Rock-a-bye Baby...

I really do try to teach my children to be gentle with each other and with others, although you may not think so after viewing this video! Kaden had been learning to rock the "baby" while I rocked Makenna. Nick made a game of the song with Kaden and would drop him on the bed when the baby "falls." This is the result of a two-year-old combining those two ideas....

Halloween Fun!

Nick had the "privilege" of participating in the pie eating contest at our ward's Fall Festival. They use to have just the Bishopric compete, but now they've included the auxilliary leaders so Nick has more competition now (not that he ever won even when it was just the Bishopric!).


This is Makenna and her butterfly buddy, Emily, who Makenna loves.

She just stares at the red light when we try to take a posed picture, but she still looks adorable!

Trying on the costumes.

Kaden and I carved our pumpkin and gave it a "smiley face."

Don't let your child go without a diaper for even a second!!!

Here's why...

She had a little red bum, so I thought I'd let her air out a bit. What was I thinking!?? Nick couldn't believe I took a picture of it. All I have to say is - it's for posterity.

Job training

Kaden is looking at the possibility of a career in sports announcing...


...looks like he'll need to refine his social etiquette before pursuing that career.

The Joy of....

POTTY TRAINING!!!

Did I say joy? Well, the novelty of choosing fun underware and trying them on was fun, but when we got down and dirty, I can't say it was all that fun! We started in October. He has done fairly well, I think, but we still have accidents periodically (usually during Sacrament Meeting at church!).

I Wanna Be Like You, Dad!

Gotta have piano pictures!

She's finally just the right height to reach the keys and finds her way to them fairly often. Too cute!

The duets have already begun! Again, too cute!

Nick says that he may be getting a little too old for me to be taking pictures of his naked buns, but I just couldn't help myself on this one!! I was in the middle of helping him change, got distracted by Makenna, then found Kaden playing a little tune on the piano. He's playing his rendition of "Freebird" by Lynyrd "Skin"yrd! :) For any of my students who may be reading this, don't worry, I did sanitize the bench afterwards.

Another funny one... I watched Kaden sit down at the piano, look at the music on the rack, then get up and go to the bookshelf and pick another book of music. He then walked back to the piano and put the new piece of muic up and started playing. Pretty cute!

Trampoline!

This Fall, we discovered the USA Gymnastics gym here in Gilbert. They hold open gym time for preschoolers and home schooled kids every day. In other words, you can pay a small fee and let your kids bounce, run, jump, and swing for 1.5 hours in a cool, air conditioned gym when it is 115 degrees outside. It is great!!! Kaden calls it the trampolines.

Kaden, My BIG Helper

Kaden's favorite thing to help me with is baking, because he knows there is always a "tweet" for him at the end.


One day, Kaden decided he was ready to help Makenna eat. He actually did quite well until she sprayed food all over him.

Kaden loves to "clean" the sink, but has to be seated on the counter to do his best work. It keeps him busy for a good 15 minutes or so. :)

Yes, he is putting away our silverware. It's like a matching game to him, and he usually gets the spoons and forks in the right area. Another good 15 minutes or so. :)

San Diego

We took a little vacation to San Diego and L.A. to visit Nick's grandparents and his uncle and aunt, Craig and Darlene. We had a great time with them; it was the first time I've been able to spend some considerable time with them, which was neat. We went to some of the places that Nick has fond memories of, like a neat spaghetti place that has been around for years. Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera on me for any of the time we spent together, so SORRY, no pics of Nick's family! :(

Part of our trip included the San Diego Zoo. It is an awesome place to visit for ALL ages! We loved each exhibit, but I think the kids' loved the people movers the best. These paths take you all the way up the hill, switch-back style, for about six times the distance you see in the picture. It was a fun feature to get you from one point to the other.


It may be hard to see, but immediately behind the kids is a sleeping lion. The exhibits here are designed in such a way that you always see the animals up-close.



Kaden had to get a quick touch, then ran for it, thinking the goat would chase him. Pretty cute.

Again, too cute!

We loved the trams. They gave us a quick glimpse at every area of the park. FUN TRIP!

Family Gatherings

It seems that whenever a holiday comes, we have time off from school, or for no calendar reason at all, we gather with our family members. This summer, Janna and Ryan came with their family to visit from Virginia. It was fun to see them and hang with the whole crew...


...and it seems that "Risk" is inevitably part of the festivities. Let me just say - if your husbands have not already discovered the world of "Risk," don't introduce it now! (It really is a fun and exciting game, just lasts for HOURS!)

Father/Son Time

Here's Travis practicing for his trip with Dad out on the lawn in front of our house. Without water close by, I guess it's the best you can do.

Nick and Trav took an overnight trip to the cool country up north one weekend in July. They hiked and tried their hand at some fishing, but came back empty-handed :(.

Swim lessons

This was Kaden's first time in swim lessons. He had a blast! He was a little nervous at the first lesson when she started pushing his head under the water, but quickly learned the skills and had a good time! (What you don't see in these pictures is Makenna and I dripping with sweat on the side of the pool while we watched his lessons. Oh, the sacrifices we make!)

Bryana's horse lessons

Bryana had the opportunity to care for and ride horses this summer at a ranch in Chandler. I have to say, it was a pretty cool set-up! I wanted to participate, too!

Family and Friend Blogs

I want to have all my friend and family blogs in one place. This has been a slow going process for me, so don't be offended if yours isn't up here yet. In fact, e-mail it to me, and I'll put it up. Thanks!!

Brother From Another Mother

We all got a good laugh one day when Travis introduced Kaden to someone as his "brother from another mother." There is no doubt that they share some strong genetics, however!

Summertime

Without further adieu.... some pics from our summer adventures. Now that the kids have aged, you might not recognize them. : )

FINALLY...!

I have finally updated our blog! Unfortunately, all I had time for tonight was changing from the black background that we had to a much more pleasant background. Yay! I didn't realize how easy it would be. Keep checking for more updates... you may just get to see some new pictures one of these days (but don't hold your breath - I won't be held responsible for any permanent health issues resulting from that!).

Bumbo

We tried Makenna in the Bumbo for the first time tonight. The second I pulled her out, Kaden decided it was his turn. The funny thing is, when he was younger, his thighs were so chunky he didn't fit in it. Now that he's stretched out, he fits perfectly!

Siblings

Little miss Makenna is getting so big. Her big brother is learning to love her. He layed down next to her one day, so I had to get the camera out. Too cute!

Morning jog

All bundled up and ready to go!

Cousins

Kaden with his cousin, Adam, who is one month his senior. Too sweet!

My Dad is a nut!

I'm not going to say anything about this picture. Just enjoy!

Regression

One afternoon, I put Kaden down for his nap, then heard him messing around upstairs. When I went up there to check on him, I found him in Makenna's swing, fast asleep with the music on and everything! It was too cute!