The DeVoe Family Blog

I Just Woke Up...

2012-02-16T16:58:00.000-05:00

... gripping two pacifiers. And one in the mouth.

I think it's now time to play with a hanger and wrestle the dog.

I wonder what's happening outside. Wish I were taller.

There. That's better. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-15T15:09:00.000-05:00

I took some snapshots yesterday on Valentine's Day of the boys in their RED! They were both very excited about it being V-Day, especially Dylan - we'd been counting down to his school party for a solid week. Every day he'd ask if it was the day of his Valentine's party!

Dylan and I worked together on making the Valentine's for his classmates. I think we did a pretty decent job! And Dylan was super proud of them. :-)

After school we spent the majority of the afternoon going through all of the Valentines Dylan received at school. LOTS of lollipops, a box of candy hearts, and even a couple temporary tattoos! Mommy and Daddy gave them M-n-M's and chocolates. They weren't fans of their boxes of chocolate, so I gladly ate them (poor me).

I even got some gifts yesterday too! Dylan made me a really nice bracelet and some beautiful artwork at school. Denny bought me the Hunger Games trilogy, and I can't wait to read it finally!

Denny and I even got a date last night. We went out for a romantic dinner to Winston's Grille - a restaurant I've been wanting to go to ever since we first moved to Raleigh 6 years ago!! Last night I finally got there!

We were soooooo excited to put the kids to bed last night and relax. Of course, neither of the kids would sleep! Dylan kept coming out of his room every five minutes saying he couldn't sleep. Chase kept crying. Finally we let them both come sit on the couch with us and watch TV for a bit. Chase wouldn't sit still and was driving me crazy... we finally got fed up and put them back in their beds and listened to them cry. Thankfully it wasn't long until they both fell asleep - 1.5 hours past bedtime. So much for our relaxing that night! At least we'd gotten a date that night, so I guess I shouldn't complain. :-)

This Week!

2012-02-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

So, this past week we had lots of fun, as usual! We're getting excited for Valentine's Day and Dylan's party at school. And we had a blast on Superbowl Sunday. Here's a quick roundup, with a little Valentine font just for fun!

(1) Dylan made a huge pile out of our cushions and pillows and called it his "Trampoline 2,000"... (2) we seem to be eating a lot of messy ice cream cones lately... (3) Dylan hanging out watching the Puppy Bowl on Superbowl Sunday... (4) my healthy lunch the day after splurging on dip and pizza during the Superbowl... (5) Chase came over randomly and said, "take my picture" so I did... (6) me and Dylan... (7) the boys got their Highlights magazines in the mail and were very excited about it... (8) Chase found a flask in the pantry and decided it was a toy... (9) and we got a very special Valentine in the mail that Dylan sent us from school. It. was. awesome. :-)

Ladies Man

2012-02-08T16:18:00.001-05:00

It looks like we have a ladies man -in-the-making! Dylan is quite the hot shot with the girls. Let's see... I think it all started way back with Ashley - she was his first girlfriend. How old were they... like, 2? Then he started pre-school last year and he'd talk about Amee and how she wore pretty dresses and how nice she was.

Then he moved onto Ava, who was also in his pre-school class last year. Ava's Mom would tell me that Ava called Dylan her boyfriend and he'd be the topic of conversation every night at their dinner table. Dylan talked about Ava a ton too - he'd play with her every day on the playground and see her at the gym because her Mom went to our gym too.

Lately the object of his affection seems to be a little girl in his class named Becca. Last week I picked Dylan up at school and was informed by his teacher that Dylan was being very lovey dovey with Becca all day. He rubbed her arm a lot and followed her around all day... and he even KISSED HER (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) while they were all sitting down for story time. Oh my!!!!!!

Then I spoke with Becca's Mom, who is very nice, and she informed me that Becca has been calling Dylan her boyfriend for a solid month. Where have I been?!?!

Just yesterday he drew a picture (I thought he was drawing it for me) and then insisted on bringing it to school with him to give to Becca. And today Becca brought HIM a picture she drew!!! This young love is moving fast - giving each other gifts?!?!!? And kissing?!?!!? I can't handle this!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then his teacher tells me today that Dylan seems to have moved on... he was giving a girl named Avery a lot of attention at school today. Really, Dylan? A new girl already? WHAT am I raising, people??!?!?! :-)

Our Week Through Instagrams

2012-02-04T09:20:00.000-05:00

I'm glad I take some photos each week on my phone and post them here. It makes up for the weeks when I'm too busy to post anything to the blog - this way I can still post a little glimpse into our week! So here it is...

... (1) going for a walk... (2) Dylan saying the blessing (he actually prayed for Chase... then prayed that it would snow)... (3) the boys playing on the swing... (4) I paid a visit to Dylan's "hair shop"... (5) Chase read the morning paper... (6) it was Dad's day at pre-school, so Denny went to school with Dylan - they both had a blast... (7) Dylan and Rex cuddling... (8) Chase had a chocolate ice cream cone... (9) and Chase absorbed some microwave rays while waiting for his oatmeal to cook, even though I begged him to get away!!!

Hope you all had a nice week!

Our Week In Instagrams...

2012-01-27T16:03:00.000-05:00

... (1) Rex hogging the bed... (2) the boys got a haircut... (3) me loving on Dylan... (4) Chuck-e-Cheese... (5) Chase reaching for apple juice that I told him he couldn't have!... (6) elliptical at the gym... (7) Dylan acting weird (he DOES have underwear on, hehe!)... (8) eating lunch in the car... (9) put some new pictures in my living room frames!

My Little Chat with Dylan

2012-01-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

So, the other day when I was asking Dylan what I should write on the blog about Chase, he did so well that I decided to ask him what I should write about HIM. Here's our little conversation:

Me: Tell me about yourself, Dylan!

Dylan: I like playing Disney Jr. games. Every day when Chase takes his nap, I run upstairs and play. I like decorating the Christmas tree. I like helping Daddy go in the bug closet and he lets me hold his new flashlight so he can see where he’s going. And he lets me hold it for him when we are opening the boxes and looking at what’s in them. And I like Great Wolf Lodge. Every day I jump out of bed, go downstairs and say, “can we go to Great wolf lodge?” And I like playing outside with Mommy and Chasey and Rexy dog and Daddy and all of my cousins. And Lilly too. I like Rexy dog. I like playing outside in my yard with my family.

*(the bug closet is actually our crawlspace - he calls it the bug closet because I'm too freaked out to go in there because I'm worried about bugs and spiders!)

Me: What about your favorite foods?

Dylan: I like strawberry cereal. Every morning I jump out of bed and run downstairs and Daddy asks me what I want for breakfast and I say, strawberry cereal!! I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I like sneaking out of my bedroom and going into Chase’s room while he’s sleeping and playing with his toys.

Me: Are there any other favorite foods?

Dylan: French toast sticks! I like clams (huh?). I like ice cream, cookies… and what else do I like, Mommy? Hehe.

Me: What about your friends? Tell me about your friends.

Dylan: I like my friends. Well, I like you even more.

Me: Aaaawww… you’re sweet, Dylan!

What Chase Is Up To

2012-01-23T16:05:00.000-05:00

My little Chasey-Poo. He's about as perfect and sweet as they come. He might be two, but thankfully he's NOT a terrible two. We are so, so lucky with him. He has the cutest personality! He just loves to give hugs and kisses and to help with things. And he's always smiling. I love it!

Every now and then we see a little bit of two-year-old attitude -- like when he doesn't want to go to bed at night, or when he wants to buckle himself into his car seat and then has a fit when I have to take over because I've aged about a year standing there waiting for him! Oh, and he had a temper tantrum every morning last week when he asked for his strawberry cereal (Special K Red Berries) and we didn't have any. BUT, really, for the most part the terrible two behavior does not even happen here. He's usually all smiles and snuggles all day.

And he's pretty easy on the eyes. I know I'm partial 'cause I'm his Mom, but REALLY, this kid is BEYOND CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's see... what's Chase up to these days? Well, his favorite foods are grapes, cheese, raisins and goldfish. And chocolate milk. And apple juice. :-) He loves when he gets to play in the gym childcare room. He kisses me goodbye and runs away and plays. And then he gets REALLY excited when I come back - he runs around pointing at me and yelling "Mommy!!" to everyone so they know I'm there.

He still really looks up to Dylan, though there's no shortage of fighting. We have a trillion toys and yet they always want to play with the same one at the same time. Chase copies Dylan a lot too, and Dylan's not a big fan of that.

We still have some pacifiers in our house, but only for sleeping. He's learned he has to take it out when he gets up, and always leaves it in his crib. I have no idea how we'll ever get him to stop using it at night... but that worry is for another day!

There's no potty training happening yet. We'll occasionally sit him on the potty here and there, and he's gone on it a few times. But I just don't think he's ready to grasp that whole concept yet, so we'll start that eventually.

He loves to dance. He yells "up louder" in the car when he wants me to turn the music up! And he can really jam! Today we were listening to a kids cd, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star came on. He proclaimed, "this is my FAVORITE song!!" How cute! I'm not surprised because it was the first song he learned to sing and would sing it a TON with his adorable little voice. :-)

I just told Dylan that I was writing a blog about Chase, and asked what I should say about him. His response - "Chase likes bananas. And Chase likes playing with me." There you have it! :-)

Dylan Wants To Know...

2012-01-21T19:55:00.000-05:00

Is GQ hiring?

Look who's turned into my little model!

He's pretty cute, huh?

That last one is going up on the wall!! :-)

Our Week In Instagrams...

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

...(1) Denny taught Dylan how to play a few Nick Jr. computer games... (2) I took a trip to Savannah with some girlfriends and we played with our photography props... (3) my friend Amanda teaching us girls a few things... (4) dinner out at a yummy southern food restaurant... (5) on my drive home I took a picture of South of the Border for Dylan - he loves that place... (6) Chase eating spaghetti... (7) a little nap on the couch... (8) Dylan cuddling with Rex... (9) my fun purple manicure. :-)

2011 Favorites of Chase

2012-01-19T20:20:00.000-05:00

I had so much fun pulling together my favorite photos of Chase from last year. It took me a few weeks to actually finish it, but it's done now!!

I'm amazed at how much Chase changed and grew up since the beginning of 2011!

Here are my selections:

1. January 2011 - look how little he was!!! And those tiny little sneakers - my heart can't handle it!

2. Another from January - one of the only times we got snow last year, and it was just a little dusting.

3. February 2011 - the photo that gave my in-laws a mild stroke. :-) Denny's hands were photoshopped out of the photo - he was holding Chase.

4. The famous flower field and the golden sunset. And the start of the curls.

5. At the beach in May.

6. Love his hair and his serious expression here.

7. September - There's not much I love more than his big smile!

8. I can't look at this photo without smiling. LOVE HIM!!

9. Superhero to the rescue!! I'll always treasure the superhero photos!

10. Having a picnic in November... with a little jelly on his face. :-)

11. This one might be my MOST favorite of the year. Taken on his second birthday.

I loooove the photos I took of Chase last year! As I was going through them, I stumbled on this one I took with my phone. And while it didn't quite make the cut for a best photo, it kinda needed to be included anyways. Here he is eating an ice cream sandwich. Thanks for all the great laughs and memories for 2011, Chase!!

This Week In Instagram

2012-01-12T07:33:00.000-05:00

This year I've embarked on a 365 project, which means taking one photo a day for the whole year. Thankfully I'm doing it all in phone pics, so it's quick and easy. And I tend to take at least one photo a day anyway, so hopefully it won't be too hard! At the end of the year, I'll make an album out of my photos. And I'll have a full year of fun little moments captured -- I'm so excited.

In this week... (1) Me and Chase hung out... (2) Dylan and Chase watched the movie Chicken Little and got soooo sucked in... (3) the boys brought along their cool crayon bags out to dinner... (4) Chase stayed up WAY past his bedtime... (5) Dylan had an ice cream cone... (6) I had some exercise buddies... (7) Denny had a birthday!!!... (8) we celebrated with Krispy Kreme, per his request... (9) Chase played on Thomas at the mall and LOVED it.

Well, THAT was awful!!!

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the boys both had appointments for their overdue doctor's checkups. Dylan asked me earlier in the morning if he were going to get any shots, and I just said, "I'm not sure!!" Of course, he immediately started whining and stating, "I'm not going!" And he pretty much whined the entire morning!

Things didn't get better when we got there. He was scared out of his mind!! The nurse came in and did their weight and all that other good stuff, and then we had to get them undressed and wait for the doctor to come in. Well, this is what was happening in the exam room....

Dylan searched high and low for the perfect hiding spot from the doctor! He finally ended up under the exam table, with Chase following him. And he said, "she'll never find us here!!!"

Hahahahaha. He was WRONG!

He did fairly well with everything except the shots. His vision is great - 20/32. Blood pressure good. Heart sounded good. Then she explained that we were going to do the shots.

We started with Chase since he was fairly calm and we thought maybe that would get Dylan to come around and not be so scared. Nope! Chase cried a good bit too... mainly because he did NOT want the band-aid on him.

And then it was Dylan's turn and he was HYSTERICAL!!! I've never seen him so upset! And did I mention that he needed FIVE shots? Yes, FIVE!!!!

The doctor got a nurse to help her so they could get the shots over with quicker. Thankfully Denny was with me so he held Dylan's arms down. He was fighting with all his might - kicking and screaming and wailing. WOW is all I can say. It was awful. I felt horrible for him. He did get a pretty good kick into the nurse's stomach... hehehe... not really very funny, but she sorta deserved it, right?

So afterwards, of course we took him to the Rite Aid next door and let him pick out a candy bar! :-)

Just for my own records, here are the boy's stats:

Dylan
Weight - 39 pounds, 74th percentile
Height - 42.75 inches, 85th percentile

Chase
Weight - 24 pounds, 12 oz., 11th percentile (still our pipsqueak!)
Height - 34 inches, 28th percentile

New Toys!

2012-01-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

The boys got some super new toys from Santa. And we've sure been enjoying them!!

Chase got the MacDaddy of all trucks - check out those wheels! It even has a compartment in the back that Dylan, Rex and a lot of toys have been transported around in.

Dylan has his awesome tractor, so now they both have big things to ride around in outside. Aren't they cute?

Oh yeah, and Chase got the cool Hurricanes hat to match the one Dylan already had. Now they can both keep their heads warm in style.

Santa also brought the boys new scooters. Dylan has the coolest moves ever!!!!!!

This next trick didn't go so well... ouch.

But he got right back on! That's my boy!

Of course, Chase is getting the hang of his scooter too! :-)

2011 Favorites of Dylan

2012-01-04T21:50:00.002-05:00

2011 was a great year for us, and I really can't believe how much the boys have changed in one year. I wanted to do a couple of posts with my favorite photos of the boys last year. First up is Dylan!

1. January, enjoying our dusting of snow!

2. February, exploring a new park.

3. Easter in April

4. May, playing in the flower field

5. Another from May. What a cutie, and probably my #1 favorite photo of this year!

6. September with our new doggy!

7. Turning four in October.

8. Being cute and silly.

9. Picnic at the lake in November.

10. My little superhero.

11. Merry Christmas!

Christmas & New Year's In Instagram

2012-01-04T19:53:00.000-05:00

I'm waaaaay behind on posting my phone photos, so I'm catching up with one big post!

(1) Christmas goodie bags for Dylan's class... (2) Chase playing with my makeup and using my eyelash curler on his cheek!... (3) my gifts from Dylan... (4) sitting outside having lunch in our short sleeves in December!... (5) playing with some old Halloween toys... (6) a box of presents that came in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa - nice!... (7) me and Denny on a date... (8) tracking Santa on Christmas Eve, soooo cute... (9) all dressed in our Christmas outfits and headed to church on Christmas Eve... (10) putting out milk and cookies for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer... (11) Chase is driving in style now, thanks to Santa... (12) our second Christmas - at my Mom's house... (13) all the cousins watching the Grinch on Christmas evening... (14) the boys working out on Grandma's exercise equipment... (15) the boys in their Hurricanes hats... (16) our Christmas cards on display... (17) Chase saying the blessing, ADORABLE... (18) riding the train at the mall... (19) Dylan and Daddy cuddling... (20) me and Dylan watching the ball drop at midnight on New Year's Eve - Dylan's first time staying up until midnight (he was asleep two minutes later)... (21) taking down our Christmas tree... (22) planning out our dinners for the week... (23) yummy bean and pasta soup... (24) my brand new Mac laptop is dead - sore subject, and I'm mad at everyone who told me to spend double and get one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year's everyone! :-)

Peppy's Adventures

2011-12-29T17:49:00.000-05:00

So, as I've shared, we had Peppy the Elf living in our house this December. He found a new spot every single day (and let me tell you, that is HARD for Mommy and Daddy). I often forgot to snap his picture, but I did take a few. There were several days he was mischievous - spilling cereal, drinking wine, pulling petals off of flowers... that sort of thing. And there were other times he was in the mood for fun - zip-lining through our dining room, driving trucks, playing with the kid's toys. He was one cool elf to have around and the boys were sad he had to return to the north pole on Christmas Day. But I'm pretty sure we'll see him next year!

It Was A Merry Christmas - 2011

2011-12-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

This year we had another fabulous Christmas. Santa was generous and got the boys everything they wanted (well, sorta... Dylan asked for two of everything in every toy catalog, which would have been difficult). We had a nice dinner on Christmas Eve and took the boys to a family service at our church, which they loved. We left Santa plenty of cookies and milk that evening, and some carrots for the reindeer.

Here's what our house looked like that night after Santa came...

They each got scooters!!! And Chase got the big, cool truck. And the awesome workbench was for Dylan. Amazingly, we all slept until 7:30 on Christmas morning before Dylan woke everyone up. They were both so excited to go downstairs and see the tree and all of their gifts under it! We had a lot of fun opening gifts and playing with everything along the way.

Can you believe the truck even has a back compartment that Chase fits into? Woo hoo, fun!!!

Chase put all of Dylan's new underwear on and wore it most of the morning! :-)

They also loved the new Batman bat cave!

So after we did lots of playing that morning, had a big breakfast, and chatted on the phone with all of our family, we packed up and headed to Columbia to visit my family. We got a lot more fun gifts there and the boys enjoyed playing with their cousins. It was a jam packed day! The kids were all worn out and laid together watching The Grinch that evening. It was cute!

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2011-12-24T18:56:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share with you all my favorite Christmas photo this season. I plan to take one just like it each year as the kids grow.

Cute, huh?

Here are a few others from the same night...

That brotherly love VERY QUICKLY turned into this. A LOT more typical...

Dylan made two ornaments this year at school. I love them both.

Isn't this next one so neat? It's his little fingerprints!

Here's a pic of Chase that I just love...

And another shot of our tree - blurry! Love how the lights look this way.

I really can't wait for tomorrow morning when the boys wake up and see all of their gifts from Santa. We've been tracking him all day online, by the way. And we went to a service this evening at church that was just for kids/families. I can't think of a better way to spend Christmas than with this wonderful family that I love so much.

Merry Christmas to all of you -- from our house to yours!! :-)

Chase's Birthday Presents

2011-12-22T17:29:00.000-05:00

I just realized I never put up any pictures of Chase opening his birthday presents and having his cake. Yes, from the birthday that was weeks ago. Just came across them on the computer and wanted to get them up on the blog. He REALLY enjoyed his cookie cake and got some pretty rad presents!

I love his sweet little face blowing out the candles. :)

He opened his presents like a pro... it's gonna be a fun Christmas this year!

The potty train book! Trains and potties - what could be better?

Yep, crazy forts! And we sure have made some CRAZY forts!!!

Rex barked at this battery powered train a little more than necessary. :\

We also went to Chuck-e-Cheese for Chase's birthday and had pizza and let the boys play whatever they wanted. They had a TON of fun - the perfect 2nd birthday for my Chasey!

Dylan's School Christmas Show!

2011-12-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

Dylan's school Christmas performance was last week and oh boy, was it cute!!!

Here's his class entering for the performance!

Can you see Dylan in the center in the plaid shirt? How cute are they with the stars on their head?

They sang Away in A Manger, and Twinkle Twinkle Special Star. Dylan occasionally stopped singing, but for the most part did really well. He spent lots of time waving to us throughout the performance!

And afterwards we enjoyed lots of cookies outside!

Way to go, my Dilly Doo!!!

Great Wolf Lodge 2011!!

2011-12-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

I think we've now been to Great Wolf Lodge four times in the last three years!! The boys totally love it there - can't get enough of it and talk about it all the time. Dylan's always asking, "when can we go to Great Wolf Lodge?" So we planned a little getaway and had some fun. I even left my camera at home, though that didn't stop me from taking a ton of crummy quality photos. I do, however, still like them because of all the great memories we made there (red eyes and all)!

Below -- the boys checking out the waterpark at night.

Had a TON of fun bowling in their mini bowling alley!

Below -- Dylan getting dumped on by the bucket of water - he's the little guy on the left!

I think this next picture is the cutest thing ever. They're wearing their wolf ears and are as happy as can be!!

The boys LOVE the Magic Quest game and had to bring their magic wands with them everywhere we went!

The Weeks In Instagram...

2011-12-18T17:29:00.000-05:00

I'm a couple weeks behind in my Instagrams!

(1) Chase hanging out in front of the tree... (2) Rex was trying to steal Teddy Grahams and got stuck!!... (3) made Play Doh with Dylan... (4) Dylan taking a rare afternoon nap... (5) Chase is obsessed with his new train... (6) the boys played in the angel display outside of our church... (7) I finally took Chase on a train ride at the mall... (8) Dylan put a tattoo on his belly... (9) Chase being snuggly... (10) we went searching for Christmas lights and found some good ones... (11) donuts for breakfast!... (12) my little shopping buddies (LOVE this picture)... (13) bowling at Great Wolf Lodge... (14) playing in our room at the Lodge... (15) the boys LOVED the magic quest game at the Lodge... (16) Chase and Rex hangin'... (17) Friday night bowling... (18) and making a TON of Christmas cookies!

The Bathroom Incident & What I Didn't Show You

2011-12-09T16:57:00.001-05:00

I think I mentioned how much Chase wasn't on board with my fabulous plan to take their Christmas PJ pictures last week. Well, here's a few funny outtakes if you wanted proof. You wouldn't believe the number of crying photos I have!

And the one that takes the cake:

Thanks for the help, Denny!

I also have a story to share. Today the boys went into the bathroom and shut the door and I heard lots of giggling. I knew it couldn't be a good sign, so I went in there to find that they were taking wads of toilet paper, dipping them in the toilet water and throwing them at each other and the walls.

And oh by the way, the toilet was filled with Dylan's poop.

You're so jealous of me, aren't you?

This Year's Christmas PJ's

2011-12-07T17:17:00.000-05:00

What's Christmas without totally cute pajamas? And a mini photo session so I can put them on the blog? :)

They were reeeeeally not into getting their pictures taken, especially Chase. I believe this last picture is the point where Denny was running around behind me screaming that he was on fire. Sometimes it takes REALLY drastic measures to get a nice photo!

Jumping in the Leaves

2011-12-04T20:44:00.001-05:00

Those boys... always trying to one-up each other...

p.s. totally photoshopped in case you were worried. :)

This Week In Instagram...

2011-12-03T15:15:00.001-05:00

... (1) Peppy made his first appearance on our mantle keeping an eye on the tree... (2) made yummy cinnamon rolls... (3) Dylan got a boo boo on his knee... (4) Chase giggling at the grocery store... (5) he then turned into crazy Chase... (6) me and Denny... (7) got an amaaaaazing new notebook/planner... (8) flowers from Denny for our anniversary... (9) Dylan looking super fly... (10) the boys started their advent calendars... (11) Chase got a HUGE bump on his head for his birthday, with a little help from Dylan :(... (12) Dylan playing at a friend's b-day party.

You're in luck this week with a bonus video! :) It's the boys hiding and being cute!

Chase Turns TWO!

2011-12-02T22:07:00.001-05:00

I really can't believe my little baby boy is two today. It makes me really sad that he's growing up so fast. He's just the greatest little guy, I enjoy his company SO much! He's so easy to be around, and laid back and my perfect little companion. I just wish he'd stay little because I'm loving how sweet and cuddly he is right now.

I took him outside this morning to capture some photos of him on his birthday, of course. What's a birthday without photos? :)

Chase has recently entered the "why?" phase, asking me "why?" when I tell him things. It hasn't gotten too annoying yet... only happens a few times a day. And he has the cutest little voice, so how could I mind hearing it?

He just recently got in two new teeth... I believe it's his last two besides some molars. He has the cutest little mouth and teeth. Can you tell I just think everything about him is cute?!

He's totally into trains lately - every train is referred to as "choo choo Thomas." LOVE IT!! He also likes playing with his big brother... and copying him a lot. Very cute now, but we're destined for trouble there! Chase also has this little doll that he likes. He gets into these kicks where he carries the doll around and sleeps with him at night. Then I don't see it for weeks and then it pops up all of a sudden and Chase carries it around again. It's cute to see him putting blankets on the doll at night and taking care of him. He's my little lover.

I still can't get over the difference in personality between my boys. Chase is SO chill all the time... just easygoing and happy-go-lucky. Dylan is much more active (hyper!) and constantly on the go... and more mischievous and constantly trying to test his boundaries. But Chase is a good little listener and doesn't feel the need to run and scream and jump and bounce on everything in our house! They are seriously night and day... and really, my life wouldn't be complete without either one of them. They're both perfect and right in their own ways.

Both my boys have these AMAZING eyelashes. They're to die for!

I love my little Chase-y sooo very much. I love just looking at him and taking him in. He's amazing - through and through. Sometimes I think I could just melt when his little voice says, "I love you Mommy." Best thing in the world. By far.

I love you Chase!! You mean the world to me.

How We Celebrate Nine Years

2011-11-30T15:42:00.001-05:00

Nine years ago today I was waking up at the Owego Treadway Inn. It was a big day and all of my family and closest friends were in town to celebrate. I remember getting my hair done with my bridesmaids very early in the morning, and then having Subway sandwiches for lunch with my sister. I'd always thought I'd be nervous on my wedding day, but I never was. I was very at ease with everything happening that day, and it just felt easy and right.

Fast forward nine years and Denny and I have a wonderful life together. Two healthy, spunky kids, a dog, a lovely home, and lots of people we care about. And we still have a passion for life and for doing things we love together.

So how do we choose to spend our nine-year wedding anniversary? Well, going zip-lining in a forest and crossing suspension bridges over waterfalls, of course!

We had SO. MUCH. FUN. I thank my lucky stars that I have an adventurous husband. We're thinking of hitting up an indoor skydiving place next!

Another Mommy Lesson Learned the Hard Way

2011-11-29T20:28:00.001-05:00

I truly wish I could have a trip to the grocery store without also rotting my kid's teeth. They've come to associate Super Target with being handed lots of sugar. The other day we ran into Target for a really really quick purpose and Chase says, "snack?" I said, "huh? what snack?" and he looked at me like I had two heads.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's to do my grocery shopping on the mornings Dylan is in school. That means there's only one kid I have to keep from crying and trying to climb out of the cart. And we all know the solution to keep them from doing such things. Sugar.

Today after Chase made his way through three packages of smartie's and I wasn't even close to being done shopping (had to try on a cute top - it was crucial!), I had a moment of weakness. I chose to hand him the free-sample cookie with the bright red frosting and sprinkles to keep him quiet. It had sprinkles, how could I deprive him of such a thing?

I'd forgotten to take into account those three packages of smartie's and what they do to a 20-something pound little boy! Because he rubbed that red frosting all over his face and clapped it in between his hands and smeared it all over the Target cart, all while making monkey noises. I couldn't even get a photo that wasn't blurry because he wasn't ever still!

Yep, that's my kid. And I'm the smart one who handed him that cookie! But did I mention it was free? And it had sprinkles? Oh, and the Mt. Dew over his shoulder - not planned, but sorta perfect for this post, huh?

Decorating the Tree

2011-11-29T16:13:00.001-05:00

On Sunday we went and picked out our Christmas tree - aka SUPER FUN!! When we got there, I realized my camera battery was dead (boooo). So I guess you'll have to look at these poor quality cell phone pics because it's impossible for me to take any photos of my adorable children and not post them for you all to see. I thought about just letting them sit on my phone and not posting them, but it's like a sickness - gotta share them and put them in the history books.

When we got home, we had lots of fun waiting for my camera battery to charge and THEN decorating the tree. The bottom of the tree was nice and pretty with about 5 ornaments on a single branch. The boys did venture up on the stepladder too, just for the fun of it and 'cause they're little daredevils.

Dylan and I had to run out in the middle of our tree decorating to pick up things we needed... like a new tree skirt (very important). And we were short a strand of lights. Little did I know, I had to go to FOUR different stores to find lights (WHY was it so hard to find lights, anyway?). But in the end we succeeded.

And it looked real pretty until a few hours later when the middle strand of lights stopped working - meaning the top half of our tree currently has no lights. And the tree keeps leaning sideways. But who cares?!? It's Christmas!!! :-)

Meet Peppy the Elf

2011-11-28T11:34:00.001-05:00

This year we have a little Elf joining the DeVoe household. The boys decided to name him Peppy. He came on Saturday night from the North Pole. Each night he returns to the North Pole to report to Santa whether the kids behaved that day. They have to be on their best behavior until Christmas so that Peppy will tell Santa all the good things they did. That way they'll get LOTS of presents!

Each night Peppy makes the big trip to the North Pole and comes back before we wake up in the morning. That means every morning he's in a new spot in our house and the boys have to find him. I wonder what kind of adventures Peppy will have this December... tune in to find out!

Fall Photos

2011-11-28T08:24:00.001-05:00

I've taken a bunch of cute photos of the boys playing in the leaves this fall and haven't gotten around to posting them yet. So here they are!

The little boy who lives next door built a big teepee. It was really cool!

How cute is my little Dylan playing in the leaves?

I love these next pictures of Chase!

Say hello to Rex. He's seven months old now!

He's still a perfect little doggy and fitting in very nicely. The only thing I can't wait for him to outgrow is his need to chew on everyone's hands. And all the kid's toys.

I thought Chase playing with his Tonka truck in the leaves was just too perfect! Hello Hallmark moment!!

Here they are climbing our little tree out front. I'm surprised they didn't break the tree!

More of cute little Rex...

"Let me in, guys! I'm all done playing!"

Our 2011 Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T07:52:00.001-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving! This year we stayed home and had my Mom and my Grandma in town. It's always nice to have some good cooks at your house for Thanksgiving! Everything was great - especially the mashed potatoes and gravy, my favorite thing on Thanksgiving. And it was even better to get my Grandma's gravy... yuuummmm.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!

This Week In Instagram...

2011-11-26T19:31:00.001-05:00

A lot of Thanksgiving in our Instagrams this week!

(1) the insanely handsome Dylan... (2) tortilla face... (3) playing at the McDonald's playground... (4) the boys playing Trivial Pursuit... (5) Chase setting the table for Thanksgiving... (6) working on my apple pie... (7) my Grandma cooking in the kitchen... (8) Dylan cuddling with his Grandma... (9) and the Thanksgiving pies!!

Twenty Kids Around a Table...

2011-11-24T17:14:00.001-05:00

This week Dylan celebrated Thanksgiving at school with a BIG feast. Being the Room Mom for his class, I came to help out and got to witness this miracle firsthand.

TWENTY KIDS. Three and four-year-olds... all sitting quietly at a table. I mean... seriously? I can't get my TWO kids to sit quietly. I don't even understand it, nor would I have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. I forgot my camera, but thankfully my iPhone is always handy!

Anyway, I was very happy to be there and Dylan always gets so excited when I come to class. He shows his excitement with silly faces and acting goofy.

Chase always tags along and loves it too. He didn't get to sit with all the kids, but he snacked on some of their treats and got to wear a pilgrim hat.

Photo Contest

2011-11-22T08:20:00.001-05:00

Hey, how many of you are on Facebook? Well, there's a page called Best Newborn Photographers and they're holding a photo contest, and one of my images got selected as a finalist! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

I couldn't even believe it, ya'll!!!!!So if you are on Facebook, please do me a favor and go to this link/photo: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=219182851485189&set=a.219182681485206.46325.128035957266546&type=3&theater and click "like" under it. That's it - takes one and a half seconds. Help me win pretty please!!!!!!!!!! I will love you forever!!!! Thank you!!! :-)

Here's the photo:

First Poo on the Potty

2011-11-20T19:49:00.001-05:00

Well, of course pooping on the potty has to be blogged about, right?!?! I don't want to ever forget these things! Someday I'll be glad I wrote this stuff down!

Last night Chase announced that he had to poop, so I whisked him away to the potty. He'd already gone a little in his diaper, but he DID go on the potty too. The first time ever!! Woot!

I haven't started potty training him yet, but I seized the opportunity since he went and announced it to us all. :-)

Sorry for this picture, Chase, but you were just too cute and proud of yourself as you were flushing down your first poo!

This Week In Instagram...

2011-11-19T17:46:00.001-05:00

Another fun week in the DeVoe world! I decided I should number everything to make it easier to read. Enjoy!

(1) Apple juice, Coke, and a beer in my Grandma's old glasses, guess whose is whose... (2) Dylan dug for fossils at the museum... (3) messy faced Dylan... (4) little brother pulled big brother on a walk... (5) Chase decided to throw all his books down the stairs... (6) Dylan dressed up... (7) Chase had a yummy lollipop... (8) the boys helped me make meatloaf for Daddy... (9) we built some lego masterpieces... (10) Chase took a catnap on the couch... (11) the boys played their shape games... (12) Chase enjoyed his breakfast... (13) me and Dylan being silly... (14) remember that game 'Sorry'? We played it a lot this week... (15) my cutie pie Chase... (16) Chase driving with Rex in the passenger seat (ha)... (17) Dylan's self portrait of his foot... (18) Dylan LOVED the parade in downtown Raleigh.

Have you noticed the drastic changes in our wardrobes each day? One day it's 75 degrees and we're in shorts and t-shirts and the next day it's in the 50's and we're wearing coats!

Picnic by the Lake

2011-11-14T20:33:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago when Denny wasn't home, I took the boys for a picnic dinner at Falls Lake. The leaves were just starting to change then and we enjoyed the scenery and our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. :)

I must say that Dylan's getting much easier to take pictures of lately... just at the same time that Chase has gotten much HARDER! Love my boys though... never a dull moment! :-)

This Week In Instagram...

2011-11-11T14:33:00.001-05:00

... Dylan fell asleep in a big mound of pillows... Chase ate a cupcake... made the cute cupcakes for a friend's baby shower... the boys attempted to play Super Mario Brothers... Chase was all smiles when I gave him a snack... had a nice lunch out with my boys... Dylan devoured his pizza slice... Dylan pushed Chase on the swings... Rex played in the leaves... Dylan dressed up like a clown at his friend's house... Denny took the boys to Marbles Kids Museum today to play... Dylan used a real live saw at the museum!

My Little Superheroes

2011-11-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

Look! It's a bird! It's a plane!

NO! It's SUPERMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the weekend I met up with one of my photogra-friends at a local park to do some superhero shots. We'd been talking about it and "pinning" ideas for a while. And who could be cuter subjects than these two little guys?

And oh my goodness, these pictures are the most amazing things EVER!!! I want to print them and hang them in our bonus/playroom!! Or in Dylan's room! Or Chase's room! Or put them on our Christmas cards... basically, EVERYWHERE!

Here they are "dueling."

We got the most good photos out of Dylan - he responds well to M-n-M bribing. Chase mainly just ran away. :)

Take THAT, bad guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This looks like something I do in my Body Flow class at the gym... I believe it's Tai Chi.

This one might just be my favorite... he's conquering the world.

Even superheroes get tired and need to rest... and in Dylan's case, eat more chocolate (and get it on his face).

My boys are so fun! I'm a lucky Mom! :-)

This Week In Instagram...

2011-11-04T13:27:00.000-04:00

Here's a bit of what happened this week!

Our outfits all ready for our family photos... having a brownie sundae... Rex dressed up... Dylan got money in the mail from Grandma... Chase having lunch... Dylan almost overslept for school this week!... Rex made a big mess out of our toilet paper... Chase waiting for Daddy at Olive Garden... little sneakers = so cute... Dylan making fabulous artwork... Denny got me flowers!!... and Chase being his cute little self.

23 Months - The End of Counting Months

2011-11-03T20:35:00.000-04:00

It's been almost two years since my smiling, happy little boy Chase came into our lives. I remember before I had him, I'd look at Dylan and wonder how in the world another little person could take a piece of my heart like Dylan did. But then Chase was born. And I love every.single.thing about him. Every single thing! And I realized just how much love a mother has - because both of these boys have a hold on me like I could have never imagined.

Chase is my little mini-me. We joke that Dylan got Denny's personality and Chase got mine. And it's true. He's just like me and we mesh and just... go together... it's hard to explain. I like being around him.

The past couple of months I've watched him grow and learn so much. He amazes me with how well he speaks to us. He can easily string four or five words together during a conversation. And have I mentioned that he counts to ten? I can't even believe it.

There have been some signs that the "terrible twos" phase is creeping upon us. He likes to do everything himself, including get into the car and buckle himself into the carseat. It would be great except he takes half an hour to do it and it's just not practical when you're in a hurry, as I usually am. So temper tantrums are happening a little more often lately. They're really not terrible yet and I'm hoping they don't get worse. Fingers crossed.

He's had quite a few more teeth come in, including some molars in the back and I believe he almost has all of his teeth now. He sleeps great at night lately, as long as you let him turn on his own night light and the fan in his room. And sing him "You are my sunshine." We struggle a little with him still wanting his pacifier a lot. We decided recently that his pacis would only be used in the crib. And it's actually been fine so far - usually it's out of sight, out of mind.

I think he's smart, funny, compassionate and completely beautiful and perfect in every way. Denny and I love him so much. Even with a little peanut butter and jelly on his face. :-)

Chasey, thank you for your hugs and cuddles every day. Thank you for telling me, "I eeve you" every day. Thank you for letting me kiss your soft, chubby cheeks. Thank you for your adorable smile. Thank you for brightening my days. Thank you for being you and for making me a proud and happy Mama. I love you so very much!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T22:38:00.000-04:00

This year was an.... interesting... Halloween. The day was great until around 4 p.m. when it started pouring rain and didn't stop.

But we got dressed up anyways - Chase was a cute little fisherman and Dylan a responsible policeman! They both looooved their costumes. Chase had a fishing license pinned to his vest, a fishing pole, hat, and boot covers. He was beyond adorable. And of course Dylan got to wear the fabulous policeman outfit again and loved it!

This next picture totally brings a smile to my face. Gosh, I love these two so much!!!!

Even Rex got in on the fun with a little hat and bow-tie (that he didn't really care for!).

Denny found out that there was trick or treating at the mall, so we decided to head there and get some candy instead of going out and getting drenched. Of course, the mall was a complete mob and took forever to park. Once we got in there we could hardly move from all the people and found out that they were already out of candy. So we headed back home, only to sit in a traffic jam at the mall for a loooong time. By then it was late and still pouring, so we accepted defeat.

My first Halloween (probably EVER) without trick or treating. Sooooo sad. :-( I felt so awful for my boys that we didn't get to go trick or treating. They handled it well though -- I think I was more disappointed than they were.

We went through the drive-thru at McDonald's and got milkshakes instead. And ate the bag of Twix bars that we had at home.

I love my family. :-)

Halloween Parade!

2011-10-31T11:23:00.000-04:00

Dylan had a parade at school for Halloween. Words can't even describe how adorable he was! He's a policeman this year, complete with a badge and handcuffs. He just LOVED walking by Chase and I during the parade - he looked so happy and proud of himself. So stinking cute!!!!!!!!!!!

We're all VERY excited for trick or treating tonight. Dylan keeps asking me when we can go!!

Dylan's Big Party!

2011-10-29T13:57:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was Dylan's big birthday party with all of his friends. We had it at Hill Ridge Farms - the weather was a perfect 65 degrees and sunny, and it was an awesome place to have a party!!Here's Dylan right before the party started, standing in front of the wagon where all of his friends put his presents.

Me and my boys! You'll notice they're both wearing their farmer plaid shirts!

Right at the beginning of the party we all got to take a train ride - here's Dylan waiting for it to start.

My niece Katie!

Check out all the seats we took up on the train - we had a lot of people! In the second row is Dylan's little girlfriend Ava! :-)

Chase LOVES train rides!

Next we got an awesome hay ride - here's all of our guests piled on!

And check out the AWESOME cake I had made at Whole Foods. It's an exact replica of his invitation. They did a phenomenal job. I don't think I'll ever make my own cakes again. It was almost too amazing to eat!

And here's our own little private pumpkin patch where we all got to pick our pumpkins!

It looks like Ashley found a good one!

Cutie Chase is on the hunt for his perfect pumpkin...

Dylan had a hard time picking out his pumpkin - there were too many good ones!

Everyone had some fun on the swings...

Check out all of Dylan's presents!! Woah!

Here's our food table!

Singing happy birthday...

Opening presents...

After cake and presents, we all got to roam around the farm and play! The hay pit was a big highlight! Check out the air Chase gets here:

Poor Jess. The kids decided to bombard her with hay!

Aw, can you tell by this big smile that he's having fun?

Check out how cute Dylan and his cousin Katie are!

Here's my niece - a little photographer in the making!

And of course we had to make a stop at the big jumping pillow!

In this next picture, I was trying to get a shot of Dylan jumping, and just happened to get Chase totally wiping out -- he's that little sideways thing in the corner. Poor guy!

Dylan's birthday was a total blast! All of his closest friends were there and we all had so much fun! It was sooooo stress-free and easy, we all loved it!

This Week In Instagram...

2011-10-28T12:59:00.000-04:00

This week....

...we had a chilly morning!... Chase tried on Dylan's vest... Dylan's cake from last weekend's party... enjoyed some food at the fair - a footlong corn dog... a giant turkey leg... and roasted corn... Chase didn't want Daddy to leave for work... Dylan played with new play-doh... Chase sipped his cereal (ha!)... Dylan and I played Zingo about a hundred times this week... Chase enjoyed popcorn at Target... Dylan sampled our cookies... got a new pumpkin... Dylan's awesome handmade spiderweb... Chase crawled into the dog's cage (with a lollipop in his mouth, although it sorta looks like a cigarette!)... I made some baby girl headbands... I marveled at the boys sitting close to each other without fighting... and lastly, today's lunch - chili and cornbread.

Dylan's Birthday Day

2011-10-26T17:39:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned, last week Dylan turned four and we had lots of festivities lined up for him that day!!

The evening before, Denny and I blew up a whole bunch of balloons and put them in his room while he was sleeping. I also crepe-papered his door so he would have to burst through it to get out in the morning. What fun stuff to wake up to on your b-day, huh?

Here's Dylan sound asleep the night before when we threw all the balloons in his room!

And here's his door after I got done "decorating" it for him.

So the next morning he wakes up, opens his door, and stands there calling our names. I was still sleeping, but I heard him and ran out to his room. He had the most confused look on his face and said, "I can't get out of my room." I told him that I decorated his door for him for his birthday and told him he had to bust through it to get out. He refused and said it was too beautiful and he didn't want to break it. How sweet is that!? So he just crawled under it...

Of course, when I had to go in there to get his clothes out for school, it posed a problem.... I couldn't really fit under it or get over it. So Denny had to get a stepstool to climb over it. After Dylan went in and picked out his own clothes - too short pants and a shirt that didn't match. Sorry Dylan, not today!

For breakfast, Denny made him his favorite chocolate chip mickey mouse pancakes!

Dylan's birthday just happened to coincide with firetruck day at school. How awesome, huh? They got to get on a real live firetruck -- big stuff in the world of a four year old! And check out this firetruck they made at school. His teacher took this picture.

In the afternoon I brought in cupcakes to Dylan's class and they sang him happy birthday. He looked totally embarrassed and stood there chewing his shirt! Ha!

Everyone enjoyed the cupcakes. Chase wasn't shy and grabbed himself a seat too!

Dylan's teachers made him a special birthday hat to wear.

Not sure who the genius is that put a white shirt on Chase that day. Probably the same genius who brought in purple frosting cupcakes to three and four-year-olds!

That evening we let Dylan pick out a restaurant for dinner and he chose Cici's - the pizza buffet. It's always either that or Sweet Tomatoes, another buffet. The kid likes to get his own food!

After dinner we gave Dylan his gifts and a cake. He was totally thrilled with both. His favorite gift was a big giant boat. He almost didn't even notice his other gifts!

Love ya, Dylan! Hope you had a great birthday!

Mud Run '11

2011-10-23T18:24:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday was the Mud Run and we had an awesome time! It's a 5-mile run with 32 obstacles along the way - crawling and climbing and rope swinging and swimming... in other words, HARD and EXHAUSTING! I got muddier than any other past Mud Run thanks to two mud pits full of seriously black mud. This time my super awesome friend from high school, Sara, came along with her boyfriend and did it with me and Denny. I'm soooo happy they did it with us, it was serious fun!

And now it's a week later and I'm finally no longer sore, but I have some large, lingering bruises and cuts all over my legs!

Here's our nice clean 'before' picture (with the exception of that shirt Denny has now worn through at least 4 mud runs)

And here some 'after' pictures.

Here's my brother Doug and sister-in-law Rachel's 'after' picture.

Looks fun, huh? Going into this one, I thought it would have to be my last Mud Run, but now I'm not so sure! :-)

This Week In Instagram...

2011-10-21T16:59:00.000-04:00

What a fun filled week! Here's what happened...

... we stopped at Cracker Barrel on our way to Columbia last weekend... me and Sara at the Mud Run... Chase hugging his cousin Katie... the boys in the big bathtub at Grandma's... I found Rex ON OUR TABLE (gross)... the boys shopping with me... we crepe papered Dylan's bedroom door so he woke up to it on his birthday morning... Dylan's mickey mouse pancakes that he requested on his birthday... on his way home from school with his birthday crown on... snuggling with Chase... Dylan looks SO big these days... Dylan's apple stamps hanging on the wall at school... Chase being happy and cute... Dylan shopping for his birthday party supplies... and Rex chewing on his new toy, a rubber chicken!

It's Dylan's 4th Birthday!

2011-10-18T16:52:00.000-04:00

Today my little man is FOUR!!

I seriously can't believe how much he's grown up lately. He just seems so mature and capable of things now. I don't have to have an eye on him at every moment and I completely trust that he knows right from wrong!

There's a little girl named Ava at his pre-school who has a crush on him. I think he sorta likes her too. They were in the same class last year, but they still see each other every day on the playground. Dylan comes home from school and the first words out of his mouth are always about how he and Ava played together on the playground. And Ava's Mommy tells me that she talks about Dylan all the time too! It's so cute!

Everyone is always telling me how sweet Dylan is. His teachers and his friends all think he's the sweetest, most helpful little boy. He doesn't always act that way around ME, but it really makes me happy to hear how well behaved he is at school and what a nice boy he is. It makes me very proud to know that he's such a good person!

Dylan and Chase still don't get along the greatest... they fight over toys and just really bug each other. But that's what siblings are supposed to do, right? I have confidence that someday they'll really appreciate each other.

Dylan's still a really picky eater. He has peanut butter and jelly EVERY day for lunch. EVERY DAY. That's all he wants. And he will rarely eat what we order him when we go out to restaurants. If it isn't Kraft Mac & Cheese, chicken nuggets or fruit, he probably won't eat it. The only vegetables I can ever get him to eat are carrots (only with ranch dressing!), broccoli (with cheese), and corn. And he hasn't found a sweet he doesn't like yet (like his Mama).

I'm fortunate enough to have a super awesome husband who handles the bedtime routine for me every night. He gives the boys a bath and then has to follow a very strict regimen in order for Dylan to sleep! First is the reading of a book, then he has to tell a story, and then sing Silent Night. In that order. :-)

Dylan's really into "boy-ish" toys like trucks, superheroes, and animals. He has a recent obsession with video games too, ever since Denny showed him Super Mario Bros. on the Wii. He doesn't actually play the video games himself, he just wants to watch other people play them. And he'd do it all day if he could. His favorite TV shows are Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Backyardigans, Olivia, and Wow Wow Wubzy.

Dylan's getting sooooo much better at posing for pictures for me lately! It still takes a little bribing from time to time, but we have a much more fun time with it than we used to! In the pictures below I was laying on the ground in front of him trying to take his picture and he wouldn't smile or look at me... until Chase came up and jumped on my back and made me scream. Then all of a sudden he was hysterical... but I was happy for the genuine cute smiles from him!

Dylan's been getting SO spoiled for his b-day! Last week he celebrated and got some great gifts while we were in Rochester. Today we've had LOTS of cool things happen. Last night while he was sleeping I filled his room with balloons and left him a surprise at his door (I'll post pics of that later). He got to go on a firetruck at school today and have cupcakes in class. And tonight we're going out to dinner and having a little party with just us! This weekend is his super awesome party with his friends.

I seriously love this little guy sooo much! Four years ago today he made me a Mom and changed my life forever -- for the better! I can't imagine living without him now!

Thank you Dylan for making me a Mom and for loving me so much! I don't deserve you, but I'm so incredibly thankful for you!!!!! Happy birthday!!

Some Rochester Pics

2011-10-17T08:22:00.000-04:00

Last week we were in Rochester visiting Denny's family and I pulled my camera out a couple of times -- the first time was at Stokoe Farms where the kids had some fun! The big slide was fun...

They had a little zipline that we all went on too, even Dylan!! He totally loved it!

And here are some cute family pics we took while in town -- getting the kids to cooperate was a little difficult, as you can tell! In some of the pictures Denny was doing some really crazy things behind me to get the kids to laugh!

Here's sweet Jessi dog, who's getting a little older, but still super cute!

We went to Denny's cousin's wedding while we were in town too - here's our pic right before we left!

Thanks to everyone for having us and entertaining us all the days we were in town!!

This Week In Instagram...

2011-10-14T14:26:00.000-04:00

We've had a busy few weeks and are still running a mile a minute, so I apologize for my lack of posts. This past week we traveled to Rochester to visit Denny's family. We took lots of pictures in the car because there isn't a whole lot else to do when you're sitting in the car for 14 hours!

So, lots of instagrams this week. Here's the overview:

All of my luggage for the trip ready to go... the boys in the car with their headphones... me hanging with Rex... Chase napping... Rex napped on my lap the entire trip... stopped and had a mcdonalds picnic on the way... Chase LOVED playing with Jessi this week... had a superhero b-day party for Dylan at Grandma and Grandpa's and the cousins dressed up and played so cute... spiderman b-day cake... me and Denny at his cousin's wedding... we had fun in a photobooth... the cousins at the zoo... Dylan devouring an ice cream cone... Rex on the car ride home... Denny eating a footlong chili dog... Dylan took this next photo of his daddy... Dylan writing thank you cards... aren't they cute? found 'em on pinterest... Denny brought Dylan home a poster from the Hurricanes game... Dylan decorated our house for Halloween... playing with new play-doh... and lastly, that's me removing my gel polish. the lady on youtube said to do it this way and she must be right, right?

The most amazing thing about this post is that I managed to do it with my fingers like that! Only 157 typos that I had to fix!

This Week In Instagram...

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm dumping my phone pics from the road cause we're currently on a 12+ hour car ride to New York!

Here's what happened this week....

... Dylan scribbled on Denny's work notes... we saw a rainbow.... Chase just sat around looking cute... then he walked around with saggy pants... the boys played cute together... Dylan LOVES doing mazes... all my cute boys laid around together... edited some pics of an itty bitty newborn... GOT A NEW LAPTOP!!!... Dylan snuggled up to me in his pj's... Chase had a funny hair day... the boys devoured ghost donuts... read their books together... Chase rode around on his motorcycle... Dylan read ME the story at night (not really... he just made up the words)... I hit 14 pounds lost (holla!!)... Chase drank syrup straight from the container (gag me please)!!!

Chase Can Count!!

2011-10-04T21:55:00.000-04:00

The other night at dinner Chase all of a sudden, out of nowhere, counted to ten!!! Denny and I were like, "did you just hear that?!?!?" We have NOT taught this to him, so I guess he's picked it up from hearing Dylan count.

Chase is ONE. And he can count!! What in the world?!?!

So of course we've been trying so hard to get it on video and he only does it at the most random times -- never when we ask him to. But then the other night we were playing hide and seek and he counted to ten again for me. He's a little hard to hear because he thinks you have to cover your mouth (instead of your eyes) when you play hide and seek! But hopefully you can decipher it! He's a little smartie! :-)

Chase's First Haircut!!!!!!!!!!

2011-09-30T14:43:00.001-04:00

Last night we took Chase for his very first haircut!! All day I was soooooo sad just thinking about it. I'm just so in love with his long curly surfer-looking hair, but it was starting to get in his eyes and look messy. So I knew it was time, but I was still dreading it! At one point during the day Denny texted me and asked if I wanted to cancel the appointment. I said yes, and no, and yes, and no. I was soooo worried all day that they'd cut all his curls off!

And then I took out my camera and took tons of pictures of my cute little Chasey's hair just in case it was the last time I'd see his curls...

So we got to the haircut place and I gave her very explicit instructions that I wanted to keep the long shaggy look, but to just neaten it up a little and PLEASE no mullet! :-)

... and then poor little Chase cried hysterically the entire time!!! My heart just broke for him, he was so scared.

And OH MY GOSH, I love it! It looks pretty much exactly the same, just shorter in the front and a lot neater in the back. His curls are still there, ya'll!!!! I'm soooo happy!

And he pretty much stopped crying one minute after he was done.

Yay for Chase still being my little shaggy haired boy!

This Week In Instagram...

2011-09-30T13:41:00.000-04:00

Are ya'll ready for me to unload my iphone for this week?!? Here goes...

... Dylan dressed up with his purse.... I took a LOT of pics from mine and Denny's date night last weekend because it doesn't happen often enough... cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, yuuummm... our waiter snapped a pic for us too... cute Chasey sat on my dresser... Denny and the boys read the Sunday comics... we went for a family jog (4 miles!)... Rex looked funny and cute with his lampshade on... hit up the Mac counter at the mall... Chase was cute and adorable like always... Dylan made an awesome fish at school... Denny gets the BEST greetings when he comes home from work... tried to get a pic of me and the boys but Chase just cried because he wanted his waffle... Chase was my shopping buddy... Dylan dressed himself... CHASE GOT A HAIRCUT!!!! (more details on that soon)... our entire downstairs and upstairs hallways are being painted as we speak (and I'm not doing it, hallelujah)... took the boys to Burger King where they have an awesome play area... and chocolate milk spilled ALL over my Coach purse!!!!!!!!!

I Love Fields of Flowers!

2011-09-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

A week or so ago I found the coolest field of flowers, so I dragged the boys and Rex out and got some new pictures. They actually cooperated for the most part, which was nice! Took a LOT of photos, but you guys don't mind looking at them all, do you? :-)

And lastly, because I never want to forget.... these next two photos pretty accurately sum up my boy's personalities...

This Week In Instagram...

2011-09-23T16:15:00.000-04:00

... I had a booth at a children's consignment sale last weekend... got some new baby Bloom frames (yay, so cute!!)... the boys dressed up like "cool dudes"... Dylan spent some time with his friend Ashley (soooo adorable)... Denny had the nerve to buy this cheesecake sampler so of course I had to sample every kind... did some photo editing... made up for the cheesecake by eating a salad... Dylan tried out the handicapped swing at the playground (what a nut)... we played with our candy corn... had a lazy morning in bed while Denny was out of town this week... ran 4 miles on the treadmill (woot!!)... took a very poorly composed photo of me and the boys... Chase licked the table... and Dylan gave cone-head Rex some love!

So here's my iphone unload for the week.... enjoy! :-)

Rex's procedure

2011-09-22T16:54:00.000-04:00

A few days ago Rex got neutered and microchipped! I feel awful for him, the poor thing!! They had to give him a cone because he wouldn't stop licking and they were afraid it would get infected. He's walking around banging his cone into everyone and everything. He also has a hard time getting up the steps because his cone gets in the way. Kind of comical and sad all at the same time.

Rex is acting like nothing ever happened. Here I was thinking the day he had the procedure he'd be sleepy and sore... nope, I had to pull him away from wrestling with the boys that evening and he's jumping up on the couch and running around like it didn't phase him!

Naked At Target

2011-09-19T21:31:00.000-04:00

Tonight I took the boys for a quick errand to Target. Dylan needed to use the bathroom and insisted he go into the stall by himself. After about a minute I noticed a shoe on the ground so I opened the stall door to find this:

He took everything off!!! I hid a little giggle and pulled out the phone to take a picture to send to Denny. But then the amusement turned to annoyance as he continued to slam the door shut and ask for privacy even though he was done going. He just sat there FOREVER and meanwhile Chase was pulling things out of my bag and touching everything in the bathroom after he'd already washed his hands. I was sooooo annoyed.

Then Dylan proceeded to cry and yell "this is not my family!" as we walked around Target. Grrreeeeaaat. He said he wanted to find a new home to live in. I thought I might just help him with that. :-)

Oh, and I asked him why he took all his clothes off and he said he just needed to. I said, even the shoes?!?! And he said they make him walk too fast and they had to come off. ??????

This Week In Instagram...

2011-09-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

... the boys climbed into our bed Saturday morning.... got some cute little crowns for newborn picture props... made and enjoyed a taco dip... Chase dressed up in Dylan's firefighter vest... Rex got groomed for the first time (hahahahaha, he looks hilarious!)... had dinner out with my good friends Sara and Liza... fed my pinterest addiction a little... Chasey slept on the couch... made (and consumed a lot of) the Pioneer Woman's homemade mac and cheese... Rex has a new favorite sleeping spot (sooo cute)... and today the temperature dropped THIRTY DEGREES so I had to scrape together warm outfits for the boys this morning.

So without further adieu, here's my iphone unload for the week....

One Sleepy Kid

2011-09-15T15:42:00.002-04:00

This is how I found Chase the other morning. Could NOT believe he fell asleep like this. He's gripping onto my iphone case... the iphone itself was under his stomach. Can't even really explain how these things happen!

He looks like he just passed out from a hard night of partying... hhhmmm.... wonder if I'll find him like this someday when he's a teenager. :-)

This Week in Instagram

2011-09-09T13:29:00.001-04:00

This week...

Chase learned to drink milk from the container, I got a manicure (!), did way too much eating out, Dylan got an awesome lunch cube for pre-school, he drew me a purple unicorn, both boys fell asleep in our bed (sooo cute), and we did some playing outside!

New Kicks

2011-09-08T19:40:00.001-04:00

Chase is sporting some new sneaks!

Dylan helped me pick them out for Chase. Aren't they they cutest little size 5 Nikes you've ever seen?

First Day!

2011-09-07T20:11:00.000-04:00

Today was the big first day!! Dylan started in the 3-year-old class!

On the way to school he told Chase that it was going to be okay... and try not to miss him too much. It was really cute.

He did great! He went right in with no hesitations and sat right down at a table and started playing a puzzle. I tried to pry for details afterwards... he said he played on the playground, had graham crackers for a snack, read a book... and that was all I got from him. Oh, and he made a new friend - Mr. Monkey, a big stuffed monkey. :-)

Here are two pictures the teacher took during the day:

After class we stopped at Henry's Gelato and the boys got some gelato to celebrate the first day!

I'm so proud of my little man! He's growing up way too fast!

Poison Ivy and Pre-School

2011-09-06T15:43:00.003-04:00

Two out of the four people in our house have had poison ivy in the last two weeks!!! First Denny got it and he SWEARS he did not touch any plants... he blamed it on Rex getting into it and then transmitting it to him. Then Monday morning I see it all over Dylan's legs and it's also on his chest and one of his arms! And he was scratching at it like crazy... how do you get a 3-year-old to stop scratching?! I immediately called the doctor and got us an appointment. If he was going to be anything like Denny was when he had it (miserable and whiny), then I knew we needed medicine STAT! So Dylan's on a five day prescription and he's thankfully stopped with the scratching, so it doesn't appear to itch anymore. I'm still a little unclear HOW Dylan got it. He played outside on Saturday with Denny while Denny did yardwork, so that's clearly when he got it, but Denny SWEARS Dylan didn't touch anything (apparently poison ivy just magically appears on people in our house... haha). Denny sprayed a few areas of the yard with Round-Up to hopefully kill it... hopefully!

The doctor said poison ivy's "not even a little" contagious, so thankfully it didn't put a damper on pre-school orientation today! We ran outside amidst the sprinkling rain this morning to snap a couple of pics.

Dylan wanted to wear his "Mater" t-shirt!

Today was a quick 30-minute orientation for Dylan to see his classroom and meet his teachers. It was fun! He was a little timid walking in but then he went straight towards the matchbox cars and construction vehicles! Chase had fun playing too... he broke in some of the toys as you can see in the picture below (they clearly needed chewing)! :-)

Dylan even made a cool piece of artwork -- his hand print on top of my hand print. And that's his teacher Ms. Maria in the pictures with him.

Tomorrow is the big day --- his first day!! Dylan asked if I would come to school with him again tomorrow... I said yes, I'll be there to drop you off! I hope he does alright without me!!

Lots of New Things In The Life of Dylan

2011-09-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

We've had quite the summer! Dylan took two summer camps at his pre-school - a science camp and an 'all about colors' camp. In science camp they did experiments, made ice cream, and played and played and played. In the color camp they drew rainbows, did lots of painting, and played and played some more. He enjoyed both!

He also played on a soccer team with his friend from school, Liam. Dylan LOVES soccer and I've learned how competitive my little guy is. They often raced from one side of the field to the other and Dylan always came in first. Most of the other kids just sort of dawdled to the other side.... but Dylan tries his hardest to win. So cute! He also LOVED that he got a stamp on his hand at the end of each practice. We weren't allowed to wash his hands the rest of the day after practice for fear of washing the stamps off.

Soccer ended last week and Dylan got a fabulous medal to remember the experience with. He was soooo proud of that medal and couldn't wait to show his Daddy. He even made me hang it from the rearview mirror in my car on the way home that day. He wanted to show it to everyone. It was soooooo adorable. Here's a cell phone pic of Dylan right after he got his medal.

A few weeks ago we got a letter in the mail informing us of what pre-school class Dylan would be in this year. His teachers are going to be Ms. Terri and Ms. Maria. They included a picture...

He's a little unsure of going to school and not being in class with his previous teachers, Ms. Becky and Ms. Pam. He keeps saying he wants to go to Ms. Becky and Ms. Pam's class again.

A few nights ago I went to a parent's orientation at the school to see his new classroom and meet his teachers. They seem SO great. His classroom this year is so much bigger. I'm totally bummed that none of the kids from last year's class will be in his class this year... but his former teacher's daughter will be in class with him (Ms. Becky's daughter, Ella) and he's met her a couple of times, so at least there will be one familiar face for him. And I volunteered to be the room Mom to help plan their activities and.... well, I'm not sure what else! But it sounded like a good idea at the time to volunteer. :-) I just want to be around my Dilly-Doo more!

Tuesday is his orientation where he finally gets to go in and see his classroom and meet his teachers. It's only a half hour long... just long enough to scope everything out and play with some toys and go home! Then Wednesday is the big day where he officially starts. This year he goes three days a week - Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:15 to 1:00. I'm excited for everything he'll do and learn this year.

I can't believe how much Dylan is growing up lately... he can do so much on his own now. He's a definite social butterfly, he likes to talk to people everywhere we go and is always wanting to make friends.

He is NOT a good listener, which is one of my pet peeves with him. He gets so excited and determined that he doesn't care if I tell him NO. We're working on that (a lot). And you'd think he was a teenager with these excuses I hear come out of his mouth. "BUT MOM...." Every time I tell him to do something (or not do something), I always get a "but Mom..." I hate that!! There are NO BUTS, Dylan!!!!

He is crazy about watching people play video games, it's rather strange. He likes to watch Denny play Mario Bros. on the Wii. He doesn't play himself, he just likes to watch. And did you know that on YouTube you can find videos of people playing Mario Bros.? I wish Dylan hadn't discovered that because now he always wants to watch them on my phone.

He is a very hyper, energetic little boy and he wants what he wants when he wants it, or watch out! I still struggle with tantrums and crying with him (I thought that would be over by this age - he's practically 4!). He gets so mad when I don't let him do what he wants and he screams and cries. I never know the right thing to do in that situation - ignore him? Try to explain that it's wrong? Send him to time-out? I don't know... I'm guessing (hoping?) he'll outgrow it soon.

Dylan is definitely still a Mama's boy. I have no doubt in my mind how much he loves me. He wants to be around me all the time and he loves to hug me and tell me that I'm the best Mommy in the world (it's like he's buttering me up for something!). He always says he loves me to the moon and back... and the other day he told me he loves me to the hotel and back (not sure which hotel, but I'm assuming it's one that's very far away). And the feeling is mutual. He can certainly get under my skin and test my patience, but I really love his personality. His stubbornness and determination are going to get him far in life. He's a great little helper to me and I love cuddling with him and just looking at him... he's awfully good looking! I love him so much. And as much as I've been looking forward to his new school year starting.... I'm really gonna miss him!

I love you, Dilly Doo!!

My Little Chasey is 21 Months!

2011-09-02T16:14:00.001-04:00

My little cutie pie Chase is really growing up! He has the cutest, sweetest personality and I love him soooo much!

He's become quite the little talker lately. He says so many words now. The ones I hear most often lately are ME and MINE. :-)

When he wakes up from his naps, he used to cry until I came to get him. Now he just yells MAMA at the top of his lungs. I like hearing him say Mama.

He's quite a good little sleeper, too. I tell him it's naptime and he goes right into his room and turns his nightlight on (yes, in the broad daylight - but hey, it's his routine). I think he'd put himself to sleep if he could get into his crib. He goes to bed at night around 8 and usually sleeps until about 7:30 or 8:00 in the mornings. He's occasionally had some bad waking patterns during the night, but lately it's been solid sleep for us all!

Chase and Rex are completely glued at the hips... wherever Chase is, you'll find Rex. I think Rex likes him so much because they're about the same size. And Chase RUNS everywhere and Rex thinks it's fun to chase him around.

A lot of the time they're driving each other nuts too - I often have to stop Chase from squeezing Rex's face or pulling his tail... or I have to make Rex stop tugging on Chase's clothes or trying to steal his food. But two seconds later they're back to being best friends. It's beyond adorable!

Chase is SO MUCH FUN. He wants to play all the time - he's constantly pulling on my hand, dragging me over to whatever he wants to play with. He still loves to copy his brother and do whatever Dylan is doing. He LOVES to play outside and run around and explore.

We've also started to get occasional glimpses of those 2-year-old tantrums... he's started having crying fits if you don't give him the juice he wants or let him have a lollipop... you know, that sort of really important stuff. Besides, he's way too cute to say 'no' to, so it doesn't happen very often yet. :-)

Chase does SO well when I have to leave him... at the gym, at the church's childcare room. He very rarely cries. He just gives me a hug and kiss and runs off to play. I LOVE that. Oh, and the other thing I LOVE is when he yells MAMA and runs and hugs me when I come back!

Chase is wearing size 3 diapers and anywhere from 18 months to 24 months clothes... mostly Dylan's hand me downs!

And that hair.... sorta speaks for itself. I never want to cut it. The hair and his cheeks and his sweet lips are my most favorite things about him.

I don't want him to turn into a terrible-two toddler. He's just SO PERFECT right now. I loooooooooooooooove you, Chasey Poo!!!!!!!!!! xoxoxo

This Week In Instagrams...

2011-09-02T14:19:00.000-04:00

Let me sum up this week for you - we had some fun eating out at Sweet Tomatoes and Simply Crepes, the boys played at Jumpin' Beans, Chase fell asleep on the couch and Dylan decided he needed a Barbie to lay next to him, got some new postcards for the business, got a night out alone at Panera, Dylan got his haircut and I painted my nails! :-)

When They'd Rather Eat Paper Than Get Along...

2011-08-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

This whole scenario...

This whole scenario began with smiles, as things usually do. We start out doing something fun, but things inevitably take a turn for the worse.

Let me set the scene here.

"Oh, Chase, isn't coloring so much fun? I love this!"

"Hey, let me color on YOUR paper! I'll show you how to do it right!"

"No! Leave me alone!"

"Hey! I can touch your paper if I want to!!"

"AAAaaaaaah!!! Mama!!!!!"

"Come back here! Gimme that paper!"

"No! You can't have my paper! I'd rather eat it than let you have it!"

"Waaaaaah!!!!"

"Dylan, knock it off!!! No more coloring!!"

"No fair! Waaaaaah!!!!"

And THAT, folks, is how things go from fun to awful in under 60 seconds. Every. single. time.

This Week In Instagrams

2011-08-26T14:32:00.001-04:00

This week I was a little snap-happy with the cell phone camera.

We had a silly week, as you'll see... lots of crazy pics... and food pictures... not sure why I feel the need to take pictures of food all the time. :-)

Oh, also one more thing - I felt the earthquake this week!!! Totally didn't know it was an earthquake until three hours later because it was the LAST thing that crossed my mind. I actually felt our house shake and heard a weird noise outside (thought it was a big plane going overhead) and the neighbor's dog was barking like crazy. So I went outside and looked around and everything looked normal so I went on with my life and didn't give it much more thought until I heard we had an earthquake!! Wow, I've never felt an earthquake before... so cool!!

Seriously, Rex?

2011-08-24T15:29:00.000-04:00

Really, Rex? You had to go and do that?

Our Week In Instagrams

2011-08-19T16:10:00.000-04:00

Have ya'll ever heard of Instagram? It's an iPhone app that lets you take neat-o pictures. I use it aaaaallll the time. I can't always pull out the nice camera, so my phone allows me to capture the little moments. I love my pics I take with my phone, and I hate that no one sees them. They belong on the blog.

So here's the photos I took via Instagram this week. Bet you can guess which photo Dylan took!! :-)

A Rare Nap

2011-08-19T15:37:00.000-04:00

Here's Dylan sound asleep on the couch. He never naps anymore. He had a little cold last week and I think it wiped him out.

It's not often I get to see my little man sleeping... he's so grown up these days. I like these photos because he looks so sweet and peaceful. I love him so much!

Homemade Popsicles - Don't Try This At Home!!

2011-08-18T19:00:00.000-04:00

I picked up these popsicle holders at Bed Bath & Beyond and thought they were so nifty - they have little straws at the bottom, so as the popsicle melts, it collects at the bottom and you can suck it right up.

Well, in theory that's an excellent idea. I give major accolades to whoever thought of this.

But with my kids, NOTHING is going to work as it should. We made homemade popsicles using cran-grape juice. Then for 24 hours as they froze I had to listen to Dylan asking me every 30 seconds when they were going to be ready. He opened the freezer at least twice an hour. And he even pulled them out of the freezer and carried them through the living room spilling grape juice on the carpet. He drove me nuts with it.

Finally I let the boys eat them (OUTSIDE) the following day after lunch. They started out nice and neat, but God forbid they hold the things up straight! The puddles of juice that collected in the bottom just flung everywhere. I had to eventually put the camera indoors for safe measure.

And did I mention it took them a good hour to finish these things? After they ran around the yard, Chase dropped his several times, I had to hose off the back porch, the front porch, and the boys, and break up several fights. Whenever I have really fun ideas, they always end up being more of a headache than anything. I know I need to take a chill pill.... I really tried to have fun, but messes and fighting just stress me out. :-(

Chase made THE funniest faces ever as he licked his popsicle.

See this next picture? Where Chase appears to be sucking the juice from the popsicle? Well, they actually discovered that if you BLOW into the straw then the juice flies all over me and them. So hilarious.

I Got To Change The Number On My Chalkboard Today!!!

2011-08-16T13:56:00.000-04:00

Woot woot!! I'm doing a happy dance!! Halfway to my goal... but something tells me the next 10 pounds will be a lot harder.

Lovin' My Boys

2011-08-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

I brought my camera outside Friday and told Dylan that I wanted some pictures of Rex. He was really into that idea, surprisingly! He wanted to be my helper. Thankfully I got him to hold Rex for a few pics. I couldn't believe they were cooperating. And they were giggling because Rex was trying to eat Chase's lollipop. It was just perfect!!!!

Of course I did have to take a few pictures of Rex while we were out there. He's almost four months old!

Here's a cute one of my Dilly-Doo!

Aren't they the cutest?!? Sort of makes up for what little devils they can be! :-)

Diets Stink

2011-08-12T16:58:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned I am getting super duper buff? Have I also mentioned my metabolism is not what it used to be? This week I cheated ONE NIGHT. We went out for Mexican food and I ate chips and cheese dip and drank Coke. I also went to the gym this week. A lot. Let's see... I did Body Combat, the ab sculpting class, Zumba, Yoga, Body Pump, and a cardio/pilates class. Yep, all this week. And I followed my diet perfectly with the exception of the Mexican food night. Guess how much weight I lost this week? NONE. I hate that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And right now I am seriously craving a fun eating out night to celebrate the weekend. Why can't I eat whatever I want and enjoy life without feeling guilty and bad about myself? Sheesh, I hate that... I wanna eat enchiladas and drink Coke and still lose weight. So not fair.

Today I took the boys out to play and got some really sweet pictures, which I'll share later. But Dylan took the photo of me above. It sort of looks like my arm is holding the camera, but Dylan was actually holding my camera and taking the picture all by himself. I just stuck my hand out under it in case he dropped it! I was hot and sweaty and my hair was a mess... but he was so proud of it, I love that. Thanks for the pic, Dilly-doo!!!

A Little Bit of Rex-y

2011-08-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

Rex is fitting right in here at the DeVoe household. He did cause some stress in the beginning with his peeing everywhere, though. We went through a few bottles of carpet cleaner. But guess what?!?! He's sooooooo close to being completely potty trained now! We've been ringing a little bell each time we take him outside and now he rings the bell all by himself when he has to potty. It's awesome!!!!

He did have an accident last night... but it's more the exception these days.

And as you can see, he needs a little trim around his face so he can see!

We're taking him to puppy training classes once a week and it's been fun to see him around all the other people and puppies. He has such a sweet little personality. He loves people, but he's not annoying and jumpy like a lot of the other dogs there. He's just perfect. And smart. :-)

He is totally part of the family now!! The boys just adore Rex and have so much fun letting him chase them around. Oh, and he weighs 5 pounds as of last week!

Cuties in the Bath

2011-08-04T20:26:00.001-04:00

The other night Daddy held a bubble party in the bathtub (code for - he was desperate to get the kids in the bathtub without kicking and screaming). There was some serious bubble action going on!

The only downside to the bubble party... bubbles in the eyes. :-(

My Little Monkey

2011-08-02T12:52:00.000-04:00

We've got a little bed jumper! He loooooves to jump on our bed!

Catching Up

2011-07-30T15:40:00.000-04:00

I have been so swamped lately, and really hate that the blog is always the first thing I neglect when that happens. So I need to do some catching up! I really haven't taken my camera out of its bag except for work reasons. But thankfully I have my cell phone and am constantly taking pics with it. The pictures are awful, but that's ok.

So here's some things we've been up to (all in cell phone pics):

1. Here are the boys hanging out on the stairs one day, playing with Rex. Lookin' cute!

2. Me and the boys having some fun! Can't believe I got all of us in the picture!

3. We took a little trip last weekend to Columbia so I could shoot a wedding there! Rex was an awesome traveler!

4. Dylan got a new nightlight - CARS! Can you tell he likes it?

5. Chase ate an ice cream sandwich... well, at least I think he ate some of it. Sorta hard to tell how much actually went in his mouth!

6. Dylan continues to enjoy his soccer practice. Here's a pic of the boys waiting for practice to start.

7. I got my hair cut today... hello bangs!! Hope they don't drive me crazy falling into my eyes... we shall see!

8. Oh, I'm getting into awesome shape again finally!! I've been taking the classes at my gym and they're SO much fun. This week I took Body Combat, an ab sculpting class, Zumba, a Yoga/Pilates mix class, Body Pump, and did some treadmill running. And that was just Monday through Thursday. Like I said, I'm getting in awesome shape!! So don't mess with me!! :-) I've lost six pounds since I started three weeks ago... I'll get that bikini body back if it kills me!! And the Mud Run is in a couple months, so I've gotta be ready!

I will try to be a better blogger, I promise!

YES

2011-07-29T09:06:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to share this crazy adorable video of Chase saying the word 'yes' for the first time. It happened like two weeks ago! :-) His little voice and his smile just KILL me, they're so cute!!

New Bathroom Art

2011-07-18T14:12:00.001-04:00

Check out the picture I finally printed! I got it as a big canvas and it's now hanging in our master bathroom!

I think it's the best bathroom art I've ever seen!!!!

Dylan's First Soccer Practice!

2011-07-15T15:24:00.000-04:00

Last week was Dylan's first ever soccer practice!!! And I think he's going to be SO great at soccer! I was so impressed with how hard he worked and how much he tried to impress his coach. It was incredibly cute to watch.

I do have to say, however, that it was a very rough outing for ME... not to take the spotlight off of Dylan. Chase screamed bloody murder the entire time because he wanted to play too. And then he escaped onto the field and made it clear across to the other side... resulting in me having to run out there and get him and drag him back! And I forgot Dylan's water in the car so he was the only one who didn't get a drink of water during their water break. I seriously looked like the worst Mom ever!

But Dylan REALLY enjoys soccer. He just had his second practice today and Denny took off work to come watch. We just can't believe how natural soccer seems to come to him. He is by far one of the best kids out there! Goooooo Dylan!

After practice we swung through Dunkin' Donuts and got some donuts for lunch... since I had already won the award that day for Worst Mother Ever. :-)

He's awfully cute. And messy!

My Sweet 19-Month Old

2011-07-14T15:15:00.000-04:00

Chase turned 19 months old! My sweet, quiet boy is growing up and slowly moving out of his baby phase. Which I'm going to miss so much. That sweet little baby fat, the chubby cheeks, the cuddling, the holding and singing to sleep... these are really my last few months of him being a baby.

He's already trying to be so grown up all the time. He watches Dylan and tries to mimic what Dylan says and does. He wants to play sports (hence the soccer pics), ride his tricycle, say lots of words... eeeek, he's growing up too fast!

Chase had his 18-month checkup a few weeks ago and we got all his stats.

Weight: 22 pounds, 3 ounces (11th percentile)
Length: 32 inches (30th percentile)

He had one shot and didn't like it... though Dylan was there to cheer him up really quickly!

Chase got in some molars this month - two way in the back on the top, and he's getting in two more on the bottom. His sleep is really hit or miss. We do get plenty of nights where he sleeps straight through, but he's been having a lot of wake-ups lately too.

Last night he said the word bubble for the first time - in the bathtub. He is such a great little talker. Though he does a LOT of grunting and pointing still.

This next picture I really love of Chase... it was actually just an accidental picture, but I love his sweet little neck, his lips and his kissable cheeks. Makes me wanna go smooch him right now!

The Week I Thought Would Never End

2011-07-08T12:56:00.001-04:00

Last week was horrific! I don't know why, but it was just one of those weeks where I was totally overstressed, Denny was working more than usual, and everyone was driving me nuts.

Let me tell you about the events of one day in particular.

It started with cleaning up dog pee... then more dog pee... then dog pee and dog poop. All the while taking Rex outside every thirty minutes, and we still had dog pee all over the place inside our house (uuummm... does anyone manufacture doggy diapers?).

Then I was trying to make a quiche for a neighbor who'd had a baby. I was in the middle of stirring things on the stove and Dylan generously offered to take Rex outside to go potty. I said, awesome, Dylan, that would be great! So I watch the next set of events unfold through the window. I see Dylan pull down his pants (in our front yard!!) and start peeing. Then I see Rex walk right into Dylan's stream of pee and just stand there like nothing is happening. And Dylan just continuing to go!!!!!

I then have to deal with a dog soaked in pee while I'm trying to cook dinner for a neighbor. So I throw Rex in the sink and give him a bath with one hand while I'm stirring my neighbor's food on the stove with the other hand. It was awful, but I couldn't let the food burn, and I couldn't let Rex run around the house covered in urine!!!!!

Then I am dealing with two incredibly whiny, cranky kids all while trying to roll out a beautiful quiche dough. Which ended up looking like this:

I kid you not. I had to throw it in the garbage and start all over again.

That was right around the time that Rex pooped on the floor and smeared it all over the place. So it was yet another really disgusting thing I had to clean up in the middle of making this quiche. Gosh, I hope my neighbor does not read my blog. I never want her to know this!!!! If people start turning down my requests to deliver them meals after having a baby, I will not be surprised.

Then it was about lunchtime and I burnt my grilled cheese.

The picture doesn't even do the burn-age any justice. Trust me, it was burnt. It was right around this time where Dylan said he wanted a string cheese, then threw it at me and said he didn't want it, then proceeded to cry and say he wanted it after I threw it away.

I was soooo irritated and I was craving a big fat Coke, my vice. I love a nice cold Coke from a fountain machine. So I threw the kids in the car and drove to McDonald's and ordered my Coke. Drove away, only to realize it was Diet Coke, which I loathe. You should see the horrible contortions my face makes after I take a sip of Diet Coke. I almost just threw in the towel and accepted my fate and went home, but I decided I needed justice. I went back through the drive-thru, told them they made a mistake and I wanted a Coke!!!!!

Well, I drove away, opened my straw, stuck it in, took a big sip.... and it was Dr. Pepper. I am not making this stuff up, people. At that point I just went home and threw the dang thing away. It clearly wasn't meant to be.

Then I got home to find that my camera lens I'd sent away for repairs had returned, yay! But check out how well the UPS guy handled my $500 lens (with another $140 worth of repairs just spent on it).

I mean, the box had been ripped open and the little stuffing things were falling out. Come on, people!!!! Handle with care!!!!

I had JUST treated myself to a manicure about two days before this. It was my first manicure in at least five years. Here's how my nails looked two days later.

I should also mention that Chase bit me that day. Hard. NOT a fan of that crap! And he's getting in molars so my sleep was incredibly minimal that week.

I'm sure there was more. Much more. Like whining and fighting and hitting and crying and throwing food and me not having time to shower for three days. But now I just want to forget last week.

Thankfully this week is much, much better than last. I totally deserve it, though.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T17:34:00.001-04:00

Last night we had the pleasure of driving to Wake Forest to take in some fireworks. We ran into a TON of traffic and decided to join in the crowds and just park near a random field and find a spot for what should be some awesome family time and great fireworks. Only it was melt-your-skin hot outside. And we had just finished eating Mexican food for dinner, so my stomach was full of enchiladas and coke and enough chips and salsa to feed all the starving kids in Africa. So I admit it wasn't quite as fun for me as I'd have liked.

But while waiting for the fireworks we decided to walk to the ice cream shop nearby because I think the sun fried my brain and I decided I needed to add ice cream to my already full stomach. Thankfully my brain started to work again, and I handed over my ice cream to Denny to finish before I completely got sick.

It was one of those ice cream shops where you serve yourself and load up your ice cream with a cajillion toppings - everything from gummy bears to sprinkles to pop tarts to m-n-m's. And you better believe Dylan puts some of EVERYTHING on his ice cream at these places. It's hysterical. The little guy gets a tiny bit of ice cream and then fills the rest of his container with all sorts of odd toppings that don't sound appetizing at all when mixed together. And somehow he always manages to eat it and like it!

So after ice cream, a few games of catch, and lots of sweating and sitting around waiting, the fireworks finally started around 9:45... we were literally in our truck about to drive away because we just couldn't understand WHY they hadn't started yet and, let's face it, I was cranky! But then all of a sudden they appeared like magic in the sky and we had to run out of the truck and find a spot on the curb to watch them.

They were really pretty! And the boys enjoyed them for about five minutes and then Dylan was whining that they were loud and he wanted to go home. So that was that! And off to home we went!

Today we are celebrating Denny's day off with burgers on the grill and a key lime pie for dessert. And lots of air conditioning.

Happy fourth, ya'll!!!

To Further Prove That I Live With Crazy People...

2011-07-02T00:04:00.000-04:00

Dylan thinks this is just hysterical...

You know what I think is hysterical? The fact that he LET me take a picture of him stuffing things in his underwear. And the fact that I'll be showing this to his girlfriend when he's sixteen!

Well, At Least They're Serving a Purpose

2011-07-01T15:11:00.001-04:00

I came in from taking Rex outside the other day (for the thousandth time that day - and odds are he peed on the floor right afterwards anyway) to discover Dylan using my breast pump thingy as a megaphone. Uummm... okay. If you'd have asked me where I store my breast pump thingy's, I'm not even sure I could have told you the answer. But thankfully now I can. What a relief.

That's right, Chase, join right on into the craziness, cause why not? Nothing surprises me around here anymore.

Sadly, in that moment, I knew it was highly likely that the playing-with-breast-pump-thingy's wouldn't even be the strangest thing to happen that day. I swear I live in a carnival sometimes. Thank God I have a sense of humor!!!

Hair Twins!

2011-06-30T12:09:00.000-04:00

I really can't get over this picture of Denny's Dad as a child. He has the same hair as Chase!! I mean... it looks like the same texture, same curls in the back... everything!! Soooo cute and awesome, huh? If only he didn't have that hand in front of his face so I could see if their faces were similar too!

Rex's First Bath

2011-06-29T09:06:00.002-04:00

I know what you're thinking... why is there a rat IN OUR SINK? But don't worry, it's just Rex.

He didn't enjoy his first bath. He shook like a leaf the entire time... I can't imagine what there is to be afraid of! I mean, isn't it normal to have someone stick you in a sink full of water?!!! Poor Rex.

Denny and I DID agree that giving Rex a bath is like a thousand times easier than giving Sandy a bath had been. Seeing as how Rex is like a thousand times smaller than Sandy was!

We're really enjoying Rex... except for all the peeing and pooping he's done all over my carpets. But what's a little urine when you've already got apple juice and chocolate all over everything? Just kidding... sorta. I'm just saying that we're going through a LOT of carpet cleaner in this household!!!! And we love our little Rex-y just the same!

Thanks for the laugh, Cole!

2011-06-28T19:07:00.000-04:00

When we went and stayed at my sister's house a few weeks ago to pick up Rex, the boys had lots of fun playing outside in Cole's pool and running through the sprinkler. I just came across this picture and couldn't help but giggle at Cole in the background...

I'm 32....!

2011-06-24T15:40:00.000-04:00

Monday was my birthday! My Mom came on Saturday to throw me a little party and help celebrate. She brought TONS of decorations and I had to go upstairs while she and Dylan decorated. I came down to quite the festivities... balloons everywhere, lots of crepe paper taped to the walls, signs, and an awesome cookie cake!

The boys had a blast playing with the balloons!

Rex (aka cutest dog EVER) just watched and wondered how in the world he ended up in such a crazy house!

Oh, did I mention my Mom gave me a super awesome Coach purse for my birthday? LOOOOOVE IT!!!!! Thank you, Mom!

Then, since Monday was my actual birthday, I got some nice presents from Denny that day - like a fantastic new computer monitor that is waaaay bigger than my old one. It's so perfect for editing photos, I'm totally loving it!

And since we ate all the cookie cake from Saturday night's party, Denny got me a Reese's peanut butter cup ice cream cake. Look at the beauty of this thing!!

I'm so thankful to celebrate another birthday with my wonderful family. I wonder what the year of being 32 has in store for me!

Reason #873 that Denny is the World's Best Dad!

2011-06-19T13:19:00.000-04:00

Just another reason that Denny is a great Dad... he lets the boys bury him in odd things, like balloons!

Happy Father's Day to Denny!! Dylan and Chase can always count on him to be silly and have lots of fun with them. He's always there for us when we need him and gives us everything we need and then some! Thanks for everything you do to help raise our great little boys, Denny!

We Got a Dog!!!!

2011-06-17T17:15:00.000-04:00

We are soooo excited to introduce our newest family member to you all! This is Rex - a 7 week old "red" Cockapoo. He was born on April 26th. I weighed him on our scale today and he's 2.6 pounds, which is less than I'd thought! He's so tiny! And he doesn't have very many teeth yet, just a few in the back.

Here is the very first picture I took of him yesterday after I picked him up, because I just HAD to take a pic and send it to Denny. Doesn't he look like a little teddy bear?

We started our search for a dog last month and were soooo surprised when we got turned down for every cute dog we found at several different rescues. Apparently they think if you have young kids, you shouldn't get a dog. Who knew?!?! I filled out applications for four dogs and couldn't get a single one of them. It was crazy and annoying!

I was super interested in a Cockapoo (half poodle, half cocker spaniel) because they're supposed to be great family dogs, they're hypo-allergenic, they don't shed (!!!!!!), and they only get to be about 15 pounds. Not to mention they are the cutest little dogs I've ever seen!

So I just happened to find this Cockapoo puppy available in Irmo, South Carolina -- right near where all my family lives. So after I spoke to them and found out we could have him, I called my sister up and told her we were coming for a road trip to visit her and pick up our new puppy!

Denny and Dylan decided to name him Rex and I was totally on board. Rex is the name of the hospital where I had both boys, so it has some sentimental value to me. So far Rex is the SWEETEST puppy. Both boys are just beside themselves with love and excitement for him.

Here is a picture of Dylan holding Rex at my sister's house - right after Dylan first met him. I snapped this one on my cell phone and sent it to Denny, who I think fell in love with him right from this photo. He shortly thereafter showed the picture to everyone at work, and made it his computer desktop background.

Dylan is being really gentle with Rex and loves him soooo much. The only problem we're having with Dylan is that he picks Rex up all the time and carries him EVERYWHERE. I have to keep telling him to put the dog down and let the dog walk for himself. He also doesn't let Rex sleep, he's constantly picking him up out of his bed and not giving him a break. It doesn't sound that bad, but I know Rex is still a little scared, so I am feeling badly for him!

And Chase is adjusting well to Rex also. Chase is not quite as gentle as Dylan (as you can tell from the photo below where he was about to squeeze Rex's face off!), but Chase also doesn't really pay Rex quite as much attention as Dylan does. Chase just ignores Rex for the most part, which I think is a good thing.

I am so, so happy that Rex is such a happy, easygoing little dog! He doesn't care what the kids do to him, he just goes with the flow and wags his tail.

Here's Rex lounging in his doggy bed today. He really seems to like it and is sleeping on it a lot, it's so cute!

Last night was Rex's first night with us and we put him in his crate to sleep. He whined and barked (the only time I've ever heard him bark so far) for about a half hour and I thought we were in for some trouble. It woke Chase up and then Chase wouldn't go back to sleep, and Dylan was awake and kept coming out of his room. Fortunately Rex finally went to sleep and we didn't hear a peep out of him the rest of the night. I was expecting to have to get up during the night and let him outside to go to the bathroom, but he went all night with no accidents, woo hoo! Hopefully that's normal for him!

He's had a few pee and poop accidents in our house yesterday and today, but hopefully we'll get him housebroken really quickly. They gave us a bell to hang on our doorknob to train Rex to ring it whenever he needs to go outside. Hopefully that will work, it'll be perfect!

We are soooo enjoying Rex and hope he stays as sweet and calm and cute as he is right now! He's going to be so much fun to have around!

Our Fun Weekday Visitors

2011-06-15T09:02:00.012-04:00

It's summer and Dylan's out of school and the weekdays can get kinda boring. So imagine my excitement when my sister called me up last week and asked if she could come visit for a few days. Little did she know, I would have PAID her to come visit me!

The boys had so much fun playing with my nephew Cole. We hit up Chick-fil-A, did a little shopping, my sis made us dinner, and the boys were ALL ABOUT Lindsay's dog Daisy. They took her for a walk a bunch of times, watched her out the window every time she went out, chased her around the house, pet her for hours... I'm pretty sure they completely exhausted Daisy. Oh, and I can't forget about the serious play-doh action that was happening.

And I told the boys I got play-doh on my camera lens and boy did that ever work to get them to actually LOOK at my camera. Keepin' that one in my back pocket when I need it again!

And just for giggles, here is Dylan's marvelous play-doh-covered-race-car creation!

Thanks to Lindsay, Cole and doggy Daisy for coming out and keeping us company for a few days. We enjoyed having you!! Come again soon!

Salon Melissa. Tips Appreciated.

2011-06-14T21:34:00.000-04:00

You know how I've mentioned a thousand times that Chase's hair is getting SO LONG? Well, I was feeling bad about how it's started to get in his eyes. And a lady at the grocery store asked me if he was a boy or a girl. I wanted to say, "DUH, are you blind?" But instead I analyzed this hair of his... so so so very cute and curly, but yes, getting a tad bit long. It's just as perfect as can be in the back with nice soft curls that are just the right length. But the front... well, the front is what's getting out of control.

So I decided to give Chase's bangs a little trim. Just the bangs, nothing else. And I've never once in my life cut anyone's hair, but I was about to try!

Here's a look at him before the trim, brushing his teeth...

As you can see, it was a big family effort - Denny took pictures, Dylan supervised, I cut, and Chase rubbed his head in shock.

Notice my nice technique... I've seen my hairdresser do this before, so I figured I should too.

The fact that I was doing an awful job was very evident in this next picture.... I'm pretty sure if there's a hairdresser/stylist reading this, they're hating me right now.

Here's how he looked afterwards. It really didn't turn out all that badly. Thankfully my chopping just blends into the curls. It really looks nice now! And he can see!

Here's the part where he got me back for spraying him with that water bottle.

So I'm considering this a "first trim" for Chase - not a first haircut, because for the first haircut we're going all out and paying $17.95 at JJ's for him to sit in a little airplane and get a certificate and inevitably scream his head off. That will be somewhere in the distant future when I'm ready to accept that he's growing up, but that's not today. :-)