grrr...

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.