The Spicy Clan

Random life

2011-12-31T10:13:00.000-08:00

I have been enjoying my last 2 weeks with the boys, on Christmas Break. It will be very hard to have to go back to work next week. Bleh. We have spent ample time playing with puzzles and fishing, and of course saving the world with the Power Rangers :-)

Couple catch up videos. First, Kai. He's been growing up so fast lately. Here is a compilation of his learning to eat with utinsels.

He loves to play with balls, just like Kaeden did, and he's getting very good at catching and throwing.

Then today, I was cleaning, doing laundry and changing sheets, and the boys were always around to help. They LOVE to jump on the bed, and when I pulled Kai's bed up to change the sheets, I couldn't help but throw it on the floor to see what they would do. Little did I know it would be the hit maneuver of the morning!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a few months since Halloween and Kaeden's birthday, but what a fast few months! Been gearing up for Christmas in a couple ways, the ward party, the Santa Train, lots of classic Christmas movies, and of course, shopping! I was excited cuz the boys are old enough to start to understand, and with this on the heels of Kaeden's birthday, they are all about opening presents!

For the Ward Party, we had a pj night! I thought it was a great idea. Kai was sick, so he stayed home with Kevin, but Kaeden had a great time running around and even got up on stage with the Primary kids to sing! He didn't actually sing, he just sat down, but it's a good experience because in January he starts Sunbeams!

We also got to go back to the trains down in Boulder City. The Santa Train came to town! The boys had a great time riding, although there wasn't an open car this time, so looking out the window isn't as fun with no wind in your hair.

With all this as a precursor to Christmas, the boys knew who Santa was, and definately had a feel for presents. Luckily, we didn't have to get up any earlier than usual (6:30 ha ha ha) and here is their Christmas morning...

We also got a fishing game, which I can see will quickly become a Saturday morning staple!

We haven't stopped playing with the Power Rangers or the robots, and thanks to everyone who sent presents, the boys go the rounds from toy to toy, and have a great time with each one.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Kaeden's 3rd Birthday

2011-10-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

How fast time truly does fly! My little man is 3 years old!

At 3 - Kaeden is talking like crazy, but still a little muffled in pronunciation, so we have a great time listening to his conversations. He loves robots, trains, cars, Power Rangers, dinosaurs, balls of any kind, reading, running, and playing outside. He is a great helper, putting clothes away, bringing wipes for brother, stirring food, putting dishes away, and anything else he can do. Coloring is now getting interesting, and we're working on our letters and numbers. He's such a happy little kid, we love you buddy!

We had a great time playing at the park, eating pizza and cupcakes, and opening gifts. Thanks to everyone who sent cards and came - we are blessed!

Party Video

After Party Presents

After Party Baseball Game

Spring Break, Part 1

2011-09-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where did my summer go? Already I'm back at work, and so behind in posting it's not funny! Let's back track a bit and start with the Spring Break Trip with my students from school. We were so lucky to be able to go, and had such a great group to go with. Here are some highlights from the first stop: BOSTON!

Boston, Pt 1 - slideshow maker with music

A little commentary- we started with the Granary Cemetary, the Old South Meeting house where the Boston Massacre took place, then hit the USS Constitution, and Fenway Park from a distance (we tried to go to the game, but it didn't work out, boo). It was crazy cold (60 ha ha) so the kids bought a lot of warm clothes and were good sports in posing for crazy pics. We saw the North Square, full of original cobblestones that acted as ballast as the Pilgrims and such travelled to the New World, and where Paul Revere's silver smithing shop is. Then his statue and the Old North Church, and the window the lantern hanger jumped out to escape being captured by the British soldiers. Bunker Hill monument, with its 294 feet to the top, but a great view! Battle green for Lexington and Concord's minutemen, the Shot Heard Round the World down to the Old North bridge, where the British were turned back.

Kai Turns 1!

2011-05-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast one year can go! Already my little baby is one. We had a simple party at the park today, and although it was windy, we all had a great time with watermelon, pizza, cake, and slides, slides, slides. He took a bit of a nap right in the middle, so we had to wait a bit to do the cake and presents, but all turned out just great. He wasn't hesitant at all to get his hands or face dirty (Kaeden still refuses to eat cake with his hands, has to be with a fork!).

Kai's favorite things as a 1-year-old:

1. Slides! Always climbing the one here at the house and whenever we are at the park, that's all he wants to do.

2. Balls. Any kind, he pushes them around on the floor, scooting after. He's also learning how to play catch.

3. Butt-scooting. Although we are working on him walking, crawling was not on his list, he just butt-scoots around.

4. The bath. Both my boys come running (scooting in his case) when that water turns on.

5. Milk. He transitioned from formula as fast as Kaeden did and loves that sippy cup better than real food.

6. Pretzels. He is a very picky eater, but goes for that bag faster than you can blink!

7. Grapes. Both my boys are big fruit eaters, but Kai is picky, snubbing peaches and pears for the grapes every time.

8. Books. He loves to flip the pages and feel the textures of the baby books. He will sit very well in my lap and listen to me read to Kaeden at night.

9. Cuddling. He is my snuggle baby! Always wants to be held by me, or sitting on my lap. He does NOT handle anyone else being in my lap well at all.

10. Pots and pans. He loves to take the lids in is hands and scoot along the floor, or bang them together.

11. Kaeden. Nothing makes Kai laugh faster than watching Kaeden do anything. He bounces up and down and just giggles whenever Kaeden comes running by or sliding by or swinging by or...

12. Peek-a-boo. Whenever his face is covered or you pop up from somewhere, he just giggles and giggles.

Kai James, we are so happy to have you in the family! Thanks for making us smile! Love you baby!

Spring Break Update

2011-04-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

Was a chaperone for a school trip to the historical sites on the East Coast for break. Pictures to follow...

Peru Hats

2011-04-04T17:18:00.001-07:00

My dad took his spanish students down to Peru this year, and he managed to bring back some awesome stuff for the grandsons!

He also got me a headband and awesomely big bag. Nice job grandpa!!

Growing boys

2011-03-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

They get so big so fast!

Kai is getting 6 teeth at once! You'd never know it, he is really happy and only gets fussy about eating solid foods if it isn't cold. Otherwise, we catch a glimpse of those pearly whites when he smiles really big.

Kaeden loves to mimic - dancing, talking, singing, and anything he sees on tv. When the bugs in 'Bugs Life' run, he runs. When George in 'Curious George' sleeps, Kaeden climbs under the covers on the couch. He particularly loves when George immitates the animals, which is what he is mimicking in the video below.

Both boys love to play outside, and with the weather warming up, it's great to be able to just open the door and let them go. Kaeden is particularly daring in his sliding, and Kai is fearless on it too. When we go to the park, Kai practically climbs out of my lap if I don't sit down fast enough to take him! He also loves the wind blowing in his face, and will sit in front of the fan on purpose to get it to blow on him. (I think Tok may have been giving him pointers on the finer things in life :-) )

Tub time

2011-02-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for big sinks!

Some of our favorite things

2011-02-19T14:30:00.004-08:00

As the boys get older, it's fun to be able to actually play with them. Kaeden got a couple games for Christmas and just about flips his lid when we pull them out to play. Don't Break the Ice and Hungry Hippos are his favorites. I laugh at Hungry Hippos - most kids love the loud noise and banging heads. Not my son, he'd rather play the quiet version, him putting the balls in over and over. Forget those stupid heads, they don't eat them fast enough! He also is a kid who sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating very hard - watch for it :-)

He also loves to play with blocks. Basic stacking is all he is interested in, but he's getting better and better at it.

Kai is such a sweetheart. He's my little cling-on, always wanting to be with me when he sees me. This is detrimental to our learning to crawl, as he would rather be held and watch the world. He does a little butt-scoot instead, and is pretty quick with it, but no actual commitment to crawling yet.

2011-02-19T14:30:00.003-08:00

2011-02-19T14:30:00.002-08:00

2011-02-19T14:30:00.001-08:00

2011-02-19T14:30:00.000-08:00

A Day in the Life...

2011-02-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

Kids grow so fast! Already Kai is 8 months old, and such a happy little guy. He's an observant little kid, always watching his older brother, laughing at everything Kaeden does (unless it's bonking Kai on the head) and trying to be mobile, although it's not quite there yet. He's very much into exploring the house as best he can...

Kaeden has always loved to help with Kai as much as possible. Bringing bottles, throwing away diapers, bringing blankets or toys. Now he's transitioning into playing with Kai himself, which is fun to watch.

Winter Catch-up

2011-01-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

So it's been forever since I last blogged, but a lot has been happening! First of all, Christmas - this year we drove up to Montana for a visit with my family. We split the drive up into 2 days. First day we drove to Brigham City, then spent the night with my girlfriend from college, Jessica Pooley. This was an awesome stop - got to see her, got to eat at Old Grist Mill (best sandwich shop ever) and Kaeden got to play in the snow for the first time in his life (sad, I know). I was scared that he'd hate it, but he LOVED it! Laughed whenever Kevin dropped snow on his head, and was all about eating it!

Here are some pics from Brigham...

The second day of our trip we drove from Brigham to my parents in Montana. The boys were troopers this whole time, and I was nervous they would be ornery. This was the longest trip we had ever driven before. Kai was actually really awesome considering he was strapped down, which he hates, and had an ear infection. Kaeden was also a gem cuz my good friend Emily let us borrow her portable dvd player. Aside from watching Buzz Lightyear 90 billion times, the whole drive went really well!

It was a ton of fun to be back in the Rockies, and with my family, too. Both Taury and Tieg were able to make it up for the holiday. That's the first time in 3 years we've all been together! Mom had tons of fun stuff planned: decorating cookies, a Loser's Club party, playing outside, and playing inside. Kaeden, of course, wanted to play anything that has a ball, and Grandma was a great sport, letting him throw balls in the house, play on her saddle, and generally make a great 2-year-old mess of things! (I think she loved every minute of it, too). Kaeden also had a blast playing with his Uncles. Taury would throw the football with him, play swords with him, and Tieg would wrestle and play ball, too.

And of course, we had to play outside in the snow. Kaeden loved to be pulled on the sled to go see the "moo" every day, and loved to help Grandpa clear the driveway of snow. He's such a good little helper!

Kai was also a little cutie. He has grown so much in the last few months, and was way bigger this time around, my folks hadn't seen him since he was born. As the highest temp the entire time we were there was 18 (ouch!) and we didn't have much in the way of warm clothes (Las Vegas, baby!) Mom broke out his Christmas clothes a little early so we could keep him warm. His little cowboy boots are the best!

Christmas Day was a blast - up and ready to unwrap presents. Everyone got great gifts, and it was awesome to watch Kaeden get into opening and playing with each one.

It was a great trip, and hard to come back to reality after that. But, we must get back to the salt mines!

Kai's Poses

2010-11-16T17:14:00.001-08:00

Can't forget my cute little guy...he's got some great poses too, awake or asleep.

Kaeden's Poses

2010-11-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

With the house in disarray and a 2 year old, nap times are extremely difficult. Kaeden fights having to go down, and without an actual room or crib to put him in, it's hard to get him to stay in one place. Kevin tries hard to set a routine, but Kaeden still struggles. So, I've got a great set of pics of all the weird places we find Kaeden as he has crashed for a nap...

Kaeden's Monsters

2010-11-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

For his birthday my mom sent Kaeden a box. Some clothes, a Bears hat and these cute little monsters to play with in the tub. You can shoot water out of their faces. Kaeden was of course enthralled with them, and I was able to catch it on video.

I was stunned when he started pointing out facial parts - we do it on ourselves, but that's the first time he's done it to his toys, or something besides my face :-) His vocabulary is growing everyday.

I was also stunned by how big Kai is. As I was filming I couldn't help but keep him on screen for a bit, just watching him watch Kaeden. He learns so quickly from Kaeden and the only time he actually laughs (not just a little giggle) is when Kaeden makes faces at him.

And of course we captured Kaeden playing with the monsters in the tub.

Thanks Grandma!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Spooky Day! I was so excited to be able to have Kaeden do so much for this holiday (it's my favorite!). Especially since he was sick and missed his birthday. I knew that he was going to be a football player for awhile, it totally makes sense cuz it's his favorite thing. I found a great little generic jersey and shorts, we had plenty of balls to use, and my mom sent him a box of goodies for his birthday, which included a Chicago Bears hat, so his outfit was complete :-)

Kai was a pumpkin, the hat left over from Kaeden's first Halloween when he was a week old (and it didn't fit his ginormous head, either!) He was obsessed with the pumpkins after we were done carving them, so it was a good choice for him, too. As you can see in the pic, Kaeden's was a football pumpkin, and mine was a kitty. Kevin's still sits on the counter, waiting to be carved...

We had spent a few days practicing 'Trick or Treat,' saying it to me, and I even took him outside to try and practice knocking on the door and saying it, but that turned into a driver's ed lesson...

We went to our ward's Halloween Carnival on Saturday. There were several booths of games, a cake walk, a photographer, and of course tons of food. Kaeden was really into the games, and any game that had a ball he was involved in, usually in the way as he just wanted to throw the ball over and over. The only candy he was interested in was a sucker, so I 'held on' to his candy bars while he chowed down on any sucker he could get his hands on. He tried the cake walk, and was confused by walking in the circle, but was all about getting the cupcake with a sucker on it. I graciously held on to his cupcake for him, too. Kai was a hit with all the young women, and he made the rounds, smiling and giggling with all the girls. He's gonna be a heartbreaker!

After the Carnival we went to the parking lot for a small Trunk or Treat. Kai and I passed out the candy while Kevin took Kaeden around. I think it scared him a little, all those bigger kids running around, but he got a decent basket of candy.

Sunday I wanted to take him around the neighborhood, Trick or Treating for real. We went through the day without a nap however, so we only made it down the block 4 houses and he had conked out. Kai was still up, and as they were strapped into the strollers, we walked around the block, visited a few friends houses to say hi, then came home and went to bed.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kaeden!

2010-10-23T14:05:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that my little boy is 2! It's been such a fast two years, and he has grown so much. I'll never forget the excitement of going to the hospital, awaiting the arrival of my little baby boy, of seeing his little face peeked over the surgery drape in the delivery room, and holding my much-bigger-than-expected baby in my arms! Always a happy baby, he is now a happy little kid! With big brown eyes and brown curly hair, a great laugh, a huge smile and always ready to help or play, Kaeden we are so happy to have you in our family!

This week was kinda rough - Kaeden got really sick with the croup. Not fun when it's the rainiest week of the year, and your birthday too. We had to cancel his party at the park due to the rain and his illness, so we just had a little party here at home. Kaylee Thorne made his cake, and we just had a few gifts to play with this morning.

The golf clubs were the hit of the day. He didn't even want to put on his clothes, just go outside in his pajamas to play. Since it was his 'party' we let him, and he was out there a good hour and a half, whacking away at the golf balls!

He also got his first pair of real tennis shoes, not sandals. He LOVES them! Every morning when he wakes up he has to put them on. He lifts his knees higher when he runs with them on, which always makes me laugh.

We also took away his paci, which didn't go so well last night before bed, but during the day he seems to be okay without. He asks for it occasionally, but it's mostly just the comfort of it at night that he misses the most. (It actually went a ton better than I thought to take it away, that thing was a must in his comfort-kit!) He got his 2 year check up at the doctor, and besides his croup is just fine. He weighs 31 lbs, is 35 inches tall and has a huge dome at 50 cm around! He got all his shots, and now we are looking at coming back for his school shots (which I still can't imagine my little man in school yet!)

Kai also got his check up, and is 15 lbs, 25 inches long, and 42 cm around his head. He is also very healthy and happy. He didn't take to the shots too well, getting a fever and sick in the middle of the night (right on me, by the way. Thanks so much!) and blew out several diapers (again on me, double thanks!) so he's still a bit cranky. He was very into watching Kaeden play with the golf clubs this morning, and loves to watch Kaeden do anything.

Kaeden loves to play with Kai, or help change his diaper or feed him. We are trying to start rice cereal again, which still isn't going well, but Kaeden is a big help, making Kai laugh so I can get the spoon in. They love to make faces at each other, which is a kick to watch.

October is...

2010-10-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Finally a good weather month! It's getting so that you can actually set foot outside during daylight hours and not melt in 5 seconds! That means more trips to the park, my boys favorite thing (and mine too!).

This last week we went several times, either just our family or with other. Nothing beats letting the kids run themselves ragged for the evening!

Kaeden is a ball-crazy kid. He points them out everywhere, stops dead when he sees them on tv, will look through any book that has them for ever, and will even try and imitate the football games on tv. It was so great to run around the park with him and his soccer ball.

This was Kai's first contact with grass. Not as dramatic as Kaeden's, who wouldn't put his legs down for anything. Kai is way more laid back, just a 'this is different, whatever' attitude. Makes life very easy!

We did put him in the park swing, which he wasn't too sure about, but after about five minutes, this was all he thought...

Hmm...let's see

2010-09-19T17:46:00.001-07:00

Kaeden is such a great little helper. Usually it's helping me to clean or cook or change 'brother' (as Kai is called) but lately he wants to help Kai as he is playing with more and more toys. It's so funny to hear him talk to Kai as he 'explains' how a toy works. We pulled out the Baby Einstein exer-saucer (because Kai loves to bounce!) and Kaeden had to give directions. His favorite phrase lately is 'hmmm...let's see..." as he makes a choice in something. Can you hear it?

Getting so good at talking!!

With fall comes sports, and our little Kaeden is quite the athletic little guy. He had started to find random items around the house to use as a baseball bat (paper towel roll, bubble wand, etc) so I decided a tee ball set was definately in order. He took to it like a duck to water.

Now when I come home from work he pulls me out back saying, "Side? Ball? Side? Shoes? Pweeese?" How can one say no?!

My Boys

2010-09-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

I love having my two little boys. Kaeden is so much fun to play with, and his talking is getting better all the time. He can imitate almost any phrase you say, and is really good at saying football, ball, sit, side (outside), shoes, milk, juice, brother, hello, e-i-e-i-o, yeah and no. He loves to help with his brother, changing diapers and throwing them away, shaking the bottle to mix it, bringing a toy to play with. Sometimes sharing is not so great, but he is learning to take turns.

Kai is growing so fast! I can't believe he is already four months old. He is smiling all the time, is almost rolling over onto his tummy, loves to reach for and play with toys (hanging above him or keys) and is now starting to 'talk'. His favorite thing is to watch his brother, and he smiles at Kaeden's antics all the time.

I've been trying so hard to nurse this time around, and have been doing okay until I went back to school. I've had to supplement with one formula bottle since Kai was born, but now it's more and more formula and I can't keep up with just a pump at school. Kai is also still up 2-3 times a night, so I decided to start Kai on rice cereal...

After this, I just put it in his bottle. He's only been up once at night now, so we'll see if this continues. Kaeden never changed his sleeping habits with the rice cereal in his bottle, but he also ate a ton more than Kai, so maybe this will help. I know I would appreciate a full night's sleep :-)

Friends and Family

2010-09-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, has time gotten away from me. So much has happened in the last month let's see if I can catch you up...

My good friend Meagan from work had a baby the day before I did (it was fun to be pregnant together at school!) and already has another little boy almost Kaeden's age, Cayson. We were finally able to get together for a playdate and to meet each other's little ones.

Kai and Jameson meet

dominoes!!

Kaeden loves to go to Cayson's house because they have the ballpit.

And he and Cayson get along really well and are good at playing together. However, we did learn that when they are quiet, it's not a good thing :-) They got lotion everywhere and smelled like peaches all day!!

My parents and brother, Taury, came down for a visit and to meet Kai. They stayed at the Palace Station Casino cuz our house is still under construction, so we got to hit the pool everyday, we visited our favorite restaurant Claim Jumper, and saw an impersonationist show on the strip. They also came to church and Taury was able to bless Kai. They stayed a week and it was the best!

I was so happy that they could come down for Kai's blessing and that Taury could preside over it. They missed Kaeden's, so it was very special this time around. Just as I did with Kaeden, I brought the flipcam and recorded from the back of the chapel...

After my family left Kevin's dad, Keith, rolled through town. He was helping Kevin's sister, Lisa, move across country (she's a Marine and moved from San Diego to Virginia). He was nice enough to bring some Alaskan moose and salmon for us, and got to play with the boys, too.

I was very sorry to see everyone leave, we all have so much fun, but it was a great way to end the summer.

Picture Fun

2010-08-08T18:40:00.001-07:00

Random pictures from this week.

With the house all scattered due to our remodeling, the xbox migrated from our bedroom to the living room. As Kevin has been playing, Kaeden naturally took and interest, so he got the old controller to use.

Kaeden's room is one that is torn up, so he and Kevin have been camping out in the livingroom. This makes naptime and bedtime a little more crazy, as we can't just put him down in a seperate room. so he finds the most unlikely places to go to sleep.

As people send gifts for Kai, Kaeden has gotten a few things too. This is a great little outfit from our good friends Matt and Robin. I love the shorts, they're so golfer! ( I also get a kick out of Kaeden's mad face, he hates to smile for the camera at times, and it took a couple minutes just to get him to turn around for this shot, made me chuckle).

Videos

2010-08-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

I've been taking tons of videos of Kaeden, and am just now getting to posting them. I have to laugh, now that I'm editing them for the blog, I've noticed that Kai is sleeping in the swing in the background everytime! Ha ha ha. See if you can catch a glimpse :-)

First video - Kaeden loves our dog Tok, and his latest game is to take the kibble out of his food dish, run somewhere in the house and try to hide them from him, seeing if he finds it. Fortunately, Tok is usually right on his heels and Kaeden never goes far, but it's a different spot each day!

Second video - Kaeden also loves to play with our phones, which is how mine got broken. He gets the broken one to use, and I came out of my room one day to find this...

Think I walk around much while on the phone? :-P

Third video - As every kid does, he loves cookies. So I thought a lesson was in order.

You can't help but love this little guy! He makes everyday things hilarious.

Summer Fun

2010-08-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Oh how our days are filled...our good friend Evan comes over to play in the mornings. We are slowly learning how to share our toys and not hit. Both boys are fun to watch, as Kaeden tries to show how he plays and Evan wanting to check out the differences in toys and houses. The piano is always a big hit.

Evan is almost the same age, so sometimes the tempers flair, but the dog is always a good way to make both boys happy and forget the fight!

Kaeden loves to stir the pots on the stove. He is always dragging a chair over to see what is up there, ready for him to put in motion. I have found I am baking and cooking a lot more, so he can have lots of stir-time. Maybe he's part chef...

Kai is also making new friends. My old college roomie, Danielle, and her two kids were in town not too long ago. She had her second a few weeks back, so we had to share our precious little ones with each other! Her little Nora has the most expressive face, and is always smiling! Here they were paci buddies!

Kai is getting so big! I can't believe he is almost 3 months old already. He is very observant of the world around him, starting to reach out towards toys, smiles at everything, likes to coo at you, and is the squirmiest little thing ever! I think he's gonna be a runner the way he's always kicking those legs out! He is such a good baby, whoever said that if the first is a good one the second won't be, didn't have my genes :-)

Just what the doctor ordered...

2010-07-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

My poor little man has got the worst chest cold, coughing up a storm and running a temp. He has good moments throughout the day, but mostly is just sad he's feeling poorly. I walked into the living room yesterday to see this...

Takes some talent to fall asleep on your feet like that! Poor kid. Because he's so miserable, I'm coming down with it too, and we're all so freaking hot (113 almost everyday!) we've been going through a ton of popsicles. This morning while pulling breakfast out of the cupboard Kaeden grabbed a package of cookie mix, so I figured we'd change the medicine for these colds up a bit by baking a little. (Heck, nothing beats a good chocolate chip cookie!) Yes it was hot, but he had so much fun being my little helper I didn't care. His favorite is stirring all the ingredients, but he also wanted to put them on the sheet...

and as every good chef knows, always sample what you're baking!

Hot baths help him clear the gunk out of his chest, so we took a bath after. Most of the time you wouldn't know it to look at the kid, but he's got my curly hair. It only really shows when his hair is wet...

And with it getting longer, it's quite the head of hair! (Taury, eat your heart out :-) )

Birthdays

2010-07-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, July has truly flown by. As my poor sick son lies crashed out on the couch (fever, chest congestion and new teeth. only the swing will make him happy),

I'm updating what has been happening. After the fourth came Kevin and my birthday's. His is the 10th, mine is the 11th. First we went out for sushi with our good friends Ed and Liz Thomas. I've never had it, and Kevin has only had grocery store stuff, so we were excited to try it. The restaurant had half price that night, so we all ordered something different and shared, going back for what we liked, and ordering others for what we didn't.

I liked anything that wasn't too fishy tasting. I thought I'd have to eat tons of it to get full, but it's actually more filling than you'd think, so it didn't take long for me to get stuffed. Although it's not my favorite, I'd go back if asked.

We kept things simple this year for celebrations, cards and cake. I made Kevin's cake, which Kaeden dug into with me for breakfast.

Kevin got me an ice cream cake (delicious!) so we've been loaded down with cake for a while.

And of course, we hit all the 7-11's in the neighborhood for free slurpees! (That's why my birth date is the best!)

And that's how we entered our 30's. Weird to think I'm 30, that sounds so old, but so far it's been a great three decades :-)

It's Bloody Hot!!

2010-07-07T15:42:00.001-07:00

Summers in Las Vegas are always tough. You'd think that having sun would be fun, but when that sun beats down on you at 105 or more degrees, it's not fun! The wading pool is great, and Kaeden is still having lots of fun, but we've also gotten to go with my friend Liz to a big pool - which is always an adventure for little kids! Kaeden has been twice now, and he has no fear of the water! You put the little floaties on and he just jumps right in! Next summer we'll definately have to do some toddler swim lessons!

We've also had to work on being entertained while indoors. When it gets over 105, it's just too hot to be outside, even in the water. I've been working on getting Kaeden to sit and read, and I thought he wasn't interested until the other day when I came into the living room and found this...

I was ecstatic to see him flipping through on his own. He's still not into going in order, he would rather do random pages and all the books have to have something moving on it (flipbooks) or he doesn't stick around long, but we're working on it! Books with balls seem to be his favorite at the moment.

And Kai has been becoming more aware of his surroundings lately. When he sees movement he tries to follow it with his head, he responds to sounds, turning to see where it came from which is usually Kaeden. He's also really squirmy, finally figured out he doesn't have to keep his limbs tucked cuz he's got room, so he flails about with arms and legs, smiling at everything. I've been trying to get the smile on film and only just succeeded the other day...

So fun to see the personality starting to come out :-) Can't wait to see what else this little guy has in store for us.

Fourth Festivities

2010-07-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is one of my very favorite holidays. The fireworks are always so much fun, and usually there are lots of friends, family and bbq-ing! This year we went to Jamie and Nate Websters' on the 3rd for a swimming/bbq. We had a great time, they had a pool for the kids to play in...

and salmon burgers and turkey burgers on the grill. We all ate our fill, talked and laughed and watched the kids play. Soon enough it was firework time. Since our kids are all under the age of 4 we just got some of the smaller fireworks, pop its and sparklers...

Kaeden and Luke threw some of the pop its, but not quite hard enough to make them pop, so it was mainly us adults (yeah right) who threw them at each other :-) All the kids had a good time playing with each other and toys, and we loved to see them wear themselves out.

The next evening, the 4th, our family gathered out in the backyard, traditional rootbeer and cherries on hand. There were tons of fireworks going off on our street and across the valley. Kaeden was wide eyed, watching intently, saying 'wooow' (very wall-e like) with the really big booms and lights.

The video below is really dark, but Kaeden is a hoot, I love the little gasps he gives whenever a new or loud firework goes off...

Father's Day Fun

2010-06-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day! As we are adding to our family and they are getting older (well, one is anyway) Father's Day becomes more fun. It was a low-key morning, just playing and watching cartoons, then I took the boys and headed to church. This gives Kevin the afternoon to himself...a Father's Day treat!

I was a little nervous about going to church, it was my first time back since Kai was born, but I should have known that it would all go smoothly. There are so many wonderful people in the ward willing to help, and Kaeden feels a part of my good friend Liz's family already, so he just heads right to them! Sacrament meeting went by really fast, and Kaeden was off to nursery, where they made little gifts for their fathers. It was a pocket (jean) full of hugs and kisses for their dads :-)

We came home to get Kevin and do Father's Day gifts. His real gift will be the new iphone, but it doesn't come out until Thursday. About a month ago Kevin dropped his in water, ruining it (so if you've tried to call and no response, sorry!) Normally people get in touch with Kevin through me, but Kaeden broke my phone too (literally, he snapped it in half) so we ran to the store to get a go-phone to replace our cell phones.

Back home, Kaeden gave dad the card...

and his pocket of hugs and kisses...

then the final gift - an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen!

and it wasn't my intention to get the cake to match Kevin's shirt :-)

Kaeden told me his list of favorite things to do with his dad:

- sumo wrestle
- play catch
- swing
- chase around the house
- be flipped around
- play on the computer
- steal dad's seat
- sharing dad's cereal
- helping to put on dad's shoes

Thank you Kevin for being such a great dad! We love you!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day, too.

Too Hot!

2010-06-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

So the last couple days have been ridiculously hot! We are setting records for hitting 110 degrees early in the summer. Kaeden has been wanting to play outside, and I've just not been able to stand the heat, so I went and got a little wading pool. Talk about one of the best things ever! I remember them being the best when I was little, I think they're even better now :-)

Needless to say, Kaeden's schedule is now get up, eat breakfast and watch some cartoons (blueberries and yogurt today),

go and swing before it's too hot, have a popsicle and a nap, change into swimsuit and eat lunch, then go play in the pool all afternoon.

At first he just threw his balls in it, played with the hose, splashed around a little. Then I moved the slide over to end in the pool and he fell in love...

He spent all afternoon going down the slide, giggling his head off. We also snacked while we played...my goofy kid wanted grapes to snack on instead of popsicles.

I think that so long as we've got the pool, this summer is gonna be a good one!

My Days...

2010-06-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

So here it is, 25 days in to being a Mom of 2, and while they are sleeping I am blogging instead of napping myself. But they are such cute kids, I gotta share them!
Here are some pics of Kaeden and Kai from the last month...

Napping together on the couch

Already independent :-)

Always one hand poking out

Trying to figure out this potty thing...

I helped make it in this, I wanna eat out of this...

Gotta be talkin' to all my peeps

Having two has been a lot harder and a lot better than I ever imagined. Hard because I have two that need attention, are demanding, are crying and the diapers...holy cow! (note to self - DO NOT have another kid until the first two are POTTY TRAINED :-) Better because I have two that love to play with me, be held by me, kiss me, need me.

I have run through all emotions imaginable - frustrated and tired at 3 in the morning, 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning :-) like a blob cuz I'm constantly on the couch nursing, like a horrible mother cuz one is crying while the other gets my attention, horribly irritated and upset that Kevin gets to sleep through the night, ashamed that I think that of my husband cuz I know he needs the sleep for work while I can nap the next day, angry cuz my tummy isn't healed yet and stupid things like bending over still give me trouble, dirty cuz my house is dirty since I still can't bend over to pick things up, wonderful cuz Kaeden loves to give me kisses and help with his brother, loved cuz Kaeden and Kai love to cuddle in my lap to go to sleep at night, giddy cuz Kevin calls me when he gets bored at work and gives long hugs when he finally gets to come home at the end of the day, grateful to all my friends who help by having Kaeden over to play, happy when Kaeden pulls me by my pointer finger out to the swing so I can push him, blessed when I look at all my boys together and see how happy we are, no matter what the house looks like or that I've not showered in 2 days.

Okay, long paragraph, but that's the gist of this last month. It has been hard, but now that I'm getting used to new schedules and catching up on sleep it's starting to be fun. I'm so glad I've got such great boys.

Kai James Christenson

2010-05-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I are pleased to announce that our newest son, Kai, is here!

Home, healthy and happy, as are we. He was born Tuesday May 11 at 7:57 am, 7 lbs 11 ounces (a full pound lighter than Kaeden!) and was 20 inches long. We were in good hands at the hospital until Saturday morning, and then came home for the next 18 years :-)

The delivery went well, I recovered more slowly this time, and find it difficult not to be able to pick up Kaeden for the time being, but all in all we're great. Kaeden had no trouble adapting to having a new little brother, he is quite the little helper.

He always lets us know when Kai is crying, runs to him and pats his belly until he stops, or tries to give him a paci or a toy to make him happy.

He likes to help with diaper changing and feeding whenever possible.

I think he is gonna be a great big brother, and am happy to have a little brother for him to eventually rough house with :-)

Kevin's mom is in town to help us out. Kevin had a couple days off while I was in the hospital, but returned to work today, so it's nice to have her around, doing all the heavy lifting (literally!) I'm happy to sit back and watch Kaeden, hold Kai and just enjoy loving my family of boys :-)

Day Before Brother Comes...

2010-05-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but the time has come for us to be a family of four! Today was my first day of maternity leave, meaning I had to get all my last minute items crossed off my list and spend some quality time with Kaeden. Most of the list went out the window as I just enjoyed playing with my firstborn. He is such a happy little boy, so energetic and ready to laugh. We are truly blessed to have him in our family and as our first go-round with parenting, he has spoiled us. I hope this next one is as nice to us :-)

In preparation for me not being able to spend as much one-on-one time with Kaeden, and because he loves to be outside so much, we bought him a little playset. He loves it! The first day it was set up he didn't want to go to bed, he just cried and cried when we had to come in for the night. He loves the slide and to have something to climb around on. We also got a swing, but have yet to hang it - it's a few feet short of our beam in the front porch, so Kevin will have to get some rope and a hook, but once that swing is up, we'll never get him to come inside!

I can't wait to have two little boys - I hope everything goes well tomorrow. We'll get pics up as soon as I am home and able to get on the computer again (give me a week!

SUMO!!

2010-05-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

I may have the sumo belly, but it's my boys who have got the sumo moves!!

When you can't...

2010-04-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

When you can't fit in the high chair, you graduate to the big-boy-booster! (Thanks Grandma Christenson!)

When you can't find the right toy, just jump in and enjoy them all!!

Spring Break

2010-04-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break this year my folks came down to help us work on the house. We've slowly been redoing it (mostly just the tearing down part). My grandparents from Phoenix couldn't miss the opportunity to come and visit with everyone, so we had a full house :-)

Family who couldn't come wanted to see the latest in Kai's development, so here ya go...

Mom and Dad slept in Kaeden's room, and our room was full of boxes, so Kevin and Kaeden got to bunk together in the living room...

The best part about having my mom and grandma here is the cooking! They always bring food with them and cook up a storm while here, so we ate like kings.

Kaeden was great at helping everyone get their fill...

We also got to meet up with my dad's sister, Shanne, and her daughter Mandy, who were in town for Spring Break. They came to dinner with us at Claim Jumper.

So many choices on the menu! Everyone got a little something, and dug in. I had to get my Motherlode sandwich again - the thing is 8 inches tall!! I had sandwiches for several days afterward :-) From fish to pasta, ribs to pot pie, everyone was stuffed with delicious food. I think the company was better than the food, but we still thoroughly enjoyed everything, as you can tell from our faces (Mom and I are cut from the same mold I think, ha ha) They had not been before, and it was such a great menu we'll definately be coming back next time!

Mom and Grandma were also able to come to my babyshower. They were thrilled to meet some of the great friends I've got here in Vegas, as well as put names to faces as I talk about them all the time. It was an open house shower, so no games just lots of great food and friends who could make it on break. We also did a little baby shopping of our own, getting some bedding and accessories for the new little one.

My Grandparents left Saturday, but Mom and Dad stuck around, helping clean the yard up and get some things done around the house...

Kaeden was always in the thick of things, wanting to help any way he could.

Unfortunately, that also meant he took a tumble and bonked his head big time...what a goose-egg he got from the concrete!

but it didn't keep him down for more than five minutes, he was running around like crazy, happy to be outside and helping.

Mom and Dad were happy to be here, helping and playing with Kaeden. We were sad to see them go. I've got video of them all playing, but seeing as how this post it a book, I'll post the video next time!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

2010-03-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

I always call Kaeden my little hobbit, but lately he's been like a little Snow White dwarf, always wanting to help me. Pics are blurry cuz he moves a lot, but you get the idea.

Teething

2010-03-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

We think Kaeden has begun the next stage of teething, he's been so drooly and crabby lately. Then, yesterday he started to run a temperature, 101+ and he had a tough time sleeping, he'd get so hot. Kevin was so great, getting up with him. Kaeden is obsessed with sleeping on the couch, usually curled up around a pillow. Kevin was up with him for an hour or two last night, just holding him and waiting for him to fall back asleep. Normally I'd be the one up (still in that wake-up-whenever-I-hear-him-make-a-noise stage) but being up early for work and pregnant, I can't do it so much. When I came home from work today, this is how I found my beloved boys...

So cute! Just hope Kaeden cuts this tooth fast and gets back to his usual happy-go-lucky self (and I'm sure Kevin would appreciate a full nights sleep again - they are getting numbered!)

Independence

2010-03-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Kaeden has been a riot these past few weeks. He is very into copying Kevin and myself lately, as well as helping and doing things himself. Sigh...he's growing up :-) Favorite things: cleaning, cooking, feeding himself, building and knocking over blocks. He's really funny.

Whenever I cook he needs a spoon and pot of his own to stir. He sits on the floor making all sorts of noise while I get dinner ready. If I bake he needs his own oven mitts, but is very good about not getting in the way when the oven opens (one burnt finger was all it took to cure him of that curiosity!).

When I clean, he also follows me around, imitating what I do. When I dust, he needs his own 'duster' and he goes back over the piano or the tv or shelves like I do, although we also need to stop a game of 'hi-ya' from breaking out (that's swords for those of you who don't speak Kaeden). The only thing he doesn't like is the vacuum - he runs to the couch and puts his fingers over his ears until I'm done. Lately he's been trying to pull the cord out of the outlet if he thinks I take too long...gotta watch him!

Feeding himself has been fun to watch. The video is below...at first he just wanted to play with the spoon, but his aim is getting better and better!

Kaeden also loves to play with shoes. He's getting good at putting mine on my feet and tries very hard to put his own on, but the angles are a little rough still. He is quite the shoe thief, you leave yours on the floor, he'll end up walking around in them...

Today he started giving kisses...he purses his lips and leans forward, making the 'mmmm-wah' sound as he hits your cheeks or lips. He'll do this multiple times, pausing in between for you to lean forward and kiss him back. He laughs and laughs during the whole thing...totally makes my day!

grrr...

2010-02-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, if you are having trouble seeing the videos below, I have them posted on my facebook page as well. Sorry, I don't know what the trouble is...

Swing King

2010-02-21T11:29:00.001-08:00

Kaeden's absolute favorite part of going to the park is the swing. The moment we get there, he beelines straight for it, and we'll spend about half our time just swinging. He loves it! I hope you don't get sick watching the back and forth...but his face is priceless, smiling the whole time! My favorite is when he throws his head back...if only we could all reach that childhood abandonment to the moment more often :-)

H2O Fun

2010-02-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

Kaeden's latest obsession is drinking out of 'big kid' cups - he is constantly trying to get at our glasses or water bottles instead of his sippy cup. Whether he'll actually drink the mouthful he gets varies, sometimes yes and sometimes no. This video starts out with a good drink, then goes downhill...

Thank goodness we've got easy-clean floors! :-)

At last, the weekend

2010-02-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

What a busy time February has been! We've been homebound quite a bit due to all the crazy rainstorms blowing through. Trips to the park and just playing outside were put on hold until all the wet and cold went away. School has been nuts because my students have hit the 3rd quarter slump and I'm struggling to get them to work for me at all, let alone pass a quiz or test. I'm pretty outlandish in the classroom anyway, but lately it's been quite the song and dance to get them to pay attention...which is just depressing because then they fail the tests and it doesn't feel worth all the effort.

However, besides work, life is great. Kaeden is just a joy to watch and play with. We went to the young women's salsa sale tonight, raising money for girls camp, and he just loved to run and run and run with all the big boys. He ate tons of chips and black olives, and konked out nicely on the trip home. It was the first time I could sit and let him run around, coming back for another handful of chips or when he got a little disoriented, then take off again. I got to finish a whole meal :-) My belly is growing nicely, and Kai is a kicker like his brother was. I'm headed in to the third trimeseter, and can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. We'll have a second little one running around in no time!

Kevin has finally been successful in the job search. He's going to accept an offer from a pest control company, and as soon as he finishes the pesticide tests he'll start. It's a daytime position though, so we have to find daycare for Kaeden. I have had a tough time adjusting to this line of thought, having someone else raise my child (and perhaps children if it's still needed in the fall) is difficult to come to terms with. And being the stay at home mom while they are little like this is my dream, hard to part with the dream. But if it must be done, then it must be done, and we've been very lucky to know great people through my ward who are willing to help. We've still got a week or two before Kevin officially starts the job, so we'll see how it all plays out.

Hope everyone enjoys the V-day and 3-day weekend.

Catching up

2010-01-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, time has flown by this month! Kaeden has been so much fun to watch, he's had a big month. He's now 15 months, 26 pounds and 32 inches. He's gotten his molars (that was a yucky week!) discovered he loves cucumbers and tomatoes, still doesn't like pizza and has learned to drink out of a sippy cup.

He loves to slide at the park, climb on any chair and will steal yours as soon as you leave it! Skyping is his favorite thing to do on the computer, and throwing my pots and pans over the baby gate into the laundry room is his favorite game. Below is the video of him and his climbing skills as they started and grew over the last three weeks...

In the meantime life continues to roll on. Kevin gets called into his old job occassionally, but is still searching for a new job overall. I am doing well with my students, gearing up for CRT testing next month (that's the No Child Left Behind test we are held accountable for). This pregnancy is going well, he's active at night when I finally sit down, and I'm hungrier than last time, but that's probably due to the toddler I chase around all day :-) Otherwise, just counting down until May and the due date, when life really gets crazy!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

What a great holiday! Nothing better than to be able to spend some time with family at home for 2 weeks! Although it's not a white Christmas, it's definitely cold this year. It's interesting to watch Kaeden's reaction to everything. He's thoroughly enjoyed all the candy and food we've gotten, loves to take walks and look at all the lights on the houses. The presents, he doesn't get so much other than to play with the packaging and the gifts themselves...

Thank you to everyone who sent cards and packages, we have loved them all! And we are happy to share the latest news, Kaeden's going to have a little brother! If anyone's got name suggestions to go with 'Kaeden' we're taking them! :-)

Happy Holidays to everyone, we love you!

Ward Christmas Party

2009-12-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our ward Christmas Party, and it was totally Vegas! We had prime rib with all the fixin's :-) It was fabulous! Kevin was called in to work, so he wasn't able to come, but Kaeden and I did our part to eat his share. The stage was decorated to look like a family room and family pics were taken, the buffet line was totally perfect for our city, and the socializing was great. Kaeden had a few bites of turkey and some mashed potatoes, but he was more interested in watching the other kids run around than anything.

The best part of the night was Santa! All the kids rushed the stage to get to him, and then the adults let the little, little ones go first. I threw Kaeden up there to see what would happen...he's never done Santa before. Below is the video, his face is priceless :-)

He was such a trooper, never actually crying like some kids do, but it might take a year or two before he's happy on that red lap. We came home tired and full, and Kaeden crashed shortly after getting his pj's on, and I had to watch the video and upload for everyone to see before bed for me and baby #2.

Turkey Day Festivities!

2009-12-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful weekend! Not only did I get some time off from work (wahoo!) but we drove down to Phoenix to spend the holiday with my family down there. My grandparents hadn't seen Kaeden since he was born, and my Aunt and Uncle and their families hadn't seen him at all. My Mom and Dad also flew down, and Tieg drove over from 29 Palms as a surprise. It was awesome!

I was nervous that Kaeden wouldn't travel well, we drove down and it was the longest he's been in the car seat, but he did great. Everyone was so excited to meet him, and after about 20 minutes he discovered all the new toys and the fountain to play in, so he was great. In fact, he played and played the whole weekend, wearing himself out every day. The food was great, as always, and it was so nice to catch up with the family. My Aunt Tami turned 50 while we were there, so we threw a surprise party for her. She was planning on being in Hawaii for her 50th, but the plans fell through, so we brought Hawaii to her. We set up my grandma's house to be a big luau and, knowing us, had a whole slew of entertainment for the evening. Below is the highlight video...

Tami was totally surprised and loved the whole thing. We were so happy to provide it for her. We were also happy to announce to everyone that we are expecting our 2nd child in May! If this next one turns out anything like Kaeden, what a lucky family we will be!

We did a little Black Friday shopping at Bass Pro Shop, played a few games and ate and ate and ate. By Sunday we had to pack up and head back to Las Vegas, but we all had such a good time. Hope everyone else had such a happy and fun-filled turkey day, too!

Still alive

2009-11-17T19:38:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know we're still around. Just been busy gearing up for a visit to my Grandparents in Arizona for the holidays. Nothing too special happening. But we'll definetly post for Turkey Day!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that Kaeden was only 2 weeks old this time last year! He slept through the trunk or treat then, he walked around and around and around it this year! Last year he was a pumpkin, this year he was the Incredible Hulk! He didn't mind the costume, but DID NOT like the little hat that went with it. He also liked to carry his little candy basket around, thanks Grandma Great!

We went to our church trunk or treat tonight. There was a chili dinner, games for the kids and then we decorated our trunks and passed out tons of candy. Kaeden actually had a great time...playing with all the rocks :-) He wasn't much interested in the costumes or games, he just wanted to throw rocks all night. He also like to run around the light generator and yell at it, cuz it was making so much noise.

I was super excited to decorate the truck - my brother Tieg left his while he flew to Montana to go hunting, so we had the big black monster truck to use! My good friend Liz and I both put together our pumpkins and some cobwebs, and grabbed some of the old boots Tieg had left in the back to use as decorations and called it good. Actually, I think it turned out pretty good...

Kevin, being the oh-so-festive-loving-one of us was the candy passer-outer while Kaeden and I took our little basket around and trunk or treated. He actually walked most of it, then got a little whiny so I carried him. He was awfully content after that, and I was so into getting candy I didn't notice why for a bit...then I noticed he was slobbering everywhere, and found he had snagged a tootsie pop from the basket and was sucking on it to his hearts content. (Yes, I let my 1 year old eat candy, I'm a bad mom :-) )

By the time all the candy was handed out, we were all ready to go home. We posed for family Halloween pics...

then it was off to give Kaeden a bath to get the sucker out of his hair and off to bed. Hope everyone else had a Happy Halloween, too!

Nevada Day

2009-10-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

On October 31st, 1849 Nevada officially became a state. It occurred during the Civil War, and President Lincoln offered it to us because he needed more Union states to fight the Confederates. Anyhow, because of this, the Friday before Halloween is considered a state holiday and we get off from school - wahoo!

This Nevada Day, we carved our Halloween pumpkins. They rot really fast down here due to the heat, so I usually wait until a day or two out from the holiday before we carve. We bought 3 pumpkins, and as Kaeden supervised from his new fort, we carved out some pretty good faces this year...

There weren't a lot of seeds for the pumpkins, which was a bummer, but what I did get got roasted and I'm snacking on now :-)

Today, we're gearing up for trick or treating tonight. Got our costumes all set, and we'll get the pics up as soon as possible...

Kaeden's 1st Birthday

2009-10-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

What a week! Kaeden's first birthday was this last Wednesday. He went to the doctor for his shots and measurements - he weighs 23+ pounds and is 30 1/2 inches long. He's healthy as a horse and very happy. We celebrated his birthday today at the park. I invited all his little buddies and families from church and my school to come and eat pizza and cake at the park. It was beautiful weather - 78 degrees - and the park was nearly empty, so we had a great time! Kaeden particularily liked going down the slide, and there were plenty of little buddies to slide with him. Below are a bunch of movies that I took while we were there...

Because Wednesday was his offical birthday, and because I just couldn't wait, we opened one present early. Kaeden loves to pound on things, so when I found that wooden tool bench with the dowels and hammer, I couldn't resist. He loved it! In fact, if either Kevin or I tried to play with it, he got very mad - he didn't want to share for the first time ever! The video below shows his tool bench, plus him opening the presents at the park today. He loved tearing the paper off! I think it's funny how all the other kids wanted to help him, and were so mad that Kevin got to help and they couldn't.

This last video is of everyone singing to Kaeden and him trying his cake. He loved the cookies I had given him earlier, and I didn't doubt that he'd like the cake. What I didn't figure on was how tentative he would be at first. Plus, all the other kids wanted him to just dive in, so he got distracted. I think it's hilarious how he pokes at it with his finger. But the cake he did get on his hands he played with for the next ten minutes...

All in all it was a great 1st birthday party. We sent all the kiddies home with great sugar-highs and brought our own goodies home. Kaeden immediately went around playing with each of his toys til he passed out. Kevin followed shortly after, blissfully snoring on the couch. Now, off to nap-time for me!!

Gearing up?

2009-10-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Got a box of kitchen stuff from Kevin's brother, who is moving and downsized, so I was going through it and Kaeden loves to play with the packing paper inside. After a little bit, I came to see what he was up to with it, and this is what I found...gearing up for his birthday perhaps? :-)

Weekend

2009-09-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

I love the weekend...just wish it would come more often! Kaeden makes being home very fun. Friday night he had a hard time napping in the afternoon, he just wanted to walk around and play. By 7 pm he was a zombie, but trying so hard to stay awake. Finally he crashed out on the couch...

Saturday was UFC fight night, so we headed over to Lewis' aka Ballpit House! Kaeden had so much fun, again, in the ballpit but also following his good buddy Cayson around and eating crackers. Interesting note...he doesn't like pizza :-(

Aha Moment...

2009-09-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

Why my students are so wacky -

Scenario #1
Classroom conversation:

In science class, there is a human skull on display.

Students ask about, teacher tells how it is a real skull from the ill-fated Donner Party who almost perished in the mountains. Only survivors resorted to cannibalism to do so. Students grossed out, topic dropped.

Parent phone call:

Mother calls absolutely livid -

"My son tells me that the skull of Jeffery Dahmer is in your science class!! Do you know that human spirits live in the skull after death and his evil spirit will possess the students?! GET RID OF THE SKULL!!"

Teacher tries to explain it's a DONNER skull not DAHMER to no avail.

Scenario #2
Classroom conversation:

Mayan calendar is on display.

Students ask about, teacher explains how the Mayans were great mathematicians and calendar was very accurate. So mathematical that they also calculated that the end of the world would happen in 2012. Students laugh about Armageddon-like end of world, topic dropped.

Parent phone call:

Mother calls absolutely livid -

"My daughter told me that her history teacher is telling them the end of the world is coming in 2012 and how they need to commit suicide. WHY ARE YOU TEACHING SUICIDE?"

Teacher makes mental note - NO MORE ITEMS ON DISPLAY!!

Kruisin Kaeden

2009-09-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

For the past several weeks, Kaeden has been getting more and more comfortable walking on his own. Kevin and I will practice with him, sending him back and forth between us, but usually he get tired quickly. He's more interested in getting somewhere crawling or hanging on to the furniture, although he hardly needs it.

Yesterday, we all went to a dinner with some other families in our ward that have kids all about the same age. There were four families altogether, and the oldest 2 kids were 4 years old. Throughout the night all our kids were really good at playing with each other, and we were so happy to see this. Then the 4 year olds started racing from one room to the next. As they were good at running around the younger kids, we adults didn't mind much. Kaeden got a huge kick out of watching the races, he thought they were so funny. Then he tried to join in...it was hilarious to watch him, huge grin on his face, trying to toddle as fast as he could after the older kids. I was amazed to see him let go of all furniture, both hands up in the air for balance, toddling away. I was a complete bonehead and forgot to grab the camera for this dinner, but I got some video of Kaeden today here at home...I can't believe my baby is now a toddler!! :-)

Labor Day Doings

2009-09-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend - to be able to have all 3 of us together and just relax. Most of it I slept through, but today we wanted to take a family trip. We haven't done many car trips with Kaeden, so we thought it would be fun to head down to Hoover Dam, maybe farther into Arizona to Kingman, spend the day touring around. Didn't quite turn out according to play, though.

One thing about Hoover Dam - it's the only way into Arizona until the big bridge project is finished, so traffic can be horrendous. Today we were hoping most people wouldn't be there, but we were wrong. Besides the 30 minutes it takes to drive there, we found a 45 minute wait to get to the dam, let alone find a parking space and walk the dam, so we turned around.

We pulled over in Boulder City at the A & W for a rootbeer float instead

then headed to the park to cool off and have our family day. It was only 90 out so in the shade it was nice to sit and play. Kaeden sill doesn't like to be on the grass much

but once he found he could climb Mount Daddy, he enjoyed the park, too.

Ahhh...the joys of summer

2009-09-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of living in Las Vegas is all the pools! Tons of people we know have them in their yards (I wish we did!!). This last Tuesday our neighbor girl was having a back-to-school-pool-party, and we were invited. Kaeden LOVES to splash in the water. This neighbor is one of his sitters, and they sit him on the top step and he laughs and splashes to his hearts' content. We went to the party, and got to video him enjoying the water.

Socializing

2009-08-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Going back to school was difficult this year, as I had all summer with Kaeden and didn't want to leave him. However, I've lucked out and had the best sitters volunteer to take him, and Kaeden has loved every minute. He's been making friends left and right. Today at church he saw the Thomas', who have 4 little kids all under five years of age and he just loves. When he saw them he was so excited and crawled right over to play. He also saw his good buddy Luke (Nate & Jaime's son) and wanted to play with him, too. I get the biggest kick out of how excited he is when he sees his friends, and we're making more as we go. As Kaeden and Luke were playing at church today, another baby crawled over to play, too. We've already started setting up playdates so the boys can play and play.

Last night we were invited to watch the UFC fight at yet another friends' house. Cayson is 3 months older than Kaeden and just had his birthday party, and one of his gifts was a miniature ball pit. It was the hit of the night with the boys! Cayson likes to climb all around and jump into the pit, Kaeden was content to just surround himself with the balls and chew or throw. It was hilarious to see him lay down on his back, arms and legs sprawled, and close his eyes with the biggest grin on his face!! Below is the video of them playing...

GO BEARS!!

2009-08-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hooray for football season! We're getting Kaeden started good and young (sorry to Kevin and his Vikings!)

Split the uprights!!

Practicing our dive into the endzone.

End of Summer

2009-08-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

Sigh...the only way to know that the summer has been a good one is by how fast it has gone by, and this one flew! It was so nice to be able to stay home with Kaeden, to visit my folks in Montana and just have family time all around. Now that school is starting again, I thought I'd post some favorite pics from the summer and some recent ones of Kaeden playing...

I love this pic, if you look closely, you can see his two top teeth and four bottoms! A rare sighting to see all six.

Curly Top

2009-08-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Okay,so maybe I have a bit too much time on my hands, but Kaeden and I have been playing this evening and we had some girly-hair-time. You all know that I've got naturally curly hair (thanks mom!!) and Kaeden got the hair, too. Usually I brush it strait after a bath, but when he's hot the back curls right up. I got curious, and pulled out my mousse and gel, and this is what we got...

Sunday Best

2009-08-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Normally I go through Kaeden's closet on a regular basis, keeping his clothing sizes up to date. Over the summer, however, I've been letting him crawl around in just a diaper, and so my clothes-awareness has been a little lax. As today was Sunday, I was excited to be able to dress him in a cute argile sweater outfit, only to put it on and discover I'd waited too long. He could wear it today, but after that I'd have to pack it...sniff...so Kevin pulled out the camera and snapped some picks, so we could share the limited-time cuteness with everyone.

I just noticed that with the brown of his pants and the brown of the wall, and the large lapels (cuz I couldn't button the shirt all the way up, it was too small) he totally looks like he was born in the 70's! Now I have to pull out pics of Kevin going to church as a baby and see how it matches!!

Beautiful Day

2009-08-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking of doing a little gardening ever since I saw mom's flowers on our Montana trip, and today was the day! Went to Home Depot, got some flowers that do well in the desert heat and spent the afternoon turning dirt and planting. It's no Bellagio Conservatory, but it's a little something to make the front of my house look nice. And today was a little cooler, so Kaeden and I sat out on the front stoop afterwards and watched the cars drive by, he with paci in hand and me with otter pop. What a good day!!

Montana 09

2009-07-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

It's been quite the 10 ten days! Grandma and Grandpa Gibbs have been enjoying the company of their little grandson Kaeden, although it's been a rollercoaster. Kaeden started teething right before we got here, and we've been swimming in orajel ever since we landed, but they have taken it all in stride.

Grandma gave Kaeden full access to her tupperware cupboard, and he banged his way through her bowls. She would sit in the living room, building up a bowl tower and Kaeden would knock it all down with a huge grin. Grandpa would take Kaeden out to help 'supervise' fixing little things or driving in the Ranger. Kaeden became his little shadow, zeroing in on Grandpa whenever he spoke or walked in the room. Grandpa's is the only lap that Kaeden will sit still on for an extended period of time and the best at walking him to sleep come naptime.

Grandma and I would go to the Metcalf Reserve for evening walks, and got to see all the wildlife. It's just not a trip to MT withough a deer bounding across the path. We also had a heck of a thunderstorm that helped to cool things down. The lightning was striking right overhead, but Kaeden wasn't frightened, he just watched as the light flashed and the rain thundered down. It was great after all the non-rain of Vegas!

I always knew Kaeden was a truck-boy, he loves to watch them drive by at home, but here I'd put him in the back of Taury's truck and he loved to walk around the edge, watching whatever he could and be totally happy. Best playpen there is - watch out Taury, I think he's ready to take over! :-)

We got Kaeden all dolled up for Pioneer Day festivities - that's the whole reason I come to Montana the end of July, to play fiddle in our family band at the shindig at the church. We play songs like Redwing, Cripple Creek (those who've heard us know the tunes!) and Kaeden got to watch us this year, and was so good just watching. He especially loved walking around on the grass. We don't have grass at our house in Vegas, so it took a while before he's walk on it, but he took off at the church pavilion!

He also took off in his walking! He's been taking steps on his own, and standing on his own while here. It's been fun to sit with Grandma, having him walk back and forth. So far the record is 5 solo steps.

The video is just a snippet of what we did, but shows how much fun we had and how much Kaeden has grown in the past few weeks. (there is music for it, so pause the blog music at the bottom to hear) We've had so much fun playing and growing, it's hard to say good bye. Can't wait to come back again next year!!

Ground Control...

2009-07-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Kaeden and I are visiting my parents in Montana this week, and it's been a great couple days so far. We flew, and Kaeden did really well on the flight. We left at 6 am, so he slept for part of it, and the flight wasn't full so we took over the back half of the plane to crawl around in and yell over the sound of the engines and not bug anybody. When we got to Montana my parents were so excited to show Kaeden all the toys they had gotten for him. He liked the keychain and the stuffed animals, but the hit of the day was the airplane push-walker.

Technically, Kaeden is supposed to push himself on the plane, but his feet don't touch the ground (takes after me) or he can use it to learn to walk on by holding on to that yellow handle in the back. However, he LOVED being pushed around by us so much that we have to hide it when we're tired of pushing! :-)

As a joke to 'properly equip' Kaeden, Dad pulled out the bike helmet, thinking that it'd be way to big for Kaeden, but when he put it on he was blown away that it was just about right! We couldn't resist putting Kaeden back on the airplane with his full gear on.

Uncle Burke, Aunt Kristy, cousin Quincy and Great-Grandma Joan stopped by to say hello to Kaeden, too, but they were camera shy. It was good to see them, be able to catch up, it's been a long time!

Mom's been cooking and baking up a storm, so we're well fed and Kaeden loves all the space he has to crawl/walk around in - we're loving our trip to Montana!

There's a first time for everything...

2009-07-20T13:59:00.001-07:00

As the weather has been milder (yeah right - as if 92 was mild!!) we've been venturing outstide a bit more. Actually, because we've had some rain clouds moving in, the breeze blowing through has made it seem like it's cooler :-) Anyhow, Kevin and I have been taking advantage of the weather and trying to get out more with Kaeden. After Lake Las Vegas this weekend we headed over to the park, trying out Kaeden on the swings. I actually took video then went back to grab some stills, cuz the looks on his face are priceless!!

We also had his 9 month check up today - no surprise Kaeden's in the 90th percentile for everything, height, weight and head. He's healthy as can be, and the doc says to feed him more babyfood and less formula and water at night so maybe he'll sleep through the night already (fingers crossed). So today, after the park, instead of his lunchtime bottle I grabbed the carrots instead.

Typically I've been very proud of the fact that Kaeden is a clean eater. He gets food around his mouth, sure, but otherwise I've rarely had to wipe down the high chair - until today. He's been trying to suck his thumb mid-bite the last couple days, and today was no exception. Only this time, he successfully got a mouthful of thumb and carrot, and it went all downhill from there!!

Holy Hotness Batman!!

2009-07-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it's been more than unusually hot for everyone, but in Vegas that means triple digits - and we've had over 100 days for the past two weeks. It's 100 by 8 am and stays that way until close to 10 or 11 at night. Rough! We've been holed up in the house during this mega-heat wave, until today. It actually clouded over and rained a little! Not much, but the cloud cover offered us a brief respite from the 110 degree day it was (dropped down to 104) so Kevin and I packed Kaeden up and went for a drive. We drove down to Lake Las Vegas, a man-made lake with resorts being built all around it. With the breeze blowing it wasn't so bad walking around, looking at all the people swimming and on private beaches, the golf course and the resort grounds. We stopped for a bit to sit in the grass - which was Kaeden's first time in grass!

Crazy, he's 9 months and has yet to be in grass, but true. Whenever we go by the park it's at night on our walk, and he's usually asleep in the stroller by the time we get there. So, we sat down and let him walk in the grass...and he immediately picked up all his limbs, refusing to put them down on the pokey stuff! He had a look of complete disgust on his face. We laughed and laughed, tried to sit him down and he'd just look at you like you're torturing him. When we had him walk (holding a finger) he picked his feet up so fast, he barely touched the ground! To his credit, I even thought the grass was rather pokey, but it was so great to lay down on it and have a cool back and smelled wonderful. Kevin and I decided we miss not only the green but the ability to just sit down in it for awhile.

We left Lake Las Vegas and headed up to the Temple. I've not been there since we moved so Kevin (ever thoughtful guy he is) took us there. Not much grounds to just walk around on, so we drove through the parking lot and then took a pic. By then we were all hungry and Kaeden's cheeks were thoroughly red and hot, his hair all wet and curly, so we called it a day and headed home. But boy, was it great to get outside for a little while!

Shark Reef Adventure

2009-07-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

My good friend Anne-Marie and her family moved to Las Vegas almost a year ago, and yesterday we were able to get together to go see the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay! I love the Shark Reef for two reasons: 1) for a small aquarium it's got some great attractions, like the sharks and 2) because I'm a teacher me and a guest get in for free! So we didn't have to pay a thing to go see it - and we had a great afternoon! I had so much fun being with Mason and Brooklyn (Anne-Marie's kids) cuz it showed me where I'll be in a few years with my own kids, and I love being able to walk around and listen to them call for Nemo and see how fascinated they are by all the big fish. Brooklyn was a pro with the self-tour wand. She would ask what number the tank was and then punch it in and listen to the man talk about those fish. It was hilarious to see her walking around with that wand to her ear!

Kaeden didn't want to stay in his stroller, he wanted to watch all the fish too, so I carried him most of the time and he just looked and looked. He particularly liked the tunnel where the fish swam all the way around him. He laughed and talked a lot in there. At the end is a fake shipwreck with plexiglas in the holes of the hull, and people get to stand and watch all the super huge sharks and turtle and sting rays swim by. I had Kaeden lean against the plexiglass, but he didn't like it much, couldn't see what he was leaning on.

The Shark Reef is a great way to kill an hour, or an afternoon in our case, and I think everyone had a great time, I know I did! Kaeden was ravenous when we got to the car and downed a bottle and a half, then crashed for 3 hours, so I know he had a good time!! I'm so glad I got to go with such great friends!

Fireworks and Visitors

2009-07-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love the 4th of July!! It has got to be one of my favorite holidays of the year, and it officially marks my 1 year anniversary for blogging! This was the first event I talked about, mostly cuz I was pregnant. This year I was particularly excited cuz my baby was outside the womb and we were going to have a barbeque with some friends of ours in the neighborhood. We had food and festivities all planned, and then the plans fell through. I have to admit, I was really bummed. I was determined to still have a good time with just my little portion of the bbq food and my little family, but my heart hurt a little.

Then, low and behold, my Marine brother Tieg comes knocking on my door! He was in town for the weekend and stopped by! Totally changed my day and made it the best! We took Tieg's new truck to grab a bite for lunch, had fun talking and playing with Kaeden and watching movies.

As dusk fell I pulled out my bbq fixings - hot dogs and pasta salad and sugar cookies with flags in the middle. I don't have a grill so I seared the dogs in a frying pan but the boys ate them just the same! Then we grabbed our traditional root beer and bag of cherries and headed outside for some fireworks!! That's my favorite part of the evening. From sparklers to fountains to big bangs, it's such a colorful night.

Tok loved jumping at the lights at first, then he got a little scorched and watched from behind us. Kaeden skipped his afternoon nap and so was pretty worn out by night's end, but watched all the lights as long as he could. Didn't care for the screaming sounds as much, but we all had such a good time! (Note: there is music with the video below, so if you'd like the maximum effect, turn off the blog music to hear! And watch for Tieg's dancing in the middle-makes me laugh every time!)

Happy 'Da Da Da Da' Day!!

2009-06-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hooray for dads! We had a fun day playing with our newest dad, Kevin! Candy from church, orange julius with lunch (free today!) and playing at the park. Thanks for all you do for us Dad!!

And special wishes from your very talkative son... :-)

Marine Corps Visitor

2009-06-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, both my brothers are in the military. Taury is in the Army, training in Texas. Tieg is in the Marines, and just returned from his first tour in Iraq. He was given leave for a few weeks and returned to Montana. While there he bought a new truck and so he drove back to 29 Palms instead of flying. Las Vegas just happens to be on the way, so he stopped by for the night and to see us all. I was so excited!! Tieg is such a great, funny kid, and I hadn't seen him in almost a year! He joined us at PF Changs for our anniversary dinner, and then we all played with Kaeden at the house. Tieg couldn't believe how big Kaeden is (no one ever can! he's the biggest baby on the block!) and Kaeden instantly took to Tieg. I am so glad he stopped by..I love you bro!

5 Years!!

2009-06-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary!! It's been 5 years since Kevin and I said "I do." Couple a pics to bring back the memories for those of you who were there...and if not, here's us 5 years ago!

OUT OUT OUT!!

2009-06-08T19:55:00.001-07:00

SCHOOL'S OUT - HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY!!

Musical Mania

2009-06-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Many of you know how musical my family is, we all play several instruments and have a family band. Dad on banjo, Mom on guitar or mandolin, myself on violin (and Tieg used to be our Mando player, but got too cool for it). It only makes sense that my Mom would want her grandson to follow in the grand musical tradition, so she bought Kaeden his first bongo drums...think I've got a rocker in the making!!

When Grandma Comes to Town...

2009-05-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

What a fun week! My mom, Grandma Gibbs, came to Vegas for a conference, but ended up only going for a day and spending the rest of the week with Kaeden (aka us) and what a great time we've had!! She was so excited to see him and how much he's changed. Last time she saw him he was only a week old.

Kaeden of course charmed her with his big, cheeky grin and she's been playing with him all week.

Last night (Friday) was a GNO - girl's nite out! We went to the Venetian

and ate at the cutest little restaurant that was set up like we were out on the sidewalk. Such good Italian food!

We thought about a gondola ride, but stopped for some Godiva chocolate instead.

Then we hit the show - Blue Man Group! They were awesome! We had awesome seats right behind the orchestra pit, and the Blue Men were walking all around us, right up close. Grandma loved the show, and as we were leaving the Blue Men came out for a meet and greet and so we got some shots.

And you know Grandma, she loved the band as well.

Today (Saturday) we did a little shopping and out for an In-and-Out burger. Grandma gave Kaeden his first french fry.

What a great time with Grandma Gibbs! Thanks for coming to play, and come back soon!

Summer can't get here fast enough...

2009-05-15T17:45:00.001-07:00

Bit of a vent here - I can't believe this last week at school. The craziness has been brewing since February and finally blew! All week long it has been like pulling teeth to get my students to settle down, be quiet and actually work. I can't do anything to get them to turn in work, homework or classwork, I'm tired of them, they're tired of everything - it's awful.

Then yesterday there were two fights, one at lunch and one after school. Last night we were broken into, and several teachers rooms were totally trashed - windows in the doors busted out, computers smashed, personal belongings tossed. Luckily we have these little things called cameras, so we caught the vandals, but we were 20 minutes late getting started today due to glass clean up.

Then my students started acting up, too. Gum smeared across desktops, my whiteboard, laptops written upon (we're doing a project), and name calling like you wouldn't believe! These kids are just so mean to each other. I had to write dean's referrals in almost every class today just to keep fights from breaking out between kids.

I tell ya, summer can't get here fast enough!!

Mother's Day Surprises

2009-05-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

What a great day, this Mother's Day!1 I've been waiting for this ever since Kevin and I got married, and I'm happy to say it was wonderful. Kaeden got me a card with some Diet Coke and a huge dark chocolate bar.

But the best gift came today - he can sit up all on his own! I've been trying to get him to do this for weeks now, and even yesterday at church I was balancing him, but he just wouldn't stay up. Then, when I picked him up from the sitters' there he was - all upright on his own!! Happy Mother's Day to me!!

Then and Now...

2009-05-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Was on facebook today with Erik, Kevin's brother and Kaeden's uncle. Erik sent some pics of when he visited soon after Kaeden was born - he looks so little to me now!

Last weekend I got some free shots of Kaeden done at the Baby Expo here in town, they turned out better than I could have dreamed...

So Lucky...

2009-05-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

I can't help but look around me, while my son sleeps peacefully in his swing, and think that I'm truly lucky. My husband finally has a job, I have one as well, we have a roof over our heads, a car that runs, pets that love us unconditionally and the greatest little boy in the world. Wow!! What a lot to be thankful for when there's so much to complain about.

Mommy, I'm Hungry!!

2009-04-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just had to put these up! Was feeding Kaeden his breakfast today. The doctor said that we need to feed him more babyfood than we are, so several bottles will be replaced, and this morning was hilarious. Kaeden usually grips the front of the highchair tray and pulls himself forward with his mouth hanging open in anticipation of the next bite. Today, apparently I wasn't feeding him fast enough, so he decided to try and take over...

6 month update...

2009-04-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that 6 months have already gone by - it seems like only yesterday I was at the hospital holding my brand new baby and now he's almost a toddler!

So, things about Kaeden at 6 months:

1. Loves green beans! Hates peas!
2. Smiling at Momma is his favorite thing
3. Would rather stand than anything, just can't balance on his own yet...
4. Still not sleeping through the night (ugh)
5. Is very talkative, loves to squeal in delight at everything
6. Loves bathtime - would be a total waterbaby if he could sit upright on his own
7. Weighs 21 lbs and is 27 1/2 inches long

Hoppy Easter Everyone!!

2009-04-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a busy week -so much going on. It was Spring Break here in Vegas-Teacher-World, as well as Easter Week. I was so excited to be able to stay home for a full week with my baby - it was so hard to go back to work today! We had a blast - just playing and hanging out. He's such a happy guy.

We spent a lot of time getting together with some other families from our church to do Easter activities. Mostly they were spiritual, to remember the true meaning of the holiday. We read the scriptures about Christ's last week before the Crucifixion, held a Passover dinner and learned about all the symbology of the food served, and acted out the parables from the Bible with the little kids while the big kids went to the Temple. Kaeden enjoyed most of it - he liked to watch all the kids running around and playing with him.

Kevin had mentioned that he liked to dye Easter eggs, so I bought 2 dozen and we did our best to color them. Kaeden was more interested in the eggs themselves than in actually dying...

Sunday was a great day at church - lots of musical numbers and great discussions in Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School. After church we all headed down to the Bellagio Conservatory to see what they had set up for Easter in the garden.

Kaeden loved to look at all the colors, and all the people. He was fascinated by everything. It was hard to get him to look at the camera, he was so busy looking around. It was a lot of fun to see him so engrossed in it all.

I was sad to see it all end and have to go back to work this morning - felt like going back to work right after I had him. But, only 38 more school days left and I'm with him for 3 whole months!! Can't wait!

Kaeden's First Foods

2009-04-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

So we've started feeding Kaeden 'real' food. It's been a bit of a struggle, he didn't much like the rice cereal (putting it in the bottle to help them sleep through the night is pure bunk!!) and he gagged it down. Oatmeal he liked better, so I've been buying that. Then we started on the jar foods - butternut squash was interesting. Got more on his bib than down his throat. But once he hit the green beans...

Pack n Play

2009-03-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

We as parents are a little behind on all the latest gear for our son. Kaeden hasn't been able to roll over on his own accord yet, but he's great at rocking back and forth, and recently took a header off the couch, so we decided a pack n play was a necessity. We got one and love it! He can roll around to his hearts content, and won't fall off anything, loves to spend about 20 minutes on his belly grabbing stuff, and there's a ton of new toys we've pulled out for him to play with while in there. Kevin is even trying to get him to stand on his own.

Kaeden has also begun teething, two little white nubs have popped up on his lower gums (sharp little buggers!) and we've started him on babyfood. He gets a new vegetable every week (butternut squash is this weeks flavor), and I mix it in with his rice cereal. Mostly he just spits it back out, but today he actually started opening his mouth when the spoon touched it and swallowed most of it! My little boy is growing up...Now I need to get a high chair! ...sigh... babies have so many accessories!!

Bolsas de Peru!

2009-03-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

My dad took another trip to Peru with his kids from Spanish this year. When he asked if I wanted anything, I told him a cute baby hat for Kaeden. I should know my father better than to ask for just one little thing, especially for his first grandchild! He found a few he liked and instead of choosing which one he liked best, he bought them all. They were all so cute, I'm sure I would have done the same thing. So, yesterday Kevin helped me pose Kaeden with all his new hats - he's got quite the collection, though only 2 actually fit his huge dome!

The army hat is one that I got at WallyWorld, Kaeden needed one for when we go outside - the sun is just so bright, and I thought he should get something cool to wear!

Grandma Great!!

2009-03-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Great Grandparents! Kaeden's Grandma Great is in town this week on her annual Vegas trip, and of course wanted to see him. She wrote him the cutest email inviting him (and his parents if he wanted) to dinner Monday night. He of course said he would go, as he hadn't seen Grandma Great since he was a week old.

She's staying at the Orleans, so Kaeden and his parents met her at the front door, and boy, was she surprised to see how big he's gotten!

They all went to dinner at TGI Friday's and he impressed everyone by sitting in a highchair for the first time (as he still can't sit up by himself. He was very intent on the table menu, so it looked like he was a big boy, reading and ordering himself!

All the waitresses loved to stop by and say hello, and of course Kaeden smiled back, and Grandma Great was so distracted by him making faces, laughing and such, that dinner was longer than usual! :-)

Kaeden is always good in public, he's such a people watcher, and with the casino he had tons of lights to watch, so when the adults were finally finished with dinner and went to Grandma Great's room to visit, he was content to sit in his chair and watch. When we got to the room Grandma Great played and played with him, til he ate his own dinner and went to sleep. It was so fun to see her again, and we hope she enjoys the rest of her stay here in Vegas!

Family and Basketball

2009-02-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

4 month update: 26 inches long, 19 lbs!! What a chunk!!

My cousin Mandy Munns got a full ride scholarship to play basketball for the University of Utah. She's 6'4" tall and a super player, so it only makes sense. (She's the tall one below!)

Utah came to Vegas to play UNLV, so the Munns family came down to watch and gave us a call. We met for dinner at In & Out Burger, then headed to the Cox Pavilion to enjoy the game.

Mandy didn't get to play this game, and it was a rough one for Utah - they lost by 12points, their 2nd loss of the season. However, we had an awesome time laughing, talking and snapping pics.

Kaeden had a good time, too. He was happy as he could be, loved to 'dance' to the band music, and even had a nap in the midst of it all!

After the game, we waited for Mandy. She had seen us in the crowd, and was happy to see us there. She got to hold Kaeden, too. She loved him rockin the Adidas. I think all the Munns were blown away by how big he is!

Utah will be back in town next month for a Tournament, so we'll be seeing the Munns again, and every year for the next 3 with Mandy on the team. I'm excited, I love you guys!!

V-Day Friends

2009-02-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, we went over to our friends, Greg and Tamia Lindo. Greg just bought a new plasma tv and Kevin helped him mount it on their wall. As a thank you, they fed us dinner - yummy pot roast! While the guys were measuring and building, Kaeden and I played with their kids, Noah and Naiyana.

Actually, they played with Kaeden. They think he is the greatest toy ever! They 'mother' him constantly, making sure he is smiling, has his paci or blanket or whatever. They love to kiss his cheeks (which everyone does!) and whenever he gets fussy, they both come over and say 'don't cry, it's okay.' I think it's really cute the way they fuss over him themselves.

When he was being particularly quiet, Naiyana decided to read a book to him.

When the tv was all hooked up we were watching the basketball allstar hoops contest, and waiting for the roast to finish cooking. Kevin had a class of pop in hand, and Kaeden was very interested!

He was actually just licking the outside of the glass, but he loved it!! It was fun to spend the evening with them, and we love their new tv!

I Heart My Cupid!!

2009-02-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day has not always been my favorite - before marriage I called it 'Single Awareness Day.' Now that I'm married, it's more fun, but at the same time I always thought getting flowers as a surprise any other day of the year would be even more appreciated (hint hint Kevin :-)) As a teacher, this day has gotten more fun cuz my kids bring me lots of chocolate and candy. But now that I have a cute little chubby cherub, I'm loving it. Today I had Kevin take several pics of us together to share with everyone...

Aren't those cheeks just to die for?! Num num num!! (His, not mine :-)

We still go through quite the song and dance to get Kaeden to look in the direction of the camera, let alone smile for it. I've been lucky to get the shots I do - he's got camera radar and is so sober-faced when it's trained on him, we gotta be sneaky! We love him though!

Momentous Occasion...

2009-01-28T11:52:00.001-08:00

For the first time in 3 months - I am wearing REGULAR JEANS!!

No more maternity pants for me :-)

Wahoo!!

3 month update

2009-01-24T07:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe he's 3 months old already! Our little hobbit is growing! Still at almost 17 pounds, Kaeden is getting more aware of his surroundings. He loves to watch lights, so in the evening we go out in the backyard and watch the cars that drive down the street. He's getting really good at hearing the cars and turning to try and watch, although his head is about a second behind following the car as it drives by. He also likes to watch the sunlight filter through trees, so as we go for a walk in the afternoon, I'll stop under the trees and he'll watch for a bit.

He also likes to know where Kevin is around the house while I hold him. Kaeden will watch Kevin as he plays with the dog or as he just walks around, and smile when Kevin looks in his direction. Kaeden knows the difference between me and Kevin, and has special smiles for us both - a big huge one for me and a half one for Kevin. He loves to play 'patty cake' and I've almost gotten a full blown laugh as we play, but not quite yet!

While Kaeden doesn't like to be on his stomach long, he does lift his head and kick his legs like he's crawling. The problem is he has no arm strength to lift his chest up, so he cries after a bit. Besides, he'd rather stand! Kevin thinks he'll just start walking, skipping the whole crawling part. (I doubt it, but it's so cute to see him standing, with help, and just smile and smile!)

He also seems to know what a camera is, as he'll be doing something so cute and I'll grab the camera to take a pic, and then he'll just stare at me. Hence all the deer-in-the-headlight shots. Kevin has to stand behind me and distract him to get smiling shots! I hope he appreciates all we go through for these pics when he's older!! :-)

The Hobbit Strikes Again...

2009-01-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

"Gentlemen, we do not stop until nightfall."

"But what about breakfast?"

"We've already had it."

"We've had one breakfast yes, but what about second breakfast?"

"Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip."

"What about elevensies, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?"

"Wouldn't count on it."

Gotta love the Shirefolk!!

My little hobbit, so intent on getting his meals, he wants to hold the bottle himself!

Look at that no-nonsense, feed me now face!! :-)

Call from afar...

2009-01-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Last night I was crashed out in bed, dreaming peacefully, when I was scared awake by the ringing of my cell phone. In a sleepy haze, I see it's a local number, and a million bad scenarios of who could be calling and why flash through my head as I answer, "Hello?"

"Hey, what's goin' on?" a male voice replies, very nonchalantly.

Still confused and sleepy, I'm trying to figure out who is calling me, "Uh, fine. Just woke up."

"Oh yeah? Huh."

Now I'm starting to get mad, as this jerk obviously doesn't care I've been awakened by his call, so I ask, "Who is this?"

"Now, who would be calling you at 2 in the morning from around the world?" he chuckles.

IT'S TIEG! MY BROTHER SERVING IN IRAQ!!

His company had stopped at an air base and he had some satellite phone time, so he called me up to say hi! :-)

I was so shocked, and jumped right up out of bed to talk to him for about 20 minutes. He's doing well, hasn't showered in about 2 weeks, hasn't cut his hair in about a month, and is growing a mustache!! He says it's cold and rainy along the Syrian border, where they patrol and 'ruin people's day' as he puts it. He didn't want to talk about it much, mostly wanted to know about me and the baby, how things were in our lives.

I did manage to ask him about the following pictures. Although they are not of his company, the shots are exactly what life is like for him over there...

I was just so touched that my baby brother would call me! My mind was racing a million miles an hour when I went back to bed, and when I got to school today I asked my principal if it would be alright for me to ask the students of our school to put together care packages to send to Tieg and his company. She loved the idea of 'adopting' him and his company, so we're putting out the word to start bringing in stuff (I gave a specific list of things, stuff Tieg said he enjoyed from other packages) and as the boxes are filled we'll ship them over (the post office has boxes that are flat rate 11 bucks, no matter what's inside, for troop packages).

I can't wait to see how it works out, and you'd better believe I'll keep ya'll posted!

Kaeden's Latest

2009-01-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

At almost 16 pounds now, Kaeden reminds me of a Weeble - he wobbles, but he won't fall down! Well, almost. He's learning to sit and loves it!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:57:00.001-08:00

2009 is here, and we slept through it! Kevin, Kaeden and I went to dinner at our friends the Thornes, then headed to a party at the Montenegros. As much fun and food and games as there were, there was also a ton of noise, which Kaeden really didn't like. At about 9:30 we headed home, and Kaeden cried his way to 11, so when he finally went down, so did we. He's all happy faces and giggles this morning, but that'll teach Momma to keep him up past his bedtime :-)

As it is the new year, and you always need the cute baby to start it off, here are some cute baby faces of Kaeden's that I've collected over the past few weeks...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-29T09:13:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas! Not only is it a wonderful time to remember the reason for the season but to look at all the lights. I love to sit and look around the neighborhood or take Kaeden to the living room at night with the lights off and watch the Christmas tree lights a twinkling. With Kevin's mom in town, we headed down to the Bellagio Conservatory to see how it was decorated for Christmas. It was so beautiful!

But it was also very crowded, so we quickly made our circut, and then went around the corner for a look at the chocolate fountain and a giant chocolate covered strawberry. Then we headed out to the front fountain and watched the show, done to Christmas music this time of year. It was chilly, so we then headed home and to bed.

Christmas day was a lovely, relaxing day. Most of the presents we had already given to each other, so we just took our time getting up, watched "A Christmas Story" and any other Christmas-y movies that were on. (Actually, it was a day of Bond, but that's okay by me!) I had a fabulous turkey cooked, homemade mashed potatoes (thanks for the awesome masher, Dad!) and gravy, green beans, olives, rolls, and a huge appetite. It was a great day.

We were sad to see Grandma Christenson leave, but we took her to the airport Friday morning, wishing her well on the rest of her trip visiting family and friends in California. I'm glad she was here to see Kaeden, and enjoy shopping with me! :-)