" ALMOST" There!

Kate & I have persevered at getting Chandler to walk all by himself every day this week. He has been "almost" there for a while now, but always chickens out at steps two or three. With Kate yelling, "ALMOST" with his every step, our persistence and encouragement payed off today! Big Bruiser successfully walked from Point A, the couch, to Point B, Big Sister! Way to go Chan, we knew you could do it!

Starting at Point A... the couch!

Point B... Kate waiting with open arms!

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My Favorite!

Park Day!

Just taking advantage of a beautiful day at the park... it will be covered in snow before you know it!

13.1 miles

I DID IT!

Thirteen facts about the race.

1. A very beautiful run (trees, streams, golf course, houses).

2. The cool breeze & 73 degree weather saved me.

3. Great shoes is 50% of the race .

4. The other 50% is mental.

5. I am definitely NOT a "hard core" runner.

6. Two grandmas (70+) passed me in mile 10.

7. Very strenuous.

8. Beat my goal time by 9 minutes.

9. The people cheering on the sidelines really keep you going.

10. The sight of mile marker 13 brought tears to my eyes.

11. Achieved one of my goals.

12. Probably my first & last half marathon... I'll stick with the 10K's.

13. I am a FINISHER!

After the race... I feel how Kate looks.

The shirt I received at the finish line... FINISHER!

First Day of Preschool!

Kate had a great first day of Preschool with Miss Tecia! The first thing she said to her teacher was, "I need mine bag". This girl does not forget a thing.

Getting ready to go inside.

Mesmerized by all the fun stuff!

"Look Mom, Thickers"

Today we met Kate's new preschool teacher... Miss Tecia! She let Kate choose a little bag, where inside was her own crayons, safety scissors and Play-Doh. When it was time to go, Miss Tecia told her she needed to leave the bag at school. Of course Kate started crying and said, "that mine". Miss Tecia was successful in trading her the bag for a sheet of Halloween stickers.

This is what Kate looked liked when we pulled up to the post office. She said, "look mom, thickers". Yes, I see that Kate! Yes, I let her go inside the post office looking like this. Yes, she received a lot of stares & chuckles. Yes, even a few comments, "Wow, you like stickers", "you look like my granddaughter", "you've been having fun"! And Yes, this girl LOVES "thickers"!

All smiles

The legs

Miss "Thicker"

Cooking in the Mountains!

We decided to test Steve's camping stove out that he got for his birthday. Saturday we woke up early, drove the 10 miles to American Fork Canyon & made breakfast burritos. Since our picnic pass was good for another 3 days, we went up again to have dinner for Family Night. We had a great time & the stove works like a champ!

The chef with his new camping stove.

Breakfast burritos with sausage & eggs.

"Trying" to climb a boulder.

Chan's ready for some breakfast, tongue & all!

Swiping the bees away!

Buddies

***FAMILY NIGHT... While we were cooking dinner, a co-worker of Steve's showed up with his family and their neighbors. The neighbors happened to be a friend of Steve's too from Arizona (Jenna Hill Bushnell). She even worked for Steve's dad back in the day. We visited with them in the 75 degree weather, shared our firewood so we could partake in their smores & the kids played until they became grumpy! What else could we of asked for?

Why must she pick up everything?

She thought she would eat with these?


Strawberry dipped in dirt... yummy!

Grilled turkey & cheese with soup.

Dessert...smores!

Packing up & going home!

FIVE YEARS!

Stephen & Sommer standing by a tree: H-U-G-G-I-N-G...

First came LOVE...

Then came MARRIAGE...

Then came babies in a baby carriage.

Happy FIVE YEARS to US!

A Monkey Party For Our Monkey Boy!

We monkeyed around with some friends & family at Chandler's 1st Birthday party. We munched on pizza, fruit, chips/dip, banana splits & chocolate dipped banana's. Some did a little swimming, others watched Chandler, but mostly Kate open his presents & then we cheered on Chan while he destroyed his monkey cake.

Thank you Lilly, Hailey, Maggie, Johnny, Ashton, Davis & Wyatt for coming & for the cool presents! Chandler loved them all.

The invitation

Of course we had a sign!

Swimming with Daddy & Kate.

A monkey cake for a monkey boy... thanks Angie, it was perfect!

His first swipe of the cake!

Gotta love the frosting.

Keep going Chandler!

Is it good Chan?

One messy monkey!

Happy Birthday...

...Chandler, Chan, Chanie, "Shalar", Chan-Man, Chan- Chan, Baby, Bubba!

He turned ONE today!

15 minutes before going to the hospital(please no comments on how BIG I was... I know, he was 9lbs 8oz.!)

Dropping Kate off at Papa & Grandma Stevens house before the hospital... our last picture as Three.

TWO Hours old

ONE Month

TWO Months

FOUR Months

SIX Months

EIGHT Months

The big ONE!

Weight: 23lbs. 12 oz.

Teeth: 6

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Buzzed & Blond

Eats: Everything, but LOVES pancakes, sweet potatoes, bananas, PB &J's & Pizza

Smiles: Always, loves to be tickled

Crawling: Oh yes! Very quick

Walking: Almost, 3 steps by himself but walks down the hallway by holding onto the wall.

Sleeps: Yes, all through the night... 9pm-8am

Naps: Two a day

Words: Mama, Dada, no, uh-oh

Favorites: tubbies, pulling Kate's hair, animals(his monkey), balls, waving to people, playing peek-a-boo, Do-As-I'm-Doing, dancing, stuffing the entire binky in his mouth, giving kisses, playing in the toilet, pulling all the Tupperware out of the cupboard & going on walks

WE LOVE YOU CHANDLER!