Cort, Kimi, Metz and Chase

Christmas

2011-03-04T17:43:00.002-04:00

The customary stairs picture :) Metz was so great instead of coming upstairs when he woke up he talked into our monitor to let us know they were up, then they got Grandma and Grandpa.

Chase's new car. Cort and Grandpa worked on it late the night before so Chase could see it and play with it right away. Once Chase got in the car he wouldn't get out. Honestly, he opened most of his presents in there. Love.

Metz was spoiled rotten as usual. Great Christmas.

We did eventually get Chase out of the car and they had fun opening presents.

Cort and I were not forgotten . . .he now has an official Las Vegas Jersey to represent while riding.

The Rocket

2011-03-04T17:14:00.002-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa came out for Christmas which means project with Grandpa!! Once Metz found out he was coming he planned the rocket. Here is the construction.

Metz so proud and excited about his Rocket. He still loves it.

Cort was a trooper and walked out to retrieve the rocket. It went really far out into the cornfield across the street from where we live. It got so deep that Metz got stuck and couldn't even get out to it. I'm so grateful for dads. Cort and my dad make my sons' lives so fun.

Chase couldn't sit out of the action. He got to hold the control while Metz and Cort hunted down the rocket. This kid kills me. How cute is he?

Metz with his snow hat I love!! What cute kid! (wait didn't I just say that? oh well it's true!) Love my kids.

Christmas Activities

2011-03-04T16:53:00.002-04:00

Metz got out and made an awesome fort with our "bountiful" snow fall.

The fort. So great.

We did our advent calendar again this year and one activity was sugar cookies. Didn't get a picture of us making them but caught Chase sneaking one.

Also on the calendar was our now annual hot chocolate party. This year we added cookies.

Metz did a lot of crafts this year. It is so great that he is able to do more and more by himself each time. These hung on our tree with pride.

Halloween

2011-03-04T16:28:00.002-04:00

The boys before trick or treating :)

Chase was our sweet little lion, we had been practicing his "ROAR" for a few weeks. He had it down pat. Metz was a lion when we lived in Dominica (not the best costume choice) so it was fun to see Chaser's running around in it and NOT sweating. So cute.

Metz was Boba Fett. Metz started watching Star Wars this summer and now he is addicted. When I asked what he wanted to be for Halloween he said Boba Fett. To be honest I freaked a little cause I thought "Who on earth will have a Boba Fett costume? and who is Boba Fett?" Luckily, he is more popular than I thought and we found it lots of places. And thanks to Grandma Leavitt, Metz was Boba Fett.

Trick and Treating. The boys were on fire . . .running to each house. Chase even got the "Trick or Treat" down.

Also, please be impressed with the pumpkins. Every year I buy them thinking "how fun" it will be to make them and forget how messy and how much work they are. I'm pretty sure by next year I'll forget again and we'll have another picture like this.

VACATION

2010-11-16T18:35:00.003-04:00

The Boys and I were able to head west to Vegas and Idaho for a few weeks this summer . . . We had a blast, swam a lot, ate even more and just enjoyed family (oh and missed daddy lots too!) Here are a couple of fun pictures with cousins . . .

Chase and Cale are only 20 days apart. They had a great time together and were so fun to watch.

Most of the Leavitt cousins. We were able to swim a lot and it was fantastic. Seriously. Metz had such a great time with Rylee and Talin. Plus we finally got to meet little Logan. The best part of swimming all day . . .we slept like rocks.

Brittany and Cole are awesome. Metz has been missing them like crazy since we moved to WI. We had a week of fun with them. Metz even played Laser tag for the first time with Cole. He can't wait to get back to Idaho and play again.

These three kept busy in Vegas for sure . . . you can just see trouble!

Granny

2010-11-16T18:27:00.003-04:00

This is how Granny makes up feel . . . Happy. We were able to sneak in a trip up to Cedar to visit.

Granny is so sweet she saved some tomatoes for Metz to pick. He was super excited. Funny thing was on the trip up Metz keep asking if Granny would have any sweet peas to eat. (I can't believe he remembers that from last year.) To bad they were already gone for the season.

The fruits of Granny's labor.

Metz and Granny. I hope to have many more pictures of these two. They are so close (she watched Metz from birth til we left for the island -15 months while I worked full time). They have a special bond and I am SOOOOO grateful for Granny.

Great Food

2010-11-16T18:21:00.002-04:00

In Idaho we got to all sit around table to chat, eat and just enjoy each others company.

At the wedding Metz went crazy for the chocolate fountain!

Chase was our clean up crew. Any food left out was his to claim. I didn't get to the kids snack quick enough and found Chase enjoying TWO juice boxes and a plate of food. He cracks me up.

Apples

2010-11-16T18:09:00.003-04:00

They are a favorite in the Leavitt house . . . but to be honest I hadn't thought to give them to Chase until . . .

Yup, this summer he decided he was ready, so he got one out of the fridge and started to enjoy.

I was pretty surprised and wondered why I hadn't given him one sooner. He loves them and they are a regular snack at our house. I'm starting to realize that once Chase see's Metz do something he thinks he is ready for it too . . .gotta keep my eye on this one.

4th of July

2010-11-16T17:55:00.002-04:00

We spent 4th of July in good ol' Janesville with some friends and our sweet boys.

So handsome ready to go to church. This is the first time Chase has worn shorts to church. (Metz wore them the whole time we were in Dominica). They looked good :)

Our customary cookie picture . . . I love holidays it allows Metz and me to make sugar cookies . . . so good!

And Chase loves them too.

After a BBQ with some friends we headed to our house to light a few fireworks before the boys went to bed. Metz is becoming quite the pro. After lighting the firework he books it back to us to watch the action. So funny.

Chase and Mom just hanging out enjoying the show.

Fire Truck

2010-10-17T21:58:00.002-04:00

So we have these awesome neighbors that have two boys . . . Carter is a month older than Metz and Sam is 3 months older than Chase . . .they have a blast playing together everyday and one of the favorites is . . .

The Fire Truck!! They ride it all around our block until the battery is dead. Chase is absolutely in love with this thing. If their garage is open you will find Chase playing on it.

Look at those smiles. . .priceless. The bummer they are moving at the end of the month :( so sad.

Strawberry picking . . .

2010-07-11T17:32:00.003-04:00

It had been raining, raining and raining for a few days . . . once it cleared up I took the boys and a friend to Skelly's Patch. It was fun but messy . . . note to self don't go right after a huge rain storm even if it's all sunny and pretty outside.

Metz was in charge of finding the row and where we would pick!!!

Metz found a ton a strawberries and was great at picking them

Chase on the other hand was great at eating them. We couldn't pick them fast enough and he would let us know it. He also sat down on a few strawberries, got mud covered and walked through the rows!

2010-07-11T17:17:00.002-04:00

We found lots of strawberries! Even with all the ones Chase ate we still ended up buying a few pounds.

Here is our patch and our sweet Metz. He was a great helper and loved strawberry picking.

Dirty hands and dirty kids . . .

means mission accomplished. Yes, that would be strawberries all over chase's face. Gotta love that face :)

Treats. Well earned. Don't worry I earned a donut and a pepsi. It was a fun experience but I'm excited strawberry picking time doesn't come around for another year.

Not a baby anymore :(

2010-07-11T17:07:00.002-04:00

I had this seat sitting in Metz's room for a few months and a few weeks ago Chase was looking for a place to relax. Well he climb right in and settled into playing a game. I looked over and my first thought was "well, he's not my baby anymore". He is so BIG in this seat! They grow so fast.

Grandma and Grandpa Butler came to Visit!!!

2010-06-24T21:47:00.002-04:00

My mom and dad came to visit for a week in May. It was awesome. We ran ourselves ragged between trips to Madison, Chicago and Milwaukee. Then the cooking, playing games, planting, painting, and putting things together it was just a busy week. We had a great time, the weather was perfect and I hope they make it a yearly tradition.

The minute one of my parents came up the stairs they were bombarded by the boys. They wanted to chat, help with their guns, and stories read. My favorite was when Chase did something once, my dad said "good job" and clapped, well for the next 45 minutes Chase would do something, look back at my dad and wait for his cheer. If grandpa didn't cheer he just sat there waiting for it. What a funny kid.

Metz and Grandpa worked on a few projects (just like when we lived in Rexburg) during the week. Grandpa took Metz to get a bird feeder and house to put together. They picked out the paints, the sander and brushes. I think the fact the colors are the same as Green Bay Packers is purely incidental. Metz got to paint and

do some of the hammering. It took a few day to finish and they had a great time working together.

We took a trip to Madison. We toured the downtown, did a Costco run, cruised the mall and went to the Zoo. Grandma made sure the Chase got to see all the animals too. It was very sweet.

Hi! This tiger was a little close for me but Metz loved it. We had a great day in Madsion and were completely spoiled.

Chicago -read it like a Mobster would say it ;)

2010-06-24T21:32:00.002-04:00

Here it is . . . beautiful (really it is) Chicago. We went for a day visit with my parents and were able to take a river tour (more on that later in the post), walked Navy Pier and drove Michigan Avenue. It was a great day and since Cort was post call he got to spend it with us too. (YEA!)

We started out on Navy Pier. It is what is says and really cool huge Pier on Lake Michigan. A couple of shops, places to eat and a fun walk. Plus it was awesome to look back at the city skyline. Cort and I love a City so it was a great experience for us. This anchor is at the end of the pier and huge so why not take a family picture. Cheese.

Aaawww, Chasers. He spent 33% of his time in the stroller, 34% walking and the other 33% on dad shoulders. The pier was great because we could let the boys walk without worrying they had rails and there was a ton of walking space along the walkway.

Cort's first Chicago dog. Delicious.

Grandma and Grandpa Butler with the boys. I know I should've gotten a better shot but it was a busy area and the boys weren't really paying attention so here you go. Sorry mom and dad. But yea, Grandma and Grandpa took us to Chicago :)!!

2010-06-24T21:07:00.002-04:00

Chicago in the background and my boys. So fun and don't they look handsome :)

Family :) Right before our river tour started. It was a great tour and I felt like we learned a lot about Chicago. It was much easier than walking and I felt like we got to see so much (thanks mom and dad).

Metz and Grandpa played A LOT of pool. They played almost daily while we lived with my parents so when Grandpa came it was a requirement to get in a lot of games. I think the second they walked in the door they had their first game. Metz was in heaven and I'm pretty sure Grandpa enjoyed it too.

Another must do was planting. Metz helped Grandma plant last year and was sad he missed out this year. Well thanks to some pots, soil and Blain's Farm and Fleet they had flowers to plant and plant and plant.

This is just round one of planting. We ended up with a long box and three more small pots for Metz's room. Our deck looks beautiful and Metz got some great time with Grandma. Also, notice the bird feeder and house hanging from our deck? We have a couple of beautiful birds that come everyday and enjoy the treats Metz sets out there for them. They always sing us a little "thank you" before they leave. Awesome.

Cort's New Ride

2010-06-17T14:42:00.002-04:00

Well, Cort had a birthday (the big 30), knee surgery (no more running or basketball) and cause he is a great hubby and dad . . . this is his new toy :). He is all decked out from head to toe (thanks to his mom for the "bright" jersey - so everyone can see him- and padded shorts) and ready for the road. He has an app for his iphone that maps his ride, a speedometer from his mom so he knows how fast he is going and a helmet from me since i want him around for a while. He is loving his new sport and happily dragging any family or friend along with him. Happy birthday Cort! (yes, I know his birthday was over 2 months ago, oh well). btw, tyson this post if for you ;).

Soccer!!!

2010-05-24T22:12:00.003-04:00

Metz started soccer a few weeks ago and this was he first time on a team. So fun. I have started my life of living on fields, running my kids around and planning dinners around all of it and I couldn't be more excited.

Oh no, Metz has Cort's flexibility or lack of I should say.

Metz had a blast his first day. He was a little nervous at first but luckily we got him on the same team as one of his buddies, Cayden, and he was really relieved and relaxed once he saw him.

They get together after every practice and yell "SOCCER" cute.

Metz was excited and exhausted once practice was over. He is great at it. He listens to his coaches and works so hard on the field. I'm your typical proud mom. What a great kid :)

Friends :)

2010-05-24T21:52:00.002-04:00

Some of our good friends from the island days came for a visit :) YEA!!!!

Paul played all sorts of sports with Metz (since cort was on crutches) plus he has always played sports with Metz since the day we meet.

Blake gave loves to my little chasers. She would play with Metz all the time. She was awesome to read stories to Metz, play with him and let me have some me time while she would watch him. She was my kitchen, beach, and Dominica buddy . . . I've missed her so much.

It all started with just a Metz and now we have two more babies . . so fun and cute. We had a great time.

Easter :)

2010-05-12T22:06:00.002-04:00

EGGS!!!!

We dyed them . . .

We found them (notice how metz has three in his hand and is too busy looking for more that he is NOT looking at the camera)

Chase found ONE egg. Metz was fast and by the time Chase caught on to what he was supposed to be doing there were only a few left. The one he did find was in his shoe. If you are around Chase you know he loves his shoes so what a great place for him to find it.

Baskets of candy, candy, candy and toys not to mention all the fun stuff from Grandma's and Grandpa's. (just a little spoiled)

Aww, Brothers. Happy Easter :)

Metz's First Purchase :)

2010-04-23T15:01:00.002-04:00

Metz has been saving up his money that he has earned, found or swindled off of Grandparents for the last year or so and he has been asking for a transformer forever so . . .

Off the the best place on Earth Target ;) to get him his own transformers with his own money. Decisions, Decisions

Ready and waiting with his load of money! Yes, he got two transformers and had money leftover to put back in his bank (grandparents have been very generous with him!)

"Your change sir" :)

So excited to have his prize - we had to open each of them in the car and start transforming them right away :). BTW, he got Bumblebee and Grindor.

Chase's First Haircut

2010-04-19T00:51:00.002-04:00

Tami and Kristie please forgive me . . .

Chase was getting some long old man hair along his neck and ears so we took our little shaver to it. I know he doesn't have much but it should still be trimmed and looking handsome.

Seriously, it was long and fuzzy.

"Mom is this safe?"

He didn't move or scream so we were good.

Here he is all handsome and ready for our shopping trip.

Valentine's Day

2010-04-19T00:44:00.003-04:00

Treats, Balloons and new underwear! happy valentine's day :)

Metz has expensive taste . . . mint milanos (so his favorite) and transformers underwear. He has a tough time deciding between Optimus Prime or Bumble Bee.

Cheese treats and diapers . . .sweet chase.

I picked up a Papa Murphy's Heart Pizza the day before and we had it for our Valentines lunch.

We had a sweet Valentine's Day :)

Preschool Valentine's Party

2010-03-30T21:54:00.003-04:00

Metz left for his party with this . . .

And came back with all this . . . .

a fun bag he made and

Tons of candy and fun treats! Can you believe there are only 6 kids total in his preschool group (the mom's do it at our houses twice a week) and he got all this fun stuff. Happy day.

Bottles and Birthday!!!

2010-03-30T20:58:00.003-04:00

Happy First birthday Chase on January 28th!! Look at all those presents for our little boy!

Chase loving his new ball from his brother :) He is really into balls right now, always has one in his hand so this was the perfect gift.

Metz presenting Chase his present :) Metz picked out the ball just for him. It was sweet and a great present!

Day 1 with a sippy cup and real milk . . . it took a few days to fully adjust but he did well and loves his sippy cups now.

Chase's last bottle :( He was so cute with them but alas it was time to let them go. (thank goodness too, formula is expensive!)

2010-03-30T20:41:00.003-04:00

One of Chase's presents was a drum (I know what was I thinking!?!) and he had to play with it first!! He knew just what to do and loved it. The drumsticks have become a favorite at our house.

Chase turned 1. We had a little fun cake for him but he was sick so he ended up with a cupcake so he wouldn't be really sick that night.

He loved it :)

Yum, Yum and cute :)

Chase Rocks :)

2010-02-18T00:59:00.002-04:00

Dang he is cute :) He is our big eater. Since dropping the baby food Chase will eat great breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am so grateful that he is a good eater. . . a little messy but I'll take it :)

Bath time is too fun. This is just Chase. You smile at him, he smiles back. Metz can get him laughing so easily. He is just an easy going great little boy.

Turkey Sandwiches

2010-02-18T00:51:00.002-04:00

After his birthday Metz decided he was hungry one day and HE was going to make his own turkey sandwich. He honestly did everything but open the miracle whip jar.

He was so proud of himself and so was I. (can you tell?!?) When did my toddler turn into a little boy :(

Metz Turned 4

2010-02-18T00:43:00.004-04:00

Great face right. Metz helped with his cake. He loved making it and eating it. Great family birthday.

Metz got great presents from Grandma's and Grandpa's :) A shake and go racetrack and a imanginext Helicopter. He also got his first camera which he loves. We have been saying CHEESE! a lot lately.

Christmas, yes I know it's February :)

2010-02-18T00:30:00.002-04:00

Made delicious Christmas cookies -

Cort and Metz made a snowman, yea! and the hair was Metz's idea.

Made the preparations for Santa and his reindeer

Looked super cute in matching pajama's from Grandma Jan

HAD AN AWESOME CHRISTMAS

More Holiday and Winter Stuff

2010-01-23T23:01:00.001-04:00

Ok this is reversed and I am too lazy to change it right!

Metz decorating our new tree. I finally buckled and we got a fake tree for really cheap on Black Friday (we love black friday) This is the day after thanksgiving, Metz was insistent that we decorate it right then.

Metz marking what he wanted for Christmas. Every Sunday he would sit down with his ads and highlighter. He loved pretty much anything. If it had a princess it was out other than that he marked it.

Tuckered out from a trip to Madison. :)

Um, Halloween. I had to get it in there. Metz green (his favorite color, ever) dragon and Chase was our Monkey. Metz wore that costume his first halloween too so we had to keep a tradition.
Ok, I'm getting caught up!

2010-01-23T22:52:00.002-04:00

Here is Chasers cruising along . He looks too cute in his onesie :) He became a very busy kid over the holiday season, crawling and cruising.

Metz and I had a hot chocolate party :) This was one of the nights Cort was on call and so in the Advent Calendar it said we needed a hot chocolate party and movie night. Metz was in heaven and I had fun too.

Ready for the first snow. We finally had snow in the first of December (I'm not complaining, I'm surprised). Metz just had to go play in it.

Oh and along with cruising and crawling Chase decided to add to those with cleaning out my cupboards! that is a lot of C's.

I do not remember Metz being into so many things. I honestly think there isn't a cupboard upstairs that he hasn't emptied yet. Busy busy.

Summer/Fall Favorites

2010-01-08T16:27:00.003-04:00

Metz and Cort went fishing in Idaho one afternoon and Metz caught both of these fish!! One was 18 inches long! Holy Cow. He had a ton of fun with his dad.

We went on a Butler Family reunion to Jackson Hole and West Yellowstone. We just spent the weekend but had a blast with my family. It was a great getaway. During a long drive we told Metz to keep his eyes open for animals . . . well after some time he got a little annoyed (since he had seen anything) and before we know it he says "I've seen nothing"! Luckily the next day we saw a whole bunch of animals and he even got to take pictures of them (one of his favorite things to do).

We went to Kanab Utah again. This time we cut fire wood (so fun) and Metz got to shoot a gun with his daddy for the first time. We had bottles set up and all that fun stuff and he tried his hardest to hit them. He really enjoyed shooting guns with his dad, uncles and grandpa. He also loved the woods. He feel asleep in the back seat on the way home - tuckered out from all the fun.

One of my favorite pictures of the boys!

Me and Chasers enjoying Grandma Leavitt's dried apples :) YUM!

I'm Sorry

2009-12-02T23:10:00.003-04:00

Here is our sweet Chase at 10 months after his breakfast. I was hoping this would get me some forgiveness for being a slacker with the blog. Chase is now 25 pounds and is SOOOOO busy. He is also thinking he is super funny when he tries to bite us or takes things off the tree. Chase will be trouble. Cute, Sweet and Trouble.

MIA - we're back. . .

2009-08-23T20:01:00.002-04:00

Yes, I have been missing in action for awhile so here are a few things Metz has been busy doing over the summer. . .

His pea plant that he planted at Preschool produced a PEA!!! (say that five times fast) Yea. Unfortunately I waited too long to pick it . . . and when Metz tried it, it wasn't a sweet pea. But it still grew, yea!!!!

Bowling . . . we got a summer pass where Metz and I could bowl for super cheap and once a week go see a movie. It was a blast and now that it is done he is quite sad. The other day he said - Mom, I'm sad that bowling is all done. It was a fun treat during the week. Metz got pretty good and sometimes didn't use the bumpers. We won't speak about my skills.

Metz learned how to swim with floaties. We didn't get the floaties off yet. . . but he swam all around the pool, would jump off the diving board and had a great time.

He rode a horse while we were in Kanab. Thanks Uncle Harold and Angie. Metz wasn't thrilled about the idea at first but after feeding the horses some hay etc he had a good time.

Metz's first time golfing on a course. He got to go with Dad, Cason, Cru and Grandpa Leavitt. He had a blast and I think he did pretty well.

And in this Corner . . .

2009-06-10T22:56:00.003-04:00

(Imagine Bruce Buffer's voice)

Standing almost 27 inches tall
Weighing 18 lbs 12.5 ounces
At the tender age of 4 months old
CHASE "THE CHUNK" LEAVITT

Here is our sweet boy just being Chase. He talks and laughes so much now (just loves to hear his own little voice), wakes up happy and has been sleeping til 4 or 5 am before his first feeding (lucky mom). He is a pretty funny kid, gives us some pretty classic looks. He loves to watch his brother and kick in the tub. He is also our fake whiner . . . if you leave him he gives this sad little whimper but the second he can see you again he starts to smile and kick. We love our big boy. By the way . . . did you check out those thighs??!?

Preschool Graduation

2009-06-10T22:40:00.001-04:00

The "graduate" too cute in his hat, daddy's shirt backwards and flowers. It was fun to watch him "graduate" I actually was a little sad thinking - oh man here we go with school and all that growing up stuff.

The kids sang a song and did actions. Well everyone but Metz. As we were driving to his teachers house he started worrying because he didn't know the words and that his teacher would be sad. When it was time to sing he stood up with everyone and then got the saddest face I've ever seen. He didn't do one action or say one word, just looked so sad. I was happy when it was over so he could relax.

Grandma and Chase. Just a cute picture. He is such a sweet boy.

Metz with Grandma and Grandpa Butler. It was fun to have them there for this event in his life :).

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-10T22:27:00.002-04:00

We spent the weekend in swimsuits (thanks grandma Leavitt for this cute one!), washing cars and eating ice cream. FUN FUN

Chase also had his first taste of rice cereal. He ate it the first time then we tried to add it to his formula and he refused to drink it. A few days later Cort tried to feed him the rice cereal again and he gagged and then spit it out. So he has officially only had rice cereal one time. The doctor told me to keep trying until he can start veggies at the end of the month.

We got to wear our sunglasses. It was actually a nice sunny weekend which seem to be in short supply here in Rexburg. We enjoyed a great family weekend.

Coloring Eggs and Easter Egg Hunts

2009-04-24T23:16:00.002-04:00

It's not Easter until you color your eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide :)

Cort started out helping Metz . . . but soon was working on his own . . . Metz dipped and dipped and then redipped his eggs. Most of them ended up green (his favorite color, ever!!)

His fingers ended up green too . . . it took quite the scrubbing to get them clean.

He later got to put stickers on. So fun. He started with 18 eggs but stole some from my niece and nephew and ended up with a ton!!! It was so fun and it was awesome that Brittany and Cole came up and helped get us ready for Easter Morning.

Ok, I am never promising Metz an egg hunt again. Long story short we started at the high school for an egg hunt and as I was putting Chase in the stroller it started. Back in the car we went to egg hunt number 2 at the Movie Theatre. Walk in to find out not an egg in sight. In an hour there is one at the local grocery store (it is also the last one of the day) so we head over and immediately stand in line at the end of an aisle for the 2-4 year olds, wait over a half and hour while Metz keeps telling me he only wants green eggs, the start - I push him through to get his allotted 5 eggs and run away as fast as possible. He got some candy and his promised egg hunt. I took some tylenol and got pizza for lunch. I will forever organize my own egg hunt - it would be much easier than doing this ever again. (ok, long story long).

Easter Morning

2009-04-24T22:38:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter :) It was a cold morning so . . .

Metz scurried around the yard finding all his eggs and thanking the Easter Bunny.

Then as he walked up the stairs inside he found even more eggs all over the house. He couldn't get enough of it!!!

Metz found all the eggs without a problem and had too much fun opening them and finding CANDY!!!

The Easter Bunny went a little overboard but hey why not?!?!

Chase just chilled and watched it all happen. Sweet boy.

Easter Outfits

2009-04-24T22:24:00.001-04:00

Just cause they are too darn cute :)

Chase sweet and handsome in his polo and khakis.

Metz all handsome and happy in his new shirt and pants. Fun Fun. New clothes.

Egg Rolling

2009-04-24T22:10:00.002-04:00

There are sand dunes only 15 minutes away so we were able to continue a Kanab tradition . . .

Egg Rolling started out innocent enough . . .making trails and sending eggs on their way but it soon turned into this

Egg Baseball- that would be an egg in half between Cort and Metz

Metz decided that with all that sand around he wanted to dig a hole . . .

which turned into this hole - yes it was metz's sand chair

All the while Chase did this. We had a great time rolling our eggs, digging in the dirt and keeping a Leavitt Family Tradition :)

Cort is 29!

2009-04-14T22:39:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday daddy!! Cort spent most of the day studying but took the evening off so we could enjoy a birthday dinner. We had shrimp, Alice Springs Chicken (it's an outback steakhouse dinner). Metz tried the shrimp and ate all the outside layer of it. It was pretty funny. . . and I am proud of him for trying it.

One of Cort's presents was crab legs. He really enjoyed them, said they were delicious. He even saved some for Ben (my brother in law) since he is the only other crab leg lover in the family.

Brittany and Cole helped Cort blow out his candles. We all enjoyed cake, ice cream and chocolate cream pie :) Happy Birthday Daddy!!! We love you.

Baby Chase

2009-04-12T22:48:00.002-04:00

Well here are his two month stats :) ( I know he is almost 3 now, but better late than never!!) He is 12.9 lbs and 23 inches. My baby has almost doubled in weight. He is smiling a ton (especially at his father) and talks to us especially at night. He has found his right fist and loves to suck on it. He is still a cuddler and loves to sleep on his tummy. He still gives us the lip quiver and his "warning" huffs before he is going to cry. We love our piglet :)

I AM #1

2009-03-21T23:10:00.002-04:00

I know I am going to jinx myself for tomorrow but I HAD to say I, Kimi Leavitt, am number one in both of my ESPN groups :) Thank you very much! I got all the games right today. Love MARCH.
PS - We are very mad at Utah right now.

All I can say is . . .

2009-03-20T00:52:00.004-04:00

GO UTES!!!!!
We LOVE March. Thanks for representing Chase.

"THE BLESSING"

2009-03-16T23:36:00.003-04:00

Shout out to Cason and Cade ;)

Here is Chase on his blessing day, March 1, 2009. He couldn't enjoy the cake but he sure looks cute with it.

Grandma and Grandpa Butler with our sweet little one.

Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt (and Cailee) flew up to enjoy the blessing weekend with us. It was so fun to have them here. Metz loved having Grandma, Grandpa and Cailee around and we loved to watch them play with Metz and love our new baby.

Here is our family of FOUR!!! holy cow. Thank goodness church was at 12:30, we actually could get ready and not have to wake up super early!!!

Um, so Chase couldn't enjoy the cake but Metz sure did!!! We also enjoyed fresh fruit, sandwhiches and soup! It was delicious and perfect. (thanks mom for all your work!)

Preschool

2009-03-16T00:05:00.003-04:00

This is Metz ready for his first day of preschool back on February 25th. He was ready to go with "workbook" (that is what he calls it) and his doggy backpack. It was so cute.

He goes three times a week for two hours to Ms. Kari who lives by my sister. The first day he wanted to pack up his backpack with his workbook, pencils, pens and treats. Do you think he has watched his dad pack up for the day one too many times?!? He really loves to go and it has been so fun for him.

The Happenings

2009-02-23T00:03:00.003-04:00

Metz has loved being the big brother. He is totally curious about everything Chase does. He wants to help him bath, feed him and always wants to hold him. He is our little helper.

ok, this is just cute. When we lay Chase down Metz will lay just like this and talk about how "Chase loves me" and "Chase is looking at me". Cute big brother.

Metz actually took this picture. We were waiting for the doctor at Chase's second day visit and Metz wanted to take some pictures. He did a good job - got us centered and everything. Now if he could just take care of the dark circles under my eyes!! (go Utes).

Metz holding Chase. He spends so much of his time holding his little brother.

Again, it's cute right?!?! Chase is a good bather. He loves how the water feels and getting his hair washed (we just have to make sure and have wash clothes covering his stomach and legs!)

Between Christmas and Chase

2009-02-07T21:31:00.003-04:00

Here are a few of our favorite things that happened in the last month

Metz found out about Chuck-e-Cheese and Air Hockey -What more can you ask for Skee Ball, baseball, basketball and air hockey - He was a happy boy!

Metz turned 3 :) He had a cars party with one of his favorite dinners (thanks to grandma) spaghetti and texas toast! He got some great presents and we has some fun time with family.

Happy New Year!! We celebrated by going bowling with Cason and Emily - ok the boys bowled and Emily and I enjoyed sodas. We also got some fun hats! Don't we look classy.

The Utah/Alabama Pig Roast. Now you see where Cort gets it. Pig Roasting is a Leavitt Family tradition and was the only way to celebrate the Utah Bowl Game. Notice the U of U branding. Nice.

The Move. . . Welcome to Rexburg. Metz has loved the snow, his cousins and being around Grandma and Grandpa. We are snuggled in tight and preparing for whatever is next in our life :)
Baby Pictures to come- now that I have caught up :)

He's Here!!!

2009-01-30T15:33:00.003-04:00

We were a little caught off guard because he is two weeks early . . . but we'd like to introduce
Chase Berne Leavitt
Born January 28, 2009 at 2:36 p.m.
6 lbs 13 oz and 19 inches long
Everyone is tired, happy and healthy :) More posts to come!

Christmas Day :)

2009-01-14T00:25:00.005-04:00

We don't have a lot of pictures of Christmas but we have some fun ones :)

Metz opened up his track and . . .

cars first. . . we had a hard time getting him to open any more presents, he just wanted to play with his track.

It was a car and construction equipment Christmas (plus play doh, games, fire house, too many things to name) and Metz couldn't have been happier.

Oh and he got a bank that keeps track of how much money he puts in . . . he has been very busy looking for change ever since. We had a wonderful Christmas and Metz is still taking things out of packages! (so spoiled!)

Christmas Eve

2009-01-12T23:35:00.003-04:00

We spent Christmas in Vegas (actually we were there for a couple of weeks!) so this is Metz opening his Christmas pj's.

Metz needed some help at first to open it up. (that would also be me, 32 weeks pregnant!).

YEA, Elmo pj's!!!

"Look how cute I am!" He enjoyed modeling his new pj's.

Christmas eve treat. Cort, Cason and Cru gathered around the footstool and enjoyed nachos. They had it all chips, jalapenos, salsa, and cort's favorite nacho cheese from Smart and Final.

You may laugh at the flashlights but that was Metz's favorite thing! Well that and anything with Lightning McQueen.

Goodbye Miami :(

2008-12-24T01:58:00.004-04:00

Miami we will miss you. Here are a few things we did before we left . . .

Sushi night with Sunny.

Sunny got all the supplies and prepared us an authentic sushi meal. He made everything from scratch! Even the spicy mayo. We were very impressed and it was delicious. Thank you Sunny.

We went to a Miami Heat game. It was against the Houston Rockets (Yao is soooo tall!!) Miami lost but we still had a great time. Metz enjoyed popcorn and during the 4th quarter we snuck down close to get a better view :). Metz doesn't love Basketball like Hockey - he thought the crowd was too noisy!

We prepared for Black Friday. Cort and Metz throughly looked through all the black friday ads while I was working on Thanksgiving dinner. We made a list, we made a schedule and we kicked butt the next day. Thanks to Cort and Metz and all their planning. We LOVE Black Friday!

Lastly we enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner with just our family. We had a few appetizers, the full meal - turkey, stuffing, yams, green bean cassarole and four pies for dessert! It was fun to hang out just the three of us.

Right before we left Metz and I visited the Train Museum and went shopping a few more places. We really loved Miami and we'll miss it. There was so much to do and see that we hope to go back someday :) Plus the weather was perfect!! Now we are spending the holidays in Vegas with Cort's family and will move to Idaho officially in January.
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!!!

Adventures

2008-11-21T23:30:00.002-04:00

So your husband has a few days off from school (cause his clinic partner has a wedding to attend), you find amazing rates at one of the Walt Disney World Resorts, you already have season passes (thanks mom and dad) so what do you do? Well if you are us, you go back to Walt Disney World for a few days to catch some favorite rides and some you missed :). Because hey, when are you going to live in Florida again???

Magic Kingdom at Christmas

2008-11-21T23:10:00.003-04:00

This was beautiful and the picture doesn't do it justice. Disney decorates so pretty, it made me feel so into the spirit (even though I love thanksgiving and I'm totally looking forward to it) I am looking forward to Christmas this year too.

At the end of one of the nights they lit the castle - amazing! As we left Main Street it started to "snow".

Metz driving at 3, what kind of parents are we?!?! We had to go back to this ride again another day because he couldn't stop talking about it. Now he wants to drive my car, not the best idea we have ever had.

Waiting for Small World. Another ride Metz can't get enough of. He can sing (parts) of the song and he just loves everything inside. Once we get in line he is totally excited. He also does this little swaying dance to the music. . . it's super cute.

The Family Portrait. You go to Disneyland you take a picture here, you just have to.

Disney Hollywood Studios

2008-11-21T22:52:00.002-04:00

Ok, so we actually went back to this park twice. Metz feel asleep during our first time so we had to go back and see a few more things.

Lightening McQueen. Metz loves the movie so he couldn't believe the car was just right there.

Just a fun picture :)

It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We went to the Disney Clubhouse puppet show. All the kids around us knew the words to each song and danced all the dances. Metz just loved seeing all the characters.

More slides. After a few slides metz got daring and started going down on his stomach.

Epcot

2008-11-21T22:33:00.002-04:00

I got a sucker! This was a reward for a major potty training accomplishment :) Yea. He loved that thing he would take a lick then use it as a sword.

Metz and Daddy outside of the Nemo ride. Inside there was a shell ride, turtle talk with Crush (which is a lot of fun) and tons of fish tanks. We were actually lucky to catch the fish feeding. Tons of fish, turtles and sharks right in front of us! Metz was one happy kid.

Metz enjoying his morning drink - each morning he got his own juice which he drank on the bus to the park and on our way to rides. He would always cheer when I handed it to him.

Animal Kingdom

2008-11-21T22:20:00.003-04:00

We spent half a day at Animal Kingdom. It was fun to catch a few of the things we missed the first time. We watched the Nemo stage show again (I cried again, I blame it on the pregnancy!) and here are a few more highlights. . .

"That was awesome!" Metz loved the huge slides and luckily Cort fit in them too.

WHOA. This picture cracks me up every time I see it.

This is the safari ride. It's amazing the animals they have there. We really like this ride.

Metz loves this ride and kept asking "I want to pet it". The only one he didn't want to pet was the lions . . . thank goodness!

Metz's New Favorite Sport

2008-11-21T21:51:00.003-04:00

HOCKEY!!!! We took him to a Florida Panther Game (which is NHL by the way, I didn't know that until the second period) and he loved it. He wouldn't take his eyes off of it. Even when we bought him fries (he favorite thing ever!) he wouldn't eat while they were playing. He even takes his golf clubs and balls and "skates" around the apartment practicing his hockey.

Metz and Daddy walking into another stadium. I just love these type of pictures.

The Panthers. We just happened to run into them on the way to our seats. They were very nice.

The Happy hockey family. Metz was so excited for the game we had a hard time getting a picture. We had a great time and are going to another game on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.

My cute family.

Halloween Week

2008-11-08T10:56:00.003-04:00

I'm going to admit right now I probably overdid it this year with activities, but I don't care this was the first year Metz could really do Halloween.

The master at work. Can you tell he is really thinking about it!

Cheese, one night we made sugar cookies. They were delicious and I loved making them because I had my kitchen aid (makes life so easy). Metz loved the kitchen aid too. Thought it was hilarious when it he turned it on and the dough would just whip around.

Yummy - he had to eat some before he could move onto the next cookie.

We also made caramel and chocolate apples. This was messy but sooooooo delicious! Probably my favorite thing to eat at Halloween. I didn't get pictures of some of the other things but we also made magnets, painted pictures and made chocolate spiders. I can tell Metz is becoming a very big kid because with every activity he said "mom, I want to do it all myself". It was a very fun Halloween week.

2008-11-08T10:42:00.002-04:00

Pumpkin Carving

Mom and Metz with our pumpkins

Dad getting to work on the pumpkins. We thought Metz would help - take out pumpkin seeds, scrap the inside etc. But he wanted nothing to do with it. He just wanted to carve.

This is the only part of the pumpkin Metz would touch - that parts dad had cut out. So thanks dad for doing two pumpkins!! Metz's and his own.

Metz and his pumpkin. He was so excited about it and proud. He had to tell anyone he saw about it. He also kept asking to take pictures of it. Thank goodness for digital cameras.

The finished product. In order Cort's, Metz's and Kimi's. Turned out pretty fun :)

Happy Halloween

2008-11-08T10:24:00.003-04:00

Our fearless dragon. I had Metz pick out which costume he wanted this year and when he tried this one on he couldn't stop laughing and smiling at himself in the mirror. So dragon for Metz. He has been practicing his roar for over a month so he was fully prepared Halloween.

We went to the Trunk or Treat at our church and Metz loved it. He would only whisper "trick or treat" and then "thank you" but at least he said them :) Before heading to the church we went down a street by our friends house - it was Coral Way (a huge street with high end stores on it) the sidewalk was full of trick or treaters!! We'd go in a store, Metz would say "trick or treat" and we left with candy - that's crazy to me! Guess that is what you do when you live in big city. By the way - Don't you love the wings and tail.

Family - I'm about 6 months pregnant here and Metz is 34 months. Fun Fun. Our family is growing.

The loot! Even though we got home super late, Metz still took out his candy and did inventory. The first thing he wanted to count was his suckers (he loves them!) next it was m&m's. The next morning Metz got to choose a few candy's to eat when he woke up - Cort and I enjoyed a few too.

Monty's

2008-11-04T15:32:00.002-04:00

We have this great restaurant across the street name Monty's. It is always busy, especially on the weekends, so we went to check it out.

Cort and Metz with his lobster boil platter (they do a lobster boil every Wednesday). Monty's is a great place because it is right on the Marina so there are boats to look at, fresh air and great food. They even have a cold bar where you can get crab claws, shrimp and clams.

The spread. Lobster, clams, shrimp and clam chowder. Cort was excited to dig in. I enjoyed a club sandwhich, fries and shirley temple :)

The best thing about Cort's dinner is that it was also entertainment for Metz as we finished up eating. Metz loved making the clams clack and . . .

had fun with his pet lobster. We took the clams home since he had so much fun with them. Funny belly story - Metz dropped his drink and it was by my feet. I tried to pick it up and couldn't! My belly was too big! So I had to move my leg and then I was able to pick it up! I couldn't stop laughing about it.

Key Biscayne

2008-11-01T17:13:00.004-04:00

One Saturday Morning Cort didn't have his review course so we headed off to Key Biscayne. We packed a cooler and some treats and we're off to the beach.

Metz was so excited to be back at the beach. He honestly feels like it is home to him (what is he going to do once we are in Idaho!). He got right to work getting water, making castles and being a busy beach boy. He wasn't too sure about the seaweed (didn't have that in Dominica) but after awhile he was running back and forth having a great time. By the way, if you don't think this is the cutest picture ever - you can't read this blog anymore ;).

Mom and Metz at snack time. Juice box and granola bar I LOVE IT!! Metz didn't want to look at the camera because the sun was so strong. We had to keep putting on sunscreen because we were afraid to burn.

Daddy and Metz did a few laps in the water before we left - Metz loved to make the big splashes. We had a very fun morning at the beach and look forward to doing it at least one more time before we leave!

The Next Day

2008-11-01T16:53:00.002-04:00

In the middle of the night Metz woke us up with a horrible cough and that sad whimper while he tried to sleep :(. By the next morning it was full blown fever, cough and laying on the couch falling asleep while watching toons. I felt so bad for our little guy especially since it happened so fast! He/we didn't sleep much that night or the next but eventually we got him on the mend. By Wednesday he was his happy, busy self.

Golf Clubs :)

2008-10-26T16:30:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer: Blogspot hates me right now and did this backwards. I'm leaving it cause I don't want to figure it out, so if you want to go in "order" start from the bottom of the post. I hope on my next post we are friends again. Kimi

Metz and Dad at the park. We spent a good half hour there while Metz and Daddy hit balls. Mommy is too big to be hitting golf balls, I'll wait til spring. Metz loved hitting with his putter, Cort wanted him to try out his driver so he could really hit balls, once Cort explained that to Metz he wanted to hit his driver too. He loves his clubs and is learning each clubs name etc. I wish I could get him this excited over his alphabet!

Once we got home Metz was ready to head to the park. He carried his clubs to our front gate and was done. Dad carried them the rest of the way. But cute picture with him heading down our hall :)

Metz even had his first real lesson right outside of the store.

We barely got out of the store and Cort was breaking into them to check them out. Metz was so excited.

The potty training saga continues - he had been doing really well and of course one of those desperate times when we really wanted him to go in the potty we said "do you want golf clubs?" We had been talking about getting them for him anyway, since he has gone with Cort a few times to the park to hit a few around and he LOVED it. So one fateful night we went and got them.

Walt Disney World

2008-10-21T17:37:00.003-04:00

We had a Butler Family reunion a few weeks ago at Walt Disney World. It was a blast. My family came out from Idaho and we spent almost a week hanging out, having fun and enjoying Disney World. Cort was even able to come out for four days (which totally rocked :)!) Thanks Mom and Dad for a great vacation. It was so great to see you.

Meeting Mickey

2008-10-21T17:25:00.002-04:00

Cort and I had been prepping Metz for this for like two weeks. I had him watch the Disney Channel and Cort downloaded a whole bunch of the old 8 minute cartoons from the 20s-50's. When Metz saw each one he knew their names and was excited to hug them - He was really excited about Donald and Mickey.

Magic Kingdom

2008-10-21T16:23:00.003-04:00

Oh it was. The second we walked in the park it was just so cool. The great Main Street, the Castle and all the fun rides. We had a great and exhausting day at the Magical Kingdom. Plus Cort, Metz and I went back to Fantasyland and did all the fun rides they have for smaller children. Great Family time.

Disney Hollywood Studios

2008-10-21T16:12:00.002-04:00

This is the only picture we got there - But it was Metz's favorite thing at the park - Actually mine too :). They have a car stunt show there that is incredible- Metz and I went back and saw it again before we left for our flight. He still talks about the red car how it jumps, the fire and guns.

Animal Kingdom

2008-10-21T15:43:00.003-04:00

Ok, this didn't let me put information under each picture so in order - The first one is Metz getting his pass for the River Water Ride in Animal Kingdom. Metz was honestly one inch short for every big kid ride except this one, he only had to be 38 inches instead of 40. He got his wristband and couldn't have been more proud.
Second Picture - We got soaked - really a wave just came right over Metz and Cort and to see Metz's face was priceless. Total shock to total laughter.
Third Picture- "ALL WET"
Fourth Picture - Trying to get all the water out.
Fifth Picture- Brittany and Metz with Animal Kingdom Goofy :)

Epcot

2008-10-21T15:08:00.002-04:00

"
This was actually our first day at Walt Disney World. Metz had so much fun running around and Cort enjoyed the race track ride and Mission Space. (Actually, mission space made him a little sick but it was cool).

IT'S A BOY!

2008-10-02T17:22:00.002-04:00

Yup, I'm officially outnumbered we are going to be having a very busy, bouncy baby boy!

Sunday Best

2008-10-02T17:16:00.003-04:00

Our handsome boy ready for church-the belt even matches the shoes!! He is in our little backyard right before our first day at church. Say it with me people - CUTE!

Saturday Adventure

2008-10-02T16:31:00.002-04:00

Before Cort had to start school we did a trial run of the train ride to downtown. Metz had been watching the train since we moved here and was so excited to go.

Waiting for our train to come. Metz was so excited. Kept asking when it would come.
On the train. Metz wanted to be a big boy and sit by himself and said "I can do it" and he did! As you can see he held onto the pole and everything.

Escalators. This kid loves them. Runs to them when he sees them. He does a good job getting on and off too. Every time Metz sees the trains he says "I want to go on the train, please!" Fun Fun.

Potty Training

2008-09-28T15:44:00.003-04:00

We started potty training Metz when we got to Miami . . . He isn't very fond of it so we made a promise-"go poo-poo in the potty you get a bike"! (Just so you know we were planning on getting him one anyway so we thought hey two birds with one stone!)

Well one night about 8:15 Metz comes running out of the bathroom . . . "I did it, I did it, I get a bike!"
So off to Target we go. . . Metz had so much fun. In this picture you can totally tell that Metz is saying "I'm getting a bike, I'm getting a bike".
The construction. I was in charge of instructions and parts and Metz and Daddy were in charge of well . . . construction.
The first ride. Ok, well we had some complications - the wheel was missing a part so we had to go back the next morning and get a new one . . . but he still got in that first ride. Yea a bike! Now if we could only get him to go on the toilet again . . . ah the joys of parenting.

Anniversary Weekend Con't

2008-09-28T15:07:00.003-04:00

Yes, we spent our six anniversary with our son at a baseball game - that is just our style :) We loved it-

Mets vs Marlins. This was Metz's first baseball games so we had to go see the NY Mets in action-
Cute right?!?! Am I lucky or what. Metz about skipped to the game. We were all really excited we had been planning this trip for awhile.
Daddy and Metz. Metz wore his baseball glove for the first couple of innings . . .
He also stood like this for the first couple of innings. He had his glove ready and waiting. He couldn't understand why they didn't throw him the ball too.
In the end he got a ball :) YEA! He still talks about the baseball game and asks for his ball all the time! (We have it hidden very well!). Happy Anniversary.

Metz's First Zoo Trip

2008-09-13T22:16:00.003-04:00

This was the beginning of our Anniversary Weekend :) 6 years :). We went to the Miami Dade Zoo. Metz had never been to a zoo so this was very exciting for the whole family. The first stop was the flamingos.

This pic is for Grandma Butler (she loves flamingos) Metz kept saying "pink, flamingos, pink".
Metz loved this little elephant sculpture. It was just his size! He was surprised when we got to the real elephants and they were huge!!
Metz and daddy looking at a monkey hanging from a tree. Metz was explaining to Cort what the monkey was doing. My handsome boys.
I know Metz was thinking "this fish is going to get me". He loves the fish tanks and didn't want to leave. He is also wearing his new Nike's. He loves them. Asks to wear them everyday.
Well the kid did get something from me!!! (For those of you who don't know, my dad owns a video taping business and I spent my teenage and young adult years with a video camera in my hand) Metz thought it was sooo cool to video tape the animals. We haven't seen his footage yet but I'm sure he did a good job. Cute Cute.

The Coolest thing about Miami-Dade Zoo

2008-09-13T22:03:00.002-04:00

Cort and Metz are feeding the daddy giraffe!! This thing was huge and strong. Cort would hold the food tight and fight a little with it so Metz could pet the giraffe. Cort said it was one of the coolest things he has done and Metz still talks about how he pet the giraffe and it licked his arm. Fun memories.

Bye Bye Island Boy Hair

2008-09-13T21:53:00.003-04:00

Metz and his 5th haircut in life! While living in Dominica we just let it grow, be curly and get blonde in the sunshine.

When we got to Miami we thought . . ."Grandma can cut it :) She is a pro at this". And she is, she had Metz looking handsome in no time.
He sat still at first but once the hair starting falling and tickling his nose he was done.
"Hum, found some hair". Every once in awhile he would stop wiggling and take the hair off his chest, arms or legs.
Look at all those blonde locks. Our little island boy!!

Almost to America

2008-09-13T21:46:00.002-04:00

So what is the first thing you do when you land in Puerto Rico?!? You eat McDonald's of course!

And because it has been 9 months since you have seen one . . . you order way too much food and enjoy dessert! Metz enjoyed an ice cream cone and I enjoyed an apple pie!!! FUN FUN.
Do you want some?

Doggy

2008-09-02T15:44:00.002-04:00

I meant to post this below and forgot. This is what doggy looked like after the fire. He was my first priority and the first thing I washed. Metz can't live without this thing. When he came to Paul's after playing with Christian he was so happy to see him. Doggy was a little wet but Metz loved him and slept with him that night, plus took him on the plane with us. I'm so glad we didn't lose that dog!

SERIOUSLY!!!!!!

2008-09-02T15:03:00.002-04:00

This would be 7 hours before we were supposed to board a plane to move to Miami. We had done just one more load of laundry to pack and had put our drying rack with the fan on it to dry. I had done this for 16 months. We left to go get power, juice and have dinner with our friends (a little over two hours) and returned to this. . . The fan had overheated or something and melted causing an electrical fire, yes really an electrical fire. Luckily I had put cort's swimming trunks on the rung that was closest to the fan. They ended up melting instead of catching on fire. The rest of the clothes were cotton so I am so grateful for swim trunks. I could not go in and help (pregnant and all) so knocked on the door of the guys next door while Cort, Chris and very quickly Paul got into the house (remember kids run away from fire) and saved our computers, backpacks and packed luggage.

Before I knew it Fleur took Metz up to her house to play (Christian and Metz are the best of friends and all) and I was able to start organizing the things that had been taken out. Chelsie and Keith arrived and before I knew it I had someone helping me get everything clean and organized. Since I couldn't go in the house, Chelsie was my runner and got me clothes (to wash for the next day) soap, bags anything I needed. I was able to start to get things in order to leave very soon.
It seemed like the smoke wasn't ever going to stop!
Our poor apartment. It only looked like this for a minute though. People got straight to work. Every inch of our apartment was covered. You would even open a cupboard and smoke would escape.
Our ceiling is stucco so the whole thing looked like this. The whole apartment was just covered. We did not have the best experience with our landlord, but things will get worked out thanks to those who are still there and have offered to help. You'll see the clean up below, we still left at our scheduled time, 4 a.m., with a clean apartment, caught our plane and got to Puerto Rico without a hitch (well almost, I threw up on the way to the airport - no sleep, fire, windy road and pregnant just wasn't the best thing for me). Granted we were dirty, tired and hungry but we made it. We had McDonalds, naps on the floor in the airport, and caught our flight to Miami where we were greeted with hugs and kisses by Berne and Jan. It's amazing how some things end up working out . . . not like you planned, but still works.
This would be what the boys looked like after running in and out of the apartment. We needed Krista as a comparison to see how dirty they really were. By the way, thank you to the guys who ran in and saved our stuff and kept reminding Cort to get out when he was in the apartment too long.

The Clean Up

2008-09-02T14:41:00.002-04:00

Almost 20 people showed up to our house at 9:30 at night with fans, buckets, bleach and towels.
They each just took a spot and got it clean. It was amazing. When you see how bad it was to how great they got it I'm just so thankful. It took some major elbow grease and hard work and they were happy to do it.
I was able to take Metz up to Paul's house (thanks paul) to sleep and go through what was left of our things to pack and clean them up to leave by 4 a.m. while everyone else cleaned my house.
They finished around 1 a.m. and our place looked AMAZING!! We will still have to pay to clean the roof and paint the walls where the fire started but I will forever be grateful for everyone who came and worked so hard. If it was just left up to me and Cort we would still be trying to clean our place. Also to those who are still doing the follow up work with the apartment. THANK YOU!!
THE BIGGEST THANK YOU AND HUG TO EVERYONE THAT CAME AND CLEANED.

A Little Announcement

2008-08-11T21:06:00.002-04:00

Well for those that live on Dominica they already can see this news but for those who are in the great United States . . . we are expecting our second child!! Yea. There is only one baby growing in my belly (even though I "popped out" so quickly that I thought there were two!). Metz is very sweet about the baby and loves to give it hugs. He also likes to look at the ultrasound and point out the "head, body and toes". Poor Cort has had to not only be the student but also the cook and cleaner on my sick nights. :( But I am hoping those are done soon. We will keep you updated on our growing family.

Our little artist

2008-07-30T21:47:00.002-04:00

Our little boy is not just a sport jock! He loves to paint. He is always asking me to paint. So the other day I gave in and this is what we got. I must take credit for the rainbow (I was teaching him ;). He was so excited for dad to come home and show him what he had done.

4th Semester Banquet

2008-07-30T21:32:00.003-04:00

Ross has a dinner for the outgoing students each semester. Yea it was our turn :) We went to a "Mansion" up in the hills and enjoyed a nice night. It was a real dinner with appetizers, a full course dinner with STEAK!!! (I finally had my steak I have been craving since Christmas!) and desserts. Cort and I enjoyed our second night out without Metz. By the way, I had cute ringlets in my hair before we left the apartment . . . two minutes later they were gone. Oh well, should have taken a picture then.
Our good friends Chris and Fleur. They were the first people we met when we arrived on the island and have enjoyed a nice friendship ever since :).
Annex buddies :). Cort studies at the Annex each night (it is a few blocks from the main campus, but 2 minutes from our apartment) and here are the buddies from his class that study there too. Honestly Cort has spent more time with these people than anyone else. Glad he has some good friends.

THE ROAST

2008-07-29T22:31:00.004-04:00

This roast was no small feat. The boys (that is what I call the guys who live upstairs) had to dig out and construct the pit. They also talked to a guy, who knew a guy that could get them a pig. This wasn't one of those look it up in the phone book and have it delivered pigs. It was a lot of work to get it together but worth it. The pig was constantly basted in a few pounds of butter (which they used all of it) and bbq sauce. The pig also received a brown sugar glaze about a half an hour before it was done. This was no low calorie meal.
Cort was the pig cooker. He began at 1 p.m. and kept watch until 9 p.m. He was busy basting, turning and making coals to keep the pig roasting beautifully.
Metz was our big helper. Once he was up from his nap he went to work. He worked with daddy until 9 and was so infatuated with the pig and the whole process.
The first taste. He liked it and asked for more. Notice the tennis ball in his hand. All boy.
See I'm eating it mom and I like it :).

Freeing the Pig

2008-07-29T21:58:00.002-04:00

The pig fresh off the bbq! That would be chicken wire holding that thing in. Yes, we live in Dominica.
Very few injuries from freeing the pig. Luckily just a few burns. That is Josh on the left and Audriano on the right. The three pig musketeers.
Just a quick break for a taste test. Delicious. At least that is what I kept hearing.
Metz was our official light holder. He was infatuated with the pig and was excited to try what dad handed him. Another proud moment for Cort.
The transportation. Yes it took five men to move that guy in the house.

THE FEAST

2008-07-29T21:33:00.003-04:00

Ta-Da. THE PIG.
The boys got to work and couldn't have been happier. Once they got into the meat there was pork flying everywhere. If you were in the kitchen you were required to have meat in your mouth. There was no avoiding it.
As Metz would say "Um, Um, Um Yummy"!
The apple. Of course the pig had to have an apple in his mouth and I sacrificed my last green apple I had in the fridge. But all in the name of a delicious pig roast.
Yes that would be the tail. Sorry folks. That would be Audriano (one of the guys from upstairs) and host of the party. The tail got passed around along with legs and a ton of meat. Cort is pretty sure he ate at least a pound of meat. We also took home quite a bit which Cort enjoyed for a few days. I don't think Cort will be craving pork any time soon. Thanks guys for a fun night.

ICE CREAM!!

2008-07-24T22:03:00.002-04:00

Now I know all you in the states can drive less than two miles and pick up a half gallon of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream anytime but here in Dominica it is a very special treat. I was lucky and found some in the capital a little while ago and we had been saving it for a special occasion. Well we found one, I had borrowed a friends blender and we made grasshopper shakes!!! It was Metz's first time having one so it was so fun to watch. He kept licking his lips saying "Um, Um, Um, Yummy" and it was.

By the way, notice the circle of ice cream around his face? He dumped every bit of that ice cream in his mouth.

Ouch

2008-07-24T21:59:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago Metz hit his head on something and decided he wanted a sticker for it. Well if Metz needs it so does his bear. Too cute of a picture to pass up.

Mama, where's my golf club?

2008-07-24T21:50:00.003-04:00

I guess those words should send shivers down my spine, but it doesn't. I love when Metz tees off at the end of our hallway. He finds his club, "tee", and golf balls Uncle Cason had sent down and he is ready to go. It keeps him busy and beside having to duck while I work in the kitchen it is fun to watch.
I mean look at that! Who wouldn't be proud. Cort (my avid golfer) is so proud when he sees Metz golfing or talking about it. Metz is our little sports kid. If it involves a ball he can't get enough of it.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-05T22:05:00.002-04:00

Football - while the grill got going Metz and Cort were able to throw the ball around and play. What a treat for Metz since Cort took some extra time off to be with us.
Friends - Great friends that go along with my ideas. Thanks to each of the girls that cooked, found butcher paper, cut out stars, and just went along with my crazy idea that we could have a traditional 4th of July. You guys are the best.
Food - Great Food. Metz enjoying one of the many cookies he ate that night. We all went home full and happy. We are very lucky to have good friends. It really felt like the 4th of July which I think is amazing when you live in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. Hope everyone had a great 4th!

4th of July -THE FOOD-

2008-07-05T21:51:00.002-04:00

What a delicious night. We enjoyed hot dogs (that I had saved from the beginning of the year, I froze them) with homemade relish from the states. DELICIOUS. Thank you Jan for sending it down it was quite the hit.
Look at that spread. I think we did an excellent job especially for where we live! Hot dogs (with homemade buns), baked beans, potato salad, pasta salad and fresh fruit!!! SO GOOD!! And everything from scratch, no short cuts here.
Star sugar cookies and cupcakes for dessert. Metz loved these he kept sneaking them. Love the sprinkles, thanks Blake.
Look a table full of delicious food. Thanks everyone for coming, cooking and being great company. It actually felt like the 4th.

Metz, the Master of the Grill

2008-07-05T21:38:00.004-04:00

Metz always the helper asked Keith if he could help put the coals in the bbq.
He loved it and thought it was so cool to do. Thanks Keith! Metz was infatuated with the grill. He was excited when there was a fire and when they started cooking. He just loved the whole experience.
He was so proud of this moment. He felt like the chef. I think he has a new favorite past time.
Guess you can see where he gets it from. Cort was our grill master for the evening. He did a great job. There is just something about hot dogs on a grill, delicious!! What a fun night.

SURPRISE!

2008-07-05T21:16:00.004-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CHRIS :)

Chris turned 26 on July 3rd and so we had a surprise birthday dinner for him. Navajo tacos! They are the best, unhealthy-yes, delicious-YES!
Everyone enjoying the meal. Chris' cute wife Fleur had to help me keep this a secret. Well we are both terrible liars so even with planned lies I ended up with some disease and a random request for Subway cookies that had to be delivered to my house around dinner time. Luckily we were able to explain ourselves.
Metz and Christian. They are almost exactly a year apart. Metz was born 12/26 and Christian on 12/25 the following year. They are buddies. Love chasing each other around, mimicking each other and just having fun. Sure cute.
Chocolate Cream Pie. Not the prettiest thing I've ever made but sure tasted good. Thanks Jan for teaching me this one, it has come in handy.
Christian pretty much saying "Don't mess with me I'm eating pie". Metz also enjoyed the pie, he had been staring at it all day and amazingly I kept his sticky fingers from touching it. Good kid. Happy Birthday Chris :)!!

Loving McD's

2008-06-24T14:54:00.004-04:00

Metz has never made his dad happier than this moment. A friend brought Cort a double quarter pound cheeseburger from Puerto Rico. Metz loved every bite his dad would let him have. I think Cort had a tear in his eyes watching his son follow in his footsteps. Cort decided that Metz is now worthy to carry on the family name.

Ok, really this is all we did over Cort's Break!

2008-06-07T16:08:00.003-04:00

SSSSHHHHH, Secret Beach

Ok, I promise this really is the last thing we did over Cort's break. It's a little private beach which you can only access by boat. There a two reefs to explore and Cort found even more fish to kill. Metz really liked this one.
Clockwise this is Metz, Christian, Chris (christian's dad) and Jesse. Enjoying the nice sand at Secret beach. Metz and Christian are exactly a year apart and have been here to whole time together. They are such great friends! They see each other and run to each other all excited, but then don't know what to do. They are very cute together.
Happy Family enjoying the Caribbean Sea.