tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71163478619101864642012-01-29T21:38:06.243-04:00Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.comBlogger3351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-66361805286692960612011-04-27T13:50:00.000-04:002011-04-27T13:50:34.578-04:00

Going to a Jewish preschool meant that this year, Passover was an especially exciting time for Chase. I don't think I've seen him this excited about a holiday since Christmas (ironically?), which is saying something. In addition to our traditional family Seder, this year we were treated to a preschool style Seder in Chase's classroom. The kids had learned special Passover songs and made crafts,

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-70242997079016009632011-04-04T19:17:00.000-04:002011-04-04T19:17:27.517-04:00

I would never go so far as to say that 3 has been easy. While 2 was not as rough an age as I'd anticipated (by no means "Terrible"), 3 has had its challenges. There have been tantrums and stand offs and oh, the boundaries, they have been tested. But it hasn't been all bad. Specifically, 3-and-a-half, while still replete with its moments of absolute hair-pulling preschooler drama, is also an

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-18230524338348473142011-03-27T14:10:00.000-04:002011-03-27T14:10:29.719-04:00

This year, Chase (just barely) made the age cut-off for our local Pee Wee soccer league, and he is incredibly excited about getting to play on a real team. The season officially starts next weekend, so Andrew has been busy getting Chase ready for his big sports debut: they've picked up the uniform, purchased the gear, and started practicing in the backyard and at the local soccer fields in

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-20619143133660095532011-03-27T14:00:00.000-04:002011-03-27T14:00:29.127-04:00

Last year, when the circus came to town, Andrew's dad had expressed interest in taking Chase. I declined, because I am a party pooper who has issues with circuses and the care and treatment of animals featured in their shows. This year, when Barnum & Bailey announced they would be returning to Philadelphia, I planned on skipping the event again, with Chase none the wiser. Only I didn't count on

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-40635273786785997242011-03-27T13:38:00.000-04:002011-03-27T13:38:51.719-04:00

A few months ago, we purchased a family membership to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia (or as Chase likes to call it, The Dinosaur Museum). Thanks to Dino Dan on Nick, Jr., Chase has a renewed interest in dinosaurs, so we've been able to take advantage of our membership on several occasions (it's also been a great family activity during these long cold winter months). Here are

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-71489680855186712052011-02-24T11:24:00.000-04:002011-02-24T11:24:58.164-04:00

When I was pregnant with Chase, and in those early months following his birth, a lot of people gave us advice ("sleep when the baby sleeps," "accept any and all offers of help that come along," etc.). I ignored most of it, because I'm stubborn and figured that I knew best, and I learned the hard way that I should have listened. People offered us valuable pearls of wisdom and I shrugged them off

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-9286852589630508412011-01-24T17:18:00.001-04:002011-01-24T17:19:35.407-04:00

The other night Andrew and Chase and I were relaxing in the family room when I started to feel the baby kick. The kicks were stronger than they'd been up until then, and I called Chase over to see if he could feel it. He put his hand on my belly and his eyes grew wide and he smiled and asked, "Is that the baby?" in a voice just barely over a whisper. I told him that yes, that was his baby

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-76853278966520023482011-01-17T18:14:00.000-04:002011-01-17T18:14:30.471-04:00

There was a time when I thought potty training would elude us forever. No matter what technique we tried, nothing seemed to work. I followed advice from friends, family, and neighbors and none of it seemed to make a difference. We tried various strategies and our efforts -- every last one of them -- fell flat. Chase hated to so much as sit on the potty (and we tried each and every variety of

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-15116104157812559662011-01-13T17:55:00.000-04:002011-01-13T17:55:48.934-04:00

Sometime last year, Burger King distributed Ironman toys with their kids meals. We stopped there for lunch one day while we were out running errands, a notable occasion only because it was Chase's first trip to Burger King, and his first introduction to Ironman. Burger King didn't seem to make that great of an impression on our son, but boy have we been inundated with Ironman. Since that initial

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-18349968531521247002011-01-13T17:34:00.000-04:002011-01-13T17:34:24.336-04:00

The day after Christmas, the Philadelphia region was hit with a fairly big snowstorm. This was bad news for my parents, who had plans to drive back to Georgia, but good news for Chase, who LOVES to play in the snow. I realized early in the day (luckily before the snow started) that Chase didn't have snow boots, so we rushed out to Target to buy him a pair. We weren't the only ones who had this

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-69492567960148631372011-01-13T15:15:00.000-04:002011-01-13T15:15:57.451-04:00

On Christmas Eve, after Chase went to bed, the grown ups (me, Andrew, my parents, his parents, and Jill & Pete) relaxed in the family room and talked about the excitement of the next morning. Everyone essentially placed their bets as to how early Chase would wake up, and how early he'd have us downstairs. It seemed that just about everyone believed he'd be up at the very crack of dawn, eager to

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-76003124070505525782011-01-05T12:53:00.001-04:002011-01-05T12:53:29.007-04:00

This was, without a doubt, our best Christmas season ever. For the weeks leading up to the big day, Andrew and I repeatedly remarked to each other (and to anyone that would listen), how excited we were for Christmas. That this Christmas was the most exciting since we were little kids ourselves. That we were loving every second of the holiday season, enjoying every moment, taking advantage of

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-35424536587874455042011-01-05T12:35:00.001-04:002011-01-05T12:36:32.491-04:00

I just realized that I never posted anything on Chase's blog about some fairly big news around these parts: in June of this year, Chase is going to be a big brother! We are all very excited about it, but Chase is probably the most excited. Of course, we can't tell for sure if he understands that we're going to have our own new baby, or if Laura is just going to hand over Baby Ian (which would

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-70207181738309781662010-12-22T09:39:00.001-04:002010-12-22T09:40:03.223-04:00

Just a week after the Bristol Holiday Parade, we once again braved the cold for the much more closely located Yardley Christmas Parade. The signs had been up for this over Main Street for weeks, and I was really excited to take Chase for another small town Christmas experience. The parade, which was smaller in scale than the Bristol one, was still just as charming and fun. Chase loved it, and

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-81424272103698759302010-12-18T13:25:00.000-04:002010-12-18T13:25:43.168-04:00

A few weeks ago, on the advice of a friend, I took Chase to the Bristol Holiday Parade. Bunny came with us (Daddy was going to go, but Penn State was playing and, you know, priorities) and even though it was a chilly, windy day, we had a great time. I absolutely love Bristol Borough. It's adorable, the architecture is so pretty and and the neighborhoods have a real 1950's feel to them. The

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-89647931258514399522010-12-16T18:56:00.000-04:002010-12-16T18:56:08.609-04:00

Well, look at that -- I'm behind on blogging again! We've been very busy this month with local holiday activities. This year, Chase GETS Christmas -- the kid is so excited and enamored of all things Christmas that it's contagious. Andrew and I have repeatedly remarked that this is the most excited that we have been for Christmas since we were little kids ourselves. We kicked off the holiday

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-41884463836987995552010-12-01T11:51:00.000-04:002010-12-01T11:51:41.356-04:00

On Sunday, November 28, 2010, my grandfather passed away. He was 90-years-old and had been sick for a while with congestive heart failure. He went in his sleep, peacefully, and it's comforting to think that now he's with my Nana, throwing back martinis in heaven. Chase was an especially big fan of Pop Pop. He just thought he was really cool. First, Pop Pop has an organ at his house, and Chase

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-77495638078704726822010-11-26T15:26:00.000-04:002010-11-26T15:26:48.901-04:00

 Chase's preschool had a Thanksgiving feast this past Monday, and Laura and I volunteered in our capacity as homeroom moms to help out. And I'm so glad we did! The kids were absolutely adorable -- wearing turkey headdresses they'd crafted themselves from paper and feathers, and brightly painted smocks made out of pillow cases. They enjoyed a "pilgrim" who taught them all about the Mayflower and

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-45915020829178207192010-11-26T15:20:00.000-04:002010-11-26T15:20:34.049-04:00

I am one of about a million cousins. My dad is one of six children, and there is nothing quite as fun as a Malley family reunion -- they're chaotic and hectic, but you'll never laugh so hard or have such a blast. When my cousins and I were younger, we promised that we'd still get together as grown ups, even after we were older and had our own kids. None of us came from as large a family as our

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-44004821244598786862010-11-18T00:03:00.000-04:002010-11-18T00:03:07.295-04:00

The other day when I picked Chase up from school, his teacher relayed the following story: The morning was almost over, and one of Chase's classmates' fathers came to pick his child up from school. Not to be outdone, Chase announced to his teachers that his mommy was here to pick him up, too. There was a substitute there that day, who didn't know Chase (or me) very well. "Oh, your Mommy's here

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-73887119979340363602010-11-10T10:24:00.005-04:002010-11-10T10:46:45.457-04:00

Lately, Chase has been very excited about arts & crafts. He loves painting, gluing, drawing, coloring, and just about anything else that involves Mom standing close by with Clorox wipes and a dust buster.Most of Chase's artwork consists of scribbles. Apparently this is completely age appropriate, and during his 3-year-check up, one of the questions on the developmental checklist was whether

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-83962224934449780442010-11-03T15:53:00.006-04:002010-11-03T16:15:36.800-04:00

I am not one of those people who gets really into Halloween. I'm more of a Christmas girl, and while I don't mean to imply that you have to be one or the other, in my case, I'm more about Santa and less about Witches and Goblins. It's been a long time since I've been excited for Halloween; the last time we went to a costume party was probably four or five years ago and I don't remember being

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-78817302106955313242010-10-13T10:58:00.007-04:002010-10-13T11:22:25.516-04:00

The day after Chase's birthday, we boarded a plane for Savannah for a week with Nana & Dziadzi. The last time we'd been down to Georgia was in June, when it was 100 degrees with 95% humidity. Going in the fall was much better -- the humidity was gone, and the weather had cooled to mid-70s/low 80s. Perfection!The day we arrived, Nana surprised Chase with a small impromptu birthday party. She

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-70677634182135430142010-10-13T10:44:00.004-04:002010-10-13T10:57:51.562-04:00

The day following Chase's Chuck E. Cheese party, we hosted a small family party at our house. We had spaghetti and homemade meatballs (if you haven't made Teresa Giudice's Joe's Juicy Meatballs yet, you're missing out -- they're amazing, believe me -- I have an exceptionally high standard for meatballs, and these are amazing), per Chase's request, and of course, birthday cake.Even though he

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-48049001278763876462010-10-13T10:23:00.006-04:002010-10-13T10:40:26.189-04:00

We celebrated Chase's birthday this year at Chuck E. Cheese (his choice), and it turned out about a thousand times better than either Andrew or I could believe. Chase loves going to Chuck E. Cheese, and during the winter, when it's cold and gray outside and I'm desperate, we tend to spend at least one day a month there. During one of these trips, a little boy was having a birthday party and

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-79195049739243486272010-09-15T14:35:00.002-04:002010-09-15T14:58:47.786-04:00

Note: this post is probably about 8 paragraphs too long and waaaay more detailed than necessary, but I wanted to remember everything about today, so here it is. I apologize if it's boring. Today was Chase's first day of preschool (well, technically we also went on Monday, but it was more of a meet and greet -- today was the first day I took him in, dropped him off, and left the building). To say

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-49700781558957563592010-09-15T14:29:00.001-04:002010-09-15T14:33:50.360-04:00

Yesterday was Andrew's 31st birthday, so we celebrated with an evening at the Yardley Inn, one of our favorite local restaurants. We met up with Zayde, Bunny, Teetee and Pete to toast our very favorite guy -- Daddy! Chase was remarkably well-behaved for most of the night, although he started to get a little restless toward the end of the evening (understandable, as it was about 45 minutes past

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-30494125360278504312010-09-08T14:34:00.007-04:002010-09-08T15:03:19.411-04:00

We had a very nice, relaxing Labor Day weekend around these parts. For starters, the weather was absolutely beautiful -- highs in the upper 70s and low 80s with no humidity and lots of sunshine. It was a nice change from the constant 90-degree temps (and 90% humidity) that have made up most of this summer.On Sunday we spent the morning at the zoo, just strolling around and enjoying the

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-2746020699876391162010-09-02T21:35:00.006-04:002010-09-02T22:21:55.374-04:00

1. Chase refers to all of his Phillies shirts as his "Number 1 Phillies Shirt." He never just says, "I want to wear a Phillies shirt," it's specifically, "I want to wear my Number 1 Phillies Shirt."2. Chase loves to tackle. He is all boy in this regard. Any time Andrew or I are on the floor for any length of time and for any reason, he'll get a glint in his eye and say, "I think I'm going to

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-5911985715978729362010-09-01T15:36:00.003-04:002010-09-01T15:44:23.430-04:00

Over the past month or so, Andrew and Chase have begun an almost-nightly tradition of going outside to play basketball after dinner. Of course, "play basketball" loosely translates into Andrew trying to show Chase how to hoops while Chase tries to climb trees, plays with sticks, and occasionally lobs the ball down the driveway into the street.The other night they went outside to play, and I

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-89421850902830493712010-08-28T09:22:00.003-04:002010-08-28T09:29:50.899-04:00

Chase has become quite the little swimmer this summer (with the assistance of his trusty water wings, of course). Over the past couple of months, he's gone from clinging to the side of the pool to independently swimming the length of it. He even puts his face under water and swims around. I discovered that he actually keeps his eyes open under water because he likes to look around.His

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-67079884884703594002010-08-27T08:29:00.004-04:002010-08-27T08:32:19.933-04:00

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a significant addition to our little social circle: on June 14th, the Chewnings welcomed a beautiful baby boy!We all absolutely adore Baby Ian (as he is known). He is gorgeous and sweet and delicious and my favorite part is watching how much Sammie loves him. Chase is pretty smitten with him, too, often asking to hug him or touch his toes.Here are a few

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-11796376288557436822010-08-26T09:25:00.010-04:002010-08-26T09:43:14.673-04:00

11 kids. 6 adults. 1 house.Yesterday Chase and I had our friends over for a play date -- (almost) all of them. We tried this once before, in our old house, and to say things were crowded was an understatement. Our new house is by no means huge, but things were much more comfortable, if not just as insane. And then the parade started, commencing the loudest 10 minutes of my life. But it was

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-36916432300188788882010-08-26T08:46:00.005-04:002010-08-26T09:20:41.808-04:00

Last Saturday, Andrew and I took Chase to a Wiggles Concert. It was the first Wiggles experience for Andrew and me, but the second for Chase, so fortunately he was able to show us the ropes. We were also joined by my friend Kathryn and her beautiful daughter, Gina.First, let me just say that I have never, in all my life, spent so much money on concert tickets. I'm a huge Springsteen fan, but

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-14183264473761271002010-08-26T08:25:00.001-04:002010-08-26T08:42:57.844-04:00

So I promised I'd be updating more regularly, and then I didn't, but here I am. I want to try because I feel like the last 6 months have flown by and while I have lots of pictures, I want to write down my thoughts about this amazing little boy I spend my days with so that I can look back later and remember all the funny, quirky little things he did. That's not why I started the blog, but that's

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-88060315580241622912010-04-18T12:49:00.007-04:002010-04-18T12:59:57.371-04:00

...and A LOT of things have changed (good changes), but I don't have time to get into all of it now. Instead, I'm taking the easy way out and posting this video of Chase from this morning. He calls this little ditty the "I'm only a big boy now" song, and it's an original composition.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-17113360716893621272009-11-06T13:30:00.007-04:002009-11-06T14:53:07.880-04:00

Chase's first Halloween wasn't a very big one, due to the fact that he was barely a month old, colicky as all get out, and I was still a blubbering postpartum mess. His second Halloween was marginally better, because we spent the day at the Phillies World Series victory parade, but he didn't get the whole "dress up in costumes and collect candy from strangers" part.Which is why this year was

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-22352330661845776382009-11-02T16:39:00.005-04:002009-11-02T19:07:19.085-04:00

Chase got to don his costume once more the very next day, because we got to celebrate Halloween all over again on Thursday at Creative Parenting. This time, all the kids were dressed up, and we were even lucky enough to have Daddy come with us to class! After arts and crafts time, Chase and his classmates all lined up outside with bells and marched around for a special Halloween parade.Daddy &

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-50781930884150906842009-11-02T16:29:00.003-04:002009-11-02T16:39:16.525-04:00

This past Wednesday in music class we celebrated Halloween. It was Chase's first time putting on his pirate costume, and I was amazed by how little he minded wearing it. In fact, he couldn't wait to get to class to show everyone what a handsome little swashbuckler he was. Not all of the kids dressed up, but a lot of them did, and it was cute to see them all together in their costumes.Chase and a

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-15298696765003298322009-11-02T16:16:00.004-04:002009-11-02T16:29:27.971-04:00

Last week, Zayde and I took Chase to his very first movie in a theatre. Zay suggested Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which I was really excited to see because I love the book. However, I wasn't sure Chase would be able to handle it. Even though he has watched Shrek about a thousand times at home, he's never actually sat still for any of it, so I didn't have a lot of confidence in his ability

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-21469575175909723522009-10-28T08:42:00.006-04:002009-10-28T10:01:19.462-04:00

Dear Chase,Yesterday you turned 25-months-old, which was met with much less fanfare than when you turned 24-months-old, but was significant to me nonetheless. I wonder if I'll always think of the 27th of each month this way, mentally recording that you're another 30-or-so days older, long after I've stopped writing these monthly blog letters. The truth is, every day with you is significant and

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-59707546515764111422009-10-22T08:52:00.006-04:002009-10-22T09:15:28.072-04:00

It's a long running joke in our family about how much Andrew and KC love each other. They grew up in each other's backyards, having met just days after birth, and now that the Chewnings are back in Bucks County, they are once again inseparable. Laura and I like to tease them that their first loves are really each other, and that now they've somehow passed on this intense Chewning-Palsky

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-52652886081340990622009-10-12T08:51:00.010-04:002009-10-12T09:21:15.102-04:00

Since before Chase was born, Andrew has been jonesing to take him to his first Penn State football game. He couldn't wait to get him up to Happy Valley and show him all his old haunts, take him on a tour of Beaver Stadium, and teach him how to properly tailgate and cheer on the Nittany Lions. I, on the other hand, was not as eager. It's not that I don't love Penn State -- I do, believe me -- but

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-5490562898264004282009-10-07T15:28:00.007-04:002009-10-07T15:54:56.971-04:00

This morning kicked off what I anticipated as a 3-day vacation from our kitchen. We are in the process of having new floors installed, after our refrigerator leaked and damaged the Pergo that the previous owners had put down when they remodeled the kitchen a few years ago (side note: anyone who tells you Pergo can withstand water damage has a problem with telling the truth; this was a relatively

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-60365515517707680532009-09-30T15:40:00.007-04:002009-09-30T15:47:25.861-04:00

As I mentioned in Chase's 24 Month post, he's really taken to the easel and paint set that my parents got him for his birthday. Every morning since Sunday he's gotten up and asked to paint, and he's remarkably neat when doing so (relatively speaking, I mean, we are still talking about a two-year-old here). Here are a few pictures of the artist at work in his studio:Monday was what he refers to as

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-65689523525297145982009-09-30T09:23:00.005-04:002009-09-30T09:43:48.424-04:00

Chase has recently discovered that running in circles and spinning makes him dizzy to the point of falling down, which he finds hilarious. Truth be told, Andrew and I find it kind of entertaining, too.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-22071911794181005432009-09-30T08:51:00.005-04:002009-09-30T09:21:39.494-04:00

Chase!Hey!You're 2! And I'm more than behind on this letter-writing campaign, since I owe you letters for months 22 and 23. But let's just celebrate the fact that we made it to 2!We celebrated this milestone this past Sunday with a birthday party at JW Tumbles on Main Street, where you have gym class, and you had an absolute blast. 15 of your little friends running around, screaming, dancing and

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-63496201880038496612009-07-20T09:08:00.005-04:002009-07-20T10:20:54.553-04:00

Back in May, when Chase and I flew to Savannah, I bought a Wiggles DVD for the plane ride. Up until that point, neither Chase nor I had ever experienced the Wiggles, and after a few minutes, I hoped to never experience them again. Of course, Chase had other ideas. He is now a HUGE Wiggles fan, and thanks to his Bun, his Wiggles DVD library has grown exponentially over the past couple of months.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-81279848468128288952009-07-19T14:17:00.004-04:002009-07-19T14:52:44.666-04:00

Dear Chase,So, huh, here we are again, me pitifully behind on your "monthly" letter, not having attended to your blog in over a month. This time I'm barely getting it in under the 22 Month mark. It's not that I don't want to record every moment of your life, because I do -- I'm already aware of how quickly those little moments can escape from a person's memory; after all, we're still under the

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-11870409483746598002009-06-14T20:41:00.005-04:002009-06-14T21:05:59.388-04:00

This is from two weeks ago at Matt & Ashlynne's house, but I forgot to post it. I just love all the giggling and silliness.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-77436657983070616872009-06-14T17:25:00.003-04:002009-06-14T17:40:06.529-04:00

Last week, Laura and Sam had Chase, me, Brooke and Henry over for a play date, and Chase and Sam were able to revel in their shared love of Hi-5 (Henry wasn't so into yet, but he'll get there, I'm sure):

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-73866263428409555492009-06-14T17:15:00.004-04:002009-06-14T17:25:12.757-04:00

This summer has gotten off to a pretty cool and rainy start, so on those rare days when the temperature goes above 70 and the sun actually makes an appearance, we make every effort to be outside. Last Sunday was one of those rare beautiful days, so we had the Chewnings, Bun, Zay, Tatie and Pete over for a cookout in the backyard. The afternoon was absolutely gorgeous, and Chase and Sam had an

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-55706723794787288662009-06-03T14:35:00.007-04:002009-06-14T17:04:01.064-04:00

Dear Chase,20 months! I can't believe your months number into the 20's now, because it feels like just yesterday that you were solidly entrenched in the single digits (when in fact, it was almost over an entire year ago). People tell you that the time goes so fast, and in the beginning, it didn't feel that way, but now, I honestly feel like we just started spoon feeding you solid foods -- and

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-83423003745957199002009-05-28T14:31:00.005-04:002009-06-14T17:11:40.346-04:00

About a month ago we attended Chase's Tatie Jill's graduation from law school. We were a little apprehensive about what to do with Chase -- we knew it would be a very long day, but we weren't really comfortable leaving him with anyone for that amount of time (especially since just about all of our potential babysitters were attending the graduation ceremony). We also thought it was important that

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-55588694277278929922009-05-28T14:23:00.003-04:002009-05-28T14:31:07.237-04:00

I know this post is very late but I wanted to make sure I got these pictures up before I forgot about them altogether.This Mother's Day was as great as it could have been (except that my own mom wasn't here to celebrate with!). I enjoyed a very relaxing day and the company of my two favorite boys (that's Andrew and Chase in case I'm not being clear), as well as getting to sleep in AND take a very

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-44148739273058032482009-05-13T14:42:00.008-04:002009-05-13T15:08:49.051-04:00

Recently I have fallen back in love with our neighborhood, and I think one of the biggest reasons for this is Chase. Our neighborhood is great for kids. The people are friendly, they all generally look out for each other, and now that spring is here, we can all be outside again. To make things even better, there are two playgrounds within walking distance of our house, one at the top of the

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-38854546999190523332009-05-13T14:32:00.004-04:002009-05-13T14:42:27.817-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew participated in the Broad Street Run, which is a 10 mile race down Broad Street through Center City into South Philadelphia. This was his first time taking part in the race and we were so proud of him. He started running on a regular basis about three years ago and has kept up with it spectacularly, running between 5 and 8 miles every night. Chase and I were so

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-60402249720146260772009-05-12T11:38:00.004-04:002009-05-12T13:51:13.676-04:00

Last week Brooke and Henry came over for the afternoon, and Chase had the opportunity to meet his newest friend. I was a little nervous, given the unpredictable and rough and tumble nature of toddlers (or at least of this one in particular), but Chase was as sweet as can be. Since that first meeting, Chase has started talking about Henry all the time. His favorite thing to tell people is that he

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-15240365583556880862009-05-02T22:03:00.005-04:002009-05-02T22:25:10.969-04:00

In addition to loving buses, Chase also loves trains. He knows where all the railroad crossings are near our house, so as soon as we are within 300 of yards of one, he starts to squirm in his car seat and clap and yell "chooooooo!" We have a ritual every morning of crawling into Mommy and Daddy's bed and OnDemanding an episode (or three) of "Thomas the Tank Engine." And once breakfast is over,

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-22200664367426413512009-05-02T14:18:00.003-04:002009-05-02T14:33:11.108-04:00

Andrew's mom has this goofy song she always sings to Chase that goes "Bus, bus, the B-U-S! Bus, Bus, the S-U-B!" Obviously, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but Chase still seems to like it regardless of the fact that S-U-B does not spell bus. Basically, he loves school buses, and songs about school buses, and pictures of school buses. He's a huge fan of all things school bus related, so

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-9608646484811501732009-05-01T15:20:00.004-04:002009-05-01T16:20:48.283-04:00

Chase got this sand and water table for his birthday last year, but we weren't able to use it until the weather started to get nice this past month. I knew he would like it, but I had no idea just how much until we got it set up and he spent the better part of an hour just splashing in the water, digging in the sand, dumping the sand into the water, and then dumping more sand onto the grass. It

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-25366707443843663592009-05-01T15:13:00.005-04:002009-05-01T16:21:30.561-04:00

Sam was not overly thrilled about the idea of taking a bath at our house, or taking a bath with Chase, or maybe both. Here's Chase trying to convince her that it's no big deal, he takes baths here all the time.She was not to be convinced."There, there, Sammy. It'll be okay."Finally, a bubble wand and some bubbles seemed to do the trick.*a.k.a., pictures for their wedding slideshow

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-12517009520474338052009-05-01T14:59:00.005-04:002009-05-01T15:12:49.877-04:00

Trying to High 5 each other on the swings. They thought this was the most hilarious thing two people could possibly try to do, and were extremely amused with themselves. This went on forever.Chase and Sam had a great time playing in the mulch at the playground, which we thought was fine, until we realized Sam had a bunch of mulch in her mouth, which was obviously not fine, and then we realized

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-45790812685197228182009-05-01T14:37:00.006-04:002009-05-01T14:59:17.475-04:00

As I mentioned in Chase's 19-month letter, we recently took our boy up to State College for a weekend. We went with Bunny, Tatie Jill and Pete for a wedding planning weekend, but we also decided to show Chase around the campus he'll one day call his own.I'm generally nervous anytime we have to travel with him and share a hotel room, because he is not exactly known for sleeping well outside of his

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-57437856258827922872009-05-01T14:00:00.005-04:002009-05-01T14:34:22.661-04:00

Dear Chase,You have the croup again (again) and while it's not nearly as bad this time as it was last time, it's still pretty pathetic. You are feverish and sluggish and tired and cranky and congested and I blame your father. According to your Bun, he had croup constantly when he was your age, for years it was just croup croup croup, so much so that by the time he was three he was practically

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-15489926786676448452009-04-23T18:14:00.004-04:002009-04-23T18:17:17.766-04:00

Sam and Laura are visiting from Texas and Chase has been enjoying all this extra time with his future wife! The two of them have been having fun at playgrounds all over Bucks County, swinging on the swings, sliding down the slides, and occasionally trying to eat the mulch. Every now and again they take a break to share a smooch.Prelude to a kissSam goes in for the kill!

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-57170383973681836672009-04-21T14:10:00.004-04:002009-04-21T14:13:25.094-04:00

Congratulations to Brooke and Brian, who welcomed Henry Edward Garlits into the world last night at 10:27 PM. You can get more stats and pictures here!I just got back from visiting the newest Garlits and his proud parents at the hospital and I can report everyone is doing beautifully! They make an adorable family and I could not be happier for them! I love you guys!!

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-71343721684603448532009-04-21T13:38:00.001-04:002009-04-21T17:27:11.942-04:00

Dear Chase,Okay, so I just noticed I never wrote you an 18-month letter. This is probably because we were in Savannah when you actually turned 18 months, and I was just having so much fun in the warm weather and beautiful sunshine that I forgot about it. Then we came back to the frigid cold Northeast (it should be illegal that they even call it "spring" when it's still colder than 40 degrees and

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-11104841975862676162009-04-07T09:32:00.004-04:002009-04-07T09:43:26.810-04:00

This video is from a couple of weeks ago but it provides a fairly accurate example of what life is like in our house these days: tantrums, followed by hugs for JoePa ("Poe" to Chase), then dancing and trying to uncover the cap to the central vacuuming system. "Bye, Dude."

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-48879210663823795132009-03-27T07:45:00.005-04:002009-03-27T08:05:07.121-04:00

Every time we come to Savannah, we make a point of going to Tubby's at least once. It's our favorite place for lunch, or drinks, or lunch AND drinks (particularly after church on Sunday). Located right on River Street, it's kind of touristy, but it's a lot of fun and we always have a good time there. Chase especially enjoys it because you can watch the boats travel up and down the river.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-68783484565978162522009-03-27T07:02:00.002-04:002009-03-27T07:12:20.316-04:00

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-59410145055293278462009-03-22T08:23:00.004-04:002009-03-22T13:41:30.912-04:00

Every now and again, Chase rediscovers a toy he's had for a while and will spend hours playing with it. This most recently is the case with his Sesame Street Pop Up Pals toy. When he first received it as a gift, he didn't totally get how it worked, and it seemed to frustrate him that he couldn't consistently get each of the characters to pop out and sing their song. Specifically, Oscar seemed to

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-20501102427696286462009-03-22T08:06:00.004-04:002009-03-22T08:22:38.104-04:00

Yesterday Andrew, Zayde and I took Chase to Zayde and Andrew's barber for a real "big boy" hair cut. We decided we'd try out a real barber shop, instead of the kiddie place we've been going to, because it's closer to where we live and for some misguided reason we thought it might be fun for Chase.It wasn't.I don't actually think it was that much fun for Vito, the barber, either. Vito usually cuts

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-14677149423976594932009-03-20T10:22:00.008-04:002009-03-22T08:13:15.747-04:00

The other day Chase started climbing. He started with the kitchen chairs and progressed to the couch and the armchair and the bay window in the family room, and now he's just a climbing fool. It requires a lot of effort and energy to get up onto these places, but as soon as he climbs up, he gets back down so he can climb up again. This new found hobby means that we have to go higher up in our

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-91192743580091475432009-03-20T10:07:00.004-04:002009-03-20T10:21:43.367-04:00

Chase absolutely loves to hide and have us find him. His hiding spots are funny because they're like the worst hiding spots ever. He'll "hide" by standing next to a chair or half behind the ottoman in the family room or in the doorway to the kitchen (it reminds me of that Louis CK routine about playing hide and seek with his daughter, which I can't find on-line right now). But he seems to be

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-13612460995571408772009-03-20T10:02:00.003-04:002009-03-20T11:16:26.960-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Chase attended a 2nd birthday party for his friend Juliet, and one of the activities was making sticker books with those foam stickers you can buy at craft stores. Chase absolutely loved it and ever since then, he has become all but obsessed with stickers. He loves his sticker book and shows it off to everyone who comes to our house. His favorite stickers are the ones of

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-23621300455196662992009-03-11T08:28:00.003-04:002009-03-11T08:37:59.184-04:00

(Or, as the case may be, the plush daisy toys from the dollar section at Target)

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-12261327647445008652009-03-10T20:07:00.002-04:002009-03-10T21:20:56.177-04:00

When I was little, I loved playing the organ at my Nana & Pop Pop's house. That's not to suggest that I had any clue how to actually play an organ, but I enjoyed messing around on it and making lots of noise. My cousins did, too. It has all kinds of buttons and you can choose different tempos and sounds and it's always been a reliable source of entertainment for the kids (and headaches for the

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-86976025573187744932009-03-10T19:40:00.008-04:002009-03-11T08:50:08.292-04:00

Dear Chase,This afternoon I was putting you down for your nap and I felt like I could hold your forever. Your little face was turned into my neck and your breath was sweet and even on my skin and it was the best feeling I could ever imagine. Your little hands clutched at my shoulders, and as you snuggled in closer all I could think was how I wish this would never, ever end.I don't know how to

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-33844718010323911082009-03-06T14:15:00.003-04:002009-03-06T14:27:16.033-04:00

I owe Chase his 17-month letter but things are hectic right now, so in the meantime, I'm taking the easy way out with a video.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-22758259466210756862009-02-27T18:19:00.004-04:002009-02-27T18:25:43.775-04:00

Warning: this might be the dorkiest thing Chase and I have ever done. I'm just hoping it doesn't affect his college applications in 17 years. Courtesy of Photobooth. Again.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-91925125722849346272009-02-24T09:36:00.008-04:002009-02-24T09:59:05.568-04:00

Chase and I are really excited for my mom to come visit next week. She's coming up for a whole week and we can't wait for her to get here! So we figured, what better way to let her know how excited we are than another Photobooth video?I swear, after we made this video he walked around the kitchen saying "Nana nana, hi nana," for about fifteen minutes. Of course, he also mooed about seventeen

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-62700838937216374102009-02-20T11:33:00.007-04:002009-02-20T12:18:18.264-04:00

As a Valentine's Day gift for Andrew and K.C., Laura and I took Chase and Sam to The Picture People to have portraits taken for their Daddies. I don't know what we thought it would be like to try to get two toddlers to sit still in the same three square foot area long enough for a frame-worthy picture, but I can say two things for sure: 1.) We could not have done it if Laura's mom hadn't also

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-44734532872770849802009-02-19T09:34:00.002-04:002009-02-19T09:49:50.882-04:00

(a.k.a. playing around with Photo Booth, Chase's new favorite game)

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-53781762642520972082009-02-13T20:41:00.006-04:002009-02-13T21:01:50.404-04:00

I have to be honest, Tug drives me crazy. He's big and clumsy and often smells bad, even right after the groomer's been here. He almost always has dandruff and he licks people obsessively and he has chewed apart more pillows, blankets and furniture than I care to remember. He knocks things over and tracks all kinds of mud and grass and snow inside the house and last year he injured his knee in a

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-88036306502419394982009-02-13T20:27:00.004-04:002009-02-13T20:32:30.178-04:00

So I mentioned in Chase's 16 Month letter that he'd just had a nasty bout of the croup, which was something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. He was such an unhappy little boy, and I felt so bad for him. There aren't a lot of positives when it comes to having a sick baby, but I have to admit I enjoyed how incredibly snuggly he was. Every afternoon we'd have cuddle time on my bed and watch DVR'd

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-90821221068796219722009-02-13T19:57:00.008-04:002009-02-13T20:25:52.943-04:00

Last weekend we were treated to a beautiful 62 degree day -- not exactly the norm for Philadelphia in February -- so we eagerly accepted an invitation to go to the zoo with friends. I hadn't been to the Philadelphia Zoo since I was a little girl, and I'd forgotten what a wonderful place it is. Meanwhile, Andrew was especially excited to take Chase to the zoo because he has gotten so good at

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-12633887279452718932009-01-28T14:17:00.010-04:002009-02-11T13:53:40.947-04:00

Dear Chase,First, let me just say that I started this letter to you two weeks ago (note the date -- it wasn't even February yet), and then you came down with what had to be the World's Worst Case of Croup Ever and it kind of put any and all blogging on the back burner. It was awful, seeing you so miserable and congested and struggling to breathe, and we spent so much time in the steamy bathroom

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-56986901843747375142009-01-26T18:45:00.008-04:002009-01-26T19:08:58.451-04:00

[featuring the music of Hi-5 and a surprise guest appearance by Daddy, who I can only assume did not initially know that he was being filmed]

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-58228183403016689922009-01-26T18:07:00.003-04:002009-01-26T18:13:17.708-04:00

In true little boy form, Chase has developed an unstoppable love for cars, bikes, trucks and trains. He calls the trains "choos" and cars, motorcycles and trucks are all called "chucks." He's torn between his Hess trucks and his Thomas trains as far as which is his current favorite vehicle, so he usually ends up playing with both of them. He especially loves trying to run the Hess motorcycles on

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-78587261700090395752009-01-26T17:59:00.003-04:002009-01-26T18:07:07.565-04:00

One of the presents Chase got for his first birthday was a set of large cardboard blocks. They've been hanging out on the shelf in the playroom for months now, and the only mind he'd ever paid them was when someone else (usually Jimmy) used them to build something -- he would run over and in true wrecking ball form, knock everything down.Recently (possibly inspired by Obama's inaugural message

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-25266082026686416252009-01-23T09:47:00.005-04:002009-01-23T14:56:41.283-04:00

Yesterday our temps reached a near tropical 40 degrees, so Chase and I took advantage of the above-freezing weather to make a visit to the playground. Chase had a great time on the swings, and as the sun began to set and the temperature dropped back down into the 30s, I literally had to pry his fingers off of the swingset. He did not want to leave! Today it's supposed to reach 50, so we might

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-82917296650820071852009-01-23T09:37:00.003-04:002009-01-23T09:47:14.795-04:00

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-8055534275342981382009-01-23T09:26:00.004-04:002009-01-23T09:37:02.410-04:00

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-63456347221451464692009-01-21T14:31:00.003-04:002009-01-21T14:35:40.142-04:00

As I've mentioned before, Andrew and Chase take a swimming class together every Saturday morning. This past Saturday I got to go and watch them and it was so cute. Chase had a great time in the water with his daddy and Andrew loved getting to spend that extra time with his little boy. I took about a hundred pictures, but the lighting wasn't great, so most of them turned out either dark or blurry.

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-60903231281868258842009-01-21T14:19:00.003-04:002009-01-21T14:30:17.481-04:00

We also spent part of this weekend at Giggleberry Fair in Peddler's Village. We drove up to Lahaska on Sunday, after being cooped up indoors all weekend due to the snow and cold. Giggleberry Fair is kind of like an old-fashioned version of a Chuck E. Cheese. There's a carousel, games, small rides, and a giant "mountain" jungle-gym obstacle course thing that kids can climb through. Chase was

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-31661507877722227902009-01-21T13:33:00.007-04:002009-01-21T14:17:12.781-04:00

When I was little, I remember my Nana and Pop Pop taking my sister and me to the Please Touch Museum when we'd come visit them in Philadelphia. Back then, it was on 21st Street in Center City. This year, it opened in its new home -- Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. I don't really remember what it was like when it was in the old location, but the Memorial Hall site is fantastic. We took Chase

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-29418129021694882382009-01-14T10:55:00.005-04:002009-01-14T11:10:57.856-04:00

Lora over at Jakezilla wrote this a couple of days ago and I keep going back to read it (and re-read it, and re-re-read it), because it is just...perfect. It makes me cry. It might make you cry, too, but it's so good, you should read it anyway. Especially if you have a little boy.What kind of mother would I be if I didn't occasionally share pictures of my son in a boa and tiara with the internet?

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-25859615614226979312009-01-13T14:21:00.003-04:002009-01-13T14:32:52.224-04:00

(Continuing in the spirit of "better late than never...")Chase loves trains. There is a train at our grocery store, above the salad bar, and it's just about his favorite thing in all of the world. As soon as we pull into the parking lot, he starts to yell "Choooo! Choooooo!" from the backseat. Once we get inside, he could sit in the shopping cart and watch that train for hours. It's adorable to

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7116347861910186464.post-34982133669086750872009-01-13T09:18:00.005-04:002009-01-13T09:45:04.010-04:00

I've been so preoccupied with Chase's (lack of) sleep, that I just now realized I never posted any of my pictures from our visit from the Shipes. Suzi, Jimmy and Brady came up from DC to spend New Year's with us, and Ashlynne, Matt and Nolan joined us the next day to watch Penn State in the Rose Bowl. The game didn't end the way we would have liked, and Chase ended up with a 104 fever, but we

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940861777458196200noreply@blogger.com1