We've been pretty busy lately--feeding Michael. He is growing so fast and he smiles a lot now. We love him more and more as time goes on.

"Take another picture of the mess, Mommy."

Mathew thought it was pretty funny to be playing in the ovaltine like it was a sandbox. After that stunt though, Mathew lost the privilege of chocolate milk until Christmas (this was Thanksgiving).

Emma has a taste for funky hats.

After finishing her ice cream, she pulled the Breyer's bucket off of the counter and stuck it on her head.

Six years...

...and three kids later.

We were married before digital cameras were invented, or at least before they were popular enough, because all of our wedding photos are on film. But here are a couple photos of one of our favorite places, Yosemite.

Then...

And now...

We are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary today. Some of our favorite things in our married life are:
road trips
camping
eating out
boating
family
our kids

(but not altogether at once).

Jon's favorite phrase lately is "Come on, we've been married for six years now--" followed by something he knows about me, or something I should know about him. I think he says that because it feels like we've been married an extremely long time, especially considering all of the events of this past year.

A Disney Halloween

Lightning McQueen Driver

Minnie Mouse

1 Dalmation

Fall

We went to this pumpkin patch on my birthday--it was my first time ever going through a corn maze. The kids had fun, once they got over being cold. Michael stayed in the stroller the whole time, so he's not seen in any of the pictures.

Helpers

Okay, so I'm not usually into doing posts with a lot of words, it's too much reading for one blog. But, in case you might be wondering how we are managing with three small children, I thought I would share how it goes.

Mathew is really trying to carry his own weight around here. While I was feeding Michael, Mathew decided to help clean the house. He dumped half the bottle of bath bubbles on the bathroom floor and was scrubbing it with a cleaning brush. Emma tried to join him but she kept slipping on the bath bubbles.

After that he and Emma both needed a bath. Once we got enough soap off of them, I told Mathew that he needed to clean up, so he drained the bathtub, picked up all the toys and got himself out of the tub. I went to put Emma down for a nap and when I came back into the bathroom, I found Mathew on the toilet. He's been working on potty training himself for a couple of months.

I was feeding Michael again when Emma woke up from her nap. I asked Mathew to go in her room and play with her. After a while he came out and grabbed a baby wipe. Mathew was talking about changing her diaper, but I thought, there's no way he's actually changing her diaper. He would half to climb into her crib with her, and she was wearing shorts and a onesie--I don't think she would let him do it. I just had to go and make sure. Sure enough, there was Emma, laying calmly in her crib with her diaper off, waiting for the clean one to be put on. Then Mathew proceeded to change his own diaper. Later, Mathew even changed Michael's diaper, too.

When they're hungry, they take care of it on their own. Mathew climbs in the pantry up to the top shelf where we keep all of the chocolate and candy. Emma is usually with him, but she doesn't climb the shelves. She lets Mathew do all the work so he gets in trouble while she gets all the benefits.

That was one of the crazier days.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!

--the only thing I got done in time for his birthday--
WE LOVE YOU!!!

Another trip to Yosemite

Jon's parents came to visit last week and it was Jon's birthday on Saturday so we went to Yosemite for the day.

Visit with Grandpa Watson

Grandpa Watson flew up to visit for a day after Michael was born. It is so good to see family.

He is home

We left the hospital after midnight on Sunday night to bring home baby Michael. Mathew and Emma were so thrilled to see him on Monday morning. It was like Christmas morning for them.

Michael Jon Chalker

...that's the new baby's name...a bit predictable, I guess.

Baby Boy is here!

The newest member of our family was born on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 8:38 am.

He was 5 lbs, 9 oz, 19 inches.

He came 4 weeks early, and kept some fluid in his lungs, so he has been in the NICU since Sunday. He is doing really well, and we can't wait to bring him home.

We haven't completely decided on the name yet, so check back soon for the decision.

"My Mommy and Daddy don't beat me."

That's what I taught Mathew to say when his face started looking like this. It's been a week since he hit his forehead the corner of a wall. That kid is going to get us in trouble someday.

Mathew seems to be adjusting to the new house okay now. It took only a couple of nights and now he is sleeping through the night again. Last night he even went to bed without crying!

Emma will sleep anywhere that she has her own room and her own bed. She was really happy when she saw her old blanket again though.

Yosemite/Mammoth

Growing up, Jon would go camping with his family in Yosemite; I went to Mammoth. When Jon got a work order to do in Mammoth, we decided to all go together. It was a great little overnight trip for our family after being apart for a couple of weeks. We stayed the night in Mammoth and then drove to Yosemite for the day.

The good with the bad

Well, most of you know that Jon finally got a job. We are thrilled that he is working right now. Unfortunately it is in Stockton, so we've had to move.


Jon has been working up here for about a month now. Mathew and Emma really missed there Dad while he was away, so we came up over a week ago. My aunt and uncle have let us stay with them while looking for a house--they have been such a big help in this whole process.


We finally found a house and we are going to move this weekend. We really miss our ward and all of our friends there in Elsinore. The wards here are a lot smaller and the people are kind of different than in Southern California.

The hardest thing so far has been the sleepless nights. We haven't been able to lock Mathew in his room a bedtime/naptime. He also is constantly waking up Emma when he should be sleeping.

The kids are having a blast with their cousins up here Livai, Lia and Logan. They live right around the corner and Mathew asks to go for a walk so that he can go play with them.

We can't wait to get settled in our new place and see what life has in store for us up here.

Today's Headline: "Strong quake shakes Southern California"

"The 5.4-magnitude quake — considered moderate — was felt about 11:42 a.m. from Los Angeles to San Diego, and as far east as Las Vegas, 230 miles away. Nearly 30 aftershocks quickly followed, the largest estimated at 3.8. ...

"As strong as it felt, Tuesday's quake was far less powerful than the deadly magnitude-6.7 Northridge earthquake that toppled bridges and buildings on Jan. 17, 1994. That was the last damaging temblor in Southern California, though not the biggest. A 7.1 quake struck the desert in 1999. "

A little earthquake, but no reason to panic. Jon was nice enough to call to make sure we were all okay, though.

My Sister Lani married Ryan in the Redlands Temple

Mathew & Emma both love Grandpa Watson.

What a ride!
I guess Mathew thought he could put his Great-grandma's walker to better use.

I saw that Melissa posted first, so, at the risk of sounding like the girl from SNL...
I made Emma's dress (and pattern).

Mary made the flower clip for her hair.

I know this one was silly, but I had to try it, and I was surprised at the accuracy--Sleeping Beauty was my favorite when I was little.
You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Toddlers are so funny

Emma is walking now.


She likes to follow Mathew around and do everything he does, including the things he does to get in trouble.



Mathew loves tractors. He went outside by himself recently, and when I was out looking for him I said "Mathew, where are you?" I heard him, off a distance, say "on Daddy's tractor." (He had climbed to the top of a lift, about six feet high, with no ladder, by himself.)

The Bride

I always seem to let a lot of time go by in between posts, so sorry to those who get bored of seeing the same old stuff all the time. We have been pretty busy lately planning and preparing for Lani's wedding. We had a bridal shower for her at our house recently.

Make a Smilebox postcard

Wild Animal Park

Emma's Very First Birthday!

Emma was born just fourteen months after Mathew. She is such a joy to our family. We celebrated her birthday by going to the wild animal park and with a small party at the lake.

When I wished Emma a happy birthday that morning, Mathew ran to her room and opened her closet where we had been "hiding" her presents. I couldn't figure out what he was doing in there until he said "birthday!" We had to keep telling him that those presents were for Emma's birthday, so when that day finally came, he couldn't wait to get out the new toys.

It's not too late to post Easter pics.

Mathew's 2nd Birthday!

We had Mathew's birthday party at the lake again, so that we could go boating. We had lots of family and friends there, and it was perfect weather to be out on the lake, as long as you didn't get in the water. Like most boys, Mathew currently loves "Cars."