So Cute

I love how Chase is holding onto Owen's arm. So sweet those little brothers are.
Chasey's big boy outfit.
Owen's thinking, "You caught me without my pants on!"

So sweet
I just love these shirts the boys are wearing. They look so adorable and like little boys rather than babies. I can't believe in just under 2 weeks they will be 1! Amazing.

The Runs-Part 2

Yup, you guessed it . . . Owen is now sick. His runs are different, though. They come in the form of throw up. Oh joy. Poor guy. I woke up this morning to hear Owen crying and he had thrown up in his crib. Then he threw up with Jeff while they were in the kitchen. He took a long nap and is now seeming better. Hopefully he'll get it out of his system and not have to go through the week long drama that Chase had to endure. Don't have any pictures for you yet, although Owen's going to get a bath in the sink right now, which he doesn't like.

Update: Chase is much better. He's back to his normal fun loving carefree self, laughing, talking, playing. Praise God!

One Cool Dude

Our little Owen is one cool dude. We put these sunglasses on him, expecting him to take them off, but he kept them on for a very long time. It was so stinkin cute! :)

This is Owen's new pose. He throws his head back and sticks his lips out. It's typically done when he is not content.

The Runs

Chase bathes while I wash bottle parts.


Can you find Chase? Owen?

The title says it all. The runs are in our house, I'm ready to run, I hope the runs run out soon, we're running out of patience and energy, etc. I normally do not blog about negative times or experiences, but reality is . . . we're having a tough time!

Chase got "the runs" on Tuesday. He hasn't been himself and his poor little bottom is so sore. It's been tough. The kitchen sink has become his spa and is in and out 7-12 times a day, once at 4:30 a.m. last night. It's better for his bottom and spares him the pain and tears. He really likes the kitchen sink, actually. It's been fun to watch him play and ponder life. It's easy for me. I can put him in the sink and use the other to wash dishes, clean up, etc. Owen entertains himself in the tupperware drawer or by pushing objects around on the floor.

The boys also have colds-runny noses and lots and lots of coughing. Jeff and I can't believe it since they just got over a sinus infection about 1 month ago. It's time for a break!

Enjoy the cute pictures of Chase in his spa.

Down Home on the Farm

Chase, Owen and I took our first road trip, solo. Well, if three of us can be considered solo. We met my parents 2 hours south of the cities and my Mom rode with us the last 2 hours to their home. It was a great 3 days of fun on the farm. It's just beautiful there in the southeast corner of South Dakota. It's green and the trees, crops and landscaping look great. I don't have that many pictures to post because on the farm we are grungy. No one looks decent enough to take pictures of! :)

Poor Chase was not feeling well, which made the time for him not as fun. The rest of us had a great time though. Tuesday we hung out on the farm, looked at my Mom's huge garden, rode in the wagon, looked at the cats and kittens and crawled around in the grass.

On Wednesday we took a trip to Alcester and walked around. We stopped at the bank and were able to show off the boys. We played at the park on the swings and spun Grandma and the boys on the merry go round. The boys went down for a nap and then we took them swimming. That was great! Sioux Center has a great indoor water park. There is a 0 depth pool that gradually increases in depth. The boys had a ball. Chase of course took off crawling into the water as fast as he could, putting his face in, wanting to float so he could kick and use his arms. He would have gone all the way in if I had not stopped him. He loved his face in the water but didn't like how much water he swallowed. Owen started off cautious, then he took off too. I walked him in the water and he just loved it! He walked in all the way to his shoulders and wanted to see the waterfalls and bounce up and down. He laughed his little laugh and likes sitting with me in the water. He was more cautious, only going in as far as he was comfortable while crawling. The boys crashed after this when we got home. They were pooped out. It was fun to watch their little faces as they explored the water, felt the streams, got their faces splashed and discovered new things. What joy! When we got home we went to see the cows. The boys did not like the cows. They stared at them with huge eyes, clinging to us. When we got closer their eyes got bigger and suddenly the lips came out and they began to cry. They were very scared of these huge creatures they've only seen pictures of. That ended the visit to the cows.

Yesterday we hung low at the house. Chase slept most of the morning, not feeling well. Owen continued to explore the house, crawling, pulling up, playing with balls that he threw around the house. He was so content playing by himself it was amazing to watch. He is an explorer and loves to figure out how things work. He also loves to make messes. :) We left yesterday afternoon after another wagon ride and were sad to leave, but happy to see Daddy.Grandma and the boys in front of the garden
Chase peering in at the box of kitties
Chase and Owen in the wagon
Chase wearing Grandpa's hat.
Grandma and the water babies.

Grandma Anderson and feeding Chase watermellon
Notice the floor-Chase threw most of the watermellon on the floor instead of eating it. He had a bath after this!
Grandma and Chase sharing a moment.
I love this picture of Chase and my mom looking at each other. So cute!
I also love this picture-Chase and Grandma are just sitting watching the kitty.
Before swimming

Splish Splash

Splish Splash I was taking a bath . . . or at least the Owen was trying to take a bath when Chase the tornado began to invade his space. The moment I set Chase in the tub yesterday he was on all fours crazily crawling all over the tub. He allowed his head to dip under as he tried to "swim" using his arms and legs. He rolled around, not minding the mouthfulls of water he was taking in or the worried Mama getting drenched in the water he splashed up. He was in heaven. He LOVED it! Owen, however, was not happy. He sat there wondering what had happened to his wonderful calm bath time full of sitting and playing with toys. Owen got clean and got out while I let Chase be wild in the tub. He tried to climb the back slanted part and slid down time after time, loving every minute of it. His face radiated joy-and so did mine, to watch him have such a great time.

June

This truck appeared under the desk-I think Chase got it there. Owen was playing with it, though.
Owen enjoys his breakfast. Isn't he sweet.
Chase likes to play with the window knob and look out.

June has been great so far-all 5 days of it. I try to get out the door at 8:00 am to walk with the boys. My neighbor, Kate, has joined us for most of the walks, until she joined the gym last weekend. booo. Owen and Chase love the walks. We look and talk about birds, puppies, flowers and whatever else catches their eyes. Owen crawled to the top of the stairs yesterday so the gate must go up. He is also grinding his new top and bottom teeth together. What a great noise, that is. Chase fell while climbing the slide and cut his top lip open. He cried and cried and there was a little blood and a swollen lip. He's fine now. He also figured out how to go down 2 stairs into the garage-head first. He puts his chubby little hands down, turns his body sideways and drops 1 knee down. He's pretty good at it.

Laughs: We have two distinct laughs at our house. Chase's laugh is like a "hu, hu" sound, low and rhythmic. Owen's laugh is the total opposite. I can't even describe it, but maybe I can capture it on video. It's loud, doesn't sound like a laugh and is hilarious. I found a video of him laughing. Here is the debut!Chase jumping

11 Months-Where has the Time Gone?

Owen-11 months
"oh my gosh, I'm 11 months?" says Chase

Today, June 1st, marks 11 months of life for Chase and Owen! I can NOT believe it. My babies are not little ones anymore. Just today Owen surprised me by climbing the entire staircase without me knowing. That's 16 stairs and he did it in a matter of minutes. He is such a funny and sweet little boy. He sure loves his Daddy. He likes to cuddle and put things in our mouths, stick his fingers up my nose, and loves to crawl and pull up on things. He walks along objects pretty well now. He is our mover and rarely stops. His favorite toys are baby food lids and dental floss containers. Owen loves to eat. He is very patient and will pick up each small pea on his own. He is a giver of smiles and cute looks. He enjoys talking and saying "d" sounds. Chase is pretty independent. He enjoys being shown how to do something and then doing it himself. He tends to be the one to get hurt more (or at least complain about it more). He likes to use a spoon and loves to hit around a ball. He crawls in two forms-army and normal. Chase likes to be held and read to and is learning to walk along furniture. He also loves baby food lids and dental floss. He LOVES dogs and giggles as them incessantly. Chase is a giggler and loves to show off his teeth with his mouth wide open while walking around (with help of course). Chase loves to jabber away using the "d" sound too. They both crawl like mad as soon as you get their diapers off and it makes for one good workout. They continue to play with each other. Where one is, the other is not far behind. This is normally wonderful, unless one of the boys is playing "open/shut" with a door or cabinet. Then someone's head/fingers/face usually gets shut into things. Then it is not fun.
Owen feeding Chase.

Chase feeding Owen
This is now
That was then (August~6 weeks)

Big and Little

Chase and Owen are little. The new trees in our yard are big. They didn't seem to care about the trees or taking pictures.

Memorial Day on Leech Lake

Owen resting with Daddy-oh so cute.
Jim and Jeff's walleye!
Susie and Chase at the cabin
Owen feeding Jeff his shoe
Here we are outside the Chase Hotel in Walker
Grandpa is teaching Chase "So Big"
The Berger's and Grandpa Mosser at the nursing home
Great Grandpa Mosser
Jim's hunting cabin
The Berger's including Great Grandma
At the hunting Cabin
Grandpa with his boys
Let's go for a ride!
Grandma snuggling with Owen
Jim with Chase and Owen as his seamen.
Susie, Owen, Jeff and Chase
Chase boy loving his attention.
Chasey in his bath
oOwen lounging on the grass.
Chase, Owen and myself playing with the Goofy Golf posts
Chase found his first dandelion. He loves plants.
Sandy, Chase, Jim, Jeff and Owen on the dock. Jeff was helping set up the dock.
Jeff and the boys in Leech Lake. Burr
Susie, Chase, Jeff and Owen
We had a fabulous long weekend "Up North" at Jim and Sandy's house on Leech Lake. The boys were wonderful, as usual, and explored to their hearts' content. The drive is about 4 hours and they were entertained by their new DVD player. They giggled at the animals they saw on the videos and napped some too. Friday we went for a pontoon ride and Chase and Owen wore their new life jackets. We explored the grass and Chase played on the beach in the sand. He decided to pull himself into the water and splashed around. He was so sandy and wet so we gave him a little bath outside in a wash basin. It was adorable watching him giggle, smile and ham it up. That night Jeff and I had a date night and were gone for a whole 1 1/2 hours. We don't know what to do with ourselves anymore. :) We had great Mexican food in Walker.

Saturday was a road trip day. We left early in the morning to visit places and people I had never seen. We went to Jim's hunting cabin outside Fosston, MN. What a beautiful sight. His land is gorgeous-covered with trees. His cabin was so cute and cozy inside with all the necessities. I even got to use the outhouse while we were there. Jeff took me on a 4 wheeler ride of the land and I saw trails, deer stands and luckily no bears. The boys wanted so badly to get down and explore but resigned themselves to being carried. After this we went to McIntosh, where Sandy grew up. Then on to Erskine where we visited Jim's Mom. We had lunch at the famed Ness Cafe and visited 2 of Jim's uncles. We then went to see Sandy's Dad, whom I had never met. He sure was excited to see us and loved the boys. The boys crashed on the car ride home and so did I!

Sunday was a lounging day. Sandy and I took the babies to town to shop and get some groceries. We stopped by the Chase Hotel for a picture with Chase. We ate wonderful food all weekend and next time we are up there we will eat the fish Jeff and Jim caught! Yum yum. What a great way to start off the summer. Lots of fun and nice weather.