The Men in my Life

Happy Father's Day to all the men in my life!  I am so blessed to be surrounded by some of the most amazing men.  I am so grateful that my son has the best examples to look up to as he grows up.  I have the most wonderful father.  He has worked hard his entire life to provide for my family and has always been the rock that holds us all together.  He is smart, funny, and kind.  I look up to him and want to make him proud.  I always have.  I am married to an amazing man that has proven to be an amazing father over the past 13 months.  I love to watch him with our son.  He teaches him so much and I can see the love that he has for him as I watch them together.  I know that Cason will grow up to be an amazing man because of the example that Jeff sets for him on a daily basis.  I also have been very blessed to be able to grow up knowing both of my grandfathers.  They are both very different, yet have both taught me so much.  I think it is very important for a girl to have good men in her life and I know that I am one lucky girl to know these amazing men.  Happy Father's Day.  I love you all!  The Saturday before Father's Day we got together with family for brunch and swimming.  It was a great day!  Here are some pictures:

 my best boys

 grandpa and Cason

Cason and grandpa Giles

On Father's Day Jeff, Cason, and I took a trip to Red Cliffs for some hiking and swimming.  We had a blast and Cason loved playing in the water.  Since it has been such a wet year the pools were perfect, although a bit cold.  I have so much fun spending time with my little family.  It doesn't seem that life could get any better.

Upgrade

Cason upgraded to a big boy carseat this weekend!  We are actually way past due for the upgrade because he reached the height limit for the other one months ago.  He looks so big and grown up in the new seat.  It makes me smile :).  I think he feels more grown up in it as well.  He seems to love looking forward and out the window and being able to see us in the front.  I can't believe he's growing up so fast!

fun at the park 6.12.11

NEVER a dull moment

There is never a dull moment with my Cason boy.  He has so much energy!  I wish I had half the energy he does.  I can only imagine the things I would get done.  He is constantly going, going, going.  He has recently started spinning and likes to do it all the time.  He spins around in circles until he falls over.  I can't believe he does not get sick.  Instead, he picks himself back up and does it again.  It is the most adorable thing!  When he is not spinning he is running around the house searching every nook and cranny, climbing in, over, under, and around everything he sees, and making every use possible of his toys.  His favorite toys right now seem to be his lawn mower and cozy coupe.  Both of which he plays with on a daily basis in the yard.  He pushes the lawn mower back and forth across the front lawn and climbs in and out of the car.... just as if he were doing the real thing. 

He's such a smart little guy at 13 months.  He amazes me daily with the things he is learning.  He can say several words.  A few new ones include gapa (grandpa), gama (grandma) stop, what, head, and sthamma (?).  I haven't figured out what this last one is yet, but can tell by the way he says it that it is meant to be a real word.  He can also understand several commands.  However, that doesn't always mean that he follows them :).  He likes to hold our cell phones, or tv remotes, up to his ear and pretend that he is talking on the phone.  He has also recently started blowing kisses... kind of.  He actually holds his hand over my mouth and then pulls it away as I kiss.  It is adorable and I'm sure he'll get the real thing down pretty quickly. 

Cason is a social butterfly.  He smiles and waves at everyone he sees and every car passing by.  This, along with his beautiful blue eyes and adorable blonde hair, gets him noticed everywhere we go.  He loves the attention!  As always he is my happy boy.  I seriously don't know how I got so lucky.  He loves baths, loves the outdoors, and loves his mommy and daddy.  He still takes 2 good naps a day and sleeps well at night, except when teething :(.  I thought he'd never get them, but he now has 2 bottom teeth.  They make his smile even that much sweeter.

I know that people don't really want to hear me go on and on about my baby all day, but this blog is really more for my benefit anyway ;).  I'd talk about him all day if anyone would listen.  I love my little man!

These pictures are a couple months old, but are too cute not to post. 

It's the perfect example of his energy level.  And yes, he still goes out the doggie door every chance he gets!



Cason 1 Year Photoshoot!

Last week we took Cason out for a 1 year photoshoot.  Our really good friend, Tara, was nice enough to do it for us and did a great job.  You can check out her work at tarahphotography.blogspot.com.  Cason doesn't love taking pictures which makes it hard to get a smile, but we ended up with a lot of really cute photos.  Here are some of my favorites.  Thanks Tara!

A backyard in the works!

The backyard is coming right along.  We bought our home as a foreclosure and it had been vacant for about a year when we moved in.  The water had been turned off and the previous owners hadn't taken good care of the yard... or anything for that matter.  The first spring we lived here we were able to get the front yard looking great!  Some of the sprinklers weren't working in the back and we couldn't really salvage the grass.  This year we finally decided to do something.  My dad came over a couple of weekends ago to help us with the sprinklers.  He redid the entire system and did an amazing job!  This kickstarted the whole project.  I am so thankful to him for taking the time out to help us. 

 Cason helping grandpa with sprinklers.  At one point he tried to eat the glue... not good!

We'll probably put an oleander bush or something in to hide the boxes.  Doesn't it look great?

I admit that Cason is my motivation for the whole thing.  He loves to play outside and I want a safe, fun place that he can go anytime he wants.  My sister gave us a playground when they moved a few months ago and I want a nice place for it.  There is a gravel pit next to our shed that we haven't done anything with.  So we are digging it out to put in a sand box.  The playground will sit on top of that.  Digging gravel is hard work and when this is all done I never want to see gravel in my yard again! 

 We had to dig a couple of trees out before even beginning to start on the gravel.  Hard work!

 This isn't a great picture, but we're definitely seeing a change.  It's still a work in progress.

 Before....

..... and after.

The previous owners had also built a weird patio area with landscaping bricks which made the ground very uneven.  We have taken all of that out and built a flowerbed that covers the length of the house and looks amazing!  In doing so we have had to level out the entire back yard.  Which means more digging :(. 

Before...

 ... and after.

 Before...

...and after.  This part of the yard looks so much bigger and open now.



My back and arms hurt so bad, but I am so excited to work on it that I am out there every free minute I have.  Jeff and I really have had a lot of fun working on it together.  We still have a long way to go, but I'm hoping to get everything finished and grass in over the next couple of weeks.  These pictures may not look like much, but I am extremely proud of the work we've done.  I'll post more pictures when it is all done.  I can't wait!!

Cason working hard too!

It must really wear him out because each day that we work out in the yard he seems to take at least a 3 hour nap.  This makes it a bit easier to get things done.  Notice his little feet curled up underneath him.  So adorable!!

And lastly, a quick update on our baby birds.  All 3 are alive and well and the momma bird is VERY protective.  It is so fun to watch her feed them.  The other day she was away, I assume searching for food, so I decided to climb up on the ladder to snap a picture.  Bad idea!!  Apparently she doesn't go very far and is constantly keeping watch.  (She's a good momma!)  Anyway, next thing I know she is flying at my head and squawking uncontrollably.  I did not fall off the ladder, but did get some pretty good scratches from falling face first into the branches.  Jeff was at the store getting more sprinkler supplies at the time and just laughed at me when he got back.  Needless to say I will be leaving the little birdies alone from here on out.  I should know you don't mess with a momma's babies.

I was able to get this shot before the attack.

bbq's, swimming, and baseball....

...Isn't that what summertime is all about?  I love summer!  Although I no longer get the long summer break that I used to when going to school I still love everything good that comes with the season. 

A couple favorites are bbq's and swimming which we have been doing a lot of lately.  I love getting together with family and friends to enjoy good food, warm weather, and great conversation.  One of the perks of having such wonderful parents is that they like to get together often.  It also doesn't hurt that they have a beautiful pool and know how to make a delicious meal ;). 

Another favorite is baseball.  Jeff used to play city league softball with his friends and I loved watching the games during the summer season.  He isn't playing this year, but both of my nephews are and we have really enjoyed watching their games.  I am so excited to watch Cason in organized sports when he gets older, but probably not as excited as Jeff.  It is so fun to watch him with our nieces and nephews.  He loves to play with them and they love him to pieces.  He rough houses with them in the pool and enjoys teaching them about sports whenever he gets the chance.  He is such a wonderful  person and father and I can see how excited he is to experience all of this with Cason as he gets older. 

 What a goof! He'll kill me when he sees this :)

 Jeff throwing the boys in the pool.

 Enjoying some good grub!

My 2 nephews, Connor and Chase, are excellent baseball players.  Love those boys!