Special moments

I really do love all the running and playing and "boy" moments that happen as a result of being the mom of a very active, very energetic 3-year-old boy.

But I also really love those sweet moments when he crawls up in my lap, snuggles close and lets me read to him. 

Special moments like that are priceless.

Chase's work outfit

Yesterday, when I went to get Chase dressed for daycare, he insisted that he needed to wear a tie since he was going to work.  (He sees Pops wearing a tie to work everyday so I'm guessing this is where he got this from.)

he also kept insisting that he needed to take my picture as well...

 I tried to talk him out of it, letting him know that he was going to school to play with his friends so maybe he should wear a t-shirt.  But, no.  He was going to work.  And when he goes to work, he needs his tie.

He had that funny expression on his face (above)  and when I asked him to smile, this is what I got:

So, then I chased after him down the hallway, determined to get a good picture of him since he looked so darn cute, but this was all I could get.  Oh, well.  You get the idea.

I was wondering what his teachers would think when Matt dropped him off.  Apparently they said he looked like he was pledging a fraternity.  :)

Our family

We had some pictures taken about a month ago by Brett Fox ( http://brettfoxphotography.com), who is friends with our babysitter, Leslie.  We met him and his sweet wife, Sarah at Northgate Park in Durham and let Chase run free.

The weather was gorgeous and between the playgrounds and the water and the bridge, Chase was in heaven.

 Brett did a really great job of capturing all the special little things like this...



















...and this:























...and this:

And all the smiles like this:

 ...and this.

The only downfall was that there was so many fun things to do that Chase wanted to do things his way.  And this was the reaction that we got when we tried to get him to stop one thing and move to another area of the park:

Brett especially did a great job of capturing all the energy and personality of this little boy.  He's growing up so fast and I never want to forget all of the many things that make it so fun to be his parents. 

Mother's Day

It was truly a great Mother's Day.  It was a day where I felt loved and special.  On top of that, we also had the opportunity to hug both our moms (and my Nanny) and tell them Happy Mother's Day in person.

We had lunch with my mom, stepdad, sisters and their boys.  Chase, Jake and Justice all had fun running around the restaurant.  It's pretty funny that all 3 of us ended up having nothing but boys.

Then, we had dinner with Matt's family.  I have to share my absolute favorite gift that I got while there.  It was from Chase (with the help of Betty Ann):

She typed it up, printed it on this pretty paper and framed it for me.

It is one of the most thoughtful things I could've gotten and so sweet that Betty Ann helped him do it for me.  I cried.  Of course.

The roses were also a pretty sweet touch.  Thanks, Matt. :)

Mother's Day weekend

I had a great Mother's Day weekend, spending Saturday with my 2 favorite boys.  We kicked off the weekend with a trip to the Zoo in Ashboro.

 Here's a random but funny picture of Chase and Matt at lunch.

 Chase called all the African animals the names from from the movie Madagascar.  So when we left and asked him what his favorite animals were he'd say, "Melman" or "Marty".

 The giraffe's name was Melman.

 This was a cool helicopter near the elephants and Chase was excited that he could get in and 'drive'.

See the elephants in the background?

This is what happened when we asked Chase to smile.

 Another silly Chase face.  There were so many cool things to see, like this safari jeep, in addition to the animals.

 

 The carousel was a hit, too.

 This sweet sight of Chase resting his head on Matt's shoulder melted my heart.  

 

 What a fun, but tiring day.

Superhero party

This past Saturday Chase helped his best buddy, Samantha celebrate her 3rd birthday.  The superhero theme was a hit and the kids had a blast.  Spiderman was a popular choice, apparently.  We were able to borrow Chase's outfit from someone I work with which was great since I wasn't feeling especially creative.

 

Although, I wish I was.  Creative, that is.  Because the little guy standing beside Chase in that picture was wearing nothing but a cape and underwear.  He was Captain Underoos.  Very funny.

Chase wanted to take some pictures as well, so he caught this shot of me, sitting by the back door. 

He was very helpful in helping Samantha open her presents as well.  See the ribbon on his chest?  He won Pin the Mask on the Superhero.  I was a very proud mama.  :)

Do you see anything that doesn't belong??

After a long day, after Chase is bathed and in bed, I will typically go downstairs to straighten up the kitchen.  I have a hard time letting myself actually relax until the dishes are done and (most of) the toys are put away.  At any rate, when I was doing that last night, this is what I saw:

These are some of things that I want to be able to remember when Chase gets older and is no longer leaving his toys in the pantry.  :)

My boys

There are so many things Chase says that I love.  One of my favorite things is, "Mama, will you take care of your boys?". 

And when I see a sight as sweet as that one, how could I say no?  :) 

 I sure do love my boys.