DiegoBourne

Lazy or SMART????

2011-11-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Ever get tired of short cuts???

I have to hand it to him...he 'hung' up his clothes on his own initiative :) That guy of mine is always making me laugh!!

Dinner Guest Be warned...

2011-04-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

Confession Part One:

Since buying our house in December I have had to re-learn the art of hand washing ALL my dishes and I actually haven't hated it as much as I thought I would except for one thing...washing those blasted drinking glasses. Some days, I may or may not, just swirl a little water around in the glass and call it good...today is one of those days :)

You probably just want to BYOG (bring your own glass) if ever invited to dine over...

What to do???

2011-02-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

What do you do when your husband says "NO" to the perfect baby girl name???? Any suggestions on how to sway/convince him? I have 2 months to accomplish the impossible!

2 years later

2011-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how quickly the 2 years have passed. Chase has brought such joy to our family and we count our blessings everyday that he's our son!! Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my boy boy. Here's some of the things we did to celebrate...
Had some friends come to visit

Devoured a monkey

Ate too much sugar

Played in muddy water

Outside fun in the rain

Went to the science museum

And finally...opened up presents!! I bought him a train table that I was going to bring out to him but he got so excited/distracted about the first few gifts we never ended up giving it to him. We'll have part II of opening up presents tonight.

Amazin Man

2011-01-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

That's who I married. Seriously, how does one perfect so many skills in only 31 years of life!!??

Remember that old window in the red room without any molding or finished touches... THIS one...

Now it looks like this!!!! I can't stop going into the room to sneak another peak. It's beautiful.

Gotta love a handy man!

Demolition Begins

2011-01-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

We bought a house. A fixer upper in every sense of the word and we have the joy of living in a construction zone for the next few months. Actually, Phil and I are having fun with the whole remodel project. We started in Chase's room...because a happy kid makes for a happy home :)

Before...ALL walls were red...YIKES!!!

During...clearly we're not trying to be careful with the carpet. Phil scraped off the popcorn ceiling, retextured all the walls, ripped off the baseboards and moldings, and fixed the hole I put into the wall as I was trying to take down some shelving. Next on the agenda...carpet, paint, new baseboards, and new windows. LOVE it and love Phil for working so hard and being so good at EVERYTHING!

After...TBD

What a pregnant girl does without exercise...

2010-12-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

GETS FAT. I'm resigning myself to my fate. My doc strongly suggested no exercise for another 6 weeks!!!! That'll be a full 12 weeks without running during my first two trimesters. And I just bought new running shoes :(

On the plus side...no heavy lifting for 6 or more weeks which means I'm the self-designated manager of our move next week (ONE WEEK AWAY). Who doesn't like giving out orders :)

AND...I get to spend more time with this absolutely ADORABLE guy.

The glories of pale skin

2010-12-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

My mother has instilled in me a constant fear of skin cancer which has made me a HUGE fan of dermatologists...even though they get to do a FULL body exam. yikes.

So, a few months back I was determined to get Phil to go to the dermatologist because with all my experience I thought I knew a few things about "suspicious moles". Well...all my suspicions of Phil's moles turned out to be less than accurate but in the process of scheduling Phil, I decided to go with him for moral support. I guess my nervousness should have been directed to my own skin...I left the office with two lovely potholes.

Getting to the point...I GOT STITCHES today. Apparently my dermatologist thought my potholes weren't large enough so they called me back in to slice and dice once again.

I think Phil will be in charge of the dermatologist appointments from now on. I'm less than thrilled with my wounds namely because I can't hold my boy boy for 6 full weeks.

Phil was the one who was supposed to get sliced.

New pastime

2010-11-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

Chase has found a new pastime. Coloring whether it be with crayons, chalk, pencil, pen...whatever the utensil as long as it makes a mark. Here's some of his latest artwork...

Craziness

2010-10-22T15:04:00.001-07:00

I would say that is the current state of our lives right now. New job. Moving across the country. Trying to buy a home before the holidays. Shopping for a new car. And...............NEW..............BABY. I'm in the business of shocking everyone these days :)

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and almost over the first trimester/sickness hump :) It's been a crazy pregnancy with 3 ultrasounds already but everything is finally looking healthy and I can exercise again :) Pregnancy nausea which turns into very unhealthy eating + no exercise by doctors demands = an awful 6 weeks. Happy to say I went for a run on Monday for the first time in over a month and I enjoyed every minute :)

We're hoping for another one of these...

Calling out to ALL prospective DC visitors!

2010-10-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

You better get on a plane and SOON because Phil has happily accepted an engineering position back in San Diego :) That is right...in a little less than 2 months I will be in a state I call home and where I don't have to wear uggs around the house to stay reasonably warm.

So many things to look forward to.

Now...if we can just find affordable housing :)

A Week in Review

2010-09-25T05:38:00.001-07:00

The madness began on Saturday

1. Our lovely and very reliable (until now) car broke down on Saturday.

2. Phil left for Philly on Monday morning leaving me car-less and husband-less for the week

3. I got sick and went to the doc...I usually don't run to the doctor for the simple flu but a sign of lymes disease is flu like symptoms several weeks after having a tick bite. My paranoia had to be reconciled.

4. Chase got his first bloody nose from a nasty fall...and it was BLOODY

5. Chase fell down the full flight of stairs to the basement...thankfully this time no blood was involved.

6. Boggie threw up 4 times last night - different places throughout the house and ALL on the carpet...and one of those piles my foot met intimately...GROSS.

CAUTION TO THE READER...Gross story ahead.

7. Chase took a bath and I left the bathroom for a couple minutes (okay, you can judge me) and upon my return horror struck. Could it really be??? Chase had done the one thing all mothers dread in the bathtub...pooped but my darling little man took it to the next level of wrong and put the poo in his mouth. I freaked out, of course, almost vomited (I was still feeling sick), and then immediately texted my brothers and dad because I knew they would help me find the humor in the situation.

I think I had plenty of reasons to be discouraged this week...however I made it through with a smile mostly due to my awesome friend, Amber who drove me not once but twice to go pick up my car, brought me some of the yummiest ice cream known to man over, took Chase and I out to a fun lunch date to Chick fil A, and offered her taxi services any time we needed them. She really is the best! Also, thanks to my neighbor Karen who called everyday to make sure I was okay, and who drove me to the doc, waited with me and helped out with Chase.

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

Fun pics from one of our afternoons stuck at home...

Complaints

2010-09-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

OK. So I haven't said a word all summer about being eaten alive by bugs (Phil has probably heard it a couple times) but I can't take it anymore.

We went on a pleasant 30 minute walk yesterday and I came home with...

9 bites from these guys

AND two of these critters attached!! Their stupid heads were already burrowed into my skin...GROSS!!

Have you ever...

2010-08-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Gone grocery shopping without knowing you left your wallet at home??? Such a fun realization when a line of anxious shoppers are waiting to check out behind you and the clerk is standing there with an outstretched arm waiting for payment...OOPS. Also add to the situation an overtired toddler who was making his discomfort known to all who would listen.

CROCS...yes or no???

2010-08-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

I've always been a croc hater. ALWAYS. Don't like them, don't want them, and don't really want to see them. What does one do when a spouse arrives home with the despised purchase for our son? Compromise. It was hard...but I did it. Our compromise resulted in this fantastic sun tan.

If you didn't notice...he has approximately 5-6 clearly tanned dots on his feet marking the fabulous design of the shoe.

I think Alisa said it best in a statement she made on her blog, "I truly do not understand these plastic contraptions and their various offspring which seem to be taking over the world two ugly shoes at a time." *

*I did not receive permission from the author of this quote. Please forgive Alisa :)

REALLY?

2010-07-20T15:15:00.001-07:00

About a month ago our landlord informed us that they are going to try to sell our home. The real estate agent came by the house and put this wonderfully accurate sign out front!

Text OMG...I think you mean text W.T.H. to 1-800-needs-repair.

GORGEOUS??...you decide...

Bathroom covered in blue tile. So popular these days.

I'm always tripping on the uneven broken artificial tiles in the kitchen.
As far as I'm concerned...gorgeous is an exaggeration when functionality is in question.

Phil's rigged up system so we can have an electrical outlet in the bathroom via the other end of the extension cord. Don't even think about turning the light off while I'm trying to heat my flat iron.

Toothbrush holder has two problems. ONE-the holes are too small to fit a toothbrush (even chase's) and TWO- placed too close to the cupboards so even if we could fit our toothbrushes into the container they would be impossible to access. Very good thinking there.

UMMMM....where's the toilet paper????? Oh, why didn't I think to look behind the towels? No joke...the ONLY towel hanger happens to be directly above the toilet paper ring...both very much permanent fixtures on the wall.

Glasses? ...Glasses!!

2010-06-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the English language intersects with irony so forcefully that Socretes the Great Philosopher himself would have trouble making sense of it.

In English, eye glasses and drinking glasses are hard to tell apart phonetically speaking and so their fates are intertwined. But Italian for instance, specchio and bicchiere, have a fates phonetically disconnected and are subject to their own course in the universe, as it were.

The universal course of glasses and glasses in our house generally is a short ride to the recycle bin and then on to the great unknown.

Here is our cupboard where we used to store our glasses.
And here is the dishwasher where you can sometimes find the rest of the glasses when you are in a crunch before you have time to unload the dishwasher, which task takes less and less time by the way.
Yes, 3 surviving glasses.

Here is Melanie's glasses who's unfortunate naming convention got them into a heap of trouble.

Here is the replacement for our glasses. I will let you try to figure out which iteration we mean here.

And here is the author of much of the fate going on around here.

Fire Flys

2010-06-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

We caught a few bugs to help light up the house because we are totally joining the green movement.

Now we just can't figure out how to turn em off.

Chase, Chase, Chase

2010-05-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Chase is growing and getting more personality each and every day and we LOVE it :) Here's some of the things that he's been doing recently...

Loves to collect Sippy cups and carry two at a time.

Loves to bite down on everything, usually it's a fork or spoon mid meal or his toothbrush while trying to keep those few teeth he has clean. Pictured here is a plastic something or other found in the mystery spot in our house where he finds all completely random and unknown items.

LOVES mud and splashing. Lots of laundry for me these days.

Pool time

Isn't this the cutest whining face ever??? I just can't help loving this face in all of it's varieties.Messy meals

Loves to show off and carry around his sippy cup with no hands.

I don't have a picture of this...but he LOVES to bonk his head gently on any hard surface. I hear it in the morning when he wakes up, at nap time, in our living room against the glass french doors etc. Just the other day when Phil and I went running he put his forehead on the stroller tray in front of him to catch the vibrations...all while laughing. He's so silly sometimes :)

PHOTOSHOP!!

2010-04-16T08:32:00.001-07:00

I am currently addicted to photoshop and it's killing progress on the looming thesis!! The pictures I worked on this morning!

Before...

After... (hopefully that's obvious!)
Before...Yes, I let him destroy his whole cake that I worked for an hour to decorate...where's the logic?? -Michelle...Phil probably would have complained about the frosting to cake ratio anyway.

After... he's still a dirty mess!

Now on to my thesis... YEA!

Chase is talking...

2010-04-15T07:44:00.001-07:00

GIBERISH!! I've watched this video a hundred times and it makes me smile every time. I LOVE my boy!!!

Mickel Man WINS!!

2010-04-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

Very few people know how much I enjoy watching golf!! I know, it seems boring...but when you grow up with three brothers and a dad that love it, I guess it just rubs off on ya. After watching a rather stressful tournament years ago at my grandpa's house my gramps said to my mom, "Is she always like this when watching golf?" This referred to my occasional outbursts! Usually the answer is no but last night was another one of those tournaments with a racing heart sitting nervously on the edge of the couch. Phil may have told me last night that I looked flushed during a stressful moment :) I actually had to cover my eyes a couple times because I couldn't bare the disappointment had Mickel man missed key shots. Oh but the joy that followed when victory was made :) Thanks for some good entertainment Phil Mickelson!

Runaway shopping cart!

2010-03-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

CAN I SAY HILARIOUS!!! I put him down for a second so I could make a car seat decision and next thing I knew, my cart was off...with Chase driving :) I love him. Everyday he makes me laugh! Sometimes when he does naughty things, I have to strain my face so I don't laugh and encourage his behavior...and he knows it so he just waits until I crack and starts laughing with me. And you better believe I crack every time. LOVE HIM!!!!

*A big thanks to Phil for helping me upload this video from my cell phone!!! He's just awesome! Love you.

Today was a good day...

2010-03-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

I burnt

Cooked carrots

AND

Noodles

...my house smells like the inside of a fireplace

Hi this is Sister Hutchings...

2010-03-10T04:39:00.001-08:00

Is what I hear EVERY time I call my mother.

This is President Hutchings...is what I'm privileged to hear when I call my dad. Phil actually calls him president, as for me and my bros...we have to bring him back down to reality so President is far from what we call him :)

I've dealt with this for a year and a half and I'm actually starting to forget about it (except when I'm visiting the mission home and they refer to each other with their respective titles...SERIOUSLY, you call your wife of over 30 years sister Hutchings in the home when nobody is around and you're in your PJ'S...I digress) Like I mentioned...I'm starting to get used to it, however today was a new day. My mother called me sister Kensington. HUH!??? Seriously, I sound more like a sister missionary you've known for less than a year rather than your own daughter. HA HA :)

Actually, I'm my parents biggest fan even if they mistake me for a missionary. They are serving as mission president in Nashville, TN and working so hard. I love to hear about all the happenings of the mission and especially love to visit the mission home and see all their work and love for the mission field first hand. Thanks for being the best examples. MOM and DAD.

ONE YEAR OLD!!!!

2010-02-17T06:08:00.001-08:00

Our little Chase is no longer our little baby!! We're just wondering who he is growing up to be like??

DADDY?

MOMMY??

OR DOG??????

He LOVES dog food...I have to watch him like a hawk around Bogart's meal time.

He loves to crawl through the doggie door...STILL!!!

If Bogart gets to drink out of a dish...then he will find a way. He is always on the hunt for Bogarts abandoned dog bone. Disgusting!

They share everything. Bogarts food, Chase's food...oh wait....as I am typing this he's half way out the doggie door. figures. HOLD ON!

Chase's face literally lights up when Bogart enters the room. Chase loves to pet (hit) Bogart and luckily Boggie doesn't mind.

Sharing food again.

Chase and Boggie aren't the only ones who share food around here.

Confession: I ate a whole tub of these for lunch on Monday.

My New Weapon...

2010-02-08T15:41:00.001-08:00

That is a prank weapon. I mean, how many times can I throw flour on Phil in the shower and leave icy hot on the toilet seat before they get old. (Actually...it's funny everytime). I was at the bottom of the barrel of ideas and then...Chase starting teething and I got my hands on this numbing beauty. It worked perfectly on a piece of bread because of the red tint and jam like appearance. Girls...it's hilarious...and a must try!!!!

What the WHAT???

2010-02-06T08:59:00.001-08:00

I'm from a beautiful western state where things like this don't happen. We call this a lock down. Seriously, we can't open our front storm door.
Backyard FULL size grill covered.

Me. Trying to get to the front door via another route. Still impossible.
Phil, attempting to shake down the car. He made it that far. Then stopped.

Chase enjoying the snow with daddy. Before things got bad.

PHOTO OP! First time in the snow :)

We were warned about this storm...which is why I attempted grocery shopping a couple days ago to stock up supplies. What I thought would be a quick trip to the store ended up being two hours. I waited in line to check out for an entire 45 minutes and made an emergency run to the baby aisle where I quickly got baby food and fed him his entire lunch while STILL waiting in line to buy our lunch we had already consumed :)

Let's go back to CALI!!

"mostly NAKED in 2010"

2010-01-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a few pics to bring you up to speed.

Lost a business sock doing business.

Excuse me, I gotta take this call.

Your right, it does taste better with sticks.
and a straw.

Some people use their tails to make sharp turns, I use my tongue.

Christmas List

2009-11-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas wishes.

So. Mel said we should go Christmas shopping this morning, so I started thinking of things I could get her.
Here are a few of my ideas.Christmas List: new door handle.

Here is an idea I had yesterday while in the shower. It just hit me like inspiration.

Christmas list: New toilet lid.

Here is a gift idea I had the other day in the drive way. You never know when inspiration will come, you just have to be in tune, you know. Christmas list: New bumper.

I know its the bumper, but I think that name is a little confusing. I think we should call it the "don't bump her".

I am not sure who's name is on this next present.

Christmas list: New boat battery

Thank you for the tow, and a Merry Christmas to you.

And here is a gift we gave a little early to this dude while he was cutting across someones lawn.

The Christmas shopping season is early so let us hear your ideas so we can start planning our Thanksgiving Day Sales.

Standing Strong.

2009-11-12T08:31:00.001-08:00

Chase is loving his two feet and looks for any mid-size object to use as support to pull himself up on his feet. As much as it'll be such an amazing moment to see him walk...I'm not ready to say goodbye to my little crawling baby.

*Several people have asked me if I really decorated for Christmas already...my answer is yes. I was trying to beat Sara Darby this year since she's the queen of everything that is associated with Christmas. Jokes. We are leaving for the holidays around the 15th of December so I thought I should start early this year so I can enjoy my 12...yes I did say 12 nativity scenes before I take off.

What would it be like...

2009-11-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

to fit through a doggie door???? Phil and I looked away for a couple minutes this morning and next thing you know, Chase discovered an exit out of the house and was half way through. Fast forward to later today...Phil was outside and I was organizing the Baby closet (an endless task) and all of a sudden...I run outside and find Chase laying on the cement after crawling through the dog door and falling down the deck stairs. I did the only proper motherly thing and freaked out even though he hardly had a scratch.

Chase LOVES the water facet.

Request granted...

2009-11-04T11:43:00.001-08:00

As per my mother's request, here are some more pictures of Chase.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween...

Pictures and pumpkins
Dressing Up

Can you guess who we were??? Hint...TV personalities.

HUH?????!!! I think Phil confused the holidays or candy just doesn't suffice anymore. When do you ever buy presents on Halloween? He'll just have to wait until Christmas to "officially" own it because I'm counting it as his santa gift.

Can't wait until next summer so we can get our wakeboard on. Maybe this new purchase will entice family/friends to visit :) Maybe I'll even get a little tan next summer...just maybe.

No room in the inn

2009-10-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

aka no room for chase's pack'n play in a New York hotel room. We had to resort to plan B for his sleeping arrangements...

The Bathtub.

Other pictures from our AWESOME trip to New York!!

CAUGHT...me trying to steal a kiss.
Chase lounging comfortably in his stroller.

Thanks to the in-laws for coming to visit and making the vaca a blast!!

I DID IT

2009-10-10T08:52:00.001-07:00

I ate a HOT DOG after years of avoiding them...and I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoyed it!

Look alike...

2009-10-08T09:43:00.001-07:00

Is it just me or does Phil and Boggie's chin look similar...GREY. :) I love my aging family.

*Phil and I are in a blog attack war. It's all jokes and fun :)

Recent pics of the little guy

I am one HAPPY wife!

2009-10-06T06:07:00.001-07:00

What happened you ask? My AWESOME husband surprised me and came home last night!! I thought it was going to be another boring night alone, watching T.V. or working on my thesis. Phil has to spend long hours on the road which means many nights in hotel rooms but NOT last night :) Thanks Phil for driving the long, awful drive to surprise me!

Celebration...

2009-09-26T05:14:00.000-07:00

Bogart has graduated from his old ways of chewing up everything in sight. I am such a proud mother. He has not chewed up ANY of Chase's toys even though they are always within reach (on the floor). Here is the FINAL list of Bogart's destruction...

-Yellow/Black high heels
-Red leather shoes
-Black sparkly high heels (still wearable at this point)
-Chap stick
-Prego Candy supposedly to help with nausea...at least that's what I told Phil (a whole box)
-Cinnamon Bears shipped from Utah (they don't exist on the east coast....Grrr)
-Rich Dad Poor Dad book
-Unknown CD...too demolished to identify
-1/2 of flip flop
-6 foot palm plant...Destroyed
-Rug
-Door stop stick
-Video camera card
-Shampoo bottle
-Message oil
-massage roller
-Paint brushes
-Countless pens/pencils/water bottles
-My dad's Green pencil
-I Pod Card
-Potpourri
-Screen Door at the mission home
-Countless golf balls
-Finished off black sparkly high heels
-straw fishing hat
-An ENTIRE loaf of Italian Bread from the counter
-ENTIRE block of Parmesan cheese AND wrapper
-My contact case
-Front Door Rug
-The Ensign
-Various bills
-Destroyed Phil's black watch
-Ate about half of the wooden lattice on the deck
-Another loaf of bread
-makeup brushes
-Recycling several times
-HIS food dishes X3 (finally had to go with stainless steel)
-last pair of black Sunday high heels
-6 pack of toilet paper
-Brown high heels
-Adobe CD
-My glasses
-Black flat shoes
-Opened our Christmas presents in Nashville (several destroyed)
-Licked the spackle off the wall 4x's...made it practically impossible to repair wall

So glad this was just a phase.

Who's the bigger slob...

2009-09-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Phil, Bogart, Chase, or ME!!!????

My project.... (don't look Megan)

MY mess...

I won't even bother to show you the kitchen after I've cooked.

Ugliest blog contest

2009-09-20T18:56:00.001-07:00

So, this evening I decided it was time to refresh my blog background. I of course went to "cutest blog on the block" thinking as the website suggests that I would have an amazingly cute blog page after my visit. To my bitter disappointment I found many templates that had no place on a website that made claims of "the cutest". This particular background made a great laughing impression on Phil and I and inspired us to see if anyone could find an uglier back drop. It's a dare.

WHO DOES THIS????

2009-09-16T05:34:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning and discovered that the entire top of the cake was missing. Not a bite left with the perfect frosting that used to beautifully lay on top. On Saturday night Phil discovered that the cake tasted much better with less chocolate and more frosting. Eating the top half of the cake was that perfect ratio. (kind of like my brother Brian who insists that the perfect ratio of nuts is 1 Almond to 3 peanuts...and literally counts them every bite) I must admit I did take part a little in Phil's discovery.

Our Reason: We wanted to and we could because we're the parents now!!!

CHASE UPDATE... He's army crawling!!! I just love it. This morning was the first sign of trouble. I walked away for a few minutes and upon my return I saw that Chase had found a pen which marked up his face. BRING ON THE MISCHIEF!!!!

Where's Chase????

2009-09-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

If you missed the post from Phil's birthday back in April than you probably don't know that he has found a new hobby of videography...like he really needs another hobby! (Actually I love all his hobbies).

I kept poor Chase cooped up indoors all summer because of the Maryland humidity/heat and invasion of bugs...I'm not just talking mosquito's...we have a disgusting amount of ticks everywhere...we pulled over 30 ticks off of Bogart after a hike! Why would I want to expose my precious little man to the miseries of Maryland??!!! Because of Chase's lack of outdoor stimulation he fell madly in love with practically everything outside on our camping adventure in Maine. His favorite thing to do was to sit in his bumbo chair near foliage of any type so he could explore.

Video inspired by Phil's love of Where's Waldo as a child.

(thanks to Phil and his new skills)

New evidence.

2009-09-07T17:23:00.001-07:00

This picture was just uncovered from 2006 and tells chilling tell of what life must be like for someone with two left thumbs.

Other evidences of this rare debilitating condition are as follows:

This taken just days after our wedding and is the first recorded evidence of the condition during our marriage. Other non-recordable evidences include a rather lengthy list of flying elbows, hip checks in the mall, and thrice having fallen down the stairs with and without child. (See also posting named "Dinner Down")

2009-09-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a taste of our trip to Maine and the beautiful Acadia National Park.

I forgot extra food for him but this sand held him over for the entire 40 min. drive back to the cabin.

Dinner Down

2009-08-22T19:18:00.001-07:00

SERIOUSLY??!!!????!!!

Days with Chase...

2009-08-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Chase in his saucer... All those toys around him and all he ever plays with is that yellow stick!!

The joys of solids

Looking a lot like Phil on his day off...jokes. Chase LOVES the T.V. He'll do anything he possibly can to get into view of the TV. I only let him watch baby Einstein and only once a day but he would gladly watch ALL day everyday!!

I had to capture the rolls. The glorious rolls.

To fully rebut my previous comment...this is what Phil actually does on his days off. That will soon become our new entertainment center!! LOVE it!

Daddy fed me...and somehow I ended up with cereal on the bottom of my foot. I'm still wondering how that happened!

Chase loves Daddy most of all.

Chase knows all my tricks to get him laughing...at least he gives me a little acknowledgment for the effort.

Symphony or Exercise???

2009-07-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, Phil called me on Wednesday asking me out on a date to see Beethoven's 9th symphony since I'm currently reading his biography. We arranged for a babysitter and figured that we would purchase tickets when we got there since I'm still technically a grad student and I get a discount. I've been to many symphonies my days and I've NEVER been to one with a packed house so I didn't even consider the possibility that the show would be sold out. I think we made history last night...the first couple to be turned away from a symphony performance. What happened to the struggling arts?

This was us all dressed up, ready to be high class and to lower the average age of the audience at least 20 years.

This is us after driving 40 miles only to be escorted out...what else could we do at 9:00 with only an hour and a half left with a babysitter. That's right. We went on a night run in the rain.

Although the night was a date disaster, we still had a good time and we exercised long enough to indulge in some mint moose track ice cream. Anyone top that?

One finger is NOT enough

2009-07-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

Yes. That time has come. Chase LOVES putting anything in his mouth and when nothing is in reach, he resorts to ALL of his fingers. He apparently doesn't chose favorites.

We went to the National Arboretum in Washington DC last weekend and found this beautiful flower which became victim to Chase's new found hobby.

He goes for the reach
Then to the mouth...yummy.
The after shot...sign of success. I guess that flower has loads of excess pollen waiting to unload on unsuspecting observers. The pollen originally a purple coarse powder became a yellow stain when mixed with saliva that took two days to completely disappear.

A funny sign that was posted right in the middle of a beautiful nature trail. Random but quite fitting for our little guy!

"Turn off the burner," said Phil...

2009-06-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Phil is always tellin me to turn the oven and burners off when I'm done...well I learned my lesson today and I will finally take his advice. I made brownies today to surprise Phil...I NEVER bake for him so I thought I would make a tasty treat for our Monday FHE night. I was very careful not to burn the brownies IN the oven...and figured once I took them out, I was off the hook of any dangers that would ruin my wonderful surprise. Well I guess that I had forgotten to turn off the stupid burner after making dinner and placed my wonderfully perfect brownies on the burner that was still lit (it only had a little flame...I'm not completely oblivious). Tell me this has happened to someone else! This definitely tops the night when I accidentally elbowed the pan that held our dinner and splattered ALL over the floor.

The bottom of my brownie pan...

In other news. Chase has rolled over and I actually witnessed it :)

Acting out...Part II

2009-05-10T02:07:00.000-07:00

So, Bogart got bored the other day and decided to have a hay day in my garden. Yep...that means he ate several plants, dug holes everywhere, and trampled and ruined my nicely stacked rows. Luckily, I have an awesome husband who made a home depot run and together we rebuilt it and put another 2 feet of chicken wire around the garden now making a 5 foot high barrier...I'm going to have to do the polvault to get over and into the garden but least it will stay Bogart free!

Bogart's recent bad behavior didn't stop us from celebrating his one year birthday...actually we just wanted a good excuse for some cake :)

As a sidenote...I can never seem to keep Chase's arms IN this snuggli.

GROSS

2009-05-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Bogart has acted out...probably because of his recent manicure. I came home to a house full of torn up diapers. I left the house for apparently too long and Bogart found the trash can of diapers and dove in. He'll be outside until I get over being grossed out :) I guess he just had to prove his manhood.

Carried Away

2009-05-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

I got carried away again...and painted poor Boggies nails. He's been licking at his paw and hiding it all day seemingly ashamed at his new girly look. Oh, and I know my toes are crooked so no need to comment about them :) Phil tried to paint my skin once where my toenail would be if it weren't crooked...it was pretty convincing...I finally felt normal. Unfortunately, nail polish lasts much longer when applied to the nail instead of skin so the feeling of normalcy was short lived.

A taste of home

2009-05-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

We don't live in San Diego anymore which means that Shamoo and his family are far from our grasp. On Saturday we decided to do the closest thing possible to the "Sea World" experience and go to the national aquarium in Baltimore topped with a dolphin show. The dolphins, as always, were spectacular, probably on loan from San Diego along with the alternate coaching staff who spent most the time trying to sell us on saving the Chesapeake Bay...they even had a video showing us how to pick up trash.

We went to a 4-D Imax film...that's right 4-D. The fourth Dimmension was the added elements of spraying water in our faces and blowing air on our feet and backs. The best part of the film was to listen to all the kids reaction to being sprayed, poked, and winded. At one particular moment a scientist came right to your face and threw up while simultaneously you got sprayed with a mist of water. It felt dirty. The kids cried, laughed, and screamed...and poor Chase came out of the experience wet and alarmed.

Happy Birthday....

2009-04-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

To my HOT and AWESOME husband!

Okay...so I told myself and Phil that I wouldn't be all cheesy and post a blog entry dedicated to him for his birthday...I changed my mind. Why not?

He's awesome for so many reasons...here's a few to chomp on.

He can do anything better than me. Sometimes it makes me mad...not really :) Example...I cook most of the meals around this joint and rarely, other than BBQ, does he come near the kitchen (most of that is due to time constraints). He waltzes into the kitchen the other night with a bag of gourmet groceries and whips up an AMAZING pasta without a recipe...better than any I've ever attempted. Grrrr....jokes.
He loves sauces and condiments and will practically try ANY condiment on any dish. Sometimes it doesn't work out. The worst is when we have waffles because he mixes them all (honey, PB, jam, syrup, powdered sugar, fruit) on the same waffle for an overbearing breakfast experience. Maybe it's how he wakes up. WOW.
He can fix anything...and I mean anything.
His lips are huge...a Bourne trait that hopefully passes on to our children. I'll feel so bad if I give my dried up skinny lips to the kids.
He looks great with or without a shave...can't say the same for me (legs)
He is the hardest worker I know...which is slightly amusing to me because I had an ungrounded concern about his work ethic in San Diego...who actually works in SD when the beach is minutes away?
He is the scout of all scouts...a true Idahoan.
Witty, clever, sarcastic...you name it
He has an interest in practically everything and has quite the list of hobbies...naming a few: guitar, painting, constructing robots, reading books such as Isaac Newton and Einstein biographies, fly fishing (also tying the artificial flys he uses as bait), rollar hockie, running (he started running with me in San Diego and now has surpassed me as the better runner...again grrrr), cooking, camping, hiking, biking, restoring rusted old bikes, backpacking, rock climbing, wakeboarding, wind surfing, surfing, and videography
He volunteers to help with the baby at all hours of the night even when he has a 16 hour day ahead of him...of course I don't allow it but I totally appreciate the kind offers
Chase seriously adores him. Everytime Chase hears his voice he looks around to find him and just stares at him while smiling. Phil is a great father.
He's addicted to Diet Coke...but won't admit it. Jaleen knows what I'm talking about :)

Smart, funny, talented, kind...what more could I ask for in a husband. I just love him :)

Newton's Third Law...

2009-04-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"

If only this could apply to the relationship of a newborn baby growing and the newly postpartum mother's waist line shrinking. The key of the wish is an EQUAL and OPPOSITE reaction. Not to distort the meaning of Newton's third law but oh how I wish that I could shrink as quickly as my baby grows :) Last month alone he jumped from the 20th percentile to the 80th growing a whole 4 inches and gaining over 5 pounds!! Subtracting 4 inches from my waist line would do wonders :) Let's look at my little mans progress.

Notice the swollen appeal in my face has thankfully left...we'll keep hoping about the waistline :)

BONUS PICS

Eco Geek

2009-04-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

Problem: Notice the amount of one of our recent energy bills

Solution: Geek ourselves out with eco friendly innovations that save gas/electricity...one option pictured below. Solar Oven.

Once the rain stops we will test our creation and I will surely blog the results. Say goodbye to $400 bills and being "normal"

Chase is Bourne!

2009-04-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue. First of all, things with the doctor went well. She arrived to the hospital promptly...approximately an hour and a half after the babies head was already crowning and I was dialated to a ten. Apparently she thought she had time to kill so she was setting up for the surgeries she was going to perform later that day in the SAME hospital I was patiently waiting in. Oh also, she hung up on our nurse...our nurse was NOT happy about it. Regardless of the doctor, the delivery went smoothly and Chase is healthy, VERY cute, and sometimes happy :) We're suspecting he has a little colic but nothing has been determined yet. The hardest adjustment is dealing with the dog. He's extremely jealous and wants my attention constantly. I locked myself in a room to eat dinner last night just to hide from the him...the dog (No, I was not hiding from Phil, he wasn't home) and I could hear Bogart breathing under the door trying to get in. He decided to just wait there until I came out which was an entire 30 minutes. Crazy dog. Luckily there is a dog park a few miles from our home which has now become a daily outing for the baby and I. I love EVERY face that Chase makes and wish that I could capture them all on film...here's a few of our favorite shots.

Doctor Drama

2009-01-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

Let me just start by saying I am not against all medicine, I'm not a homeopathic (not that there is anything wrong with it), and I certainly don't hate all doctors...just mine!!

On Tuesday I went in for my 37 week exam...yes, that means I'm three meagly weeks away from delivery :)...and during my conversation with my mean doctor the topic of inducing came up. As pregnant women, we all have very different philosophies/concerns about labor and delivery and one of my concerns is unnecessarily inducing labor. It works for some...but I would rather allow my body to naturally go into labor. It has been my understanding that a safe delivery is between the weeks of 38-41 (or 42 depending on the doc) but my doctor seems to think that 4 days past your due date you're high risk. I simply stated to my doc that I would like to avoid pitocin if possible...this was her reply and I'm not adding or subtracting from her words... "Pitocin is better than a stillborn. You have to weigh it out, Pitocin (pause) OR dead baby." (There were accompanying hand gestures to emphasize the two options she suggested.) AND THEN SHE WALKED OUT!! Like that was the final statement. No explanation, no talking it through, not even a goodbye/nice to see you. Unfortunately I'm weeks away from delivering and a new doc is not an option so I'm stuck with the beast. Apparently I'm not allowed to have an opinion or even request information from her as it's too burdensome.

How far would you go...

2008-12-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

TO SAVE A USED PIECE OF GUM????????

one of us REALLY likes gum!

Vacation to Boise

2008-12-18T09:06:00.001-08:00

We just returned from an AWESOME vacation to one of our favorite states...IDAHO! We loved spending time with the family and shopping for the holidays. Upon our return we discovered a THREE page typed document (pictured) detailing every move bogart made while we were away. We hired a dog walker to come over four times and she gave quite the report...let me pick out choice passages:

"When we walked into the park first thing this afternoon he peed about halfway past the ballfield he pooped across the path from the basketball courts. Changed him from his short to his long leash."

"The two dogs wrestled a little in the yard and did a lot of those "you chase me!" "No, you chase me!" standoffs. He drank a lot of water from the outdoor dish and the birdbath."

"We went back out in the yard around 5:30 and they made some more overtures to play but didn't really get going. He peed, though probably not all he drank."

"He (Bogart) has really been a pleasure, and I've tried to tell him so."

"Both dogs rated the walk boring and unsatisfactory."

So we were very impressed with the level of customer service we were given by the dog walker. We can only hope that we will get this same service from our soon to be babysitters. "Baby cried until just passed 2am. Soiled so we went commando for a while. Peed on the speakers. Both me and baby rated the night boring and sleepless. "

BELLY UPDATE... my seven month (31 1/2 week belly is growin) For those of you who don't know, Phil and I are having a little boy the middle of Feb. and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Bogie

2008-11-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Turkey Run-Off

Chasing the dog has become a daily routine. Bogart has become part of the family. He is very sweet and has a hilarious personality.

Somethingest Man Alive!

2008-11-26T15:14:00.000-08:00

Listen. I can't be standing still for all kindsa photo-opps everytime we walk by People mags. I am happy with Somethingest Man Alive for now. That leaves the door open for maybe seconds on desert, or maybe I won't go running this month, or maybe I won't make millions of dollars by starring as a warewolf with no past, or a ghost hunter with no past, or the inventor of the elevator.

Just take me the way I am!

Christmas came early :)

2008-11-18T17:42:00.001-08:00

Christmas came early this year with a lovely gift from my in-laws! After many years of secretly wanting a sewing machine...I FINALLY have my very own and I LOVE it. It came just in time so that I could piece together the quilts for a service project for Relief Society. Although I will take credit for the stitching, I can't take credit for the lovely material combinations (sarcastic comment). I used the best material from the donated scraps we asked ladies to provide...I guess I don't live in Utah where craftiness is found in abundance...I'll note that for future projects :)

Oh and I think we're all waiting to hear who won the competition that Phil initiated...it's not very nice to keep us all in suspense like this!!

We're getting EVICTED

2008-11-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, not really evicted...but it kinda feels like it. Our wonderful landlord called us last week and informed us that he cannot renew our lease because he is going to let his son and daughter in-law live in our cute little townhouse. Now, this alone is not the problem. He wants us to move out February 1st...TWO WEEKS before I'm due to have a baby. Excuse me? Is it possible to move when you are moments away from delivering? Apparently our unsympathetic landlord believes so as he won't let us out of our lease early and doesn't seem to have any suggestions for a reasonable comprimise. Bless his heart, he did suggest that we pay through the end of our lease (January) yet move out anytime we wanted...basically suggesting that we pay for two places for the month of January. I'm glad I got his permission for that genius idea. All plans to paint the nursery have been put on hold.

Journal Bribe

2008-11-04T04:30:00.000-08:00

If you can't read his handwriting, it says "You can spend this when you find it" and placed in my journal was a crisp 100 dollar bill :)
Have I spent the money? NO. I am an honest person and will not take what is not earned.
Is $100 dollars incentive enough to actually write in my journal? Since he tried to bribe me over 3 weeks ago and I have yet to make a journal entry apparently it's not an adequate price for the effort it would take.

CONFESSION...I have written in journals before, in fact I had two journals full of entries cover to cover, however, I have destroyed them (before I was married...I'm not sure Phil would allow that to happen). It started with a curiosity to read old entries...after a grimace and a disapproval of the grammar, the content, or the organization, I simply ripped out a single entry...this happened again and again and left my journal with obvious holes so the only logical thing to do was throw the entire thing away. Now that I'm married to an advocate of Journaling, what I put on paper is permanent...no remedies allowed :(

Oh by the way...the wedding dress picture was taken a month ago...I can no longer fit. Here's our belly competition (Phil's trying to keep up with me)

I'm bordering 6 months pregnant (25 weeks) ...and we found out that we're having a BOY :)

Haunted Halloween

2008-11-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

Bogart -> Bogartina.
This is a blog take over. Yes, I am taking over because you haven't touched it for like 4 months. And don't give me this about oh I'm pregnant, oh I'm working on my thesis, oh I'm substituting, oh I'm teaching piano and voice, oh I'm in the relief society presidency. Prioritize, come on.
Some how she has found time to make a costume for the dog that pushes most of the boundaries of normal accepted society. Behold.

Nothing a couple weeks of..hold on a sec. Major snoring coming from the couch
and its

.

Mel is still getting used to being pregnant and she is doing a great job. She is still in all her normal clothes and that is apparently a very big deal. Seriously though, Melanie I am so proud of you, keep up the good work.

"See, it still fits."

Our recent trip to Nashville was a success. Tennessee is beautiful and full of country music stars.

Seen here are a pair of glasses from a local star. Our competition tonight is to see who can guess to whom these glasses currently belong. "Comment" your answers. And check back soon for the revealing truth.
Good night.

I got tagged...

2008-08-22T06:43:00.001-07:00

my good friend sara tagged me and who could refuse answering a few questions for a hot mamma of 4 like her :)

10 years ago I:
1. wasn't pregnant
2. lived in beautiful san luis obispo
3. was a ballerina wearing a pink tutu
4. sang in a jazz choir and travelled to Canada and Germany competing
5. had three nasty brothers...which I still have but the nasty part has changed

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. don't get sick
2. beat yesterday's record of eating 6 meals (they were all healthy...but yes SIX)
3. work on my thesis and pray that my graduate advisor decides to email me back
4. run with my navy pal Kayleigh
5. clean up after my husband and my dog

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. carrots (I have turned orange in the past so I have to limit my intake)
2. yogurt covered prezels
3. apples
4. crackers and cheese
5. cottage cheese

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. invest
2. buy a home
3. take my parents on a vaca
4. buy myself a position to teach at a university
5. teach music lessons for free...I'm no good at charging anyway

5 places I have lived:
1. San Luis Obispo, CA
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Provo, Utah
4. San Diego, CA
5. Annapolis, MD

My baby's first pic

2008-07-30T05:21:00.000-07:00

We went to our first ultrasound appointment yesterday and we fell in love with the baby!!! It was seriously so awesome to watch the little guy move...and let me tell you he/she's an active little thing. We saw the baby kicking, stretching, moving, and wiggling. That's my kid :)

Breaking Silence

2008-07-28T14:46:00.001-07:00

After marriage...then come kids! After over a month of keeping relatively quiet (minus those who have been informed by either my mom or Phil) I figure it's time to make the official announcement! I'm pregnant. As of this week I'm 11 weeks along and looking forward to the second trimester...I hear that after the 12th week morning sickness goes away :) Phil and I are very excited to be parents 6 months earlier than we initially planned...oops!! I do have one very big problem! When I start to feel hungry I know the battle is on! I go to the fridge open it up, look at every ingredient that I have and try to come up with the possibilities, and regardless of how full the fridge is I can't even bear the thought of eating anything other than cream cheese. Now, I can't survive on cream cheese...however I have been unusually creative with it but honestly I need more ideas. Eventually, I'm sure cream cheese will retire like all other ingredients in my fridge but until that day, I need ideas of ways to incorporate it into my meals. Finding something not just appetizing but something that won't make me gag is the goal for now, nutrition will be a concern for the second trimester when hopefully food is not the battle.

Oh...and Phil is not suffering at all...he still gets cooked meals without cream cheese!

Pupdate

2008-05-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

We finally named our little puppy!!! After considering all the many good suggestions, we've named him Bogart...against my wishes! I wanted to name the dog Dante after the author Dante Alighieri hoping that the name would label him as an intellectual but sadly that name was not liked by a few important decision makers including the missionaries serving in our ward. (I guess you can't buy the missionaries votes with many good meals). Mr. Darcy was also passed up for 'other' reasons. Whatever. His name is Bogart and it's growing on me. We've finally had our first official puppy mess of course besides all the other 'messes' he makes...he's still not entirely potty-trained. We left him alone in the kitchen for 10 minutes and he had chewed up the entire egg carton and left egg shells all over the floor. We're so proud of the little guy. Some of our favorite things about the puppy are the following...
-the noises he makes when he's sleeping. He SNORES!!! I got freaked out one night thinking Bogart had a seizure but I guess he was dreaming about running. Phil assured me he was fine.
-he LOVES food and will do ANYTHING for it. He eats practically anything...grass, acorns, worms, dead birds, caterpillars, anything we're eating, and yes...his own poop. You would think we didn't feed the poor guy but he just has an unquenchable appetite.
-he will stare at inanimate objects anticipating that they will all of a sudden move so Bogart will pounce on them.
-he already knows to run and hide under things when I call his name...I think Phil taught him that one.

In addition to Bogart we have several other pets that we're keeping an eye on. We found some tadpoles while we were fly fishing and decided to bring some home to take care of until they transformed into frogs. Unfortunately I killed 8 out of the 9 by feeding them cake. I was trying to avoid eating the yummy cake myself so feeding it to the tadpoles seemed like a good way to discard it without wasting. I'll stick with dog food with Bogart:) We also found a larva and were curious what insect it would turn into...so we put it into a jar...and yes...it died. I think that we better stay away from the insects and amphibians and stick to training the dog!

2008-05-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

We have finally done something worth blogging. Nevermind the recent marriage, relocation to the eastcoast, eastern civilization integration (failure), and scientific experimentations...WE GOT A PUPPY!!! We have been in the market for over two months due to Melanie's paranoia of the crime invested neighborhoods of Maryland. After disclosing every personal detail to dog adoption agencies, we've realized that this will be the ONLY adoption process we'll EVER subject ourselves to. Who knew that applying for a stray dog that was euthenasia bound would mean a 10 page application, home inspection, and lists of references...you would think that any environment would be better than death. Anyway...we're happy and proud parents of a 9-week old boxer...the name of which is yet to be determined. We are open to suggestions however all names resembling your own name or members of your family will be immediately overlooked.