The Chantry Family Blog

12 Days with Nativity

2011-12-13T00:16:00.000-08:00

How is it that I so proudly planned so many great activities for our advent calendar and left out the whole purpose of Christmas all together?! Seriously, I've got to get my act together. One day.

I just stumbled on this website that has the "12 Days with Nativity." It highlights a character of the nativity story every day until Christmas, either reading a scripture about them, reading a poem, or singing a song.

Seeing that tomorrow/today (it's midnight thirty right now) is 12 days until Christmas, I think we'll be singing about Mary very soon.

Sorry about this boring post, but I had to post this link so I could find it later.

Not Quite What Dad had in Mind...

2011-12-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Sam to Dad on phone: I didn't tell Mom that you're the nicest dad.

Dad: Well, I think you should right now.

Sam to Mom: Dad always gets me lots of Blue's Clues and always gets me the iPad.

Casey's Amazing aka: Advent Calendar

2011-12-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

So my sister-in-law is spectacular. Everything she does turns to gold. She homeschools, crafts, sews, cooks delicious stuff, has a cute haircut, blogs, and does about 50 other things in the time it takes me to unload the dishwasher. She also puts up with consist, annoying phone calls and texts from me throughout the day and evening.

Casey always does a darling advent calender with her kids every year, having an activity for each day. I have loved the idea but just haven't been on top of things EVER to do it (I finally finished Sam's Christmas stocking last week. He's almost 4.) FYI: She also has a darling little felt ornament for each day that get hung up on a little tree. I am not doing that. I spent about 37 minutes last night, not finishing a grand total of one.

Well, she's not using her calendar this year and let me borrow it last night and so of course I stayed up much too late coming up with ideas of things to do.

Day 1?

The boys were great helpers!

P.S. Ashley, that little yellow star above Ike's head is all you. Too bad it wasn't turned around so we could all see you in your 4 year old glory. How did I end up with that anyways?

Some of the things we're doing are making Christmas cookies, going to see the lights at Botanical Gardens, playing Christmas Freeze Dance (sure to be an instant hit), writing a Christmas story, making a snowscape with shaving cream and action figures (my personal fav), and ending with reenacting the Nativity on Christmas Eve. I'm way excited about it.

There are tons of ideas of ways to make a calendar. This site has some really cute advents. This site has some really cute PreK Christmas worksheets (forwarded to me by, you guessed it, Casey.)

Halloween 2011

2011-12-01T10:12:00.001-08:00

We had such a great Halloween this year. It started a little early with going to the Chantry Pumpkin Patch (thanks Grandpa Doug and Grandma Abuela!)

Ike was fascinated.

Sam was freaking out. He was plum giddy.

He really was freaking out with the pumpkins. This picture, however, is a bit later in their green house, picking tomatoes. Apparently not so exciting.

Just now Sam said, "Those pictures make me miss Grandpa Doug's house. I want to go there. I am sad."

All the Chantry men: Josh, Matt, Doug, Sam, Cute Little Baby Aidan (his official name), and Ikey.

Patting Pumpkins?! Actually, they are popping bubbles. That totally makes more sense...

Then on Halloween we had a crazy fun time at our Party House and invited everyone we know, which consists of our immediate family.

I'm mad I didn't get any shots of the food, because besides the amazing company, that was the best part. Super gross and Halloweeny. Not bragging, just stating fact.

Ike and the List

2011-09-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Things I love about Isaac:

He loves to help. Isaac has a few chores around here and putting shoes in the basket is his number one way to earn his keep. It is so fun to watch him so happily waddle around with Matt's shoes that are half his size.

He adores his brother and loves to play with him. The funniest thing he does though is tell off Sam. Isaac feels things very strongly and Sam is assertive so they frequently have run ins as they play. If things don't go like Ike wants he will tell off his brother with all of his soul in Gibberish. It's so hard not to laugh.
He will listen to books! Hooray! This is a new development and one that makes me so happy. Isaac will sit in my lap and let me read to him. Sometimes.
Ike LOVES his cousin Addy. He talks about her all day long. Well, he might be saying "Daddy" or "Doggie" some of the time, it's kind of hard to tell sometimes, but Addy is definitely a popular topic. The two of them are best friends and do the cutest Happy Dances when they get to see each other.
Speaking of Happy Dances, Isaac does one every day for his Daddy when he gets home. This kid loves his dad. He's the first thing he asks about in the morning when he wakes up and I swear the reason he wakes up every morning in the early 6 o'clock hour is for the sole purpose of getting to see Daddy before he leaves for work. Lovely.

Sam and the List

2011-09-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Things I Love about Sam:

He's constantly saying super funny things like "You're eyebrows are looking a little big. Let me go get you some tweezers." and "If you had no skin on your body I would eat you for lunch!" Both comments were directed at me by the way.
He's a great singer. I hear him playing with songs he knows by changing the words to make a joke or combining a few together or making up new ones. I feel the collective shivers from my siblings. Sorry guys, I guess it must be in the genes.
Sam believes everything I tell him and loves everything I do. I'm enjoying this one while it lasts. It's a great esteem booster. I'm writing this down now so that in 10 years or so I'll have a fond memory to look back at.
He believes few things his father tells him. He's always looking at me to make sure Dad isn't feeding him another story.
Sam loves to help. Matt was sick tonight so Sam jumped to the sink after dinner, hopping up and down on the chair saying, "I LOVE to wash the dishes!!!" He actually does a good job scrubbing. I'm hoping the giant puddle under the sink will magically disappear by morning.
Sam has been working really hard at learning to ride his bike but has a hard time with, well, riding his bike. He loves the idea but the muscle coordination, while greatly improved thanks to Grandpa Johnson, is still lacking a bit. Matt came up with the ingenious idea to help him ride on our walk in the picture above.

Prayers

2011-09-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

The boys are so much bigger than the last post. I guess that happens in 5 months or so.

I love this picture for 3 reasons. 1. Isaac's head looks ginormous 2. Isaac is "smiling," meaning his eyes are closed 3. They are adorable.

Sam is such a great example to Ike. Here is his canned prayer he gives every meal time:

Heavenly Father,

Thanks for Daddy and Mommy and Isaac and Charli and me. Please bless Isaac that he won't scream (or yell or whack or be a grouch or whatever is bothering Sam about Ike at the moment). Bless the food.

Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Ike (or Ikey as cousin Addy calls him) is not to be outdone.

His prayers consist of either 1. copying my words with a drone on a given vowel or 2. nodding and not saying anything. This occurs after I say, "Thanks for Daddy" *nod* "and Mommy" *nod* and you get the picture. He can say these words, that's what's so funny. The things he can't say he drones and the things he can say he won't say a word and just nods.

Meanwhile, Sam is of course "helping" Isaac by repeating everything that I'm trying to get Isaac to say.

Doesn't Isaac look HUGE? Where's my little baby?

Ike: What a Character.

2011-04-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is Ike's favorite toy right now, besides of course anything his brother has in his hands at the moment. If he breaks out of the living room he beelines for Grandpa's shelf where he points at Eeyore saying "Uh uh uh!" until someone pushes the button. Then he flaps his arms up and down like Eeyore's ears but almost immediately runs off. He's too busy for anything that takes more than 3 seconds.

Isaac isn't so excited when he's left alone in the living room. If he could just learn to express how he's feeling...

Check out his 4 teeth!

Sam's Imagination

2011-04-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

For a while there at the end of March Sam had an imaginary friend. It was pretty cute. The friend would appear throughout the day: breakfast, brushing teeth time, getting in the carseat, playtime. Cute. He would walk around the house holding his hands out in front for his little friend to stand on. The friend was a little leprechaun named Lucky. Lucky was a girl. Fun.

Lucky must be visiting relatives or something because we haven't seen her in a while. He's found some new imaginary pals. The last few weeks Sam's been playing with Ethan, Syd, and Anna, his cousins.

Lately he'll have whole conversations with them.

"What do you want to do? Let's watch a show. Yeah, let's watch a show. What should we watch? How about Zuboomafoo? Yeah, Zuboomafoo. It is really a fun show. Yeah. Let's watch a show. Come on guys, let's go! Yeah, let's go!"

He scoots over as far as he can on Grandma's rocking chair to make room for Ethan. Syd and Anna will sometimes sit there too or will sit on the couch.

We sure miss our family in Utah!

What a Goof

2011-04-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Isaac is a Messy Eater. And a Noisy Eater, but that's usually reserved just for dinner time, when he has a large captive audience but that's another topic.

I frequently find food squished behind his head when I pull him out of his chair. I was in my 2nd grocery store the other day before I noticed the HUGE nasty brown stain across the front my white shirt. It took a while, but I discovered the source being the back of his black overalls. Wasn't poop, don't worry. Apparently he had pulled his Throw-the-Food-Behind-the-Head trick with some chocolate earlier.

He is a citrus addict, specifically loving mandarins and oranges, but Sam gave him a lemon wedge the other day and he was determined to eat it. That was funny. He'd take a little bite, pull it out fast with the worst sour face, wait, and then eat some more. He also loves grapes, pasta, peanut butter spoons, and hot dogs.

He does not like milk. I'm actually kind of worried about his lack of liquid intake. I swear he doesn't drink more than an ounce of milk a day. I will NEVER be able to stop nursing. He either waves me off when I try to give him his sippy cup or he'll take it and huck it across the room.

He's got a good little sense of humor and cracks us up all the time. I think I'll post some more later about him because apparently it's been a while. Yikes.

Sam, the Model

2011-04-21T09:35:00.001-07:00

We snagged a few shots after church a few weeks ago. Isaac was unfortunately not cooperating. Sam is sporting his ADORABLE church bag Aunt Casey made him for his birthday.

We love this little monkey!

Isaac

2011-02-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

Isaac is adorable. Loud, loud, loud, but adorable.

He loves this forbidden corner of Grandma's house and spends his time going between this, the fireplace screen, and the gate. His lifelong goal is to tumble down the stairs. That, and splash in the toilet.

I love how he's pointing to Grandma and Grandpa.

What a goof.

He's just started this new trick where he closes his eyes when we tell him to smile. I love that toothy grin.

Oh, those cheeks!

Isaac has lots of tricks:

yelling
giving 5 and ten
"smiling"
digging for people's belly buttons
"where's your hat?"- he puts his bib or whatever else on his head
peek-a-boo
saying "da da" very happily
crying "ma ma"
playing "whack-a-mom" where he smacks my face with his little hands
playing "snatch dad's glasses" where he grabs dad's glasses faster than the speed of light and then pokes him instantly in the eyes with them.
pulling the doggies tails
getting nasty looking bruises on his forehead
removing his socks. I don't know how he gets them off in the high chair with no hands. He's gifted.

We have found that nothing can bring such happiness as Isaac's smile and laugh. It's like the sun is coming through the clouds. Nothing can bring such frustration as his yell. The thing with him is that they usually come within 5 seconds of each other. Super fun.

We love this kid.

Sam

2011-02-10T11:30:00.000-08:00

I love this kid. He is a barrel of energy and has such a sense of humor. He loves to make me laugh and is so expressive. So expressive that it can be hard to get a 'normal' look out of him.

Sam and Ike

2011-02-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

These boys are so funny together. I love watching them play; it is the best part about having two boys.

They play a cute chase game where they go behind the couch in the "tunnel." Sometimes Sam's the chaser, sometimes it's Isaac, but it's always loud and fun.

At one point, Dad was helping Ike ride Sam like a horse, but by the time I got the camera this is what it degenerated to. Still fun, still loud.

I love the look on Ike's face here. "Wait a minute! I was the rider!"

This is a shot of them in the doggy bed, a favorite destination for both of them.

Yesterday Sam was feeding Isaac little teeny pieces of tortilla while telling him, "Good job I-get! You are a good eater!"

We love to play ring-around-the-rosy together. Sam and I half drag Isaac around the circle and we all love it.

Isaac absolutely adores his big brother and wants to play with whatever Sam has, which has been know to cause a yell or two. Isaac is a fast crawler, which has helped him to be happier but has been an unfortunate turn of events for big brother.

Isaac's 1st Haircut

2011-01-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

Matt said it was time. He said Isaac looked scruffy. I thought he looked adorable, but since Matt is in charge, off went the hair. (I say things like that so he feels better about himself, because I'm a good wife.) I'll miss you, Baby Curls.

Before:

After:

Oh, he looks like such a little boy now, darn it all. And no one had better leave any sort of comment about how maybe it's time to think about another one. (are you listening Matthew?)

Santa Video

2010-12-13T12:46:00.001-08:00

I was looking on a friend's blog and she talked about this cute video from Santa, personalized just for your kid. (thanks Brittany!) I did it last night- they ask a bunch of questions- and Sam was in heaven this morning watching it. We have had the BEST day because Santa told him how proud he was of him for making good choices. Love it. Check it out! Here's the link.

Adorable: it's not bragging. it's stating fact.

2010-12-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

Even in his pjs with a gunky nose, this Isaac kid is delicious.

Sam is such a ham!

These boys sure love each other.

It's only been 3 months...

2010-12-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

Sam and Isaac, I really do love you. You are my life. You make me 1. laugh 2. tired and 3. happy. In future years, please don't hate me for my lack of posting. I am terrible at consistency. Sorry.

notice the boxes in the background. I wish I could say the messy shoes were from moving as well, but unfortunately, I cannot.

However, we have had a busy few months.

Matt graduated from University of Utah with his masters (yes, he demands us call him Master Matt) and was SO happy to not have to make the hour commute up to Salt Lake.
Matt got a job that actually pays in money (who needs money?!!) in Seattle
We packed up our cute little green house with my red door, found really great renters who regularly thank us for letting them live in our home in addition to paying rent on time (hooray!), and moved.
We rented a HUGE moving truck and filled it up. How do we own all that stuff? We said goodbye to our friends and our life and left Provo. I love Provo. I love my friends. I love my red door. I love feeling the trains pass by. I love Smiths and Buy Low. Oh Buy Low! I will never forget your produce prices! I love our ward. I love the mountains and actually seeing blue in the sky. I love Ashley and Morgie, Lance and Mandi and their kids. I love KBYU and BYU and the Provo Temple. I love driving past the cemetery. I love Elementary Music and kids and teaching. I love never having my huge yard mowed or weeded and Grandma Lola pointing out all the Chinese Elm we have sprouting up. I love Provo.
We drove, drove, drove to Washington. Matt drove the moving truck, towing the car, with Charli as his driving buddy. I got to drive the red truck and had Sam and Isaac as my pals. It went WAY better then I thought it would. I had bought and wrapped a bunch of prizes for them to open on the way and it saved my life. After we got past the first hour or two the boys were really pretty good. I'm not saying I want to do it again any time soon, but it was better than I thought.
We moved in with my wonderful, amazing, selfless, loving, and patient parents while we regroup and relocate. I don't know who loves being with Grandma and Grandpa the most. Ok, yes I do- nothing is better than an in-house babysitter! It is so nice to have company all day long. I'm so not used to having adults around.
Matt started his job that he likes and has actually gotten a PAYCHECK (gasp!) and really doesn't find it funny that he has another hour commute, darn it all.
We are happy. We are safe. We are well. We are in the money. Hooray for us! We love being so close to all of the grandparents and other Aunts and Uncles and cousins and cousins-to-be.

And that concludes this chapter, and by 'chapter' I mean two things. 1. this humungo entry and 2. that part of our lives. We are excited to see what this next part of our lives brings.

Photo Shoot on the Lawn

2010-09-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

It was dumping rain the other day and I wanted to get some cute pictures of the boys in it but alas, the rain ended before I could get both of them awake/fed/dressed. Apparently having falling rain is overrated.

Ok, that is a CUTE boy. I'm not bragging, just stating fact.

Of the hundreds of pictures I took, this is the ONLY one where they are both looking at the camera with a sort of happy face. I swear Isaac's chubby little face is bigger than Sam's. Look at those cheeks! Oh, I want to eat him up.

My favorite one. Sam was "sick" and Isaac isn't a fan of grass. Heartbreak City.

Sam will put his undies on backwards on purpose- he really likes to see the picture that's on the bum and the wedgie in the back is unimportant. The backwards pants/shorts are an accident. An accident that happens about every other time he puts on his pants. This kid is killing me with his independence lately. "No Mommy, I do it!" is his motto. Opening the car door, cracking eggs, walking up and down the stairs, even getting Isaac's diapers and wipes are all things HE has to do. If not, we will have a breakdown. He even wants to help change Isaac's diapers. If only that would continue when he could actually do it.

Poor Isaac.

Cute outfit SamSam.

Baby Elizabeth!

2010-09-15T10:31:00.001-07:00

We were able to meet Elizabeth, Lance and Mandi's sweet new one, yesterday and she is adorable! She was awake the whole time we were there and just darling. I really should have taken a picture of Isaac next to her- he just looked HUGE.

Mandi looked wonderful, of course. She seriously could wear her pre-pregnancy clothes home from the hospital. Pre-pregnancy clothes, what are those? I wouldn't know.3

I think she totally looks like Anna.

Check out all that hair- the nurses did it so cute!

Another Sam-ism

2010-08-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

While putting on his church clothes this morning, Sam told me "Jesus will say Sam looks so cute."

Too Hot!

2010-08-13T14:04:00.001-07:00

I opened to door for Sam to get in his car seat today and he said, "Ow! Too hot!" stood there for a minute then said, "I blow on it" and blew and blew away. Works for food, why not car seats?

Wow.

2010-08-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

The outfit just kept getting better today.

Oh, I'm the WORST at Posting.

2010-08-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

I am the worst. I am so sorry.

But when I post, you get some good stuff,.

For instance, check out this bad boy of Sam. Yikes.

Two things: 1. What is he wearing and 2. What is that look on his face. Hello psycho!

This baby is SO CUTE when he's not crying.

or screaming, as the case may be. Wow. Is this the same kid? Can you say, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"

When Isaac is laying down on the floor, Sam will lay down next to him and snuggle him saying, "Best Friends." Super cute.

funny sam

2010-07-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

Isaac was sitting in his little chair on the floor and I noticed Sam had both his hands on Isaac's head. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was giving "I-ick (isaac) a blessing. Name of Jesus Christ Amen."

Yesterday when we picked up Sam from nursery the teacher asked us if Sam's name was just Sam or Sammy, not short for Samuel. Apparently the teacher had called him Samuel and Sam scowled, "Sammy Chantry! Sammy Chantry!"

We had to explain that Sam knows that when he's called Samuel, it's not a good thing. Funny.

A New Look...

2010-07-09T20:33:00.001-07:00

Early 2006. Super Cute and yes it was pink. We affectionately called it the Pepto-Bismol house.

This is after insulating all the exterior walls, replacing all the upstairs windows, new siding, new molding, and a fresh coat of paint. We still have some more work to finish up. (fix the posts in front of the house, paint them, finish touch ups, paint the steps)

A special thanks to Joy's parents for coming down and helping paint today. It made all of the difference. Oh yeah, and Joy finally got her red door.

This is after work on Saturday. I LOVE the way this is turning out.

Just in time to move.

That's just how it goes, huh?

P U!

2010-06-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

I was on the phone tonight when Sam appeared right in my face and scowled, "P. U.!" He then turned around and stomped off.

It was then that I noticed he was diaper-less and, sure enough, there was a reason for him smelling something gross. His naked little bum was pretty darn brown.

Super fun.

I really do love 2 year olds. Sam is a hoot.

Yikes. What kind of Mom AM I?

2010-06-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

We played a fun little game this morning.

Mom: What does Isaac say?

Sam: Gah gah gah gah

Mom: What does Daddy say?

Sam: Boo! (they play hiding games all the time)

Mom: What does Sam say?

Sam: Boo! Boo!

Mom: What does Mom say?

Sam: Time out!

Mom, looking for another response: What else does Mom say?

Sam: Hurry! Shoes! Late!

Great. I am the best mom ever.

Goofball

2010-06-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

And yes, he does go through emotions just this quickly. Thanks for asking.

Sam's Girlfriend

2010-06-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn has moved! Sam is so sad. She is a cute little thing from our ward that Sam has LOVED playing with. They are hilarious together. They would just run around the house having a ball.

Sam's Wearing Undies!

2010-06-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Look at my little saggy bum boy. Today is the day that he starts being potty trained.

Again.

I'm sure it will stick this time.

Sam was playing an extremely safe game: close your eyes, wave around a big ol' stick, and wander across the yard. Way fun.

a Comparison

2010-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

Isaac, day of first popsicle (today)

I thought it would be fun to see Sam when he ate HIS first popsicle. They are definitely brothers!

Isaac is totally chubbier and their eyes are different. Sam has my slanty ones and Isaac has Daddy's sunshine eyes.

That picture of Isaac totally looks just like my brother Joe, holy cow!

Sorry Hon!

2010-06-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Matt is out of town and is ticked at me (see last picture) and in restitution I am posting a billion pictures of my sweet baby. Sorry. Just scan quickly. With all the pictures, if you go fast enough it will be like a flip book.

Isaac, you are such a doll. Why are you feeling so happy? Any particular reason?

Oh, apparently you LOVE popsicles too! He was NOT happy when it was all gone.

P.S. Sorry again Matt, but I could tell he REALLY wanted a lick. We were all just laying there so sweetly on a blanket on the grass after our picnic dinner in the backyard and I couldn't resist. We could pretend this never happened and give him his "first" when you get back?

shoplifting

2010-06-19T21:56:00.001-07:00

So earlier this week Ashley came with me and the kids grocery shopping. Sam loves those car carts where he can "drive." Everything was just fine until we went to load the kids and the groceries in the car. Lo and behold! Sam was chewing gum. We didn't buy gum. We didn't bring gum and the package of gum in his sticky little hands was definitely not ours.

Sam and I quickly returned to Customer Service and brought back the ball!!! (gasp) that was in the cart and paid for the gum. Of course he couldn't have grabbed the Orbits gum that was on sale but we had to pay $1.39 for a pack of Trident, the brand of gum that I paid less for the 16 packs I got a few weeks ago.

Needless to say, Mom was not happy. Sam had to do some 'jobs' when we got home- dusting and carrying some groceries downstairs.

Poor kid.

An Original Story by SamSam

2010-06-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

Red: Mom and/or Dad
White: Sam

What should we call your story?
NIGHT NIGHT

Once upon a time there was a kid and his name was Drivedrive and he liked to drive a car, yes, Drivedrive drive a car. What color was Drivedrive's car? Yellow-green. Where did Drivedrive go? A dump. Dump a grass. What was the name of his car? Trucktruck. Drive fast. What else did Drivedrive do? Go go. Go go go go go. Where did he go? On a train. Go away. Anything else? No. No. No no no no no. What do we say when the story's all done? Bye bye story. What else do we say when the story's all done? A mess. The end.

Disneyland part 4: The Beach

2010-06-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much Rose for making this super fun trip happen for us. It was so generous of you and we had a blast. You are wonderful!

We ended up heading over to the beach one afternoon and had a great time there too.

Highlights:

Matt and Kelley bodysurfing
Sam collecting shells
Isaac sleeping by himself (hooray!)
Sam decorating our sandcastle with the shells he "cleaned"

Disneyland part 3

2010-06-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

The carousel: rode approximately 12 times

Dumbo: rode 3 times. Lucky for us that this line was the longest in the park.

Disneyland part 2

2010-06-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Isaac did pretty well for the most part. I did wear him for 25 hours a day though.

Even good babies have their limits.

The real fun came after we got back and Mom actually expected him to sit/lay/sleep on his own. Oh joy.

Disneyland part 1

2010-06-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Matt's mom's boss (did you follow that?) Rose gave us an all-expense trip to Disneyland last week. It was awesome! None of us had been there for a long time so it was extra fun. Sam was giddy- he had a blast!

Make this picture big and check out his face. Super funny!

Sam LOVED the water that randomly sprayed out. People passing by were stopping and cracking up watching him. He was SO excited. He would stand off on the side, watching the other kids and then take off through the middle, screaming and laughing until the water got in his eyes. Then he would have to go to the sidelines and rub those eyes forever until he was ready for another go.

Sam's favorite ride: the train that goes around the outside of the park.

Watching the parade

Dad loves his boy and apparently knows when to buy him stuff: when Mom's not there.

makin' cookies

2010-06-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Morgie's Birthday

2010-06-13T15:36:00.001-07:00

As I was going through my picture folders I realized I had some SWEET pictures from Morgan's Bday. I accidentally posted them in backwards order though. Oh well.

These are some cute boys. Cute boys with dirty faces.

Possible captions (make picture below big for best results):

1. Can you say creepy? Yikes.

2. Best friends listen to "Endless Love" in the dark.

3. What better way to celebrate your birthday?

And what is This?

2010-06-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

There is magic in two year olds. Everything is new and so very exciting. For example, take a paper towel roll. Junk? Not to a two year old; it's a wonderous toy, one that couldn't bring any more amount of joy or creative uses for 1 and a half whole minutes.

What is this below? I'm so glad you asked.

What would you do with a few coins? Put them in a wallet, a coin jar, or a junk drawer. What about a CD case? Probably stick a CD in it. How boring. Not my two year old, no siree. Being the brilliant, outside-the-box thinker he is, Sam put them in the VCR/DVD player. What an exceptional child!

Incidentally, does anyone have an extra VCR/DVD player? (it really doesn't work, darn it all)

Oh, and any ideas on getting handfuls of coins out of the Wii?

Piggy bank, anyone?

Funny Sammy

2010-05-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Matt drew on Sam's foot last night, a big no-no around here. When Sam saw it he growled, "No Dad. Ugly. Time Out!"

Sam: "I-ick (Isaac) funny. Good kid. Tough guy."

we sure love that Isaac

2010-05-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how darling this kid is when he's not crying.

Sprinklers

2010-05-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Sam was loving the sprinklers the other day. I love that he was running all around them, wearing his rain boots and carrying that little bowl of Captain Crunch the whole time.

Thanks Grandma Johnson!

2010-05-24T18:49:00.001-07:00

Sam loves his huge stash of clothes. Grandmas are the best!

The Diaper Train

2010-05-24T18:43:00.001-07:00

Oh, the joys of 2 babies in diapers!

cute shots

2010-05-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Graduation Matt

2010-05-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Matt's been killing himself this year, working on his Masters in Real Estate Development at the University of Utah. He walked 2 weeks ago. We are so proud of all his hard work and wish it was actually all over, for him and for us. He's got this one semester left and we're hoping that it's a bit lighter for him. You can do it, hon!

Sam and Grandpa had a great time during the ceremony. Lookin good, guys!

And I would like to apologize again to my parents for not letting them know about this. It wasn't intentional at all. It never occurred to us because Matt didn't really graduate. We would have loved to have you there. Sorry!

Blue

2010-05-20T20:45:00.001-07:00

I took these pictures like 2 weeks ago and didn't post. Sorry.

Isaac is so totally too big for that sack he's wearing. I've finally put away all his 0-3 clothes and pulled out the next size. Why is it so hard for me to do that? I hate the idea of him getting bigger but then I pull out the next clothes and remember how cute those are.

Isaac Makes Me Laugh

2010-04-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but I HAVE to post all of these pictures. How can I choose?

Mmm

2010-04-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

He may not look much like me but sometimes he is SO my child.

Sam's Cracking Me Up

2010-04-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

Apparently Sam likes ribs.

Why can this child so easily put on his baby brother's clothes and yet have a meltdown any time I ask him to pull up his pants? (yes, those are Isaacs pants and shirt. again.)

This morning Charli slimed Sam with her wet nose and Sam said, "Cold water."

Matt was (loudly) blowing his nose and Sam said, "Choo choo!"

greatest hubbie

2010-04-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry in advance: Cheesiness abounds!

I have to take a minute to praise the wonderfulness of Matt. He is so busy, between work, school, driving to school (almost 15 hours a week!), being a councilor in the bishopric, and then of course, us.

His class was cancelled tonight so what did he do? Watch some tv? Play some video games? Go shooting? Nope.

He spent the night tilling the garden.

Thanks hon. That job stinks.

You're the best!

"Another time, Chuck E. Cheese?"

2010-04-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

So, Sam had a pretty fun day. Joy had a Relief Society function Saturday morning so Sam and I got to go hang-out and have a little 'guy time'. We decided that we wanted to go to the Toys R Us and check out the Thomas the Train exhibit. (OK, I wanted to go to the gun show, but Joy still thinks he is too young. Thomas will have to do for now.)

I thought it would be fun to let Sam drive us there. I was surprised that he knew how to get there.

We got to Toys R Us and it was CRAZY TIME. It was almost all crazy little boys between the ages of 2 and 3. There were about a dozen meltdowns and kids freaking out on one-another. It was like a prison fight! Don't mess with some kid's Thomas or you might get shanked.

I don't think Sam could have had more fun and I don't think I could have had less fun. However, there was a bright spot among all of the screaming. Not long after some kid screamed right in Sam's face and snatched a train out of his hands, I watched my son give two trains to a couple of the more timid kids around the Thomas table. I was so proud. What a good kid!

I was even more proud that he wanted to ride the Harley-Davidson toy bike before we left!

He did such a good job at Toys R Us I decided to buy him 'Harold', one of the Thomas characters. He was really excited about it. In fact, he has to sleep with him at nap time.

While Sam is gifted in certain areas, potty training is not one of them. We (by 'we' I mean Joy, of course) have been trying to potty-train him for a while and he just isn't interested. So we thought that we would try to bribe him into peeing on and around the toilet, like a real man, instead of in his diaper by introducing Chuck E. Cheese or, as I like to refer to it, 'the kiddie crack house'. The idea was that if he does well with his potty training we will go back. Anyway, below is some of how the trip went.

Sam was pretty sure that all 3 drinks belonged to him.

He loved riding the trucks and cars.

He used his last handful of coins to ride this "train" (which was a trolley car) a half dozen times. He loved it!

Sam was first in line when the big rat came out. Sam gave him a high five and a hug (which, by the way, put his mother in tears).

So when we finally got the family in the car and we were driving home Sam asked, "another time, Chuck E. Cheese?" We are hoping that Chuck E. Cheese will help us potty train our two year old.

Overall, I think Sam had a great day and it was fun to see him so excited about every thing. We really have a great little kid!

Note From Joy: We got a killer deal at Chuck E. Cheese! Seriously, if you ever go out to eat you've got to check out CityDeals.com. You can get gift certificates to tons of restaurants for total discounts. I got this $20 one for $10 and was able to use a coupon on top of it. It was about $30 of food/tokens for $13!

more movies

2010-04-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have finally figured out how to post movies so you may be cursed with having to skip over more and more pointless clips. Sorry.

This is Isaac and this time he's smiling! I'd recommend muting it however because in order to get him to respond I have to use that "baby voice." Yikes.

Sam loved this book when he was younger. We've recently rediscovered it and apparently have read it a few times. By the way, a package of fruit snacks was devoured for this video to be made possible.

This last one is Sam playing with his trains. This is, hands down, his favorite thing to do. That's if you don't count watching Dinosaur Train or chasing Charli. Poor dog.

I love this kid's smile.

stats

2010-04-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

We had a very exciting trip to the doctor today for Sam's 2 year and Isaac's 2 month check ups. The highlight was Sam running out the door of our room, down the hall, into the busy waiting room, and "hiding" in the back of the playhouse. Did I mention he was only wearing a diaper? The second time he did it he was wearing clothes but no shoes. Super fun!

Isaac

Height: 23.5 in, 73%

Weight: 11.71 lbs, 52%

Head: 15.75 in, 52%

Sam

Height: 36 in, 81%

Weight: 27 lbs, 36%

(Yeah! This is the highest percentage it's ever been. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank WIC and its endless gallons of whole milk.)

Head: 20 in, 92%

couple videos

2010-04-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

Only watch this one if you're a grandparent.

The most interesting thing on this clip is the "Dinosaur Train" theme song in the background.

(how many of you said, "She wasn't kidding!" as you were watching?)

Right before his favorite show is a little "dance" segment where Sam gets up and dances with the guys on the tv. This video isn't nearly as darling as seeing it in real life but you can get the idea. Sorry the camera work is so bad. Why can I not remember which direction is zooming in and which is zooming out? I always guess wrong!

I saved the best one for last. This one is actually funny. By the way, his foot is not normally in his mouth when he sings. Little monkey.

the many faces of Isaac

2010-04-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

that's my boy!

I gotta write this down...

2010-04-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sam's cracking me up today.

At Lunch:

"Sam, if you put your hand in the glass, I will take it away." - Mom

"Sam take it." - Sam, with a sneaky smile and pulling the cup closer to him

Later Today:

I was feeding Isaac and Sam was sitting next to me on the couch

"whine, whine, whine, whine" - Charli, at the door, wanting to go out to pee

"Not today Charli" - Sam, repeating what he's heard a million times from Mom at the grocery store when he wants something

Funny Sam

2010-04-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Just reading the paper Sunday night.

Isaac's clothes and Mommy's shoes. Cute capris Sam!

easter outfits

2010-04-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks Gma Kelley for the Easter Outfits. They are VERY cute. I should have gotten the pictures before church- Sam's hair was all slicked down- but that would have meant I had a spare minute. I need to figure things out better. It seems like Sunday morning should be called Crazy morning.

I'm faintly hearing a song in the distance... Can't make it out... Wait! It's getting louder... "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday."

Stupid song.

How do you people do it with more kids? It seems impossible. We even have 11 o'clock church! You know, I am getting pretty quick with the diaper change though. Interesting the talents we develop, huh?

Sorry, too many words. Here's the boys:

the boys

2010-04-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

I LOVE those little newborn sacks. There is something so sweet about the boxing gloves over the hands. Isaac is getting so big though and I'm afraid he's going to outgrow the sacks soon. He's too big! If only they would be newborns AND sleep at night. Matt took this picture tonight with the "natural light" from the tv. Funny! He took a bunch of pictures and each one had a different color from whatever was on tv at that second.

Sam loves that show Dinosaur Train. One of his favorite things to eat is "meat" because Buddy, the T-Rex on the show, eats meat. We had pasta and meatballs at lunch and he wasn't interested at all in the red sauce until I told him that the meatballs were "meat." After that he ate a TON, more than me.

Oh, and his eyebrow was orange all afternoon. That stuff is spectacular!

Chantry Men

2010-04-07T22:19:00.001-07:00

Today at lunch Sam decided to stuff his olive with corn. Mmmm.

Sam's Conducting

2010-04-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Sam was so funny during conference. He did a pretty good job playing quietly (and messily, but that's beside the point). Every time he would hear music he would run right up to the tv and conduct the music. He was fascinated with the conductor and his "stick."

This video is so cute. Too bad I forgot that I was filming: please ignore my singing and tapping of Isaac's backside.

P.S. check out his conducting on "above." He's totally melding- super advanced! I didn't learn that until college.

Easter Bunnies

2010-04-05T12:17:00.001-07:00

I couldn't resist...

Isaac Smiles!

2010-04-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Isaac started smiling this week. He is such a beautiful baby!

It is so amazing how quickly he goes from being perfectly content to completely upset.

I'm enjoying these peaceful pictures.

good parent

2010-04-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sam helped me feel good about myself yesterday. He had a MAJOR blowout as we were shopping last night. Ashley gets a gold star for changing that diaper. Yuck. Let's just say his pants were un-wearable.

We still had to stop by the Distribution Center and I just thought I'd wrap him up in a blanket and throw him in the cart. They don't have carts and the blanket was around him for about 5 seconds.

This is what he looked like:

Everyone in the store was laughing at this crazy little runner in rain boots. Super embarrassing.

Easter!

2010-04-04T09:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!

Sam found a bunch of easter eggs filled with candy and prizes in Grandma Lola's yard (our neighbor). Notice the snow on the ground. I am pretty sure Punxsutawney Phil said there would be only 6 more weeks of winter. Liar!

The easter bunny dropped a bunch of eggs around the house. We are hoping that Sam found them all or else we are in for a real treat over the next few days as the lost eggs begin to ripen.

The easter egg hunt at Pioneer Park on Staurday morning. It was crazy. It was over in literally 20 seconds. So many kids, so few eggs.

Catch up

2010-04-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures from last week I've meant to post.

We took a walk and Sam was SO cute.

Blowing bubbles

He ate so much frosting and I so didn't care.

Sam LOVES Isaac.

I promise I'll post some pictures of Isaac! What kind of mom am I?

Monkey Boy

2010-04-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen Better Off Dead?

Sweet Boy

2010-03-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

He is such an adorable thing. Pay no attention to the dog hair on my sleeve. Gross!

Cute Boys

2010-03-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

These boys make us laugh. And pull out our hair.

It's amazing the range of emotions I feel within 10 minutes.

This picture doesn't capture a 1/10 of the sweetness. Sam fell asleep on me while I was feeding Isaac. Sam doesn't fall asleep on people. He was so tired and just wanted me to hold him but I couldn't so he laid down on my leg.

Nice hat!

Sam dressed himself. I think he's got a future in fashion.

I love those toes.

And those cheeks!

Isaac loves his swing. Thanks Grandma Johnson

Sam just ate his Easter bunny from Grandma Johnson at lunch today. He thought it was pretty funny 1) to have a bunny made out of chocolate and 2) to eat it.

Busy Weekend

2010-03-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend last week with Sam's birthday party and blessing Isaac. Since the grandparents would be here for the blessing we decided to hold off on Sam's birthday until they were there.

Being the stellar mother that I am I have absolutely zero pictures of the blessing, anyone who was there or even any pictures of Sunday at all. Isaac, I am sorry. I love you just as much as your brother but I am tired. Tired. Tired. Tired. And not quite with it. Sorry.

Thank you to everyone who was able to come and help us celebrate that weekend. What lucky people we are to have such great support!

Sam's "Neigh" mysteriously broke a leg a few months ago. He was quite intent on informing EVERYONE who came to our door all about it. Doug very kindly helped him fix it while he was here. No one is more grateful than I am.

Somehow we got these 2 great shots of Doug and Ana but none of any other grandparents. How did that happen?

Happy Birthday Sam and Happy Blessing Isaac!

In bed at midnight, up at 3am.

2010-03-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

So I'm not sure which of these t shirts I would wear 1st...

What do you think?

Isaac's Stats

2010-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Isaac went in for his 2 week appointment and everything looks great!

Length: 44 Percentile

Weight: 37 Percentile

Head: 52 Percentile

How's Sam Coping?

2010-03-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

Sam's doing pretty well through all this. He has become slightly more sensitive than before (and by slightly, I mean he uses more tears in a day then he used to in a month). Overall, he's a great big brother.

He really is sweet with Isaac and wants to take care of him. He's always very concerned when Isaac cries and yells "Chomper" (what we call pacifier), runs over to him, and shoves the pacifier in his mouth. He loves to give him kisses and "loves." I have to really watch him because he'll try to either "hold em" aka: pick up Isaac or become a human blanket on top of him.

It's amazing how big my Sam is.

just watching a show on tv

with his 2 favs: a cowboy boot (thanks grandma johnson!) and his car cup.

feeding his dinosaur lunch

on the train. SO fun!

fort fun

baby Sammy!

isaac's clothes on his head

We love our SamSam!

Home at Last!

2010-03-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

It was so good to come home and sleep in my own bed and not be charged $3.69 for each Motrin I took (the hospital bills came 2 days ago).

We've had a fun and busy couple of weeks.

Thank you SO MUCH to both my mom and Matt's who took a week off a piece from their very busy lives and stayed with us. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have 2 weeks of the best kind of maid service, baby sitting, and care taking imaginable.

Comparing feet

Grandma and Grandpa Chantry

Charli immediately decided that she wanted nothing to do with the new baby. It was almost like she was saying, "Oh no, not another one."

We went to the petting zoo and Sam LOVED it.

Yee Haw!

1st real bath

in the hospital

2010-03-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

Busy Couple Weeks

2010-03-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been HORRIBLE with posting anything. Sorry. Sam and Isaac are both sleeping so I'm going to try to catch up right now with a billion posts. We'll see how far we get...

The night before Isaac was born Ashley and Morgan came over. We spent about 3 hours trying to come up with a name for the baby but ended up being more successful with the potato head stuff.

Isaac Matthew Chantry

2010-02-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

Despite Joy's belief that this baby would never come, this little one showed up today at 2:40pm today.

Isaac Matthew Chantry

8 lbs 1 oz

20"

Joy did great! I give her 3 gold stars!

Sam thought it was fun to point to his brother's features. I am pretty sure he hasn't realized the full extent of the intrusion this little one is about to make into his world. Pretty sure Sam will be looking for the "return to sender" stamp one of these days in the near future.

A big thanks for everyone's help including Ashley and Morgan who watched Sam all day on their day off, Joy's mom who is flying out tonight to help for the next week, Matt's mom who will be taking the second shift after Joy's mom heads home, Rose and Dan who so graciously offered to buy Matt's mom's tickets, and everyone else whose thoughts and prayers have been with us.

We are just so grateful that everything went so well. Still amazed every time one of these little ones makes it here is such perfect form. How lucky are we!

A Great Day

2010-02-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for a toddler bed for SamSam for like a month and a half. I found one on walmart.com for $60 but then the mattress is another $40. I really liked it, but $100? Yikes. I just was holding off on it, watching KSL (like craigslist). Well today the waiting paid off.

I found the same bed with a mattress for $30 and the guy was so nice, he even brought it to my door! It was all assembled and everything. And they brought 2 fitted sheets with it too. Sweet!

Sam was a little bit excited too. He couldn't contain himself. He was jumping on the bed and so happy. Tonight he had no problems and went right to sleep. We'll see how he does tomorrow at nap time.

Monkey

2010-02-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Sam's been sick with a nasty gross cold. Yesterday was not good for him or me (see yesterday's post below). He's doing a lot better today (as am I) and at dinner made me laugh pretty good.

We were having a deluxe meal of grilled cheese with Curly Noodle, aka: Top Ramen, that he hasn't had in like 6 months. He was fascinated with the noodles and picked up a longer one.

He said, "Noodle. Floss." and then put the middle of it in his mouth with the ends hanging out. He sat there like that until I stopped laughing and then growled "Eat." and shoved the rest in his mouth while he made chomping noises.

Monkey.

A Sad Truth

2010-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a long day, but I have finally come to terms with the knowledge that I will always be pregnant. This baby will never come out and that has got to be ok. I will just adjust to the fact that moving is near impossible, my spleen is beat up 50 times a day, my neck is non-existent, I have negative energy, and everything is puffy.

FYI.

Open it.

2010-01-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

Sam likes to pat my ENORMOUS belly and tell me, "Open it."

Oh, if only I could...

He also likes to say, "Baby out."

I think his brother needs to listen to the boy.

Sam's Words

2010-01-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Sam has some words that he says really funny that I wanted to get recorded before they changed. Sorry he's so wiggly. I had to record this twice because the first time he was rolling on the floor with his bum to the camera.

We sure love this little monkey!

2010-01-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Chocolate anyone?

Sam was helping me make pancakes this morning. What a great helper! He's really getting good at stirring and "dump"ing.

Great Parenting

2010-01-03T19:20:00.001-08:00

Matt and Sam were playing a little ball tonight.

Direct Quotes from Matt:

See! He likes it when I throw the ball at him!
It’s not mean if he laughs!

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-03T16:41:00.001-08:00

I’ll tell you, Sam is going through major withdraws this week without Grandmas and Grandpas. Grandma Kelley and Johnson are taking Sam and Tiki for a walk.

Sam LOVED playing with his cousins. Somehow I didn’t get a shot of Brady or Molly, darn it.

Doug and Ana took us to Seattle where Sam was OBSESSED with the train display at Macys. We were there forever and then had to go back again.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t as impressed with the carousel. On the other hand, I look extremely happy. Yikes.

Is this insane or what? This was Christmas morning at the Johnsons. Ben & Casey and their 3, Joe & Mandy and Brady, their friends and their doggy too, Mom and Dad, us, and Ashley & Morgan were all there.

Sam was SO spoiled this Christmas. What was his favorite present? Totally undecided.

Matt got this great doll from Mom. It’s the ugliest doll I’ve ever seen… ha ha ha.

And Matt very sweetly got me the world.

Paychecks are totally over-rated, by the way. Who needs them?

Somehow I didn’t get a picture of Mom either. I guess the one of her back walking the dog will have to do.

We had such a great time with everyone. Thanks to all! We were completely spoiled. I’m having a hard time actually making meals again. Charli is probably the saddest though. She had the best vacation ever with Lance, Mandi and the kids. I never knew that dogs could mope until we brought her home.

Once there was a snowman...

2009-12-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Daddy and SamSam did a very hard job yesterday: they built Sam's first snowman. Oh my, was Sammy excited! In the course of the event, a few things were learned.

snow is very, very cold.
snow is very, very wet.
oranges don't stick to snowmen.
hardware makes great snowman accessories.
sometimes snow has to be dug down to the grass so little legs can get to the snowman.

when one doesn't rake up leaves and then it snows, the leaves are actually still there. surprise!

while screwdrivers make nice snowman noses, they make even better pokers.
sometimes pokers knock heads off of snowmen.

pictures of Sam: how unusual

2009-12-06T19:56:00.000-08:00

Sam's learning how to do thumbs up.

Matt and Sam have a fun game where Dad rolls up Sam in the blanket and then flings him across the room. Super fun.

Sam LOVES to watch videos of himself. As soon as he sees the recorder he wants to stop whatever he's doing and watch. It makes it tricky to get any video at all.

How righteous

2009-12-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Sam is in the Crack-Up-Mommy-and-Daddy stage. He is constantly pulling out random jokes to get a reaction. Tonight he was making the funniest reverent faces to tell us to hurry up with getting dinner on the table, darn it, because he was HUNGRY and wanted to pray so we could get to the food.

Oh, Happy Day!!!

2009-12-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is one of the great moments of my life.

Before:

After:

How many years has it been broken? And to think it only took $12 to make all that irritation go away.

Oh, Bliss! I've missed you, old friend.

Wow Mom. You're Smart.

2009-11-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

What does the doggy say? Oops.

My kid's going to have issues.

Sam's so musical

2009-11-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Mom used to sing this little song with me (and I'm sure all my brothers and sisters) when I was little and it's still one of my favorites. A little dark and grim, yes. But there's just something cute about it. SamSam loves it.

Raking Leaves

2009-11-07T21:52:00.001-08:00

Matt raked leaves this morning and ended up with a little more "help" then he bargained for.

Fun with Babysitting

2009-11-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

We watched Lance and Mandi's kids this last week while they are in Paris, poor things. We had a great time, no one more than Sam, except maybe Charli who was in heaven with all the kids to pet her and the warm deck to lie on. Sam was obsessed with poor Anna who bore it as well as she could. The kids were so great with him, playing with him and thinking he was so funny. His speech really improved in the few days we were there with those cute kids to model and talk to him.

My birthday was yesterday and we had a fun party there with DELICIOUS food. I think I gained 15 pounds last night alone. mmmmm.

Halloween

2009-11-07T21:22:00.001-08:00

We had a great Halloween. We went up to Sandy to ride Trax. Matt told Sam about it the day before and he would not stop talking about riding the "choo choo." He was so mad to have to wait. He insisted on wearing the bottom of his Elmo costume when we left to go. He had such a fun time sitting on the train! (and waiting for it, too)

Afterwards we met up with Ashley and Morgan at Chipotle for our free burritos. Yes, we are wearing foil on our heads, thanks for noticing!

When we got home Sam put on his hat and went next door to Grandma Lola's house to trick or treat.

Daddy!!

2009-10-30T11:32:00.001-07:00

It's hard on everyone to have Matt gone as much as he is, between going to school full time in Salt Lake (9+ hours of just commuting), doing homework, working as many hours as he can, and now being in the bishopric (which, from my point of view, is actually less work then being Elders' Quorum Pres). He is such a trooper though and is so involved and helpful when he is here, even though I'm sure he would LOVE to sleep or mindlessly watch tv or something.

Today Sam had a major meltdown as Matt was leaving, home for lunch in between school and work. He just wanted Daddy to stay. The last time Sam had seen him was yesterday morning for a few minutes. Matt took an extra 5 minutes and read Sam a story. It was so sweet.

Sam just loves that Dad. The very first thing he asks me about when I get him in the morning is if Daddy is here, and no wonder with such a loving Dad.

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-29T19:32:00.001-07:00

We had our ward Trunk or Treat tonight. I was supposed to take lots of picture since Matt had to be at school (boo). I brought the camera to do just that, but I forgot the card, so no pictures.

I snapped a few when we got home and Sam was overjoyed to play in all the candy. He was NOT happy to watch all of his treats go into a bag as we went around the church parking lot. I had to feed him Smarties just to keep him going.

And bad news for my monthly weigh-ins: I didn't pass out any candy tonight. This wouldn't be so bad except for 2 things.

I have no self control.
We only get like 15 kids on Halloween.

Yikes. Oh well. Nursing takes it all off anyways, right?