just for fun

Just a series of fun photos I took of the two of us then put into a little mosaic. Man he's cute. That blonde hair and pinchable cheeks are going to break hearts one day.

Burger King play area

Recently we went to a Burger King play area to use up some of that ever present energy. I ended up in the play area with Chance which was fun but a lot of hard work for Mommy. I don't fit through those tubes as easy as I used to.



This is a cool photo I took inside the tubes. There is no effect on it, that's just how the photo turned out with the light coming through the tubes.



We were inside the play area way up in the air when the tubes opened up into a little room where there were all these spiny things which Chance liked very much, so here he is giving a couple of them a spin.



He is kind of hard to see in this last photo but he is up there hanging around in the blue netting.

At the Park

Just a shot of Chance playing at a new park. We were recently in Orlando for a few days and while there we went to a couple parks we had never been to before. This one had a large covered playground near the lake. We walked out on the pier then sat and watched the birds flying over the water. He climbed up on this dinosaur and gave me a wave and a smile. So I snapped a picture just in time.

Cute Face

I can't remember why I took this picture but does it really matter? Look at that smiling happy face!

Sitting on Aunt Kristy's shoulders

I looked out on the porch and this is what I saw. From behind it looks like he is sitting on the back of the chair



But when I walked around I saw that he was really sitting on Aunt Kristy's shoulders. He makes a big stink to get her to pick him up and put him on her shoulders then he is completely happy when she sits down and just lets him sit up there.

Making cinnamon rolls

Here we are making cinnamon rolls.

I make these cinnamon rolls from scratch which are as good as any Pillsbury cinnamon roll tube thingy you can buy at the store and way more fun to make. Chance likes to help too because you get to put flour all over the counter and use a rolling pin plus once you get it all rolled out you get to spread on the cinnamon butter mixture. After all the I roll it up, cut it into slices and pop it in the oven for a few and we're done, easy as that.

Soccer!

Chance started Soccer practice at the beginning of January and he loves it. He is on the Teal team and they practice once per week on Tuesday and have a game once per week on Saturday. The games are not competitive, they don't even keep score and are played against other teams that practice in the same location. He has a uniform (you can see his shirt below) and has been having a great time with other kids his age learning fun soccer skills.

Chance ready for his first game in his new jersey. Go Teal Team!

He went in thinking he was the best soccer player in the world and came out of his first practice not discouraged but excited about all the new things he had learned. He has a soccer ball here at the house and wants us to play soccer with him nearly every single day and most days we do.


Chance at his first soccer practice, kicking the ball.

I am very proud of how interested he is in learning all the skills of soccer and how much he wants to practice even when he isn't at official soccer practice. He knows already that if you want to be good at something you have to put in the work, practice, practice, practice to get better.



Chance at his first soccer game, he is #7

Of course he wants to win but at the same time he is more into the game and having fun than he is about who wins or loses the game and that makes me a very happy parent as well. This soccer session runs through mid March so we have lots of soccer to look forward to over the coming weeks.

Night Soccer

The other day Chance wanted to play soccer but it was dark. No reason not to so Scott and Chance played soccer in the dark.

Science Experiment

I was super excited to do Science experiments with Chance from the moment I knew he was getting the Science kit for Christmas. We did the first experiment on Christmas day by mixing colors to make different colors and adding crystal beads that soak up the colored water to make multi colored crystals.




This experiment was also about colors mixing. They put buttermilk in a plate then added the color tablets and waiting to watch the color expand into and mix with the buttermilk. After the colors started to expand Chance took his magnifying glass and really investigated what the colors look like up close.



I can't wait to do more science experiments with him very soon.

Bungee Tire Swing

While looking around for something to do Scott and Chance decided to make a swing, a bungee swing. So they hung a bunch of bungee cords from a tree and Chance got on, it was fun but hard to sit on so they found a tire...



And made it into a tire swing. Good Times!

Christmas Day 2011

On Christmas Morning Chance woke up and found a few little things in his stocking, then went on to watching Christmas cartoons until everyone else woke up, much like he does every other morning.



Then when we all got out of bed we told Chance to get dressed and lets all go outside. Outside a power wheel ATV was waiting for him. He was super super excited. It had been charging all night and so was ready to go. Chance hopped on and after a very quick tutorial he took off.



He went down to the gate and back a few times while we raced beside him. Then it was time to bust out the big guns...




it was Tractor vs ATV vs Motorcycle, it could have gone very wrong but it was tons of fun. Of course Aunt Kristy and Daddy let the ATV win and he was so happy.

Christmas Eve 2011

I had to work on Christmas Eve but that was ok because we are usually waiting around for some arbitrary time to open presents. I worked 9-4 so everyone else was just waiting for me to get home. When I did I discovered that all the presents had already been separated into individual piles.


Chance in front of his pile of presents.

We all had a good time being together and opening presents. It was the first year Chance had really been looking forward to Christmas, counting down the days and very interested in presents.


Chance opening his Science kit.

When he read each tag he got really excited every time. It was fun to see the look on his face when he opened his presents.


Chance eating his first Snoopy Snowcone.
Chance got a snoopy snowcone machine for Christmas so after opening presents we made snowcones and each had one. Chance liked it very much, we need to get some better syrup but we will be making some more very soon.

Leogland for Chance's Birthday

Chance sitting in a castle "window" while we were standing in line to ride the Dragon roller coaster.

For Chance's birthday this year we took him to Legoland. He was super excited and had been counting down the days for weeks. He wasn't feeling very good, a little cold I think, but we went anyway and although he did seem a little extra worn down he had a wonderful time and kept telling us that this was the best day of his life, the best day ever.


I asked him to show me how happy he was and this is the look he gave me.

All the rides at Legoland are built with little people in mind so even though there are a lot of roller coasters Chance could ride every one of them. And of course so could we. Chance liked the drunk driving roller coaster (it zig zagged back and forth quickly and we made the mistake of calling it that) and the one where your feet dangle.


Chance on the jousting ride.

This jousting ride was a little silly but Chance had a good time.


Chance and I riding in the Boat School ride.

The boat school ride was a lot of fun, Chance and I rode in one boat and Scott in another. We had to maneuver our boat through the course trying not to bump into everything and everyone in the process. Chance did a pretty good job driving while I pushed the pedal.


Chance watching the water fountain and cars in front of the lego replica of Las Vegas.

Of all the things we saw and did at Legoland Chance has told us multiple times that his favorite part of the whole place was "the lego city where the things moved around." There were big replicas of Las Vegas, San Fransisco and Washington D.C. as well as lots of well known areas in Florida. Everything was built of legos, there were cars moving on the streets and boats gliding through the water, water fountains and a whole marching band and the space shuttle "launched" every few minutes. It was pretty neat and held Chance's attention till the park was about to close and we had to leave.

Riding Go-karts at Mike Greenwell's

The title of this post pretty much says it all. We went to a place here in town that I haven't been to in a really really really long time. They have arcade games, batting cages, mini golf and of course go karts. Chance had a great time riding the go karts as you can probably tell from this picture. He was really responsible too, not going super fast and steering very well.

Little Note

a few days ago Chance took a nap and was sleeping when I had to leave for work. I felt bad because I had not told him I would be gone when he woke (I didn't know he would sleep so long) so I wrote him a note and left it for him at his place on the table. He found it and read it and just left it at the table. Well, it sat on the table for a few days and then I took it and not thinking put it in the recycling bin. Later that day he passed the bin and just started crying then he said "that's my note, someone threw away my note" I felt awful and so rescued the note from the bin straightened it out and gave it back to him. He hugged it then took it to his room and put it on top of his toy organizer so "I can look at it" he said. He is so very sweet.

New Haircut

Chance's awesome new haircut. He was very good the whole time his hair was being cut so as a treat we picked up a chocolate milkshake on the way home.

Living The Dream

We went tot a new playground the other day and as Chance climbed up to the top of the slide he paused and looked around then he said "I'm living the dream". :)

Hiding in the Hamper

Chance disappeared the other day into his room, he was gone for a while and things were really quiet so I went looking for him and this is what I found.

Birthday Party Playdate

A few weeks ago we went to a birthday party for a little boy in the playgroup we have been hanging out with here in Fort Myers. Luke was turning 5 years old so it seemed like the perfect playdate for us and it was.


Chance had a great time playing with the other little people his age, they rode in the convertible hotwheel.





Had sword fights (it was a pirate themed party).



Broke a pinata



And played a pirate themed version of pin the tail on the donkey. Of course there was cake and general fun had by all.
I feel bad that Chance doesn't get as much time with kids his own age since we have been here in Florida but we get out to playdates that seem like they would have older kids (like a 5 year old's birthday) and he will be starting soccer on January 2nd. He will have practice once per week Tuesday at 6:15pm and a "game" once per week starting Saturday January 14th. Soccer runs through March and his group is 4 - 6 year olds so he will be getting more time with little ones his age very soon.

Helping Take Apart an old Guitar

In December Chance spent some time in Tampa at the apartment with Scott, while he was there they took parts from two different guitars to make one awesome guitar. Here Chance is using the screwdriver to help take parts off of one of the guitars. Word on the street is Chance was big help. He is really good at following direction when he is interested in the project, and what boy doesn't like taking things apart to make them better?

He's Way up There.

We were at the park not long ago, where there is a big rope climbing asteroid like piece of equipment. I climbed into the middle and set there relaxing while Chance climbed all around and past me up to the top.

Chance using his new chopsticks

A friend of mine spent a few months working in China and Hong Kong earlier this year. When he returned to the States he was thoughtful enough to bring gifts. One of the items he brought back for Chance was a set of kid's chopsticks. They are much like adult chopsticks except they are attached at the top to make them easier to hold. Chance can just focus on the pinching and picking up the food rather than holding the sticks together.