Keeping up with the Taylors

Smart Start Basketball

2012-02-01T06:26:00.001-06:00

Chase, the B-Baller. Smart Start Basketball started up a week ago, and Chase is having a lot of fun and is already improving. Although we are working on trying to teach him not to bend over when he is dribbling.

The team. Chase has his same soccer coach for basketball which is really great, because he is really nice and great with the kids.

Nice shot Chase. Slam dunk.

Scrimmaging. Cole and I were peeing our pants. It was a little bit chaotic at first, but the kids were catching on after a few minutes or so. Chase has a little bit of a competitive edge to him. He was fun to watch, and even scored a couple of times, although one time was in the other teams basket. But he did a nice little dribble down the court before he shot it. Too funny.

Bryce loves coming to his brothers sporting practices. He has a blast. He plays soccer and likes throwing the ball. And he loves these cones that he stacks over and over again.

Cheering Chase on! Clap, Clap!

White Out

2012-01-28T05:40:00.001-06:00

And it just keeps on snowing. We woke up to a another foot of snow this morning. Cole and Chase had fun shoveling the driveway and going down the hill a few times. Bryce and I came out to join them for about 10 minutes, but it was a little too much snow for Bryce to handle. But he liked watching Chase go down the sled, and Bryce went once down with mom. The first time Chase went down this hill he looked like a giant snowball heading down with all the fresh powder. Below was about his 3rd time, but you can still see some of the powder flying up.

HAKKODA-Cole's Epic Day

2012-01-22T05:51:00.002-06:00

Snow Monsters-Love it.

Cole with his buddy, Dan.

Sweet Air. The powder looks amazing.

Hakkoda Resort has one Gondola. It takes everyone up and drops them off and you pretty much just find your way down the mountain. Cole says they have one path kind of marked off, but everyone just works their way down and then you hike back over to the Gondola. So unique.

The drive up. Wow that is a lot of snow.

Living in a Snowglobe

2012-01-19T06:41:00.003-06:00

Last weekend I think we got a total of 3 feet of snow. A huge snow storm came in and dumped a couple feet of snow. The joke going around Misawa right now is that we are living in a snowglobe with a few shakes here and there(we have been getting some baby earthquakes lately) and a lot of snow. The snow falling has been so beautiful. I love looking out my windows and watching the huge flakes fall down with all the trees in the background. Its magical. And two cute little boys in the snow make it all that much better.

Chase and I heading outdoors last Saturday after the first big storm. He gets completely stuck in the snow in the picture below and I have to come and rescue him. The snow is up to the swing set. It was so fun to swing as we skimmed across the snow beneath us.

Deathly Icicle and all the snow you see on the roof falls off in a loud "swoosh" when the sun comes out.

Chase dragging his sled up our street. Basically we will be driving on pack down snow on most of the side roads until Spring. They plow the main roads but the side roads don't really get plowed too often and when they do, they just take off a couple of layers so that it is driveable.

View from our kitchen window, above.

Looking to the right from our house we see the snow covered field.

Chase enjoying his hot chocolate after we played hard out in the snow.

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This past Monday, MLK day, Cole went up to Hakkoda to snowboard with some friends. Check out the snow on the way up. Cole had a hard time getting good shots cause it was snowing so much, so visibility was not very good. But he was loving the powder. So jealous.

Cole's friend, Isaac.

Getting off the Gondola at the top. Ice Fortress.

While Cole was up boarding, the boys and I were having a blast sledding down our street.

Bryce enjoying his first soy milk smoothie. Yummy, actually I am really liking the soy milk too.

Cole's B-Ball Championship Game

2012-01-15T05:28:00.003-06:00

So this picture was posted on the front page of Misawa's Home page the day after Cole's team lost by a few points in their final game in overtime. The MedGroup took 1st last year so Cole was bummed that they they barely lost this past week. Cole told me that his tech at work blew up this picture and put it on his door at work as a joke. Too funny.

Bryce - 10 1/2 Month Photos at Komaki

2012-01-12T06:42:00.002-06:00

What a sweetheart. Bryce just loves to laugh and loves life. He is such a joy to have.

Brothers. Moments like this are Priceless!

Luckiest mom in the world.

Happy New Year

2012-01-06T06:47:00.002-06:00

Chase started Primary on New Years Day. I have a little sunbeam. Can I please stop time so my boys do not get any bigger.

Bryce is walking more and more each day. Here comes trouble, he's lucky he is so cute.

Snow, Snow, Snow

2012-01-06T06:37:00.004-06:00

I feel like it has snowed every day since December 1st here. Cole has been able to board twice already, and I have been having fun with my boys in the snow. Chase and I usually go out during Bryce's first nap and sled down the hills in our subdivision, throw snowballs, build snowman/igloos, and Chase's favorite game of pushing each other into the snow.

Bryce checking out the snow for the first time. And then eating it.

Bryce helped to build a mini snowman.

Chase making a snow angel and eating snow.

Last Christmas in Japan

2012-01-06T06:21:00.000-06:00

The night before Christmas, Chase put out some oreos, milk, and a Japanese carrot for the reindeer. It was too cute.

Santa found us.

Presents from Santa.

Chase below on his new leap pad that he is loving from Grammy and Grampy.

25 days of Christmas

2012-01-06T06:09:00.000-06:00

Grandma Taylor spoiled my boys with 24 days of presents leading up to Christmas. Cole's Grandma use to do this and he loved it, and now my boys are loving the tradition as well. Here are just some of the presents, but they loved all their fun toys, book, and clothes(not as exciting but they were grateful) that they opened. Thanks Grandma T.

Cole got the Sports Medicine Fellowship

2012-01-01T06:51:00.003-06:00

Well, Cole won't be working in the White House, but we will be moving to the DC area sometime this summer('12). Cole is super excited that he got the highly competitive fellowship and I am excited that he will be accomplishing his dreams of becoming a Sports Med. Doc. Cole found out that he got accepted on Dec. 15th to the USU sports medicine program, and we will find out in another month which University he will be following. Which will help us decide where to live. We are way excited for our next adventure, but we are cherishing our last several months here in Misawa. Way to go Cole, I am so proud of you. Cole also found out that he got the PACAF clinician of the year.

Bryce's 1st Birthday

2011-12-31T07:34:00.001-06:00

I can't believe my baby Bryce turned 1 already on Dec. 22nd. And Bryce decided to officially start walking on his birthday. He had taken a couple steps here and there, but Bryce started taking more than a couple steps at a time on his B-Day(which makes it easy to remember). We had a great night celebrating Bryce's birthday with the Brough Girls and Baby Josh. We fixed some chicken and noodles which was one of Bryce's favorite meals and Cole made some really good homemade Peppermint IceCream(sorry Bryce, but I did make you some dairy free cupcakes). Chase was also loving Bryce's birthday for the fact that Bryce lets him help open all his presents and lets him play with them as well. Happy Birthday Bryce!! We are so glad you joined our family, you brighten our life every day with your smile. Here are some things about Bryce that we love:

-Loves to laugh and smile, Bryce gets so excited over the littlest things

-Loves food as long as it is dairy free, Bryce is a machine. He eats just about anything you put in front of him.

-Loves his mom, dad, and brother. Bryce gives the best hugs and is a great snuggler. I just can't get enough of them.

-Loves to clap, dance, read books, and play with toys

-Loves to take good naps for his mom

-Bryce seems to be really smart. He figures things out and catches on to things really fast.

Bryce's 1 year stats:

Weight: 22lbs 11oz.(50th%)

Height: 29.3 in.(50th%)

Head: 18.7 in.(50th%)

Chase's Last Day of Soccer Practice

2011-12-29T06:12:00.001-06:00

Team Photo, Chase was the youngest kid in his 3-4 year old Smart Start Soccer Team. But he was one of the best. It was amazing to see how much Chase learned from a couple of practices and practicing at home. He is a natural soccer player. And he can dribble the ball really well up and down the field and score it into the goal. He had a great coach. And the coach thought Chase was pretty awesome as well because he would use Chase as the demonstration kid most of the time cause he knew Chase would nail it.

Chase is so stinkin cute as he poses with the ball.

Chase excited to get his soccer medal. I could be wrong, but I think he will be seeing a lot more of these in his future because he has skills.

Brunch with Santa & Med Group Santa

2011-12-27T07:14:00.002-06:00

Bryce and Chase enjoying their brunch. My boys love to eat and they both love to make mmmmmm noises when they are eating. Cole and I just laugh.

Round 1 with Santa. Bryce not into Santa.

Chase was cool with Santa. He told Santa that he wanted a "Big Black Train" for Christmas.

Round 2 with Santa. Bryce still not happy. One look at Santa and he was in tears.

Pictures with Santa at the Med Group Christmas Party. Chase loving all the presents. But Round 3 for Bryce was not any better. Guess we will have to hope for better Santa pictures next year.

Chase as Joseph

2011-12-27T06:51:00.001-06:00

Chase got to play the part of Joseph in the Nativity play that his Joy School did for their Christmas program. It was a lot of fun. It was my turn that week for Joy School so I had a lot of fun working with the kids. The girls were way more into dressing up than Chase, but he was a good sport. His favorite part was being able to walk around with Mary(Becca) to find an inn, and then he like bringing the baby Jesus over to Mary. I video taped the whole thing so I didn't get the best pictures, but the video sure is comical. Chase was a little fried since we had practiced it way too much. After the play the kids sang a couple of Christmas songs which Chase got really good at singing, "Christmas bells are ringing" and "Jingle Bells".

Chase's Fall PreSchool Pictures

2011-12-16T06:45:00.002-06:00

I can't believe Chase started preschool this year. He looks so old to me in these pictures. We are still waiting to get the class picture, but they had a photographer come and get his class photo this past fall and then we signed up for individual photos. I love these photos, they are so Japanese. So I had my first parent/teacher conference a month ago with Mrs. Yuli. It went really well. Apparently I found out that Chase is not shy and loves to sing she said even when they are not suppose to be singing. Apparently he is doing great in all the categories(verbal, art, cognitive, etc.), we still need to work on sharing but thats a work in progress. Chase is also getting really good at writing his name, which they practice at the start of each class. Chase loves his preschool and his teacher, Mrs. Yuli, and he loves to pick up his friend Becca in the morning to go to school with him. And now he told me he wants to invite another friend over from school, so we will be setting up some play dates soon. Chase just seems to be getting smarter and smarter each day, and he is developing a sense of humor. Tonight Cole was trying to back the car into a parking spot and was having a hard time, and then we hear Chase in the back seat, "Just try again Dad"!

The photographer was really nice and took a few photos with Bryce since he was wearing the same outfit as his brother.

Misawa Science and Aviation Museum

2011-12-14T06:31:00.004-06:00

My dad's last day with the boys. The boys and I had fun showing him the Misawa Science and Aviation Museum. It was a little too cold to play outside and see the planes, but there was plenty to do inside. Chase loves this room with the hands on crane and cart.

My dad was a great sport, he was trying it all. He was in a wind tunnel in the picture below.

Harlem Globetrotters & Pepper Lunch

2011-12-14T06:27:00.003-06:00

Pepper Lunch is the name of a restaurant in our nearby mall. It is so good. They give you a hot plate with raw meat and vegetables that you cook yourself in a matter of minutes. It is delicious. Our favorite is the beef with corn and rice.
Cole, Chase, and my dad got to go see the Harlem Globetrotters. They came and did a free show at our base. It was hard to get tickets, but we have a great neighbor that hooks us up with tickets.

Asamushi Aquarium & Dolphin Show

2011-12-14T06:04:00.010-06:00

Massive Sting Ray and his buddy, the shark.
Love the clown fish
Watching the dolphin show, not sure who is more excited, the boys or Grampy and Grammy. You can't understand a thing that is said since the show is in Japanese, but it is a very entertaining 20 minutes. It is amazing how they train dolphins to do all their tricks.

Bryce watching the turtle intently. These are some huge turtles.

Grammy and Chase found Dori and Nemo in the same tank.

Watch out Grampy, its' alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Took this photo at a stop light in the car. It is the road that the aquarium is on. Such a neat Tori across the water.

Big Buddha in Aomori

2011-12-14T05:49:00.006-06:00

Oirase Gorge with Grampy and Grammy

2011-12-14T05:23:00.007-06:00

Tanesashi Coastline

2011-12-14T05:09:00.005-06:00

Just me and my Dad. As you can tell it is kind of dark outside. I wanted to show my parents this beautiful coastline in the sunlight, but we ended up taking a very, very long scenic route to get there. Should have taken 40 min. and instead took about 90 min. to get there. Oh well, now we can laugh about my joke of directions I had printed off. Glad we finally made it there before it got too dark, but need to go back soon cause I forgot how beautiful this beach and coastline are.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-12-04T07:45:00.008-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner last week, and it was especially wonderful that my parents could join us. It has been over 8 years since I had Thanksgiving with my family, so it was a nice surprise this year. My mom is still a wonderful cook, and I had so much fun working beside her in the kitchen. Everything about our meal turned out awesome, rolls, stuffing, japanese sweet potatoes(Cole discovered he loves the Japanese sweet potatoes), pie, and the Turkey. Prepping for dinner was an all day event, and it is even trickier with a 10 month old, but we timed it just right cause we were able to eat dinner while the boys napped. We are so thankful for our boys, but sometimes quietness is bliss. I am so grateful for my family and for all my blessings. I am truly one lucky Turkey. Gobble, Gobble.
Not only does it look good, but it tastes even better. We have perfected the turkey after 7 years.
Cole loving the turkey leg? Is that hand carved?
Bryce just cracks us up. He will eat almost anything we put in front of him. He loved the turkey, sweet potato, succotash, and especially the stuffing. Bryce is allergic to anything dairy(no cheese, milk, butter, etc.). So we have to be careful what we give him. Hopefully, he will grow out of this sometime between 18 months and 4 years old. But he sure is a good eater.
Bryce clapping after he was finished eating, must have been good.
My mom handed Chase the turkey leg for him to look at, but he dove right in for a bite. It was too funny.
Chase saw the apple pie sitting out that morning, so he kept asking me all day when he could have some. So he was so excited after Turkey dinner to have a slice, I think he liked the ice cream more, but ate some of it. My dad said this was his favorite part of the meal. Chase is such a fun age right now, cause he is understanding all about the holidays and learning so much every day. It has been fun reading and teaching him all about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and now Christmas.

Feeding the Ducks and Ringing the Bell with Grammy and Grampy @ Komaki

2011-12-04T07:31:00.004-06:00

Start Smart Soccer

2011-12-04T07:19:00.004-06:00

Chase had his first soccer practice a couple of weeks ago. He loves soccer, and he has already improved after one class. He can dribble, stop the ball, and score. He was the only one that scored a goal that night(it was in the other team's goal) but I don't think anyone noticed. It was chaos, but too funny.
Cole told Chase to dribble the ball, and Chase picked it up and started to dribble like a basketball. But he quickly learned that soccer uses the same word but with the feet.
He is still the youngest kid so his shirt drowns him.

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy - Shimoda Salmon Festival

2011-11-20T06:11:00.008-06:00

This little guy was trying to get Chase to hold the Salmon, but Chase wasn't too sure about it.
Grammy caught her first Salmon with her bare hands. I will try to get some video posted, cause I was cracking up. We were a little nervous that she wasn't going to catch one, but then she caught one.

Round 2 was my turn, and the Salmon pretty much jumped into my hands. It was a blast.

Chase found a train.

Hirosaki Castle in the Fall

2011-11-15T07:16:00.012-06:00

Love my 3 boys.

Chase enjoying his ice cream.
Bryce deciding he would like some too, but brother is not sharing.

I just love these Japanese maple trees, just can't get enough of them.

So fun being able to show my mom the cool Hirosaki castle and grounds.
Cute Grammy and Bryce.
"Where are you, Grammy."

Playtime

Hirosaki Chrysanthemum Festival

2011-11-15T06:45:00.011-06:00

Aomori apples are the best. I am sure going to miss our apples, and the apple lady.

This festival had some of the biggest and coolest Chrysanthemums I have ever seen. They had so many varieties and the Japanese just keep all their flowers so pristine.

Bryce is getting closer and closer to walking. He is getting good at cruising around on his walker.

Chase and Bryce riding the mini train with Dad. I think I might have another train lover.

Lazy Saturday at Swan Park

2011-11-06T05:52:00.009-06:00

Checking out the ducks. Such a sweet picture. We had other plans to hit Hirosaki this past Saturday, but with the exercise going on we weren't allowed to go to far. So hopefully next weekend we will go. But we had a good time relaxing at the park for a few hours.

Chase climbing over the ropes(spider web as he calls it). He learned a ton of new Halloween words this year from all his books.
So hard to get a picture of Chase holding still.
While Chase and dad were playing on the slides, I decided to do my own photo shoot of Bryce since he stays put pretty good. Have to enjoy it while it lasts.

Don't you eat that leaf Bryce. He just laughs.

More Halloween Fun

2011-11-06T05:32:00.009-06:00

Trick or treating at Cole's work, the hospital.

Bryce was one of the winner's for best costume.

Finally, actual Halloween night. It seemed like Halloween lasted a couple of weeks here with all the parties and trick or treating. Chase was a pro on Halloween night. He would get his candy, say thank you(mom and dad would remind him) and then he was racing off to the next house.
Chase's buddies Marie and Keaton checking out the skeleton. They are all 3 and all born in the same month.

Impossible to get 3 3 year olds and 3 babies to take a good picture, we tried.
Chase and dad making a mickey mouse design out of clay. This was at Japan day held on base which was held on Halloween weekend.

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-26T07:32:00.006-05:00

Love my cute puppy dog and my cute koala bear. Chase was having a blast at our branch trunk or treat. He was jumping around and barking up a storm(he has a cute high pitched bark). And Bryce was just chill. Today the temperature dropped like 20 degrees. I was a little worried about Bryce's costume being too hot, but it was perfect for tonight.

I decided I better do a little decorating for the trunk or treat this year, so I am glad my pumpkin turned out to be a hit since it was a last minute idea that I threw together.
Chase's buddy, Princess Becca. They are so dang cute.
Bryce getting a feel for his costume, his booties were a little slippery. But he was rocking the Koala outfit.

Pumpkin Carving Fun

2011-10-26T07:16:00.011-05:00

Which Pumpkin is your favorite????

Chase was proud of his pumpkin. I got the little pumpkins to use for joy school on Monday, and he is attached to one of them. He was carrying it around like a baby all afternoon.
Chase helping dad take out the pumpkin's mouth.
A little pumpkin guts didn't scare Chase, he dug right in.

Tradition
Baby Bryce's First Halloween-sooo exciting.

Fall Colors

2011-10-19T06:27:00.010-05:00

These beans are being grown right across the street from our house. I am loving their fall colors right now, it takes my breath away every time I look at them. The leaves on the trees are just starting to turn here in Misawa, but all their rice fields and crop fields have pretty much turned a golden color. Japan is known for their autumn colors, and now I know why.

Chase and Bryce are growing up too fast. Chase is picking up new words each day and is doing a great job of repeating us and saying phrases over and over and over again. One funny phrase he says is "I can know" which means "I don't know". We are working on fixing that, but I love hearing him say it the wrong way. And he loves going to preschool every day, he gets so excited. So I think it is really helping him. Bryce got croup again this past week, but he is doing a lot better today. He is just so awesome. He loves to play, smile, eat, and sleep. He is a pretty quick crawler these days. And he just crawls to anywhere he can stand up and hold on to something, Chase's train table is his favorite.

Cole had fun taking photos the other night with Chase, Leese, and Rei running up and down the fields.

Halloween Parades

2011-10-19T06:14:00.005-05:00

This is Chase's Joy School group that he goes to school with on Mon. and Wed. Today was their Halloween party, parade, and lunch. Chase picked out his own costume this year. He loves dogs and loves pretending to be a dog(cute but can get annoying at times). But Chase is the cutest puppy dog I have ever seen.
Chase trying to sing along to one of the Halloween songs.
This past Saturday the boys and I went and walked in the Misawa City Halloween Parade. We had a walked a lot before the parade had even started, so Chase was hot and tired. But Bryce was loving the action.

Green Farm Festival

2011-10-12T06:29:00.009-05:00

We had some great fall weather this past weekend. A lady at Cole's work told us about this festival that was really close to our house at this place called the Green Farm. Not sure why they had some one dressed up as a Panda, but Chase was in love cause it reminds him of Kung Fu Panda. We had a wonderful afternoon taking Chase around to see the animals and then enjoying a picnic lunch with cotton candy and milk ice cream(straight from the farm) for dessert. Yum.

Cole's All Star Softball Game

2011-10-12T06:25:00.004-05:00

Cole was 1 of 2 players chosen from his softball team to play in the base all star game. Cole had a fun time playing in the game. Cole played a great game that night with 5 hits with 6 at bats and had the catch of the night. The boys and I enjoyed watching most of the game, and it helped that Chase's friend Marie was there for him to play with.

Takko Town's Beef and Garlic Festival

2011-10-03T01:38:00.004-05:00

Takko Town is about an hour and half drive from Misawa. This was a fun little festival we attended on Saturday, where we got to cook our own beef, garlic, and vegetables. Wish the weather would have been better, but we had a great time anyways. Takko Town is the #1 producer of garlic in Japan, so they put on this festival every year.
Decided after we cooked our meat and veggies to go eat it in the car since it started to down pour. Chase was loving it, he has become a great little eater. He is eating just about everything we put in front of him, because he likes to show his muscles afterwards and say"grow big and strong."
So these girls are dressed in a garlic costume. When Cole and I drove up to the festival we saw this, and looked at each other and started laughing. It is hard to see with Chase in front, but the costume is quite funny. It was windy and cold, can you tell. You would never have guessed we were in shorts and tee shirts a week ago.

Chase found a train.

Sesame Street Show

2011-10-03T01:33:00.005-05:00

Bryce is 9 Months Old-He's on the Move!

2011-09-30T07:03:00.008-05:00

I am the luckiest mom in the world. I thought one boy was great, but two boys are the best.

Bryce and Chase taking their first bath together. Bryce just loves bath time and getting to bathe with his brother is just the best. He just splashes and laughs the whole time. Chase likes having a buddy, but we have to monitor cause Chase doesn't understand that he is so little. Chase loves to hug and kiss on Bryce. Well, when he is not mad at him for taking his toys or getting in his chair.

Bryce turned 9 months on the 22nd. He is still the best baby. He just lights up a room with his smile and loves to show off his smile when we are out and about. He was just starting to crawl at 9 month and now he has taken off a week later. He likes to do the crab crawl(I call it that), cause he crawls with one leg not fully down. It is kind of funny. But he is slowly getting rid of the crab crawl as he is getting faster.

9 Month Stats:

Weight: 21 lbs. 15 oz. (65%)

Height: 28.5 in. (50%)

Head: 18 in. (50%)

Chase's 1st Day of Preschool

2011-09-30T06:41:00.003-05:00

After trying to decide all summer of whether to put Chase in full time Daiichi or the American pre-school on base, I decided to go with the 2 day a week preschool on base and 2 day a week Joy School. I think this will be the best for Chase, and won't cause any confusion with learning English. So far I really like his preschool, he teacher is actually Japanese, Ms. Yuri, but speaks good English. She is really nice, and right now there are 12 kids in his class which is good. On the other two days of the week I am doing a Joy School with 4 other moms where we rotate doing Joy School at our homes. So far I have only taught one week, but I really enjoyed being able to be a part of teaching Chase and his friends. I am excited to see how Chase will grow and learn this year.
Chase and our car pool buddy Becca Brough excited to start school. And yes Chase is potty trained. I was a little nervous 3 weeks ago when I signed him up since that was mandatory, but he has become a pro in the last 3 weeks.

Meiji Shrine and Forest-Tokyo Day 4

2011-09-30T06:26:00.002-05:00

The Meiji Shrine was built for the first emperor of modern Japan and his empress. There is over 100,000 trees from all over the world that they planted in the surrounding forest that leads up to this shrine. It was beautiful and a great finish to our Tokyo trip. We decided to take our last day easy with pool time at our hotel, then we hit a Toy Store that had trains and cars (Chase is still talking about), and then after the shrine we went to Outback Steakhouse. We ate some great food while we were in Tokyo(Mexican, Italian, Korean, and American), which was so nice cause we are kind of limited here in Misawa when it comes to good restaurants.
Entrance to the forest. This was a huge Tori.

Tokyo Disneyland - Day 3

2011-09-28T07:01:00.011-05:00

So we were cracking up at Tokyo Disneyland, because the Japanese love to dress up in costumes and come to the park. It was nuts. The two girls in the background were not part of the park. It was really hard to tell sometimes who was getting paid and who wasn't . It was like one in every 10 Japanese were dressed up as their favorite Disney character. So different.
Bryce was pulling some really funny faces. The Japanese were loving Bryce and he was loving all the attention.

Chase waiting patiently for the train.

Waiting to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean. Chase went on all the rides, some he liked more than others, but he was a trooper. Bryce went on just about all the rides as well. Not sure if that is allowed in America or not, but they were cool with it.
Chase was jazzed to go on the Buzz Lightyear ride, but wasn't too thrilled when we were actually on it. But he loved his spinning Buzz light year toy he got for the electric parade.
Bryce got a Mickey glow in the dark toy to join in on the fun.

So the only ride we were bummed about not going on was the Winnie the Pooh ride. Apparently, the Japanese love that ride, so the line was always a couple of hours long. But we got some honey popcorn in Winnie the Pooh honey pot, which I had been wanting all day right before the light show. Chase crashed before we even left the park in the stroller, he had a great day. And Bryce was awake all the way back to the hotel. But Bryce had taken 2 naps in the stroller that day.

River Cruise, Asakusa, and Sensoji Temple-Tokyo Day 2

2011-09-28T06:30:00.005-05:00

Nature and Science Museum in Ueno Park-Tokyo Day 2

2011-09-28T06:02:00.005-05:00

Chase and Cole enjoying a delicious pastry in Ueno Park. Tokyo had a lot of little pastry shops, so we enjoyed our fair share of pastries. Day 2 started out rough, but it turned out to be a great day. Cole got pooped on by a bird in the park, Chase had 2 accidents that day (Chase just started wearing underwear a week before our trip, but there was no turning back. He did really good the whole trip, I think Day 2 was his only slip up day. And Bryce threw up on me.
Hands on exploring in the museum, which was a lot of fun for Chase. And we were glad to be inside away from the heat.

Tokyo Tower- Tokyo Day 1

2011-09-27T07:07:00.006-05:00

Tokyo Tower was super cool. It was really neat to see how huge a city Tokyo really is from 250 m high. It just goes on forever, it was breathtaking.

So the Japanese students kept hovering over us and wanted to take pictures of us. I got a small glimpse into what life would be like as a movie star, it would be really cool for about 5 min. and then gets annoying.
My sweet Chase. "Oh man" as he says. He is a great little traveler. And he loves elevators so Tokyo Tower was up his alley.

Ice Cream City and Namja Town inside Sunshine Mall- Tokyo Day 1

2011-09-26T06:52:00.007-05:00

This place had every flavor of ice cream you could think of, garlic ice cream, anchovy ice cream, etc. Of course Cole was adventurous and got a Wasabi Ice Cream cone. He liked it, I was not a huge fan. Chase went for chocolate. He loves Chocolate, he must get them from mom. And I chose a crepe cone that had vanilla ice cream with bananas and chocolate on top. Yum.

So Namjatown was really bizarre. It was basically a bunch of weird Japanese arcades, I guess. Can't really describe it. But we did enjoy Gyoza's for lunch. Their was about 30 or so gyoza restaurants to choose from. We just made a guess and got some different gyozas to try and they were all really good.

Cole and his mom enjoying Gyoza's and Chase enjoying his rice ball.

Sunshine Mall Aquarium - Tokyo Day 1

2011-09-26T06:29:00.006-05:00

This aquarium was one of the cooler aquariums I have been to. It was located on the roof(10th floor) of the sunshine city mall in Tokyo. The creatures they housed were large and impressive and they kept their tanks super clean. So we were able to get some great photos.

Tokyo Bound

2011-09-20T00:50:00.007-05:00

Chase patiently waiting for our first train to arrive from Misawa to Hachinohe. We were laughing so hard cause Cole had told Chase the night before that we were going to be riding trains. And that morning before we got on the train, Chase was super excited. You would have thought we had giving him loads of caffeine for breakfast. This kid eats, sleeps, breaths "trains, and cars."
On the 10 minute train ride to Hach.
The Shinkansen, The Bullet Train, or Chase calls it the "Bobo Train." We took the bullet train from Hachinohe all the way to Tokyo station (3 1/2 hr ride.) It was sweet and smooth. And the scenery was beautiful with how green Japan is, and all the beautiful golden rice fields that were ready to be harvested were breathtaking. At the end of our week long trip, we asked Chase what his favorite thing was and he said it was the Bobo train.
Below we are waiting the Subway to arrive. We traveled on the subway a lot that week, which Chase loved. Tokyo's subway system is really nice and easy to understand and I love how clean it is.

Misawa Air Show

2011-09-17T07:11:00.007-05:00

Cole had to work the air show, but he was able to take a small break to hang out with us. It was really hot, so we didn't last too long. But I am amazed at the thousands of Japanese that come out to attend the Air show every year.

Bryce holding the controller in the cockpit.

Japanese fighter plan. Loud and fast. So cool.

Nanbu Peach/Blueberry Picking and Pool Time at Bade Park

2011-09-17T06:53:00.007-05:00

Yep, the peaches were tart eating them right off the tree but they were super good and juicy.

Chase feeding his dad some blueberries.

Komaki Hotel and Onsen

2011-09-15T07:46:00.008-05:00

So 5 minutes from our house is a famous hotel and onsen. It has a few different ponds that they allow the public to walk around and visit. We had never been before but it was a nice little Sunday afternoon walk around the Zen ponds and beautiful scenery. I was having fun taking some photos of my boys by this cool red bridge. Bryce was just 8 months in these pictures. He is so smiley, like his brother.

Good Times with Grandma Taylor

2011-09-15T07:30:00.007-05:00

Grandma Taylor came to visit us for a weeks. We all had a blast hanging out and sightseeing, more pictures and adventures to come. Cole took Chase and his mom the first Saturday she was here to the Horse Park and up through Oirase Gorge to the Lake. They found some yummy apple ice cream, Towada is known for the wonderful apples. Cole also brought home some peaches and apples that day that were to die for.

Grandma T and I took the boys to the Misawa Aviation Museum one morning after the rain had finally cleared up. August/September are raining months here.

1st Day of Tee-Ball

2011-09-15T07:20:00.005-05:00

So Chase has been doing Tee-Ball practice the last couple of weeks. It is pretty comical. Chase barely was able to sign up since he turned 3 a week before they started, and he is the youngest since it is for 3 and 4 year olds. But he is having fun. The first week they didn't have all the equipment so I will have to take some more pictures next week at practice.
Cole had a game right after that we got to watch for a little bit. Chase was having fun with the stretches.
Chase's favorite drill. He likes to weave in and out of the cones when it is break time as well. Chase's first throw, wrong foot, but we got it corrected. He has a mean pitch.

Misawa Summer Festival

2011-09-15T07:11:00.006-05:00

So I am a little behind on my blog. These pictures are from the Misawa Summer Festival that we went to in the middle of August. Cole and I for some reason did not take the best pictures that night, we had one photo that turned out really wrong that I will not post. But festivals are always fun to attend with their parades, floats, costumes, food, etc.

Had to take a picture of this. Chase just decided he wanted to get closer to the parade so he pretty much squeezed himself in between these two Japanese ladies. They were really nice and then gave him so crackers to eat, but we were cracking up. A festival is never complete with out some multi colored ice cream.

Chase's 1st Time at the Theater & 3 Year Old Stats

2011-08-17T07:06:00.007-05:00

So Cole and Chase went to see Cars 2 for Chase's 1st Movie Theater Experience. Cole said Chase was enjoying his popcorn and drink with the previews, but then when they did the loud surround sound preview he wasn't as thrilled-below. Cole said overrall he did pretty good although several times he wanted mommy and to go home when their were some more violent scenes. I guess Cars 2 is a lot rougher and tougher than Cars. And Chase does not like rough and tough, he is a sweetheart. But he made it all the way through his first show, and then came home and played with his lightning mcqueen cars set.

So this week has been super hot and humid here in Misawa. Even though we have air conditioning we were still feeling the heat, although I should not complain because everyone that lives on base has no a.c. and are miserable. But we found Chase this past week asleep curled up to his fan-I guess he was really hot.
My sweet, sweet boys. Today I looked over and Chase was one by one handing Bryce his magnetic puzzle pieces. Bryce was taking it off the pole and then Chase would get another for him. This past week Bryce has mastered "ma, ma, ma" and today he started clapping. He has one tooth that is out, and I am sure he is working on more cause he has had a rougher week. But everyone can't get over what a happy baby he is, cause he is all smiles when we are out and about. He just grabs everyone's attention with his smile.
Chase had his 3 year old well visit today. He was super shy and did not say one word at the doctors office until we left. But Chase is healthy and above average in his height and weight, so dad is happy.

Height - 39inches(85th%)

Weight - 35 lbs.(75th%)

Med Group Sports Day and American Idol Concert

2011-08-15T07:17:00.009-05:00

Chase Turns 3! Kachow!!!

2011-08-12T06:58:00.010-05:00

It has been a fun filled week at our place. Chase turned 3 this past Monday and we celebrated his birthday twice(it seems to be a tradition in our family to celebrate one's birthday on more than one day). The night of his birthday we had the Roths and Leese and Rei's family join us for pizza and ice cream cake. We had a great time and Chase loves Leese and Rei who live next door, they seem to play together really well even though they are 7 and 5.
Rei is laughing at Chase and Leese cause we couldn't get them to stop blowing their party horns to get a picture.

I don't think Chase has eaten cake since his last birthday, but he kept telling people that he wanted cake for his birthday. So he was a happy little guy when he finally got to eat his ice cream birthday cake.
Chase is the best. He seems like he is growing up fast now that he has turned 3, and he says more and more each day. Some funny Chase sayings right now are "2 more minutes"(whenever I want to get him to stop), "play trains and cars"(says this line about 50 times a day), "Chase wins"(he loves to race and win). Chase is still so sweet and kind. He always asking me if I am o.k., and always says sorry, please, thank you. He just melts your heart with his sweet little voice. It has been a wonderful 3 years, Cole and I enjoy every second with Chase, well almost every second.
This is a typical late afternoon scene at my place. Chase is playing in the street with the neighbor kids while Bryce is hanging out on the blanket watching.

It has felt like Christmas at our house with all the awesome presents Chase received from family and friends. He loves it all.

Party number 2. Marie, Helen, and Mark came over to play and celebrate Chase's birthday. It turned out great. The kids colored Lightening Mcqueen drawings and added stickers, glitter, and stamps(got to keep their attention), played a Cars memory game(big hit), and hot potato with a stuffed Lightening McQueen his Aunt Kara got them. The kids all had a great time with out any tears, and Chase loved that he got to blow out candles and eat ice cream cake again.

Boating and Bre's 31st Birthday Weekend

2011-08-06T07:00:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, we met some of our friends at the base beach for a barbecue, ladder ball, and boating. We had a great time, although the boat ride ended up being a disaster. The boys liked it when we were just slowly cruising by the dock, but the noise and the wind did not go over well with my boys. Hopefully in a few years they will love boating as much as I do.

So our friend Josh told me that he would go slow and that Cole and Chase would not get wet since the water was really cold. He did go slow, but somehow the tube dipped and soaked Chase after about 5 seconds. Poor guy, he was not a fan, but he was a good sport.

After we went to the beach, Cole and I took the boys home and put them to bed with a sitter. We then snuck out and went over to Krystal and Josh's for a game of settlers and to try out the Strawberry, Angel Food Cake trifle Cole made me for my 31st(yikes!) birthday. It was wonderful, and of course Cole won that night. Luckily, he made up for it on my birthday by surprising me with some beautiful diamond earrings and making my favorite Sunday Salmon Meal. Thank you Sweetie for an awesome birthday, you are the best.

Misawa Tanabata Festival

2011-07-24T07:12:00.007-05:00

The Misawa Festival is right outside our gates. It is hard to believe that 2 years ago this was our first festival we attended here in Japan, and this will be the last time we attend it since we will be leaving in a year. Cole and I are really going to miss it here. We are sponsoring another family again this year that just moved in and it was neat being the veterans and showing them around. It also helped that it was a beautiful day. No rain and not too hot.
Bryce just hit 7 months on Friday. He is such a wonderful baby. He was loving the festival. He just chilled in the stroller most the time and was happy as a clam.

Chase won this beach ball by sticking his hand into a blowing raffle box(behind) and catching a ticket. He was thrilled.
Turkey on a stick. Cole had a bite of Tina's, another family medicine doc, and he said it was delicious. I believe him. But I really enjoyed the chocolate covered banana on a stick with sprinkles and the snow cone that I shared with Chase and Cole.

Pooltime and Pics of the Front of our House

2011-07-16T07:51:00.010-05:00

We are loving having a deck. It was a great place to put Chase's little pool, since it was so hot earlier this week if we would have put it in the yard. Chase was a prune by the time he was done playing in the pool. The temperature has cooled down now, it has been a really weird weather week here in Misawa. We hit the base beach today for a farewell party for some of the departing doctors. Chase has been saying all week "Go Beach" and I finally could tell him today that we were going to "Go Beach." He had a blast playing in the sand and getting in the water. The base beach is not the cleanest of beaches so we didn't take any pictures.

Don't squirt me big brother.

Chase loves helping me water my flowers every day.
Pictures of the front of our house. We love our neighborhood. There are 8 American homes in our little subdivision that all look a like, and we are far away from a busy road which makes it nice and quiet. Except, we here a clock tower chime at noon, and Japan has speakers set up all over, so we hear It is a Small World played over their speaker system at 6 pm every night. Random but relaxing.

Chase's new swing set and slides that we bought from our neighbors that moved recently.

Our tomato plant that produces little sweet yellow tomatoes that we enjoy putting on our salads.

Ennichi-gokko (Summer Festival)

2011-07-09T08:07:00.008-05:00

Tonight we attended Chase's school festival, and Chase had a blast. The older kids sang and danced, and then they had some games for the kids, food, and fireworks. They asked that the kids wear their jinbeis or yukatas, which is typical japanese clothing worn during the summer festivals. Mostly the boys wear the jinbeis and the girls wear the yukatas. Below Chase is fishing for a water balloon that they have turned into a yoyo. The balloons don't burst, so the kids loved bouncing these around.

Chase enjoying his hot dog, and Cole enjoying his yakisoba. Chase is a great eater now due to Daiichi. Below he is eating a rice ball filled with salmon that is wrapped in seaweed, a common Japanese treat.

Bryce in his jinbei joined in on the fun.

4th of July

2011-07-08T08:03:00.004-05:00

We celebrated the night of the 4th with friends, good food, sparklers, and fireworks. Well, the fireworks still did not go over too well with Chase, but he had a lot of fun with the sparklers. We can't blame him, cause Cole and I were never big firework people. And I still am not a huge fan.

Kayaking on Lake Towada

2011-07-08T07:59:00.004-05:00

Chase was loving the kayak. Lake Towada is about an hour and a half from our house. It was a gorgeous day and we were glad we met up with some friends for the afternoon that were camping up there during the 4th of July weekend. We are not ready to camp yet with our two kiddos, but I am sure we will be doing a lot of camping down the road.

Big Budda and Tony Roma's in Aomori

2011-07-08T07:30:00.008-05:00

Had to get a picture with my baby Buddha next to the baby Buddha statue. They both have great smiles.

Walking through the pinwheel forest.

Chase enjoying his chicken strips from Tony Roma's. So funny that they put a Tony Roma's inside a hotel in Aomori, which is about an hour and half drive from where we live. The elevator parking lot at the hotel was really cool too.

Asamushi Aquarium

2011-07-08T07:06:00.014-05:00

That was one big sting ray.

Who you looking at?? Chase had fun watching the sea otters swim around during their feeding.
And so did Bryce.
The sea lions are one of my favorite. They are so funny.
Check out the dolphin, mom.

Bryce pulling funny faces before the dolphin show.

Loving the sport button on our camera.

Cool starfish.
Chase and Cole enjoying pulling the clams out of the water, and they would open up to say hi and quickly snap back.
We told Chase that this was a cat fish, and he said "meow, meow".

Chase Advanced to his Toddler Bed

2011-07-08T06:36:00.006-05:00

So a week ago we decided to switch Chase's crib into his toddler bed. Not sure I am thrilled that we decided to do this quite yet, but things were mysteriously showing up in his crib that I am not sure how he was getting. And the fact that he had given up his night time bink a month ago and we are potty training, we thought he was ready for this step as well. He is doing good but he usually sneaks out a couple of times before we finally get him to stay in his room and bed. Cole one night heard him trying to come out of his room, and Chase heard him coming and he quickly closed the door and ran and jumped into his bed. And tonight I came out of Bryce's room and I found him in our bed playing with some toys, and Cole didn't even hear him in sneak out. We just have to laugh.
The first night we went to check on Chase after twenty minutes and this is where we found him.
Then an hour later he had fallen asleep playing with his bulldozer in this position. Now he sleeps everynight in his bed, but he was enjoying his freedom that first night I guess.

Bryce's First Experience with Food - Yum

2011-06-26T07:20:00.005-05:00

Since Bryce is 6 months now, it is time to introduce some solids to his diet. Thanks Aunt Cheri for the cute bib.
Chase is feeding Bryce his first bite of Rice Cereal. Bryce is like what is this.
Bryce trying to decide if he likes the cereal.
So Bryce loved it. He kept taking my hand and putting the spoon into his mouth. He was cracking me up. I don't think Chase really liked it the first time, but Bryce seemed to really enjoy it. So hopefully he will end up being a good eater.

Bryce's 6 Month Stats

2011-06-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bryce chilling in his new swing. But I think Chase is loving it more right now, they take turns. Love this little guy and I love looking at his little hands and toes.
Found this cute onesie at a Japanese store on base. It says "Made in Japan with American Parts". (Thats my Bryce.) So Bryce has mastered the roll over. He rolls over both ways now, front to back, and back to front, and he is fast.
And he is sitting up really good.

Here are Bryce's 6 Month Stats:

Weight: 19.7 lbs (85%)

Height: 27 in (75%)

Head: 17 in (55%)

Mother's Day Photo Shoot

2011-06-21T07:52:00.000-05:00

Loving my boys.

My giggly Bryce who loves to laugh.

Bryce's Blessing Outfit.

The George Costanza pose.

Why is that my two are not smiling?

The cousins.
They're Done. Continuing the Howes family tradition when it comes to taking pictures - someone is going to cry.

Bryce Rolls Over-June 9th

2011-06-18T08:35:00.006-05:00

The above picture was taken after Bryce officially rolled over for the first time. I think he was really proud of himself. He had been doing the half roll for a month or so(pictured below), and finally decided that during naked time he would roll over. Now the second you put him on his back he rolls over. And he sleeps on his belly now, cause I can't prevent him from rolling over in his crib.
Bryce loves the exersaucer. It is so hard to get a picture with him in it, cause he becomes a wild man in it. Great for mom when I need to get stuff done. Chase is always really helpful when he drops a toy, cause he immediately brings it to Bryce. Sometimes I will look over and Bryce will be covered in toys that Chase has brought over. Chase loves to say,"Don't cry Bryce, it will be o.k.".

My chubby giggly baby. We can't get enough of this little mitten man. He is just full of life and smiles. And he tells us too.

Hachinohe Children's Land

2011-06-18T07:40:00.012-05:00

Well, we knew this place was going to be a hit a few weeks ago when the first thing we saw was a Big Black Train. Chase just loves trains right now. He asks to go to church almost every day, just so we can ride over the train tracks. This place took us about 45 min. to get and luckily we didn't get lost which was a miracle (since everyone gets lost the first time they visit any new place), but we did get lost going home. So the joke around here whenever you go exploring around Japan, it will always be an adventure. But we had a blast being together again as a family and enjoying our two boys. And Chase pointed out every "bullbozer"(bulldozer) and "excavator"(he says that perfectly) on our way to the park. He was cracking us up, "look mommy, look daddy".
We don't know if Chase was big enough to ride the swings yet, but they didn't say anything and he had a great time. Dad has to do all the spinning rides now, cause I get too motion sick.

Riding the planes, another favorite pastime of Chase's. Chase had the controller so they went up and down, up and down, up and down. At least they didn't stay on the ground the whole time.
The way mini log ride, but perfect for Chase.

"Fast""Slow""Fast""Slow" is what Chase kept telling me. I think this was his least favorite ride cause they made a lot of noise.
Cole getting a workout pedaling. Looks relaxing, but Cole worked up a sweat.
Chase from the Ferris Wheel. Totally not afraid, I would have been at his age.
Enjoying a lovely picnic lunch
Don't know what this thing is, but you put some money in it and it plays music and moves. So Japanese. Perfect ride for Bryce.

Bryce catching an after lunch snooze. Thought I would show a picture of my latest stroller, the Phil and Ted Explorer. It was my knight in shining armor when flying back to the states. Chase would sit in the back and I had Bryce in his car seat that attached easily in the front. Now I switch up the boys front to back.

This indoor netted playground was so cool. The kids were running around and climbing in this netted maze that went all the way up to the ceiling. Chase climbed to the highest point. Took Cole forever to get him down.

More Utah Fun

2011-06-16T07:06:00.009-05:00

Chase squinting his eyes again for the camera, but we were excited that the sun had finally come out after 3 weeks of crummy weather in Utah. We thought it was going to be warmer than it was, but we enjoyed walking around and looking at all the beautiful flowers at temple square.
Chase loving walking around all the fountains at temple square.

Chase having a blast at the Gateway Fountains. He figured out how to avoid getting wet, so even though he looks like he is getting drenched, he stayed dry.

Riding trax.
Loving the pony ride. "Again"
Feeding the goats
He loved the baby chicks. So sweet.
Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.
The erosion table, the highlight of the museum. I think we spent an hour here.
Chase devoured 3 slices of cheese pizza. Chucky Cheese's never changes. Hadn't been there since I was little, and it looked the same for the most part.

Kangaroo Zoo, Chase's heaven on earth.
Big hug.
Chase is obsessed with this alligator. No one else is allowed on it.
Slugger. Chase is an amazing hitter.

Bryce's Blessing Day

2011-06-12T07:45:00.005-05:00

Bryce Gary Taylor was given a name and blessing on May 22nd, 2011, his 5 month birthday. Third time was the charm. We had set two other dates initially but it didn't work out and then the earthquake hit. So I am glad we were able to give him a blessing before Bryce was able to give it himself. Cole did give Bryce a beautiful blessing that morning at our branch building here in Misawa, so it was the perfect time. Cole had President Brough, Brother Roth, and Brother Napier stand in the circle with him. Cole did a wonderful job and Bryce did wonderfully, and I cried. Cole said Bryce wanted to start crying initially but then he saw the microphone and was mesmerized. So thankful for my wonderful husband who is such a great father to our two boys and for the priesthood that he holds.

Home Again Home Again

2011-06-12T07:32:00.005-05:00

Cole took this shot right after Bryce slept for the first time back in his crib. Looks like he is happy. He must have remembered his crib, cause the whole time we were in Utah I could not get him to sleep in a crib. He fell in love with the Cradle me Lambie swing and that was the only place he would sleep. I was nervous coming home since I didn't have that same swing, but he has had no problem adjusting back to his crib. And he has been taking really good naps in it 3 times a day. So I am a happy woman.

So glad my mom helped me on our way back. I would have died with out her, especially since you have to spend the night in Tokyo, switch airports, etc. Would have been a lot to take on. Had to get a picture of my boys in the JAL strollers, since they made me check Phil and Ted at the counter. I realized that Chase has flown on a plane almost a total of 150 hours before the age of 3. That is a lot of flying, I must be crazy. And Bryce now has flown 25 hours before 5 months. I am glad I am still alive.

Newport Beach

2011-06-12T07:16:00.004-05:00

Oh how I love California. We enjoyed a few nights in Newport Beach before the grueling 11 hour flight back to Japan. We had a great few days hanging with Aunt Kara and Grammy at a really nice Marriott time share, swimming in the pool, and eating at Panera Bread and Houstons. I still love the Panera Bread. This was Bryce's first time in a pool. I think he liked it, but it was still pretty cool so he didn't last too long. But he was styling.
Bryce new nickname is the Teradactyl, because of his comical high pitched squel. It will be interesting to see if he ends up talking early later on, cause this one has always loved to hear himself make noises since he was born. And now in between his goo goo ga ga's is the teradactyl. He is a riot.
Chase loved this fun car float. And he loved playing choo choo train around the edge of the pool. He would around the edge of the pool a dozen times. He had Aunt Kara and I cracking up cause he learned the word slash when he would read the depth measurements of the pool. But he didn't like the word period, he told me "no, it is an o". Below Chase is pulling his latest camera shot of squinting his eyes shut.

This is the Place! Salt Lake City, UT

2011-06-12T07:06:00.005-05:00

Easter Fun

2011-06-11T08:22:00.008-05:00

Bryce's first picture with the Easter Bunny. We met my sister and CoCo at Southtowne Mall one day so Chase could ride the train and carousel. We then discovered the Easter Bunny was there and there was no line, so we jumped right in. The Easter Bunny has an interesting outfit on, but my boys sure are cute.
The kids opening up their Easter baskets. Chase was loving the bubble gun, and his limited edition Mater and Lighting McQueen. I didn't get a picture of Uncle Derek holding Bryce that night, but Bryce loved chilling out in Uncle Derek's lap. Uncle Derek kept whispering to Bryce "football and nachos" which was cracking us up.

Cute Grammy and Bryce on Easter Sunday right after church.
Chase bringing an easter egg over to Bryce to share. Chase has turned into the best brother. He constantly brings Bryce toys, and will say "Don't cry Bryce, it is o.k." whenever Bryce is upset. So sweet.

"Cool" Stickers
Bryce enjoying one of the many toys we borrowed from his cousin CoCo while we were home.
Yummy Sugar Cookies! Chase loves his Aunt Kara and his Grampy and Grammy. Trains, cars, balls, baths, walks, you name it. My family was a huge help in the Chase entertainment world. "Come Kara" Chase would always say to Kara when she was suppose to follow him. "Sit on the O" was another Chase phrase when playing trains. Grammy got him an alphabet foam pad that he loved, but he made everyone sit on the O when we played trains.

"Puuuush"
"COLORS!!!!!!!!!!""Stop, guys" Quotes from Chase.
Easter egg coloring with Grammy.
So Cole and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary on Easter Sunday. Sadly we were far far apart, but he sent me these beautiful roses. Thanks Sweetie.

Bryce is 4 months old

2011-06-11T08:15:00.002-05:00

My mom and I fell in love with this cute bull dog outfit from Nartjie. Bryce is so stinkin cute in it. I just want to squeeze him up. He is my little rolly polly baby, although Chase was just like this as well till he started crawling. Cole calls him his little bowling ball.

4 month stats:

Weight: 16 lbs. 4 oz. 90th%

Length: 27 in. 50th%

Head Size 41 3/4cm 50th%

Discovery Zone and Chucky Cheese with Grandma Dawn

2011-06-11T07:59:00.006-05:00

Chase loving the basketball hoop game at Chucky Cheeses with his Grandma. Dawn came up twice to see us while we were in Utah. Both times we tried to go to the zoo, but the weather was never good. But luckily Chase doesn't care yet, he has fun wherever.
Chase had us cracking up because he kept sticking out his tongue with every shot. He is a great shooter. He was banking a ton of balls and had great form to boot.

Fire Chief Chase working the crane at Discovery Zone. Chase had a blast with his Grandma at the Discovery Zone. So much hands on fun - it was a great way to spend another rained out zoo day.
A bumble bee mobile Chase made with his Grandma.

What a great picture of Bryce and his Grandma. This was Bryce's first time meeting his Grandma.

Little Gym

2011-06-11T07:48:00.003-05:00

Bubble Time
Chase doing a somersault with one of his teachers.
So I discovered Little Gym while we were in Utah. Chase absolutely loved this place. It is like a 45 min. class where the kids run, do beams, bars, somersaults, vault, etc. All up Chase's alley. Chase would go full speed the whole time and would try every new skill they would teach the kids. Chase learned all about taking turns and learned to say "Chase's turn, mommie" when it was his turn. Chase is truly the sweetest boy. He says please and thank you all the time, every one was in awe how polite he was while we were in Utah.

The Start of Utah Fun - April 16th

2011-06-11T07:27:00.004-05:00

It took Bryce and I a few weeks to adjust to the change in time zone. Some how the time change didn't even affect Chase at all this time around. But the fact that Bryce had an ear infection, croup, and viral rashes develop right after we arrived to Utah did not help us adjust very fast. We arrived to Utah on March 23rd and I finally starting taking photos on April 16th, I guess I was exhausted. But decided I better start taking photos of my boys since Bryce was growing fast. This was his first favorite toy that he started to hold and chew. I hadn't even brought any toys with me on the plane cause he couldn't even hold any yet. Love this little guy, he is my snuggle bunny.
This picture just cracks me up of cute Annie and Bryce. I got to visit my friend Jenny one morning and right before we left, we decided to take a picture of these two who are only like 5 days apart. As we are trying to take a picture and get these two to smile, her cute boys were in front of them making noises, Chase was behind the coach making noises and running around, as well as Jenny and I trying to talk over everyone to get them to smile. I am still cracking up at the situation. Meanwhile Bryce and Annie have the look of "you got to be kidding me face".
There's a cute one.
Grampy, Bryce (mitten man), and CoCo (cousin-they are 6 months apart, but Bryce weighs more)

Operation Tomadachi - Cole helping with the Disaster Relief Clean Up

2011-06-07T08:04:00.016-05:00

Journal of Cole's Earthquake Experience

2011-06-07T08:00:00.007-05:00

Until Cole edits this post, my version of what happened to Cole when the Earthquake hit on 3/11 will have to do. Cole was at Narita Airport in Tokyo with a group of Doctors and Techs that were heading to Indonesia for a Humanitarian Mission. Right before they began to board, the earthquake struck. In Tokyo, they felt a 6.0 which was slightly stronger than what we felt in Misawa. Cole was really nervous about us cause it wasn't for several hours later that he got word through our friend that we were o.k., since all cell phones went dead for a few days right after the earthquake. I actually didn't get to hear Cole's voice for two days after the quake. Even though it was a scary day for Cole, he always find humor in every situation. Above photo: After hours of waiting around the airport, the Japanese brought around a bowl and told everyone they could only have one piece of candy. Cole thought this was humorous since they were starving to death and he was only allowed 1 piece.
They had to spend the night at the airport the first night.

They forced everyone out onto the tarmac after the earthquake struck. After a few hours, they then brought out couches for people to sit. Below is a picture taken right after the earthquake hit. Cole said debris was falling from the ceiling all around them. Scary.