Drop down and give me one!

We run a tough house at the White house! We don't give any handouts just because you're 9 months old. Sometimes when Chase gets a little out of line I tell him to "drop and give me one!" Being the obedient child that he is, he drops and gives me a good strong push up! Ok, not really everyone knows I'm a softy when it comes to this little guy! Recently he's started doing push ups. He used to only do them a couple times a day now he does them everytime he's on his belly, all the time. He's so close to becoming more mobile that it hurts me, because I know he wants to explore so very badly!

Here he is doing a push up. Look at that form! I think he looks like a little male gymnast in this picture with his fitted onesie and comfy gymnastics pants. I like to start them early!

...and another one. Keep up the good form Chase!

He's gotta relax sometime!

These are the vintage baby blocks I made for Chase. I'm very much NOT a crafty person but I so wish I were. I've always wanted to be one of those moms who makes baby quilts for each of her babies before they're born and then she beautifully scrapbooks all of their wonderful memories. On birthdays and special occasions she concocts magnificent cakes and dinners and makes them the most adorable stampin' up cards you've ever seen with embellishments and layering and cute designs! Oh that would be the dream...but indeed I fall short in having the money to afford the supplies and the know how and creativity to put it all together. I saw a Martha Stewart show where she had Ashley Steele (a very crafty lady) on. She showed how to make these adorable vintage blocks for your children. I thought they were so darling and I set out to make them right away. It took me 3 days to finally finish them and voila! This is the finished product! Chase really loves them. I think it's because they look decorative and like something I normally wouldn't let him play with, but little does he know I made them for him!

Tax Season's OVER!

Finally we can have our Kyle back! This was the first real tax season we've gone through as a family where Kyle wasn't an intern. It was pretty tough at times! Especially towards the end when I got my job. We had to really sacrifice time with each other (as if we weren't already doing that because of Kyle's late nights on really busy days), but I'm so glad to say we made it! Now we can enjoy a little more freedom, a lot less stress, and more time with one another (until next year)! On the last day of the season (April 15th) the company treated all the employees to a fantastic dinner at the Rustlers Rooste. Honestly I can say it was the best steak I have ever had in my entire life. They had Top sirloin, barbeque ribs, barbeque chicken, corn on the cob, hot dinner rolls, green salad, and barbeque pit beans! For dessert there was apple pie or these gigantic chocolate brownies with chocolate frosting drizzled with white chocolate! Can you guess which one I had? Of course the chocolate. Everything was scrumptious! We were on a big balcony overlooking the Tempe city lights and it was absolutely beautiful! It was the perfect way to end the bustling tax season!
We also had a chance this weekend to cut little Chase's hair. It was getting pretty long. I've included pictures of that also, just in case you were wondering how it went!

Chase jumping for joy! He gets his daddy around more often!

This is a huge bull they had grazing in front of the Rustlers Rooste. I thought it was really cool!

Family picture in front of the restaurant! It's not too great because our photog was this teenage valet parker. He took three or four shots and this one really was his best!

During his hair cut. He was such good little boy (for the clippers at least, it was a whole other story when the scissors came out)

The adorable finished product!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I just thought I would post some birthday wishes to my mother on this her 30th birthday. Just kidding, she's not 30 but I'm sorry to say I don't know exactly how old she is this year. I just know she's a young lady! Happy Birthday Mom! I hope everyone is sufficiently spoiling you, because you definitely deserve it! We hope you have a great one! Oh, and here's some recently taken pictures of all of us. For those of you who know that I got my hair done recently and have requested that I post the new do, I have included such a photo. Please bear in mind I did not intend for my hair to be so...light. You've probably never seen my hair this light before (and neither have I). So it's taken a little getting used to. That's my disclaimer, proceed with caution!


Chase playing with his blocks on our bed
(kind of delirious, it was past his bed time)

Chase with Kyle. His wonderful daddy just finished
giving him a bath and dressing him for bed, which
makes for one happy baby (and mommy)!

Chase about to make the reach for the camera,
even if it means falling off the bed!

Ok, as requested here's a pic of the new do. Very summery, yes?

I know Chase looks funny in this picture but I had to show you guys the funny face he makes when he is super and I mean SUPER excited about something! His eyes get all big and he makes funny shapes with his lips and pants like a puppy! I don't know where he gets it from.

Family, Fun, and great memories!

This weekend Kyle's parents and little brother and sister made the long trip from Rexburg to come and visit us all here in Arizona. The visit definitely was not long enough for us! I put Kyle in charge of bringing the camera when went out this weekend and as a result we have almost no pictures to show for their visit. I was really sad about that, because if you know me at all you know I love to have pictures to lock in those memories! Anyhow we still had a wonderful weekend despite it being in the hub of tax season and all. Kyle was able to get Saturday off (which is a big deal during tax season) and we spent a lot of time playing games, swimming, listening and watching conference, catching up on all of our lives, and just enjoying one another's company! We miss them already and can't wait until July when we will make the trip up to Rexburg for Independence Day!
Speaking of conference, wasn't it wonderful? I just think each one gets better and better. Kyle's dad told us that they've done a solemn assembly before for President Kimball (which I would have been too young to remember). I absolutely loved being a part of it for our beloved prophet, President Monson. Although it would have been a really neat experience to be there in the conference center for the solemn assembly, we enjoyed standing when we were asked to and sustaining the true prophet of our church. It was a very memorable and neat experience for me.



We also took Kyle's parents to the Mesa Temple Visitor's center on Sunday after dinner and we saw the "Reflections of Christ" display. It's a display of real photgraphs taken of the man who plays Jesus in the Easter Pageant. They took pictures dipicting his life, ministry, death, and resurrection and they are so amazingly beautiful. It's hard to even describe how real the pictures are and how strong the spirit is when you look at these very realistic photographs. It is truly an extraordinary display.

All I want for Christmas...

Chase saying "Hang Loose" excited to go swimming!


Well...Chase is teething again! I wish babies would just get a mouthful of teeth all at one time so you'd only have to go through a teether once and then it would be over! Sadly enough though that is not the case. Our little one is getting his top two teeth (at least I think it's just 2, could be more). His count will be up to 4 when these two little buggers pop out the rest of the way. He's been very clingy recently because of it and he screams whenever I leave the room! I've had to break out his baby wrap from when he was a newborn(which I have to double up now because he weighs too much to wear it regularly) and I wear him as I go about doing my work during the day. It does make me appreciate those tender little smiles that are much more rare when he's teething, and gives me a little encouragement to keep up the good work!