Bethany Chase Photography

New Blog Address!

2012-02-09T13:49:00.000-05:00

My blog has been moved to a new location. You can find it at:

bethany-chase.com

Please visit and leave some love!!

Fulfilling Goals: Sample Album

2012-02-09T07:46:00.000-05:00

On my list of things to do for my business in 2012 was to create and order a sample album for wedding clients. I often go to meetings and have potential clients interested in learning about what albums I offer. It's hard to sell an album if you don't have something physical in hand to show for the object that you are calling a fine arts book.

My sample album arrived right before we left for vacation. To be honest, it was a hard one for me to order--it is an investment for a bride and groom, but also for me as well. The cost of the album was much higher than I anticipated, even with a sample discount. But hopefully it's presence at meetings will in turn pay for itself.

I decided to go with a company who didn't have a lot of frills and a million different choices. I wanted to keep it simple. For me. For my clients. So here is my sample album. Leather bound. Beautifully crafted. And a gorgeous piece of art.

Bethany Chase Photography | Rochester, NY Twin Photographer

2012-02-08T07:46:00.024-05:00

Boy, do I just adore these two after a year of shooting them. Our first session was last year, when they were the tiniest newborns I have ever held. Will wasn't even five pounds. Seeing them every couple of months definitely is leaving me sad about the fact that they are one now. And our Baby's First Year Package is over.

Let's hope their mommy and daddy want pictures through their entire childhood :) That would be perfect.

And what's a one year session without a cake smash??

February 7, 2012

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Sometimes people tell me that it seems like I have it all together. That they don't know how I do it. Keep my house up, run a business, be a stay at home mom. I kindly smile and tell them thank you, but that they are far from right! While I enjoy the compliments. . . it is anything but the truth. I do not have it all together--not ever! Sometimes I am caught up on my laundry. Sometimes I shoot four weddings in one month. Sometimes I do projects with my kids. Sometimes my kitchen is clean. Sometimes I plan parties for my kids and do way too much decorating because I just love them so much and want to celebrate their little lives.

But usually when a sometimes happens, there is a million other things that I am getting behind in. Things fall through the cracks. It's a constant juggling game. When I can rest in one area, I have to pick up the pace in another. Go, go, go.

The one thing that I always struggle with is dinner. I know that's not a secret to some of you. Literally, it's one of the worst things that I do as a mom and wife. I just cannot get my act together and meal plan. The problem, I know, stems from the fact that I just plain don't like to cook. I'm terrible at it, and I cannot stand the cleanup. It's hard to do something daily that you can't stand doing at all. Every once and awhile, I will plan something--but it rarely turns out good, and I am always disappointed with the outcome.

James is a good sport though. He usually comes home and whips something up for us. Yesterday he kept it simple. And kept the boys happy. Mickey Mouse pancakes. Made us think of happy memories :)

January 30, 2012

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Our last day in Disney. And it turned out to be a twenty-two hour day for James and I.

We ventured back to the Magic Kingdom for the day until we had to leave to catch Disney's Magical Express on the way home. I have many good things to say about the Magical Express (but mostly on the way back, and not so much when we arrived). They took care of our flight check-in--and printed our boarding passes for us. They took all of our luggage in the morning for us, and we didn't have to worry about it until we landed back in Buffalo. They picked us up at our resort and took us to the airport. It was great. . . nearly hassle free, and it saved us from having to rent a car and worry about car seats. The only problem obviously was that there were many other people using the service, so we had to be ready to go three hours before our flight--and also, it took us a long time to get from the airport to our resort on the first day because of the waiting--it took about thirty minutes for the bus to arrive, and then we were the last resort out of four to be dropped off.

We had many snack credits left by the time we got to our last day. Brayden had really been wanting to try cotton candy. So I got him a bag with one of our credits, and we took a couple of pictures with him hugging the bag lovingly in front of the castle. Then we opened the bag and he took a hunk, bit into it and immediately I could tell he didn't like it. He smiled a sort of embarrassed smile and said i don't think i really like this! Carter wouldn't even hold it. Good thing I didn't pay for it!

By the last day, we really learned how to take advantage of the fast pass system. We had a fast pass for Winnie the Pooh from our first day that we didn't use (yes, they do take expired fast passes). And then we got fast passes for four other rides. . . but that was a little tricky, because you can't just run around getting fast passes. You have to wait until the time printed on your last one which tells you when you are eligible to get another one. So we did a few fun things while we collected the passes at all the right times. At the end of the day, right before we left, we were able to do a blitz of five quick rides because we didn't have to do any waiting with our passes. Brayden wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan again (those were a couple of his favorites at Magic Kingdom) and our very last ride to end our trip was Space Mountain (my mom got stuck with the two tired, cranky boys while James, Michael and I rode the roller coaster), but we were in and out in ten minutes, so that wasn't too bad :)

We also went to one more character meal on our last day--Crystal Palace. To be honest, it wasn't my favorite. The place was far too big for only four characters--so they really only made it around once before it was time for us to leave. But they were really cute when they did interact with the boys, so that made it better. We were one of the first ones seated for the lunch slots, so they got about five minutes of one on one time with the characters before everyone else came rolling in. I was thankful for that.

We had a wonderful trip for the most part. The hardest part was Brayden. I don't think I ever finished my story about the hospital. Two weeks before our trip, Brayden had the stomach bug. Up until and through our entire trip, every day he would complain many times that his stomach was hurting. He would cry. He wasn't himself. He didn't eat a lot. He threw up every couple of days. For two weeks straight, he woke up about ten times a night, crying and rolling around in pain or just crying and flailing his legs. Even while we were at Disney, he wasn't better. . . to be honest, I thought maybe it was an act a little bit (terrible of me, I know), but when we were at Disney, and we were doing something that I know he normally would've LOVED, and he was still crying and sitting in the strolling saying, I don't know how to make my stomach feel better, I knew that he wasn't faking it. Some of the days, he was like this for a couple of hours a day. It was really hard, especially because we were on vacation. Nights were terrible. We took turns sleeping with him to comfort him. But none of us got good sleep because of his constantly wake ups and his disruptions. On our last day at Disney, he fell asleep when we got on the magical express bus at 3:30 pm and he didn't wake up (besides occasional wake ups and bouts of crying), until about 2 am. By the point, we had already landed in Buffalo, driven straight to the hospital in Rochester and were worried sick about him. Come to find out, he was full of it. You know . . . poop. Gross, eh? I will spare you the details. . . but they took care of it, we got home at 5 am. James had to wake up at 6:30 to go to work, and I was up by 7:15 with Carter. We were dog tired.

BUT, since then, Brayden has been great. He has slept straight through the night for six straight nights, he hasn't complained once of a stomach ache. He hasn't thrown up, and he is eating like a champ. We have our little man back again, and it's wonderful. I wish I could rewind and have that figured out before we left for our trip. He would've had a much more pleasant time!

One last picture from our trip. . .

This is how everyone feels on the way out, and your last day. Tired, ready for a nap and thirsty. (At least my mom is still smiling!)

And that concludes my Disney posts. If you are planning a trip in the near future and want to pick my brains about anything at all, feel free!

February 6, 2012

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Guess who is going to be two next week??

Bethany Chase Photography | Rochester, NY Children's Photographer

2012-02-06T07:58:00.013-05:00

I truly love working with kids who are just like this little boy. He was quiet. He followed directions so well. He acted way older than he was (he had just turned two the week before). And he was a joy to photograph. I smiled all through the edits. I just love his little expressions and the way he made memorable images with his actions.

Anthony. . . you can come see me any time you want to :) And make sure you bring that little newborn sibling with you once your momma delivers!

February 5, 2012

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James and I watched the movie Courageous last night. I cried about ten times, sometimes one slip away from a giant sob. I went through more than a couple of tissues. If you haven't seen it, it's in stock now at Red Box. It's worth seeing.

I promise that if you watch the movie, and you are a parent, you will hug your child a little tighter when they wake up in the morning. You will thank God for their presence in your life. And you will smother them with prayers of safety and of guidance and wisdom in any decisions they ever make. You will pray that you can be the best parent possible--always present emotionally and physically . . . always a light. Always a good example. Always loving and supportive and encouraging.

And you will pray that the Lord will never take them away from you.

There is no worse thing in the world.

Hug your babies tomorrow morning. Make it count. Everyday.

Bethany Chase Photography | Rochester, NY Children's Photographer

2012-02-05T07:45:00.010-05:00

Right before we went on our Disney vacation, I had a few sessions that I haven't posted yet. I saw this family, with their adorable little boys, for my holiday mini-sessions. They came back for a full session to celebrate their oldest son's second birthday and their youngest son turning six months. I love the thought that their mom puts into the outfits for the sessions. She had a bag full of outfits for our session, and it's always nice to have variety.

February 4, 2012: Togetherness

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Most nights, the bulk of the nighttime responsibility goes to James. We spend some time together as a family when James gets home and then through dinner--but usually after that it's time for me to get to work. So he does baths/showers most nights, gets them dressed and brushes their teeth. Then I usually come up and read, sing and put Carter to bed, while he does Brayden and picks up the leftovers from bath time.

But today I had three photo sessions. That in itself is enough work for one day. No editing will be done tonight. We practiced a little togetherness, and did the whole bedtime shebang as a team. I'm sure James appreciated the extra help :) And I rented a movie from the Red Box. . . so I'm gonna sit, put my feet up and enjoy a little quiet time with the hubby.

January 29, 2012

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If I thought I didn't take enough pictures on Day Two, then I definitely didn't take enough on Day Four. I'm not sure what the trouble was.

We went to the Animal Kingdom on Sunday. This was the only day we were spending here, so we made the most of it, which was really hard because surprisingly, it was incredibly crowded. I heard that South America was on their "break", and I think every Brazilian and their brother was at the Animal Kingdom on Sunday. It was packed. I think it was a little tasted of what peak season would be like.

The three main things that were on my must see list were done though, so that's what mattered to me. James and my stepdad and I ran through the singles line of Expedition Everest and got on the ride in no time. Ironically, Michael and I ended up next to each other anyways while James had the ride before us. Riding on a roller coaster with Michael is just plain funny because he just laughs the whole time.

The other two things I really wanted to check out were two shows--the Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo. Brayden truly loved the Nemo show--it was a 40 minute broadway type show. We had far away seats, but that didn't seem to hinder his opinion of the show. We also went on a safari tour, which is supposed to be the Animal Kingdom's main attraction.

We stayed as long as we could and left at about two. With older kids, it's definitely easier to stay the entire day. As it was, Carter feel asleep on me on the way back and Brayden feel asleep on James.

We didn't end up going to another park later that day. We had dinner at a great African buffet and then headed back to our room. James and I were ready to hit up Magic Kingdom again, since it was open until 1 am, but on our way home from dinner we LOST Carter's blankie. Remember?--the one with the special corner? Yeah, lost. In Disney World.

Once I finally got Carter to sleep without it, my mom held me hostage and told me I wasn't allowed to leave in case he woke up and started crying all over again.

Lest you worry too much about blankie, there is a happy ending. We called around and found that there is a central lost and found hub at Disney World. So the next morning (our last day there), James headed over to the hub. Some responsible person had followed protocol and even though it was just a blanket, the blanket ended up in the lost and found in about 12 hours. So blankie is indeed back with us. Which is a very good thing, because I was actually suffering from terrible anxiety about it. No lie. That makes two people attached to that blankie. One who is actually attached to the object and the other who is attached to the comfort that it brings her child.

We were two for two with the lost objects being found. Blankie and my mom's camera. Way to go Disney World :)

February 3, 2012

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I realize that most of these posts probably are all starting to look the same. Pictures of my boys playing in our family room. I bet it's getting boring. I'm going to have to mix it up a bit. . . and start bringing my camera out to places that we go to.

This morning we actually did something really fun. Brayden didn't have school, so we headed over to his old preschool to visit his friends there that he has been missing so much. Actually, in all honesty, he only misses ONE friend from there, but I thought it would be fun to visit. It was a surprise--we just popped in--I actually wasn't sure how it would go over, since it is a school and we were sort of unexpected guests. But they loved that we came. The three teachers talked about how much they missed him and how the kids talk about him almost every day. His little friend that he missed so much looked right at him and said, Brayden, I miss you sooooo much. I nearly died, it was so cute. We got there at a perfect time--they were having cupcakes to celebrate a birthday and then they went to the gym. The teachers chatted about our new house, new school and our trip to Disney.

In hindsight, I probably wouldn't have changed schools. What's five months of driving an extra ten minutes to have him in a place that he loves? I felt even worse when Brayden gave his little girlfriend two extra hugs before we left, squeezing her to pieces with his eyes clamped shut so tightly. But that's the way life works out sometimes, right? And he's only four . . . I'm sure she isn't the love of his life (though she is adorable) :)

January 28, 2012

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Day three in Disney.

We are beginning to get the hang of the transportation to and from our cabin and around the parks. They are really quite complex, and I wonder just how many busses are in operation all at one time. We must take a bus from our cabin to the outpost. One side for Magic Kingdom and the other side for the rest of the parks. If you want to visit another resort, you go to a park first and then get on another bus to the resort.

Sometimes we wait for five minutes before a bus comes to get us from our cabin stop. Then we may wait another ten minutes before a bus comes for the park or the boat comes for the Magic Kingdom. From there it's a 10-15 minute ride to the park--Once we may have made it to a park in record time, 20 minutes. But sometimes it took 30-40 minutes to get where we were going. That's pretty hard with a couple of little kids and nothing to strap the youngest one into to keep him in his seat.

Hollywood Studios was home to Brayden's two favorite things of the trip. Toy Story Mania and Pizza Planet. The real pizza planet :) Any Toy Story fan should know what that is. We had to wait all morning to ride Toy Story Mania because our fast passes weren't good until 12:15 and we weren't about to brave the two hour wait in the standby line.

James and I ran through the park and quickly rode the Tower of Terror (NEVER again will I ride that!) and the Rockin Roller Coaster, which was awesome. We learned that if something has a single rider line, to hop in it. Although we were separated during the ride, our wait time was usually less than five minutes per ride, and who is going to talk during a completely dark, 60 mph roller coaster anyways?

We also visited Epcot with the boys for one afternoon. My parents had a couple of hours to tour the park by themselves during nap time and James and I had gone the night before until midnight, so really we only needed to do a few things with the kids while we were there. Brayden really wanted to do the "Kim Impossible" secret agent thing. (Really called Kim Possible, based on a kids show). I think he was traumatized by it though, because he keeps talking about a couple of scary parts. James did that with him while the rest of us did a couple of things with Carter.

Forgot these in yesterday's post . . .

It was the only morning that was cold and rainy, and there weren't a ton of people at the Magic Kingdom for the first two hours of the morning. We jumped right on Splash Mountain with NO wait, although the walk through the normal waiting line maze is like a mile long. And we saw Donald Duck in Frontier Gear--no line to see him either. I wish we could've frozen that morning and spent more time with no crowds. But then the sun came out, and so did the masses.

January 27, 2012

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As part of our free dining plan, we were able to make reservations for character meals. In hindsight, I should've made four different character meals instead of just the two that we went to, but two is better than none!

Our favorite one by far was called Chef Mickey's. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto came by to see us at our table quite frequently. The food was delicious. And we celebrated Carter's second birthday, so they brought him a cupcake and sang a little song. Minnie gave him a kiss. And later in the meal, Mickey Mouse sat down and played the iPod with Carter. It was by far my very favorite memory of the trip. We have the video clip on my mom's camera. BUT my mom lost her camera. BUT she also called every single place we had been and they found it. So in a week or two, when the camera is safe and sound back in her hands, I will post the video clip :)

We also went to Hollywood Studios on our second day at Disney. Brayden's favorite ride of the whole trip was there--Toy Story Mania. It was a really great ride, and I think definitely is the longest wait out of any of the rides in ANY park. We passed the ride once and standby line wait time was 140 minutes. And this is value season. Yikes.

The boys also got to meet Mr. Incredible and Frozone. Brayden was having one of his many stomach-pain episodes though, so he almost wasn't able to fight the tears and get up to see him. But he did. And I'm glad. It was definitely frustrating having him so off, but we tried to fight through it.

I definitely didn't take enough pictures of day two. It was extremely hard to be the planner, keep everyone happy and the kids in line and take pictures at the same time. One fact is true about being in Disney World--time is like a vacuum. It gets sucked out from under you way too fast. Before you know it, four hours have gone by like that. And the next thing you know, it's time for you to get back on the airplane and go home.

February 1, 2012: Scissors Boy

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Brayden has always loved cutting things. I can remember back to when he was two, and he just loved taking scissors and cutting paper into a ton of little pieces. His love for cutting has never gone away. Lately, he's been coloring pictures and then cutting them out to give to people--his teachers, gigi and papa, the refrigerator . . .

I think he does a pretty good job of it. And he colors in the lines like a champ.

January 26, 2012

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I realize I am going to have to figure out how to catch up from our trip, while also keeping up with my Project 365. The blog post dates will be a little screwy for awhile.

We just got back from Disney last night. Well, truthfully, we didn't get back until nearly 5 am this morning due to an emergency room visit with our son--but more on that later. No worries--he is fine. James and I were awake for about 22 hours and then had to both function for an entire day today on a couple hours sleep. So, to bed I go as soon as this post is done.

Disney is amazing. It's an incredible amount of work, and preparation and is completely exhausting. But wow, do they have the entertainment world completely figured out down there. It was literally all-inclusive with the package we had, and the free dining we got. Transportation everywhere, didn't have to worry about our luggage, they checked us in our airline for our return flight, we ate a ton of food, had a great cabin and felt taken care of the whole time.

We had no choice but to have the boys take a quick nap before heading to Magic Kingdom on our first day. So we didn't arrive at the park until after four. We took the ferry from our cabin to the park and the whole way there, we were all antsy and excited.

Then the magic happened. By far, it was in my top five moments of the whole trip. We walked through the ticket gate, were greeted by Pluto who signed the boys' autograph books, hugged them and sent us off. . . and then we walked through the gates, down main street and up to the castle where there was this show going on with all the characters and dancing and singing. And literally, I nearly started crying. I think my mom did too.

We had time for a few rides, dinner and then stayed for the fireworks--which also caused many feelings of rainbows and unicorns and nearly put me in tears. I think I would've definitely fallen apart with happiness if Brayden wasn't crying himself--not in happiness though. In one of his many stomach pain episodes that lasted the duration of the trip. Again, more on that later.

One thing is for sure--Disney is not for the faint of heart. And you leave the park each day exhausted beyond measure. But you also leave the parks each day with a head full of memories to hang on to for a lifetime.

To be continued. . .

Bethany Chase Photography | Rochester, NY Baby Photographer

2012-01-29T07:49:00.017-05:00

Watching babies grow through my lens is always heart warming. This little one was born four months ago--here are some images from her newborn session. I will get to see her one last time in a few months before the family packs up and heads over to Northern New Hampshire.

Bethany Chase Photography | Rochester, NY Baby Photographer

2012-01-27T07:45:00.000-05:00

Little Miss Emily is already eight months old. I photographed both her newborn session and her four month session . . . and wow, she was intrigued with my horrible singing. She smiled like I was actually singing in tune--I appreciated the confidence booster. I will be seeing her again in another four months . . . I sure hope she still likes me then :)

January 24, 2012

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This is how our family room looks on a typical evening. But don't worry. . . it only took us five minutes to clean up. When you preface the cleanup with we can watch an episode of Backyardigans as soon as this is cleaned up!, things go nice and quickly.

I may not be posting for a few days while we are gone. . . I will definitely still be keeping up with my resolution of taking pictures every day though. I will just be delayed in posting them while we are gone. I'm interested to see if Disney is really as magical as they say :) I've been there many times before, all before I was 17. . . but let's see what it's like when it's my own children that I am taking.

For those of you that commented in one way or another about the sneakers and nice clothes. . . thanks for your opinions :) I will be wearing sneakers on the plane and will have them with me--but I also packed two pairs of flip flops, because that's just me. And if I can sneak a little bit o' flip flop love in the middle of winter, well, I just might have to take full advantage of that.

January 23, 2012

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Ada;lkdfja sdfkajd;foasidufaaposidr!!!!

That was all the excitement about our trip to Disney in three days coming out as a jumbled string of crazy letters. That's just how darn excited I am about it.

The next few days will be filled with wrapping up the packing (picking out my clothes has been the hardest), picking up a couple of phone items, making sure I have entertainment for the kids in the case of any long periods of waiting, and making sure that we are all on the same page about some kind of plan.

I was talking to James today about how I was having a hard time packing for myself. He's all packed, the boys are all packed, but I am stumped with me. It's going to be warm, so I can wear summery clothes. But I should wear sneakers, right? And if I wear sneakers, I would feel weird wearing some of my nice, summer clothes. Girly tank tops with flowers and ruffles and different neck lines and ties and all that. Not like dressy stuff, but casual comfy. I don't feel like ANY of them would look right with sneakers. So I may be doomed to wearing Bermuda shorts and t-shirts the whole time--cause those go with the shoes.
Boys are easy. Dressy t-shirts and polos. Those all go with tennis shoes. Girly summer clothes do not. You see my dilemma? What would you do??

January 22, 2012

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Blankie and Paci love . . .

Carter still is in love with his paci and his blankie. I just threw two pacifiers out today though, because he's been chewing them, and well. . . they have torn. I guess I face a decision--go buy more or take them away. Tough call.

In the two side by side pictures above, he is showing me his corner. He only plays with one specific corner of his blanket. I made the blanket for him last year for Christmas. I am not very good with my sewing machine--so there is one corner that is a little bit wonky and sewn a little funny. There is a perfect spot for his little finger to be jammed into a ripple in the fabric where my sewing was a bit off, and he only plays with and holds onto his blanket in the one corner. Makes me happy that I am terrible at sewing. :)

I asked Brayden to model for me again today before my photo sessions. I don't really need him to test my lighting that much. . . I just like to make an excuse to take his picture. And then he cooperates without bribes because he thinks he is helping me. Is that wrong??

January 21, 2012

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It's not something I've just learned. But it's constantly there. The decisions that I have to make daily to try to live life like my heart tells me I want to live it. Passionate about the things I believe in. Kind and loving. Someone who makes a difference. There is this one song by Switchfoot that I love. . . one of the lines of the song, which repeats many times is, this is your life. . . are you who you want to be?

Really, it's our choice. To be who we want to be. There isn't anyone stopping us but us.

Today was one of those days. I felt like I had to make a conscious decision to do the right thing the whole day. It's always a heart struggle. . . mainly because it's just plain easier to be a lazy, unkind person who doesn't care or have convictions. But this is my life. . . am I who I want to be?

And that's enough to keep me in the game.

January 20, 2012

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Five minutes in black and white. After dinner. Before bed. It's been a long week, and my body knows it.

Somewhere between 5:50 pm and 6:50 am, while Brayden was sleeping, his body decided that it was time to not be sick anymore. Maybe it was the fervent prayer of a mother. I am just completely thankful that today, Brayden was Brayden. I actually had forgotten just how much he talked. And how much energy he has. Funny what an abnormal week will do to your mind.

January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T22:58:00.001-05:00

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We've had better days. The stomach bug has knocked out Brayden nearly the entire week. I wish I could stop his pain and take it as my own. I'm looking forward to getting my sweet little boy back.

He's okay for short periods of time--but then all too soon goes over and lays down on the couch in stomach pain. His energy is zapped and today he was in bed a little before six.

Disney is in six days. I sure hope he can shake it off soon.

January 18, 2012 and Triple C: January Edition

2012-01-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

Last night was our Triple C: January Edition. We had a small, intimate gathering. . . it's so funny how there is a wide range of the number of people that come--but it's hard with everyone's scheduling. Once we had seventeen people all at once time crafting away--last night there were only six of us--so we all fit around one table. We had some fun conversations and ventured under the superficial surface of conversations, which was hilarious and gave us all a few good laughs.

Here is Christy modeling some earrings that Sarah made.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in February :)

In other Chase household news. . . . Brayden is still dragging with the effects of a terribly long stomach bug. He's fine for awhile and then not fine for awhile. He's been sleeping on his mattress at the foot of our bed, so that we can be near him if he needs us in the middle of the night. Truthfully, I think he's getting a bit spoiled!

Today, we busted out a few balloons, which Carter loves playing with. And then had a play-doh party. One thing I will never get sick of is cutting play-doh into a million little pieces with a pair of plastic scissors. Sounds weird, I know. But it's like therapy :)