Happy Halloween!

We had the best Halloween so far in our lives. The weather was perfect. Just the right temp so no coats were needed and just the right amout of wind to make our costumes look more scarier! While the girls and Jared headed out the door at 6.30p to start their tick-or-treating, I got ready to hand out candy with my little "dead" pirate strapped to me in a baby carrier.It was a great night, there weren't that many tick-or-treaters in our neighbourhood so I didnt have much to do. But the few that did come complimented me on my witches' costume. My favorite part of the costume was the hat, it had these great feathers sticking out along with a few black ribbon roses and a black veil with spiders glued on. I think it cost like $15.00 but it was so worth it. If I didnt have that hat I would have looked Lame!!!

The girls were so excited to dress-up and this year they finally understood what Halloween was about, free candy! Elizabeth said Trick-or-treat at every door that she visited and Jamie just said "gimme candy". We are still working on her!

As for the loot, the majority was chocolate and then we went out to the grocery to get more chocolate at half price, so now we have enough chocolate for the rest of the year! That is if Jared doesn't eat it all in a few days!

Once we got home from trick-or-treating we had just a few minutes to get ready to head out to a Halloween party with some friends, so we got to wear our great costumes a little bit longer! It was a great party with some really amazing food. Lots of dancing and singing too! It truely was a great Halloween. We're thinking that next year we will have a Halloween block party for our little street and we can dress up the whole neighbourhood, but it is a work in progress! Hope you guys had a Happy Halloween!

Yummmmm!!!!

Little Red was so excited to try a new food. It was just some rice cereal really diluted but he thought that it was the best thing in the world. I thought at first that he was too young to start cereal but I read somewhere that they can start having some cereal anywhere between 2 1/2 to 3 months old. We only feed him cereal once a day and just a few bites but the look on his face is priceless! He is such a good eater that if I let him he might just eat the whole bowl of cereal. Maybe in a few weeks we can start him on some applesauce. He might love that.

Jack Sparrow!!

Well this is Jared's favortie time of the year, to dress up as a pirate. We have been piecing together his Jack Sparrow costume since last year, getting a bit here and there so that by Halloween he would have most or all of the original Jack Sparrow costume. We started looking for kids pirate costumes for the girls but didnt find one that we liked. As for me, I would like to be Tia Dalma off of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 ( she is the Voodo Lady) but her costume is $300 online and they dont make one for her anywhere else, so I have to put my costume together from bits and pieces too... till we find all the costumes that we want the girls and I will have to settle for whats left. Lizzy is going as Barbie Island Princess again and Jamie is going as Snow White again. I will attempt to dress up as a witch from Harry Potter. Baby Jared will go as daddy's little pirate skeleton buckineer.

Jack- O -Lanterns!

We love Halloween because it is one of the few times a year that we get to dress up in costumes. Plus it is the only holiday that you get free candy where ever you go. But the best part of Halloween for me is getting to do all these wonderful traditions that I had as a kid with my kids, like carving pumpkins. I dont really like the idea of a half rotten pumpkin sitting in front of my door, but I am willing to make the sacrifice for the kids and Jared. Jared actually confessed that while he was a kid he watched the pumpkin carving being done by family members but never did one himself! I know weird huh? So we got the kit, I actually carved four or more pumpkins a year since I was 6 and once I moved to Trinidad the only time we carved pumpkins were when we were going to cook them right away... so about once a week...they dont celebrate Halloween in the Caribbean!
So we got this kit and the girls and I showed their dad how to carve a pumpkin, the kit was great and easy to follow. After about 10 or 20 mins carving out our pumpkin we got this great cut out of a dead pirate... as you know we are big pirate fans!

Tis The Season... To Be Scared!

At the pumpkin patch they had lots of scary Halloween stuff, including these great places to take some goofy pictures and get a little spooked by the scarcrows. There is Jared and little Jared taking a pic as scary ghosts and the girls as witches. Finally there is me with little Jared with the scary scarcrows. Halloween is so much fun.

Pack Pumkin Patch

What a beautiful day for picking pumpkins. We had a lovely day at the Pack Pumpkin Patch in Farmington. The temps got up to 73 degrees today, just enough for a light jaket. The girls were amazed to see so many pumpkins all at once. They didnt know where to begin, but with their daddy's help they found a few superb little pumpkins and one big one to get craved. They spent about 1 hour deciding what pumkins to take home and we came home with a grand total of three pumkins ( mom doesnt like the idea of a large number of rotting vegetables by the front door). Hopefully we can start the carving process tomorrow.

First Snow...

It started off on a very cold Saturday morning. We recieved about 2 inches of snow in Farmington and thought that we would drive up to Park City and see how much snow they got. Once we got into Park City it was evident that they recieved at least 5 or more inches of snow than anywhere else... After all it is Park City! We thought that we would get out of the van and take a few pics of the girls in the snow. But they didnt like it. They said it was too cold to take pictures. We didnt get one picture of the girls smiling at all. So I thought that I would post the best ones. Just look at the mountain tops, covered in snow... just a lite dusting they would say out in Park City.

Jared's New Friend.

About two or three years ago Elizabeth got this baby doll for her birthday from her grandma and grandpa Chase. Over the years this baby doll lost it's pacifier, bottle and clothes, due to the extreme amount of care it was givin by the girls. Just recently they pulled this baby doll from under a pile of clothes and started playing with it and and using it to teach their 9 wk old little brother where the baby's face is and all of those other parts of the face. Baby Jared loved this new friend of his. He started laughing at it and smiling at it. I laid the baby doll next to him and Jared kept batting at it with his hands as if to say, " hey friend thanks for hanging out with me!"

Elizabeth now walks around with what she calls her baby Jared. She feeds him pretend bottles and changes pretend diapers. Right now she is asleep in bed with her baby doll right next to her. I hope that baby Jared doesnt get too jelous of his sister taking away his new friend!

8 Weeks Old and Growing.

Our little guy is no longer little. He was born weighing 5 lbs 11 ozs, after taking him to his WIC appointment we discoverd that he now weighs 9lbs 6 ozs. What a little porker!!! He gained almost 5 lbs in two months. Now I know that might be some what normal for you and the families you know but it isnt anywhere normal for me or my kids. It took almost six months for Lizzy to gain 1 lb and Jamie to gain 3 lbs. He eats about 4 ozs of formula every 3 to 4 hours. I think that is normal but at the same time it is kinda weird for me to see him gainning and gainning. I hope he doesnt gain too much too soon. But if he does it is just more Jared to love!!

Big Sister

Ever since Elizabeth knew we were having another baby she was so excited and protective of me. She never let me lift anything and if I did she would say something like "Mom that's not a good thing to do you will hurt the baby, let me help!" Once I went on bedrest she was even more protective and even more concerned about the baby. She wanted to go with me to all my doctor appointments. She knew that I was suppose to rest and would remind me when I needed to rest and not do anything. She learned to open the refridgerator to get a yogurt cup and she learned to open the utensile draw to get a spoon, she even managed to not spill her meals on the floor so that I didnt have to get up and clean the floors. She was such a big helper and did alot for me. She got to the point where she wanted to change Jamie's diapers so that I didnt have to get up!

Once this little guy was born she started to help me with him with little jobs like getting diapers and wipes for me, and finding his pacifier when it fell on the floor. Then she moved to watching him in his crib while I got meals ready. Now she kinda babysits for me. If I need to check something on the PC she watches him. Now that I can move around more I have to make more meals and clean more and she watchs him while watching t.v. I just put him on her lap and she holds him up and all three kids sit on the couch and watch Dora the Explorer. It is cute that she loves to help out with the baby, she just loves him. Jared smiled for the first time and guess who he was smiling at? His loving big sister.

Cool Like My Daddy!

We got some great gifts from out baby shower in August. There was a cute little outfith that I just adored. It suit our little guy just perfectly. In reality he is just like his daddy in looks and personality. Jared even calls him "Mini Me". So I thought that this outfit was perfect because it reads "Cool Like My Daddy" and I think that blue is his color, Jared thinks that it is green. So we switched out the blue pants for green camos! Little Jared also makes the funniest faces, he sometimes gives these faces like "your so crazy mom" and then there are the ones that are like "whoa, whats going on mom?" so enjoy these pics.

MOVE OVER DAD!!!

Ever since we brought our little guy home we have had a hard time putting him to sleep in his crib...I told Jared that he doesnt like the color of the sheets!! But I think that he just gets lonely, we forget sometimes that he spent some 7- 8 mths growing in my tummy, listening to our voices and hearing my heart beat. So we tried letting him sleep in the swing and that works great for about an hour then he whats to be held, then we tried his porta crib, again that only worked for about an hour. Finally through desperation and from the lack of sleep I decided to let him bunk with us in our California King size bed. There was only enough room for me and baby Jared... daddy had to sleep on the couch.. I thought that I would share this moment with you.

Recently we discoved that baby Jared loves to nap on the couch.. so that is where the little monster sleeps now and mom and dad bunk on the floor. We figured once he sleeps on his own all night long it would be easier to transfer sleeping places from couch to crib. I hope this happens soon because the floor is really hard and cold!

Big Sisters!!

After we brought Little Red home the girls finally settled down into their routine and had some one-on-one time with their little brother. But not before thowing temper tantrums about spending time with mommy. I had a really bad headache so Jared took all three kids for the first time and played with the girls while Little Red was sleeping. But once I got up I thought we would get some pics of the girls holding the baby.

Jamie refused to hold, touch or aknowledge the baby in any way, so we gradually coaxed her to feed him a bottle in the carseat. Which she agreed to for a whole 10 seconds and then she said " I dont want to anymore daddy". Liz was more willing to hold the baby. She did a great job, unfortuneatley, she is still really little and even though the baby is too, he was too big for her to hold longer than a few seconds. But long enough for mommy to get these great shots!

Jared Samuel Chase is here!

Well 5 weeks ago we had our first son, Jared Samuel. He was born the night of a really bad storm and a really long day. Jared and I were celebrating our 5th Anniversay, we had a babysitter for the girls all day. They were going to spend the day at the zoo with Kyle Osmonson and his girlfriend. We took that opportunity to get some last minute shopping done for the baby. You know, bottles, blankets etc. I knew somehow that we were going to have the baby later that day or at least that weekend. Jared didnt believe me!

So later that night when we got home to Farmington, the worst part of the storm was coming in, it was around 10pm and there was a huge pressure change it went from 75 degrees to 30 degrees in half in hour. I felt it.. it was horrible. My contractions came so quickly and strongly that for the first 20 mins I couldnt walk, stand, sit or do anything really. I called our ER babysitter and we started to get ready to go to the hospital. We didnt get to the hospital till 1 am we wanted to make sure that I was in labor before we got there.

Then after a long morning of pain from the epidural to the penicilin, Little Jared Samuel Chase was born. He was 5lbs 11ozs. and 18 inches long. He was quite the charmer with those nurses, as was his daddy. I was in shock.. at least that is what they told me. I actually didnt hold him till he was an hour old. Jared held him for the most part. So I took pictures of them while I waited for the O.K from the doc.

He was finally here I thought, and so tiny. We were worried that he would have to stay at the hospital for a few days like Jamie did because he was so early and tiny. Luckily he didnt, they said that he was really healthy and that we could keep him with us. We were so glad. Now that he is here we are so happy and everyday is a reminder of the importance of family. But that doesnt mean we are going to have any more kids ... at least not for another 5 years!

A New Swimsuit for Lizzy.

I admit that I have been one of those paranoid moms who pays way too much attention to what her kids wear out in public and a swimsuit for a 4 year old was one of those things that makes you want to scream. Elizabeth has always been hard to shop for because she is so small, but at the same time she is a tall girl. So we get her shirts that are anywhere around 2T or 24mos and pants that are 18mos or smaller (in the waist), usually that means settling for jeans that are too short or skirts that are too short.

Shopping for a swimsuit was different though, they had the right sizes for her but the wrong style. I was amazed to see that they had bikini's that were way to little even for my girls, in styles that I wouldnt wear on one of my best 'skinny' days. After shopping around what felt like a million stores we finally settled on a Little Mermaid swimsuit that was suitable for MY kids. Elizabeth loved it and Jared and I were happy that it was decent.

She wore her new swimsuit for the first time at the pool the other day and didnt want it to get wet or ruined so it took awhile to get her in the pool. But those bright colors looked great on her. Can't wait for next years trip to find a new swimsuit!

Jamie Learns to Swim.

This was a great day, our ward rented the local pool for the evening and we took the girls swimming for the first time this summer. We started off with a grand buffet dinner of hotdogs, salads and everthing in between that defines 'summer'. For dessert we had strawberry cheesecakes, brownies and summer wouldnt be complete without popsicles!

Because I was suppose to be on bedrest I didnt think it wise to go into the pool with the kids and all those other children kicking and splashing everywhere, so Jared took the girls in and Kyle Osmonson helped out with the kids.

Jamie had only been swimming once this year and we noticed that she could float on her tummy with a little help we taught her to kick her legs and move her arms. But this day was better she took to the water like a duck... well an akward duck, flinging her arms and legs everywhere even though she was only in water that was up to her tummy she had the best time swimming.

Her favorite part was when Jared let her ride on his back like a dolphin around the pool. She thought that was the greatest and that her dad was great for doing it. Just look at those smiles!

As BIG as a House!!!!!

I have been on bed rest for the past 6 weeks now and I feel like I am really huge, I haven't seen my feet for the past 3 months now and all my maternity clothes that I bought too big are all now too small. Jared always tells me that I don't look 'that big', but I disagree because I feel 'that big'. So I haven't been to church in 6 weeks and I decided that I would as least go for sacrament meeting and sit in the hallway on the couch.
It took me every bit of strength I had in me to climb onto that couch it was really big. My feet didnt even touch the floor. When sacrament meeting was over Jared thought it would be great to get a pic of my protruding tummy at 33 weeks this is what I look like sitting down, standing and from the side view, and you can kind of see where the baby is... sorta. His feet are sticking straigt out when I am sitting. The pic of me standing up I am in the middle of a contraction and my tummy is lopsided, and then the one of me from the side, you can basically imagine that the back of his head is facing you because he is on his side. If you cant see that's too bad because I felt it!!!

ELDER CHASE

Everyone always asks me, Where did you meet your husband, and I always say that he was a missionary for the church and served in my country, in my branch and was in my area. They then proceed to give me that look like... Yeah right! He was a 'bad' elder if he was flirting with girls on his mission, or the other look like ' your a bad person for marrying an elder who served in your area'. After almost five years of marriage you would think that I was use to that look!

So anyways, here is an example of what Jared looked like all dolled up as Elder Chase five years later. He looks pretty much the same except he has longer sideburns and is a bit chubby in the middle area. But still the same old Elder Chase. I admit, that when Jared put the short-sleeved shirt on with that little black name tag, it did sorta scare me a bit that I married Elder Chase. But who could resist that charm. Plus, he is quite handsome in that tie that I got him for Christmas a few years ago. What do you think?

Personality

This was one of those days were it started off just perfect. Jared and I got to sleep in till about 11am after a wonderful date the night before. We finally got to see that new Will Smith movie Hancock and got a babysitter at the last minute. We didn't get home till around 1 am and because of that the kids were exhausted and didn't get up the next day till 11am.

But we got up late, and had a early lunch of hot dogs and chicken nuggets before getting ready to go to church. I managed to get the girls dressed while Jared got ready. It was then that Lizzy started to call Jamie names like, Porker and Lazy. That was only because Jamie had gotten too big for her clothes. When I told Liz to stop calling her sister names this was the face that I got! I couldn't stop laughing... Jared thought it was funny so we got the camera. Next time she will get a time out!

LIZZY TURNS 4

Can you believe I have a four year old!! I can't. Yesterday was Lizzy's 4th birthday, we didnt plan anything because of me being on bedrest and all. Most of our friends just had a baby a few weeks ago or are expecting around the same time as we are, so everyone was kind of busy or tired. We thought that we would just go get some ice cream at DQ and then take her to the store to pick something up for a present. But then Jared decided that she needed an ice cream cake. So on his way home he stopped at DQ and got a super chocolate lovers cake. That was the best cake we had in a long time.

The girls had huge pieces, even bigger than mine and they ate every bite. So to get all that sugar out of their system before bed we took them to walmart to get a present. That is where they found the Barbie's.

Now I admit I wasnt ready for the whole Barbie world thing yet and neither was Jared. But that was what Liz wanted and it was cheap. So we settled! Jared gave the girls an option of getting beach Barbie or Mermaid Barbie. I was partial to the Mermaid Barbie... she had more clothes on. Jared was rooting for Beach Babe Barbie. The girls took their Dad's advice and soon we were on our way home with our first ever Barbie. So it starts, Jared want to get their Barbie's a battery powered Jeep and some clothes so the girls can really get in to it. I am trying to find a doll house that would accomodate the Jeep!