St. Patricks Day

For St. Patricks Day (which was a little over a week ago) we invited over the Wrights and Marings and introduced them to the Chatterton way of celebrating this holiday. We had chicken alfredo with fettuccine noodles (which had all been dyed green), green french bread, a green salad, and green kool-aid. Then for dessert we had chocolate cake with green frosting and mint ice cream. Unfortunately we couldn't find any green ice cream so we figured mint would be close enough because the plant is green. It was fun to watch them all inspect their food very carefully because of its peculiar color. One of the boys even asked if the bread was naturally that color. In which Stephen replied, 'Yea, we made it a couple days ago so it could be a little moldy.' It was a fun night and we're pretty sure everyone enjoyed themselves.

A Little Fresh Air

Stephen got off of work early on Wednesday and it was a nice sunny day so we decided to make ourselves a picnic lunch and go spend the afternoon at Grafahm Water. We had a great time enjoying the sunshine. After lunch we walked around a little bit. Emerson wasn't a big fan of the water unless you were holding him, but he did think it would be fun to throw his ball into the lake. Luckily for us it didn't make it into the water and Stephen only had to climb down and get it out of the rocks. We spent most of our time playing on a big open field with Emerson's soccer ball. We passed the ball back and forth, raced each other for it, and kicked it as high as we could in the air. The last was Emerson's favorite. Stephen would kick the ball high and Emerson would throw his hands up in the air, get all excited, and then chase after it once it had fallen. It was such a nice day and we had so much fun being outdoors and not worrying about being freezing cold. A little fresh air and sunshine was great. Let's hope the weather continues to progress in this direction.

Temple Trip

Last week we went up to the London Temple and spent the night. The driving was pretty good there and back which was nice and the weather was gorgeous. This was especially nice because Emerson and I were outside most of the morning while Stephen was at the temple. I tried to get some nice photos of Emerson while we were there. In most of them he is looking away from me watching the airplanes as they flew overhead. After Stephen was done we had a nice picnic lunch and then fed the duck and fish. Emerson really enjoyed himself and it was nice to be outside and not feel like you're freezing. Hopefully it stays like this and spring starts taking over.

Ping Pong Tournament

While Stephen was in Utah last month his family got together at Brian's house for the '2nd Annual Chatterton Ping Pong Smash.' The stakes were even higher this year as the winner would have the honors of housing the tournament trophy until next years contest. After several intense match-ups it came down to Stephen and his brother Brian in the championship game. Brian came out victorious and is pictured below with the trophy. His name will soon be added to the trophy as the 2010 champion of the 'Chatterton Ping Pong Smash.'

National Aquarium

While we were in the states we took a trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was a fun outing with Nana, Papa, and Uncle TJ. We had some really tasty food at the Hard Rock Cafe and then went to the aquarium. Emerson loved it. He enjoyed all the cool fish, sharks and other creatures at the aquarium. They even had a rain forest section where we saw monkeys and different brightly colored birds. I think the dolphin show was probably at the top of Emerson's list. He thought it was really cool when they jumped in the air and especially when the dolphin jumped up and touched the ball. Stephen was still gimping around on crutches at this point, but at the aquarium they gave him a wheel chair to move around in. This was nice because when the rest of us got tired of holding Emerson, Stephen could take him around in his chair. (And I think it also would have been a rather tiring day for him if he had to use the crutches) I think Stephen had a little too much fun with his wheel chair though. There were a couple parts in the aquarium that had ramp walkways with a pretty steep grade to them and of course what else are you supposed to do in a situation like that but fly down the ramps as fast as possible. Here are some pictures from our fun outing.

Trip to the States

We just recently made an unanticipated trip back to the states to be a part of Kristine's grandma's funeral. Though it was under sad conditions it was nice to be with family and a good opportunity for Emerson to spend time with his Nana and Papa. Emerson also got to meet his Uncle TJ for the first time and was attached to him for a majority of the trip. This was really nice because Emerson had a cool playmate and we got to relax and enjoy time together and with all the relatives. Here is a picture of Emerson and Uncle TJ playing with blocks.