Easter Weekend 2012

We had such a relaxing, fun Easter weekend this year. Saturday morning we went to the SkyWest egg hunt with my mom, sister, and all the kiddos. Cason made out pretty well and had a ton of fun running around to get all of the eggs. It was fun to see a few of his friends there as well. That evening we had a barbeque at my parents house and decorated eggs. Jeff had just as much fun as the kids and is already planning an Easter egg decorating contest for next year.

Sunday morning Cason didn't waste any time and dug right into his basket first thing. Candy for breakfast isn't a terrible thing, right?! Along with a bit of candy he also discovered egg shaped sidewalk chalk and silly putty. He also didn't want to waste any time and immediately asked to go outside to play with his new found treasures. We were able to convince him to have a nutritious breakfast and a shower while we waited for it to warm up.  Then we headed outside and played for most of the morning. Later that evening we went back over to my parent's house for more delicious food and the annual treasure hunt. Cason had to hold his own against the older kids, but was really just excited to be a part of the fun.

The best part about holidays for me is the time we spend with family. I love every second of it and have the most amazing family!

 Cousins :)

 I love this kid!!

 Waiting so patiently.

 He was so proud of the stickers he put on his green egg.

 Cason and his great grandpa putting together an Easter puzzle. I love that he is able to get to know his great grandparents. This picture makes me smile!

Best buds, Case and Cyd, showing off their Easter treasures.

Backyard Adventures

We are loving our backyard this spring! From sun up to sun down Cason loves to be outside playing and it is so nice for me to be able to let him run around in the backyard without having to worry about where he is or if he could get hurt. The weather has been so perfect lately. Cason and I have been playing outside so much recently that I honestly can't recall the last time I had to pick up all of the toys inside the house. We have been focusing on fixing up the patio area the last few weeks and it is really coming together. I love to sit out there during the day while Cason plays on his playground. I made some hemp balls to put over patio lights that we draped around the awning. It looks amazing and is so beautiful at night. Jeff and I have loved sitting out there after Cason goes to bed with the lights shining and the water fountain running. A few times Jeff has even brought his guitar out and I sing while he plays some of our favorites. Cheesy, I know, but I am loving it!

 Loving my beautiful rose bushes!

 It's hard to tell what the lights and balls look like from this picture, but I am pretty pleased with the outcome of my most recent project :).

 This also isn't the best picture, but we planted a few pink jasmine vines on the patio. They smell amazing and I can't wait to see how they grow over the next few years.

 Cason loves to splash around in the fountain.

We worried about Cason opening the gate and getting out or letting the dogs out so we installed a lock. Apparently a lock isn't going to stop him :).



Thunder Over Utah Air Show

The Navy Blue Angels came to St. George this weekend for the Thunder Over Utah air show.  We spent most of today at the show and had a great time.  We were able to sit next to Jeff's and my sister's families which made it even better.  Cason absolutely LOVED all of the airplanes.  From the second we walked in he was mesmerized by the different planes and jets.  It was amazing to see what those pilots can do.  I can't even imagine all of the work and practice that goes into putting on a show like that.  Absolutely amazing! 

Silly Boy

Cason is always saying and doing silly things that I tend to forget later on.  I have wanted to write everything down since he was a baby, but haven't done very well with that.  Since I have a minute I just want to make note of a few things he has been doing recently that make me smile and laugh. 

• Used to say "the end" when we finished a book or story.  Now he says "amen."
• Likes to pray before bed every night and has to mention that he is thankful for every single person he knows.  If he forgets anyone he will yell out their name later on during the prayer.
• Says I and me when he wants something.  Example: "I wagon ride me" or "I dinner me." 
• Is obsessed with the make and model of cars.  As we drive down the road he yells out everytime he sees a car that he knows.  Of course he doesn't know the actual name of them.  He refers to Mitsubishi Galants as grandma's car, Jeep Cherokees as daddy's truck, Honda Civics as mommy's car, Ford Mustangs as Kenton's car, etc.  It's hilarious and he's pretty good at it. 
• Takes his shoes and socks off EVERY time we are in the car.  He sometimes gets to both feet, but ALWAYS starts with the right foot. 
• Often adds circle to the beginning of a word... "circle bike," "circle milk," "circle blankie," etc.  Not sure where he picked this up.  
• Notices when things fall or spill and is very concerned about it.  The other day we were looking at the water features at Lowes and he said "uh oh water's falling!" 
• Always says the phrase "hi bye Dobby no no."  He has said it for months and I have no idea what it means.  Not sure if Dobby is an imaginary friend or a Harry Potter reference :).  He says it a lot when he is doing wild and crazy things.... like jumping off the end tables or couches. 

"Goopy" goo and other fun stuff

I just wanted to make a quick post about a few things we have been up to recently. 

The other day I was home with Cason (thank you President's Washington and Lincoln!) and we were looking for something fun to do inside.  I had some left over corn starch in the cupboard from some finger painting we did months ago and decided to make a little mixture with water.  We added some blue food coloring for effect and had ourselves a ton of fun with what Cason termed "goopy."  We layed a sheet on the floor of the kitchen and went to town.  Cason was excited about it at first, until he got his hands in it.  Then he kept saying "ucky ooooouy" and refused to touch it.  He somehow managed to get it all over himself before we decided that it would be more fun to paint the sheet with it.  Who would have thought two ingredients could combine to be so much fun!

Cason loves to paint and it is something we do a lot of in this house.  The other day he spent, literally, an hour and a half on one painting.  This includes the time he spent taking the caps on and off and on and off, counting the paints, and lining them up perfectly (he's a little OCD).  By the time he was finished we had paint everywhere.... notice his nose.  Luckily it's washable :).

Speaking of OCD.... we always find Cason's toys lined up in perfect rows.  Recently it has been his trucks.  It's hilarious to find them in various places throughout the house.

Today I am also home with Cason (thank you shingles... not so much!).  He is such a smartie pants recently and I'm trying to find ways to test his knowledge.  We made a new game this morning that will help with sorting colors and counting.  It wasn't much of a challenge for him, but we had a lot of fun playing it together.  And afterward he had a lot of fun throwing the poofy balls around the living room :).

There's so much more I could post about.  It is something new and exciting everyday with this boy.  He is 21 months old today and I can't even believe it.  I've been thinking a lot lately about what a miracle it is to have children.  Being pregnant and actually giving birth is a miracle in itself.  It's incredible to think that Jeff and I created something so perfect!  But after that we have this infant that grows and develops so quickly into an intelligent human being.  It's hard to fathom.  It is amazing how smart, caring, compassionate, fun, intuitive, energetic, spunky, sarcastic, tricky, beautiful, bright, and lovable he is at 21 months.  In 21 short months I have realized that having children brings so much meaning to life and I feel so blessed that I got the best one! 

Crafty

Something has lit a spark under me and I feel like I've been so on the ball recently.  My house has been spotless for over a month.  I've been making dinner every night for about the same length of time.  And.... drum roll please... I've been working out 3-5 times per week.  It has been amazing!  I've also been feeling a bit more crafty lately and have completed a couple more (small) projects.  The first project directly contributes to my being more organized lately.  I made a cute weekly calendar that keeps track of dinners, chores, and events going on throughout the week.  It helps me stick to the dinners that I have planned and also helps me to get little chores done throughout the week.  This makes it so that I don't spend my entire weekend cleaning my house and allows me to use the coveted weekend nap times to get bigger projects done or -better yet- do something for myself without feeling guilty about it!  My second project is a cute little wreath for our front door.  We cleaned up the front yard a couple of weekends ago and it seemed to me the house was missing a little touch of something.  So, even though Jeff thinks that wreaths are meant solely for Christmas time, the project began.  I'm pretty pleased with the final result.  Take a look!