March

Chase had pirate day at preschool. It was pretty darn exciting! Chase usually hates costumes, and he really just wanted to wear his firefighter costume from Halloween. I finally convinced him to wear a pirate costume, but then he didn't want to wear one unless it was an exact replica of Jake's (of the Neverland pirates). We ended up here and he looked pretty cute! More importantly, he had a great time at preschool that day. They had a treasure hunt and he brought home his prized treasure!

 It was my wonderful dad's birthday. We celebrated a few days earlier at lunch with the whole family (minus Heidi who is in Boston). The boys were surprisingly good at the restaurant, possibly due to unlimited refills on chocolate milk. We had a great time as a family and loved celebrating my awesome dad!

 We've been doing little science experiments at home lately. This is one I found on pinterest for "dancing milk" and the boys loved it. Milk, food coloring, dish soap, and then eventually some baking soda and vinegar.

 On my dad's actual birthday we ran out and got some donuts for after dinner. Hudson was very insistent from the minute we bought the donuts that Papa get a candle in his, so of course, we did.

 On March 15th it was so beautiful that we had a BBQ and fire outside! It was so fun! Chase wanted to swim too, which of course did not happen, but he warmed up to the idea when he got to roast his own marshmallows. I love this picture because I was trying to get Chase to smile, and he wasn't cooperating, and I caught Hudson sneaking fries off Chase's plate. It was so fun we've done it each Saturday since- it's kind of a Smith Family tradition.

 Hudson wore this little suit to church and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. The next Sunday we did pictures with both the boys. I wanted to get cute pictures of them, which of course didn't work out very well. I wanted to get new ties for them this year, but instead I ended up making them. I made them these ties out of one of Ben's old mission ties that he doesn't wear anymore.

St Patrick's Day

The winter makes me feel a strong need to up my parenting game. The beautiful weather of the spring, summer and fall gives us hours and hours of outside fun and play and happy kids. The cold weather (and all the sickness we've had) has led to a LOT of time inside and honestly more screen time for the kiddos than I'd like (although they certainly aren't complaining). My solution to this has been to try to involve the kids in extra activities like art projects and simple science experiments. This past week I decided to do St. Patrick's Day themed thing each day we can- and what fun we've had! I've never "celebrated" this holiday so much in my life, but I guess that's life with two little ones at home.

We checked a book out of the library about a leprechaun who is sad that he lost his pot of gold. We talked about how leprechaun's hunt for gold at the end of the rainbow and then we made rainbows out of torn paper. We talked about the order of the colors in every rainbow and talked a little about the process by which we see rainbows. Both boys loved this activity! Chase was very serious about creating an accurate rainbow and Hudson really enjoyed a more abstract approach and sole control over a glue stick.

The next day we made mint chocolate chip cookies- dyed green of course. The boys obviously loved this. I've just recently gotten brave enough to cook with both kids at the same time, and let me tell you, it's no piece of cake! I have to remind myself that we are having fun and learning, but it is chaotic and messy! Not to mention that they are both major cookie dough stealers- with the two year old being more persistent and undeterred than I've ever seen a child before!

One day we made four leaf clovers out of pipe cleaners. My boys LOVE pipe cleaners and I had green ones left over from a Christmas activity. Hudson just played around with his, but Chase was able to follow my instructions and put his together with very little help from me. Then we "searched" for these lucky clovers- we've taken turns hiding them for the others to find.

 On actual St Patrick's Day I made the boys a green breakfast- a green smoothie and green muffins. As you can see from the picture, one kid was more excited about them than the other.

 I made a green lunch as well, green pasta, a green apple and lime yogurt to dip. I can't say that the green pasta was impressive in any way to my kids.

We did a little hunt for leprechaun gold. Nora joined us, and I love these pictures of Hudson explaining the whole deal to her. 

I think you can say St. Patrick's Day was well celebrated in our family this year! Now on to Easter!

A few of my Favorite Things

Once a year I like to write a post about my favorite things about my boys at this stage- here are a few of my favorite things right now:

Chase: Chase is turning into the cutest little person! I love how we can have full conversations now and he understands so much. I love how smart he is and how he has the whole world figured out. I love that he is so friendly, he literally makes friends everywhere we go and is so happy to be around other kids. I love the way he tries to take care of Hudson, the other day I found Hudson's favorite book right inside his door on the floor when I walked in to get him from his nap. Hudson had a hard time going down for a nap that day, so Chase thought he'd like a book. I love reading with this kid, listening to him sing, and my personal favorite- his version of yoga. He's made up his own poses like "armadillo" "whale" and "snake" which are just hilarious. I love watching him ride his bike and see how far he's come in the last few weeks and the joy he gets from it.

Hudson: The best thing about Hudson right now is the way he's talking- it's so cute! He's sharing his thoughts so well, usually with his head cocked to the side and nodding at you, you know, just to make sure you got his point. He uses "I two" to answer many questions. I love his laugh and how easy it is to make him laugh. And although I don't love the way he hits me when he's mad at me, the "Sowwy Mommy!" I get after is heart melting. I love how he's fiercely independent and wants to "Do it myself" all the time as he figures out the world. I love the way he lays his head on my shoulder when I hold him (sometimes, if he's tired). I love the funny faces he makes just to make us laugh. I love the way he'll sit and cuddle with me through 10 books at a time. I love the way he dotes on his little cousin and loves her so much. I love the way he plays and tries to be big like Chase.

I love these boys so much- they are my world. I feel so lucky to spend every day with them. They are growing up so fast, and even though it makes my heart hurt a little, I love the little people they are growing to be. 

Out of the Mouth of Hudson

Ben went in to get him after a nap and Hudson just looked up at him and insisted "I busy!" So Ben let him stay in bed for another half hour and talk to himself. When we went in to get him he just laid on his bed and said "I tired. I nap."

He randomly holds things up to his ear and says, "Hall-o, name's Hudson. I two." Over and over again.

In the car Ben and I could hear Hudson sitting in the backseat saying to himself, "I have two fat piggies. Two silly little piggies. Two wee little piggies! Sometimes their hot piggies! Sometimes they are COLD little piggies!" (He was reciting one of his favorite books)

Me: Hudson how are you doing today?
Hudson: I TWO (with a sigh and head tilt)
It's a pretty good explanation of how he is.

Whining in the morning for daddy to come get him out of his crib. Ben walks in and Hudson immediately says, "No...I want dad.....Oh, I want MOMMY!" The exact opposite happened when I went in to get him the next morning, "No (in grogginess) I want mommy....I wanted daddy!" Basically he just wants whoever isn't there.

We went to get Donuts for my dad's birthday on Monday and Hudson was so insistent, "We put a can-el in it Mom!" He repeated that over and over for the next few hours and was thrilled/satisfied when I actually put a candle in his donut so we could sing to him.

Out of the Mouth of Chase

Chase: Mom, where does Jesus live?
Me: Where do you think he lives?
Chase: Um, I think he lives in the clouds.
Me: Yeah you are probably right.
Chase: Yeah Mom! But except I have been to the clouds and I didn't see Jesus there!
Me: When were you in the clouds?
Chase: When we went to see Grandma and Papa Ray! (meaning the airplane)

During story time at the library while the cute librarian lady was talking about a book called Round as a pancake:
Chase: Guess what! My daddy makes the best pancakes in the whole world! He does!
(Other adults in the room look at him with smiles of cuteness)
Librarian: He does! And what shape are they? Are they squares?
Chase: Oh! My Nana has a waffle maker that makes square waffles! Square waffles! Can you even believe that!
(And then I told Chase that story time is about listening to the book, not telling the 20 other kids in the room about breakfast at our house)

One morning Chase crawled into bed with me and Ben and was feeling chatty, so we were quietly talking about a bunch of things. It had been a rough night with the kids- nightmares and bedwetting and just general lack of sleep for their parents.
Me (to Ben): How'd you sleep honey?
Chase: Oh I just slept really good!
Me: That's good to hear Chase, but I was talking to your dad.
Chase: Oh. Mom, when can I be "honey"?

Comes inside crying:
Chase: MOM! Dad said I lost my screen time!
Me: Why did he say that? What did you do?
Chase: I was just playing and doing something and dad said he told me to stop a lot of times and that I wasn't listening and then he said that I lost my screen time!
Me: Well did you listen to him?
Chase: (with an expression of incredulousness and determination) NO!

He's been pulling some primary shenanigans lately. He was asked spur of the moment to give the scripture a few weeks ago. My mom is in the primary presidency, so she came and got me so I could watch. Once he finished the scripture and nice lady helping him tried to tell him to sit down and instead he insisted "I'm not done!" and then started singing a song he made up about a firetruck.

A few weeks later he was giving the prayer. He told my mom he was going to say the prayer and sing his firetruck song again.
Nana: No Chase, just give the prayer, otherwise you can't say that prayer at all.
Chase: Okay Nana, but it's going to be a long one!
Then after the (long) prayer she prompted him to go sit down and he said, "But I need to do my dance!"

Then a lady asked them all if they'd completed their challenge of being kind that month. Chase raised his hand and then loudly shared with everyone, "I wasn't kind. I lost my screen time."

Our February

We started February off with our traditional Super Bowl party! It was so much fun! We had the Franks family over too and my boys were in heaven playing with the Franks kids (teenagers- that are so sweet and adore my boys). The food was delicious and the game was awesome! We were mostly cheering for the Patriots, just since Heidi lives in Boston, so we were happy they won. Hudson got really into the game and cheered and smiled and announced every "tackle" that happened. 

We had the most perfect morning at the zoo! We went with our good friend Alyse Bennett and her cute boys, Ryder and Drew, and our new friend Chelsey and her little Bo. Chelsey got us all in for free with her season pass, which made it even better! We got there right when the zoo opened and literally had the place to ourselves the whole time. Even better, the animals were out and so active and fun! We got to watch them work with the baby elephant, training it to do tricks and learned more about how they work with the animals. Hudson was so thrilled to see the elephants, zebras, giraffes, bears (specifically the "white bear" and "brown bear") and the "tiger" which was actually a leopard. Hudson loves animals and really loves the zoo. Chase mostly just LOVED running around with Ryder. The sun was shining, the company was lovely, the boys were happy- just the perfect day!

Hudson had his first real dentist visit this month! I took both boys together, fully expecting it to be a nightmare and I was pleasantly surprised. They both did so great. I can't say enough good about the pediatric dental office where I take them- the whole staff is amazing with kids, they work really fast and keep things fun and light for the little ones. Both boys teeth are in perfect shape, and we were seriously in and out in 26 minutes! 

We had a lot of fun with Valentines Day this year! We (meaning Chase and I) both did a little crafting. He made Valentines to send to his grandparents and great-grandparents that turned out really cute- he got to paint and then cut and glue, which he loves doing. Two days before Valentines Day we made sugar cookies, which is just so messy, but it's one of Chase's very favorite activities. Hudson even cut out some of the cookies this year, although we purposely frosted them during Hudson's nap. I made the decorations in the picture on the bottom, I just wanted something cute and festive to hang on the wall. I made them from stuff I had on hand that I inherited from my aunt and sister- and I actually made three more fabric buntings for my mom and two sisters as well, which made for a fun afternoon for me.  

On Valentine's Day we were going to make heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, but Chase requested "pansnakes" which are apparently pancakes made to look like snakes. So that seemed festive for Valentines day. That night we did a fondue dinner with my parents that was really yummy and fun. It was all pretty simple, but still a fun day.

Ben turned 30! I wanted to do something fun to celebrate his big day so I surprised him with indoor skydiving! He's wanted to do it for a long time but time and money just didn't happen. This seemed like the perfect time to do it (plus, I'm not too keen on him doing actual skydiving, which he claims he wants to do). It was the perfect gift for him, he totally loved it. We finished off the evening with a delicious dinner at Farmington Station. It was a fun day celebrating my main man!

We happened to go to the library a few weeks ago during story time, a first for us. Chase had the whole group laughing (good Chase quotes coming in it's own post soon!). The kids got to make crowns at the end, which is just so fitting because we joke about them both being little kings- they clearly rule around here! Also, I just love the library. I love reading to my kids. They both love books and learning.

And this winter has been the weirdest in Utah- so warm and hardly any snow. It's actually made me really sad, I love snow! But we have had some great days playing outside and at the park. Chase has loved riding the bike he got for Christmas- he's really getting the hang of it!

And that was January...

By looking at this blog, it seems like January was all traveling and birthday parties- which is kind of true. But a lot of stuff happened in between.

Discovery Gateway: For the boys birthdays this year my mom renewed their annual pass to the Discovery Gateway. We love that place! The boys would probably go every day if we weren't so busy with other things. I love watching their little bodies explore and see what their minds create. The grocery shopping situation just cracks me up- Chase insists on grocery shopping with a dump truck. This particular day he took it to a new level and brought the front-end loader in to assist him. And Hudson is making a mad face because he tried to buy ALL the bread and loaves kept falling out of the cart. Life's rough.

My dad had knee replacement surgery. This has been a long time coming and he's been dreading it. The boys have loved having him home all day and try to sneak back to his room several times a day. These boys love their Papa! Hudson has been quite the little task master, insisting that Papa put his "sheen" (the passive range of motion machine) on every time he goes into his room, filling his mug up with ice water, demanding that "Papa drink it!" and making him use the incentive spirometer frequently "Papa- breathe!" Hudson also gets excited when Papa walks around on crutches and frequently challenges him to race, either that or insists on holding his hand while holding on to the crutches. I'm happy to report that his recovery has gone extremely well and he's going back to work today. The boys are going to miss having their Papa around and accessible to them all day!

Sickness. Oh the sickness! I thought after our bought of flu in December that we were hopefully clear for the rest of the winter. So not the case! After Chase struggled with fevers in Virginia and our terrible plane ride home with Hudson we spent the next few days lying low at home. Both boys had nasty coughs and just didn't seem to be rallying very quickly. We got home on Monday night and on Thursday I called their doctor and was encouraged to bring them in the next day, just since it had been going on for so long. I was so glad I had the appointment scheduled for Friday morning when the night before we were up ALL NIGHT LONG with a sad/mad/energetic/emotional Hudson. By the time we got to the doctor that morning he had a 102 degree fever and a raging ear infection (hence the screaming non-stop on the flight earlier that week). After a few doses of antibiotic he was mostly back to normal. We spent a lot of time just lying on the couch watching movies. I think we watched Planes: Fire and Rescue 6 times that week! 

This may have been the weirdest winter ever in Utah- hardly any snow! And it's made us a little sad. That one time we went sledding the boys had a blast! And they love their snow shovels. After shoveling every little tiny patch of snow left in the yard, the last week of January left them with absolutely none to play with. So they resorted to shoveling around dirt and leaves- which is messy and has now been forbidden. These pictures were from that same week that Hudson wore than hat and lanyard all week long.

So that was our January- birthdays, traveling, sickness, Papa's surgery and the children's museum- and that's a wrap!