Fire Truck

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 . . .

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!

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 :(

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!!!

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 ;)

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 :)!!

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.