Family Pictures...what a good looking family!

Chase's first time at the ocean. This is my families favorite beach,Wingaersheek beach, there are lots of rocks to climb and when the tide goes out three tidal pools appear with size and depths similar to a clubhouse swimming pool.

Chase loved the ocean. He would sit at the edge of the water and splash and laugh when the waves rolled up to him. He also loved motoring through the water; i.e. dad holding him running him through the water. When a wave would come he would laugh, or sputter if his face went under. Surprisingly he never cried after a wave got him in the face, instead he would blink his little eyes and use his little tongue to lick up as much salt water as possible. He is a little fish! Once he got tired of swimming, I buried him up to his waist in sand. He thought sand was the most interesting thing in the world, until he ate a handful. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to watch both hands go for the sand. Of course, he didn't like eating sand as much as salt water and told me so with a bout of tears. Poor little guy!

Chase at the 4th of July parade. My mother took him to use as a shield so we would try to get her wet. Problem is, Chase loves the water!

I think I'm going to submit this picture to a contest of sorts. I can say, with no bias whatsoever, that he is the cutest baby I've ever seen.

The race!

Danielle and Chase.

We had a wonderful time with family in Boston and are looking forward to the next trip. I was fortunate that my boss was on vacation and I didn't have to work practically at all. Hopefully, the same thing happens every time we visit family.

Utah in June

I'm back from my short blogging hiatus. We've been spending quality-time with family. We went to Utah in June for Royce and Rachel's wedding. It was a nice getaway. Grandma Porter with Chase Chase took his first canoe ride and loved it. The little life jacket brings back many boating memories with Dayne bobbing in the water in that yellow jacket. The girls at youth conference are already batting their eyes at Chase. Maegan's mom made us a yummy salad for lunch. Maegan and I were best friends most of middle school and did everything together in high school. When we went to dances the boys we went with made certain we were in the same group. Having a picnic at Ledgemere Grandpa and Chase, two peas in a jacket Another dear friend who couldn't get enough of Chase Chalece's family moved into the neighborhood when I was in second grade, and she has been one of my best friends ever since. Our families have also enjoyed many trips to Lake Powell. We thought Chase might feel silly if he was the only one with his fist in his mouth. They blocked off the room that we were in at the restaurant, and so we decided it was the perfect time for a silent dance party. We had such a blast in Utah! Thank you all. I wish I had some pictures with Devin and my mission companion Kristen. It was fun spending time with both of them.

2010 Goals

I love setting goals and having something to work towards. This year I tried to set goals that would stretch me, but that were still realistic and attainable. A few of the goals I have been working on are improving my artistic abilities, serving Steve and Chase, checking my e-mail once a day, and only eating one serving of food at a sitting. With some of my goals I've done really well and taken giant steps forward. Unfortunately, with a few of my goals I've taken small steps forward and a bigger step back.

I think the hardest goal for me to show improvement in is only eating one serving of food. I'm very good at buying and eating healthy food. I don't want to be so stringent that I never indulge, because that might make me a very boring person. However, if there is something really sweet around, or something else really yummy, I go crazy and definitely eat more than one serving. I'm working on it. I have faith that progress will come. Hopefully this will serve as a resplendent reminder. I would love any suggestions you may have!

I use the habit making bookmarks and yearly goal files found at lds.about.com. I have really liked them. Here is the link if you want to take a look: lds.about.com/od/visualmusicalaids/a/habitbookmarks.htm

Chase in turban/head wrap

I love this picture of Chase in his headwrap/turban (whatever you want to call it). The picture is not a recent one, but still cute.

4 month stats

Height: 26 inches (86th percentile) Weight: 15.3 (58th percentile) Head: 17 1/4 Jenny and Denzil in the swimming pool. I love to swim. Some of my fondest childhood memories were created at Lake Powell. Do you think Steve will be keen on retiring there? It will be interesting to see how Chase feels about the water because today he seemed indifferent about the experience.

Chase, solids, and friends

Don't let the happy face fool you-- he's not a fan of solids...yet. We went to a friend's house for a barbecue and they loved Chase. We had to take a picture. Jamie and Gracie Walton. We have loved living by our friends the Waltons; they have loved living by us too. So much in fact that they have decided to move. Actually, they found a house and we are happy for them. And here we have the Steve corner. Steve Walton would have everyone know that we named our Steve after him. (psst...don't tell anyone these pictures were taken on Easter, that was a long time ago.)

Celebrating Steve Sears

The many reasons we love the name Steve Sears.

The one thing that truly defines Steve that I love is his enthusiasm. -Dad

I love his love of the Lord and desire to put Him first in his life. -Mom

I love his sense of humor, enthusiasm, and willingness to teach and learn. -Nicole

I love that Steve is silly. He knows when to be serious yet is still super immature sometimes. -Danielle

He's always been a shining example of diligence and hard-work. He's one in 6 billion(literally, and figuratively.) -Devin

I like how he is a very hard worker, but still knows how to be a kid. -Kayla

One thing that I admired about Steve is his kind ways of being friendly to everyone that he meets and the confidence that he has. -Arla

He is always happy and he is always trying to find the good in others. Oh, and I love his amazing dance moves!! -Dayne

I love how he is always looking to help others. -Royce

When Steve asked me if he could marry my little girl, I told him if he didn't take care of her and make her happy I was going to come and "kick his butt". I love the fact that, so far (LOL), he seems to be keeping his end of the bargain. -Jeff

I love Steve's desire to learn the Gospel and to acquire other knowledge. I love his desire to put his family first and to spend lots of time with us. I love Steve for so many reasons. -Elyse

Chase loves Steve because he takes time out of his busy schedule to play with him and read him stories.

We love you and hope you have a wonderful 26th year! Happy Birthday!