Twos

If only he stayed this happy all the time! We love our little guy to pieces but he has been putting us through the paces lately.

Here's just a snapshot of the last few days:

Chase: "Mommy, mommy! The kitties biting my toes! He's biting my toes!"
Me: "What? Why!"
Chase: "I'm pulling his tail!"
Oh, my poor Smokey-boy! I came to his rescue don't worry!

We get home today and I tell Chase to wash his hands since he just slid them down the side of the car and they are black. I head upstairs to put Alexa down for a nap when I hear Chase start shrieking with delight. By the time I get back downstairs our powder room is covered floor to ceiling with droplets of water. I have no idea how he could splash so hard with running water! Rrrr!

To top things off, while I was switching loads of laundry, Chase found the dish soap apparently within his reach and proceeded to start squirting it all over the kitchen floor. He was trying to hide behind our island and squeeze it out so I know he knew it probably wasn't a good idea!

These are only a few examples of everyday life with our overly active little boy. We won't begin to mention the sibling rivalry that has evolved or the fact that I have to supervise his time with Alexa like a hawk. When that girl is big enough to use her fists Chase is going to deserve the comeback she gives him! Life with kids is definitely proving that there is never a dull moment!

Labor Day 2009

We spent Labor Day at a local zoo. It's a small zoo in our area that's a great starting place for young kids. The picture above is our little guy excitedly running from one exhibit to the next. He LOVED our day at the zoo.

Despite being really scared of the Lorikeets, Chase did give them some nectar from a cup. He absolutely loved being in with the birds and was so proud of himself for feeding them.

Chase was imitating the sounds and movements of the animals which was hysterical! This is Chase with the ostrich.

At the emu exhibit he made the same sounds the emus were making and freaked a girl out who was in front of us and thought something was behind her!

Making friends with an African Tortoise. He followed Chase from one side to the other.

The African penguins were quite a hit with our little man.

This guy was laying in the shade right up near the road of the game preserve that is tied into the zoo. His rack was awesome so we tried to get a pick through the fence. It was a great end to a fun day. Chase had a blast and so did we.

Family Visits

We've been having fun catching up with family we haven't seen in a while these last few weeks. My mom's sister, Rebecca, came up from Virginia for a visit on her way up north. It was the first time she got to see her great-niece and nephew. It had also been two years since I (Sarah) had seen her. She's such a pleasure to visit with. Chase warmed up to her and was hamming it up the whole night trying to show off. We were asking him to tell Aunt Becky his name and he refused so someone asked if it was Chuck and Chase said "yeah!". Chase became Chuck for the rest of the night.

Don't they just look like sisters?! They live far apart and yet every time they are together their mannerisms are both similar.

Sisters and sisters-in-law. (Keni is due anyday!)

Howard's nephew Austin was also in for the summer. We were able to get together with him twice while he was here. It was a fun time of playing games and watching the cousins get to know each other. Austin is now 14 but he did great with the kids and Chase made him read books to him each time they were together. Chase still thinks Austin is coming over when we tell him we're having visitors. He doesn't quite get that Washington state is so far away!

We're Still here!

We haven't disappeared in case you were wondering. It has just been a busy last few weeks. Alexa is army crawling/almost full fledged crawling. She has her two bottom teeth in and we think there's another on the way. We have more to share and more pictures to come at a later date so keep checking back. We are enjoying the heat and the A/C!!!

Attempts at a Family Self Portrait!

Goings On

I just don't have the time to get on here like I would like right now! Here's the lastest from our house.

Alexa is now up on all fours. No sitting yet (she refuses) but she's trying to crawl so we're not concerned. She has her first tooth and just continues to charm us. ;)

This handsome boy is letting you know how old he is. It's so hard to believe he's 2 1/2 already! Just the other day at lunch he told me to talk to him. When I asked him what about he just repeated "talk to me!". So I had to come up with random subjects that I could ask him questions about. We are actually having conversations together which is surreal at times!

He is doling out the hugs and kisses quite a bit and we just continue to eat them up. He acts so grown up most of the time that I don't always remember he's only two. Then, he does something like hiding his #2 accident in the ac vent of his room and I remember...

H O P E

I don't quite know what to title this entry. I hope you will bear with me (Sarah) while I step up on my soapbox for a little while and share some things a little more personal to my heart.

We are studying "Strengthen Yourself in the Lord" by Bill Johnson, at church. It is an awesome book. It is challenging every "comfort" zone I've ever known in my Christian walk and causing me to re-examine my walk with the Lord.

I started looking back through some old journals the other day and was amazed at the fire and passion I had as a young teenager. God was doing so much in my heart and life and in those around me. I was ignited and burning for Him. Somewhere in my older teens I grew frustrated with the way life was going and the fire in me began to die out. I didn't know what to do and in some ways I rebelled.

Thank goodness He loves me too much to leave me alone! The last few years have been very difficult for me as I have struggled to hold on to what I KNOW is true without being able to reconcile everything happening around me.

Our church has been going through a united desire for change and new life. We all recognize we need to move in unity and we need more than what we have. We were meant to have so much more in Christ! I am in agreement with all that but find that with my excitement for more also comes frustration that I don't know how to get there.

Last night the Lord spoke so clearly to me about what he wants from me. Once again it is so simple. He just wants relationship. Not desperate prayers when things are bad, not memorized lines at mealtimes, H e w a n t s m e . My focus needs to be always on how good and great is our God. No matter what's falling to pieces around me I need to see Him. My burdens weren't meant for me to carry alone. I'm to drop them at His feet and then I have to let them go and start worshipping, again, and again, and again, the God who takes them for me.

Sounds a little too positive for you? It is! Life in Christ was meant to be alive, exciting and new every morning! Everything about God is good ALL THE TIME! The devil will do everything he can to distract us from God's goodness because if he can do that he can undermine our confidence and hope. When we are so focused on God that we lay what's happening at His feet and choose to praise the Creator in the midst of the storm, the devil loses, God wins and we win with Him because we are heirs of every promise the Bible speaks about.

So this is where I am. The pessimist in me is being overtaken by the optimist. My hunger is to be worshipping daily, anywhere, anytime. Because all that matters is that He created me, loved me, died for me, redeemed me and has offered me all the promises of heaven, even as I walk here on earth.

There is more to come but this is what I have to share at this moment.