GRATEFUL...

All I can say is the feeling I have had lately is that of being......

• Grateful for a family that loves and supports me
• Grateful for a husband who is my best friend, supports me and loves me unconditionally
• Grateful for my wonderful husband that provides a warm and comfortable place for our family to live
• Grateful that I am able to stay at home with my beautiful little boys (thanks to my husband)
• Grateful for wonderful parents and in laws that would do anything for our family
• Grateful for our extended family and their love, support and prayers
• Grateful for friends that are always there for me, especially when I am feeling overwhelmed
• Grateful for the prayers that everyone has offered on behalf of Jaxon, his surgeons and our family
• Grateful for the blessing that Todd was able to give Jaxon in preparation for his surgery
• Grateful that I have been given the opportunity to be a mother to Kaden and Jaxon and a wife to Jeff. I feel at times that I take that for granted, when the kids are screaming and out of control and I am stressed out, but truly I would not trade it for anything.

The other day Jeff and I were laying on the floor playing with the boys and I just had to stop and look at my family and think of how very GRATEFUL and lucky I am to have such a beautiful family. Kaden was loving on Jaxon and they were both crawling all over us, but it was the best feeling knowing that my boys love us and each other and that even though we are going through a rough time right now I have to have FAITH that everything will work out.

SO... I Hope and I Pray that Jaxon will be blessed by Heavenly Father with skilled surgeons and with health and strength during his surgery and that Jeff and I will be able to be strong for him as well.

GRATEFUL is all I can say !!!

Lots of Updating to do

I just realized that I have not updated my blog for almost a month. I cannot believe that it has been that long. We took a visit to NE to visit family for a couple of weeks and I also spent some time at taking care of Michelle's kids. We have also been very busy with Halloween parties and trick or treating with the kids as well as some not so great news about Jaxon. So needless to say I have lots of catching up to do. More to follow......

Partners in Crime

One night while I was watching Michelle's kids, I heard a cry come from Branton's room. I quickly went in to see what was wrong... He said that his legs were hurting. I took him into the bathroom to see what was wrong. I asked him if I kissed the leg would it make it better, his reply, through tears, NO, I need strawberry milk !! So after the kisses, I heard another little person come out of his room, Kaden. He too was upset and said: Mom my lips hurt will you kiss them, and then the next thing out of his mouth, Mom, I need chocolate milk !! So needless to say, both of the little boys and I were in the kitchen at about midnight making Branton strawberry milk and Kaden chocolate. They really know how to MILK it, no pun intended !! I had to take pictures of the two silly little boys, it was just one of those moments ya know !!

Two little buddies !!

They are so silly together !!

All I can say is that I am so glad that they are such great friends. They played great together and really are the best of friends, in case you couldn't tell. They really are so silly !! :)

Tired...

The other day I was trying to hold Jaxon off on his morning nap so I could go and pick up Kaden from Preschool. He was in the living room playing and I walked into the other room for a minute and when I came back in this is what I found.....

Do you think someone was tired ???

Being the good mother I am, I thought it was a great photo op!!

He looks so peaceful, wish he would sleep like this all.... night .... long. He is still waking up at least 2or 3 times a night. Maybe one day soon we can change that !! He is so stinkin' cute !! :)

Someones trying to crawl...

Well Jaxon has been trying to crawl for at least the last month or so. He initially would scoot on his back and arch his back with his head going upward. Now he is at least doing a little army crawl and getting on his hands and knees and also in the push up position. Here are a couple of pictures of him trying and getting frustrated with the whole crawl idea !!

Here I go,on my knees...

Now I'm in starting to get into a push up...

Like my push up...

Now I am back to my hands and knees...

Does anyone think I look like my MOMMY???

Maybe I'll get this crawling thing down one of these days.. practice... practice... practice... :)

My little cowboy !!

A couple of weeks ago Kaden had "Western Days" at Preschool. So the first thing we did before school was get our "Cowboy" gear on. I also decided that it would be a good idea to make him have a mustache and goatee. He looked absolutely adorable. As I dropped him off at school and the teacher got him out, I heard several of them saying "Look at his cute mustache, I love it", and then gave me a thumbs up !! It made me smile. I am so glad that we enrolled him in Challenger. I was able to go to the school later that morning and participate in a little hoe down and some fun activities in his classroom. He kind of acted a little clingy once I got there, but Ms. Alicia assured me that he was pulling one over on me, and that he definitely participates in the class. He kept asking me if I was going to leave. I assured him that I was going to stay until his class was over. When we were walking out down the hall of the school. Kaden looked up at me and said, "Mom, I LOVE my school", I replied, I'm really glad you love it honey !! I am so glad that he is having such a good experience with school. It is so much fun to hear about his day and all of the new things he is learning in school. It is also hard to imagine that he is growing up so fast. I often think I should cherish these moments more often. Sometimes it is hard to remember that he will not always want my attention and want to do everything with me. So my goal is to try and be more present and remember that I need to cherish all of these times, because they will not last forever !! I am also hoping that I will be able to leave the house at some point and time without him having a total meltdown !! :) Jeff thinks Kaden is a mommas boy, I quickly reminded him that he is one too !! :) Nothing wrong with little boys loving their mommies or big ones for that matter !! Here are some cute pictures of Kaden in his cowboy gear!

Reach for the sky "Partner" !! What a cute little "Cowboy !! :

Here is a picture of Kaden in his classroom and one in the multipurpose room.

I have a new JOB !!

I am now a personal assistant !! Yes, I know, when do I find the time and energy to be a mom, play with my kids, feed the kids and husband, do the dishes, clean the house, do the laundry, take Kaden to preschool, Jaxon to Dr appointments, go to the gym, and still be a personal assistant !! Well let me tell you, I needed to make a little extra money to pay for that great Preschool we put Kaden in and support my husbands many extra curricular activities (addictions), like golfing, mountain biking, fly fishing, road biking, hunting, and so on... I'm sure you get the picture. So I decided to get a job on top of everything else. My boss is pretty demanding. He is insistant on having his coffee nice and hot, with flavored creamer first thing in the morning. He also likes to have his breakfast brought to his office, some days it is eggs, bacon, toast, juice, etc. You would think he is at a 5 star hotel or something. I don't know about you, but most companies I have worked for in the past do not require so much from their personal assistants. I am trying to see the silver lining in the job, I know there must be one. I just thought of one: I don't have to leave the house and drive to my job and I don't have to pay for a babysitter. I can set my own hours, I do get to come and go as I would like, with the exception of having to prepare his lunch for him as well, every day !! In case you have not guessed yet, Jeff is now working from HOME !! YIKES !! It has been since the end of August and to say the least, it has definitely been an adjustment. Kaden thinks he always needs to be in the office working with daddy, so I try and keep him as busy as I can. It is hard to make sure that the boys are quiet, so needless to say, we spend a lot of time in the playroom. And if Jaxon is screaming for more than a few minutes, (while I am doing laundry, cleaning, etc) Jeff comes upstairs to see what it happening. Just my little love bug having a melt down if he can't see me for ONE minute. He is definitely going through separation anxiety for sure !! With that said, I need to get a routine down so that I don't feel like we have to be sequestered upstairs all day long. Especially with the winter months approaching !! Wish me Luck !!

Kaden caught his first fish !!!

Jeff, Kaden and I decided to go fishing while we were at Tamarack. They had a small fly fishing pond that was actually on the golf course. So we decided that Kaden and Daddy would have a great time and I was basically along for the photo ops. Jeff had gotten Kaden a fishing pole before we left and he of course was showing Kaden how to use it the night before. He of course had his fly rod out and was practicing as well. He has not fished since we lived in Michigan, which is going on four years. We had to trek a little ways through the brush to get to the pond, but it was worth it. Except for the fact that Kaden did not like his regular little cheap rod, (spinner fishing) he wanted to use Daddy's fly rod. So, Jeff got it ready and with his first cast they had a fish, only to loose it. Second cast, what do ya know, a fish. Kaden was so excited to catch a fish for the first time. He even reeled it in with Jeff's help. He was a little confused as to why we had to but it back. He kept telling me that we have to "CHOP" his head off and eat him !! It was so much fun to be able to see Jeff and Kaden together. I don't know who was more excited, Kaden or Jeff. Not too bad for not fishing in 4 years. However, I don't think he got another fish the rest of the time.

Here are some great photos of Jeff and Kaden fishing together !! I am glad that Jeff will be able to share all of these wonderful "ADVENTURES" (as Kaden would say), together with both of the boys. Maybe they will let mom tag a long every once in a while !!

Grandma, Papa and Tyler's Visit !!

We had Grandma, Papa, and Tyler in to visit for a week so we decided to take a trip to Tamarack over the Labor Day weekend. Jeff and his dad were able to golf at Jug Mountain Ranch on Friday and also at Tamarack on Saturday. Two places that he has definitely been looking forward to playing. It was Kaden's first time in the mountains and he was so excited. He kept saying that we were at "Our House" in the mountains. We stayed in a townhouse in Tamarack and it was absolutely beautiful up there. I was however a little disappointed because I thought there would be more to do up there. I guess with all of the financial problems the resort is having the construction has come to a halt. It was kind of like a ghost town.

The first day, Kaden, Jaxon, Grandma and I drove up together. We found out that we would not be able to get into our townhouse until 4 so we thought we would have a bite to eat and see what the resort had to offer. Well, I was a little disappointed because it was like a ghost town. The only place to eat was at the little market. All of the restaurants were closed with the exception of the one at the Lodge. So we just got a quick bite at the Market. We tried to eat outside, but the bees were terrible !! Once we finished, we walked down to the area where the chair lifts were. Kaden kept calling them the Zip line. He said that he wanted to ride the "Zip line". So I stayed with Jaxon and Grandma and Kaden trekked down to the lift. Neither of us knew that it was actually quite a walk to get to the lift. Grandma was wearing her slip on shoes, white pants and Kaden was wearing flip flops, but that didn't stop them. I kept wondering why it was taking so long, then I realized what lift they had gone up. It was Kaden's first time on a chairlift and it went probably two thirds up the mountain. Grandma did not realize that it was going to go so high, but Kaden absolutely LOVED IT !! I tried to take a picture of them coming down, but I did not have my telephoto lens on so they look like little dots in the picture.

Jeff and I had scheduled to do the Zip Line on Sunday, and of course, the weather was 50 degrees and a down pour. I was really looking forward to spending some time with Jeff and the experience of the Zip Line together, but I guess we will just have to try and do it another time. I did however get a massage instead, which was really nice. I think Jeff felt bad that we were not able to go and wanted to do something for me. Thanks Honey !! It was nice to be able to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Both Kaden and Jaxon love to be outside, I wonder where they get it ?? Daddy ??? (Another post to follow of Daddy and Kaden in the outdoors.)

It was great having Jeff's mom here, she loves just to spend time with the kids. She is great !! I feel guilty when she leaves, because I feel like she does so much for me. Helps with the kids, cooks dinner and yes, even does my laundry !! She assured me that her mother used to do the same for her. Somehow, I don't think THANK YOU is ever enough !! I'm sure Jeff loved it, because he actually had clean underwear and great home cooked meals when she was here!!

Here are some great photos of Grandma and Papa with my BUG, (my little love BUG !!) Those baby blues could melt any heart !!

It was a great time had by all. It seemed to fly by too... quickly. We loved having everyone to visit !! More to come on Daddy and Kaden !!!

Best Friends !!

Kaden, Jaxon and I took a quick trip to CA in August to visit our great friends, Jen, Paul, Brooke and Brandon. Jeff had two free tickets that had to be used by Sept 1st and the two places we could fly was either San Diego or Ontario. Lucky for me I was able to use the tickets, (thanks Jeff) and take a quick trip with the boys. Kaden called it our Adventure !! It was great to see our friends and the kids had a blast playing together. Kaden and Brooke loved driving each other around in Brooke's pink jeep, it even had a stereo in it. Kaden thought it was pretty cool. They also spent a lot of time in the jump house. As you can see from the pictures they really had a great time together. It was great to be able to see my sweet friend Jen. She and I met when I lived in Murrieta and we had our first kids within a few weeks of each other. We met at a breastfeeding support group of all things and then I ran into her again when the kids were about 3 months old at our Pediatricians office. We think it must have been fate. Sometime it feels like we have been friends forever. Now we each have two kids, Brooke and Kaden are 3 1/2, Brandon is just over one and Jaxon is 9 months. Hard to believe it, but we survived the first one and actually decided to have another one. Jen and I were reminiscing about when Brooke and Kaden were little and Brooke was a terror and Kaden was so mellow. Now the second time around I have the terror and she has the more mellow one. Brandon is such a cutie !! Don't you just love those cheeks !! It was so great to see the kids together. Kaden and Brooke both said that they were each others best friends. Just like their mommies !! Jen and I actually had an afternoon without the kids thanks to her nanny, Shannon. We had some fantastic sushi, great conversation (uninterrupted), manicure, pedicure, and a frappachino from Starbucks. Need I say more !!! I had such a great time that Jeff was sure that I was not going to come home !! It was a short, but very fun trip. I actually got to see a couple of friends and their kids as well, my girlfriend Gina has a son, Troy that is Kaden's age and a little boy Grant that just turned one. Jenny has two little girls Mia, 3 and Lyndee just turned one as well. It was great being able to catch up with each of them. I am glad that I was able to meet such great women when I lived in CA. So with this post I say, here is to great life long friends !! :)

Updates Coming...

Well, I am finally getting a moment to update my blog. I have started so may posts and not finished any of them. So they will appear as if they have been back dated. You would think that I would be able to find some time to blog !! Not so much !! We have had lots of visitors and fun adventures this past month. So I have lots to catch up with !! My sweet friend Michelle reminded me this morning that I have not updated my blog in a very long time. The positive side is that she loves to turn her computer to my blog while she is getting ready in the morning because I have such great music !! Thanks, Michelle for always pointing out the positives. So with that said, I will try and get as much updating done tonight and this weekend, because come Monday, Jeff will be back to work in HIS office and I will no longer have access to MY computer !!

First Day of Preschool....

Kaden started Preschool today at Challenger Preschool in Meridian. He was very excited to start school today. We just found out the week before that he was actually accepted. He has two teachers this year, Ms. Alicia and Ms. Annalise. They are both very nice and I am sure he is going to love school.

Jeff and I took him for his first day. They really encourage parents to just drop the kids off and not linger. So we decided the best thing would be to do that. So we drove up to the school and they got him out of the car seat and he slowly walked into the school. I don't think he quite new what was going on, but he went anyway. At least he didn't cry or anything, YEAH !!

We drove off and Jeff turned to me and asked me if I was going to be okay. I said "YES" !! He said are you sure. Once again, my response was "YES" !! He said, you are actually excited aren't you. I told him that it would be good for both of us. Kaden and I have been together 24/7 for the past 3 1/2 years. He is going to have a great time learning and socializing with the kids in his class. That just leaves me and Jaxon. I plan on going to the gym and trying to get a little bit done in the time he is at school, we will see how that goes. I think Jeff was more concerned than I was. He told me that I should go back to the school and check in on his class to make sure he was okay, once school started !! I assured him that he would be fine, but I told him I would go anyway. So, Jaxon and I drove back to the school and walked to Kaden's classroom and peeked in. They have windows outside each of the classrooms that allow the parents to view the class without the children being able to see them. And what do ya know, my son is participating and having a great time. There were several kids that were laying on the floor, sucking their thumbs, running around and not paying attention, but not my kid !! At least not on the first day !! So far, so good !!!

Potty Training Update !!

We are proud to say that Kaden has been potty trained for a couple of months now !! Yippie !! Congratulations to Kaden, who is such a big boy. I can't believe how grown up he his getting. It seems like just yesterday he was a little baby. He is going to be starting preschool soon and in a couple of years Kindergarten. Hard to imagine how quickly time goes by !! Way to go Kaden !! Mommy and Daddy are so... proud of you !! :)

Papa Keith's Visit...

Papa Keith came to visit the boys a couple of weeks ago. Kaden was so excited to see him !! He would wake up every morning (early) and go down to see if Papa was awake yet. They would sit outside on the porch and read the paper or just hang out and have breakfast together. He had so much fun hanging out with him. Kaden also had private swim lessons while he was here, thanks to Grandma and Papa. So grandpa was able to go with him each day and watch Kaden learn how to swim. I think Kaden had more fun going under water than actually learning all of the strokes. We also took the boys to the zoo with grandpa. Here are a few fun pictures from the visit.

Here are some photos of Papa, Kaden and Jaxon in the kiddie pool.

How much fun to be able to hang out in the pool with Papa !!

Papa, Kaden and Jaxon at the Zoo.

Papa and Kaden checking out the tigers.

Kaden was playing hide and seek in the tunnel.

My beautiful blue-eyed baby !!! What a heart breaker !!

Mom, I'm not tired....

So Kaden has been refusing to take naps for like the last month or so. This is difficult because the only time I seem to get anything done or time to myself is if both of the boys are napping. So one day I kept telling Kaden that he had to take a nap and if that he got out of his bed he would get his blanket taken away, golf clubs, toys. etc. So I kept hearing him open and shut his door. Finally, I don't hear anything so I assume that he has gone to sleep. Then all of the sudden I hear something, it sound like someone breathing hard, like some one snoring, something. I thought, surely, I would not be able to hear him all the way downstairs from his bedroom, so I decided to go upstairs and investigate the situation.

This is what I found....

My cute, not tired, little boy asleep on the stairs. I could not believe that he had not fallen down the stairs. So instead of picking him right up and putting him in his bed, I decided it was a good time for a photo op. He was so tired that he didn't even wake up when I put picked him up, all 43 lbs of him and carried him to his room.