Snippets of September

September seems like it was a crazy month and I kind of can't believe it's almost over! One highlight of September was that Ben's mom and brother Nathan come out for a super quick visit! We loved seeing them, even if it was only for one night.

 This is just a funny picture I took of my super distraught Hudson, who is mad that his pizza is hot. It is WAY too much to ask a baby to wait three minutes for his food to cool down to an acceptable temperature.

 We spent a lot of time outside. Hudson is so into sunglasses these days. He handed me this pair, and instructed me to wear them. And then he wore his. And we hung out like this on the swing for a little while.

 We had a fun birthday lunch to celebrate Will last Saturday. We met at Settebello's in Farmington and had a great time. My kids were slightly crazy, but did as well as could be expected. When Nate came and tried to hug my kids, Hudson refused while giggling and Chase pretended to be asleep. Hudson loves to talk to Nora, talk about Nora (like point out her eyes and mouth), and then when Nana was paying too much attention to Nora, Hudson tried to stab her with his fork. He's an aggressive one.

 My mom bought these boys these cute BYU jerseys and Hudson has proudly worn his often. I have to bribe Chase to wear his during BYU games.

Last Saturday was cold and super rainy, which foiled our original plans for the day. The morning found us at the indoor playground at the mall, where the boys had a blast. Chase could have stayed all day, but Hudson decided it was a fun game to try to sneak out of the playground and run away from me through the mall- laughing the whole time. So we left after an hour. I love seeing Chase run around a playground with a huge smile on his face and making friends with whatever little kids are around him. 

September was awesome. My only regret is that my little boys are now a month older, but there really isn't anything I can do to stop that. We have so much fun with these cute boys!

Out of the Mouth of Chase

After coming home from a date with his dad:
"Mom! The great pumpkin has arrived! I spotted him! And daddy spotted him too!"

We were outside, Ben and I were sitting on the swing talking and the boys were playing away. I was explaining (calmly, seriously) to Ben why I was stressed about something or another and Chase comes right up to me with a huge smile and his twinkling blue eyes and says,
"Mom, you have a big family! So just be happy and don't fight with daddy. Just be happy okay?"
(I think this may have come from him hearing my dad tell me when I'm stressed about things before to not worry about it because I have a beautiful little family and that's really all that matters in life.)

Chase: Dad, do we have enough money to buy a house yet?
Ben: No, not yet buddy.
Chase: When we do can we get one with a basement?
(This once again confirms to me that Chase listens to everything we say- it's not like we discuss financial/house buying stuff with Chase, but obviously he overhears these discussions, like the one above. Clearly we need to carefully screen what we say around the crazy little guy)

I had made crepes for breakfast and my mom and Chase were eating them.
Nana: These are so yummy! Chase, you are so lucky that your mommy is such a good cook.
Chase: Well.....(insert huge eye roll) she can't make pancakes.
(This is true.)

Chase came into our room the other night while we were watching a show in bed:
I just can't sleep! I need a girl to come snuggle with me in my bed!
I think he was angling for mommy to come snuggle with him, but Ben assured him that he can't cuddle with a girl in his bed until he's married :)

Daddy, did you know that spiders come in all shapes and sizes?
"Did you know?" has become a very common phrase around here these days.

13 Years Later

I'm feeling a little sentimental today on the 13th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on New York City and Washington DC. I remember that day so clearly, the sadness and panic and feeling that the world would never be quite the same again. My sweet neighbor died in one of the planes that hit the towers, so even out in Kaysville, UT, the attack hit home.

I've been thinking about that tragedy a lot today, mostly I think because lately I've had some perfect (and I really mean perfect) moments with my kids the last few days. This September weather has been wonderfully warm and crisp and we've been outside enjoying rich blues skies and just a touch of red in the mountains. Yesterday we went to the park to feed the ducks. My boys giggled and quacked and loved every minute of it. Today we played out in the front yard blowing bubbles. I loved seeing my children run to pop them and squeal with delight. I can't really put into words how much I love experiencing the world through the eyes of these innocent little loves, but my heart just swells with gratitude that they are mine.

So as I've thought about the tragedy that happened 13 years ago contrasted with the love and happiness I've felt lately, I can't help but feel so grateful for this country. I'm grateful for the beautiful life I have here and the chance I have to raise my family here. There's no place I'd rather be.

Chase goes to Preschool!

 My sweet Chaser started preschool this week! As I tried to figure out the right thing to do with preschool a lot of different factors came to my mind: was I ready to send him? Could we really afford it? Would he love it? The answer to the last one is definitely YES. He loves other kids and loves being around them. Academically he is already way ahead of where he needs to be. So while I didn't think he really "needed" preschool academically, I did feel like he would thrive with the social interaction. Ultimately I think we came up with the best option for us right now- a neighborhood co-op preschool. I got several moms together (all of whom are wonderful) and came up with a basic curriculum for the kids to learn. We are switching off months teaching. I'm excited to be able to be part of his preschool experience and this way is easier on our budget.

 Chase was so excited to start his "little school". We let him pick out a backpack a few weeks ago and as soon as he saw this Transformers one he had to have it. Preschool is on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 to 11:00 am, and let me tell you- getting all the way to 9:30 is a long wait for all involved. Chase is ready to go at 8:00.

 Chase loves the kids in his class and loves being there. He's not so much into learning to write the letters, which doesn't surprise me at all. He's never really been that into coloring or writing, but he's so smart I'm sure he'll figure it out when he's ready. He loves story time and playing time! My friend Jodi is teaching this month- the friend he's always telling me he wants me to just "drop him off" to (she babysits for me all the time), so it was an easy transition for him.

 He comes home just delighted and will tell me all about what they did and learned, eagerly emptying his backpack to show me his work. Then if anyone else (Dad, Nana, Papa, etc.) asks him later that day how preschool was he responds with, "It was good. And I don't want to talk about it."

Preschool also means I get three hours a week alone with Hudson! This baby is still just winning my heart over again every single day and I enjoy a little time to just dote on him. He has a hard time when we drive away without Chase, but quickly gets over it when he realizes how fun it is to have mom and dad to yourself! Here are pictures of him playing in the front yard- where we spend hours every single day. Hudson is hard to share with these days- always wanting exactly what Chase has- so I think we'll enjoy this time of peace since he won't have to share.

*Earlier this week, right after being released from time-out, Chase ran over and promptly pulled the basketball out of Hudson's hands and made a basket. As I was hauling him back to time-out and talking to him about why that was wrong he replied with, "Mom! I was just teaching Hudson to share!"