Author: Joy

Visiting with Family & Friends “Back Home”

Post author By Joy
Post date August 1, 2011

During our stay, I got to meet up with Elisa, my running buddy from high school! We kept each other in line & motivated during our years of track & cross-country. On those long runs we’d chat about boys, teachers, & school… & we’d also make up some really awesome songs to pass the time.

Charlotte kept us all entertained while we were out at the park (Chase was at his friends’ house). Charlotte really loves to run, and it looks so cute & funny to me when she does. Maybe she’ll be a runner someday!

Cousin Sarah’s bridal shower (below: sister Rachel, cousin Sarah, & friend Kaitlin)

Visiting my Grandma T. at her place. This woman is the Rummikub Master—don’t even TRY to pull anything during that game when Grandma’s around! Chase & Charlotte liked to go & eat Jelly Bellies at her place. They also got to play with her old classic toys & draw on the huge chalkboard in the hallway.

My sister Rachel & brother Ryan’s birthday dinner at a little restaurant called Flavor (they turned ages 23 & 33, respectively).

…And I’m some sort of tall Matriarchal figure here. What a goofy pic!

Charlotte Family Fun

Candy Run & Uncle Gino

Post author By Joy
Post date July 30, 2011

On an outing with Grandma (while Chase was at a day camp), we stopped to get some donkey food for Pepper. Charlotte liked the little horses outside the shop.

We went to Powell’s Sweet Shoppe in Petaluma. I was in heaven! cAnDy EvErYwHeRe! Old fashioned candy, sour gummy candy, foreign candy, unique candy, etc.! Why didn’t I take any pictures? Maybe because I was busy drooling all over everything!

Here’s Charlotte sprinting up & down the walkway afterwards. Sugar high! It’s delightful to take her places because she’s quite easygoing in the car & in stores.

We went home to have lunch & she pretended to nap (I think she crashed after her sugar high)

Uncle Gino came for a day! The kids adore him & have a lot of fun with him. What dedication to drive up from So. Cal for just a day before heading back again to work! Thanks, Gino!

Chase Adventures

Chase’s Life on the Farm

Post author By Joy
Post date July 27, 2011

Kids have such a unique viewpoint of things. Sometimes I won’t even notice something or think it’s that great, but my kids will see the awesomeness in ordinary things, point it out, & it’s suddenly an exciting thing.

Chase was the only one who was intensely THRILLED when he & Grandpa discovered that one of my parents’ trees had fallen across the road & needed to be hauled out to the field. After sprinting inside the house to announce it to the rest of us, he headed out with Grandpa to take care of this urgent matter. I got out there in time to take a few shots.

Driving without Grandpa’s help– very focused on his important job. I love it!

Another hard day’s work is done.

Chase cracks me up. He is a very intense, curious child who always wants to be busy & doing projects. Frankly, he’s a major handful for me… But he cracks me up.

I went outside to round him up for bedtime that evening, but Grandpa was testing out the big water faucets, so I couldn’t very easily pull Chase away.

He enjoyed turning this big one on & off & seeing how powerful the flow was.

Then Grandpa suggested that he strip down since he was already drenched…

…Alright! Par-tay!!!! (I could not stop laughing.)

He’d run through the raging water & it would throw him forward a foot or two. Pure delight!

Charlotte Chase Family Fun

Backyard Fun

Post author By Joy
Post date July 25, 2011

This is another California post, and yes, there will be a few more to come.

Below, Chase & Charlotte race each other on a beautiful evening (guess who won the race)!

Rachel tried to take some sentimental Mother + Children pics of us. Look how peaceful and loving we look (Chase & Charlotte were actually both struggling to get away so they could keep racing across the lawn).

Funny blonde kids

The next day, we had some of Chase’s friends over to swim.

Charlotte suddenly spotted a swimmer in trouble…

So without hesitation, she grabbed hold of a sturdy pink pool noodle…

And risked her life to rescue Grandpa & one of the friends!

(ok not really, but it makes a good story. I love Grandpa’s facial expression!)

What a brave girl.

Charlotte Chase Chase Adventures Family Fun

Fire Station & Jaws of Life

Post author By Joy
Post date July 22, 2011

We went to a 4th of July Firemen’s Breakfast at my grandma’s local fire station. It was bright & early, & a fun way to start the day!

After breakfast, we watched a demonstration of how the Jaws of Life are used to slice open a wrecked car with a victim trapped inside (in this case a dummy was used). It was very sobering to imagine experiencing that severe of a car accident.

This fireman recommended against keeping lots of junk in the car, because if you’re in an accident, all that stuff will be thrown around & can injure you. Pace will be glad to know that I’m going to try to keep extra junk out of our minivan! At least I’ll try…

Pretend that the boy below that’s holding the Jaws of Life is Chase. Chase had a turn holding those heavy Jaws of Life, but I missed the photo op. Smile

Personal

Just Beautiful

Post author By Joy
Post date July 20, 2011

My parents’ land is gorgeous. I feel like I can brag about it because I have nothing to do with it! They’ve done a great job with landscaping & maintaining their place. It’s particularly beautiful at dusk when the setting sun highlights everything. Seeing the beautiful light cast across the land and breathing in the fresh, fragrant air makes me feel sentimental.

And just a few daytime ones for good measure:

Chase Adventures

Play (Kick)ball!

Post author By Joy
Post date July 17, 2011

The evening before we left for California, Chase had his last kickball game. We were glad he’d had a good time & that he’d had a friendly, patient coach.

In order to keep things simple for all the 5-year-olds, they weren’t allowed to run more than one base at a time or get anyone out. Pace didn’t know that at the first game, so he enthusiastically yelled to Chase to keep running around the bases after kicking the ball. Pace was quickly put in his place by the coach. Smile

Chase was glad that his buddy Jaxon was on his team! (& one kid was missing from the team picture.)

Chase enjoyed the kickball season, but not nearly as much as he enjoyed the soccer season last year. He’ll start soccer in about 6 weeks (along with KINDERGARTEN), and he can hardly wait!

Charlotte Chase Family Fun

Marin County Fair

Post author By Joy
Post date July 16, 2011

My kids & I just returned from a 2-week Northern California trip. We enjoyed the change of scenery, all the beloved family & friends, & being spoiled (even though we really missed Daddy).

The first big outing was going to the Marin County Fair. What a blast! Grandma was proud of Chase’s interest in the Compost Workshop for kids.

Chase is like his Grandma in that he’s intrigued by such topics as compost, recycling, & identification of plants & birds. From time to time, he’ll ask me what the name of a particular tree is, and I respond, “Um, ask Grandma…”

Chase also enjoyed the petting zoo. He’s always drawn to the goats! I didn’t enjoy the goats as much as he did, because one of them kept sneaking up to get a taste of my “grass green” skirt & I ended up with goat snot & saliva all over me.

Meanwhile, Charlotte kept her distance from the creatures & simply smiled her cheesy “camera smile” for me.

Sporting their cool shades while waiting for the pig races to start. Rachel & Mom were gracious enough to ride some of the carnival rides with Chase & Charlotte, as I wasn’t allowed to with my pregnant belly!

What a beautiful backdrop for the fair! And perfect weather, too. Too bad a mother nearby allowed her little boy to pee right smack in the middle of the grass, where people were sitting on their picnic blankets… People never cease to amaze me.

Sorry about the blinking picture, Mom! Below is a cuter one. And this one’s funny because Charlotte is too busy with her cotton candy to smile for the camera. We were in the kids’ area where there were free crafts to do (after we saw the AMAZING Chinese Acrobats perform in the auditorium).

And I LOVE these “trash cans”!!!! Notice how the black “Landfill” one & makes you feel guilty & evil for tossing anything in there.

Only in California (or the Pacific Northwest area) would one find compost bins right along with the trash bins.

I always enjoy the earth-conscious, laid-back nature of Northern California. I didn’t see one person ratting their big blonde hair in the bathrooms… but something I did see in the bathrooms were garbage cans labeled “Compost Only.” (Utah, you really need to get on the “earth-conscious” bandwagon!)

Charlotte Chase Family Fun

The Beloved Library/Fountain

Post author By Joy
Post date June 16, 2011

Our current library is very old and it’s basically falling apart. But I love it that the library has a summer reading program & all sorts of activities and events for kids. I mean, who doesn’t love a place that provides the supplies to make Hippo Hats?!

Chase & Charlotte like the programs at the library. But they LOVE it that the library has a playground outside of it, and a fountain.

The last time we visited the library, I wouldn’t let them get in the water, because I didn’t know whether or not that was prohibited!

But this time, some other kids were splashing around in there and weren’t getting yelled at by any irate librarians, so I permitted my own kids to go for it.

Chase & Charlotte were having a blast and they were actually NOT ARGUING OR SCREAMING at each other, so we were all happy.

P.S. We’ve been having the most pleasant, mild summer weather! Most days in the 70s. Perfect for a pregnant lady!

Family Fun

We’re Super Outdoorsy.

Post author By Joy
Post date June 10, 2011

…OK not really, but we DID go on a child-friendly hike a couple weeks ago! (Grotto Trail up the Payson Canyon.)

The last time we did this hike (last summer), we enjoyed the cute babbling brook that you repeatedly cross over on makeshift log bridges. This year, since there had been so much rain, some of the bridges were washed out and that babbling brook that trickled along was more of a crazy crashing creek (just trying to keep the words starting with the same letter, here).

(Note the rickety little half-log that Chase is standing on.) In hindsight, I realize that we were absolutely crazy to do this hike. I kind of felt that at the time, once when Charlotte almost fell in & once when Chase & his friend were sprinting along the trail next to the water. In the last couple weeks in this area of Utah, there have been lots of kids falling into rushing water and not surviving. It’s very sad. We did have a great 4:3 adult:kid ratio on our hike, though.

Pace was daring enough to take off his shoes and get into the freezing cold creek to take this picture! Weird that last summer, we were able to cross a bridge and get to the waterfall to play in it. Not this time!

Charlotte enjoyed the hike overall, but she freaked out when she got mud on her shoes & once again when she saw an ant on her foot. Chase & the neighbor kid we brought along had the best time just throwing rocks & other debris into the creek. And Chase’s bendy legs looked too weird in this photo to NOT include it in the post!