PTO Skate Night

The PTO has a monthly skate night.  I checked into it at the beginning of school but since Callie has never been skating and I heard it was pretty crowded we decided not to worry about skate nights.  Until last night that is - Callie came home from school intent on going.  I could never skate good and now 20 years later and more lbs heavier than we need to talk about I am sure it would not be pretty and I would have no idea how to teacher her.  So Daddy and Callie went off to the school skate.  They left a little after 6.  I knew it went until 8 but thought they would be home way before that.  I was about to call to see where they were when they got home at 8:20.  I am not sure who was more excited or had had more fun but skate night was a definite success and I am guessing will be a monthly thing now.  Several of her friends were there, including her two BFFs :-)  Shannon said she had done great learning to skate.

A side note that I wish I had stopped to take a photo of - I was doing some cleaning while home alone with Chase and he really wanted to help.  Give a 2 year old a little water in a squirt bottle with a couple paper towels and he is the happiest guy around!  So intent on cleaning.   I would suggest a place to clean and he would say OK Ma.

Fun things to Remember

Chase calls Callie:  Ca-Cal
At night when I rock him we have to go thru:  Dada nightnight, CaCal nightnight, Max nightnight, Mama nightnight, CHASE NIGHTNIGHT and lately even hotdog nightnight, Paul nightnight, Mary  nightnight and all the kids at day  care individually nightnight.
Going in to get him in his crib and he is standing there holding his puppy, blanket, cup and passy....and if he wants to rock then he says ro-rock?
Chase points to the TV when it isn't on and says Show?  Then he wants hotdog (mickey mouse)?
Chase points to the Computer and says Elmo?  Elmo off?  He really likes watching the video clips on PBS website - it entertains longer than most things and I have some great video of him dancing to one.
He has figured out that if I let him leave his jammies on when I change his diaper in the mornings then we are staying home but if I change him we are leaving so he fights and doesn't want changed.  Then if he has his hotdog or train pjs on he really doesn't want to change - one day I gave in and let him were his hotdog jammie shirt to Mary's house.  I found a cute mickey shirt for him so we have that now at least and he has two train shirts.
His FAVORITE show that he first saw over the holiday break was a mickey mouse club house episode where they road a train to pick up Santa or in Chase's terms - hotdog, ChooChoo, Hoho.
He is really starting to talk a lot more.  At his two year appointment he was still 90% percentile in length and head but average in weight.  They asked if he was putting words together and I couldn't think that he was.  Since then I have noticed and he puts a lot of words together and especially lately is really communicating better.

Winter Days

There is not much better than snow days when you can all stay home together and have an unexpected day off.  I think the kids were both still in PJs at lunch and sometimes supper.

Chase just wanted to sit in his 70s mobile - how he has missed it.  I didn't get an pics of them sledding.  The loved it.  Chase had to sit backwards so the snow didn't come up in his face and he didn't play long.  Callie on the other hand would stay out until we made her come in. 

The days together made for some good sibling play time.  They do so well together when Callie wants to play with him.  But he never doesn't want to play with her so the bickering begins when she wants to do something without him.

Callie was so excited to do the basketball little raiders cheerleading.

Chase can't quite figure out that you have to move the train to the crane.....

Legos have been a big hit at our house lately, big or little.

Callie all dressed up and performing for us.  She didn't have school on MLK day so Grandma Linda kept both kids at our house.

This past weekend we went to Mackaroos in Joplin - bounce house.  The kids had so much fun but of course I forgot my camera.  In hind sight though it may be best that I forgot it cause after playing together and having fun, Callie wanted to move on to the bigger things that Chase couldn't do without help and she just isn't big enough to be that help.  I thought I could distract him but he just wanted Callie so I paid and joined in the fun.  And it was fun - I told Shannon next time we are both paying at the beginning.  It was a workout too!  However Callie wanted to go on the biggest one so off we went.  It was not pretty, she got scared, helped me none so I would pull myself up and then pull her up each level to the top.  At one point Shannon called out time limit - not funny.  My arms were so exhausted they were shaking by the time we got down.  So I didn't need the pics that would have been taken of that.  Callie wanted no part of that again.  We had a blast though.

Chase's 2nd Birthday

We had Chase's 2nd birthday party on New Year's Day in the late afternoon/evening.  He got a recliner to go beside Callie's - hopefully to cut down on the fits over the chair!

He loved that he had a big boy cup and straw.

While we sang happy birthday to him he had this cute look on his face.  When we lit the candle he wanted to touch it and even though we tried to stop him he got it a little with his finger.  He promptly put both hands behind his back and wanted nothing to do with it.  Callie blew it out for him.

I tried very hard to make the elmo cake.  He loves Elmo.  Callie did too at this age but she called it Melmo.  It tasted great even if it didn't look quite like the pic I was going for.

After the party!

We waited and gave him his birthday presents from us on the 4th - his actual birthday.  Callie and I also made cupcakes and frosted with the leftover elmo cake frosting for him to take to daycare and us to eat that night.

Daddy is loving Chase liking the tractors/farm equipment.  I have had to cut him off from ebay purchases of orange tractors.

Christmas 2010 vs 2006

At my parents house.  What a difference 4 years makes.

Christmas Break

Chase thinks he has to talk on the phone when I am.  He loves it so much but the conversation is kinda one sided as all he does is look cute and smile at the phone.  Mom "gets" to talk to him a lot.  However then he throws a toddler fit when he has to give it back to me.

I worked on Monday before Christmas and Shannon worked on Monday and Tuesday but other than that it was a nice week before the holiday.  Thursday the kids and I went up to Mom's and while Chase napped, we made 5 pumpkin rolls, sugar cookies, and fudge.

Christmas Eve was a nice relaxing day.  Callie and I wrapped presents when Chase napped and we cooked for lunch and dinner.  After dinner we went to Christmas Eve service.  Since everyone was all dressed up, I tried to get a pic afterwards but Chase was tired of being in one place.  Aunt Tricia had kept him pretty busy with her purse during the very nice service.

And as soon as he got home he ran straight for his piggy to put the money he had nabbed from Aunt Tricia's purse.  Now that is the Christmas giving spirit huh.

Tried again to get a good pic of them both dressed up but it just wasn't going to happen.

Callie's plate all set for Santa with the goodies we had made at Mom's house the day before.  She had a hard time getting to sleep so for the sake of time, I laid down with her.  She was out shortly then and I could get back up and get going.

Chase would have been happy with just the smarties from his sock.  He promptly stashed them all.

After Christmas morning at home, we headed to John and Linda's for brunch and gifts.  Chase would hold Callie's hand for pics.

Then early afternoon we went to Mom and Dad's house for gifts and supper.  This is the grandkids.

Another attempt at a family photo.

Callie was so cute and had made gifts for Shannon and I.  Mine was a purse and card.  So precious.

The day after Christmas was Sunday and we went to Shannon's Grandma's for the last Christmas.  Then Wednesday Callie and I went with Mom to KC to make a few exchanges, do build a bear, and I came back home while she stayed the night with them and they brought her home on Thursday. 

Callie and Chase enjoyed playing together a lot during the break.  Here they are playing with zhu zhu pets.

Callie worked some on her Young Author's book for school.  She was very into it but one page at a time was enough.

Santa brought them a present that for now is in the garage.  They love their new playhouse!  Chase especially loves the door bell :-)

Enjoying the inside of the playhouse.

The stick horses were also a hit.  They both have hats too but at first Chase much preferred his fireman hat.  Now he wears the cowboy hat when he rides the horse.  I got a new camera and am still figuring it out, hence the blurry pics but they were too good not to share just cause they are blurry.

Chase and his choo choo train.