Hiking in Zions

This weekend we headed down to visit Kyle, Michelle, Porter, Jill, Kenny, and Aiden and had a blast. We got there Friday night and Saturday Kyle and Michelle took us on a beautiful hike in the hills outside cedar city.

It took surviving a 4-wheel drive road in a car, cold weather (in the shade), almost frostbitten toes, wet feet, hungry baby, sunburned baby, and a sore back, but in the end we got more than we sacrificed. We enjoyed really warm weather (in the sun), beautiful (and I mean BEAUTIFUL) scenery.
Chase did a lot of sleeping, some eating, and some laughing. He enjoyed himself as he always does in the outdoors.
I got to really play with my camera. I have been excited to learn how to take pictures of water looking smooth so here is my modest attempt at photography. All in all this is what we got to see!

A small waterfall


A slot canyon

and finally a large, very pretty, waterfall at the end of the slot canyon.


We had a barbecue with Jill and Kenny when we got back and got to talk for the rest of the night. It made me remember how much I miss Kyle and Jill living close to us and how I wish I would have taken more advantage of the time when they were here, now that they live 4-5 hours away. Thanks Kyle and Michelle, for the good food, great company, and a place to stay. We hope you'll have us again sometime.

4 Months

I can't believe it has already been four months that we have had our little Chase. It has been so fun and the time has just flown right by. Chase is now 26.5" ( 91%) and 13.13 lbs (29%). Chase at four months loves:
- to smile. He smiles at anyone and was even smiling as the nurse stuck the shot in him today. (the smile then slowly faded and by the third shot there were tears.)
- his exersaucer. He just turns and turns and spends a few seconds at each of the toy.
-to stand. He hates laying down and sometimes even sitting.
-sitting upright. He doesn't like reclining back on anything
- his dad. No one can make him laugh like Daniel does
-patty-cake.
- to be warm
-his baths
-people to talk to him
-being outside
-going walking
He dislikes:
-getting out of the bath
-getting dressed or undressed
-being cold
-being in unfamiliar places
He still:
-Flings his arms in distress (just as he did the moment he was born)
-likes to hang upside down

Congrats Daniel!

My dear smart husband has officially been accepted into the University of Utah's School of Computing PhD program. Now comes the decision of whether to commit to more years of school ahead (for both of us) or start real life and let Daniel be done with school for good. Oh the pressure of making life changing decisions- glad it isn't my choice.

Easter Break.

Today is the dreaded day that ended our wonderful Spring Break (that went way too fast!) It is even harder to get back into school and homework after visiting Daniel's home for a four day Easter vacation with lots of family there.Chase got a lot of "lullygagging" (A Torgerson word I don't know how to spell) and loved every minute of it, well once he realized it was o.k. to not always have mom and dad in sight.
Even the little boys wanted to get in a chance to hold Chase. Chase loved all the attention and even spent some time talking and laughing with Hallie (his cousin one month older than himself).
The E easter Bunny left an Easter egg hunt for all the kids. Chase even found an egg.

This was the funnest part of the whole break. The secret sandhill right off a certain highway that no one seems to notice. We hardly have any competition for it. Believe me it is much much steeper and larger than it looks in these pictures. I just took the pictures close to the top so I wouldn't have to walk all the way back up the hill when I was done. We had a blast and Chase enjoyed his time with Grandma and Hallie back at the cars.



Even Grandpa T enjoyed a ride or two down the hill.

This is a good majority of all the grandkids that were there this weekend. We couldn't get them all to stay in the picture at the same time.


Thanks grandma and grandpa T for the fun weekend and for spoiling Chase to death!

Pictures that make me smile.

I have many many pictures of chase that just make my heart melt (none as much as the real thing does), but I also have many pictures that just bring a smile to my face. These pictures don't always fall into the same category as the ones that make my heart melt, and I thought I would share some with you.


This is my little Chase after a bath. He will roll, twist, hang upside down, anything to be able to see the T.V. when it's on. Sometimes he will even pretend pout if you turn it off.

Bad hair day. Again watching the T.V. (can't you just see the mesmerizing swirling of the eyes? What is it with this kid?)

This is a make your heart melt picture. I am fully aware that he doesn't understand the sign that his hand is making, heart melting non the less.


Oh don't worry there are many more pictures that I will someday use to black mail my little Chase, but this is it for today. I hope you enjoyed as much as I always do.

The Vacuum Terrors

What a sad face huh?
Chase has many favorite things: warm milk, binkies are high on his list, clean diapers, his exersaucer, wet wipe warmer and more warm milk. Some things around our house fall into the not so favorite things list and at the top of that list falls the vacuum. Chase hates the vacuum no matter what we do. We have tried easing him into it, holding him while vacuuming for comforting, having one of us hold him in the other room and have the door closed and he can still hear it. This is so traumatic that the only way to calm him down is to comfort him as he cries himself to sleep. And I was told that the sound of vacuums is suppose to comfort babies. Does this mean I don't have to vacuum anymore?

Favorite things part 2

It's not that I don't have enough favorite things to do these post very often, it's that I have too many to decide what to do next. (These come in no particular order except for what is on my mind at the time).
Temples are one of my favorite things. Although it doesn't match the wonder of partaking of the blessing of the temples, the beauty and majesty of the temples hold a strong and desirable spirit. There is some attractive force that pulls you toward the temple even when time doesn't allow you to enter. The grounds are sacred and possess a wonderful feeling of hope. Hope in a world that constantly worries me. I no longer worry for myself and the trials that I will have to face (maybe I do a little), but what scares me to death is the things that my little Chase, and other future children will have to face and stand up against. The temple is one place that strength can come from for them and for myself. They are such a blessing to us and because of this, it is one of my favorite things.