking up, but it was fun to have someone be as excited as we were. We got to see him suck his thumb and move around. It was really a sweet experience. Here are some of his pictures:
Profile with his arm by his face:
Clearly a boy, right?
A little arm:
Two little legs:
And my favorite, two little baby feet:
I've been able to feel this little guy moving since about 14 weeks, and have been having braxton hicks since 16 weeks. My doctor told me to lay down and rest when I have contractions, since I'm having a LOT unusually early. Sometimes this means I just get on and off of the couch all day. I am almost six months, and Riley will be viable next Saturday. *woo hoo* Obviously no baby should be born 3 months early, but it is comforting to know that we are approaching the point where they could intervene and try to save him if anything happened. Considering Chase was 2 weeks late, I'm not really betting on an early baby, but sometimes it still makes me nervous. I'm getting a nice little tummy, but I can still button my pants. Call it vanity, but it will be a sad day when I have to switch to maternity. I hate those stretch waistbands like nothing else. Chase is in the process of getting a whole new room because soon we'll have to boot him out of the nursery. I will post pictures if we ever get it together, and if I can actually get him to sleep in a bed that doesn't have bars caging him in :) Tim is rooting for a Pirate themed bedroom, but so far we only have his furniture picked out.
What the ningo?
'Ningo' has quickly become a pseudo swear word at our house. 'Heck' is no longer even part of our vocabularies. That is how frustrated we were getting about this word. For the past two weeks I asked Chase constantly what a 'ningo' was. And every time his eyes lit up, he got super animated, and start shouting 'NINGO NINGO NINGO!!!!'.
Hmmm ok, well sorry I can't share your excitement dude.
When I asked him where the ningo was, he would say "CAR!". So I took him out to the car and spent half an hour asking him if this was a ningo, or that was a ningo. He just wanted to play with his carseat toys. I gave up.
The other day the three of us ran an errand to Target. As we were walking in Chase looked right up at the Target sign and said 'NINGO!" Tim and I stared at each other and said, "WHAT did you say??" We went into the store and asked him if the store itself was ningo, if the cart was ningo, if the cop at the entrance was ningo, etc. etc. etc. No response.
We let him out of the cart and asked where the ningo was and he ran back to the front of the store, and out the automatic doors to point at the sign again. I'm starting to think Ningo means Target. How that makes any linguistic sense... (even in toddler language)... I do not know.
We take him back in the store and start shopping. Suddenly he looks up at the neon electronics sign and says NINGO! I start to vaguely recall a scene in Cars where Sally gets excited about the signs in the town lighting up again. We walk over to the pharmacy. Chase points to that neon sign and says NINGO!
The light is finally dawning.
Apparently in the movie Cars Sally refers to the towns' electric signs as the "Neon Glow".
Ningo. (NEEN-GO if you need a pronunciation guide).
This child really might be the death of me.
Hmmm ok, well sorry I can't share your excitement dude.
When I asked him where the ningo was, he would say "CAR!". So I took him out to the car and spent half an hour asking him if this was a ningo, or that was a ningo. He just wanted to play with his carseat toys. I gave up.
The other day the three of us ran an errand to Target. As we were walking in Chase looked right up at the Target sign and said 'NINGO!" Tim and I stared at each other and said, "WHAT did you say??" We went into the store and asked him if the store itself was ningo, if the cart was ningo, if the cop at the entrance was ningo, etc. etc. etc. No response.
We let him out of the cart and asked where the ningo was and he ran back to the front of the store, and out the automatic doors to point at the sign again. I'm starting to think Ningo means Target. How that makes any linguistic sense... (even in toddler language)... I do not know.
We take him back in the store and start shopping. Suddenly he looks up at the neon electronics sign and says NINGO! I start to vaguely recall a scene in Cars where Sally gets excited about the signs in the town lighting up again. We walk over to the pharmacy. Chase points to that neon sign and says NINGO!
The light is finally dawning.
Apparently in the movie Cars Sally refers to the towns' electric signs as the "Neon Glow".
Ningo. (NEEN-GO if you need a pronunciation guide).
This child really might be the death of me.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Anyone Speak Toddler?
If anyone knows what a "mingo" is...
Please let me know.
It's driving me CRAZY!! :)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Men's Sense of Time
I've come to realize,
When a man says "I'll be home in 2 minutes". He means 10 minutes.
When a man says "I'll be there in 10 minutes". He means half an hour.
When a man says "I'll be there in 10 minutes". He means half an hour.
When a man says "I'm taking out the garbage, I'll be right back". He means, "I had every intention of coming right back but I ran into a neighbor and ended up having an hour-long conversation".
By the way- I really do love my husband. He's just easily distracted...
By the way- I really do love my husband. He's just easily distracted...
Monday, October 5, 2009
My Favorite Part of Conference
As always, conference was wonderful, and I was touched by so many things that were said. My favorite talks were President Monson's talk about "Doing something good in the world today", and President Eyring's talk about love:
Some days it's easy to remember why I wanted to do this again.
"Love is the motivating principles by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others...It is love of God that will lead us to keep His commandments. And love of others is at the heart of our capacity to obey Him."
But my favorite part of conference, my very favorite part,
Is that every time President Monson spoke,
Baby Hemingway started jumping around.
Is that every time President Monson spoke,
Baby Hemingway started jumping around.
Some days it's easy to remember why I wanted to do this again.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Nothing Makes Sense
Can anyone explain to me... how this basinett can be $150
Yet this bassinet can be $999?
I swear nothing makes sense anymore
.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Everything I Know I Learned from Ehow.com
Chase is currently sick so we're skipping craft time this week. But I thought I'd share some cute ideas I found online.
.
Scratch & Sniff Watercolors
Edible Playdough: Peanut Butter
Edible Playdough: Jello
Bread Critters (skip to page 2 for recipe)
Edible Playdough: Peanut Butter
Edible Playdough: Jello
Bread Critters (skip to page 2 for recipe)
.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Jungle Gym
Don't get me wrong, I love my toddler to bits,
but lately, I am tired of being one of these:
Saturday, August 8, 2009
"When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more of us to give. We can be comforted to know that God, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail. Let us remember that we were measured before and found equal to our tasks. Therefore, let us continue but with a more determined discipleship. When we feel overwhelmed let us recall the assurance that God will not over-program us, he will not press upon us more than we can bear."
-Neal A. Maxwell
-Neal A. Maxwell
Thursday, August 6, 2009
24th of July Weekend
I know I am slow getting these up, but thought I'd post some pics from our holiday weekend.
Friday morning we watched the parade in Salt Lake and ate something delicious for breakfast... Stuffed french toast maybe? Anyways, after that we went to Taste of the Valley in Provo. For $10 you get a punchcard to grab samples from each of 30 vendors. When I say samples we're not talking Costco samples here. I think Goodwood's "sample" was a brisket sandwich with two sides. Yeah... we basically ate ourselves silly. Vendors included P.F. Changs, Tucano's, Gloria's Little Italy, FroYo, some fudge shop that was delicious... We will be going back as long as we live within 100 miles of the event.
Anyways, here is Chase playing on their free bouncy castles. Tim took him up to that great big huge slide; and ended up helping about 4 other kids get up the 8 foot wall as well. What a sweetheart.
(Chase is on the right just about to go down)
That night we went with my mom, sister, grandma, aunts, and cousins to Butlerville for fireworks, festivities, and free watermelon. I was beyond impressed. I am convinced this is the place to be every year. There were a lot of people there but it is at such an enormous park it never felt CROWDED. (I swear everytime we go to anything in provo/orem/american fork there is nowhere to park, and no room to maneuver a stroller, much less keep from getting trampled. I hate that!)
Plus we got some really stellar chocolate coconut macadamian nut ice cream....
Chase enjoyed playing with the kettle corn and my aunt bought like 50 glowsticks for the kids to play with. Also the fireworks were the best we've seen all summer.
Tim, Chase, my mom, and sister:
Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market in Salt Lake with my family. It is a pretty upscale market and we loved looking at all the vendors selling beautiful things; and eating samples. And more great news- the market is right across the street from Brugges Gaufres & Frites- so you can get yourself a Belgian waffle while you are there :) (Note: true belgian waffles are not breakfast food. They are thick and chewy and covered in dark chocolate. But I won't judge you if you DO have one for breakfast :)) Jack was such a sweetheart and pulled Audrey and Chase around in a little wagon the whole time. Chase just loves those kids!
We spent the rest of the day mostly at Gigi's (Chase's great grandmothers). He loves her house because she has a dog... and the dog has this cage in the basement: I swear it is his favorite thing ever. If he wants to play in there... he will NOT come out.
We also played in her pool because we can't get enough of ours I guess
After that we took Chase over to my aunt's for some good barbecue. He just loves his "cousins" (my cousins) Jack (4) and Audrey (2). And they adore him too. Jack gave Chase rides in his John Deere Powerwheel all around the backyard, they jumped on the tramp, ate popsicles, played in the water, had a picnic, and Chase found hundreds of toys out back to play with (I"m not exaggerating- Chase wishes he lived there). Anyways, he found this little truck that was just his size... He thinks going over there is really stellar.
When the night was over the kids were trying to convince me that he needed to sleep over. Chase even climbed in Jack's toddler bed. 1 1/2 and I'm already having to say "no" to sleepovers. I hate being the mean mommy :)
Monday was our 3rd anniversary and Tim played hooky from work all day. I guess technically he took the day off. Nana took Chase to stay with her at Gigi's on Sunday night and I didn't see him all the next day. I had my first doctor's appointment, we snuck boatloads of candy into "Harry Potter", went to lunch, went shopping and just had a good time together without any kids. We made fondue for dinner and it turned out fabulously! We grabbed Cheesecake Factory for dessert and it was really a wonderful day. I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man. He really is just my best friend, and I can't imagine not having him in my life. I love him so much!
Friday morning we watched the parade in Salt Lake and ate something delicious for breakfast... Stuffed french toast maybe? Anyways, after that we went to Taste of the Valley in Provo. For $10 you get a punchcard to grab samples from each of 30 vendors. When I say samples we're not talking Costco samples here. I think Goodwood's "sample" was a brisket sandwich with two sides. Yeah... we basically ate ourselves silly. Vendors included P.F. Changs, Tucano's, Gloria's Little Italy, FroYo, some fudge shop that was delicious... We will be going back as long as we live within 100 miles of the event.
Anyways, here is Chase playing on their free bouncy castles. Tim took him up to that great big huge slide; and ended up helping about 4 other kids get up the 8 foot wall as well. What a sweetheart.
(Chase is on the right just about to go down)
That night we went with my mom, sister, grandma, aunts, and cousins to Butlerville for fireworks, festivities, and free watermelon. I was beyond impressed. I am convinced this is the place to be every year. There were a lot of people there but it is at such an enormous park it never felt CROWDED. (I swear everytime we go to anything in provo/orem/american fork there is nowhere to park, and no room to maneuver a stroller, much less keep from getting trampled. I hate that!)
Plus we got some really stellar chocolate coconut macadamian nut ice cream....
Chase enjoyed playing with the kettle corn and my aunt bought like 50 glowsticks for the kids to play with. Also the fireworks were the best we've seen all summer.
Tim, Chase, my mom, and sister:
Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market in Salt Lake with my family. It is a pretty upscale market and we loved looking at all the vendors selling beautiful things; and eating samples. And more great news- the market is right across the street from Brugges Gaufres & Frites- so you can get yourself a Belgian waffle while you are there :) (Note: true belgian waffles are not breakfast food. They are thick and chewy and covered in dark chocolate. But I won't judge you if you DO have one for breakfast :)) Jack was such a sweetheart and pulled Audrey and Chase around in a little wagon the whole time. Chase just loves those kids!
We spent the rest of the day mostly at Gigi's (Chase's great grandmothers). He loves her house because she has a dog... and the dog has this cage in the basement: I swear it is his favorite thing ever. If he wants to play in there... he will NOT come out.
We also played in her pool because we can't get enough of ours I guess
After that we took Chase over to my aunt's for some good barbecue. He just loves his "cousins" (my cousins) Jack (4) and Audrey (2). And they adore him too. Jack gave Chase rides in his John Deere Powerwheel all around the backyard, they jumped on the tramp, ate popsicles, played in the water, had a picnic, and Chase found hundreds of toys out back to play with (I"m not exaggerating- Chase wishes he lived there). Anyways, he found this little truck that was just his size... He thinks going over there is really stellar.
When the night was over the kids were trying to convince me that he needed to sleep over. Chase even climbed in Jack's toddler bed. 1 1/2 and I'm already having to say "no" to sleepovers. I hate being the mean mommy :)Monday was our 3rd anniversary and Tim played hooky from work all day. I guess technically he took the day off. Nana took Chase to stay with her at Gigi's on Sunday night and I didn't see him all the next day. I had my first doctor's appointment, we snuck boatloads of candy into "Harry Potter", went to lunch, went shopping and just had a good time together without any kids. We made fondue for dinner and it turned out fabulously! We grabbed Cheesecake Factory for dessert and it was really a wonderful day. I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man. He really is just my best friend, and I can't imagine not having him in my life. I love him so much!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Milk and Cookeez
My favorite website for the day: Milk and Cookeez
The soapsicles and the cupcakz are my favorite. Oh, and the donutz!
If only I had a reason to buy them...
The soapsicles and the cupcakz are my favorite. Oh, and the donutz!
If only I had a reason to buy them...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
P.S.
Oh yes-
We took Chase to the doc for his eczema, and he is 95th percentile for height and 52nd for weight. His head circumference is 75th percentile. He impressed the doctor by saying "doctor".
And currently he eats everything into a crescent shape and comes to show me it now looks like the moon.
We took Chase to the doc for his eczema, and he is 95th percentile for height and 52nd for weight. His head circumference is 75th percentile. He impressed the doctor by saying "doctor".
And currently he eats everything into a crescent shape and comes to show me it now looks like the moon.
Back to my Birth State
Now that you've heard various bits and pieces of our vacation from other posts, I feel less intimidated to write all about it. I could bore you with all the details, but instead I will try to give you a brief overview of what we did- since I know what you really want to see is the pictures. :)
A few weeks ago Tim took off work for 10 days and we went on a family vacation to California. We planned to save some money by driving and not having to rent a car when we got there. Also we decided it would be better to drive 12 hours but be flexible, than take a 3 hour plane trip and try to hold Chase on our laps the whole time. (Have you met him?). Thinking about flying with Chase these days makes me want to pee my pants. I spent 2 months beforehand building up 'Mommy's bag of Tricks' to keep Chase entertained in the car. I spent a lot of time at the dollar store, and the dollar bins at Target. Some of Chase's favorites were: a foam-blade personal fan, sticker books, smarties (Thank you Maceys! These take hours for his little fingers to unroll and eat. I love them so dearly!!), and his own keychain with all kinds of random toys on it (mini-tape measure, and laser pointer were hits). Combined with snacks and ear plugs, the car DVD player, and driving super-early in the morning so Chase could sleep half the way- the trip was quite pleasant. I would do it again in a heartbeat. No, really.
Our first day we drove to Las Vegas, stopping at Zion's National Park along the way. The second day we drove the rest of the way to Huntington Beach where we'd rented a beach house with my family. We went to lots of beaches- Huntington/Newport/La Jolla. We played in the sand a bit, discovered tide pools, went boogie boarding and surfing, etc. Then we spent 3 days at Disneyland, a day at San Diego Zoo, and a day at Sea World. When we headed back the plan was to stop in St. George and stay the night. But when we got there we let Chase run around for awhile and decided just to finish the trip in one day and be able to spend the night in our own bed.
Chase seemed to enjoy SeaWorld the most. Mostly because there were no lines. He also loved Toontown, meeting Mickey Mouse and Pluto, the petting zoo, the fireworks, and playing in the sand and the surf at the beach. And of course he loved all the rides- just not the lines.
Many people thought we were crazy to take Chase to Disneyland at such a young age. And I suppose had the circumstances been different I might have agreed.
For starters, we were traveling with my family. My Dad was wonderful and watched Chase two different nights so Tim, Dan and I could go back with our 6 or 7 odd fastpasses, and ride all the grown-up rides well into the night. I can't think of a better date! Thanks for chaperoning us Dan. So, we had lots of help in Disneyland, and didn't feel like we were missing out when we could only stay for 3 hours or so with Chase. We had a magic morning and got all the Fantasyland rides done with Chase in one hour so he got to do plenty as well.
Secondly, Chase was free and Tim and I were planning on going to Disney for us anyways. So we thought of the trip more for us, and bringing him as more of a bonus "because-what-else-would-we-do-with-him?" scenario.
And finally, we plan on going back many a time. I can understand that if you only plan to take your kids once or twice, you'd want them to remember the experience and be older and more engaged. But if you're considering taking a 1 1/2 year old- don't let people scare you! It was a great experience and made great memories for me and Tim. Chase had a blast meeting all the characters, playing in the water and on the playgrounds, and going on all the rides. The only thing I would do differently is definitely NOT go during the summer. We are hoping to go back next October for Mickey's Trick or Treat Party when Chase is nearly 3.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
A few weeks ago Tim took off work for 10 days and we went on a family vacation to California. We planned to save some money by driving and not having to rent a car when we got there. Also we decided it would be better to drive 12 hours but be flexible, than take a 3 hour plane trip and try to hold Chase on our laps the whole time. (Have you met him?). Thinking about flying with Chase these days makes me want to pee my pants. I spent 2 months beforehand building up 'Mommy's bag of Tricks' to keep Chase entertained in the car. I spent a lot of time at the dollar store, and the dollar bins at Target. Some of Chase's favorites were: a foam-blade personal fan, sticker books, smarties (Thank you Maceys! These take hours for his little fingers to unroll and eat. I love them so dearly!!), and his own keychain with all kinds of random toys on it (mini-tape measure, and laser pointer were hits). Combined with snacks and ear plugs, the car DVD player, and driving super-early in the morning so Chase could sleep half the way- the trip was quite pleasant. I would do it again in a heartbeat. No, really.
Our first day we drove to Las Vegas, stopping at Zion's National Park along the way. The second day we drove the rest of the way to Huntington Beach where we'd rented a beach house with my family. We went to lots of beaches- Huntington/Newport/La Jolla. We played in the sand a bit, discovered tide pools, went boogie boarding and surfing, etc. Then we spent 3 days at Disneyland, a day at San Diego Zoo, and a day at Sea World. When we headed back the plan was to stop in St. George and stay the night. But when we got there we let Chase run around for awhile and decided just to finish the trip in one day and be able to spend the night in our own bed.
Chase seemed to enjoy SeaWorld the most. Mostly because there were no lines. He also loved Toontown, meeting Mickey Mouse and Pluto, the petting zoo, the fireworks, and playing in the sand and the surf at the beach. And of course he loved all the rides- just not the lines.
Many people thought we were crazy to take Chase to Disneyland at such a young age. And I suppose had the circumstances been different I might have agreed.
For starters, we were traveling with my family. My Dad was wonderful and watched Chase two different nights so Tim, Dan and I could go back with our 6 or 7 odd fastpasses, and ride all the grown-up rides well into the night. I can't think of a better date! Thanks for chaperoning us Dan. So, we had lots of help in Disneyland, and didn't feel like we were missing out when we could only stay for 3 hours or so with Chase. We had a magic morning and got all the Fantasyland rides done with Chase in one hour so he got to do plenty as well.
Secondly, Chase was free and Tim and I were planning on going to Disney for us anyways. So we thought of the trip more for us, and bringing him as more of a bonus "because-what-else-would-we-do-with-him?" scenario.
And finally, we plan on going back many a time. I can understand that if you only plan to take your kids once or twice, you'd want them to remember the experience and be older and more engaged. But if you're considering taking a 1 1/2 year old- don't let people scare you! It was a great experience and made great memories for me and Tim. Chase had a blast meeting all the characters, playing in the water and on the playgrounds, and going on all the rides. The only thing I would do differently is definitely NOT go during the summer. We are hoping to go back next October for Mickey's Trick or Treat Party when Chase is nearly 3.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A Mickey Mouse ice cream bar taught me to be a better Mom
On our last night at Disneyland we bought Chase a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. We knew it would get everywhere. We knew it would make a big melted chocolatey mess. We knew we'd have to take him home immediately and throw him in the tub; and that there was a good possibility that his clothes and stroller and his carseat may be permanently stained. We also knew it would be one of his favorite things at Disneyland.
So, we bought him the ice cream and took about 500 pictures of it. When I finally put the camera away I started noticing the reactions of people passing us. Some people were laughing and pointing out to their families (most in matching t-shirts) "how cute is that!". Others were looking at me in horror like "did you not REALIZE what an enormous MESS this would make? What were you THINKING??
As we walked toward the parking lot I thought about this difference of reaction and I realized that there two kinds of people out there:
Mother number 1-Buys their child an overpriced ice cream bar just to see the delight and wonder in their child's eyes; (and to see how cute their child looks covered in meltey chocolately goodness.) These mothers want their child to experience child-like joy in all things even if the consequences are more work for them or different than what they themselves would prefer.
Mother number 2- Avoids getting their child anything that would cause them to get messy; or heaven forbid- have to leave Disneyland early-to clean up after. These mothers are often more concerned about their child looking picture perfect squeaky clean at every moment than letting their child enjoy their childhood.
I'm not writing this to condemn "Mother number 2"; or to say "ummm, I am like SUCH a fab mother!" Or even to say, "If you don't buy your child ice cream at Disneyland you are evil!!" I am writing this to admit that too often I am guilty of being mother #2. Too often I care more about what other people think and what is most logical or practical, than what will make my toddler happiest. When Tim dresses Chase, more often than not I say, "It doesn't match!" and drag him into his room to put on something more preppy and color-coordinated. Does it REALLY matter if he wears a t-shirt instead of a polo to the grocery store? Does it REALLY matter if his shoes don't match his outfit?
A Mickey Mouse ice cream bar made me realize that I always want to be the kind of mom who cares more about making my kids happy than worrying about making a mess or having to clean up after them. Or- whether or not their clothes match. If it makes my son happy to wear Mickey Mouse pajamas and cowboy boots to the store- Will I let him?
Even though my OCD neatness/matching complex will never go away, I am going to try to be better. Kids are only little for such a short time and someday I'll wish I still had 2T shirts to dress him in- polo or otherwise.
So, we bought him the ice cream and took about 500 pictures of it. When I finally put the camera away I started noticing the reactions of people passing us. Some people were laughing and pointing out to their families (most in matching t-shirts) "how cute is that!". Others were looking at me in horror like "did you not REALIZE what an enormous MESS this would make? What were you THINKING??
As we walked toward the parking lot I thought about this difference of reaction and I realized that there two kinds of people out there:
Mother number 1-Buys their child an overpriced ice cream bar just to see the delight and wonder in their child's eyes; (and to see how cute their child looks covered in meltey chocolately goodness.) These mothers want their child to experience child-like joy in all things even if the consequences are more work for them or different than what they themselves would prefer.
Mother number 2- Avoids getting their child anything that would cause them to get messy; or heaven forbid- have to leave Disneyland early-to clean up after. These mothers are often more concerned about their child looking picture perfect squeaky clean at every moment than letting their child enjoy their childhood.
I'm not writing this to condemn "Mother number 2"; or to say "ummm, I am like SUCH a fab mother!" Or even to say, "If you don't buy your child ice cream at Disneyland you are evil!!" I am writing this to admit that too often I am guilty of being mother #2. Too often I care more about what other people think and what is most logical or practical, than what will make my toddler happiest. When Tim dresses Chase, more often than not I say, "It doesn't match!" and drag him into his room to put on something more preppy and color-coordinated. Does it REALLY matter if he wears a t-shirt instead of a polo to the grocery store? Does it REALLY matter if his shoes don't match his outfit?
A Mickey Mouse ice cream bar made me realize that I always want to be the kind of mom who cares more about making my kids happy than worrying about making a mess or having to clean up after them. Or- whether or not their clothes match. If it makes my son happy to wear Mickey Mouse pajamas and cowboy boots to the store- Will I let him?
Even though my OCD neatness/matching complex will never go away, I am going to try to be better. Kids are only little for such a short time and someday I'll wish I still had 2T shirts to dress him in- polo or otherwise.
Crafts & Tangents
I recently decided that Chase is old enough to do crafts. Not only do I feel that I need to nurture his "artistic" side; I decided that we need a little more structure in our lives. We wake up when we want; eat when we're hungry; bathe when we're dirty (sometimes); nap when we're tired; play at the park when we're not too tired... I could go on. I will probably get snorts of disgust when I tell you this- but we don't even have a bedtime routine. We change his diaper, say a prayer, and throw him in bed with his lovey and a binky. (shocking I know!) He does bathe, get his teeth brushed, and get stories and scriptures read to him- but these are usually at random times of day when I happen to remember. Maybe I need to make myself a chart or something... with stickers. Anyways point of the story- having a laid-back kid has really made me a laid-back mom; and in an attempt to add some structure to our lives- we've started doing crafttime several times a week. I am constantly surprised by how much Chase is able to do.
These were his first two art endeavors:
We used colored sugar and glue to make starfish shapes. I did the glue and Chase poured the sugar on top and helped me shake off the extra.
We also used construction paper and glitter glue to make fireworks for the 4th of July. I cut out the stars and put glue on the back and chase stuck them to the paper and chose where they should go. I squeezed some glitter glue on his fingertips and let him smear it around the stars to make them look like fireworks. He was so proud of his creations!
I tried to get Chase to hold up his picture (which he is super proud of, and couldn't wait to show daddy); BUT he was totally devastated that I took it off the fridge and just sat there crying until I put it back:
We've also done some fingerpainting and experimenting with colored water. I let Chase squeeze some food coloring in each glass of water and we watched it change colors; and then we mixed some of the primary colors to see what new colors we could make.
I am thinking next week maybe we'll do puppets or something. If you have a really easy craft idea for me- please share!
These were his first two art endeavors:
We used colored sugar and glue to make starfish shapes. I did the glue and Chase poured the sugar on top and helped me shake off the extra.
We also used construction paper and glitter glue to make fireworks for the 4th of July. I cut out the stars and put glue on the back and chase stuck them to the paper and chose where they should go. I squeezed some glitter glue on his fingertips and let him smear it around the stars to make them look like fireworks. He was so proud of his creations!
I tried to get Chase to hold up his picture (which he is super proud of, and couldn't wait to show daddy); BUT he was totally devastated that I took it off the fridge and just sat there crying until I put it back:
We've also done some fingerpainting and experimenting with colored water. I let Chase squeeze some food coloring in each glass of water and we watched it change colors; and then we mixed some of the primary colors to see what new colors we could make.I am thinking next week maybe we'll do puppets or something. If you have a really easy craft idea for me- please share!
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