Big Biking Boy

Chase obviously had opinions about his birthday party, but he also knew EXACTLY what he wanted as a gift.  He wanted a Mickey Mouse bike.  That was a little tricky, but Marcus and I found a bright red bike we thought he'd love.  (We gave him some Mickey stickers and tied a bandana to the bike to help it fit his dream.)  

The Rocket

He was really excited.  It was a great day.

Getting the training wheels and seat height situated

Testing it out

Chase wants to ride his bike all the time now.  It's really cute, and he picked it up really quickly.  I was impressed.

And later that night, probably eight neighborhood kids were out riding bikes and scooters all together.  Chase kept up with everyone and was all smiles.

Happy Birthday, Chaser!

Chase's Birthday Party

Chase was very specific about what he wanted to do for his fourth birthday.  He wanted to have friends over and decorate party hats.  Then he wanted to play games and eat cookies and ice cream.  Oh, and everything needed to be rainbow colors.  He'd tell me all about his plans before bed every night.  So Chase helped me plan the party and invite some of his neighborhood friends.

Super excited for the party

Rainbow cookies - the M&Ms were his idea!

Our party zone

All ready to decorate party hats

Watching for his friends to arrive

It's like his birthday dreams were coming true :)

Ty was always closeby

We decided to serve lunch with the party, so we made Chase's favorites: chicken nuggets, French fries, and grapes

We also had a parachute to play with.  It was cold and rainy outside, but luckily our basement doesn't have too much furniture.  It was relatively easy to get it in parachute mode.

Then we had presents and treats.

Ice cream and cookies - and there were sprinkles for the ice cream, of course

Caught playing with one of Chase's presents

I really think Chase had a great time.  It seemed really close to how he had been describing it.  Plus he was all smiles all day.  Chase loves birthdays and friends.  :)

Planter Box Progress

One of the first things I wanted to do was work on the front of the house, which mainly meant that planter box.  I didn't like the wood, the drain pipe, or the current state of the planter box.  A little at a time we've been working on all of those things.

The first step here involved taking out that rose bush.  It was in a weird spot, unless I wanted to have a whole rose garden going on, which I didn't.  So my dad and I (mostly my dad) pulled out the rose bush, grass, weeds, and wood, and then we got the soil ready for some more planting.

Then I started getting some plants for the back half of the planter box, and Marcus installed a drip system.

When it wasn't too hot outside, Marcus and my dad dug a hole under the sidewalk to take that drain you see on the left out to the grass - as opposed to dumping potential rain water in the planter box and on the sidewalk.  That was quite a project!  

 And here's what it looks like now:

Some plants and solar lights

And check that out - the drain pipe goes under the sidewalk and pops up in the grass.  Awesome.

They're tiny little bushes, but they've got potential.  :)
And we did get a screen door too.  Loving that!

Next step, finish planting.  And I did order a bench and a mat to go by the door.  Hopefully it will come together soon!

Playing around the house

I had gotten crazy behind posting here.  Sorry.  I'm not exactly sure how that happen.  I apologize in advance for the overload of posts and pictures - and the minimal narration.  But I wanted to get all the pictures posted as this has turned into somewhat of a family journal.

As Ty has been getting bigger, he and Chase are beginning to play somewhat together a little more.  It's pretty cute, but of course they're brothers and don't always want to play the same game :)  But they're happy most of the time, especially Ty, and they're enjoying playing in Utah.

Chase LOVES Snapchat!

First Day of Preschool

I seriously can't believe it's our turn!

Today is Chase's first day of PRESCHOOL!

I asked him a few questions about life and school.

How old are you: Three

When is your birthday: September. Twenty four.

What is your favorite snack: Goldfish

What is your favorite book: Valentines Day (Curious George)

What is your favorite show: Team Umizoomi

What is your favorite game: (Couldn't understand the name so he explained) Race really fast

What do you want to be when you grow up: I don't want to be anything. Just a dad.

What do you hope to do at school: I don't know. Something like a game or movie.

Can I brush your hair first: No.

Will you miss me: *shakes head no*

He goes to preschool two days a week in the morning at Ms Tonya's. He loves her. :)

He insisted on taking his First Day of Preschool sign with him to school :)

He was really excited about school - I think he'd been sad watching all his older friends go and having to stay home.

The first official day of school is officially in the books. Only at least 18 more to go. haha