May 2011 Trip to Denver

We got to spend ten wonderfully restful days in Denver this May. We went there primarily because Mike and Hillary had their second child, Jake. We got to spend a ton of time with our new nephew and we got to be there when he was blessed at church. The week was full of surprises, too. Joel received his mission call to Sacramento the week before we arrived, so he was able to go through the temple while we were there. It's big family events like that that make it hard to live far away, so we were so grateful that we were there for Joel and for Jake, too. We loved just hanging out with the Chattertons, playing at the park, and eating all the food in the house. We discovered that Tommy loves cucumbers with Ranch dressing and cheese balls. We also learned that his favorite TV show is "Airplane MASH" and that he is scared to sleep in small spaces (we had to move his bed into the hall the last few nights we were there so that he would actually sleep through the night).

Overall, the weather was pretty chilly while we were there! It rained and hailed quite a bit. It was a nice break from the constant bright sunshine we get in Phoenix (and I mean that in all seriousness). Tommy somehow conned Grandma into going for a walk with him in the pouring rain.
Tommy played a great game with Grandma where he would do something really fun and then he would fall down on the ground. In this video he was hammering nails, but he did the same thing when he played with the Marble Works set or with Legos.
He also loves to paint, especially with Grandma's cool brushes.
We tried to get lots of pictures of Rachel, Tommy, and Jake together. Rachel and Jake are moving to Indiana later this summer so we don't know when we will be together again. Rachel is just crazy about her cousin. Tommy loves her, too, and considers her his best friend. Actually, scratch that. Tommy considers her dad, Mike, his best friend. There is just something about Mike that Tommy has always adored. (Sorry I didn't get a picture of Mike or Hillary this time. I guess our attention was pretty focused on Rachel and Jake when you guys were around.)


So the first time I held Baby Jake I was in the room with Tommy. I knew he wouldn't be too jealous because he has seen me hold other babies and toddlers before. I held Jake for about five minutes and then Tommy started throwing toys. He didn't throw a tantrum, but I knew that he was a little bit upset. I asked him, "Tommy, are you upset that Mommy is holding Baby Jake?" He put his head down and nodded. Then he looked up at me with the cutest puppy dog eyes, held out his hands, and asked, "Tommy hold Baby Jake?" Turns out he was upset that he wasn't holding Jake rather than that I was! He is so precious. I had him climb up next to me on the couch so he could hold Jake.
He was extremely serious the whole time he held the baby. He didn't crack a smile or wiggle or say much. It's like he knew what a precious little package he was in charge of. In the video you can see him give Jake a few little loves, but other than that, he sat still for a good ten minutes holding the baby. He is going to be the most amazing big brother.

Grandma bought a sandbox while we were there. It was just barely big enough for Rachel and Tommy to sit in it, but they had a great time playing. Tommy has been asking for a sandbox ever since we returned home.
Tommy had a great time wearing Grandpa out. And Grandpa was a great sport to wear Tommy out.


One of the funniest things that Tommy learned in Denver is that soccer is played naked. Let me explain. On the second day we were there Tommy and I went to the park where we saw a bunch of teenagers playing soccer. It was a beautiful day so a bunch of them had their shirts off. Tommy kept pointing to them and saying, "Nakey. Need bath." Yes Tommy, they are naked so they can take a bath. About a week later Grandma and Grandpa took Tommy to Walmart to spoil him a bit and they bought him a soccer ball. He kept telling them, "Soccer ball nakey," but they didn't know what he was talking about. They took the box and the plastic off the ball thinking that he just wanted the ball. When they got home Tommy showed Ben the soccer ball and said, "Soccer ball shirt off." We all had a good laugh and then played "Soccer Ball Nakey" in the backyard. Tommy now calls the game of soccer "Soccer Ball Nakey," but he doesn't always have to take his shirt off to play now. It's amazing how fast kids learn and how much they absorb just by watching other people (for better or for worse).

We were so delighted with a surprise visit from Stephanie while we were in Denver! She is at school in Rexburg so we don't get to see her nearly often enough. She was sweet enough to drive all the way home so she could be there the weekend that Joel received his Endowment and Baby Jake got blessed at church. Tommy loves his Aunt "Stabby" and so do we.

Tommy loves ice cream. He takes after his mommy that way. At first I thought it was so cute that Tommy wanted to sit with his Uncle Joel at the table, but it didn't take long to realize that he was really after the ice cream:) Tommy loves Joel, but he loves ice cream a lot, too.

The last day we were in Denver we went to a park where there were dinosaur bones to dig for. It was really hot that morning so we packed a lunch and brought our camping chairs to the park intending to stay for awhile. Within an hour or so the weather changed so dramatically. Dark, thick clouds rolled in, it started to rain, and we even saw a few funnel clouds. Did you know that Denver gets a lot of tornadoes? I didn't until this trip.

We had such a great time visiting our family in Denver. We love you guys and we miss you! Tommy talks about his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents on a daily basis now. He talks about going to "Drampa's" house all the time. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon, even though we are getting more and more spread out!