Cave mining day, by Ryan!

Today we went exeploring in a cave with scouts. Next we shitftet a pan and found GOLD! Last we scooped some sand out of a bucket and put in a shifter and shifted it and found CRYSTALS!

Maya's day by Ryan

We started the at petsmart and got Maya a all pink new collar. Then we went to the vet for Maya`s checkup. Next we went to hot dog heaven for lunch. Last we went to a trail and scootered to a dog park and it poured rain there so when the rain slowed down we rod very wet back to the car then drove home .              

blog books

In the past, I was better about updating my blog posts.  I've had droughts for sure, but overall I think I did pretty good.  I even have three books that I've printed out from my blog.  And I need to be better again, I need to try to make a better effort to update the page and to print out books.  The kids love to look at the books.  Ryan recently discovered them and he will sit and read through them for as long as I'll let him.  He's a great reader, and Abby loves to look at the pictures.  I'm sure she'll be reading them in no time too!  So since my scrapbooks are nearly five years out of date and my photos are all posted online, keeping up my blog posts and blog books seems like an important thing to once again prioritize - an awesome, physical, tangible collection of memories for all to enjoy.  So here's to a new start!  hopefully! 

guest blogger Ryan Chase

I hit the ball to first base and first baseman dived for
the ball and he missed the ball and went to
right field and I ran to second base then I ran to third base then I ran home!
I got my first home run!

The ball was hit to LF. LF threw the ball to me. I got
the ball and turned around and dived for the guy
and got the out!

My team is the best team.

We are so good we won the championship!

High Five Abby!

Happy 5th birthday Abby!!  Wow!  What a long way you've come in such a short amount of time!  You've turned in to an amazing little girl - strong and tough and smart and athletic.  But perhaps Mommy's favorite quality is your endless joy and optimism.  You almost never get down, you have this wonderful, natural ability to see the best in everything.  For example, it has rained ALL April long, but that hasn't phased you : you remind us everyday "April showers bring May flowers!!"  If something doesn't go your way, you simply brush it off and keep on.  You are a great big sister; Chloe adores you!  You are patient and motherly and always super helpful.  I can always count on you, not just with Chloe, but with Maya too!  And of course, you know it : "I'm a greater helper, aren't I?"  You're certainly not lacking in self-confidence and I love that!

You're an awesome soccer player.  You've had a great season playing i9 with your buddies.  This is the third season you've played with Coach Daddy and Coach Zach and all your little teammates : Asher, Levi, Larsen, Lyla, etc.  You routinely dominate and often score three or four goals a game.  However, my very favorite Abby soccer moment this season was when Levi scored a goal.  You ran right up to him and gave him a big ole' congratulatory high five.  What a great sport and teammate, Mommy was sooo proud of you!! 

So, back to turning five!  What a milestone - the big oh-five, a full hand!  Your birthday was on a Monday this year and the celebrations began the weekend before.  After church on Sunday, we gave you a new sheet set.  This was a little confusing, until we explained that we were off to IKEA to pick out a new bed!  A big, beautiful twin size bed!  You've been so excited about it and have shown it off to everyone who's come over.  And a new bed for you meant an upgrade for Chloe too; she got your toddler bed.  After a couple of nighttime falls, you two are doing great and have no problems staying in the bed.  After IKEA and the bed assembling, your grandparents and Cousin Steve came over for dinner and cake.  It was a great evening and a wonderful day of Abby! 

Monday morning, Daddy took off work and we hosted some of your bestest little buds for a pancake breakfast.  You love pancakes, so it seemed perfect!  The guests came in PJs and had a blast.  We kept it small on purpose, and I think that the party so much better that way.  It was calmer and more intimate, and I really think you had so much more fun.  The guests included Naomi, Larsen, Levi, Lyla, Elli Bond, and of course your built-in best friend Chloe :)  And in lieu of cupcakes bright and early, we put your candle in a cinnamon roll.  What a fun morning!  After the breakfast guests left, we hung out and played and got ready for Ryan's baseball game.  Unfortunately the game was rained out while we were driving there.  But that's okay, we went on a short walk and then to Sweet Escapes for ice cream!  Nana came too and we met Sam and Jack and Ben up there.  I hadn't invited them to breakfast since they have school on Monday and wouldn't know the other guests, but I wanted to make sure you saw them at some point on your special day.  As it happens, we also ran into Max and Grant and Grace there.  Lots of fun eating and playing and being crazy silly with your friends.  I love that you have such great friends!

Your checkup with Dr. Bowman went great.  You're 42.5" tall and 43lbs.  Both are right about the 50th percentile.  No concerns and perhaps more importantly no shots!  You also saw Dr. Smith this year.  Again that went very smoothly.  Your kidney is awesome, and you are medically boring and completely normal.  You can do anything anyone else can do (and you're proving that you can usually do it better!).  The only cautions would probably be football and horseback riding, but really overall there are no worries at all.  We have been so blessed with your wonderful growth and amazing health, and anyone meeting you now would never know or believe how sick you once were.  We are so thankful!!

Happy birthday my Sweet Girl!!!!  Mommy and Daddy love you so very much!!!

 

 

Ryan Chase, future Atlanta Brave

Ryan hit a triple today!!!  Over second base, into the outfield, a true triple!!  This mama was so proud, I thought I was going to cry and that my heart would explode :)  My Little Man loves baseball so much, and it is just an amazing feeling to see him happy and excelling at something he enjoys.  What a great, great moment!

Classic

Ryan got to stay up a little later then normal tonight to watch some of the Braves game on TV.  He has really come to love baseball and is planning on playing for the Braves when he grows up.  At some point a commercial came on featuring an old black and white western type scene.  Ryan proceeds to ask "were there no colors in the old days?"  Love it!

Abby's crystal ball

On the way to preschool this morning, Abby started in on if we could have a fourth baby (Nope!!).  I'm thinking this new interest is thanks to Ms Christa and Ms Kelsi who both just had little boys within the last two weeks.  So, I explained, yet again, that three is perfect for us, our family is complete, etc etc etc.  The conversation then turned to: "well, when I grow up I'm gonna have six kids!"  There ya go. I told her that I would be a very happy Grandma to her six kids.  She went on to declare that Ryan will have two kids and Chloe will have three.  So yep, I will have eleven grand babies if Abby's predications are correct.  Bring it on!!

However, these numbers are apparently fluid and can change with little to no notice.  Abby told her daddy at dinner that she was going to have twelve sets of twins.  Yikes!!!

Snow Days

Here we are, Snow Day 2015 #4.  Good times.  We were off last week for winter break, Ryan had school on Monday, and we've been out since then.  So the girls have missed two weeks of preschool.  Oh well.  Tuesday morning we woke up to a blanket of snow.  It melted away, but they were predicting another storm to hit at lunchtime on Wednesday so they went ahead and cancelled Wednesday [soo grateful we didn't repeat last year's mid-day storm!  That was awful!].  The snow hit about 3pm on Wednesday, and we're still recovering :)

Wednesday was the best day.  Since there wasn't actually any snow, we went to Burger King with our friends for lunch.  It was a blast!  It was very nice to be out of the house.  I mostly visited with Kelsi and Beth, but we had a full playplace.  I love it when we are able to all get together!  It's so great to socialize and be out and let the kids play.  The food's not great, but man, that playplace is the best around.  So we had Kelsi and her four, Beth and her three, Alyson with two, Erin with three, Tara [not my Tara, a second Tara] with two, Ericah's nanny with their three, and a friend of Alyson's named Ashley with two kids.  Aly from our small group stopped by with her two, but they are little and were very overwhelmed, and they didn't stay.  So I have no idea how many kids that is, but it was a lot and it was great fun!  And hey, our next door neighbor said the Chick-fil-a line was literally out the door.  I'm so glad no one else seems to know our secret!

Daddy came home early on Wednesday, hooray!  I think most of Atlanta learned from being stuck out in the storm for hours and/or even days last year :)  The snow started right about 3:00.  It was snowing fast and hard - huge, fat flurries.  We went outside about four and we lasted two hours - Mom of the year right here!  I don't always love the snow, but I do love that everything seems to stop for a day or two.  Everyone's home and the neighbors all come out and I love the sense of community.  I loved visiting with our awesome neighbor-friends while the kids all played together super well.  Ashley and her three boys hung out with us most of Wednesday afternoon, as well as next door neighbor Naomi and family.  Kelsi's kids were out playing with us [she herself gets a pass since she's due any day with number five!].  Nana gave us three sleds for Christmas, and we sure got her money's worth out of them this past week, thanks!  The kids LOVE sledding.  We didn't actually build any snowmen or anything, but there were plenty of snowball fights amongst the kiddos.  The snow was thick and hard and icy, perfect for rolling.  And perhaps best of all, Coleson built us a fire in the firepit Wednesday afternoon.  It didn't last long since the snow was still coming down hard, but it was fun for awhile and created a really nice atmosphere. 

Wednesday was a lot of fun!  Thursday not so much so though.  I was over it!!  But we made the best of it.  I can handle my kids; I know most people complain about that, but I really do enjoy having them around.  It's the snow and the lack of sun that get to me.  I don't do well without sun, and that really caught up to me yesterday.  So after lunch, I packed up the kids and the pup, and we went on a car ride.  Heat up and radio on!  It was a much needed change of scenery.  Chloe fell asleep and I drove through Starbucks for a rare hot apple cider.  Boy, did that hit the spot! 

Today, Friday, we are pretty much back to normal.  The roads are fine, the sun is shining, and the snow's just about gone.  Daddy's at work, Chloe had speech, and Ryan & I are on day three of the world's longest Monopoly game - a little routine is probably good for us.  I am really, really grateful to see the sun.  I told Coleson the other day that all I need to be a good person is exercise, coffee, and Jesus - although not necessarily in that order ;)  But I need to revise my list to include sun!  Lots of bright sun!  I am now officially ready for Spring!  Please hurry up warm weather!

Truer Words

Abby just looked around at us and randomly stated:
"Mommy and her coffee, Abby and her pancakes, Ryan and his Oh's, Chloe and her noodles, Maya and her dogfood."

Yep, that sums us up perfectly.  Truer words have never been spoken.

Sorry, Daddy.  When I questioned Abby about Daddy, she said "Daddy and his coffee."  Ryan says she's already used that.  But they haven't come up with anything else.  We do love you Daddy!!  We wish you were here!!