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!

Labor Day in Denver

We got to spend a nice cool Labor Day in Denver in this year. After spending August in Phoenix it did feel quite cold in Denver! We loved spending the week with the Chattertons. We got to play at an awesome splash pad/park with Rachel, Hillary, and Steph. Even though it was a chilly windy day, the kids had a great time in the water (it was too cold for me, though:). Rachel is such a great cousin to Tommy. She always includes him in what she is doing and makes sure that he feels loved. She's a pro at sharing, too. Thanks for being a great example to your little cousin, Rachel! You are going to be an awesome big sister!
Grandma bought Tommy and Rachel a couple sets of matching shirts. Rachel wouldn't wear hers unless Tommy wore his, but if Tommy was wearing his shirt, Rachel had to wear hers, too. It was so cute. In addition to the cute orange striped shirts they also have matching blue space shuttle shirts. And even though Rachel is about 21 months older than Tommy they wear the same size so it makes it easy for Grandma to shop!
Grandma got us all ready for Halloween while we were in Denver. Tommy was a doggie and this is the only picture we have of him smiling in his costume. I love that the doggie is holding on tight to his doggie in the picture. Great picture of Grandma, too.
We went to a fun petting zoo/park with Hillary, Mike, and Rachel. We got to ride this cool train around the park. It was $3 well spent! The kids liked the petting zoo, but they got bored with it pretty quickly. They liked the train and the park much better.

This is a picture taken in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard. I think Tommy played in their dirt almost every day we were there. Rachel had to join in the fun, too, since Tommy was doing it.
On Labor Day we went to a reservoir not far from where the Chattertons live. It was pretty amazing to see a beach in the middle of suburban Denver! Since it was Labor Day there were tons of people there barbecuing, playing volleyball, and playing in the water. We built sandcastles and waded in the water. They had paddle boats that Mike, Hillary, and Rachel road after we left. It was a great day!
The last three pictures and the video are all from the Denver Children's Museum. We had a blast there! Tommy was just old enough to participate in a lot of the activities. We got to paint a picture, play with bubbles, shop for food, play with toy trains, and explore tunnels as we pretended to be rabbits and ants. We were all pretty exhausted after such a fun-filled day!

We love you, Chattertons! Thanks for letting us spend such a great week with you!

Our Trip to Denver

Last week we went to Denver to spend some time with the Chattertons. We spent Easter there (which also happened to be Dale's birthday, so that worked out well) and then hung out the rest of the week. We had a great time relaxing with the Chattertons and watching Tommy and his cousin, Rachel, get to know each other better. Rachel was really sweet to Tommy the whole week and wanted to do things just like him. Even though she is about 1 1/2 years older than Tommy she insisted on doing the same things that Tommy was doing: crawling, eating the same foods, and wearing the same color bib as he was. She did a good job sharing her toys and her grandparents with Tommy. We appreciate the Chattertons for watching Tommy while Ben and I went on a date one night and went to the temple a few nights later. I especially want to thank them for taking good care of him while I did my long run that week, and thanks to Dale for coming to pick me up when I hit my 16-mile-mark and couldn't walk another step! We had a great time playing at the park and visiting a museum in Denver, but our favorite times were spent just hanging around the house and chatting. We love you guys! Here are a few pics from the week:

Tommy got really good at pulling himself up to furniture. He'll be walking before we know it!

Tommy and Rachel holding hands in the car.

Tommy and Mommy.

This is what happens when you feed chocolate mousse to a hungry baby.

Grandma Chatterton with her two grandkids.

Grandpa Dale and Tommy bonding over some good old-fashioned tickling.

Tommy and Rachel crawling together.

Tommy in his Easter outfit (he's going to sell some papes later:).

Rachel and Tommy in their Easter outfits that Grandma made for them