The calm before the storm

Ace and Daddy take an evening stroll to the mailbox, twelve hours before their first airline flight together. (Mommy is coming along for that, thank goodness!)

Quackers

In a language all their own, Chase and Giant Rubber Ducky share a laugh.

Fountain of Youth

The fountains in Stapleton's town center are officially up and running, which led to some unplanned frolicking in the water by Ace. Wet clothes and diaper all the way home were a small price to pay for such fun.

No Bluffing

Chase and Mommy begin an evening hike around Bluff Lake (or, as it would be called in Maine, Bluff Bog) to cap off a busy Saturday.

Strange days, indeed.

We can't begin to describe what is happening in this picture.

The 5th Beatle

Moving fast to escape the paparazzi, the 5th Beatle's identity has finally been revealed!

Buddy Reading

Cousin Caleb shares a book with Chase as the grown-ups enjoy dinner. With the school year set to end in two days, let the summer reading program begin!

Terminology

An incomplete list of words Chase can say:

Ball (Ba!)
Dada
Mama
Banana (Nana!)
No
Uh-Oh
Elbow (Bo!)
Woof, Woof (Huh!Huh!)
Car (Ca)
Nose (No!)
Snowman (Man!)
Bottle (Baba!)
Moo
Cheese (eesss!)
Waffle (Wa!)
More (Mo!)
Sucker [pacifier] (Ucka!)

Bookworm

Kindergarten starts in four years. We've started to crack the whip.

Green Day, part II

We've seemingly had two weeks of rain here in the high desert, so Chase was eager to take advantage of a rare day of sunshine and warmth at the Denver Botanic Gardens. So enraptured was he with the sudden growth of spring that he plopped down among the flowers and demanded to be adored.

Davey Crockett

Chase tries on a bobcat pelt at the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage in Boulder.

...as if he wasn't already wild enough.

Party Time

Chase was not to be left out of the SOAR Year-End Party. While the adults raised a ruckus downstairs, he made a bunch of new friends in the rumpus room, partying it up in fine, end-of-the-year teacher fashion.

Patty Cake, 2000 miles away...

An impromptu call from Nanna and Papa led to this on-demand game of Patty Cake. Chase couldn't see his Maine grandparents, but he clapped as instructed when he heard their loving voices.

Tubby

The kid loves his evening bath. Today he discovered the joy of playing with a plastic bowl. It was worth a thousand laughs and a whole lot of splashes.

Curly Q

Where did these curls come from? Mommy and Daddy both have straight hair. Hmmm...

Just Dandy

Chase discovers the joys of dandelions on an evening walk of the neighborhood.

Go Uncle Marc!

Ace braves Seattle-like weather to cheer on marathon runner Uncle Marc (that's him in the middle under the bridge) at Mile 9 of the Colfax Marathon. Marc's time of 3:16 blew away Daddy's old personal best from the 2000 Philly Marathon.

Oh well, Dad can't be best at everything.

Slip 'n Slide

A sheet of cardboard becomes a really fun action adventure toy. Whoa!

You Wanna a Piece of This?

Chase lures Samantha, an older woman (about 3 yrs old) at the park, with his come hither, veggie booty pucker.

Pickin' Trash

We know there was great disappointment that the blog was not posted last night. Blame it on Blogger, not Reed and Joanna.

Here, we have Chase, master door opener and newly crowned King of Trash Pickin', in the kitchen closet giving me a "Yeah, so?" look. It has been a long couple of days. Definitely picking up more baby gates this weekend.

Hoop Dreams

The Celtics could have used this little power forward tonight. The C's season is over, but perhaps it's just beginning for Ace.

Fine Dining

For the record, this counts as one of the more relaxed, pleasant moments during tonight's dinner.

Under Construction

The Little Engineer spent a windy afternoon at the park working with an abandoned truck he discovered.

Many woodchips were loaded and unloaded. The earth was moved.

Mother's Day

Lucky kid. Turns out he has the best Mommy in the world.

Jazz Fest

While the Cajun Critter felt some disappointment at not being able to attend the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival this weekend, he found some consolation by enjoying live Latin music at the D-Note in Arvada.

His dance moves could use some work, but he's got the clapping down.

MIT?

This kid could definitely grow up to be an engineer. He's always trying to figure out how things work.

Picture This

Chase enjoy's one of Nanna's world famous birthday cards (this one featuring 39 pictures of Chase & Daddy) before lunch.

Laugh it up, Fuzzball

Yes, I consider the broom a totally awesome toy.

Yes, I'm sitting in the kitty bed.

Yes, Trane is wondering what the heck is going on.

I call it having a good time.

Hospitals aren't Scary

Dr. Amy heard a little murmur when she checked out Chase last visit. Today we followed up and went to The Children's Hospital in Aurora for an Echocardiogram and an EKG. Chase was great! Not even a few wiggles to make it hard for the tech. What an angel.

In the lobby, Chase was enthralled with a contraption that was specifically designed to make him yell, "Ball! Ball! Ball!" at the top of his lungs. Turns out they are just as healthy as his heart.

Twilight

Yeah, so I can totally connect to the love between Edward and Bella. What can I say? I'm a romantic.

Three cheers for Skype!

Although over 2,000 miles separates them, Chase claps with Nanna & Papa during their weekly video chat. Yeah for technology!