Valentine's Day 2014

Cason had his first Valentine's Day party for preschool this year. It was fun to see him get so excited about it. We looked around on the internet for box ideas and he chose to make a Batman one. (No surprise there!) He really looked forward to giving each of his preschool friends a valentine and was also excited with the ones he brought home. When I picked him up he said "Mom, I got suckers! I want to share one with you." He can be such a sweetheart sometimes :). He also made me a special heart necklace in primary the Sunday before and asked me to wear it on the big day. It's the littlest things that mean the most to me now days.


Jeff and I surprised the boys on Valentine's morning with balloons and candy. Kevin loves chasing balloons around and Cason makes up the wildest games to play with them. Anytime we have balloons for a special occasion they end up staying around the house for quite a while. We got another surprise early Valentine's morning from grandma Janene. She doorbell ditched us and left a surprise gift filled with chocolate and a book on our doorstep. Throughout the day we received several goodies on our porch. It made for a very exciting day!


Jeff and I don't usually make a big deal out of Valentine's Day, but like to spend it as a family doing something the kids will enjoy too. We spent the night at Fiesta Fun riding go-carts and playing arcade games. Two different people ended up giving Cason extra tickets that they had won so he really scored on prizes. Kevin was just content to crawl around the slides and pester his brother a bit.

I love this valentine that Cason made for Jeff. This is the first, ever picture that Cason has drawn of our family. He doesn't love art projects, coloring, or drawing so it was a pretty big deal for me. I also love the sweet note that he had me write off to the side. He's a big sweetheart!

Hot Air Balloon Festival

Mesquite holds an annual hot air balloon festival each January and it is definitely worth the drive to go watch. We went two years ago to the balloon glow that they do at night and it was awesome. This year we woke up early on Saturday to go see the balloons take off. There were 30-40 hot air balloons that we were able to watch blow up and fly away. Cason was so excited with each one and Kevin, though cold, seemed to be in awe. It was beautiful and fun. Definitely something that I wouldn't mind making a tradition.

Kev Turns One!

Where did the year go?! This kid is such a ray of sunshine and brings-9 so many smiles to our home. I could not have been blessed with a better baby. He is sweet and timid, yet independent and strong-willed at the same time. He loves his older brother and mom and dad. He is just starting to stand on his own and has taken a few steps. He learns new things everyday and LOVES his moments to be center of attention. He loves tickles, waving bye bye, giving big slobbery kisses and huge hugs, climbing up, across, and down the couches, giving five, hiding toys, placing things on his head, and climbing all over his older brother. He eats well..... when he wants and sleeps well..... when he wants. He has a bit of a sweet tooth and would prefer to snack than eat a full meal, but LOVES pears and peanut butter sandwiches. His favorite game is throwing a ball back and forth and his favorite toy is his vtech car. At his one year appointment he was in the 4th percentile for weight and 75th for height. It has been amazing to watch him grow and develop over the past year.

We celebrated our little Kevy turning one with a Very Hungry Caterpillar themed party on his birthday. We are so grateful to have so many family members close to share these special occasions with us. Kev loved all of his gifts, but was especially fond of the birthday cards. When it came time for cake he was in heaven! I am sure he would have stayed in that high chair all night to finish every last bite if I had let him. We had cake and frosting everywhere, but it was worth it. As much as I tried the little stinker didn't take any time out to smile for any photos because he was to busy indulging. It was the perfect ending to his first year and while bitter-sweet for me, was a really great night. I can't imagine our family without this precious little munchkin and we just love him to pieces!

 

A New Year 2014

2013 was an amazing year! We started out bringing Kevin into our family in January and shortly after I made the decision to leave my job and stay home full time. It was a difficult decision for me, but was definitely the best decision I could ever have made and has been an amazing experience for our family. We took the boys to Disneyland and on several other small trips and Jeff and I were lucky enough to get away on our own to Vegas a few times throughout the year. Our boys keep growing and changing and surprising us everyday. Cason turned 3 and started joy school and we have been excited to see Kevin reach each milestone during his first year. Jeff ended the year an older man with the celebration of his 30th birthday. (It is still hard to believe that we are this old!?) While we don't always have a lot going on, stay in a lot on the weekends, and lounge around in our pajamas much more than I'd really like to admit I would not change a thing. I am so grateful for my little family and the experiences we share everyday. I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for us!

We celebrated New Years Eve at my parents house with my family. Jeff and both boys were sick so we did not stay too long and also did not make it till midnight to watch the ball drop. Since I was little girl New Years Eve has always been a big deal with a huge family party and toasting at midnight. Needless to say, this year was a bit different, but we had a good time nonetheless. My mom got cute party hats for all of the kids so, naturally, many pictures were taken :).