my little helper

Taylor is 15 months and running all over the place.  He's still kind of stumbly though, and has hit his head way too many times this week, giving his forehead quite the array of goose eggs.  Poor guy, he's just trying to keep up with his big brother!  At his check-up on Monday he weighed in at a whopping 19 pounds.  Yep, that's the 1st percentile.  He out eats Chase on a daily basis, but clearly that's not keeping him from dropping off the charts!  He does great sleeping through the night, but can't really make up his mind about naptime lately.  Like I said, he loves to eat and isn't really picky either.  His biggest fault is probably how he holds his breath and passes out when he's upset about something.  Scary to watch! It could be from a bonk, or because mommy left the room, or even because the ice cream is all gone (MAJOR sweet tooth on this kid).  He is definitely a stubborn, determined child, and I guess at this age there are only so many ways to express that and maintain some level of control!  He's generally a really happy boy though, and loves to play peekaboo, color (especially with sidewalk chalk), pretend to cook, completely tear apart every drawer in the kitchen, run around outside, swing, climb everything in sight, dig in the dirt, and follow his brother around.  He also likes to be cuddled by mommy.:)  Yesterday he was helping us water the roses, which basically means he ended up in the middle of a huge mud puddle.  That landed him in the bath tub, which is definitely one of his favorite places, so he didn't mind being pulled out too much.  I've been off work most of the last two weeks because Brett had surgery and couldn't lift Taylor, so we've had a lot of quality time together going to the park, etc.  I've really enjoyed it, and wish that was my life everyday!  These boys are growing up so fast, and they're just so much fun.  They definitely drove me crazy multiple times each day, but nothing beats their sweet smiles and hugs from those little arms...nothing.

playing doctor

after enjoying his first spaghetti dinner

watering the roses

muddy and happy

Chase turns 3

Chase had his 3rd birthday last Sunday.  We celebrated with a small family party the week before (so that Brett would still be pre-surgery), and it was a great day.  Turns out moving the party up was perfect because the following Saturday was much colder weather and Taylor was sick.  Anyway, the theme of the party was Mater from Cars.  Chase has been asking for that for a long time.  I ordered the cake from the grocery store, and accidentally got it twice as big as I meant to, but we managed to finish most of it.  Chase found these funny Mater party hats at the party store, which everyone got a kick out of.  He got some really fun presents: a LeapPad, wheel barrow with shovels, scooter, Hi Ho Cherry O, golf clubs, and a doctor kit which he uses to give us all check-ups.  He was also excited to get some fun packages in the mail, including his very first check which he got to cash at the bank, and which led to the purchase of his first piggy bank (shaped like a basketball).

Chase is such a great big brother, always looking after Taylor, and playing great with him 99% of the time.  He loves to sing songs, make up games, read books, run around outside, and wake up before dawn no matter what time he goes to bed.  He's still a great eater, and loves all vegetables.  He's always picking out letters on signs and can read a few small words.  He definitely feels a lot of ownership over the letter C and the number 3, because he thinks those are his.  We signed him up for preschool in the Fall, and he is really excited about that.  He's always making phone calls to family members, because he has all of my speed dial numbers memorized.  At his check up on Monday he weighed in at 30 pounds, which is about 30th percentile and his height is about 65th percentile.  People keep commenting that he seems tall for his age, but I think it's more his verbal skills that make him seem older.  After all, the kid is still wearing 18-24 month size shorts!  He's so friendly, with adults and kids alike.  Since being potty trained a few months ago, he hasn't had any issues with that, which is such a relief.  His bedtime routine has become my favorite time of the day: we read books on his top bunk, he says his prayer, we talk about what we did that day, and then snuggle.  He's very specific about what I say as I close the door (can toddlers have OCD? haha) but it's still all very cute.  Chase has a ton of energy, and wears me out with his "why" questions, but he is certainly a very special little boy and I couldn't be happier to be his mother.

Springtime fun

Happy Easter!

Chase is very excited to get his first ever Easter basket in the morning. We read a Peter Cottontail book tonight at bedtime to prepare. But before that, he showed off his mad reading (memorization/acting) skills for the camera. We've been looking into Spanish immersion preschools for him, but maybe I should have been looking for one that focuses on the theater arts instead? Just kidding, but this kid definitely provides endless laughs in our house, and everywhere he goes. (notice Taylor just walking around in the background, too...he was "talking" on his phone, aka our Sleep Number mattress remote! priceless)

Leprechauns and Lawnmowers

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Chase LOVES to match Taylor.  He was pretty upset with me a few mornings ago when he woke up and discovered that his jammies were not maching his little brother's (I'd forgotten which ones Taylor was in by the time it was Chase's bedtime, and guessed wrong!).  Whenever they're both wearing the same thing, he asks me to take a picture.  He always wants to be "twinners", and of course I think it's pretty cute too.

And I just can't resist another cute picture of Taylor...

He's still not really walking on his own, but he sure loves to push things around, like Chase's toy lawnmower.  Now if only this rain and snow would go away so we could have more nice weather to enjoy the backyard!

Okay, that might be video overload, but it's for out-of-state grandparent purposes.:)  Yes, I know Chase is wearing a Halloween shirt in March...we also read a Halloween book every night at bedtime (he insists, and finds it when we try to hide it), and he's worn holes in his Christmas jammies because he wears them so much.  The kid just loves holidays I guess.  He always makes sure we get our decorations changed as soon as one holiday is over, so we can prepare for the next one.  Don't you love how he helps Taylor push the lawnmower through the bumpy grass though?  Such a sweet big brother.  One more Chase story: he got the book The Giving Tree about a week ago, and already has a good 90% of it memorized.  I didn't believe him when he said he could "read" it to me, but I was sure wrong!  Hearing him read the words as the boy grows older, about wanting money and a house and a wife was kind of surreal in his cute little boy voice.  He took the phrase "and the tree was often alone" and applied it to his own life the other day.  He was playing in the backyard and begging me to come out too (I was making dinner) and when I finally did, he said "thank you mommy, I was often alone out here".  I laughed out loud.:)  Also, the other day he was watching Super Why and they asked all the kids what they want to be when they grow up.  Chase said, "a daddy".  Just melt my heart, why don't ya!

I love these little boys so much.  Yes, I'm perpetually exhausted.  And yes, we had a bedtime last week when I thought I might go completely crazy because everyone was screaming and crying and out of control for like 2 hours.  You know, the kind of night where you feel like screaming and crying yourself!  But we also had a night last week (the one prior to the screaming) where we sat as a family and read book after book, with Chase going between mommy and daddy's laps, while Taylor pulled all the books from the shelves and then sat on the pile, proud as can be.  I couldn't have been happier in that moment, and it made the next night bearable.:)

Chase's bedtime stories

We've also been potty training for the last week and a half.  I just drew a little sticker chart for him, and I thought I'd post a picture of the results.  He's done great, but it's just so funny how he completely disregarded the sections on the paper for each day of the week.  In fact, several stickers ended up on top of each other.  We've burned through A LOT of stickers and M&Ms, but that's a good thing!

...and the videos