Newborn Photo Shoot

We did newborn pictures of Chase when he was two weeks old.  My friend from high school took the pictures and I think she did a fabulous job.  She was patient and willing to wait to get the pictures we wanted.  We had been there for two hours and I could not get him to go to sleep.  I was ready to give up, but he finally fell asleep and stayed asleep long enough to capture these pictures.  So worth it....so precious!

Life Happenings

I know it's been a long time since I last blogged, but when I saw the last post was three months ago, I moved blogging up a notch in my list of priorities.  It was one of the first things to go with the arrival of Chase. Not that life hasn't been crazy busy the last few months...I feel like I'm finally getting my head on straight.  I started thinking of the reasons why I haven't blogged in the last few months and I realized how much has been going on and changed in our family these last few months.  Here's a list:  Jeff left Fidelity and started working with his Dad, Jeff and I had the opportunity to take over the running of the website My Giveaway Today, Chase was born, Jeff applied to Law School and got accepted for the 2011 school year in Ohio, an opportunity for Jeff to buy his own company came up and we had to decide between moving and going to Law School or staying put and buying a company (one of the hardest decisions we've had to make in our marriage...deciding between two really great options), Jeff turned down law school and purchased Clear Creek Field and Preservation(scarier than when we bought our house, but incredibly exciting as well), Jaxon started Kindergarten, Jaxon played Fall Baseball, Jeff coached Jaxon's baseball team, and Claire started Preschool.  Life has been hectic, but so many good things have happened...things that I don't want to miss journaling about so I'm hoping this will get me going...and I have to admit it does feel good to be blogging again.  So here's to making blogging a more important priority....

Turning 30

This year I turned 30!  We wanted to do a birthday celebration and a little getaway with our family before the baby came so we went to Park City for the weekend.  I've always wanted to take the kids to Thomas the Train which worked out great since we were already in Park City.  

They had a variety of activities for the kids....

The kids loved riding on a real train...

It's not something we will do every year, but it was fun to do it once.

After Thomas, we went to our hotel in Park City.  We stayed at the Marriott Mountainside and had a great weekend.  We didn't take any other pictures, but we swam, went to a yummy pizza diner, shopped at the outlets, and watched movies in the room.  On my actual birthday, Jeff and I went to Wing Nutz for dinner and saw the movie Soul Surfer.  This year, I felt especially grateful for the life that I have.  Grateful for my husband, my kids, a new baby about to arrive, both of our families, and my friends.  The people in my life are everything and I'm so grateful to be surrounded by amazing people!  It's crazy to think about being 30, but I'm looking forward to it!        

Graduation from Preschool

Jaxon graduated from preschool at the end of May...he was with Ms. Cameon and Ms. Stacee for two years.  After he got into the car on the last day of school, I asked him how his last day was and I could tell that he was trying not to cry.  He told me that he had to hug his teachers good-bye and that he wouldn't see them anymore.  He was so sad about it...he has a very sensitive side...especially when it comes to saying good-bye.  He has learned so much and is leaving with many great memories. 

 At his graduation, they spotlighted each kid.  Here's Jaxon with Ms. Cameon....I don't know if I've ever seen him more serious.

Some of his responses were:

Sometimes my family calls me...Jack. 

My hair....I like how my Mom and Dad do it.

My eyes...I like how they are brown

My favorite food....is Peanut Butter and Jelly.

If I could be any animal, it would be a ....squirrel because I like what they look like.  

When I grow up, I want to be a....firefighter because I think they are really cool. 

They performed some of the songs they learned throughout the year:

After the graduation, they let the butterflies go that they had watched hatch in class.

Jaxon with McKay....one of his best friends and cousins.   Jaxon loved being in preschool with his cousin..I'm glad they had the chance to go to school together for a year.   

Jeff and I are proud to be Jaxon's parents and love him very much.  We are excited for him to start a new chapter of his life in a few months with kindergarten.    

Ballerina Girl

Claire started dance lessons back in January with Ms. Kris.  She takes with two of her friends, Avery and Alliyah.  They have come a long ways since they first started and it's been fun to see her progress.  I'm impressed how well she already knows a lot of the ballet terms.  They do a lot of fun things during class and she looks forward to it every Wednesday.  

They had a dance recital last Saturday and did a little princess story for their dance number.  The teacher was on the stage and did it with them. It was really cute to watch them perform it.  Claire loved the flowers she got at the end from us and my parents.

The Green Dragons

Jaxon played spring outdoor soccer this year and was a Green Dragon.  He was on a team with kids from our neighborhood.  He improved a lot from last year and really enjoyed it.  We encouraged him every game to get a goal...we knew it would help his confidence in playing soccer.  On the second to last game, I had to take Claire to the restroom and Jeff wasn't there (he was doing a card show for his dad). When I came back, another mom told me he had just scored a goal....of course that would happen!  He was so excited even though we missed it.  After he scored the goal, he was like a different player.  He was up at the front and scored two more goals in his last game.  He's a great team player and was the first to cheer whenever anyone scored a goal.  We are proud of him and had fun watching his games!  

Catching Up...

The last few months of being pregnant, I lost my drive to blog.  So here's a few things from way back that I want to remember.  Easter was forever ago, but we had a great one with lots of Easter Egg hunts and family parties. 

Preschool Easter Party:

Jax and Claire at our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt:

Coloring Easter Eggs:

The Easter Bunny left them a treasure hunt the morning of....the kids loved it once they realized that the Easter Bunny had come.  Jaxon came and woke me up and told me that the Easter Bunny hadn't come.

The hunt ended in the basement where they found their baskets and lots of candy.

Trimble Family Party and Easter Egg Hunt:

Mansfield Family Party and Easter Egg Hunt: