Penrod's Play Pen

The Bojorquez's

2012-02-08T22:03:00.001-08:00

This past Friday we got to witness the sealing of my sister in-law to her cute hubby, Manny. It was a very long day, but we had a blast! And the boys did pretty darn well. I really disappointed in myself. I really only got a couple of pictures of the bride and groom together. :o( But in my own defense, I was trying to juggle, between a little video taping, my boys (including the hubby), dealing with my really uncomfortable heels, etc.... ;o) I'm sorry Mandy!

Arriving at the Temple

The famous Kyler scowl

Checking out the flowers and the bees

The only time I was able to get him
to smile.

LOVE this picture! If only I could have
gotten a good one of Chase. :o(

Playing with the dirt...or bugs. Not
quite sure.

Heading back to Tucson for more fun

I was late for the bridesmaid pictures with the bride. :o(

All the groomsmen. Couldn't tell you names. The
only two I know are the 2nd and 3rd ones.

Trying their goofy poses

LOVE this picture of my niece, Sophia

Hi, Aunt Jenn! (Sophia and her Mommy, Kristen)

Can't remember what she was saying here, but I know
she was making a comment to Kylann. Haha! He was,
as always, picking on her.

Haha, you're gonna get it later, Kylann.

Kyler playing the rocks with his brother.

Oh, the life of the Maid of Honor.
Becca, Mandy's Maid of Honor and
favorite mission companion.
She was a sweetheart!

All the boys...ahem...I mean, MEN!

Such love!

Are we done yet? ;o)

Mandy tried to skwat on the ground to get a picture with
the kids, and lost her balance. :o) Poor thing!

None of them would smile for pictures. :o(

Poor Sophia was tired and hungry.

Almost a smile??

Nope. :o(

Grandma showing Sophia Mandy's pretty brooch bouquet

Kyler had a blast pulling out the grass

Chase decided he wanted to take his shoes off.

We stopped him at the socks. Stinker!
He says they were dirty.

Chase says he was "resting." He zonked out on
the drive home.

Kyler was trying for the longest time to get that
pick in the carrot. Kept him occupied for awhile.

Both boys climbed on Becca's lap for a few
minutes. My camera was acting up so this is
allI got. :o( Stinkers still wouldn't smile.

Cutting the cake.
Didn't get too messy....Lame! ;o)

Since the Bride and Groom never occupied their
table, my boys made use out of it. They loved it!
These two were also dancing fools! They were just
about the only ones dancing. Wish I got some
pictures of them dancing. Oh well. At least I got
some video.

Mom was trying to bustle up her dress.
Haha!

What is the Maid of Honor good for? ;o) She was more
than happy to help with anything. Cute girl.

One of the cutest things of the night.
Chase asked Grandma to dance with him
during a slow song. He had a blast!

So the day was all about Mandy and Manny, and I selfishly took too many pictures of my kids and not enough of them :o( I'm sorry, guys! Good thing there was a great photographer there, that focused more on the guests of honor, right? Love you Mandy and Manny! We're SO happy for you guys!

Scariest Moment

2012-02-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ever have an experience, where you feel completely helpless and scared to death at the same time? In December I had one of the most scariest moments of my life. It was the week of Christmas and we still hadn't taken the boys to see Santa. Since I try to make it a tradition every year to take pictures with Santa, I thought I would just brave it myself with the boys, without hubby's help. Gotta get used to doing that kind of stuff a whole lot more often, right?

Well, I realized I had forgotten to bring the stroller with me. Ugh! And if any of you know my boys, that's definitely something I NEED with them in big crowded places (though now they both know how to unclip the straps, so it defeats the purpose). So I walk around to every entrance/exit to find those strollers you can rent. Just about every door had them, but none had the double ones. Until the very last one. So I get there and of course they only except exact change or ones. I had a $10 bill on me. Grrr....Luckily when I turn around there is an ATM. So I tell the boys to follow me. I picked up Kyler and try and tell Chase to please come with me. (Probably at least 10 times). Again if any of you know my Chase, you know the kid just does NOT want to ever listen to me. So I told him, "Bye, I'm leaving"...thinking he would follow me. (90% of the time, this doesn't work. But sometimes I get lucky). Usually I go to where I can still see him. When I turn around to the ATM, I glanced over a few times to keep an eye on him. Wasn't there for more than 2-3 minutes, when I walk back to the stroller area and he's literally no where in sight. Usually I can find him off in a corner not too far away playing around with something, but this time, no where! I called his name several times and didn't hear him. My heart sank! At this point, I was SCREAMING his name with panic stricken tears. Not really caring what people thought at this point. My little boy was missing!!! It was right by an exit door, who knows who could have snatched him and then took off. I ran outside and screamed his name. Again, nothing. Luckily there was a security guard out there that asked if I needed help. I said, "Yes, I lost my son!!" Then I ran back inside as he's following me, trying to talk to me. I told him what he was wearing his age and all that, all the while searching around for him. I ran all the way down to the play area and food court and didn't see him. A mother and daughter came up to me asking me if they could help. They offered to hold my bag and Kyler so I could search for him. I accepted....Though, now I look back and think, how dumb was I to do that. Geesh!! I'm a little too trusting sometimes. Luckily, they were sincere and wanted to help. Then an old woman also offered to help look for him. As I was running back to the area where I lost him, someone yelled that they think they found him. I look back and that same sweet old British woman was holding his hand walking him to me. I ran to him and scooped him up right away. I said, "Please, don't walk away from me again. PLEASE stay with me, Chase. You really scared Mommy. I thought someone had taken you." He just hugged me tight for several minutes and said, "I love you, Mommy." I've now had this feeling with both of my boys and I NEVER want to feel that way again. Lesson learned! :o(

What would I do without my little rascal??

After all that, I didn't get the Santa picture that I was hoping for, but they're not too, too bad. Kyler just wanted to get down the entire time. Haha!

Our First "Broken" Bone

2012-01-25T13:14:00.000-08:00

We've never had a trip to the ER and we've never had so much as an ear infections except for a tiny one with Kyler that didn't seem to bother him at all. Guess it was about time for one of my kids to break something. ;o) Though it's only a minor buckle fracture in his radial bone. He fell off the TV stand. Both him and his brother climbed up at the same time and when I went to tell them to get down, I think he caught his foot or something and landed his wrist on his empty toy box. He screamed!!! Never really heard him cry like that, so I knew he really got hurt. Though nothing was swelling after that and it didn't seem to bother him at all unless it was touched in a certain spot. I wanted to wait it out for at least a day. After two days of this, I kind of wanted to get it checked out since I know fractures sometimes aren't visible on the outside. Took him in on Monday to get x-rayed and they confirmed what I thought. It's a very mild fracture and will only take about three weeks to heal. Thankfully. So far, it doesn't seem to bother him. He's a brave little man. ;o)

Haha! She wasn't trying to block her
face. She was just showing us that he
can still move his arm like this. Perfect
timing, huh?

Getting more wrapping done to make it
waterproof.

He likes it! lol
Wonder how long that'll last.

Getting the color on. Really wish he hadn't
picked out bright orange, but there's no
changing this kids' mind. LOL

Make it and Love it Giveaway

2012-01-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

How cool would it be if you could actually see how you slept at night?! One of my favorite blog sites is doing a giveaway for this device. You strap it to your forehead before you go to sleep and it tracks your sleep habits. I would LOVE to actually see how much sleep I'm getting. Crazy cool in my opininon!

Talk on Gratitude

2012-01-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

So my husband and I have a give a talk in church in a few weeks. Ugh!! I thank my husband for saying yes when I wasn't there. I don't remember the last time I gave a talk and I usually try and avoid it at all costs. I have a huge fear of getting up in front of people. It actually makes me so stressed out sometimes, I get sick. Plus, I'm really not very good at giving lessons or talks. I always feel so inadequate with what little knowledge I feel I have.

Anyways, I just wondered if you all had a favorite talk, lesson, quote or book that you could recommend to me. And also maybe a fun way to start a talk. That usually makes me a little more comfortable to start out that way. Please??

Thanksgiving

2011-12-20T00:33:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at home (Kylann's dad's house) with the Penrod's. It was a lot of fun and we had some real yummy food! We were in charge of vegetables and went a little all out with it and made three dishes. Everyone loved them though. Kylann was the cook and everyone was shocked. Little do they know, he's actually a lot better cook than I am! He likes it, I hate it.

We told Kyler to back up to get out of
the way from the boys shooting their
pellet guns. This is what he did as he
scooted backwards.

Chase kept wanting to play with Uncle
Sterling's motorcycle.

Perfect timing, Kyler!

Chase loves Grandma Ronda's dogs.

Dirt!

Kylann's cousin, Ethan said, "Oh no!" when I took
this picture. Well, what do you expect is gonna
happen when a big oversized teenager gets in a
kids wagon!

Dirt in the mouth! We need to
buy one of these wagons when
we move.

They both had to take turns trying to pull him.
Chase actually moved him a little.

Kyler...not at all. ;o)

So cute!

Who is bigger?? I think I vote for the
one on the right. (Ellyn Penrod...our
tiny little 6 months prego, sister in-law).

Kyler was very upset cause he couldn't get
the mud off his hands.

Uncle Brent entertaining the boys. They were
either blowing on each other or blowing
raspberries. I can't remember.

Spinning Chase

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was wonderful!

Sophia's 1st Birthday

2011-12-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Earlier in November, we went to our niece Sophia's 1st birthday party. We all had a lot of fun and Sophia was so cute.

Kyler went over to Papa Penrod and laid down on him.
It was so cute!

Waiting for something...not sure what yet.

What the heck am I suppose to do with this??

Ohhhh! Yuuummm!

LOVE this picture!
Perfect personality picture.

Dad putting on her jacket. She did
not want it on! Well, duh, it messed
with her cute outfit!

Wish I got some pictures of her and her mom....

Chase's first day of school

2011-12-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

First day of school!!

So Chase started Preschool in September, however, we had to take him out when we moved at the end of October. :o( We really wanted him to keep going at least until the big move in Feb, but instead of driving 2 hours roundtrip each day, four days a week, we thought we would just save our gas and just take him out. :o( I was very sad about it. His teacher said he was doing really well too. Oh well, hopefully we can find something for him in Provo. If anyone has any recommendations for us, please let us know.

First day riding the bus. He was so excited!
Though he cried a little when he found out mommy
wasn't going to ride with him. I didn't cry at all!...Until
after I got off the bus. :o) I held it in so he wouldn't
be so scared. :o(

From September....

2011-12-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile since I've updated. I'm so terrible with that. I'll probably break this up into several posts so I don't bore ya with one long one. What's happened since I last posted?? Hmm...

So in September, my sister in-law, Mandy, came back from a year and a half mission to Independence, Missouri. She really enjoyed her time out there and really misses it, but we, of course, really missed her here.

She was so excited to see everyone,
that she had a bit of an accident...

It was a rainy day and of course my boys took advantage of all the rain dripping off the church building and the puddles. Good thing mom brought a change of clothes.

Of course Kylann cracking everyone up...

Snotty nose!! The last time Mandy saw
Kyler he was only a few weeks old...

These boys LOVE their Aunt Mandy!!

She's been home about three months and is now getting married in February! We are SO happy for her!! We got to meet Manny over Thanksgiving and also got to witness the proposal. He's a great guy and we look forward to getting to know him better.

Putting on the ring...

Her gorgeous ring and wedding bands.
Manny is so whooped he is letting her wear both.
I think maybe he was also scared of losing
them before the wedding. ;o)
No, we're so happy that he treats her so well.

The giddy future Mr. and Mrs....

Look how happy she is!

More updates to come....

Hooah!!

2011-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

So how do you think I'd look in this shirt??

Cause I think I may have to get one soon. Some of you might be hearing some rumors about it, and yes it's true....As of yesterday, Kylann is officially signed up for the....

He will enter boot camp for 9 weeks on April 17 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. After graduation he will leave for 19 weeks on July 2nd (I think) to do his job training as a Human Intelligence Collector. He'll do this at Fort Huachuca, AZ. This job will give him high security clearance, which is very hard to come by and extremely expensive to get! We're not sure how much he will be away from home, but we hope and pray that it's not too much. We know the Lord is looking out for us and will keep him safe.

We plan on staying in the Tucson area until the end of the year and then we still plan on moving out to Provo in January or February sometime. We don't have a set date yet for that big move. I know it probably seems silly since he will be coming back to AZ in July sometime for his training, but we still feel it's what we should do. Plus, Blaine, Kylann's brother will be living with us for awhile out there. So it'll give him a chance for some new opportunities as well.

We're very excited and a bit nervous for this new chapter in our lives, but feel good about it. I'm excited that Kylann will finally have a career that he actually enjoys. Plus, a steady pay check and benefits are always nice. ;o) Oh and not to mention, guys in uniforms are HOT! Haha! Course, my hubby is a hottie anyway. This will just enhance it! ;o)

Now to get onto packing....which I am extremely behind with! I only have a little over a week to finish it. Aaahhh! I'm not even half way done! :o( Where's my easy button?

Kyler

2011-09-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Kyler will be 18 months on September 18th. I can't believe in six months he will be two years old! Man has time flown by. Anyway, this little rascal has got quite the personality. He's so fun to watch. He's very animated...has lots of funny facial expressions and constantly makes us laugh. We've also noticed, he's got quite a temper. When he gets upset, he screams, throws things and sometimes hits us. Yikes! Wish we could break him of that somehow. He is also our cuddle bug, though that's died down a bit as he's gotten older. But when he's sleepy and just wants to be held, he'll cuddle with us.

He's figured out recently how to climb out of his crib, take his diaper off and reach the light switch.

He LOVES to take his diaper off. It's so frustrating! I only have a handful of onsies for his size. I have to put him in them as much as I can when we're at home. Luckily he hasn't figured out how to take those off yet. He thinks it's a fun game. Once we put him back together, he'll start laughing and run and hide to do it again.

The other day, after putting him back in his crib about 5 or six times for his nap, he finally got quiet. When I went in to check on him, this is how I found him. Notice the diaper to the right of him. Luckily, the bed stayed dry and I was able to put his diaper back on without him waking up. Stinker!

He also loves to climb into things as much as he can. Oh and he's figured out how to clip straps and open zippers. He climbs into his brother's booster chair all the time and usually ends up getting stuck cause he's clipped himself in. Haha!

We love our little Mr. Kyler!

Blog is public again...

2011-07-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

If you all didn't notice, my blog is now public again. I hated having it private. I may change it again someday, but for now, I'm ok with it being public. It's not like I post our address and telephone number on it or anything. I just kind of felt like no one was reading it and it's kind of a pain to me.

Well, we have some new changes coming up in our lives here in the next few months. First of all, we have a vacation planned at the end of August to go to the first "Johnston" family reunion. It's been quite a long time since we've had a vacation together. My siblings and I haven't all been together since 2007. And we've never had ALL of our kids together ever. I also have a nephew I've never met and a brother in-law I met once at my sister's wedding. We are going to be heading up to my parents time share in the NH White Mountains (the REAL white mountains...very different from the AZ ones). We are SO excited to go out there. We will have a 12 month old, 17 1/2 month old, a 2 1/2 year old, two three year olds and a four year old!! It's going to be nutz, but SO much fun! We all can't wait!

Now for the life changing thing going on....we're moving to...........

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I know, some may think we're crazy, but it's true. We had a great opportunity open up to us to move into a four bedroom house there that Kylann's aunt owns. After months and months of praying as to what to do when our lease is up at the end of October, and only a week or two after we went to the temple (for the first time in a VERY long time), this opened up to us. His aunt said she had us on her mind for a couple of months for some reason and decided to just talk to us about it. It was a definite answer to our prayers and we immediately felt good about it. Now the problem is, we need a job. I know we kind of got it backwards. If anyone knows of anything opening up out there, please let us know. Kylann would prefer to get back into management somewhere. He also plans on attending school out there soon. We never wanted to move to Utah, nor did we ever think we would end up out there, but it's going to happen and we're excited for it. We're also a little nervous for this change in our lives and really sad to leave family and friends, but we know that the Lord is watching out for us and he'll prepare a way for us.

Chase's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-06-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

We decided to do a small party with family only for Chase's third birthday. He had a blast! We appreciate everyone that came. I apologize for the bazillion pictures....

The man behind the grill! And his dad (Grandpa)

Finally getting to eat! Thanks for all the hard work grilling, Kylann!

Kylann will all his brothers. Wonder what Jolene is telling them. Haha!

Kyler loves (Aunt) Amber!

Chase getting picked on by his Uncle Sterling.

Amber and Kyler

Kyler being his happy/goofy self.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Kleese with Chase.

Mommy and Kyler

My quick cupcakes. I didn't try too hard. I'm not that talented either. Give me a break! The taste is the only thing that matters, right?

Chase is very excited for the cupcakes!

Fixing the table cloth, as Chase unfixes it. Grrr...

SO excited to blow out his candles!

I love this picture!!

I think he bit his tongue...

Grandma Penrod (Jolene), Kristen Crawford, Ronda Penrod (Grandma Ronda), Sheri Toledo (Kylann's aunt), Sophia (Chase and Kyler's cousin), Ethan Toledo.

Chase was loving playing with the balloons!

Then came the presents....

Sandee made a beautiful scrapbook for me to add pictures to for Chase. She's very talented. I don't know how she does it. I think Kylann's mom was touched by it. Maybe thinking of the pictures that could go in it.

Kyler thought it was funny when Sandee was taking the pictures! He was cracking up, pointing and just being a goofball.

Grandma Penrod and Great Grandma Kleese were also cracking up at him!

Play time!!
Testing out the giant slinky!

Saying bye to Sandee when she leaves!

Grandma Penrod with two of her grandkids. Kyler and Sophia.

Sophia, Grandma Penrod and Ethan Toledo (Kylann's cousin)

Kristin Crawford and Uncle Sterling holding his daughter, Sophia.

Grandpa Penrod and his granddaughter, Sophia.

Grandpa Penrod and his mini-me, Uncle Brent

Grandma sympathizing with Chase over something. Haha!

Grandma poking his cute little belly!

Amber Topping and I (I've known her and her twin sister, Autumn since we were babies. We grew up together).

It was a fun day and the party went well. Chase had a blast!! He's the most important part of the party, right? ;o)

**A special thanks to Sandee Adragna for taking all of the pictures!!**

Chase is THREE!!

2011-06-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ok. I know haven't posted in almost two months now. Really, I haven't had much desire to go on the computer. We are also having major issues with our computer right now and it takes like 10 years to get any simple little task done. AND we may have lost all of our pictures. Luckily I have most of the baby pictures saved on a disc, but the newer ones I don't have a lot of. Plus we've been pretty busy too.

Well, on May 3rd, my little boy turned three years old!! Three years ago I went through 41 hours of labor to bring this little man into the world. He was 8lbs 9 1/2oz and 21 in long and born exactly on his due date.

We feel very blessed to have him in our lives. He cracks us up all the time. I just wish I had some of his energy. Just a little.

He is now over 35lbs and I can't remember his height. I do remember that right now he's in the 75th percentile for his height and 50th for his weight. So he's a tall kid right now and average weight. He's still our skinny boy and we have to struggle with him to eat a lot of the time.

Just within the last 2-3 weeks he's really had a bit of a breakthrough with his speech. He's finally been putting 4-5 word sentences together. And he's really tries to say certain things. He gets quiet when he doesn't know a word too well and we always have to ask him to speak up a little. But he's doing really well. I don't know if it's the speech therapy that's helping him or just us encouraging him all the time. Maybe little of both. He has finally started saying Grandma (Gamma) and Grandpa (Papa). He also calls my mom Nana.

He's still a stinker to his little brother, but there are some moments when he is so sweet to him.

He was patting Kyler on the back here. It was really sweet.

He is getting a little bit better with sharing. He's learning to wait for toys when his brother is playing with them, but that's still a work in progress. I can always tell when he's bugging Kyler when I hear a blood curdling scream from his little brother. Haha! (Something we're trying to work on with Kyler too).

He loves to pretend to scare. He goes up to Kyler a lot and says, "RAAARRRR!" Kyler loves it. It's too cute! (I think he gets that from his mother).

His favorite "toy" is the I-Pod. We loaded a whole bunch of toddler apps on it and he loves to interact with them. His favorites are the puzzles. He's actually very good at puzzles and loves to work on them. (Got that from Grandma Penrod I think).

He still refuses to nap anymore. But by late afternoon it's obvious he really could have used one. By then, it's too late for him to nap. There have been several times where I've given him a "timeout" in his room, left him in there for no more than 3-5 minutes and come in to him like this....

I hate waking him up, but if we don't he wouldn't get to sleep at night until at least midnight. So I use someone else to wake him for me....

Kyler will try and pull his eyes open and then climbs on top of him. Chase usually yells out, "NO!! I seeping!" Haha!

He definitely keeps us on our toes. And I think he was put into our lives to make us better people. To teach us patience and love just a little bit better. Let me tell you, he does try that patience with us an awful lot! But we couldn't imagine our lives without him. We love our little Chase Bug so much!! :o)

Easter

2011-06-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

Oops! I think I accidentally posted this without anything in it. Hopefully nobody catches that. Haha! For Easter we went to (Aunt) Sandee's house on Saturday evening and had an Easter egg hunt with all the kids there. (Sandee is like my second mom out here. I grew up with her twin daughters, Autumn and Amber back east). The boys had a blast! We had wonderful dinner (as always) and then went home. Sorry, there are lots of pictures.

Kyler finds his first egg!!

This picture just makes me laugh. No idea what I was talking about here. Haha!

Austen, Sandee and Mia. (Two of her grandkids)

(Uncle) Vito with is grand daughter, Abby

Zoe, Mia, Abby and Vito (Sandee and Vito's grand daughters)

Vito with all the grandkids (Minus their new one, Ella)

Cute little Abby!

Siblings, Mia, Austen and Hanna

Daddy and Kyler checking out the cookbooks

Then on Sunday, we gave the kids some little baskets, went to church and then made a ham dinner for Kylann's family.

Kyler's First Birthday

2011-06-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think I ever posted Kyler's birthday party. (If I did, please let me know, cause I can't find it). We debated back and forth whether we should have a party for either of the boys, just because of money and a place to have it. But I have a really hard time letting their birthdays go without having one. My mom always had one for us growing up and it's just something I wanted to do. I know neither of them would really remember it being as young as they are, but I still wanted to have one for them.

Anyway, so a month or so before Kyler's birthday came around, our complex came out that they were no longer going to charge to use the clubhouse they have. It was normally $200 to rent it out. Ridiculous for what you got!! So we got lucky with that part of it. And then we found a way to make it cheaper with the food. We decided to only invite family and a couple of close friends. It was a lot of fun and we really appreciate everyone that came to celebrate with us. Kyler LOVED all of his gifts and of course his cake!

I had to pull the pictures off my FB due to our computer issues right now...

We had a small party when my mom was out here in March. I'm not sure I ever blogged about that either. Man, I'm really behind. We were so happy to be able to celebrate it while my mom was here. Thanks for the cake and the gifts, mom! We miss you!!

Kyler's very first birthday cake. Given to him by Nana.

He loved his Singa-Ma-Jig!!

Chase got a gift too! A combined gift. It was an animal bubble machine. They love it!

Both boys cuddling with Daddy.

We had a bigger party at our apt clubhouse...

Sophia and Aunt Ellyn

Grandpa Penrod and his granddaughter, Sophia

He loved his gifts!!

A beautiful scrapbook, Sandee Adragna made for Kyler's First Year. I just need to add the pictures.

My T.V. junkie

The birthday cake for everyone...

Kyler's cake

Oooohhh! YUM!! Sugar!!

Uncle Blaine caused the mess on his forehead. Haha! He put a little dot of frosting up there and Kyler had to feel it. Haha! He looked so stinkin cute!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Kleese got a picture with the messy boy!

The finished product. He didn't get much of the cake though.

We love this little messy boy! He had a great birthday party! Thanks everyone!!

Chase...

2011-04-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

So we're trying to get Chase into preschool for children with developmental delays. I took him for his evaluation the other day and it didn't go so well. First of all, Kyler threw up twice after he ate breakfast, then had diarrhea...twice. Of course the second time was right after I put him in a clean diaper. Then he was acting fine and when we went into the room where Chase was getting his evaluation, he threw up again! This time on mommy. Luckily mommy was half way smart and brought a change of clothes for him...but not for herself. I thought about it when I was halfway there. Course that doesn't help. Especially when I was already about 30 minutes late to the appointment. Ugh! Anyway, luckily they still took us in. AND daddy had a little break in between appointments and was able to help out with Kyler. I am SO glad he was there. I don't think we would have been able to get through the appointment if he wasn't there.

Chase didn't do too well with the evaluation. I'm really not sure how much they were able to get out of him. He threw tantrums when we wouldn't let him do something that he wanted to do and squirmed all over the place when we tried to get him to do something that he needed to do. But in a way, it's good that they see this side of him. Maybe it'll help him get more of the help that he needs.

We're going through the Tucson School District and I'm a little worried about it. Has anyone ever had to put their child through preschool with TUSD? I've hear bad things about this school district, but maybe the preschool is different. I know there are some good teachers, but I'm just not sure where they are and what school is the best. So far I know of two schools where not to send him to. But I just need recommendations.

Ugh! I just wish I knew what was wrong with him with his temperament and what we can do to help him progress. I feel like nothing is working. He doesn't learn with the discipline that we give him, but we don't know any other ways than what we've already tried. He is such a stubborn kid!! And so mean sometimes! He does things to intentionally hurt people and it kills me! I don't want my kid to be a bully! But at the rate he's going, I feel he's heading in that direction. Sometimes I feel like I have a teenager already. It's really hard when you feel something is wrong or delayed with your child. I see so many kids younger than him, that are SO far ahead of him as far as developing with his speech, potty training, understanding words, maturity...etc. I know I shouldn't compare, but it's REALLY hard not to when almost every kid I see that is his age or several months younger if far more advanced than he is. It's also hard to not think that something your doing could be causing him to act out the way he does. I don't want to ruin my child. But maybe I am. Just wish I knew what to do.

DAY 30

2011-04-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

A photo of someone you miss...

Besides my family...

My old roommates, April McQuay(Vail), Kristie Montague(Grizzle) and Camilla Rogers...

Leslie Layton (Chappell)...

Sarah Lambson (Bothman) and...

Shawna Faye (Luster)
(We only lived together for a short time, but we were really good friends at good ole' EAC).

There was also Robyn and Holly Sankey, but I wasn't that close to them and hardly ever saw them. I think I only have one picture of them actually. Not sure where it is.

Oh and I didn't forget about Autumn and Amber Topping, but they live in Tucson, so don't have many chances to "miss" them too much. Actually Autumn is currently in Boston at graduate school. I do miss having her close by. But I do miss all the time we used to spend together. Especially when we were kids.

Me and all these girls had SO many fun times together!! Feel free to comment on any special memories we had girls. I love you and miss you all so much! Hopefully someday we can have a little reunion together.

Well, this is the last day of my little "challenge." If I decide to do something like this again, hopefully I can actually make it everyday. :o) Sorry for getting behind for anyone that happens to be reading. Though I don't think anyone is.... :o)

DAY 29

2011-04-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

A photo of your favorite person from history...

I don't think I have just one. I am always intrigued by lots of historical figures. I always wonder what they were really like. And what it would be like to live in their time and see what they were really like. I guess I would have to say that I've always had an interest in this man...

Abraham Lincoln. I wonder just how different our country would be if this man was still in office. He just seems like he would be a very interesting man to meet someday.

And this man...Joseph Smith. The man who resorted God's gospel on the earth again. He was just a humble and kind man. I hope I get a chance to meet him in heaven someday.

DAY 28

2011-04-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

A photo of someone/something that made your day...

This guy....
He always makes my day. He texted me the other day while he was at work and said, "Good morning sexy, I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE YOU so much. I hope you are feeling ok. I miss you fweety." That definitely made my day! I love this man. My heart isn't whole without him. He is my best friend and eternal companion.

DAY 27

2011-04-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

A photo of something you are looking forward to...

Seeing all of these people in August. My family is planning the first Johnston Family reunion this summer. We can't wait!

Jamie (SIL), Me, Kayleen (sister), Kathy (mom), Ernie (dad), Kevin (youngest brother), Kylann (hubby) and Jay (my younger brother)

Oh and I of course these four cuties!!....

My nephew, Tyler and niece, Lily. (My brother Jay's kids).

My nephews, Ezra and Makai. (My sister's kids).

Oh yeah! There is one other person missing in that first picture....

My BIL, James. I've only met him at my sister's wedding in 2007.

Looking forward to getting to know him and my nephews and niece a little better. Love you guys! See you in August!

DAY 26

2011-04-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

A photo of something you dislike...

Wearing socks in bed. Ugh! I hate the feeling! The only time I do it is when my feet are FREEZING and cuddling with my hubby just isn't warming them up. :o)

Angry drivers, make very bad and inconsiderate drivers! I dislike people who are inconsiderate when they drive. I especially hate it when they cut me off!

These kind of temps! Ugh!! Not looking forward to this summer! (I think it's funny I found this pic...caught some missionaries in the corner. Haha!)

Anyway, those are just a few things I dislike. I don't want to post too many. People may start get the wrong idea...

DAY 25

2011-04-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

A photo of something that inspires you...

This one was difficult for me. I don't really have a lot of pictures that completely "inspire" me. But when I went around on google looking for some, I realized that every....

Adorable...

Beautiful...

Intriguing...

Amazing...

Photo makes me crave and feel a little inspired to really get into my photography and wish I was better at it. But then I realize, I don' t have the money to get camera or equipment I need to make these amazing shots. Someday....50 years from now! LOL...

Oops!

2011-03-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

I think I've counted wrong...Haha! I jumped ahead of myself with the 30 day challenge. Today is suppose to be Day 22. I've always been terrible with my math.

DAY 24

2011-03-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

A photo of what you wanted to be when you grew up...

Ever since I can remember, I've always had a huge love for animals. And I always wanted to be a Veterinarian so I can help care for these special creatures. Unfortunately, I didn't feel I was ever smart enough to go through the LONG schooling I would have to go through. I couldn't even get through an Associates Degree, let along a Bachelor's like this. Oh well. Hopefully someday I will get some sort of a degree.

DAY 23

2011-03-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

A photo of the cast from your favorite T.V. show...

Well, I don't have cable or any channels at all actually. We need a new antenna. BUT, I do watch this show online. I have to say it's my favorite right now, cause, well, it's the only show I watch. :o)

The Vampire Diaries (minus about five people)...LOVE this show! I'm have a fascination with Vampire stories.

DAY 22

2011-03-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

A photo that you associate a good memory with...

Wow! I have SO many of these!

I just LOVE this picture! My sister Kayleen and youngest brother, Kevin up in the White Mountains at our favorite spot to go to...

...the Natural Waterslide. At least that's what we called it. I was located under a railroad track bridge and right next to a campground. I'm not sure we ever camped there before though. (My dad and brother, Kevin).

And of course going to see, "The Old Man on the Mountain." Unfortunately he finally fell to the ground several years ago. He was VERY old!!

I loved our camping trips every year up there and of course visiting our time share at The Village of Loon Mountain.

We just loved those long trips!....Haha!

I have so many memories of this house in Nashua. I lived there for about 14 years. It's the house I grew up in! I always told Kylann we should buy it someday. It's a perfect first house! And it has a HUGE yard! Which we definitely need with our rascals.

DAY 21

2011-03-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

A photo of somebody you find attractive...

Well, besides this man...

Matthew McConaughey!!! I can watch him in a movie any day! Haha! Kylann teases me about it. I just can't help it, he's a hottie!

Matt Damon is another one for me. Just darn good looking these boys! Haha!

DAY 20

2011-03-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

A photo of a person who has gotten you through the most...

Another easy one. I know I could not have gotten through anything I've been through without this man and his gospel. I just hope I can make him and my Heavenly Father proud. And I pray that I can return to them both again someday. I love having the knowledge of the true gospel in my life.

DAY 19

2011-03-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

A photo of last summer...

I actually don't have a whole lot from this summer...

Kyler at our little 4th of July barbecue.

Kyler when we went to Breakers Water Park.

Chase at our annual Kleese Family Reunion in May.

DAYS 17 & 18

2011-03-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

DAY 17 - A photo from a trip you'll never forget...

Another easy one...

DISNEYWORLD 1989!!! These are the only two pictures I could find from this vacation. I'm sure there's more somewhere. That's me, my cousin Joe in the background and my brother Jay.

Me and Jay *************************************************************************************

DAY 18 - A photo of your town...

Downtown Tucson...I think

JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa. I worked here for four years

I thought this was funny just cause it's such a regular occurrence around this city! Especially when the snow birds are in town. Don't really get how this happened though. It doesn't even look like there is a ditch.

DAYS 15 & 16

2011-03-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

DAY 15 - A photo of you and a family member...

My sister in-law, Jamie (My brother Jay's wife). This was about four years ago at my sisters wedding.

My sister, Kayleen on my wedding day 6 years ago.

My "little" brother, Jay at my sister's wedding four years ago. He looks creepy in this picture.

My littlest brother, Kevin (the baby of the family) about four years ago.

I tried to find pictures with me and my other sister and brother in-laws, but I don't think I have any. I'm gonna have to work on that one.

*************************************************************************************

DAY 16 - A photo from your childhood... Well, you guys already saw several of those ones. I'm gonna have to try and find some good ones...

October 1991 - The first picture with all the siblings together.

I know this doesn't have me in it, but it just cracks me up! My brother Jay fell asleep in the tub. Haha!

My brother Jay and I in 1984 (I think). Aww! Now he's ALOT taller than me!

Me, my dog Heidi (miss her), my cousin Sheri and my brother Jay.

Me and my Mom. I love this picture!

My brother Jay and I with our Dad in the White Mountains (No, not AZ...NH. The REAL White Mountains).

Not sure why my parents took this, it's so sad! I was bitten by a black fly and had a puffy eye for few days. :o( I look like a really cute Quasimodo. Haha!

DAY'S 13 & 14

2011-03-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! I've gotten so behind this week! I have good excuses though. I've had to watch my niece almost everyday this week. She doesn't like to be put down too much. So my hands haven't been free that much. :o) And on Wednesday, Kylann took the day off to go to Kyler's 1 year checkup. I'll post a little about that later. And then he stayed home with the boys while I went out with a new friend, Jacque to go see a movie. I had another friend introduce us on FB cause she thought we could be good friends and she's got two girls close to Kyler and Chase's ages. So we were FB friends before we ever actually met in person. :o) She's great and we had fun! Anyways, on to the pictures...

DAY 13 - A photo of one of your favorite movies... Course you know I gotta do more than just one!

This used to be my number one favorite, but my choices change throughout the years. This one still is one of my favorites, but, not the number one. Actually, I don't think I really have a number one right now.

LOVE this movie!! Kylann and I love to watch this together. It's hilarious, in my opinion. Plus, who can go wrong with Sandra Bullock? Still need to buy this one actually. Maybe I'll get it today for our anniversary. :o)

Love this movie!! The love story is so sweet and I love how clean it is. There's nothing bad in it!

DAY 14 - A photo of someone you've known the longest...not including family.

That's easy!...

I've known Autumn and Amber Topping ever since I was over a year old. We grew up together. I pretty much consider them my cousins. They ARE family, so maybe this post doesn't count. ;o)

Here we are all grown up...6 years ago.

DAY 11 & DAY 12

2011-03-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Day 11: A photo of something you wish you could change...

Such a broad topic. Something about myself? The world? Hmmm....There's so much I could put here. Maybe I'll do a little of both...

ME....

All of this. Multi-tasking. My cooking skills, my mothering skills, talking on the phone (as you probably read, I HATE talking on the phone!) So those are some aspects of me I want to change. Being an adult is rough!!

THE WORLD...

Child and animal abuse. It sickens me what people are capable of. I just can't get it through my head why anyone would or could hurt something so innocent! Someone or thing that didn't deserve to be treated that way. Someone or thing that just wants to be loved. I wish I could prevent these things from ever happening. There is so much more I wish I could change, but this is good for now.

Note: Do not ever google images on child abuse or animal abuse, unless you want to be disturbed. These are very mild pictures compared to some of the things that came up. I was disgusted!

*************************************************************************************

DAY 12: A photo of something that scares you...

Oh goodness. Not a whole lot here I don't think. I like scary things actually. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.

Having one of my children die before I do. We almost lost Chase in the mall once and I about had a heart attack! I couldn't imagine what it would be like to see one of them lose their life. My heart aches for parents that have gone through this.

Another thing that scares me is...

Having someone break into my home while I'm sleeping. It freaks me out! I used to have to sleep with the door closed. Kind of dumb since they would probably be coming through the window anyway. I guess it just made me feel secure in my own bedroom. Call me crazy. It's just a huge fear I have. Even worse would be if they broke in through my childrens' room. I pray that this never happens to us, EVER!

DAY 10

2011-03-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

A photo of something you find beautiful...

Again so many things I could post for this one, but I'll only do a few.

As much as I dislike AZ, you really can't beat their sunsets. So beautiful!

The Tropics. LOVE this picture! Wish that was my house.

The Salt Lake Temple. Really any LDS temple is beautiful in my eyes. It is the house of the Lord after all. Why wouldn't it be beautiful?

DAY 9

2011-03-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

A photo of yourself as a baby/child...

There are TONS of pictures! My parents were as camera happy as I am, I guess.

The day I was born...November 21, 1980

Happy girl!

Getting into Daddy's things

First birthday with my Cookie Monster cake my mom made for me.

I was excited over something. :o) I was about a year and half here, I think.

Vampire teeth and me strangling a kitten. Haha!

I was still goofy back then...

Yes, I was a Brownie. ;o)

My brother and I on our first day back to school. Check out the pink leopard outfit! Oh and with the shirt tied to the side. Haha!

And that's as far as I go. I hope I didn't bore you too much. No need to get into my real awkward stages. ;o)

A Special Day...

2011-03-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, we welcome our little man Kyler Jasin into the world. And Chase became a big brother. He has been such a joy and blessing for us! This little guy is so mellow, though he has his moments. Especially when his big brother constantly picks on him. But my favorite is when I hear them laughing together. It's the sweetest sound in the world in my opinion.

He, like his brother, took almost a year before he finally slept through the night. Actually he's still not consistent with it. I'm sure I look like a zombie most days since I average 4 hours of sleep a night. Oh well, their worth it, right?

He started rolling over on his back just before he was two weeks old! Little stinker! He's always just been wanting to get up and go. He took his first steps at 9 1/2 months but didn't full on start walking exclusively until about a month later. Now, he's pretty much running! Haha! He's got to keep up with his brother, right?

They love the ipod!

Man, can this kid eat!! Most of the time, he out eats his brother! It's crazy how much he fits in that little belly of his! He can pack in a whole slice and a half of pizza or a whole sloppy joe sandwich! It amazes me! I can only imagine what he's going to be like once he's a teenager! I hope we're making better money than we are now, or else he's gonna put us in the poor house. Haha!

He's a very messy eater too! But food really is a way to this little man's heart. :o)

Any time daddy gets a snack and sits down on the couch, Kyler comes running! Haha! See his chubby little reaching up for the food. (I took this picture cause I was teasing Kylann on how much strawberry shortcake he had. He claims it wasn't that much since it was angel food cake and strawberries and they don't have much fat content. Haha! Man that plate so SO full).

This little dare devil loves to climb!! Little stinker! Luckily he is surprising careful and hasn't really had too many big falls. Don't worry, momma is always there watching him. He is actually pretty careful when he gets down from things. Surprisingly. His favorite thing lately is climbing up on the couch. Chase likes to take the couch cushions off and use the surface for his cars. Kyler loves to climb up on it, which doesn't make Chase happy most of the time. But then Chase will jump up and down on the couch, which gets them both laughing. It doesn't bother me, (since our couch is falling apart already) until they start fighting over a toy. Haha! I'm sure I'll have to put up with that for many years to come though.

Awe! Unfortunately, he is losing this baby fat. My little chub-a-lub is no longer very chubby. He's solid though! I think he's got a lot of muscle.

He is a little tester. When he sees something he's not suppose to touch, like the t.v. remotes, he goes right up to them and puts his hand out and watches us with a big smile on his face. Gosh, he's so stinkin cute, it's so hard to discipline him! He'll also hold his cup over the edge of his high chair as he's watching us. Right when we're telling him no, he drops it! Ugh! Haha!

My favorite thing about this boy, besides his adorable smiles and giggles, is, he's a cuddlier. I love it when he comes up to me if I'm sitting down and just rests his head on my legs. It's so sweet! He's also learned how to give kisses. And sometimes he does it without me asking for one. It just makes my heart melt. I love this little man so much. I only hope that I can do the best I can as a mother. Happy Birthday, Kyler! We all love you SO much!

DAY 8

2011-03-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

A photo of something you want to do before you die...

Again, there are several things I would love to do before I die! Besides all the places I want to visit, the first big one that comes to mind is...

Skydiving! I've ALWAYS wanted to try it, but I'm a little bit chicken. Plus, it's not exactly cheap. :o) One of these days Kylann and I will save up our money and just go do it. I'm a little freaked out to do it, but I think it would be worth it in the end. I just have to make sure I go somewhere I trust and that has a low injury/death record. :o)

Get my degree doing this....

Someday I would love to go professional, but that is something that will definitely have stay on the back burner for now. At least until my kids are grown. :o( I just don't have the time or money for it. It's also an expensive hobby. Someday...someday.

To own my home. Now of course we wouldn't get anything that looks like this, but I can dream, right? Someday, we will.

DAY 7

2011-03-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

A photo of your favorite musician or band...

Rascall Flatts! Their music just sings to me! LOL...JK...I LOVE their voices and the lyrics to their songs are so sweet.

Barenaked Ladies. They used to be my favorite. I still like their music because it's so fun, but Rascall Flatts definitely wins.

And my favorite artist would probably have to a toss up between Harry Connick Jr. and...

Michael Buble. I love their old school type of music. It makes me happy. :o)

DAY 6

2011-03-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

A photo of something you couldn't imagine your life without...

Again, there are SO many I could post for this one....Hmmm...

I don't think I could live my life without the knowledge I have. I am so blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

And of course these guys! My life would be so dull without them! :o) I love my boys! All three of them.

DAY 5

2011-03-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

A photo that makes you laugh...

Oh geez! I have WAY too many of these. I'll try to keep it limited though. So I don't bore you...I've been trying to pick pictures that I haven't posted at all yet. Though I think there will probably be a few you have already seen. I hope I haven't bored you too much already. :o)

Kylann was being a goof one day...big surprise there...and decided to put on one of my shirts and wait for me to notice. Haha! I was cracking up. He looks so ridiculous! (Don't worry, I asked him if I could publish this one).

My mother in-law laughing at Chase. This picture cracks me up!! Chase was just being a HUGE goof and a show off at Kylann's 30th birthday party. Grandma was getting a kick out of him. I love how she's trying to hold in her laughter.

When I was visiting my family for Thanksgiving in 2009. My mom was walking around with a roll of tape stuck to her butt unknown to her until we all noticed it and pointed it out! Haha! I guess she had sat on it and didn't realize it stuck. It makes me laugh every time I see it! LOL...Sorry mom.

Oh Chase and his many sleeping positions! Haha! This kid likes to sprawl out! His poor wife! This was when we were sleep training Kyler and we had Chase in our room. He's half on the mattress, half on my body pillow. Crazy kid! Haha!

Kyler and his bed head. Sometimes I miss his longer hair because of this. Haha! My little cutie.

Chase and his tail. Maybe this is child porn, but it still makes me laugh. This was, of course, daddy's doing. I think he gets bored and just feels the need to pick on our kids. Haha! Chase didn't care though.

Haha! Leave it to Daddy again. We were at the zoo and Kylann decided it would be funny to put this thing on Chase's head. LOL...He didn't know what was going on.

Haha! This was like 8 years ago...I think. We were in a party store for some reason. Can't remember what we were getting. But we were having a bit too much fun with the costume props. :o)

Chase decided he wanted to cook himself. Haha! So cute! Hard to believe he was little enough to fit in a frying pan. ;o)

DAY 4

2011-03-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

A photo of a place you'd like to visit.

Oh man, I think I would have a TON of pictures to post here!! But I'll only do a few....

This has always been a dream of mine to go see! I always wanted to visit Australia just cause it's beautiful and I LOVE the accents. While I'm there, I would LOVE to see the Australia Zoo. AND I wanted to meet Steve Irwin...unfortunately, that part of it is no longer possible. :o( But hopefully one of these days I'll make it out there. Maybe when I'm 80 and won the lottery! Haha! If only I gambled.

Alaska. SO beautiful! I don't want to visit in the winter though. And I would LOVE to see the Northern Lights. Kylann and I want to go on an Alaskan cruise someday....someday.

Hawaii!! Most everyone I know has visited here at some point in their life. We are also hoping for this someday. We would love any kind of tropical vacation really. Just dreams...

Ireland. We think it's just beautiful here! We would love to see Scotland as well. Plus I LOVE seeing old castles! I always thought it would be so much fun to live in one and find all the secret hidden passageways.

DAY 3

2011-03-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

A photo that makes you happy...

There are SO many pictures that make me happy. But I think this one is a perfect one. My parents on their wedding day at the Washington, DC temple. It makes me happy knowing that they were sealed for time and all eternity so that we can be an eternal family. And that they found the gospel so that I can have an eternal family with my husband and kids.

Here are a few others that make me happy...Yes, my husband and kids make me happy too...Don't worry, they will be in this eventually.

My favorite ice cream!

Fall in the NH White Mountains

SLEEP!! It makes me happy! It doesn't come too often anymore. But when it does, I am VERY happy for it!

Camp fires and camping

I could go on and on, but I won't bore you.

DAY 2

2011-03-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

A photo of you at least a year ago...

I couldn't really find too many of just me a year ago, but this one is almost a year ago. Kyler was about a month old in this picture. And those are my parents. :o) This is my dad's famous goofy face. Mom's not so good at it. ;o)

This is one of the only ones of just me almost a year ago. I used to be obsessed with elephants.

This was a week short of a year ago. The day Kyler was born.

And this is the closest that we'll come to being exactly a year ago. I think this was just a few days before Kyler was born.

Red Box

2011-03-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

Redbox is the best - you can rent DVDs for $1 a night with no membership fees! You should try it out. If you click on my link and it's your first time renting online, they'll give you a free one-night online rental credit. And I'll get a free rental each time you rent via my link through 3/17/11. Can't beat $1 movies!! Come on and do it!!

http://redbox.tellapal.com/a/clk/bd76 H

30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 1

2011-03-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

I got this 30 day photo challenge from someone on FB and I thought I would try it. (Kayleen this is a little different than yours. It has specific pictures you are suppose to post for each day).

I haven't been getting on the computer everyday for a few awhile now, but I thought this would be fun, so hopefully I can do it.

Day 1: A photo of you & 10 facts about yourself.

1. I am a natural blond. And yes, sometimes, a dumb one. :)
2. I have green eyes. Some people think they are blue, but no, they're green.
3. I have been married to my best friend for six years this month. But we've known each other for 11 years.
4. I am kind of shy when you first meet me, but once I get to know you, I open up. Though I've kind of lost my touch since having kids. I feel a little socially retarded most of the time. (Some people have thought I was a bit of a snob at first if I'm not smiling. Guess I just have that kind of face).
5. My right toes are noticeably smaller than my left ones.
6. My dream job is to be a National Geographic Photographer. Never ever, will happen. Probably not the photographer part either. Such is the life of a mother. :o)
7. I love to bake, but hate to cook.
8. Would LOVE to live in Australia someday.
9. I LOVE to watch movies. Sometimes I think too much sometimes.
10. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I have an eternal family.

GOING PRIVATE!!

2011-01-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I never thought I would be saying this, but I've decided to go private with the blog. I've been thinking and thinking about whether I should do this over the last week or two and I keep coming to the conclusion that it's something I should do for the protection of my children. Did you know that your blog can be found through any search engine. Try it. Just type in the names of your family members or something found in your blog. I have noticed a few regulars that have been viewing our blog from outside cities where I know I don't know anyone. And I've found several that have found it through search engines. Kind of scary in my opinion.

Well, I would LOVE for all that read my blog to continue to be able to read it, so I need you to send me your email address so I can send you an invitation to read it. I will be doing this in next few days so send them my way! Most of you should know how to get in touch with me to send me your email. Or if you don't care who sees it, just post a comment on this post. If you're in my family and I have your email, you will automatically get an invite.

I know private blogs are kind of annoying and I'm so sorry for that. But my children and family are more important to me than having the convenience of a public blog.

Thanks so much for understanding, everyone!

Awesome Giveaway!

2011-01-18T21:09:00.001-08:00

Just came across both of these blogs. And they are both have the same giveaway! They are giving a away a Silhouette Craft Cutter machine. You know, like to cute vinyl lettering and stuff. Very cool! Check them out!

http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2011/01/giveaway-silhouette-sd-machine.html
http://houseofsmiths.blogspot.com/2011/01/silhouette-craft-cutter-machine.html

Chase's Speech Appointment

2011-01-18T12:07:00.000-08:00

We had Chase's first speech appointment last night (finally). It was mainly an evaluation for him. She wasn't able to get through all the tests with him because he was too excited to play with the "new" toys in the room and didn't want to sit still. She told us she definitely saw a delay with him but she can tell that he is curious about learning. She would like him to see an Occupational Therapist once a week as well as her (the Speech Therapist). She also wants us to set up an appointment with a Developmental Pediatrician to get him assessed and diagnosed with whatever might be wrong with him. From her personal opinion and her experience in being around these types of children for so long, she said she could definitely see signs of ADD in him. She said there is a possibility of a Sensory Disorder, but very little signs of autism. But he does have a couple slight autistic traits. Unfortunately there are only two in Tucson right now and they are both partners. I hear it's very hard to get in there. Please pray that we get him in as soon as possible. We would like to get most of his treatment finished by the time he is 3. Once he is 3, we will have to go through the school district, which I prefer not to do since this place seems so great! I'm hoping we can work something out with our insurance though.

We also told her our concerns with him having possible food allergies and she felt that we were on the right track there. She said food allergies can affect behaviors a lot. And with his Eczema we should definitely look further into it. We plan on doing a food elimination diet once we get our taxes back. Now the problem is getting a referral from the Pediatrician. Last time I asked for a referral, they made me bring him in before they did anything. When I told the doctor that I wanted to get Chase tested for allergies, he asked me why. Seriously?! He knows Chase has had Eczema since he was two months old and he's also aware that allergies run VERY strong on both sides of the family. Why the heck would you NOT want to get him tested. I really hope that they don't want me to bring him in again just so I can get the referral. What would be the point really? They are already aware of possible allergies AND they are aware that he isn't speaking as well as he should. What are they going to tell us that we don't already know? Sorry, I've been getting pretty frustrated with this doctor and the doctor's office lately....if you couldn't tell.

Anyway, so that's the gist of the appointment. I really hope that this will help him and that will be able to learn like he should.

Just sayin....

2011-01-14T13:46:00.001-08:00

I really hate it when people say, "You look tired!" Too me I take it as a nice way of saying, "Wow, you look like crap!" Especially since the times that I hear this comment is when I have no makeup on and didn't do my hair. Oh well, at least I don't take it heart and let it lower my self esteem.

Christmas 2011

2011-01-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

I realized I never posted anything about our Christmas. Unfortunately I didn't take hardly any pictures on Christmas day. But we did video tape the kids opening their gifts. I'll post any funny parts once I am able to get my videos on the computer once again.

So we woke up Christmas morning and I got the kids ready, video camera set up and we had Kylann's mom come over to watch them open gifts. Then Kylann made us all a VERY late breakfast of apple pancakes w/ vanilla syrup, sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs. YUM!! We then got ourselves ready for the day and headed over to Grandma Kleese's house for more gifts and food. We spend a couple hours there. Mandy (Kylann's sister) called while we were there too. So we got to talk to her. She's doing great for anyone that is wondering. And she comes home in September. For any that don't know, she is on an 17 month mission for our church. She is in the Independence, Missouri mission and is currently in Kansas City, KS. She loves it!!

So after Grandma & Grandpa Kleese's house, we headed out to Kylann's dad's house in Avra Valley. About 45 minutes away. We had dinner there and spent the rest of the evening with them. We also had a bonfire that night. Chase had a blast with it! He loves to visit Grandpa Penrod. Kyler had a fun time with all the dogs too. They have about 10 dogs on their property along with three horses. For some reason I only too pictures while we were out there. Both boys passed out on the way home. We had a tiring but wonderful day!

Cheese!

Chase hanging out with Grandpa Penrod...

Grandma Ronda put Chase on top of Taco. He's such a sweet dog, it didn't bother him at all. Kyler started cracking up when Taco covered his face. LOL

Kyler loves his daddy.

Chase riding the homemade See-Saw...

Eating popcorn by the fire...

Grandpa Penrod showing Chase the fire...

What a long day!!

Merry Christmas!

Update on the boys...

2011-01-13T13:48:00.000-08:00

I figured I was due for an updated post. It's been quite awhile. I just hope I am able to fill up the page. We were out of batteries for awhile, so I'm not sure I'm going to have a whole lot of pictures, but we'll see.

CHASE

He turned 2 1/2 on November 3rd. He's still a VERY stubborn and whiny little boy. But we're copping as best we can. He really knows how to try our patience everyday. We do see that sweet side of him come out once in awhile, but it's usually when he gets something he wants. I know it's there, I just wish he would show it more often. (Kind of makes me dread the teenage years). Oh well. I just hope that he knows he really is loved and cared about.

He loves to pick on his little brother. He is constantly taking toys away from him, sitting on him or pushing him out of the way. But he also loves playing with him. We have a corner in our living room where most of their toys are. Lately, I've been noticing him and Kyler over there playing together. It's quite funny actually, cause Chase will get some of his ride on toys or a couple toy buckets and try and block Kyler in so he has a playmate (or maybe it's a prisoner to him). It's really cute. Course that doesn't keep the little rug rat in. Kyler is a climber and knows how to get past his big brothers "obstacles." Haha! So Kyler is out of there once he gets bored or Chase leaves. :o)

Chase "helping." He thought Kyler might be hungry....

His speech hasn't gotten a whole lot better, but we work on it everyday. He isn't saying a whole lot of full sentences, but he does say a few that he hears everyday, (unfortunately).

Some sentences that he says are;
"Why did you break it?"
"You broke it."
"Daddy broke it."
"Is broken."
"What did you do?" (Notice a trend there. He's destructive I tell ya!)
"Ky-a mere." ("Kyler, come here")
"Hi baby."
"Down please."
"No, no, Ky-a."
"Is that?" (What's that?)

That's all I can think of right now. I don't think I'm missing a whole lot though. He doesn't seem to be progressing and it's getting very frustrating. We try and get him to say certain words and he always adds an extra syllable in there somewhere or starts it with another sound, which in turn, makes it sound nothing like the word we were trying to get him to say. Or he'll just whine and cry and not even try. We would love to start potty training him, but I seriously don't see that happening in the near future because of his communication skills. I have a feeling he won't be potty trained until he's at least 4 years old. Ugh! This communication thing is really difficult for us all. It's so hard not to compare either. I see all of these kids far younger than Chase (including his cousins) that are saying full sentences and understanding most everything you tell them. I try not to get discouraged about it, but it's so hard knowing there is a developmental delay with your child. It's hard not to think that something could be wrong with him.

Well, just today we got a phone call from Early Intervention and the center he is suppose to start going to (finally). I think it had been about an month and a half from the last time we heard from them. We have an appointment on Monday where they will do another evaluation on him and talk to us about the program. He is approved for 24 visits, which is worth six months of therapy. My understanding is once that's done, we will be transitioning him to Tucson Unified School District for therapy. He can also get help once he's in preschool as well. Which is nice because the insurance will pay for the school. I will know more about it by next Thursday. I will update once we get more information. I just hope and pray that this really helps him and he starts to understand things better so he can communicate. I think it might also help with his behavioral issues as well.

Chase still has Eczema. Though it hasn't gotten too bad. Every once in awhile he will have a flare up on his legs, but that's usually when it's really hot outside. Normally he'll have a small spot on the crease of his elbow or on his leg and the back of his neck. And lately he's developed small spots on his cheeks...though not as serious as his brother's. We had some blood work done on him to test for Allergies and Celiac Disease. We think he has a food allergy or intolerance. According to the blood work he doesn't have allergies at all. There was a small reaction to dog dander, but that's about it. I hope to get a some skin tests done and then we are going to try and hopefully do a food elimination diet on him once we get our tax return back. Just to pin point what food(s) he might be intolerant to. His bowels are never solid so we though Celiac was a good possibility for him, but that's obviously not the case. I know I definitely don't want to start potty training him until his bowels change, so we'll continue to try and figure it out.

He is a big help to his brother sometimes...sometimes too much. As you can tell from the above picture. He loves his cars! Holy cow is he obsessed with cars! I think he's got at least 100 cars in his toy box. (Too many if you ask me!) haha! And of course he loves the movie, Cars!

He is still not napping too much. I'm lucky if I get two naps out of him each week. And if I do, they are not very long naps. Another frustrating thing for us because when he doesn't nap, man is he cranky!

This is how he "naps" most of the time lately.

Other than that, he's still a rambunctious little boy who can't sit still and is into EVERYTHING!! It's a good thing we love him!

He was watching the beginning of a movie and was really worried about whatever was happening. I can't remember what movie it was, darn it! But it was so stinkin funny! I'm sure it had to do with a car crashing or something...lol

Chase, the "stud"

KYLER

He will be 10 months old in less than a week. Man how the time flies by! In two months we'll be celebrating his first birthday! I can't believe it!! He now has 7 teeth and is growing like a weed! He was 22lbs at his 9 month checkup and I think 29 inches. I can't remember his length. I'll find out in March what it was. He has been in 12 month clothes for about a month and a half now. He is about the same height as a couple of 14 month olds in our ward. Little stinker is going to be a tall beefcake! He has pretty much outgrown his car seat. We are trying to save up some money to get him a front facing one like his brother, but we probably won't be able to get the one we want until we get our tax return. He's still our little Chub-a-lub. He's got the cutest little "big" booty too! :o) I love it!

Our little beast child, loves to eat!! Sometimes after I feed him (real food) AND nurse him, he's after our food right after wards! Little piggy!

At 8 months, he figured out how to push Chase's ride along toys. He was quite proud of himself for this and was cracking up laughing the first few times he walked with it down the hall.

He took his first step on January 1st. He hasn't really taken off to it yet, but he's getting better. Just last night he started to pull away on his own and take one or two steps to reach something he wanted. I don't think it'll be too much longer. He's gotta be able to run after his brother at some point. Chase tries to get him to walk sometimes too, it's so cute!

This kids LOVES books! He goes spastic when we read him and Chase a book at bedtime. Not sure why. It's pretty hilarious actually. I need to get the video on my computer somehow. He loves to play with cars just as much as his brother. I think he likes his brother's toys more than his baby toys. I guess he's just mature for his age. :o) JK...He loves to reach and climb, this one! He has picked up his brothers bad habit of climbing on the ride along toys we have. We get on Chase about this all the time. Not exactly a safe thing to do since they have wheels and Chase has fallen many times. (He never learns his lessons.) :o) But Kyler already is learning what "no" means and is doing a good job at following it.

He loves Elmo and loves to dance! His favorite so far is the music on the menu screen to "Cars." He likes his beat. LOL! It's so cute to watch him! I have yet to get a good video of him doing it.

I'm not sure if I posted about his Eczema or not, but he's still got it. We finally got a medicated ointment for both him and Chase. However, their Pediatrician wanted me to only put it on his face every other week since it's a steroidal ointment. So I did this for a few weeks and on his off week it got terrible. Usually it would get to how it looked when he got an infection on it awhile back. When he had his 9 month checkup it was his off week and the doctor told me to put it on his face everyday since it got so bad when he wasn't on it. He said to try and go from twice a day to once a day if I can. So far, I haven't been able to. I'm hoping next visit I can get a referral from him to see a dermatologist. This is just really annoying to have to deal with. I really feel that it could be a food allergy. Since it didn't start with him until we started him on solids.

It looked just a little bit worse than this when it was infected. At least it doesn't seem to bother him much.

His climbing skills...

We love these cute little boys!!

Oops!

2011-01-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

So it seems I posted something that I didn't mean to. To all those who get my blog updates by email, please ignore that last post dated from October. I was having a bad day back then and just needed to write down some things. It was not meant to be published and when I realized I had published it, I deleted it right away. I guess that doesn't make a difference though if you are on my email list. :o) I'm ok, please don't worry about me or feel bad for me. Yeah, I have bad days, but I'm not depressed like that post made me sound. Thank you for your love and concern. I really, really do appreciate it.

HTML Help

2010-11-19T12:58:00.000-08:00

Ok. I have a few more posts to add that are in my drafts, but first I need help! Anyone good with HTML and blogging? Awhile back I couldn't get my title to center, so I googled around and found a way to do it. Now I can't remember how to undo it. I still want it centered, but design is not letting me change the color at all! It's driving me nutz! I want it lighter so people can actually see it! I may just have to delete it all together. Help! Please?

6 Months Old

2010-09-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Kyler turned 6 months old yesterday. Man how time flies! He can now sit up on his own and has started to army crawl. He is now 19lbs 10oz and is 27 1/2inches. (Added 9/27).

When we started him on solids at four months, he developed a rash on his face after a week or two. Then we noticed small (very familiar) red patches that started to develop all over his body. He's got Eczema! Just like his brother. Man! I was hoping to get one kid that doesn't have this stupid skin condition. It's such a pain!

He is such a happy baby! And is SO different from his brother! We love Chase so much, but he's just not a happy kid most of the time. It's a nice change. Kyler is totally different! He seems to only cry when he's hungry or really, really tired. Even though our patience is always tried, we are so blessed to have these boys.

(Another one I forgot to publish).

Family Pictures 2010

2010-08-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to pick up our family pictures today. They were taken a couple of months ago so, sorry for the wait. They were taken by our friend, Natalie Atkinson. Here's her website if anyone is interested, http://www.natalieatkinson.com/

Here they are! Enjoy!

Memorial Day 2010

2010-08-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

So for the annual Memorial Day Kleese Reunion, we went to Castles and Coasters out in Phoenix. Then spent the rest of the day at Uncle Brett and Aunt Kathy's old house which was gorgeous!! This is their pool in the backyard. Complete with rope swing, rock slide and a little waterfall. So sad we can't visit them here anymore. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures there since I didn't bring my camera. These were all taken with my camcorder.

Kylann's cousin, William Kleese.

Kylann's cousin, Karly Lewis.

Kylann's cousin, Madison Kleese and Chase.

Kylann showing off his MAD skills!

Kylann's cousin, Madison and Dallas Kleese taking Chase into the hot tub. Chase had a blast!! I didn't bring my suit, but ended up still getting soaked, thanks to the hubby.

I realized I still had this in my edit section. Oops! I think I was waiting to get the videos from my camera downloaded. But I found out that I am missing the cord I need to upload the software I need to get it off the dvd. Darn it! I'm gonna keep trying though. I have so many cute pictures of the boys I want to share. Stay tuned for that...hopefully.

Kyler Update

2010-08-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Kyler is now almost five months old! I can't believe how fast time flew! At his four month check up, he was 26 1/2inches and 16lbs 14oz. He is my beef cake! He's gained almost 9lbs and 6 inches since birth. I started putting him in 6 month clothes a couple of days ago. Holy cow! I wish I could remember how much Chase weighed at this age. I have a sheet that the doctor gave me of his stats for the past two years, but I misplaced it somewhere. I need to do some digging. I want to compare these two. All I remember is that Chase was definitely not 16lbs at this age! He was barely 20lbs at about 11 months.

Kyler now rolls over both ways, can hold things on his own, grabs for things all the time and is all over the floor! I guess you could say he's somewhat mobile. I'll put him on a blanket on one side and then the next thing I know he's completely on the opposite side on the carpet. We started him on rice cereal a couple of weeks ago and vegetables a couple of days ago. So far, he loves squash and sweet potatoes. Tomorrow will be the dreaded peas. :o) Then we start fruits next week. Hasn't helped too much with sleep yet.

He is such a happy baby and really only cries when he's hungry or tired. It's nice to actually have a normal baby. lol...Chase was totally opposite from him. He was cranky most of the time and really didn't smile or laugh much as a baby. It's a nice change.

I have a feeling he's going to be walking early. Yikes! Not sure if I'm ready for that. :o)

Here are some pictures from the last couple of months...

This was on the Fourth of July. He wasn't quite sure what to think of this thing. LOL

OK, so he's not really standing on his own. But he did balance for a few seconds. :o)

He doesn't sit on his own either, but lately he has been balancing on his belly pretty well. I don't think it'll be too much longer.

I always wanted a kid that falls asleep anywhere! :o) I can't wait until he falls asleep in his food. Haha! Am I terrible or what?

Look at that chin!

My chub-a-lub

Wearing daddy's wrist band

He did this yesterday. He started playing with his tongue and then I look over at him and he's got his lip under the binky. I was cracking up!

Daddy and Kyler passed out

Chase loves his brother No comment...lol

Toddler Bed

2010-08-10T15:07:00.001-07:00

Well, we finally decided to put Chase in a toddler bed. Maybe a little later than most kids, but I'm glad we decided to do it now. He was in a pack-n-play for a year and half before we finally decided to get a crib. We never had the room to get one for him when we moved him to the pack-n-play. So this crib was actually for Kyler, but Chase broke it in for him. Thanks to some wonderful friends who sent us gift cards, we were able to get a beautiful, well built one that should last us for many years.

Now, thanks to the Ashby's (and Adragna's), we were able to get an awesome race car bed for Chase. He LOVES it and has done very well with it. Better than I thought he would. The first night, he kept jumping in it and saying, "car, car." But I don't think it clicked in that this was his new bed. While I was getting him ready for bed, he kept saying, "It's a mess. It's a mess." At first I thought he was referring to his room in general that still needed to get organized a little better. Then when he was ready for bed, he tried throwing his blankie in the crib a few times. Each time I took it out and put it on the car bed. Finally he got the hint and laid down for me. He fussed for a little bit, but it didn't take him too long to fall asleep that night. AND he actually stayed in it! I was pretty surprised actually. Since then, he's done great! He doesn't get out of the bed for bedtime...at least as far as I'm aware. Nap time is still a bit of a struggle for him actually napping, but he does pretty well with staying in his bed as far as I can tell. And so far, no super early rising! Woohoo! (Knock on wood). I think, with me training him to stay in his crib these last few months, when he's suppose to be sleeping, helped out for getting him used to the toddler bed. this is his first time sleeping with a pillow too. We're VERY proud of him!

He fell asleep holding his water cup. My little man...

Thanks again to the Ashby's for giving us Austen's bed. And thank you Austen for giving up your super cool bed for Chase. That was a really nice present for him!

Potty...

2010-08-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

He did this himself. Don't worry. We didn't let him stay long without a diaper on in our living room. :o)

Potty training? Yeah right! Not yet. Though I do wish it was over and done with. We go through SO many diapers! Chase got this potty as part of his Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa Johnston. It's a neat little potty. He can use it as is, or there is a special seat you take off to put on the big toilet. And it can also be used as a stepping stool. That's what he uses it for the most right now. I have tried asking him a few times if he wants to sit on his potty, but he's just not interested. He knows when he goes poop and sometimes will let me know that he needs a new "die"(diaper). But most of the time, he just says no. Oh well. I guess we won't start for several more months now. Maybe once he's talking a little bit better and can understand a little bit more. Days to look forward to. Ugh! So not excited for it! If anyone has any tips on potty training boys, please fill me in. I'll start making a list now so I'm prepared for it later on.

Pictures of Chase...

2010-08-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who get updates through email, don't forget to click on the link at the bottom of the page to go to the actual blog page. It doesn't look too pretty on email.

Just a few updated pictures of Chase...

EATING...

The first corn on the cob he ate by himself. Man does he LOVE it!

What you can't really see here is maple syrup all over his feet. I guess he got a little bored and decided it would be fun to smear part of his breakfast all over his toes and feet. Stinker!

I don't remember what he was eating here, but man did he make a mess!

Green popsicle

Grandma gave him pudding...enough said. LOL

He ate yogurt on his own for the first time. He just wanted to get cleaned up and did not want his picture taken. Don't worry, I didn't torture him for too long. :o)

Stink face! He sticks his lips out like this all the time! It's too funny!

Another with the lips!

Yes, my skinny two year old fits in a Bumbo Seat. How sad is that?! I swear, we do feed the kid!

Fun with stickers!

I had to be sneaky with this picture, so that's why it's not the best quality. Anytime Daddy gets out the advertisements, Chase has to have his own. It's so funny!

Party Time!

2010-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

So May 3rd came and went. We didn't didn't do anything special. Poor Chase! His second birthday and we didn't do a thing for him, besides a couple new small toys and of course presents from the grandparents. We started feeling pretty guilty that we missed his birthday without celebrating. We knew that he wouldn't know the difference, but we still felt guilty. Especially since we haven't been able to do much just for him since he got a new little brother. SO, we decided we would plan a little party for him. Just family. We took him to Chuck E Cheese's on May 22nd and he had a blast!! We had to break him away from all the rides to get him to eat and open gifts. He was happy once he did though.

We got him a Thomas the Train cake and tried to run the train on the frosting tracks. LOL! Towards the end of the night he figured out how to start the rides himself. We had put some tokens in his pocket and he just went all around riding on whatever he could. :o) I'm so glad we were able to celebrate our little man's birthday and have him get to do something fun, just for him. He is growing up so fast, I hope I don't miss the little moments. I've been waiting on some pictures before I posted this, but the small amount that I took will just have to do for now. Stay tuned for more, hopefully.

It took forever to get him to put this hat on long enough to take a picture.

He had to push the "toot, toot" on the track. LOL

Of course He had to have his own cup with a straw! He LOVES to use straws!

Little piggy had about three slices of pizza. It was not very good pizza either, so I guess he must have been pretty hungry.

Kylann turns 30!!

2010-05-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

We threw a small little surprise party for Kylann the day after his birthday in March. We just had mostly family and a few friends there. It was SO tough to keep this a secret, but I totally pulled it off! I invited two of his best friends from High School whom he hadn't seen in a years! It was NOT easy getting a hold of these two, but through some detective work, I am proud to say I did AND they actually came! I was so happy for that! I didn't get a picture of his reaction when we walked in, but here are some pictures we took there. Thank you SO much to all who came! He was really surprised!!

The crazy threesome! Steven McClain, Kylann and Frankie Henderson. These guys are nutz when they're together!

The guy in the middle is Frankie's brother. I think his name was Jessie.

With THE mom! (Kylann's mom) She always treated these two like one of her own boys.

One of our closest friends and second mom out here, Sandee Adragna. (She's known me since I was two years old). Her and her daughter, Amber (my best friend) came.

Aunt Sheri and Uncle Karl Toledo

Kylann's brother, Sterling and his girlfriend

Brent and his now wife, Aileen(sp? She's french. Not quite sure how to spell her name). She's adorable and we love her! (Can you tell him and Sterling are brothers?...lol)

Frankie having fun with Chase

Steven going off on one of his stories

My goof ball kid!

Chase was totally showing off here. Grandma was cracking up, as you can see.

Grandma had such a hard time holding in her laughter

Chocolate Chip Cookie Kisses and Bumbo

2010-05-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Chase had just eaten a chocolate chip cookie and decided to give Kyler a messy faced kiss while he was on his tummy. Little stinker!

We bought Kyler a Bumbo Seat from a yard sale my friend was having. We got a great deal on it! I wanted to get one for him because he loves to be upright. I guess he gets to see more that way. He's still getting used to it.

He kept going all wide eyed on me when the flash went off. So cute!

Love this picture!

E-mail Updates

2010-05-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I noticed that when my updates are sent through e-mail, it doesn't bring you to our blog page. But I did notice that the link is at the bottom of these e-mails. So just an FYI, when you get an update in your in-box, go all the way to the bottom and click on the link that says, PENROD'S PLAY PEN!. It's just a little bit easier to read than the format it comes in through e-mail.

Chase is two!

2010-05-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe two years ago today I was in a hospital giving birth to my first little boy. He has grown up so fast! I look at these pictures below and I wonder where the time went.

We didn't plan anything for his birthday this year. I just didn't have the energy or money. Plus, he's young enough to not know the difference anyway. We may just take him to Chucky Cheese's later this week.

Here are a few pictures of him throughout the past two years of my little man's life...

Chase Daniel Penrod
Born: May 3, 2008
8lbs 9.5oz
21 inches

Here are some things he's been up to lately...

-Of course getting into EVERYTHING and anything he can
-Realizing he can climb on taller objects (mostly things he's not suppose to be on)
-Learned to climb out of his bed and play with his toys instead of sleep
-Realizing he really can open the door to his bedroom and sneak out during nap time
-Pushing, hitting and grabbing toys from other children (and his parents)
-Does NOT like to listen to no at ALL. He even laughs at mom when he's being disciplined.
-Loves to show off. If he's the center of attention, he's very content.
-Loves to imitate Daddy with everything! He even tried kissing mommy on the lips a few times after he saw Daddy do it. :o) (He also tried to do that to Daddy too)
-Loves to turn on the faucets in the bathroom whenever he gets a chance!
-Loves to pretend to cook
-Likes to give hugs and kisses. Especially to his baby brother.
-Loves to give cheezy grins for the camera
-Loves to flirt with girls (always has actually)
-Being a good big brother
-Learning to be gentle
-Slowly learning to share

Some words he now says...
-Mommy
-Daddy
-Nana
-My may (Grandma)
-Peez and Me (Please)
-Pay coo (Thank you)
-Trash
-Ball
-Joo (Juice or Drink)
-Co coo (Food..we think. Or maybe cooking or cookie. No idea how he came up with that.)
-Eee (Eat)
-Ewww
-Puppy
-Toot toot
-Beep beep
-Car
-Shoe
-Kee kee (Blankie)
-White (Light)
-Bee
-Bucky (Broken)
-Thar is (There it is)
-Baby
-Wawa (water
-Die (Diaper)
I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. He's picking up words a lot lately. He usually tries to say them, when we ask him to.

It has been a VERY tiring two years, but is slowly starting to get better. He is learning SO much right now and I only hope that I'm doing my part in helping him develop. Most days I don't feel I am. And by the end of the day, I think, I should have done this with Chase, or I should not have done that, or I could have done that better. As much as he stresses me out, I always have to stop and realize he's still a baby and he's just trying to understand this crazy world we live in. I hope he doesn't ever feel that he isn't loved or cared about. We both love this little guy so much and it would kill us if he ever felt that way. If he ever did, to me that means we're not doing our job as parents. We have been blessed with raising two of Heavenly Father's children on this earth and I don't want him to ever be disappointed in us for not doing our best.

Happy birthday, my little man! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you know!

Haircut

2010-04-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

We finally cut Chase's hair! I think it's been at least two months since we last cut it. I had been bugging Kylann to cut it for weeks, but we never had the time to do it, or Kylann was exhausted from the day. It has been driving me crazy! I know it probably looks cute to some people, but I prefer my boys with short hair. Here are before and after pictures.

I should have taken a picture of the sides and the back too. His side burns went past his ear lobs and the back was starting to touch the middle of his neck. Aggh! It was driving me nutz!

Such a handsome boy. :o) We cut it a bit shorter this time since it's been so warm out.

Chase and Kyler

2010-04-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

I tried to find a picture of Chase that was similar to a picture we have of Kyler to compare looks, but I couldn't find a good one. Here are their pictures at birth with all the marks on their faces. :o) Poor kids. They do look a lot alike, though not so much in these pictures.

I finally got Chase giving Kyler a kiss. It's so cute when he does it.

Kyler rolls over

2010-04-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

I put Kyler on his belly for the first time on March 30th, which was two days before he turned two weeks old. This is what he did....

Seriously?? He's going to be walking before we know it!