Andrew, Higgy Baby, & Sparky

Saturday Morning at the Neighborhood Park

2012-02-18T13:04:00.008-07:00

He had a lot of fun!

Baby Shower!

2012-02-15T10:17:00.009-07:00

This past weekend some of my wonderful friends threw a baby shower for our little girl. Our little girl hasn't even arrived yet and she is already way too spoiled! :) Thank you everyone for coming and for being so generous! We feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! And now for some pictures for those who couldn't be there...

My lovely belly and the yummy food. This is the only picture I have taken so far and it will probably be the last. Man I feel huge!

BEAUTIFUL quilts from the Grandma's. I absolutely love, love, love both of them!

Clothes, clothes, clothes... I feel like I have clothes coming out of my ears! This little girl is completely outfitted for summer and partway through the fall! Holy wow! Oh, and this isn't all of it. I have received more outfits since taking the pictures. Also, girl clothes are so much cuter than boy clothes.

Odds n' ends. The picture in the middle has two adorable bracelets. Seriously so cute.

My Two Loves

2012-02-14T21:02:00.013-07:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Goodness I love my two boys. Today was great getting to spend time with them... especially with this little guy who gets so excited over the smallest things. Love him!

Digging in! (The giant cupcake was from the people upstairs.)

The frosting was so neon colored it looked toxic! Also, Cayden had neon pink lips for several hours afterwards.

A Valentine's Day present for my little love.

Daddy showing Cayden how to play with Play-Doh.

A huge hit! He played with it for several hours tonight. I have no idea why I haven't thought to give it to him before.

Big Boy Bed

2012-02-13T19:42:00.004-07:00

Cayden moved into his big boy bed back in October. Since then we have SLOWLY been putting the bed together. A comforter, two sets of sheets (one red, one white), recovering some throw pillows, and a bed skirt later we are totally and completely finished! I didn't realize it at the time that it is heavily red, white, and blue themed; I guess it's fitting seeing as he was born on the 4th of July. :) Oh, and I'm not sure if I'm more excited that it is actually done or that it turned out so cute.

Car Seat Cover

2012-02-03T09:59:00.006-07:00

I have been wanting a car seat cover for our little girl, but refused to pay $40+ for one. So I decided to make one. In total I probably spent about $15 (much cheaper) and I absolutely love it! I tried to go gender neutral - which is really hard with fabric - and it's probably a little more girly than neutral, but I think it'll work for both our little girl and a future little boy.

Car seat cover in all its glory. :)

Close up of the front...

...and the back!

Matchy Matchy

2012-01-30T13:16:00.005-07:00

Chad and Cayden get matching ties every Christmas and it just so happens that Chad's tie this year came with a matching pocket square. Just so our little girl won't feel left out when daddy and big brother are matching, I took the pocket square and made a bow for her hair.

Holy cuteness. Now just imagine if she has red hair. So cute!

Dancing Machine!

2012-01-24T12:42:00.002-07:00

Cayden loves to dance and recently discovered that the pulsating light on Chad's phone makes dancing even more fun! Unfortunately, the moment Cayden realized we were recording him he stopped dancing so the video is pretty short. Cute, but short. The kid is a turkey.

Our Mini Anniversary Trip

2012-01-05T17:01:00.005-07:00

Last week we celebrated our 5th anniversary. Months ago we decided that we wanted to do something a little different this year (aside from the typical going out to dinner) and planned a little mini vacation to Salt Lake. Some of you are probably thinking, "Big deal, Salt Lake" but honestly, all I wanted was to get away for a few days without the munchkin. We ended up dropping Cayden off with Chad's family on Friday late afternoon-ish and got back early afternoon on Sunday. Two nights, almost two whole days - it was perfect!

We stayed downtown and had a blast doing fun things and also just bumming around doing nothing. I wish I had more money to plan things like this more often. ;) Friday we went to dinner at Chipotle (I was dying for some since there isn't one close to us) and then hung out at the hotel. I loved just taking a bath and reading a book without a kid to worry about! And someday, I will have a tub again. Saturday we went to a movie (Sherlock Holmes) and went all out on snacks/junk for the movie - way fun! We squeezed in some shopping and then bummed around the hotel again until we left to have dinner at the Melting Pot. Holy goodness. I still can't believe how much I love their cheese fondue and I don't like cheese! We had planned on going to Temple Square to look at the lights and take a carriage ride around downtown, but I was completely pooped from the day and my feet hurt. Instead we opted to hang out at the hotel again, reading books/doing nothing/watching the ball drop and then finally crashed just after midnight. Sunday we took our time getting ready and then left to go pick up our little guy!

The whole trip had the perfect balance of planned activities and down time. I loved it! And you know what was one of my absolute favorite parts?! Knowing that I could go to bed and get up WHENEVER I WANTED! By Sunday I was missing Cayden terribly, but I wouldn't hesitate to plan something like this again. It was good to get a break from Cayden and it was good for Chad and I to have some time to ourselves. Who knows when that will happen again.

I did manage to take a few pictures to document the trip, so enjoy! And don't be too jealous that we had a blast! ;)

Anniversary flowers - pretty!

At the movie theater. Sherlock Holmes is such a good movie; you must go see it. P.S. I don't think I've ever splurged on snacks like that before at a movie... kinda fun!

At dinner.

Dessert = delicious! Only surpassed by the cheese fondue. Seriously.

Pretty Pretty Princess

2012-01-04T11:37:00.003-07:00

Getting ready today I overheard Cayden talking/playing.

"My princess."
"Oh, nice princess."
"My play princess."

Curious as to what exactly playing princess meant I came out to see this:

Cayden decked out in true princess attire.

*** For the record, I have NEVER played princess with Cayden and didn't encourage this (not that I stopped it either...). I have no clue where he got the idea to play princess. Oh, and don't tell his dad. ;)

China Girl

2011-12-30T12:09:00.005-07:00

My sister Rachelle recently got home from teaching English in China for four months. While she was there she picked up a little something for our little girl. I am absolutely dying over how beautiful it is and cannot wait until our little girl is big enough to wear it!

Love the color. Love the design. Love. Love. Love. Can't you totally imagine a cute little red headed girl wearing this?! *eek*

Numbers

2011-12-29T13:39:00.006-07:00

5 years

7 jobs held
2 states lived in
2 college degrees
3 different cars
5 moves
1 (and 2/3) kids :)

We have learned a lot the past five years.

We have prayed a lot and laughed a lot and wondered a lot and stressed a lot.

But most of all, we've loved a lot.

Here's to 5 wonderful years with forever in front of us.
Love you Chad!

A Wonderful Christmas!

2011-12-29T11:21:00.004-07:00

We had such a great time in Colorado for Christmas. Every time I visit Colorado it gets harder and harder to leave. Someday I am going to live there... hopefully sooner rather than later.

I flew out to Colorado about a week before Chad so that I could spend some more time with my family since Chad didn't have very much time off. Leading up to Christmas we kept ourselves busy picking out adorable fabric for our little girl's quilt, making throw pillows for Cayden's new bed, cooking/baking up a storm (seriously, over the course of two days we probably spent close to 10 hours cooking and baking), picking out tile for mom's bathroom makeover (which by the way is going to be beautiful!), wrapping presents, and eating way too much yummy food. The Friday before Christmas Chad made it out and the next day my sister and her husband and baby came. I think it was the first time we have all been together since Chad and I got married.

Christmas was wonderful. It is so much fun to have little kids at Christmas. This was the first year that Cayden really got into it. He doesn't quite get the Santa aspect of Christmas, and that's totally fine with me, but he sure enjoys unwrapping presents and playing with everything inside! He was totally spoiled, both with attention and toys.

Sporting some of his spoils from Christmas... a tent (in the background), a cute new shirt, and McQueen slippers. Oh, and I absolutely love his little smirk!

As for Chad and I, we got spoiled too. We both have wonderful families and are so blessed. Not to wish away the coming year, but I am already looking forward to next Christmas... wonderful time spent with our families, yummy food to eat, and TWO little kids to spoil and love on. I can't wait.

Look What We Found! ...

2011-12-14T17:51:00.006-07:00

... A real life Mater!

Little boy was so excited.

Sneaking up to give Mater a hug before quickly running back to mom. Apparently a real life Mater is fun, but a little bit scary too. :)

Cayden's Recent Adventures

2011-12-05T12:01:00.012-07:00

I've been bad at blogging lately; I just feel like we do pretty much the same things every day/week so I lack any desire whatsoever to share our boring-ness with everyone. But for Grandma's sake, I thought I'd post some pictures of Cayden's adventures the past little while.

Cayden has a friend named Sienna that he loves to play with! They are about 9 months apart (Sienna is younger). Chad and I trade several times a month babysitting with Sienna's parents so that we can go on dates. It works out great as we don't have to pay for babysitters and Cayden and Sienna get to play together. They even call each other Nenna and Cay-Cay - so cute! Here are some pictures of their fun at our house.

Reading lots of stories.

Playing in their house. They both thought that Sienna's hair was fun. :)

***

Walking in the costume parade. Believe it or not, by the end of the night Cayden's bag was so full of candy that it was dragging on the floor and one handle had ripped off.

Sienna and Cayden again. This picture cracks me up. Cayden = cheesy smile... Sienna = whatever. LOL.
* I know these pictures are from Halloween (our ward Trunk-or-Treat), but I haven't posted them yet. So... yeah.

Cayden and Chad at our ward Christmas party. It was really neat. Everyone dressed up like they were from Bethlehem, we ate food they would have eaten... pretty much the whole shebang and then some! Seriously though, love these goofy smiles!

The Forgotten Carols

2011-12-02T11:50:00.004-07:00

Last night Chad and I got to go see The Forgotten Carols! I absolutely loved it! It was so fun to see the play of one of my favorite Christmas stories. And the music. Oh goodness. I LOVE the music! What a perfect belated birthday present and a great way to kick off the holiday season.

Applesauce!

2011-11-25T10:52:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I made my own applesauce and then canned it! First time for both! We didn't do very much as it was Thanksgiving and we didn't have a ton of time. And I still can't believe that a HUGE pot full of apples made only 5 quarts of applesauce. I think canning is a lot of fun; maybe I'll have to experiment with it next year.

So much fun!

The Verdict

2011-11-07T10:57:00.005-07:00

50% of you said GIRL.

50% of you said BOY.

Ultrasound said...

Time to buy pink!

2011-10-31T14:10:00.005-06:00

Two Witches

2011-10-22T21:25:00.008-06:00

We decorated our pumpkin this afternoon. Grandma B sent Cayden a set of those Mr. Potato Head pumpkin decoration kits so that's what we did this year. Turns out that it is perfect for little kids; it doesn't take too long (which is great for Cayden's short attention span), doesn't cause a huge mess, doesn't involve sharp pointy objects (well, except for the screwdriver that we had to use to make the initial holes in the pumpkin), and is a lot of fun! Cayden had a blast and is very proud of his "wich pumpin."

Le pumpkin.

Two witches. Cayden decided that he wanted to be a witch just like his pumpkin. (I personally think that Cayden makes a much cuter witch!)

Oh! P.S. Grandma B - Cayden is wearing the shirt you got him. He loves it and wears it at least twice a week; I wash it EVERY time I do laundry. :)

Picking a Pumpkin!

2011-10-20T16:39:00.009-06:00

The weather last Saturday was perfect for pumpkin picking. We opted to go to our local garden center rather than an all out pumpkin patch as Cayden quickly loses interest in things - maybe we'll go to an actual one next year? Anyway, we had a lot of fun and Cayden ended up covered in dirt.

Cheesy smile on HUGE pumpkins!

Cayden and Daddy

Cayden and Mommy (His face cracks me up in this one!)

Absolutely love this picture of our family!

Picking out our "pumpin."

Cayden decided that he was tired of being pulled in the wagon so he hopped out and told Chad to get in. Cayden is one strong little dude - he pulled Chad several yards before we made him stop.

Baby Dos

2011-10-17T13:32:00.004-06:00

Thank you all for the congratulations! Here are some of the details that I know you are all dying to hear... ;)

I'm 18 weeks and a few days (at least for the time being) and feel pretty good, except for being tired frequently. I've been craving anything that is junk and am trying my best to not eat it. Baby Dos is due March 15 and we find out what we're having on November 2nd (just over 2 weeks away!). Boy or girl is just fine. I think a boy would be fun for Cayden once he got a bit older, but I totally want a girl. So really, we're happy with either. Oh, and we've already picked out names. So excited!

Now if only I could fast forward to March and avoid all the "joys" of pregnancy. *cough* gaining weight *cough*

Oh, and don't forget to cast your vote as to whether Baby Dos will be a boy or a girl. (Poll is located on the right side of our blog, you might have to scroll down a little bit.)

Cayden's First Movie!

2011-10-08T20:38:00.006-06:00

Tonight Chad and I took Cayden on a 'kid date.' We went and got hamburgers for dinner and then took him to see his very first movie in a theater... Cars 2! Luckily we have dollar theaters nearby and so if Cayden didn't like it we wouldn't be out too much money. Cayden was so anxious for the movie to start; the previews couldn't go by fast enough and he kept asking when he would see 'Mader' and 'Qween.'

SO excited for the movie! Look at that huge smile!

Like Cars, Cars 2 is two hours long. Cayden only made it halfway through before he started getting antsy and wanted to go home. Getting popcorn didn't even fix the problem. Chad took him out to the lobby for a few minutes hoping to get his wiggles out, but to no avail. We ended up leaving the theater with a screaming boy who couldn't decide whether he wanted to go home or stay and watch. Poor boy was crazy tired and really cranky despite having a long nap earlier. Guess we'll have to Redbox it later to finish the movie.

We did manage to calm Cayden down long enough to snap this picture on the way out. Cute boy.

Just Like Daddy

2011-10-04T18:17:00.006-06:00

Cayden is becoming just like his daddy...

Should I be worried or not? ;)

***

Auntie Rachelle, the following pictures are for you.

Cayden's sweet new shoes. He likes them a lot and wants to wear his "new shoos" all day.

Showing his shoes off for the camera. He promptly fell over right after I took this picture.

Picture of the Day

2011-10-03T12:32:00.001-06:00

Wrapping up Summer

2011-09-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

Seeing as that it is the end of summer (oddly enough, I'm really not that sad... BRING ON FALL!) I thought I'd post a few pictures from our adventures the past few weeks.

Ward BBQ. Ok, so this might have happened like over a month ago, but I just got around to posting it.

We got ice cream with Jake, Katie, and baby Annie. Cayden was so excited to hold the 'beebee' - he'll make a good big brother someday. Clearly Annie was not as excited.

Jesseca and Jaxton came down last week to visit. It was a lot of fun to talk and to see my chubs of a nephew. Holy cute cheeks! Cayden and Jaxton had a good time playing together - though to be honest the playing was more of them playing separately with different toys and periodic outbursts from Cayden of "My toys!"

Eating free ice cream cones (and making a huge mess all over the car seat) from a visit to the dentist. Yeah, I thought that one was funny too.

ConGRADulations Chad!

2011-09-18T11:09:00.018-06:00

Last night we celebrated this:

Chad finally finished school this past August and we received his degree about a week ago. We're all just a little bit excited and so proud of Chad! So is Cayden. :) (He is also daddy's little shadow and couldn't stand us taking pictures without him.)

Chad and I went out to dinner sans Cayden to P. F. Chang's and ate huge amounts of delicious Chinese food. Yum. I wish I had some now.

Cute us :)

Yum.

Also yummy.

Best. Thing. EVER.

And a picture of one of the huge horses standing out front just for Cayden.

Banks & Onions

2011-09-14T15:31:00.004-06:00

Two completely random and unrelated stories for you today:

Cayden and I went to the bank today to order checks and change some things on an account. It took longer than I expected, but thankfully Cayden was great and spent most of the time playing under the banker's desk. While wrapping up a few things the banker got a phone call from the police asking if everything was ok. ... Who knew that the EMERGENCY/PANIC button was located under the desk!? Silly Cayden.

Around lunchtime yesterday Cayden started screaming and pulling at his ear and saying, "Ear, ow." That's not exactly what you want to hear when your insurance doesn't kick in until October 1st. I was willing to take Cayden in even without the insurance (I mean, I'm not a horrible mother and wasn't going to make him wait it out for 2 1/2 weeks), but decided to see if I could find any sort of homeopathic remedy that might work. That my friends is where the onions come in. Finely grate some onions, stick them in a paper towel, squeeze 2-3 drops in the owie ear... voila! Cayden hasn't complained about or mentioned his ear and it has been 24 hours! Wahoo! We just might have avoided a $400 Dr/prescription bill. *knock on wood* Onions are my new best friend! :)

Bear Lake, Round 2

2011-09-12T13:18:00.009-06:00

We went up to Bear Lake for Labor Day weekend again this year. We stayed a little bit longer so we got some good boating in and the weather was much warmer than last year! So much fun. I wish we could go back because I am feeling the need for a vacation again.

Sleepy boys on the way up to Bear Lake. This picture cracks me up.

Throwing rocks in the lake; Cayden spent A LOT of time doing this.

Cheese!

Chad's cousin Julie has a son several years older than Cayden. On our way to get pizza Cayden casually slipped his hand into Isaac's. So cute.

Waiting for 'pee-za-pah!'

Hugging the bear at the restaurant.

Driving the boat! Look at that smile!

Work Party

2011-08-25T12:08:00.013-06:00

Chad's work had a work party last Thursday (a small, but nonetheless one of the many, many reasons we love JCPenney so much more than RadioShack). We basically had unlimited access at Boondocks. Our whole family had so much fun! Too bad we have to wait another year for the next one. ;)

Playing with daddy in the toddler play area.

Racing cars, shooting guns, and riding motorcycles! This boy loved it all!

Eating ice cream and licking it off the table. Gross, but dad encouraged it. Cayden had nothing but candy, ice cream, and soda for dinner that night. Worst dinner in the history of motherhood. Ever.

Playing on the bouncy slide. He loved it and did it all by himself!

What does this button do?

Squirts water!

Cayden loved the bumper boats! He convinced both of us to go on and by the end we were all entirely soaked.

Racing cars with daddy. Cayden kept saying, "Qween, Qween. Mader, Mader" the whole time they were racing and loved it... after a little bit of warming up. :)

Firsts

2011-08-13T19:26:00.007-06:00

First juice box:

First time running through a fountain:

Favorite Pics as of Late

2011-08-08T09:57:00.005-06:00

Cayden is the biggest goofball. He seriously cracks me up. He makes the funniest facial expressions - I spend a good majority of the day laughing at him and his antics. This little boy is certainly not lacking in the personality department. :)

Pizza Night

2011-08-01T10:36:00.006-06:00

I have been dying to make homemade pizza for weeks. Just ask Chad. Every time I get the munchies I tell him I wish we had homemade pizza. Last night for dinner we satisfied my craving:

BBQ Chicken Pizza!

Oh my! I was in heaven! Homemade dough topped with BBQ sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, sauted until tender red onions, bite sized chicken chunks cooked in salt, pepper, and garlic, pineapple, and fresh cilantro. Holy deliciousness!

Yummy goodness! How I wish I hadn't eaten all the leftovers for breakfast. :/

My Two Year Old

2011-07-31T10:12:00.005-06:00

So. Dang. Cute.

We finally took Cayden in for his two year check-up and he is still a huge kid! Here are his stats:

Weight: 36 lbs, 4 oz = 100+%
Height: 37.5" = 100+%
Head: 20" = 90%

Holy cow! This kid just keeps on growing! Though it does seem like he is finally starting to grow into his big head. :)

When we got to the Dr's office and checked in Cayden just sat in a chair waiting with a big scowl/grumpy face. I asked him what was wrong and he just kept scowling and looking grumpy. Clearly he didn't want to be there. When we got placed in a room he kept asking to 'go' and when the Dr walked in and asked him how he was doing he looked right at her and said 'bye.' I about died laughing (inside)! He only had to get one shot and took it like a champ. No screaming or crying this time, just a really upset looking face followed by 'ow' and lots of pointing to and kissing his new 'ow.'

Goodness. I sure love my not so little guy!

BIG Changes (Not So Big Too)

2011-07-29T19:03:00.011-06:00

Where do I start? We've got lots of changes happening in the next month and we're pretty dang excited!

Chad is graduating with a Technology Management degree from UVU in about three weeks! There isn't any official ceremony, but he'll be done with classes and get his diploma early September. Yay! So. Excited. Like really. It's hard to believe that he will be done. I've been dreaming of the end of school for what seems like years and even after I graduated from school I still felt like I was going. A long anticipated dream is finally here and I don't know what to do with myself! I am so proud of him and all his hard work. It can't be easy balancing 50 hours of work a week on top of full time school/homework. Not to mention spending time with your family and church callings/activities. Despite how hard it has been I am so proud and grateful for all he has done for our family.

Grad school... Chad got accepted to one school, but decided it wasn't where he wanted to go. The other two schools wanted him to have post-degree work experience. So, Chad is going to work for a few years and get some experience and then go back and get his masters. At first we were somewhat disappointed, but I honestly think it has been a blessing in disguise. Chad is so burned out. He has had so much on his plate since we got married (so, almost five years) and needs a break. It will be nice for him to just work and not have to worry about anything else. When it is time for school again in a few years, Chad will be ready for it. Plus, there is always a chance that the company he works for will pay for him to go back to school. I know several people who have had this happen. We'll cross our fingers that it works out that way because it would sure be nice to not have to pay for it!

Chad put in his two weeks at Radio Shack last Monday. His last day is Friday, August 5th. He is just a little bit excited! While he learned some great things working there, he has been ready for quite some time to move on to something new and more challenging. So... on Monday, August 8th Chad is starting work as a Continuous Improvement Coordinator at a branch of JCPenney's corporate office in Salt Lake. I don't fully understand the lingo of what he does (if you want more details you'll have to ask him), but I do know that he is so excited! Not only because it's a 'real job' and pays more, but because it is directly in line with his career goals. His excitement makes me so happy! Officially getting this job was quite the adventure; if you want more details you'll have to ask in person. Let's just say that after seven months of job searching, lots of prayers, frustration, and almost giving up we finally have a job! What a huge blessing and answer to lots and lots of prayers.

With this job change we originally were going to move closer to Salt Lake - somewhere on the other point of the mountain. But honestly, I can't bring myself to leave our ward and friends. We love where we are living. We finally feel like we belong in this ward. We finally have good friends. So after much debate, we aren't moving. Not yet anyway. Chad's work provides him with a bus/TRAX pass and we have decided that he is going to ride the bus to work each day. This will save us a lot of money on gas as well as wear and tear on his older car. My friend's husband does the same thing (commutes to work in Salt Lake each day via the bus) and if they can do it so can we. I'm sure we'll get tired of it eventually, but for the next year or so that is our plan. In the meantime we'll enjoy our ward and friends a little while longer and we'll enjoy all the money we're putting in savings because our rent won't go up. (One of the reasons we decided against moving is that rent is much more expensive where we were looking to live. Commuting via the bus saves not only gas money, but also several hundred dollars in rent each month.)

There you have it. All the changes going on in our life currently summed up in a blog post. Yes, we are a little stressed with all the change, but we are just as excited. :)

And just because he is cute...
My little 'cheese'-er man!

Cayden Loves Animals!

2011-07-29T11:58:00.003-06:00

This is our typical bedtime scene:

Cayden and a billion animals. I think there are seven animals in bed with him and yes, he is actually asleep (despite the fact that he has his eyes partially open).

Colorado Fun

2011-07-22T10:45:00.011-06:00

While visiting my family in Colorado a few weeks ago we did lots of fun things. Chad celebrated his 28th birthday; I kidnapped him halfway through the day and took him to go see Transformers 3 and then out to dinner. (I totally recommend this movie by the way! The second one was, well, gross. But the third one almost rivals the first in how good it was. Seriously loved it.) We also spent a lot of time playing in the pool (by we I mean Cayden). Cayden now loves blowing bubbles in the water and really wishes that we had a bathtub he could stretch out and kick in! We also took a trip to the Denver Zoo and had a blast! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and Cayden had way more fun than he did last year.

The birthday boy! P.S. It's totally not what you think in the VS bag.

Biting the yummy sucker from Auntie Rachelle. It was just about the size of his head.

Uncle Greg making it 'rain.' I love the fake laugh at the end. Hysterical!

Blowing bubbles.

Splashing! Watch Cayden's face in this video. About halfway through he starts making the best faces! We all about died laughing.

How does Cayden measure up to a monkey?

At the zoo there was this really cool place that you could go inside and feed birds. They birds are obviously really comfortable with people and had no problem climbing on your arm or you getting really close to them. This was by far one of Cayden's favorite parts. He loved feeding the birds. The hard part was trying to stop him from grabbing and petting them.

Trying to pet a birdie.

Helping Uncle Greg and mom feed the birdies.

A 'beer!' Cayden was so excited that the bear kept coming right up in front of the glass.

Passed out. With cookie crumbs on his face. To be honest, this is what I felt like doing too... except without the cookie crumbs. ;)

Happy Birthday Cayden!

2011-07-16T10:56:00.007-06:00

On the 4th of July my little boy turned two! I can't believe he is a toddler! And yes, we have totally hit the terrible two's; in fact, we hit them a while ago. We were in Colorado this year for the 4th and had a blast celebrating Cayden's special day.

Cayden was a pro at opening presents this year. No explanation was necessary, he just dove right in! He was so excited over each present and stopped to awe over each one before he chucked it to the side to open another (though at first he seemed more interested in unwrapping presents than what was actually in them).

Lucky little boy got an Elmo cupcake cake this year. He knew exactly who it was! During the video you can hear Cayden say that the sparklers are 'coo coo' and asks for more when the last one burns out. He also points out that the cake is Elmo when asked. Elmo cake = SUCCESS! Not too bad for a first attempt at cake decorating. :)

We love you so much Cayden! Happy birthday! We are so glad you joined our family two years ago! I couldn't ask for a better handsome little man, even if you have a lot of "terrible two" moments. Love you bunches!

Rough Week

2011-07-01T19:48:00.004-06:00

We've had a rough week around here. Last night Cayden fell off of some concrete stairs he was sitting on and scraped up his knuckle pretty good and now has a giant scrape from the bottom of his chin to his collar bone. Then tonight he fell off of a bench head first into a bookshelf. Now he also has a scratch on the side of his face and a big old goose egg on his forehead.

Poor boy. At least we're still smiling! :)

My Monkey

2011-06-26T09:42:00.006-06:00

We went to the park last night and Cayden kept trying to climb the trees (which by the way is very entertaining to watch). Finally, we caved. We let him climb a tree.

Just look at that grin! Seconds after snapping the picture Cayden started crying. Apparently climbing trees isn't as fun as he thought. And no, I'm not a bad mom. If you look closely you'll see Chad's arm holding Cayden up.

Playing with Daddy

2011-06-25T12:25:00.009-06:00

Cayden thinks that Chad is just about the best play buddy ever. One of the first words out of Cayden's mouth every morning is 'Daddy' and he asks about him frequently throughout the day. Cayden and Chad have been having a lot of fun the last few weeks as Chad has a much lighter load at school; here are some of their adventures...

We watched a two little boys from our ward a week ago so that their parents could go to the temple and Chad took all three boys outside to run through the sprinklers... in their clothes! Cayden had a lot more fun this time because he had someone to play with. I've found that when we try to get him to do new things on his own he is very hesitant, but if he has a buddy with him there is no holding back.

The other night while I was cooking dinner I heard screaming and laughing coming from the living room. I went to see what was so much fun and found Chad and Cayden building a fort.

Cayden and I love having Chad around more often and can't wait until he is done with school and has regular working hours. Two months to go and I will actually have a husband!

***

P.S. I can't believe that in just over a week I will have a two year old! Holy bananas!

Cupcakes

2011-06-18T21:26:00.003-06:00

Father's Day cupcakes.

Yummy. Heavenly. Almost too cute to eat.

{This is the second post in a row about food. Lol.}

Yogurtland

2011-06-07T21:09:00.003-06:00

Chad and I went to this tasty little yogurt place tonight.
(Shayla, if you ever read this just know that I thought of you.)
Delicious.
Highly recommended.

Guess who got what?

My Little Workout Buddy

2011-06-04T16:53:00.005-06:00

This morning as I was getting ready to workout Cayden decided that he wanted to workout too.

Wish I enjoyed working out that much. :)

P.S. He is the cutest and best workout buddy ever!

Uncle Brian's Graduation

2011-06-04T12:13:00.006-06:00

We went to Brian's graduation this last week and man, was it long! Two hours and fifteen minutes! I don't remember my graduation being that long, but maybe it was and didn't seem like it (trying to entertain a child in a very confined space AND keep them quiet doesn't work for very long).

Congrats Brian! We're excited to have you closer for the rest of the summer!

Loves for Uncle Brian.

During one particularly long speech *cough* the Principal's *cough* Grandma and Grandpa did a pretty good job keep Cayden entertained with binoculars.

Notice anything weird? Yes, the binoculars are backwards.

Kicking Off Summer!

2011-06-04T12:01:00.005-06:00

We have been having a lot of fun the past few weeks - Chad still has school, but the work load is significantly less than past semesters. We are totally enjoying the start of summer!

Love, love, love this face! He may or may not have had a huge cookie for dinner. :/

Pool time! My son despises water... unless it is pool or bathtub water. Um, gross.

Fathers and Sons

2011-05-24T21:45:00.009-06:00

Cayden and Chad had the opportunity to go camping last weekend on Fathers and Sons. I had almost a 24 hours period without Cayden - it was so nice, but I missed him and was glad when they came back. They seemed to have a lot of fun and came back absolutely filthy!

"Helping" set up camp.

They were on some private property and a bunch of horses came through. Cayden was naturally in heaven. If you listen carefully you'll hear several excited 'nees' - I think it is so cute! ('Nee' by the way is how Cayden says horse.) Oh, you can also hear Chad huffing and puffing. Lol.

Falling down. :)

Playing in the trailer.

Picture with daddy. Love my two boys!

The Things We Do

2011-05-24T21:33:00.007-06:00

Nothing too exciting to report; just regular, everyday life, but I thought I'd post a couple pictures for Grandma's sake. :)

Cayden likes to think he is a big boy and eat whole apples. (Though he usually gives up after about 5-6 bites and asks me to cut it up for him.)

Cayden likes to build his own "forts" and read books in them.

Cayden and daddy both got haircuts from Grandma H. Cayden only fussed a little at the beginning... success!

So Proud!

2011-05-17T07:38:00.003-06:00

Sorry about that last post. I was having one of those days where nothing seems to go right. Things always seem to work out when they need to; I just need to get better at having faith and being patient. :)

***

During the previous semester at school Chad was able to become Green Belt Six Sigma Certified! (I have no idea what that means, so don't ask me.) I'm so proud of him and all his hard work. Only one semester left until he is done with his Bachelors! Yay!

Cayden had to get in the picture with daddy.

WANTED: A Magician

2011-05-16T13:34:00.006-06:00

When it rains, it pours. Isn't that how the saying goes?

***

Let me start off by saying that I am completely aware that things can always be worse and that there are in fact many people in a much worse situation than I am. However, I am feeling a little frustrated and really need to vent.

I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately with two things... actually, I guess it all really boils down to one thing... MONEY. I hate money. I wish I felt like it didn't control my life. Yet sadly, it does. It is always there in the back of my mind and it never goes away.

Cayden has seasonal allergies that he typically gets in the Spring and Fall (though Spring is always, always much worse). It usually comes and goes and isn't that big of a deal. Two weeks ago Cayden had your typical runny nose and cough that accompany allergies. He was doing fine and didn't seem bothered. Not this past Saturday, but the one before that, Cayden woke up in the morning and was having very labored breathing. I monitored him throughout the day and finally decided to take him to Urgent Care around 6pm Saturday evening due to the fact that he was very pale (I swear his lips were somewhat blue) and his breathing was getting worse. After a nebulizer treatment and a lot of screaming, the Dr couldn't quite nail down what was wrong (he said it was either bronchitis or pneumonia, but he couldn't tell because of how hard Cayden was screaming). He put Cayden on an antibiotic and told us to continue to monitor his breathing.

Bright and early the following Monday morning we found ourselves in the hospital for chest x-rays because Cayden's breathing had gotten slowly worse throughout the weekend. If you've ever had your child get a chest x-ray you'll know what I mean when I say 'torture chamber.'

Cayden was put in a contraption just like this and screamed. The whole time. Later that afternoon we had yet another Dr appointment to go over the x-rays and discovered (thankfully!) that Cayden did not have pneumonia, but bronchitis. We also got a prescription in the hopes of preventing a yeast infection as every time Cayden is on an antibiotic he gets a yeast infection... joy.

Over the course of two days... two Dr's visits and two prescriptions. Yuck.

Fast forward a week. Today I called the Dr and told them that the prescription we have been using for Cayden's yeast infection hasn't been working. Like at all. They said to start alternating between the prescription and Neosporin with every diaper change as Cayden might actually have an infection (other than a yeast infection) down there as well. If it hasn't cleared up by Friday we get to go in again! *crossing fingers that everything clears up*

What does this have to do with money? There was a $30 copay for each Dr visit as well as the cost of the two prescriptions. And then there are the x-rays at the hospital. Our insurance won't cover a cent on that so we get to pay 100% of the x-rays. Yay. Oh yeah, and if we have to go back in on Friday that will be another $30, plus whatever new prescription they give us. (I think I'm going to go throw up.)

Why is everything so dang expensive?! We already have a very tight budget as Chad is in school and we're still waiting on a real job (he is currently on his last semester!), but gas prices keep going up as does the cost of food. I find myself pinching pennies everywhere and we're about to the point where you can't cut anymore out. We don't live an extravagant life. There's not much more we can get rid of. Things keep getting more expensive and Chad's salary stays the same.

We just got our benefits enrollment information for the following year and discovered that our bi-weekly rate went up $25. That's $50 that is going to have to come out of our budget somewhere. There are also a lot of plan changes that I don't understand and can't call to get clarification on until next week when it is our "call-in" period.

***

Back to my post title... WANTED: A Magician

I need someone magic to make all my problems go away.

Happy (late!) Easter

2011-04-26T21:37:00.006-06:00

HAPPY EASTER!

I've decided that holidays are way more special and fun with little kids around.

***

We kept Easter pretty low key. Cayden woke up to a basket that the Easter Bunny left and we spent the afternoon and evening with Chad's family eating delicious food and dyeing eggs. Fun, fun, fun.

Discovering chocolate filled eggs with a 'just woke up' face.

Blowing bubbles with daddy.

Puzzles! He is already quite good at them and loves the animal puzzle best.

Fun eggs. We are currently not lacking protein in our diet.

A Visit to Grandma's

2011-04-26T20:53:00.010-06:00

Cayden and I took a much needed break from reality and went to visit my mom last week. We had a blast! If it weren't for the fact that Chad was back in Utah I probably wouldn't have come back. Cayden was completely spoiled, had all the attention any kid could want, and ate way too much junk. :)

Rides in the doll stroller.

First ice cream cone; he loved it!

Llama rides at the museum.

Love.

My.

Chocolate bunny.

Loves for Uncle Greg.

Playing outside and "looking for Dad" (that's what he said).

Wearing mommy's shoes.

Cayden's Adventures

2011-04-12T18:12:00.007-06:00

This past Saturday was very eventful for Cayden. The morning started out with Cayden grabbing my flat iron - resulting in some blisters on his poor hands - and falling off a kitchen chair and landing on his head. Poor boy. After such a traumatizing morning Chad and I decided that he needed a night out. (Or maybe it was me that needed a night out...?)

We ended up going to Provo Beach. Provo Beach kinda reminds me of Chuck E. Cheese except that it is boardwalk/beach themed. It has the little games you play for prizes, but also has play areas for toddlers and kids, a ropes course, bowling alley, mini-golf course, carousel, and other fun things that Chuck E. Cheese doesn't have.

Cayden had a blast and was sad when it was time to leave. In total I think we spent $5 and Cayden ran around and played for hours!

Playing in the toddler area. Too bad there is a net blocking most of his face, but what you can see of his face is quite happy.

Riding the carousel with daddy. The carousel was by far his favorite thing of the night.

Mmm!

2011-04-03T15:18:00.004-06:00

While watching Conference this afternoon Chad and I overheard Cayden saying, "Mmm!" We quickly turned to see what was so yummy and discovered...

Cayden had discovered my stash of Cadbury eggs and attempted to eat one wrapper and all! Since he had already started on it I felt bad taking it away and allowed him to eat it (but without the wrapper and with help from daddy).

This boy loves him some chocolate!

Because He's So Cute

2011-04-01T10:33:00.005-06:00

We took some pictures of Cayden a couple of weeks ago while we were getting ready for church. He is just too dang cute! Oh, and yes, he is wearing a tie and no shirt because he had just dumped Chad's water bottle all down the front of his shirt. We convinced him to take the wet shirt off, but he refused to take off his tie. Silly boy.

Auntie R-Dizzle

2011-04-01T10:23:00.008-06:00

This is what happens when Auntie R-Dizzle comes to visit...

We play inside the bike trailer and with hairbrushes.

We wear dresses and play with VS bags. (Seriously, should I be worried?)

We stick bowls on our head and green beans in our ears.

Basically, we have a lot of fun!

My Little Piggy

2011-03-17T13:48:00.009-06:00

If you ask Cayden what a pig says, he opens his mouth and does this weird snort that sounds like he is choking on air. Funny boy.

***

On Sunday we don't have church until 1pm (really yucky when that is your child's nap time) and so Cayden gets to spend a lot of time playing with daddy in the morning. This past Sunday while I was getting ready for church, Cayden and daddy were having a lot fun...

Yes. That is a 3 Musketeers bar.

Hee hee. This boy totally takes after his mama... he sure loves chocolate!

Sharing with daddy.

Here is a video of the action.

In answer to your question... Yes. Cayden ate an entire 3 Musketeers bar all by himself. Apparently play time with daddy is now going to have to be supervised by mommy.

Cayden's New Favorite Place = PetSmart

2011-03-13T20:40:00.011-06:00

Last night we took Cayden to PetSmart to look at all the animals. To sum up the experience in one word... LOVE! We just might become frequent visitors.

Fishies!

Woofing at the guinea pigs... not sure why...

Hampsters

Cayden absolutely loved the Parakeets! He giggled each time one flew around.

More birds.

Cayden also loved the cats. The kitty in this particular cage loved Cayden! It kept licking his finger and tried so hard to get out.

Cayden and his new friend. This boy loves dogs. As much as I hate to say it, I think one day we are going to end up with a dog. :/

I love the part in this video where the dog licks Cayden. I also love Cayden's happy little squeals. Seriously love this kid.

Blackmail

2011-03-13T11:42:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago my nephew Jaxton was blessed. I totally forgot that I had this picture until I was going through the camera last night. Lol. These two weren't feeling very well that day...

Sorry guys. Love you both! ;)

The Way We Celebrate

2011-02-15T17:24:00.006-07:00

To celebrate Valentine's Day yesterday Chad and I ate this...

Yummy cheesecake made by yours truly. :) Amazingly delicious! Best cheesecake I've ever had. Seriously.

...and Cayden ate these...

Notice that the brown one is missing its point. While coloring with his Valentine's Day present Cayden took a bite out of the brown crayon, chewed it up, and said, "Yum." Uh, gross.

Cayden playing with his Valentine's Day present. Love him.

A Box from Grandma

2011-02-11T13:27:00.009-07:00

Opening his box.

Eating all the loose candy before mom takes it away.

Suckers...

and Elmo!

Cute boy wearing the Elmo shirt he loves!

A Reader of Fine Magazines

2011-02-08T12:24:00.007-07:00

A few weeks ago my friend Nicki came out to Utah for a very brief visit. We were able to eat some yummy food and then I went with the whole parade to go wedding dress shopping for Nicki's sister. While Hilary tried on dress after dress, Cayden found a way to keep himself entertained...

Caught red handed! Yes, he is reading a bridal magazine.

"I like this one!"

At dinner. I seriously love this little face!

While I was making the bed...

2011-02-07T12:58:00.003-07:00

...Cayden was in the kitchen getting ready to make breakfast.

Thank you, son.

Grocery Shopping

2011-02-05T20:57:00.003-07:00

I just discovered something that has made my shopping trips much easier (assuming the store actually has one). Cayden keeps himself entertained and I don't have to worry about him pulling stuff off the shelves into the cart or throwing stuff out of the cart onto the floor. Love it!

Now if only the top basket would hold everything that I need it to... Oh, and if only I could stop running into things (the car part makes the cart longer than you think, turning corners is not my forte).

Singing or Telling Stories?

2011-02-05T20:41:00.004-07:00

This is Cayden's newest trick. He does it in the grocery store, in the car, at home, and even attempts it at church sometimes. I can't decide whether he is trying to sing or tell a story... What do you think? Either way, it usually makes me giggle a little.

WARNING: You might want to turn down the volume on your computer. :)

P.S. Did you notice that he was a little hoarse? He had been doing this for about five minutes before I pulled out the camera. Nutty boy.

I'm a Big Boy!

2011-02-05T20:30:00.007-07:00

Usually Cayden needs us to tear/cut his food up into smaller pieces. This last week however he decided he was a big boy and could do it all by himself.

***

Introducing Cayden, the big boy, eating his cheesy roll-up all by himself! :)

When he finished the first one he promptly held up the wrapper and said, "Mow?" (More?)

Cheesy roll-up #2

We Love Playing Too!

2011-02-03T18:10:00.005-07:00

Laundry basket cave at Grandma's.

Eating a huge cookie all by himself at Brian's Court of Honor - he got his Eagle!

Climbing on mommy's back.

Squishy hugs!

Airplane. Cayden no longer sticks his hands out, but instead hugs my feet as tightly as he can.

We Love Animals

2011-01-23T20:30:00.007-07:00

We love animals at our house (stuffed and real, though sadly we can't have any real pets yet... someday we're going to get a little puppy because Cayden is in love with them!). Or better yet, Cayden loves animals. I came home from choir practice today to this... Love him!

Cayden sitting in the chair with every stuffed animal he owns. Lol.

Of course his three favorites are right next to him... my old kitty, his husky puppy, and Elmo.

If you look closely you will notice his yogurt mustache. Daddy is apparently not very good at cleaning Cayden up.

My Big Boy

2011-01-11T20:25:00.006-07:00

{...Not my little baby. *tear*}

Cayden turned the big "18" last week. It's so sad that he's no longer my little baby, but instead my big boy. Perhaps my sister having her little boy has made me nostalgic, but there are times when I really miss my baby.

Today was Cayden's 18 month check-up and needless to say, he is still, well, HUGE. I'm still waiting for this kid to slow down, but there's no sign of that yet.

Height: 34" (90th percentile)
Weight: 34 lbs, 2 oz (100+ percentile)
Head: 50 cm (95th percentile)

***

Here is a list of the words he can say/has said:

"bawl" = ball
"caw" = car
"bad bad"
"nuh nuh" = no no
"mama"
"dada"
"duck"
"shoos" = shoes
"coat"
"mow" = more
"pup" = up
"bye bye"
"titty" = kitty
"uh oh"
"teys" = keys
"doh" = go
"ow"
"coo" = cool
"wow" ...if only you could see the facial expression accompanying this one...
"dahee" = doggy
"mwah"
"mm mm" = yum

***

Cayden also knows almost all of his body parts (hair, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, teeth, tongue, face, hands, feet, bum bum, tummy, belly button, wrinkle pits... aka arm pits) and has a small list of sounds that he enjoys making over and over and over...

"woo" = moo
spitting sound = elephant
"wooh wooh" = woof woof
lips vibrating together, sort of raspberry-esque = car
"ee ee ee" = monkey
"teet teet" = tweet tweet
opening and closing mouth = fish
"tack tack" = quack quack

(I still don't understand how on earth he knows the monkey and elephant sounds when I can't get him to make kitty noises to save my life.)

***

Happy 18 months my little man! Mommy and daddy love you so much!

Babies and Other Tidbits

2011-01-09T20:30:00.011-07:00

This past week (Tuesday, I think) my sister Jesseca had her little boy! I am so excited to FINALLY be an Aunt! He was quite the chunker - though not nearly as big as Cayden - weighing in at 8 pounds 2 ounces and 21" long. Cayden and Jaxton are exactly 18 months apart... kinda fun. :)

Jaxton Powell Ahlstrom :)

Cayden loved the baby. He did really well with him too and only got occasionally jealous while I was holding Jaxton.

Cute cousins.

Grandma and her cute grandsons.

In other news, we don't have much going on aside from normal, every day stuff. Oh and dad's school/work/GMAT studying/grad school applications. Chad submitted the last application tonight! *happy dance* Now we just have to transfer transcripts and wait on letters of recommendation, oh, and take the GMAT one last time.

And just for my mom's sake, here are some pictures of what we've been up to...

Cute boy in his snazzy new church outfit. Thanks Grandma H!

Deer caught in the headlights.

Cayden has been on a ball kick lately. He walks around the house all day saying "bawl" and anything that is round is a ball. The other day while eating some peas at lunch Cayden picked up a pea in each hand, held them up, and said "bawl." I laughed so hard!

Playing with mom's boots. I frequently find toys, stuffed animals, and other random things shoved in my boots.

Hee hee. Crying because he couldn't get out of my boots. Seriously, this kid and boots and crying. Are they really that scary? However, last night we had a mini breakthrough... Cayden walked around the entire time in the grocery store wearing his boots. No crying. No walking with stiff legs either. Perhaps we're getting somewhere.

My cute boys and their matching ties. Love it. They have two, the blue one pictured and a red one. I seriously think it's adorable. Thanks Grandma B!

Elmo Jammies!

2010-12-31T15:02:00.006-07:00

Dehydrated?

2010-12-31T11:01:00.004-07:00

Apparently my son is dehydrated. If not that then I have no answer as to what he is doing in these videos.

I seriously laugh so hard every time I watch these! My little boy is such a nut!

Anniversary Fun

2010-12-30T21:02:00.003-07:00

To celebrate our anniversary I...

Got these lovelies!

Went on a date with this hot man (kid free too!)

Ate this yummy food. Delish.

Four Years

2010-12-29T15:54:00.008-07:00

I can't believe that it has been four years since Chad and I were married! They have been the best four years and I can't wait to spend the rest of forever with him!

Love you forever!
XOXOXO

First Time Snow

2010-12-29T15:32:00.005-07:00

This morning was the first time that we actually got Cayden dressed and let him "play" in the snow. He was quite excited about the snow, but not his boots. Unfortunately Cayden was so upset about his boots that we took him inside within minutes. We'll just have to try another day.

Thinking about getting in the snow...

Cayden changing his mind because he doesn't like his boots. Yes, he is crying because of the boots and not the snow/cold. Nutcase.

Christmas Review

2010-12-27T14:11:00.013-07:00

We were able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Chad's family. We had a lot of fun, ate tons of yummy food, and got really spoiled! I didn't end up taking very many pictures, but here are the few I ended up with.

Playing with Grandpa. Nice face Chad.

Cleaning up the wrapping paper.

Playing with the box.

Family Christmas pajamas!

Eating the eggnog jug; at least it wasn't what was inside. Yuck.

Playing in daddy's present.

Wearing Uncle Brian's hat.

Unwrapping Elmo

2010-12-27T11:45:00.007-07:00

Cayden got a Tickle Me Elmo for Christmas from my parents. Since we weren't able to visit my family this Christmas my mom wanted a video to see Cayden's reaction to Elmo. So mom, here you go.

Unwrapping Elmo; I must say, my son has some mad unwrapping skills. :)

I love how Cayden keeps pointing at Elmo and saying "tis." And yes, Brian is in the background obnoxiously imitating Elmo.

I'm not sure if you can see this, but at the very beginning of the video Cayden is running away from Elmo because he fell out of the box and scared him. Lol! Also, he is waiting so patiently.

And finally, lots of loves for Elmo. I think it's funny that he dropped Elmo and ran when he started shaking. So we're scared of the Tickle Me part, but love just Elmo. Oh yeah, he also gives Elmo a kiss at the very end. So. Cute.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T12:57:00.004-07:00

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and we wish that we could visit all of our family. Love you!

{This looks a lot better in person. For some reason the scanned image is really yucky. Oh well.}

My Little Puppy

2010-12-21T08:28:00.002-07:00

Cayden loves puppies which is why I think it is so funny that he reminds me of a little puppy chasing his tail in this video. Lol. Who knew children could be such a great form of entertainment? ;)

Candy Cane Reindeer

2010-12-08T22:15:00.003-07:00

I made these cute candy cane reindeer tonight for an ornament exchange I am going to tomorrow night. Hopefully everyone else will think they are as cute as I do! By the way, it's a reindeer couple. A girl (with the bow) and a boy. Love it! :)

Sad, Sad Day

2010-12-06T16:19:00.003-07:00

We took Cayden to see Santa the other day. Clearly he's not old enough to understand the whole Santa thing, but I wanted to get a picture of Cayden with him. Sadly, the mall decided this year that you couldn't take your own pictures of Santa. You had to buy theirs (cheapest being $20) or stand outside the Santa area and take your own.

This is the best I could do. Sad, sad day. :(

If I would have been able to take a decent picture you would have seen Cayden crying and reaching for Chad. Cute and kind of sad. Maybe we'll try another mall and see if they'll let us take pictures.

It's True

2010-11-30T12:38:00.001-07:00

It's true. Despite what you may think I still love this little boy! He's just so dang cute!

H - E- Double Hockey Sticks

2010-11-29T19:47:00.009-07:00

{I hope you all didn't mind my lovely advertisement post last week. I got 50 free Christmas cards out of it. If you click on the link at the bottom and write a beautiful post of your own, you can too. Yay for free Christmas cards. Since I had no idea how we were going to pay for them this was just perfect.}

***

H - E - double hockey sticks... that is what today has felt like. As far as Monday's go today was definitely a Monday; not a great way to start off the week. By 2pm I wanted to crawl back in bed and start the whole day over. Why was today a 'terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?' Here's why...

* My workout this morning about killed me. Seriously. I was only halfway though and was already gasping for breath and every muscle in my body felt like it was on fire. Yuck.
* After my workout I heard Rose and Reuben getting in their car outside (Rose and Reuben are the older couple we are renting from). We needed some ice melt a few times this past week and so I went out to see if they could get some. They were actually on their way to get some - yay! As I was walking in the door Rose asked me if I would shovel the driveway (we shovel the driveway, rake the leaves, mow the lawn as part of our rent). It snowed a lot yesterday and we shoveled. Then last night it snowed too... as in like almost nothing. A very, very light dusting on the driveway. Not what I wanted to do, but okay. I was just about to put Cayden down for a nap and hop in the shower, but figured I could quickly shovel the driveway. I put on my jacket and left Cayden inside to play.
* While shoveling I looked up to see Cayden walking down the driveway. Yep, you guessed it; Cayden has figured out how to open doors. Oh joy. I picked him up and told him to stay inside and play while I finished.
* About five minutes later I was done. I put the shovel up and went to open the door. It didn't open. I tried again only to realize that my son had locked me outside. Seriously? Of course I hadn't brought my keys out with me because who honestly takes their keys with them when they go to shovel the driveway. Luckily I had my phone on me and was able to call Chad to come unlock the door. (Any other day I could have just had Rose and Reuben let me in, but remember, they were out buying ice melt.)
* I waited/froze outside for about 25 minutes waiting for Chad to come home. Meanwhile Cayden is inside screaming and turning the door knob trying his best to open the door (he could lock it, but apparently couldn't unlock it). During this time he was also able to make a HUGE mess.
* After rescuing my son and putting him down for a nap I was finally able to shower and start the laundry. Because I started the laundry so much later than I normally do I was doing it clear up until dinner. Fun, fun, fun.

I thought this was the end of the horror, but sadly I was wrong...

* While feeding Cayden lunch he started grunting. No biggie. Except that I quickly realized that this was very juicy sounding poo. I pulled him out of the highchair as fast as I could in an attempt to prevent a blowout... no such luck. I had a poo covered child.
* I cleaned Cayden and got him dressed and then started rinsing his clothes. (I suppose this is the silver lining... because I had started the laundry so much later I had a load that hadn't been started yet. I was able to throw the poo clothes in after rinsing and spraying them. Yay!) As I was cleaning out Cayden's lovely poo clothes I heard a crash and the sound of something shattering. I ran from the kitchen to find Cayden standing over a pile of broken ornaments with an empty box in his hands. At this point I was about to lose it. I took Cayden to his room and left him in his crib for about 20 minutes while I calmed down.

That's why my day has been the day from H - E - double hockey sticks. I am so glad that Cayden is in bed right now. And I'm so glad that tomorrow is a brand new day. Here's hoping that it's better than today was.

'Tis the Season

2010-11-21T13:31:00.003-07:00

This morning as Chad was getting ready for church (I'm a sicko and Chad has to teach so Cayden stayed home with me) he picked out a Christmas tie to wear. I told him that he was crazy! The stores might start putting up Christmas things the day after Halloween, but I refuse to. I am a believer in the "day after Thanksgiving" as far as Christmas is concerned. But I have to admit, the snow that we got last night had me really wanting to listen to Christmas music; I wanted to cheat, but I didn't.

Anyway, I've been debating back and forth the past few weeks over whether or not to do Christmas cards this year. I've never done it in the past - when Chad and I were first married I figured we were too boring to send out a Christmas card. We didn't have any cute kids to look at and everyone already knew what we looked like. So I never did. Last Christmas was the first year where I even thought about sending out cards, but we didn't have any cute family photos (aside from a few we took at the hospital when Cayden was born, no way in heck I was going to use those... I looked so... lovely) and it just kinda slipped my mind. This year I have no excuse as we had adorable family pictures taken in October, see how amazing they are!

There you have it. I have come to the conclusion that I have to do Christmas cards. I've decided to go with Shutterfly this year. They have the cutest everything... photo books, Christmas cards... really anything related to photos.

I'm loving this one (click here) and this one (click here) even though it is really traditional. I also really love this one (click here)... it's different. And finally, this one (click here). It is so unique and something I normally wouldn't think of.

As you can see, I'm having a difficult time deciding, so let me know what you think!

Check out their cute Christmas cards:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards,
adorable calendars (a possible Christmas gift?):
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars,
and birth announcements:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/baby-cards-stationery/birth-announcements?c=60461&lid=cards&lpos=bm_hp.

(I totally regretted not sending out any birth announcements when Cayden was born, so I've decided that whenever we have another baby I'm totally going to do it!)

Take a moment and check out Shutterfly. Maybe you'll find some great Christmas cards or presents!

***

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up!
http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Helping Daddy

2010-11-19T10:18:00.008-07:00

This week we raked up what was left of the leaves (well, except for the few that are left on two stubborn trees). Cayden had a blast helping his daddy, though I'm not sure you can really call it helping. :) Next year should be even more fun!

Raking the leaves with his broom. Weird kid didn't want to use an actual rake.

Playing in the leaves.

Cheese mom!

Whabam!

2010-11-17T15:41:00.001-07:00

All this = $0.00 (aka TOTALLY FREE!)

Because I rock. Whabam! :)

Grateful

2010-11-10T22:03:00.002-07:00

Our budget this month has been tighter than usual thanks to a lovely car repair at the end of October. So today as I was walking out of Walmart with a shopping cart full of groceries I was thinking to myself how frustrated I was; frustrated that the budget is even tighter than usual, frustrated that I couldn't buy some of the things that I wanted to at the store, frustrated and tired of living on a student budget. I got to the car and opted to put Cayden in before the groceries as it was lightly snowing and cold and Cayden has a cough that I didn't want to antagonize. As I was doing so I kept an eye on my cart full of groceries to make sure someone didn't take off with it.

I glanced up at one point to see a man walking very slowly up the aisle of cars. He looked a little out of place and was visibly upset. I smiled at him and went back to putting Cayden in the car. When I looked up next I was startled to see the man standing a few feet away from me. He told me that he wanted to get some food for his boys and asked if I had anything on me I could give him. A few thoughts went though my mind...

...I normally don't feel bad for people asking for money as I think there is something else they could be doing to get the money/help they need. But I felt bad for this guy and wanted to help him.

...I never carry any cash on me! How on earth am I supposed to help him when I don't have anything to give?

I had to tell the man that I didn't have any amount of cash on me and that I was so sorry. I felt horrible and helpless as he walked away. After loading the groceries into my car I climbed into the drivers seat, locked the doors, and started bawling. Not just a few tears, but all out crying. I felt so bad for the man. What he said really tugged at my heart. I wished so badly that I had something to give him or even a less strict budget where I could have gone and bought him a few things. I didn't think of it at the time, but I could have offered him a loaf of bread or an apple or some crackers. That might have helped a little.

As I was thinking about how bad I felt for the man and his situation I was reminded of how truly blessed I am. I have a house to come home to with plenty of warm water and heat. I have a wonderful family - a husband who works so hard and loves his family and a sweet little boy who brings so much joy to my life. I have a car to get me places. I have the ability to buy food for my family; while it isn't always the grandest, we never go hungry.

Whether or not the man actually was trying to get food for his boys or not doesn't matter. It reminded me that even though our budget is tight and I sometimes wonder where the money is going to come from, we are always provided for. I have no room to complain that I couldn't buy all the things I wanted because I have all the things that I need. Things could certainly be much worse. I'm grateful. So grateful.

***

Sometimes Heavenly Father needs to drop a brick on our head to get us to pay attention and realize that things aren't as bad as we think. Apparently today was my day. :)

Family Pictures

2010-11-05T11:14:00.002-06:00

Last month (over the course of 2-3 days) Chad's cousin Emmalie took our family pictures. The first day it was pouring rain and we had to reschedule - though we still got some really cute pictures. Anyway, Emmalie did an amazing job and I am in love with the pictures! Check her out on Facebook... SnapShots By-Emmalie ...I would totally recommend her. Thanks Emmalie for doing such a great job!

Here are just a few of my many, many favorites. :)

P.S. I'm really sorry this post is SO long. These are just a few of my favorites. Seriously. :)

P.P.S. Is my son really picking his nose and eating a booger? Gross. Thank you Emmalie for capturing this moment.

Time Capsule

2010-11-05T10:00:00.001-06:00

Way back in the year 2000 when I was 14 years old and in Young Women's we had this really fun activity where we made time capsules that we were to open during the year 2010 on our birthday. While visiting my family this summer I re-discovered this time capsule and brought it home with me so that I could open it on my upcoming birthday.

I'm not gonna lie. Some of the contents made me laugh so hard and some were really sweet. Though the one thing that stuck out the most to me was that I was totally a 14 year old girl when I made the time capsule. :) Enjoy!

My time capsule.
* Painted yellow which was and still is my favorite color.
* Has tons of pictures of things I liked such as... makeup, animal slippers, diamond rings, and Elmo?

The contents.
* A "What Does It Cost?" sheet. Apparently I need to travel back in time each time I want to fill up my car as gas was only $1.21/gallon.
* Ticket stubs from plays/sporting events I went to.
* Pictures of Nicki and I. By the way Nicki... we look so young!
* A Young Women's pamphlet with the values and theme. (Both of which have changed since then.)
* A questionnaire that I filled out. This seriously had me rolling as I read it! Why? One example... My favorite birthday was when I turned 14 because I could go to Stake dances. LOL!
* Letters from both of my parents and Nicki.
* A mission statement from yours truly about the type of person I hoped I would be in ten years.
* Laura's rose.
* My handkerchief and recommend from the Palmyra Temple dedication.

I Feel So...

2010-11-01T14:22:00.001-06:00

OLD!

My birthday was this past Thursday and I turned 25. I've never really cared how old I was, but for some reason 25 feels really old to me. I mean, I'm only five years away from 30 (which everyone says is over the hill) and according to my brother my life is 1/3 of the way over. Now I understand why year after year my mother continued to turn 29. ;) Though I'm really not that old, turning 25 still seems really weird.

Anyway, Thursday was a pretty regular day... laundry, Cayden was somewhat of a pill, Chad was gone most of the day with work... but we did manage to make it a little special.

Chad came home with these pretty flowers. I really, really like getting flowers.

He also brought home Nicholas Sparks' brand new book (I've only read two of his books and loved them, I've decided that I'm going to have to check out the rest from the library), a heavenly caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (they are seriously divine, and they can't be THAT bad, I mean most of it is apple...), and marshmallow creme (which he claims is from Cayden even though Cayden didn't help pick it out).

All in all the day was pretty great. I got a little spoiled with some surprises and was able to spend some time with two of my favorite people, Chad and Cayden. Love my little family!

Trunk-or-Treat

2010-10-31T20:25:00.006-06:00

Last night we went to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat. The kids put on a little parade and then went around the gym as many times as they could trying to fill their buckets. By the end of the night Cayden had totally figured out that people would give him candy if he just held up his hand. After getting his candy he would very responsibly/carefully place the candy in his bucket. My son is no fool though... he knows all too well what is inside of the wrappers and we had a hard time stopping him from trying to eat everything (wrappers and all).

Walking in the parade with daddy.

Playing with the football and some of his spoils.

Mommy and the cutest little football player ever! Just you wait, he'll be a linebacker someday. :)

2010-10-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
From my future football player :)

Plastic Bags

2010-10-29T19:30:00.002-06:00

Why do I even bother buying Cayden toys?

A Few From Colorado

2010-10-28T12:24:00.009-06:00

Cayden and I just got back (when I say just I really mean this past Sunday) from a wonderful week in Colorado. We had a lot of fun... birthday shopping, Sam's, an awesome King Tut exhibit at the DAM, lots of playing, relaxing, yummy food... I wish we could go back! Anyway, here are the few (*cough* three) pictures I took. Funny how all but one are at the airport.

On the plane excited to go see Gma and Gpa. I actually ran into a lady who used to be in my ward at the airport. We ended up on the same flight and sat next to each other. It was so nice to have someone help with Cayden when he got squirmy and fussy. Overall, Cayden did remarkably well on the flight out, and had I known what was coming on the return flight I wouldn't have complained at all. :)

This is the amazing puppy pancake I made Cayden one morning. Gpa made the pancake batter, I made the puppy. Cayden loves pancakes and I actually think that he ate pancakes three times for breakfast and once for lunch during the week we were in Colorado.

At DIA waiting for our delayed flight back to Utah. We ended up sitting around at the airport for three hours before we could board the plane and take off. Cayden did pretty well on this flight, though he was very tired and antsy. The last 20 minutes of the flight Cayden started screaming. Not just whining or fussing, but seriously screaming. I tried everything and nothing worked. I finally found a sucker in my diaper bag and that seemed to do it. It turns out that the plane had to circle around again before it could land, adding another 20 minutes to our flight. By the time we landed, Cayden and I had been sitting at the airport/on an airplane for almost six hours. It was a very, very long day.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-27T11:02:00.010-06:00

A few weeks ago we went to a pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. (I had never been to a pumpkin patch before and was really, really excited!) Cayden had so much fun walking around, crawling all over the pumpkins, and carrying pumpkins to his daddy. We really enjoyed it and I think this might have to be a family tradition from now on.

Sitting on a huge pumpkin! There were like five or six of these gigantic ones!

Bringing a pumpkin to daddy.

My little pumpkin. :)

Playing in the pumpkins.

Cayden ended up with a very dirty face. Oh, and notice that he's eating the printed directions to the pumpkin patch. He would bite off a piece and then say, "Num." Weirdo.

Uh-Oh...

2010-10-27T10:30:00.005-06:00

Today when I got out of the shower I was greeted by this happy boy.

I quickly realized why he was so happy. This is what he had been doing while I was in the shower...

At least he didn't clog the toilet. Right?

A Busy Week

2010-09-27T19:49:00.012-06:00

This last week was really busy; I was house sitting/babysitting for a family in our ward, six kids in total (including Cayden)! Somehow in all the chaos we managed to do some fun things and take a few cute pictures of Cayden.

Playing with sticks or "tiss" at the park.

More playing and "Get that outta my face mom!"

We spent a lot of time playing in the curtains at the sliding glass door.

Loves for mama. Such a sweet, sweet boy.

Eating M&Ms and raisins (AKA picking out all of the M&Ms). "I like these Mom!"

Bathtime with Sophia and Isaac. They begged me all night to take a bath with Cayden and I finally caved just to get them to be quiet.

This picture actually isn't from our adventure last week, it's from dinner last night. PB&J and a little bit of pizza. Cayden loved it! (And also made a huge mess with it.) He definitely required a bath afterward.

Almost There!

2010-09-17T12:03:00.000-06:00

Cayden is almost walking! And he gets a little better each day. I can't wait until my little man is a pro. :)

A Few More...

2010-09-12T19:38:00.008-06:00

Krysta took some pictures I didn't get while at Bear Lake. I had to steal them and share them with you. :)

My cute husband and boy.

See Dad, Cayden tries to pick his nose. AND he thinks it is funny. Look at that huge smile on his face; disgusting!

Cayden walking off of the dock. He wanted in that water so bad.

Cute boy driving the boat.

Bear Lake, Day 2 (Saturday)

2010-09-12T13:55:00.014-06:00

Saturday morning we woke up to a cloudless sky and perfect weather! Too bad we had to leave that afternoon.

Look at that gorgeous water! It was so clear, so blue, so pretty!

Chad's Aunt and Uncle brought their dog Katie up. I was so surprised (based on Cayden's past experiences with dogs) to see that Cayden loved Katie. He wanted to sit right by her all day and kicked and barked each time he saw her. So cute.

Waiting on the dock to get in the boat.

Cayden kept trying to walk off of the dock. Chad thought he was funny trying to help him out.

Cayden didn't get much sleep on our trip and passed out on the boat. Sleeping babies are so precious.

Later on we flew kites on the beach while Chad...

...invented the wheel! Lol. Just kidding. Chad spent some time building a platform for us to walk on to get into the boat without getting wet.

One of the few runs we got in. While Chad and I were out on the boat, Cayden had fun playing with Grandma on the beach.

Yelling "dada dada dada" while we were bringing the boat in. We're still working on mama. Cayden can say it, he just doesn't like to; little turkey.

Playing in the sand. This boy got so dirty. There is no doubt he is 100% boy. :)

There you have it. We had a wonderful time and wished we could have stayed longer. We'll just have to go again next year and hopefully then we can get out on the water more.

Bear Lake, Day 1 (Friday)

2010-09-12T13:37:00.015-06:00

Chad, Cayden, and I went up to Bear Lake with Chad's family this past weekend. Friday was overcast, windy, and really cold so we didn't do much more than ride on the boat for a bit. Saturday was perfect weather wise, but we unfortunately had some problems with the boat overheating and only got in a few runs on the boat. Still, we had a great time and enjoyed getting away for a few days. Here are some pictures documenting our adventures (oddly enough, Cayden is the main focus).

Cayden spent a large part of Friday playing with the the boat keys (Chad's dad claims there are permanent bite marks on it) and a pair of heart shaped sunglasses that we found on the beach. I've never been able to get Cayden to keep sunglasses on for more than a few seconds so I've never bought him any... then we found a cheap, girly pair and he loved them. Go figure.

Several hours later... STILL wearing the glasses.

"Yes?"

Friday night we went to dinner in town at a "famous" pizza place. (I had never heard of them before, but that doesn't mean anything.) Cayden had fun being the life of the party. We all enjoyed the ginormous pizza!

Cheese face at dinner. Seriously love this little boy.

28" pizza! Holy hugeness! Look at it compared to a normal sized plate. We (the eight of us, not just Chad and I) ate all but five pieces.