Happy 2nd Birthday Chase!

Getting ready to blow out the #2 birthday candle on the Easter Bunny cake

Having a blast on the neighbor's trampoline


Contagious Smile


Wearing Dad's John Deere hat

Enjoying lunch at Plaza Azteca

Chase celebrated his 2nd birthday last weekend (April 23rd) with an Easter egg hunt and cookout with a few close friends and family. His actual birthday was on the 22nd, which happened to fall on Good Friday this year. We were blessed with a beautiful Easter weekend to celebrate our little guy turning two, and moreover, to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

So what's going on with Chase these days? In spite of his persnickety eating habits, he has grown quite a bit since his 18 month check-up. He saw Dr. Baust on April 29th, and weighed in at 26 pounds, 8 ounces, which is around the 25th percentile for weight. However, he was at the high end of the chart for his height at a whopping 36 1/2 inches long. Dr. Baust predicted he would be about 6' 3" as an adult. It won't be long until Chase towers over me! Overall, the check-up went well, although Chase did NOT like getting his finger pricked or having his ears and throat checked. He got over it pretty quickly as Dr. Baust was able to get him to laugh throughout the remainder of the appointment. He was saying the word "doctor" all afternoon and actually cried when he had to leave the office. Chase is gradually developing more words in his vocabulary, and we're hoping he'll put together more phrases in the next month or two, as Dr. Baust cautioned it's not uncommon for toddlers to need speech classes if they're not speaking more fluently by the age of two.

We're very thankful for warmer weather as Chase would live outside if we let him. Chase has loved playing on our neighbor's swingset in the past few months--he swings and goes down the slide almost every day. He also loves playing with his bubble lawn mower that his Grammie Breeden got him for Easter and he enjoys going for wagon rides around the block. He's even had fun with the water hose on the few days when the temperature spiked in the 80's. As with any two year-old, he is beginning to pitch a few temper tantrums, especially when we have to take him inside after a long day of playing outdoors. However, this stage isn't called the "terrible two's" for nothing, and we're trying to handle each tantrum with as much patience as possible (easier said than done). Overall, Chase is pretty easy to please and he gets over tantrums relatively quickly with distractions. He's easy to get to laugh and his smile is contagious. I prefer to call this stage the "terrific two's" instead. After all, every stage of watching him grow is a blessing.

Last but not least, Chase loves playing with his cousin Bella--they fight like siblings at times, but they're always asking for the other one when he/she isn't around. They're a trip! Chase also enjoys playing with his friends at church and our neighbor's son and daughter. It's so much fun to see him play with other kids around his age because he learns so much from them. He's usually the tallest out of all of the kids in his age range and his strawberry blond curls that often flow wildly can easily add another inch to his height. He's a tall, lean 2-year old with a HUGE personality. We still think he looks a lot like I did at that age, only I was much shorter; but, we still get plenty of people who think he's Tim's spitting image. He's still a Momma's boy on most days, although he enjoys tickle/wrestle time with Daddy every night before bedtime. Ultimately, he's a perfect combination of both of us that only God could have created so wonderfully: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful..." Psalm 139:14.