Is he here yet?

We're at at T minus 6 weeks for Baby Boy #2's due date. It seems I'm permanently exhausted, sleeping poorly, and have a number of pregnancy ailments, like swollen fingers and feet, that aren't worth preserving in pictures, or talking about for that matter. However, my doctor says baby Boy is growing well and is on track in size. I'm very glad that we're almost done and that he's almost here. Tom is very excited to be a big brother and has dubbed his baby brother "Snuggle Love Bug-Buggy Flower." Don't ask, we're not sure where he got that from. We're going to spend the next few weeks organizing, cleaning, freezer stock piling and getting ready for the newest Chase boy (and by we, I mean me, of course).

Touch-A-Truck

 Central Park held a Touch-a-Truck event for kiddos to sit in, climb in and play with all kinds of cars and trucks. The Keiths and the Wilsons were also there enjoying the fun. Jake and Nate were most excited about the fact that Kogi was among the food trucks there (Korean BBQ burritos!!) As you can tell by the first and last pictures, Tom was hesitant at first but warmed up by the end of the event.

Swim Lessons

 Tom was too excited to start swim lessons...until he got in the pool. He liked being in the water but didn't want to try anything new: no blowing bubbles, no floating on his back, no kicking his legs, and certainly not dunking his head. Luckily, Daddy was able to go with us to the first lesson. After the first session, Tom didn't want to go again. As a super caring and compassionate mother, I told him to suck it up 'cause we're going back. He had more fun his second lesson and was more comfortable kicking, climbing out, touching the floor of the pool, even blowing bubbles. He still doesn't like dunking or floating on his back but he's more willing to go back now.

Tom's birthday party

 Since we couldn't have his party at Sky City Bounce House, we had a BBQ and water play at our house to celebrate Tom's birthday. We had a great time with so many of Tom's friends and family. He made it clear during the planning of the party that he did NOT want people to sing "Happy Birthday" to him but once so many of the people he loved were there and there was an ice cream cake with candles in front of him, he was more open to it.

Sky City with Grandma and Grandpa Chase

 While we wanted to have Tom's birthday party at his favorite place, Sky City Bounce House, their party options were WAY out of our price range so we took him Friday night with Grandma and Grandpa Chase rather than do his party there. He had a lot of sweaty fun pulling Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa onto every bounce house, maze and slide they had to offer. Since I'm pregnant, I was unable to participate...I'm ok with that. Tom was not so happy when they closed for the night and we had to leave.

Tom turns 3!!

 On July 9th, Tom turned 3 years old! As per tradition, I took a picture of him holding the picture from the previous year. Then I was able to take him to the mall for a fun day out. He rode on Clifford, one of his favorite literary characters, played in the indoor play space, threw pennies in the fountains which he loves to do, rode the train and got a cake pop from Starbucks to celebrate. It's hard to believe he is already 3!

Baby Sprinkle

 I was fortunate enough to have a little baby "sprinkle" (lighter than a shower) for Baby Boy #2. We got a lot of great necessities for the new baby. The whole thing was great! Excellent food, wonderful dessert, adorable decorations and it was so much fun to see lots of family and practically-family.

Keeping busy this summer

 We had to come up with different ways to keep all the kiddos busy this summer without breaking the bank, while keeping cool, and, in most cases, while staying home since I can't fit everyone into my car. Just Dance for the Wii has been a very popular choice this summer. It keeps them active without going out into the triple-digit heat. 

While the Wilsons went out of town, I was able to take Tom and Blake to the indoor play place at the mall. We met a couple of other nice moms and kids to hang out with. 

While the little ones nap, I've taught Bekah and Bethany how to use the sewing machine safely. We've also played dice games, card games and card tricks. Spoons was a popular one.

We also had a pajama and movie day. They voted on Despicable Me and ate popcorn on blankets in front of the TV. Tom watched for about fifteen minutes, then got bored. 

Naomi also came to visit for a few days which Tom loved!

Aquarium Trip

 On a trip to San Diego, we went to the Birch Aquarium with Grandma and Grandpa. Tom loved seeing and touching lots of different sea life. It was fun to see him so amazed.

Bike Racing

 Jake contemplated signing up for the San Diego Rock and Roll half marathon and on his training days, he groaned about having to run but on the cross-training days, he loved riding his mountain bike so I suggested skipping a half marathon where all you do is run and finding a bike race instead. He found a race called Over the Hump in Castaic, an 8 race series that takes place all summer. They started at the end of May and raced 4 Thursdays in a row, now they're taking a 6 week break and start again July 25 for 4 more Thursdays. Tom loves to go and watch because they have a great park there with lots of other kids to run around with.  Despite some bumps in the road (Jake's bike stopped working 30 minutes before the first race and he was forced to use a loaner bike from one of the vendors, then ordering a new bike through our friend, Fadi, which was then backordered and changing his order only to have that backordered as well) Jake's been doing very well, coming in 8th in his class, then 7th for the last three races. He's currently 3rd in standings for his class. Donald and Bryan have also done well in their classes. Donald came in 2nd place in his class for the first race and Bryan came in 12th.

 Sara wins with Tom taking second and Kaia in third!!

 Apparently, shaking a bunch of colored flags really entertains almost 3 year olds.