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 :).

Preschool Friends

It has been so fun to watch Cason get so excited about going to preschool each week and I love the new friends he is making and the fun experiences he is having. October was my month to teach and it was a blast. It was so great for me to see Cason interact with his new friends and was also a lot of fun planning the lessons and activities each week. My teaching experience ended with a field trip to Staheli Family Farm and a fun Halloween party the following week. One of Cason's favorite things about preschool is picking out his show and tell each week. He has also made a great friend named James. It is so cute to watch them run to each other and give each other hugs. They have had play dates outside of preschool as well that Cason really looks forward to. I am so glad that we decided to go this route for preschool this year. He is having a great experience and we will have regular preschool to look forward to for next year. It has also been a fun experience for me :).

 

Wings and Wheels 2013

Cason absolutely LOVES police cars, fire trucks, airplanes, helicopters... you name it. Anything that resembles a vehicle, moves, or is loud is a favorite. They started a new thing at the airport this year called Wings and Wheels to raise money for a local air museum. We went with my mom in September and it was so fun to see Cason get excited about all of his favorite things being in one place. He was able to sit in the cockpit of an old fighter jet, spin the wheel of a vintage fire truck, and even tour an ambulance. Needless to say he was in heaven. Kevin was just content to sit in the stroller and watch the excitement going on around him. The day we went was the day he turned 9 months old. It is crazy that he is growing up so fast! It was a really fun day and I hope to go again next year.

And..... almost 5 months later

It has been almost 5 months since I have last posted on this blog.... eeek! We have done so many fun things and the boys have grown and changed so much over the summer. I feel awful that I have not kept up as well as I should have. For the past several weeks I have planned to take a big chunk of time and get all caught up, but it just hasn't happened. Funny that now I am a full time mommy I seem to have less free time than I did when I was working full time. Not sure how that works, but I guess my two cutie patooties really keep things busy around here. So... instead of getting all caught up at once I am going to start by catching up on the boys and then hopefully I'll go back and catch up the big events as I have time.

CASON (3 years, 4 months)

Cason is, of course, much more grown up now that he's 3. He started preschool 3 weeks ago and has been incredibly excited about it. This afternoon he played with his backpack on for at least 20 minutes before it was time to go and could not get out the door soon enough. I LOVE that he is loving it! A few other moms in the neighborhood and I are doing it out of our homes. It will be my turn to teach in October and I must say I am also pretty excited to be doing it as well.

He has also become quite the little helper. He's pretty well behaved -most of the time- and loves his little brother. He sometimes plays a bit rough with him, but also makes him smile and laugh more than anyone else. He loves to play outside in the yard on his bikes and with his friends. He also loves to play in the backyard on the swings and in his pool. The pool and slide have been a big hit this summer and we have spent many hours splashing around. He tends to obsess over specific toys for a few months before moving onto the next ones. Right now he really loves to play with his cars, trucks (especially tractors) and transformers. He is one of the most imaginative kids I have ever known and makes the cars and robots come to life when he plays. I love to watch and play along with him. He also LOVES to look for police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and other big vehicles anytime we are outside. Just over a month ago I got a jogging stroller and the boys and I go for a run every morning. Cason loves it and it is so fun to have him point out everything exciting that he sees.

Cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and meat are some of Cason's favorite foods. He refers to all meat as chicken and loves them all he same. Nighttime can be a bit of a struggle sometimes and lately he likes to have Jeff or I fall asleep with him so that he isn't "scary." We fought him for a little while, then I realized that he's still just my little baby and I should enjoy the time that he actually wants me to sleep with him :). Also, the 5 minutes it takes for him to fall asleep with me, hands down, beats the 45 minute power struggle trying to get him to sleep on his own.

Cason has always been a pretty affectionate kiddo and still loves to give hugs and kisses and tell us he loves us ALL THE TIME. Nothing beats an out of the blue bear hug from him. He loves to talk about "our family" and always includes Cheyenne. He still tells me that he is glad I stay home with him and he counts down the days to the weekend when daddy stays home too. He's rambunctious and fun-loving and sometimes a bit crazy and I would not change a thing about him.

KEVIN (8 1/2 months)

I can not believe that 8 months have gone by since our sweet baby Kev was born. In the last 4-5 months so many firsts have happened it has been hard to keep track! What I do remember is that he first rolled from front to back on 5/18/13, he then rolled from back to front the day he turned 6 months on 6/7/13. He is now crawling and has been for quite a while. He still does the army crawl and, if I had to bet, will probably just go straight from that to walking. He is very skilled at it and gets around quick! He also just recently started pulling himself up to the shorter furniture and can stand for a few seconds while holding on. He is always moving!!

Kev started eating solid foods when he was just over 5 months old and oh my how he loves his food. I haven't found a thing he won't eat yet. He had a harder time adjusting to the texture of meat, but loves it now. Cereal is still one of his favorites and he also loves watermelon and zucchini. Honestly, it is hard to tell which he likes the most because he inhales them all the same :). I have been making all of his baby food which has been a lot of fun for me.

Saying mama and dada are some of Kev's newest firsts. He usually says mama when he wants something and dada when he's playing and exploring. I've heard baba in there a few times and the last week or so he's been mixing it up with several different consonants in a row instead of the same over and over. He likes to blow bubbles with his tongue and expects you to do it back every time. When he's feeling particularly silly he likes to do it with a mouth full of food! He mimics us by sticking out his tongue and smacking his lips when we do. He also just started smacking his lips when we make kisses at him which I think is soooo precious!

Kev loves to be outside, loves to play inside, loves to be held, loves to play independently, loves to cuddle, loves to eat, loves walks, loves his mom and dad, LOVES his older brother, loves to watch the dog, loves to play with toys, loves to be on the move, loves to explore, loves baths, loves to be naked, and I could go on and on. He is honestly one of the most content, happy, easy going babies I have ever known. He smiles all the time, takes 2 long naps a day (like clockwork), gives the best hugs and kisses, and makes my life so easy! I just love him so much and feel so blessed!



Friends

I don't typically write mushy posts about my feelings and emotions. It's just not me. This blog has been more like a scrapbook for me to post my pictures and document the things I want to remember about my little family. However, Cason has moved on to a new phase in his childhood and I am really emotional about it... mostly in a good way :)... so I thought I'd take a minute to write down some of my thoughts.

We had some friends over to our house for a barbeque the other day and got talking about our kids... like we always do. I mentioned how afraid I am for Cason and Kevin to become teenagers and our discussion evolved into what it was like for us as teenagers and how we would handle situations with our children. I strongly believe that friends can make all the difference in a teenager's life. Luckily, I had amazing friends when I was younger. Without them I am sure I would have gotten into much more trouble than I did. As a parent I want to teach my children values and morals and do my best to become a friend and confidant, but I am not naive to think that their friends outside of the home will not have a huge impact on the choices that they make. I can only hope and pray that they choose good friends.

Just this past week Cason has been having his first experiences with friends. He plays with other kids often, but they are usually his cousins, our friend's children, or play dates that I have set up. In the past he has seen the neighbor boys out playing and will watch them, but doesn't venture out of our yard to go play with them. This past Saturday, with a little help from me, he pushed out of his comfort zone to play with them and I think surprised himself a little when he had a good time. On Monday he was out riding his bike in the front yard and surprised me when he rode over to the neighbors house ON HIS OWN to play. Yesterday, one of his new friends called to him from across the street to come play. Without any reluctance he rode his bike over and was very disappointed when I called him to come in for dinner a while later. Today we were loading up in the car to go to the store. His new friends were outside and he informed me "I need to go talk to my friends before we can go." Of course I had to let him go and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face on the drive to the grocery store. Every single day since that first encounter he has played with these boys and has been excited about it.

I love this new phase in his life! When he is out playing with his friends I try to find excuses to let him stay out longer. I don't want to interrupt the fun he is having. I am excited for him to experience new things and gain the confidence that comes with making friends and being independent from his momma (as hard as it is for me to say that). I know that there is also some dissapointment that can come with making new friends and that he is bound to get his feelings hurt every once in a while. I also know that I can't shield him from everything painful that he will experience in this life. For now though I am going to try and forget about all of that and just encourage him in this new phase. I know that the friendships he develops now will pave the way for future friendships and instead of being afraid I am now excited to see what his future has in store for him. It's a bittersweet feeling to watch my baby grow up right before my eyes!

Before and After

For the past several months I have known that we needed to get Cason's haircut. Even though I have known it, however, I have done nothing about it. Taking a trip to a salon seemed like more work than it was worth and for some weird reason I have some anxieties about getting rid of his long hair... strange, I know. But, we finally did it and it looks amazing! It took about 30 minutes to convince him that it would be a good idea to cut his hair. He loves wearing a hat and really doesn't go much of anywhere without his hat lately. We told him that his hat would fit better if his hair was cut and that did the trick! He did so great at the salon and even flirted with his hair dresser. Unprompted he told her that she was "very pretty" and that she "cut hair good." What a charmer :). As we left I felt a little sad and, of course, thought it was too short, but I love it now. He's still the same cutie he has always been, just a little cleaned up. Here are his before and after pictures. I didn't brush his hair for the before pictures so it was extra crazy (but lets be honest, it has looked a bit crazy for a while now).

BEFORE

 

AFTER

 

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS ONE IS, BUT AFTER I TOOK IT I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING. CRAZY EYES!!