yes, we are still alive.

I wish I could say there was some wonderful, amazing, really spectacular reason why I have not blogged since...ahem....November.

Oh, ok, NOVEMBER. That's right, NOVEMBER.

But there's not. I am simply lazy.

Now that's cleared out of the way, let the catching up begin!

{October}
I am including October because I see that there are NO PICTURES from Halloween.  So, here is at least one:

Yes, it is blurry and yes, he is a very cute dinosaur, and yes, mommy was overly excited and bought this a month before Halloween only to find out that he GREW OUT of it before the big night.

So here is take two:

Look how THRILLED he looks to be a little Yoda.  I was Princess Leia (sorry, Star Wars fans, I don't actually know how to spell her name) and Chad was Darth Vadar.  Yes, we are one of "those families" that dresses in themed costumes!  We threw a Halloween bash at our house filled with yummy spooky treats and taco soup.  We went Trick or Treating around our neighborhood and ate all of Chase's candy. This year (since it is already May) for Halloween I want to get a little wagon to carry Chase around so we can hit up more houses without getting tired. (Look at me strategizing new ways to get free candy!)

Back in July we knew Chase needed a cranial cap (a.k.a. helmet) so we went to a place that specializes in them. After all the measurements and insurance issues, he FINALLY got it in October. He got it off at the end of February and it was a happy day!

Here is a shot of him sporting the helmet:

 Yes, his Daddy picked out the helmet WITHOUT Mommy. I came home to find out that it was a purple and white checkered (Chad promised it was black in the picture) helmet with a YING-YANG sticker on the back. Yes, that's right. My son walked around with a purple ying-yang helmet for 5 months. Oh boy.

We also were brave enough to take Chase to his first football game. Go ASU! (Sorry, I never actually went to ASU but I think since I was born here and raised here, it's ok)

Here is the cute family with matching shirts:

{November}
Chase received his first haircut! He has had probably 10 since then. His hair grows SO fast. Chad and I both have thick, fast growing hair so Chase has a double dose!

Here's a shot of Chad in action with his trimmer:

And afterward he looked like a little stud muffin!

Chase did this thing in his carseat where EVERY time I would put the handle up, he'd grip both sides like he was hanging on for dear life. Cutest thing ever.

Here is our little man:

Chase also grew lots of teeth and we started to brush them with a real big boy toothbrush and toothpaste.  He loved sucking all the yummy flavored toothpaste.  I like this picture because you see Daddy taking the picture and Mommy so happy to have Chase brushing his own teeth for the very first time!

We have these toy bins that we keep Chase's toys in.  One day I found him like this and he couldn't get out:

For Thanksgiving, we had our turkey lunch at Nana's house.  Here is a shot with the two cousins that live down here. Chase always has this worried, confused look on his face! haha

Side note: We also found out a few days before Thanksgiving that we were expecting baby #2!

{December}
Before Christmas we went to Tempe Town Lake where all of the boats are decorated with Christmas lights.  They have a "parade" and I think there is a winner, too.  It was really fun to walk around and see all of the festive boats!

Here is our car stuffed with Christmas packages.  We drove to Utah for Christmas and a day later, drove back:

While in Utah, we stayed at a friend's cabin and made gingerbread houses one night:

 The next morning we went ice skating.  A few horses came over and Chase got to see his first horse:

 Here is our family in front of the ice skating rink:

 Chase and Mommy opening his stocking.  He doesn't look too thrilled:

Chase got this cute hat from Grandma and Grandpa:

Daddy got this hiking backpack for Christmas. We have used it SO much!

Okay, I am pretty tired and hungry right now so I am going to finish up this "catching up" post tomorrow. (I promise!) I still have January, February, March, and April to do. Whew, I missed a lot! Sorry everyone!