growing dinosaurs

I'm not sure where they originally came from, but we found some dinosaurs in Ryan's drawer a couple of weeks ago and decided it was time to grow them and see what would happen.  They started fairly tiny and we waited patiently, checking them often, for three days to see what would happen.  They got huge!  Ryan loved peeking in to see if they were bigger and was so excited when the time came to take them out of the water.  He even named them Dino and Deno [is that spelled right?].  However, after a day or two of being out of the water, they dried up and shrank back down.  Fortunately Ryan's attention span is not that long, so it was okay :)   

In no particular order

I love summertime.
I love my family.
I love chocolate chip cookies.
I love being barefoot.
I love being a mommy.
I love crazy toenail colors with glitter.
I love scrapbooking.
I love being on the water.
I love my husband.
I love sleeping.
I love pizza.
I love cuddling with Abby while she drinks her morning milk.
I love pumpkin patches and hayrides.
I love laying out in the sun.
I love a good book.
I love traveling.
I love nighttime prayers with Ryan.
I love the fourth of July.
I love datenights with the love of my life.
I love college football.
I love fresh cut grass.
I love country music.
I love playdates.
I love Mexican food.
I love hoodies.
I love my friends.
I love watching my children play together.
I love adventures and making memories.

Abby's words

Abby is becoming quite vocal these days!  All of a sudden she's talking a lot more and copying our words.  She's been saying the basics for awhile:  Mommy, Daddy, uh-oh, no, nose, bye-bye, ball.  But she's been holding out on us!  New words the last week or two include: Abby!, block, mon-key, go.  And she uses go in context which really impresses me.  The first time I heard her say it, she pushed a car along the floor and said "go!"  Then yesterday she was at the top of the playset slide and as she slid down she yelled "go!"  She has a stuffed monkey in her bed that she's becoming pretty attached to: "Mon-Key"  It's so sweet!  With block and monkey in particular, she says both syllables very clearly, almost like two words.  She's got the K sound down and I'm excited she's not dropping that last syllable.  But I am still her favorite word; she'll walk around babbling mommy, mommy, mommy.  And this morning when Ryan walked in her room she shouted "hi!"

She also knows lots of body parts.  She'll point to her nose, ears, mouth, feet, belly; wiggle her hands; stick out her tongue. 

She loves her stuffed animals and dolls, but she also loves lots of Ryan's toys.  She carries around his cars and trains.  And her current favorite is the tool set, esp the screwdriver.  I have seen her several times sitting down, more focused and intent then she ever gets, screwing the screwdriver into holes on the bottom of the big trucks.

crazy spontaneous fun!

What a crazy, busy, fun, spontaneous weekend we just had!  By Sunday night, we were worn out, but it was a good tired! 

Friday the kids and I went to Catch Air for the first time in several months [it's just hard to want to play inside when we had such a beautiful and warm summer].  We had a blast!  We met Christa and her kids and then ran into another friend from our old small group.  Catch Air has made some changes and added new stuff and it was awesome.  I was grateful to have Abby with me as an excuse to try out the cool new village area for myself :)  Afterwards Christa and I went to Pizza Hut where Alicia joined us and we STUFFED ourselves on the buffet, yumm!!  And I have to say, Pizza Hut was the nicest and friendliest they've ever been, especially considering we had three moms and seven kids [and kids eat free].  They treated us so well, even bringing special orders of breadsticks and pizza straight to our table without our asking. 

Saturday morning we drove up to Dawson county to check out the leaves and walk my favorite old trail by the river.  It has a boardwalk which is perfect for the kids.  It was beautiful!  We then celebrated at Madeleine's fourth birthday party [Ryan picked her out a necklace to go with her presents all by himself, so sweet].  And about 1:00 [as we're about to walk out the door for Madeleine's party], Coleson decides we need to figure out a way to go to South Carolina for the night!  I'm glad we went, just wish we had had a little more time to plan :)  [un-committing to serve at church Sunday morning, changing tennis start times, etc].  So we threw together a few things for the night, forgetting only diapers which fortunately you can buy at the store!  So after Madeleine's party, we took in the marching band show and then drove to South Carolina.  Grandddaddy and Jo-Ann met us at Sarah's house that night [we were too late for dinner], and the kids had a wonderful time playing.  They sure love their granddaddy! 

Sunday morning we woke up and joined everyone for breakfast at IHOP.  There were 15 of us there!  Both of Jo-Ann's kids and their families were there, as well as us and Sarah's family.  What an adventure.  It was great to see everyone, just wish it wasn't quite as rushed!  We had to eat and run to get back to my tennis [last match of the season though and I'm taking off next year!].  But we're looking forward to seeing Granddaddy and Jo-Ann and her family again at Thanksgiving when we go on our crazy roadtrip, so we'll be able to visit better then.  My Sunday afternoon tennis, despite the loss, was a great match.  The opponents were super nice and we were competitive.  The weather was perfect and I felt good [and of course I have a great partner :)].

Anyways, like I said, wild and crazy, but lots of fun! 

Adorable Abby's kitty-cat - say-cheese face

my trombone player

If you haven't seen them yet, there are a couple of videos on my picasa page that you really need to check out...

Last week I decided it might be fun to show the kids my old band instruments.  I started with the flute and they were fairly impressed.  I played a couple of songs [keep in mind I it's been years since I've played] for them and let them press the keys and whatnot.  Pretty cool. 

The next day I brought out my old trombone and Ryan LOVED it!  I played for them, showed them the slide and mouthpiece, and then  I let them try to blow into it.  I have no idea when you are supposed to be able to buzz a brass mouthpiece, but I would not have guessed at four years old.  But sure enough, Ryan took right to it and was marching around the upstairs hallway honking like a dying duck.  What an amazing and beautiful sound that only a former marching band member and mother could appreciate it :)  He's been having a blast with it.  In fact the next morning, that was the first thing he asked: can I play trombone again? 

So then this weekend we went with Nana and Pop-Pop to a marching band competition over in Cumming.  We stayed for two bands [despite being a musical prodigy, he is still just four and his sister 18months], but both kids really enjoyed it.  And I was glad that we were able to watch one of the bands march off right by us so Ryan could see them up close and watch for the trombone players. 

 

the weekend

Just a quick continuation of the last post since I ran out of time.  I wanted to say thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for having Ryan and Abby over to spend Friday night and most of Saturday with them.  We haven't left Abby much, certainly not for that long, but it was a much needed break for Mommy and Daddy.  We went out to dinner at Provino's [always my first choice :)] on Friday night.  And Saturday morning I slept!!  For the first time in about 18 months, I slept without thinking about the kids, worrying I needed to wake up, feeling guilty that I wasn't waking up, or hopping out of bed for an appointment of some sort.  It might have been interesting to see just how long I could have slept, but Coleson woke me up with breakfast in bed at 9:15 - after 11 hours of sleep!!  Of course I ate leisurely, read my book, and didn't drag myself out of bed until 10 :)  Wonderful!

We accomplished lots around the house on Saturday.  I think we did more in a few hours than we have in the last few years.  We cleaned closets, purged toys, organized old clothes and put them in tubs in the attic, moved the playroom into the dining room, and all sorts of other productive things that we could have never done with the kids around!  So thank you thank you to Grandma and Grandpa!

Whew, all caught up for now.

I think I'm all caught up on the recent exciting events in the Chase family!  This past weekend was a good one, nothing too crazy, not even any pictures to include in a post!  Last Thursday was the hayride at Ryan's preschool and despite planning well ahead of time how to be in two places at once [Abby's music class and Ryan's hayride], I still missed the hayride, sad!!  Grandma took Abby to music class and I headed to the library, only to find out they don't open until 10am.  So I just went back to preschool and read my book in the car.  At 10:15ish I headed toward the field for the 10:30 hayride only to find Ryan and his class walking back from the field with pumpkins in hand.  The director had decided to start the hayrides early in case of rain, which never came, and the parents all missed it!  I was so bummed, especially since I'd made plans for Abby and had been there in the car the whole time.  But at least they got to go on the ride and pick their pumpkins.  [explaining to a disappointed Ryan why I missed his hayride was really hard, since it wasn't my fault and I was really disappointed too!!]

Abby got quite sick last week and by lunch on Thursday had a fever [and yes, you are correct I had just sent her to music class, don't tell her teacher!  I honestly thought she was doing better though.  Wednesday night she was running around the house like her crazy self!].  I took her to the doctor Thursday afternoon, all the way down to Dunwoody, and found out she had croup and an ear infection.  Although honestly, I was pretty relieved there was no uti this time!  So after driving home in the rain and stopping by the pharmacy for two prescriptions, it was 7:00 by the time we met Daddy and Ryan for dinner at Nana's.  Between the missed hayride, a sick baby, a drive to Dunwoody, new medications, etc, it was a long day!  But Abby was feeling better almost immediately and Friday morning we headed down to the doctor again, this time for her 18 month checkup.  Hopefully we are all on the mend now!  Ryan had a headache yesterday and was really fussy, but after sleeping 13 hours last night appears to be fine today.

Ryan's Thomas the Train show is over now, so off to play some games with him and then work on our grocery list for when Abby wakes up from her nap....

Halloween houses

Last week we took advantage of a yucky rainy afternoon and had a blast making Halloween houses.  I must admit, I've never made Halloween or even Christmas houses, and I wasn't sure what to expect.  But it was great fun and the houses came out really good!  I knew Ryan and Maxim would do well, but Abby really got into it too.  Her house resembles more of a haunted shack than a house, but that's okay, I was just excited she was participating!  She would take her box of supplies [candies, graham crackers, pretzels, etc] and put a few on the house, a few on the table, a few in her mouth.  Then put them back in the box.  And then back on the house.  And take a bite.  And throw them around the table.  And back in the box.  She really enjoyed herself and her house is uniquely Abby!  Ryan and Maxim were quite a bit more attentive to the details and have very nice tidy houses.  They lined up pretzel fences, made graham cracker roofs & chimneys, planted yards of pumpkins & candy corn, used round candies for patio lights, and even hung up moons.
Thanks Nana and Auntie Sarah for organizing such a fun afternoon! 

 

top: Abby
left: Maxim   right: Ryan

Firetrucks and Bulldogs

We've had a pretty busy few weeks around here.  All good though - well except the illnesses!  We spent lots of time with cousin Maxim & Auntie Sarah which was great fun.  Ryan loved seeing his cousin everyday for almost two weeks.  And while recovering from knee surgery isn't ideal, it's been nice seeing Nana quite a bit too. 

Last weekend we took the kids up to the Kroger parking lot for a touch-a-truck.  I wasn't really expecting much, since the only place I'd even seen it advertised was on the sign at the fire station.  And my low expectations were pretty much on par: three firetrucks, that was it.  But it was still pretty cool.  We arrived right as it was starting, so Ryan & Abby got to climb and sit in each of the trucks.  They also got stickers and hats from the firefighters.  And Ryan's friend from preschool, Seth, was there too and it was nice visiting with him and his mommy.  By the time we left it was getting a little crowded, so we were glad to get there when we did.

We also had dinner with Pop-Pop, Nana, Auntie Sarah, Uncle Christian, and Maxim last weekend.  The food, as always, was very yummy and the kids enjoyed some playtime.  We also attempted pictures in the Bulldogs outfits and Maxim in his Duke blue.  That didn't really work all that well though :) 

This about sums up the kids' attitude toward picture taking!

 

The best picture [not to be confused with a good picture] of the three amigos; oh well!

R & A [18m]

Abby had her 18th month checkup today!  Other than the croup & ear infection from yesterday, she's doing great :)  Seriously though, as soon as she got the first rounds of meds in her, so she was her usual happy self.  Just like her brother, she's tall and skinny with a big head.  Here's how they compare at 18months:

the Kinsey family farm

Last Friday the kids and I met up with Alicia and her kids [all three of them!! Welcome to our crazy adventures Miss Elli!].  We spent the day at the pumpkin farm and had a great time.  There were cows and goats to visit and feed.  The kids had a great time moo'ing at the cows, Abby included!  I hadn't heard her say Moo before, so the first time she did I turned to Alicia and asked if Abby just moo'd.  Another mom nearby said oh yes, that was a Moo.  So Abby has a new word :)  Later on Ryan got a big kick out of feeding the cow a graham cracker from our lunch! 

After visiting the animals, we headed for the hayride.  It's a beautiful setting and we rode down to a dock where everyone got off and we fed the big ole' catfish.  The kids all enjoyed that and Abby was right in there with the boys throwing food over the edge. 

We had a picnic lunch, took lots of pictures in the pumpkins, ran in the grass a little, and then picked a couple of pumpkins and some Elljay apples to take home.  It was a long and tiring day, but oh so much fun!  As the kids get older and more involved, I'm really starting to enjoy fall.  There's so much to do and Ryan loves talking about Halloween, pumpkins, falling leaves, hayrides, and all the other fun things that fall brings. 

the Fair

Last week was the Cumming Fair.  We were thrilled to have Auntie Sarah and Maxim in town and able to join us this year!  We started at the petting zoo and the kids had a great time petting and feeding goats, pigs, rabbits, sheep, etc.  After that we met up with Christa and her kids and the boys all rode some rides.  Ryan and Maxim agreed on the train and we started there.  Ryan did soo good!  Last year he still wasn't sure of the rides, but he loved them this time!  They also rode the fishes [that Ryan wouldn't go on last year], the dragons, and a boat.  What fun!  Alicia joined us just in time for some dinner and the boys enjoyed rolling down the big hill and just being boys :)  It was a great time visiting, watching the kids take it in, running into old friends, and people watching. I'm not sure why, but there's just something special about the fair and I'm so glad we had the chance to go again!  Happy Fall!

 

four year checkup

Ryan had his four year checkup yesterday; he was not happy about that at all!  "I don't like to go to doctor, especially mine's doctor.  Doctors no fun."  Five shots, a finger prick, and then the nurse had the nerve to put bandaids on him.  Oh, that just pushed him right over the edge.  Once his cries calmed down enough for me to understand him, I realized he was asking me to take off the bandaids, good grief!  Good news though, with the exception of flu shots, he's done with boosters until eleven years old!

Other than the drama of the shots, he did great!  His pediatrician is amazing and had him calm and talking in no time.  He passed all the hearing & vision tests, counted for her, did his colors, etc.  She said he looks great.  He is 37 lbs [50th percentile] and 40.5 inches tall [right in between 50th and 75th].  He's still not crazy tall, which confuses me based on his parents!  According to the growth chart, we'll be lucky if he hits six foot.  Either way is fine of course, although I keep waiting for a growth spurt :)

Day out with Thomas

Last weekend we went to the Day out with Thomas!  [Don't worry if you don't know what it is, I didn't either until about a year ago!]  We spent the weekend with Auntie Sarah, Uncle Christian, & Maxim and on Saturday we drove into NC to see Thomas together. 

Despite the cold and wind and a few grumpy moments, it was a great experience and I'm glad we were able to do it with all the kids.  They all seemed to have a great time!  We saw Thomas, rode on the train, watched the model trains, played with train tables (Ryan's favorite part), ate some junk food, jumped in a bouncy house, ran through a haybale maze, and other fun adventures! 

We also celebrated Auntie Sarah's birthday last weekend with a delicious breakfast at Mimi's in Greenville and then an evening dessert when we all reunited at Nana's that night.  Happy Birthday Auntie Sarah!!  We love you and hope your day was super special!

 



My four year old

Happy Fourth Birthday my Ryan Hazen!  It's hard to believe you're really four already; although at the same time I can't remember life without you!  I love watching you grow right before my eyes; you're turning into a little boy more and more every day.  You get dressed all on your own, go to the bathroom and wash your hands all by yourself, put on your own socks and shoes (as long as they don't lace), write your name and letters, play boardgames & puzzles with me, and all sorts of things that constantly amaze me.  We have real conversations and both your memory & intuition never cease to impress me.  I'm so proud of you and the person you are becoming.  I'm blessed to be your mother and am thankful that God gave us such a wonderful son!  I look forward to many many more precious years and birthdays together, let's just not rush them my sweet baby boy :) 

Ryan's Birthday!

Last week we celebrated Ryan's 4th birthday!! 

Happy Birthday my little man!! 

We had his party on Sunday afternoon the 25th.  It was a perfect day; warm, sunny, and no wind at all this year.  Just about all of Ryan's little friends made it and most of the family too.  Ryan had a blast running around the playground, eating pizza & cupcakes, and enjoying the day.  The theme was airplanes - Ryan's pick - and we decorated with gliders and parachuting frogs in the trees.  And the goodie bags were fun too, complete with finger rockets, gliders, and the parachuting frogs. 

Ryan's actual birthday was a Thursday this year.  He started the day with cinnamon toast (usually only for sick days!).  And then since it was a preschool day, Mommy & Abby brought cupcakes to the class for snack time.  It was nice to visit and sit outside at the picnic table with all his little friends.  Then after school we met up with Grandma for lunch at "welcome to Moe's."  [Ryan will be devastated one day to learn that it's only Moe's!]  And it was his pick, no prompting or suggesting from Mommy.  After a quesidilla and salsa, we dined on cream cheese cupcakes from Grandma.  Dinner was pizza night with Daddy & Mommy & Abby at Brooklyn Joe's where we also gave him our presents.  From dinner we headed to Nana and Pop-Pop's for dessert with the grandparents.  Grandma & Grandpa were there too and we all enjoyed some more dessert.  It was a busy day but certainly a fun one!!

Happy Happy Birthday my sweet Bugs!!  We love you!!