Chase at Age 2

• Chase isn't really stringing words together yet, but he says a ton of words—enough that I almost always know what he wants. He likes to drop off the end sound of words ("Why bother when Mom knows what I'm talking about?"), like "Me!" (short e sound) instead of "Mess!" Tonight in his crib he was saying "Ki!" I was busy tucking Trenton in and had no idea what Chase kept saying until I looked over at him, lying down in the crib, and saw he was rapidly patting his mouth with his hand, meaning he wanted a good night "kiss." 

• About a month ago he decided to be afraid of everything. If he sees the mail truck parked 50 feet away, he is suddenly terrified and will not move an inch until I pick him up, even though we're only a few steps from walking into our home. He suddenly acts like he's terrified of the indoor hallway at our complex, and he repeats "fall" under his breath when we ride the elevator. Don't get me started on the vacuum! All of this only means that I have been lugging our two-year-old chunker around a lot more than I used to. :) 
• Sorry in advance to bring this up, but the poo poo (as we call it in our house) is out of control! For the last couple of weeks I have very often changed four stinky diapers a day. I will be asking our pediatrician about that at his upcoming checkup! He is stinky so often that he's taken to calling it "ma foo foo," meaning, "more poo poo." It's always "more" since he does it so much! 
• He looooves bridges and tunnels right now. Our drives are narrated by him describing everything our car encounters or does—bridge! up high! down! hill! tunnel! (even if it's just a thick grove of trees that feels like a tunnel)

• He loves trains so much and ALWAYS knows when we are near the Caltrain tracks. He even always knows which side of the road they are on. It's a sixth sense! Sometimes he is so insistent about seeing a train that we just go to the nearest train station and wait on a curb until we see a train go by. 

• He certainly has his moments, and he can be finicky about funny things (like sun in his eyes), but he is generally a pleasant, easygoing little guy. I would say that where Trenton's personality tends to shine more (and has more ups and downs to go with that), Chase is just generally pleasant. (I'll probably remove this when they're old enough to read, but for now, we'll leave it in. :)
• He will give hugs to almost anyone we tell him to. And he loves to dance.  

     

I love his eye color. They're dark enough that you might not notice them, but I admire them every day. They're a cross between deep gray and green.

BIG smiles like this are kind of hard to come by with this little guy, unless you're tickling him, so I was delighted to catch this one, even if it is a bit blury. That's a mint in his mouth, btw, not a overgrown tooth :)  

Trenton's update will be coming soon!        

Chase Turns Two!

Happy birthday, Chasey Baby! You are TWO! (To compare, feel free to click over to his one-year birthday post.)

We started the day by opening presents....

A little later we drove over to the San Carlos airstrip (one of our favorite spots) to eat cupcakes and watch the planes, which Chase LOVES. No surprise - it was a bit too windy for candles, but considering that he barely registers that it's his birthday, I don't think he minded!

After naps we were able to go see BYU basketball play Santa Clara University!

The boys did so well. Trenton and Colton got really into it at times, clapping their hands over their heads with expressions of intense excitement and even booing when the crowd did. Both Trenton and Chase were pretty pleased at all the treats they got to eat. On the way home, Trenton told Grandma Nielsen on the phone, "We ate a LOT of good stuff!" (Thanks to all my friends who fed my children after they had devoured what I had brought!)

Future BYU roommates if it were up to me! These guys love each other.

Happy birthday, Chase!

Terrible Threes?

Terrible threes? Check out my latest adventures with Trenton over at Let Why Lead.

Thankfully, Trenton's phases usually only last a few weeks at a time, and we're already a couple weeks into this one. Cross your fingers we'll move out of it quickly! :)

And in case you're wondering why I currently have two blogs, I just have too much to say to only have one! haha

But really, I'd rather keep this blog a little less public since it is where I share DETAILS about my kids and what we're up to. Let Why Lead is for anyone who wants to get into my brain for a few minutes. It's therapeutic for me. :) Thanks for reading either blog!

Wedding Weekend!

Nothing says family togetherness like a wedding! We immensely enjoyed our weekend in Las Vegas celebrating the marriage of Ryan's sister Sarah and new husband Javier. Congrats to the beautiful couple!

Sarah has a huge heart and was the calmest, happiest bride. I was honored to be with her for her last two days before becoming a married woman! On her wedding day, she curled her own hair, did her own makeup, and says she would have been completely happy with Costco pizza at the reception. She is so down-to-earth and just wanted everyone to have a great time. Even in the bride's room at the temple she was thanking all of us for being with her and checking to see how we were doing. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?!

The whole Nielsen family, including Grandpa Nielsen, down from Alberta, who married us as well as Sarah & Javi. The boys, especially Chase, who bears Grandpa's name as his middle name, adored him. Chase continually gave him spontaneous hugs and called both him and Greg, "Pa." And Trenton could not get enough of those dinosaur eggs (peppermint drops) that his great grandpa kept pulling out of his ears!

We have Kyle to thank for picking us up and dropping us off at the airport, as well as letting us steal his car for a few days while he rode a bike to medical school! And cute Launa watched the boys during the temple session—Thank you both!

I love that girl! Javier is a lucky man!


Other trip highlights...

The airport. Oh my. We told the boys on Sunday that we would be flying on Wednesday. Chase thought we were flying right then, and his heart was broken when he learned otherwise. Then the afternoon of the flight it took everything I had to stall until it was time to leave for the airport. I don't know if any child has ever said "Flane!" (plane) more times in a row. The boys were just so excited! 


A diaper mishap led to a outfit change in the terminal. Sadly, that was not the only time on that trip that I ended up with Chase's bodily functions on me. :) Good times. 

We relaxed for a day and a half in St. George. I love that place and am sad that this beautiful house will likely be sold in the near future! But that's okay; it's the people that make it the most enjoyable. We watched the movie The Help, and one by one, Julia rocked my boys to sleep. Fantastic all around! No wonder I love St. George so much!

We can't forget that trampoline! 

I seriously hesitate to post a picture of us looking like big fluffy marshmallows, but it was one of the very best parts of the trip, so I cannot exclude it. Ryan, the boys, Julia, Launa, Sarah and I spent the night before the wedding in adjoining rooms on the 44th floor of the Trump Hotel. Sarah had the fantastic idea that the girls should relax at the spa that night. I will be honest and say that I did not think I would like it all that much. I was SO. WRONG. It was the perfect pre-wedding de-stresser, and it was just so much fun to bond with the girls. (Missed you, though, Launa!) 

The happy bride (right) and fellow bridesmaid (left) getting ready the morning of! 

It was also wonderful to catch up with Ryan's million cousins and aunts & uncles at the cozy reception.

For the first couple of days, the boys were on their best behavior, and I started to think maybe we were turning a corner and that they were growing capable of getting off on their sleep routines and still behaving like real live humans. They proved me wrong on the wedding day. Theatrics abounded, particularly from our eldest sweetheart. Oh well! A huge thanks to everyone who helped us distract and redirect our little monsters!

Another valuable lesson: Do not put two- and three-year-old boys in white shirts on a wedding day that will involve barbecue ribs, candy for bribes, and wedding cake! ("Why hello, little orphan boys, who is your mother?") Oh well again! I suppose we just had physical evidence that, in the end, they had a great time too. :)