Dunkley Family

Parkin' It

2012-01-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

One good thing about blogging is that it helps me gauge how many fun things I'm doing with the kids. Lately, we've been more about the backyard & parks than anything big & exciting. Which is fun too, especially with gorgeous weather to enjoy them. Of course, what's not better with gorgeous weather? Don't let the pic below gross you out too much. They are leaves. This is what happens when your butt-scooter heads outside to play in just a diaper. Kind of a dead bouquet for mom. I'm counting it as being given flowers ;)
I love that he's loving his teddy. So sweet when they have a lovie!
Remember how a year ago I got new sheets? One year & they have shredded! Now I'm on the hunt to find a new duvet cover & sheets in a plain light blue/aqua & can't find them anywhere. Suggestions are welcome for where to look because I have been to at least 10 stores & several websites. Do I need a regular comforter? Does no one sell duvet covers? Am I just not used to shopping for this stuff & have no clue where to look? I hope it's the latter & you guys can help me out!
Also, I'm realizing I never posted pics of the boys finished room. Mainly because I had plans to make a roman shade & never got around to it. Maybe one of these days...
Yes, one of the bins is missing & I just barely found it when I cleaned out the toy closet last week. We are not super organized.
Do you like the collages?
They're mostly just a bunch of random pics...but they make me so happy to look at. Random pics with great memories are more fun than professional pics with memories of "Smile or you're grounded!" "Stop picking your nose!" "If you smile you'll get a candy...", etc. Of course...I still love professional pics & wouldn't hang any of these over my fireplace.

More Holiday Haps

2012-01-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

Gotta love stealing other people's creative ideas (thanks pinterest). For the record, my boys must have my sick sense of humor because they had a blast doing this & Kaleb even wanted to sleep with the tape on his mouth. I said no, of course.
We enjoyed Sea World one last time before our passes expired. I highly recommend Sea World during Christmas-time. Sorry I didn't blog this before it was over so you could go!
They have cute decorations, snow & blasting Christmas music anywhere automatically makes me happy.
The best part of the holiday season is seeing family you don't get to see often enough, don't you think? It was so great seeing all the Dunkleys in one big, noisy group. I haven't mentioned on here that Lori (Dave's wife) has stage 4 cancer of the small intestine. It's just so hard to write bad news on a blog. In all honesty, she is one of the most amazing women I had ever met. The most righteous, loving, strong woman. We are all so grateful that we could have her here for Christmas. Jim made T shirts that say "Team Lori" & we all snuck out of the room & walked back in wearing them. I can't put into words how amazing it was to see her face & feel the love everyone has for her. We are still praying for a miracle.
On to Christmas day. Kevin had the kids until noon :( The first thing we did for Christmas was put Kole down for a three hour nap which meant Kaleb (and I) had to be patient eyeing a mound of presents for way too long. Things were better when we got to tear into the goodies.
Family came over & we got to talk to Elder Chris. Doesn't he look like a pilot/alien with those headphones on?
Grandma got the grandkids these cute stuffed animal beanies. A guaranteed hit.
The kitchen renovation is pretty much done. Check it out. Oh yah. I spent the next morning making 3 kinds of cookies. A nice side effect is that no one wants it to get dirty so everyone's improved at cleaning up after themselves. Doesn't looking at the picture make your mouth water? Or is that just me?
And finally...the grand finale: Kole is taking steps. Like 10 to 20 at a time. I put the call in to the physical therapist & he got the message! Appointment cancelled. Yay Koley!!! (Ignore the outfits. We had a late night at Disney the night before & this was our morning-after attire).

November

2011-12-14T21:34:00.001-08:00

I can't believe how horrible I've been at blogging. I know we've been busy, but it's the kind of busy where you feel like you accomplished nothing. You know the drill: the house is still messy and the kids are eating microwaved food but you have clean clothes & the kids get plenty of snuggles. Guess laundry is my chore of choice because that's the one that usually gets done :)
We did manage to sneak away for an SC game. I felt pretty brave taking both boys to sit in the student section. Too bad Kaleb complained about the noise the whole time. How do I loosen this kid up?!?
Kole has started having playdates. So cute! We shoot for once a week & hopefully he'll learn not to hit or throw things, because that's mostly what he does. Sigh. I know...who could smack that sweet, adorable little girl?!?!
I love playdates for mommy-time. Chatting & gorging ourselves is kind of my fav!
A girl's gotta run off all those delicious simple carbs, right? The Turkey Trot 10k is kind of a tradition & I was so excited that I averaged an 8:30 mile. Great for me. So what if Melinda was almost a whole minute per mile faster & didn't train. Whatever. We all rock.
On to the turkey! I ate with Kevin's family first, but lost my camera with the pics. :( I must mention the green beans (with bacon). I am seriously craving these green beans, which sounds crazy if you haven't tried them. I usually think of green beans as wasted space on my plate. And the sweet potatoes, I would eat these over pumpkin pie any day!
I was in a major tryptophan coma the rest of the day. Seriously not functional...but sometimes that's nice.
Cute cousins.

Scary Santa!

2011-12-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

I know I sound heartless, but I finally got the classic pic of my kid crying with Santa. It seems like a staple in every mother's photo album & I was begining to think I'd miss out. Don't you just want to wipe away his tiny tears, snuggle him....and put him back for more pictures? :)
I lost my old camera (the one I hated so much), so Santa made an early appearance, because I feel like a bad mom if I don't document every daily activity. It's a sickness, what can I say?
This little mister is STILL not walking. What is the deal? He is almost 18 months & should be able to run faster than me. The Dr agrees that he's just stubborn & scared, but he's on his way to physical therapy to help him along. I'm thinking it may be emotional therapy he needs to overcome his fear, but we'll go with the Dr's recommendation. Either way, he better walk soon (yes, I know it's crazy for a mother to wish extra work on herself, but it is time).
Kaleb & I went ice skating. Can you tell he loved it? He actually did....just not the part where I fell on top of him. Ouch!
This is my attempt at being artsy to document the stomach flu. Tis the season, right?
Look at what a trooper he is. It was actually a really nice day staying in jammies & snuggling. I can't remember the last time we did that & the 6 loads of laundry were totally worth it.
This little mister knows how to party. And I don't know how to take pics with my new camera. Still fun.
Something else fun: A new kitchen. It's in progress right now so we're getting creative with the microwave & crock pot, but I am so so so excited! As excited as a girl who lives to cook/bake & has been stuck in a kitchen from 1968. Yes, even the appliances. I can not wait to play in this pretty place. Feel free to invite yourself over for dinner because I'm already planning meals. Heaven!

Trick or Treat

2011-11-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Barb let us tag along with her Halloween plans & we had so much fun! I made her dress up so I wouldn't be the only adult making a fool of myself. I think I still was, because her costume is so pretty she doesn't look silly at all :)
The trick or treaters. If you zoom in you can see the joy on Koley's face. Or terror...maybe I'll get a classic Santa picture with this face this year. You know I'll post it if I do! It's a good Halloween when your son is complaining that his arm is going to fall off by the end of the night.

It's my birthday! I was super spoiled all day & all weekend. Family, friends & food..what else can a girl ask for? Oh yah, shoes & clothes. Check and check. :)

Usually my birthday is like New Years is to most people. I assess where I am in life & what I need to change to get where I should be. I can honestly say I never thought at 32 I'd be single & living with my parents. The thing is...I'm ok with it. I know I'm where I should be for now & I'm doing the right things at this point in my life. I think I'm changing my approach to gauge if I feel I'm acting in accordance with the spirit & learning the lessons I should be for where I'm at, rather than looking at my physical situation.

Here's a fun future blackmail photo. I think when he finally has an event with a slideshow of pics I'll have all blackmail photos! I'm so mean :)

Six?!?

2011-10-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

Six years ago this little guy came into the world. He was such a little snuggler. Isn't it fun to compare baby pics to older pics?

My sweet Kaleb turned six this week! Some fun facts about Kaleb:

-He no longer needs to sleep with Horsie. He prefers to sleep with either Horsie or Shamou, but it's not a big deal if he doesn't have either of them. This really breaks my heart a little. He really is getting so big!

-He hates soccer & isn't really sporty (even though he says he's a fast runner). Poor kid got it from me. I'm still hoping he'll grow out of this

-Not only does he hate sports, but he's in the chess club. Don't worry...I'll make him quit before jr. high.

-He loves to eat corn dogs. He wants them for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Gag.

-He's very shy when he meets new people & sometimes even around people he knows, but when he's comfortable around friends & family he's roudy with the rest of us.

-He is the most obedient kid I could imagine. At the park last month the group of kids he was playing with climbed onto a hill that's off limits. As the other mothers ran to get their kids Kaleb walked up telling me that he told them not to climb that hill. The funny part is that no one ever told them not to climb it. How did he even know it was off limits? This kid...

-He has a problem with whining. I think this is a side effect of him being so conscientious. He puts forth so much effort that it's really hard not to be acknowledged or to do something wrong.

We like to celebrate the whole birthday week. We started out by played hookey & going to Dland. This is the first year we didn't go on his actualy birthday. We were lucky enough to meet up with friends.
What Mom doesn't like meeting up with friends?!? We had some party prep to do. The robot party merged with Halloween paper products & decor from the dollar store & became a robot/Halloween party. Someday Kaleb will catch on & think it's not cool to always have a Halloween theme. Hopefully it's not next year, because I have alot of leftover paper products to bag up! We decorated boxes & did a robot dance. The rest ofthe 20 kids not pictured were looking at me like an idiot for trying to dance like a robot. Yup, the 6 year olds are already too cool for me. After so much party prep I would expect a great party, but the birthday boy had different feelings.

Very different feelings.

Look at his sad little face even as we sing to him. He did enjoy about half of his party, but was upset that things weren't going exactly as he had imagined. I refused to boss around his party guests (who were playing very nicely) and he freaked out. And I took pictures of him. Mom of the year, right here.

After such a traumatic birthday party, thank goodness the actual birthday went well. No amazing preparation, no expectations. Just a regular day at school. I snuck a new (super cool) blanket on his bed during the night & it was fun to wake up with it.

Honestly, his birthday was really kind of lame, but he was in a good mood anyways. I actually napped on the couch while he played (woo hoo!). He was supposed to have a Daddy night, which fell through due to car trouble & suddenly it was after dinner & I hadn't made any food. As we headed out the door who should arrive, but Val & the cousins. Perfect timing. We partied with breadsticks & stayed up too late.

This is the first year I haven't really enjoyed Kaleb's birthday being so close to Halloween. Maybe because his party was the same week as the church party & I was supposed to help with that one. Whatever it was, we couldn't miss out on anything (except housework and home-cooked meals) so we carved pumpkins with friends,

and went to the pumpkin patch.

Is he really this cute or am I biased as his mother? Sigh.

We went to the church party. Yes, we are the dorky family of bees. Kaleb wanted to be Bumblebee & I really can't resist themed costumes, even if it meant going to a singles dance that night dressed as a bee.

Tonight we did spooky dinner no 1. We'll another one tomorrow on the actual holiday, plus it's not a real spooky dinner without dry ice.

The Haps

2011-10-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

How is it already mid October?!? Soon I'll be throwing Kaleb's robot party that he's been planning for a year & it just seems wrong that time is flying this quickly. I think Kaleb being is school is another fast forward button in my life. My Momma had a birthday. Isn't she pretty? Especially for her age (eternally 28, right?).
Koley is becoming a ham. I loves to make faces for the camera...occasionally it snaps a pic when I want it to & I capture his silliness on film. I love getting to know his personality. He's kinda crazy!

I was really good at Halloween crafting for about a week. Oh well...Kaleb stopped asking at that point so he probably got a little burnt out. Or not. If he asks I'll think of more stuff, but for now I'm focusing on birthday parties, Halloween & laundry. Here's what we did my one week of being a crafty Mom:

This was my private crafty moment...no kids helped with this! This pic makes me think of an add I heard recently advertising plastic surgery...they read a list of procedures they were advertising & one of them was to "get cuter feet". Really?!?! Does anyone seriously get plastic surgery on their feet for cosmetic reasons? Maybe I'm out of it & feet are the new face, but I'm kind of ok with my ugly feet.

I used to let Kaleb pic out his clothes, but with school in the routine I pick them out the night before & his only say so is his socks & shoes. I know I've blogged his fashion sense before, but seriously...I can't stop myself from posting more.

He also wears sweaters on hot days & refuses when it's raining. His teachers must think his mother is crazy.

Sometimes he even has green hair. Ok..only on crazy hair day...we're not that bad.

Another month another visit from my sis. I'm spoiled, I know. I also know we do not look like sisters. At all. Yet somehow our kids look like siblings. Go figure.

I know it's more work lugging everything to the beach when the weather's nice & we really play, but it's totally worth it. Especially when my sis carries the heavy bag for me and I get to wear a new swimsuit. Gotta love those end of season sales!

Val was in town for her bday so we stole her kids for half the day & took them to Sea World so she could have a date with her hubby. It was a nice day. Only 2 or 3 meltdowns from Kole & for an amusement park with 5 kids I think that's a small miracle. (JT opted out of the pic of course)

We love our cousins.
Had to share this idea I stole from pinterest & recreated with cinnamon rolls instead of cupcakes. I could probably spend eternity looking at pinterest & spend a fortune making tons of cute things. Good thing my kids keep me busy so I don't waste too much time.

Check out Koley rocking out. He is so funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5IFNeY6HHo

Sugar Cookies

2011-10-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know aboutyou, but I have issues with sugar cookies. Most recipes seem too brittle & break before I decorate them. I've been using a recipe for a while that is soft & doesn't break easily...too bad it tastes like flour. Who wants pretty cookies that taste bad?! My sis in law just gave me her recipe & I'm so excited about it I have to share. YUMMY!

Sugar Cookies

1 ½ cups butter
1 ½ cups sugar
½ tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

beat sugar & butter until fluffy. Add vanilla & whip. Mix in flour, baking soda & salt. Form into shapes in wax paper & refrigerate for 4 hours, cut into slices & bake at 350 for 8 to 10 min

I haven't tried rolling this one out & using cookie cutters yet, but we have been eating plenty of these puppies. Go, bake, eat & just try to tell me you don't love it.

Fall

2011-09-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

We've had a few teasers of sweater weather & it's been so fun. I can't wait for Trader Joe's to put out the gingerbread mix & I already hung the Halloween lights. Considering summer is my favorite season by far I'm never overly sad to say goodbye. of course, the beach is still good during sweater weather. It's easier with kids because you get to ditch the umbrella, sunscreen, towels & coverups. Ali's mom was visiting & we had to show of the Cali beaches a little. This year my cute accessory is too big to be worn & Ali's got the sleeping sweetie accentuating her outfit :)
Koley heading out to sea. He's so funny...I think he really wants to scoot on in. It's been nice having him move so slowly all summer. Hopefully by next year he'll be walking & also be a good listener. Hey, I can dream, right?

I guess one reason I can say goodbye to summer so cheerfully is because fall is Disney season. Our passes are good & when I decide to be a bad mom & keep my kid out late on a school night we can live it up.

Or I can go without Kaleb, but it's honestly really weird going without him. Too easy & less fun, if that makes sense. It's always fun, of course. It kills me that I cut Shea's face off in this pic. I was really working to get the smiles & it would've been so dang cute if I had been paying attention!

I'm realizing with school I'm going to have to be somewhat responsible & remember to enjoy the simple things in life because big outings all the time are too much for my big kindergardener. In some ways it kills me, but I think Kaleb & I interact the most when we're home cooking or crafting. He's really excited to decorate for Halloween (even though I already did), so we'll be undertaking tons of dinky paper crafts. Tonight we made 3D pumpkins out of construction paper. Fun fun fun. If you know any good sites feel free to pass them on.

School!

2011-09-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

Every mom has to do a first day of school post! Kaleb was really nervous to start school. Can you tell by his smile? I didn't anticiapte parking being such a nightmare & he was late on his first day. It was probably a good thing because he didn't have time to be nervous once we got to school. Of course I didn't have time for pictures or tearful goodbyes. Boo hoo. He loves school now. Of course, he thinks this weekend will be the end of school. I keep trying to tell him it goes for a long time, but I'm not explaining it well enough. Eventually he'll get it. We ended summer with a bang. Jeff & Ali invited us over for BBQ & boating on Labor Day. I think paddle boats are like horsedrawn carriages....they sound way more fun than they are. Especially when you ran for the first time in 2 weeks that morning, it's hot & your baby falls asleep on you. Next time we'll stick to sailboats :)
Val snuck down for a quick weekend. So quick I didn't get many pics. School schedules stink for out of town visitors!

I gave up on cleaning the house & figured I'd just re-do the boys' room. I'll do a whole post on it when I'm done, but I had to post a teaser, plus I'm a horrible seamstress & was proud that this turned out so well. My poor Mom looked at me eyeballing & cutting & ran upstairs to get a measuring tape & pins. She couldn't even watch me as I worked it made her so nervous. Now she understands why I stick to things no one wears...clothes have to fit & people can't squish the way pillows can :)

I'm trying to take pics of normal day stuff more. Sometimes we have inside picnics. Like yesterday because my Mom rented Thor & we had to watch it during dinner or we'd be late to bed. Notice the blanket on the ground? A must for an indoor picnic! Who wants to clean up an entire bowl of popcorn the baby played in without the help of a trusty blanky?

vacay!

2011-09-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

I braved the car ride with the kids & went on vacation to Utah. I know...we're unoriginal Mormons, but it's always a fun place to visit & even more fun when you go with family. I was stressed about driving that far without another adult in the car, but a friend let me borrow her mini TV that plugs into the cigarette lighter, which was a livesaver! Joe drove with me the first leg of the trip, which was the only part Kole screamed...thank goodness! I also waited to switch Kole to forward facing until the drive. There was some whining & screaming, but for the most part I'd say my kids are angels.

We went with Kevin's parents & Joe & Barb & their crew. Someone mentioned that it is weird for me to go with Kevin's family, but I really don't think it is. I've been part of their family for over 9 years & I'm truly happy a bad situation doesn't mean that I lose half of my extended family. We spent the first night with Pete, Kimber & their kids. I wish they lived closer...can't you see how awesome they are? The next day we stopped at my alma mater. Apparently they have some free museums I never knew about. Joe & Barb were astonished about how few fun things I knew about. How pathetic...all I ever did was study! What a waste of college years;) Here we are in the art museum with a covert picture...I guess you're not allowed to take pics..ooops. The first day we were in Snowbird we did the alpine slide, bounce houses & tram. Kaleb really wanted to ride the bull, but you have to be 7 & we didn't have all day passes to do everything. He was really upset, but at the end of the day a nice girl let him sit on it & pretend to ride. She even blew up the mat she had already deflated just for him! Funny how he gets fixated on things & what a big deal they are. I guess I get the same way about food :) I'm still dreaming about Great Harvest bread! Anyone who goes to Utah has to do Temple Square. We snuck away for lunch with a friend & I'm such a dork I didn't take a single picture :( Temple square has alot of fun things & it's so inspiring to be around so much history..especially history of saints who I really admire. Of course, we weren't exactly reverent. Nope, not reverent at all :) I figure the gospel is all about families, which equals children & children are noisy. It's all part of the plan, even in sacred places. Maybe I'm off, but I think kids are cute even when they drive you crazy. It's a tradition to go to the dinosuar museum & it's always fun. Kaleb was still scared of the dark walkway that has little lights that look like stars. And the cave like tunnels. Poor kid has an over-active imagination. Kole loved both places & butt-scooted through both so much he almost got run over. A few days in Barb got a nasty cold & Bryce got a stomach bug so we stayed in the mountains the last 2 days. I was kind of wanting to spend more time swimming & exploring. We also got to do a treasure hunt & built a fort. Koley wanted to look pretty & wore mascara for the first time. Hopefully the last time (it was waterproof & hard to wash off!). The slides were closed, but Koley wanted a turn. He loved it.

We headed out a day early & stopped at a friend's house. They have chickens & horses & Kaleb got to gather eggs. He wasn't as excited about it as I thought he'd be. He seemed more interested that the chickens ate their own egg when one cracked. Gross!
Of course I forgot to get a pic of Lindsey & I, but I did get one of our boys. They might not remember, but they've been friends since before they were born. Baby Kaleb is on the left & Baby Hunter is on the right. I think Kaleb was 2 weeks & Hunter was a few days. I forget how spacey babies look...this pic makes me laugh. I couldn't resist delaying our return by spending half the day in Vegas. We did typical tourist (with kids) stuff & ate at Serendipity's, which I always thought I'd have to go to New York to try. Frozen hot chocolate = yummy. Kaleb was really excited to meet Mario & Luigi. Kole was really excited to see the fish. The lions & M&M movie weren't as big a hit as I thought they'd be & weren't worth walking so far to get to, especially because it was sweltering out. It was nice to break up the drive & I think Vegas is fun, even if my mother thinks I'm evil ;) Now we're home & school starts in a few days! I am getting excited for some structure & maybe even time to clean the house. Or craft. Or re-decorate every room. Whatever. For now I'll just try to catch up on laudry!

Whale of a Tale

2011-08-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

We have a new family member. Horsie has a bff in Shamou. Funny how you can never replace a lovie with a new one...instead they just add up. Thankfully we only have two required sleeping companions. I love the Shamou because my brother, Jeff, had the same size & style Shamou when he was little & he wouldn't sleep without his either. Awwww...some things really do run in families. I seem to remember Jeff's Shamou becoming a large weapon to thwack us over the head with, so I'll have to keep my eyes on that :)
I can't beleive I forgot to mention that I got bangs! I've only been deliberating for the past 6 years whether I want to commit to bangs. I get nervous to do major things to my hair since it's on the thin side & I don't want to regret anything huge. So many girls have a different color every week & I finally got sweeping bangs after thinking about it for 6 years...I'm not boring. I promise.

Today we rode the train to Old Towne & walked around. The boys loved the train. I haven't ridden a train since I was about Kaleb's age, so I wasn't even sure how to tell which train is which. I'm still not sure...the service numbers weren't displayed anywhere I could see & we may have missed one just because I wasn't sure if it was the right one or not. Ooops. We still got everywhere fine & had fun doing something new.

It seemed like most of Old Towne was antique shops. Super fun for a girl's outing...not so fun for my very patient boys. Patient enough for one store, which I think is super. Kaleb was complaining about walking & how boring it was when we walked by a 50's style diner. One malt to share & he is still raving about how much he loves Old Towne. He's trying to get me to promise to go back. I think it's sweet how easily he forgets the bad & stays excited about the good. His example is a great reminder sometimes!

What kind of diner has a scale?! Doesn't that seem like it might be bad for business? Hop on before & after your greasy meal & determine if you ever want to come again. Kids don't think it's weird. Kaleb was excited to hop on (he's not even 40 pounds even after the shake).

More of the same.

2011-08-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Val & the kids came down for another visit because of this sweetie's baby blessing. Don't you just want to scoop him up & cuddle him all day? I can't. Kole won't allow it. His jealousy streak is getting tough to deal with. At church today he got mad at me for cuddling Kaleb & when I tried to cuddle both of them he kept hitting Kaleb. I know it's a phase, but it's a stinky one.

I finally introduced Val & the kids to my favorite sno cone shop. Yes it's blog-worthy. Look at the sugar-shock-delight in Kaylen's eyes. Heaven. Plus a drive through & clear flavors for kids are genius ideas.
We braved the crowds at Sea World with Jeff & Ali. I'm so spoiled I forget that theme parks get that crowded & I'm excited to go more in the fall when the crowds have thinned. We kept the kids busy (Sea World, waterpark, beach club, movies, swimming) and snuck in as much girls time as possible. The day they left I was so exhausted I could barely move! I spent the two days before they came at a singles conference. I had a great time dancing & really enjoyed the classes, but socially it was all kinds of awkward. I never imagined being single again & being in that situation was pretty surreal.

I love this pic. I got a cute pic with a generic smile, but this snaggletooth, overjoyed expression melts my heart.

Most days I let Kole make a mess while I shower. I like keeping an eye on him & he loves exploring the same cupboard every day. He's so proud of his messes & cleaning them is worth the entertainment he gets.

Do these jammies bring back childhood memories for anyone else? I think my brother had a pair just like them. I got pretty excited when I found them & I think Koley's so cute in them!

Just keeping busy

2011-07-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

Busy with fun stuff that is. I'm looking around & realizing that tomorrow we should have no fun & I should run about a million errands & deep clean just about everything. I don't know how my boys will react to that. They're getting pretty spoiled with my why-be-home-when-it's-sunny attitude. When Kevin left I just didn't want to be home much, but now I'm just being spoiled & enjoying the last month before school starts. Who needs homecooked meals anyways? My boys certainly don't miss them.
I enrolled Kaleb in another session of swim, hoping he'd learn breathing & that it would help him remember what he learned. I didn't see any changes since his last session, but I'm sure it helped somehow. I have to think that or I'd be annoyed that I spent money & drove to swim every day for another two weeks :) My boy got so brave that on the last day he allowed one of the teachers to gently lower him into the pool off the diving board. The other kids all jumped right in, but not my sweet timid boy. I was honestly proud that he even worked up to this.
The teachers all dress like that...what boy wouldn't learn to swim?!
On pioneer day we decided last minute to ditch the celebration & go to Sea World with Jeff & Ali. We had a blast. I was impressed that Ali would brave a theme park with a 1 month old. I've only attempted it when they get to 2 months & I thought I was brave. She's the woman. Watching her & Jeff taking care of their cuties made me realize what an easy stage my kids are at. Kaleb can do alot himself & Kole can't walk yet, but can feed himself. I forgot what a treat it is to be able to eat your lunch at lunchtime, instead of feeding your kids & hoping for a few bites before they need something else. Ah, the luxuries!
We did our own pioneer celebration on Sunday and made corn husk dolls. Hah. I know they're hideous & they fell apart after 5 minutes, but it was fun to have a random project with Kaleb. Especially something I remember from my childhood.

My Koley loves his food. This boy requires about 2 baths a day. And he still looks like this half the time. He is also butt-scooting too fast. His bum is paying the price & I don't know what to do. Crawling babies have those little leg warmers for their knees, but Koley needs a knee length diaper or something equally padded. Poor kid, maybe you should walk soon!!!

Last week we went swiming three days in a row. I didn't even bother putting my beach bag away. Summer is by far my favorite season. I love the holidays & baking, but something about sun & sand can't be beat. Plus, if I'm totally honest I bake unhealthy treats year round. Kaleb had a friend stay over a couple nights this weekend & we went to a bounce house place. The kids loved it & now Kaleb is begging me to take him again. I thought the chair was a great picture spot, but it was too fun to keep to ourselves.

Baby Birthday & Cousin Chaos

2011-07-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

I love my Koley.
He seemed to enjoy his party & it was fun for me to throw a party where I get to chose the theme & don't have to stick to something a 5 year old thinks is cool. A Mom can only throw so many Spidey birthdays before it gets a little old. We had his un-official party & his official party at the lake. It's entertainment for everyone & not much work for me...who can complain?! Especially when it involves cake, cute kids, animals to torture, sand,

and babies to snuggle.

I'll stick to snuggling my big baby since he's figured out jealousy & throws a fit when I hold Ty.

It was a family only party, but we're still quite a group. Big families are awesome! (pics courtesy of Ali. Thanks!)

The past week & a half my sister's kids have been staying with us while she & the hubs vacation. Five kids is...alot. When I say chaos I mean it. A couple times I hoped a hasmat team would come rescue me. Hasmat never got involved, but my Mom did...thank goodness. I really couldn't handle all these kids without her! I always figure when they stay with us it's their vacation too & we should do fun stuff every day they're here. Plus, it gets them (and me!) out of the house to have fun & make messes elsewhere. We went to an airshow & I got to eat out of a food truck for the first time.

We picniced at the temple. I may have had to instruct them not to swim in the fountains, race sticks in the fountains or pick flowers. My perfect Kaleb included. Funny the things kids find to do that I'd never think of.

There were some picture perfect moments. I tried to catch this one of everyone bouncing & laughing, but by the time I grabbed my camera it had dissolved into tears.

Sam turned 5 & we had another birthday party. This one was much more low key than Koley's. I'm making that weird face because we were singing. Apparently I don't make cute singing faces.

We went to a waterpark & Barb watched Kole. I was so fun to go on all the rides! It made me excited for when both my kids are older & I can do stuff like this with both of them. Every stage is fun & it's nice to see the good things about future stages (esp because baby snuggles go away by then).

Gotta love Chuck E Cheese...it's a really easy, exciting outing.

JT tried to help alot. Does this make anyone else nervous? I wanted him to feel like I trusted him, but sometimes I was just ready to sprint & catch my baby. I love that he wanted to help so much, even if it made me nervous.
My sweet Mom was so tired she fell asleep at Chuck E Cheese. I can't say I blame her. She wins Gma of the year.
This is one of those weeks I embrace the good & the bad. It's been crazy & I've yelled more "Get your shoes on!" and "Why aren't you buckled yet?!" than I could have imagined possible, but we've had alot of fun too. When I was younger I used to feel guilty if I ever got annoyed or had a negative thought, but I've come to accept that it's all part of the package & it's a great package. The craziness comes with the funny moments & the sweet moments and life seems more rich when you embrace all of it. Somehow pretending everything is running smoothly when it's not would dim the good times too, so here's for admitting it's been chaotic & messy & that we've loved (almost) all of it :)

Randomness

2011-07-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

My pictures don't coordinate, so here is another post of random happenings. Our life is a string of random happenings right now (I'm dreading the days of school & structure), so it's an appropriate structure.
Bath time fun. I usually get Kole in & out, but on days I slow down & let the boys play together in the tub I think it's super cute. I love that they play even though there are 4.5 years between them.
My superhero mid take-off. Is it horrible that some days I'm just fine with him dressing like this all day? I think it's adorable.
We love hammock-time. Of course, hammock-time together is only this happy for a few swings & it becomes crowded-he-squished-me time.

I finally enrolled Kaleb in swim lessons! Last year I wasn't sure when I'd be having a brand new baby & didn't want to commit to classes, so this year was his first time. His instructor was a cute, blonde 18ish yr old in a bikini, so he loved swimming. It backfired a little because after he finished lessons he thought he could swim better than he really could & I had to rescue him. Time for more lessons!

Sisters & Mom at Debbie's baby shower. Not often we have a girly pic I like this much. Yup...I'm posting a random pic because I think we all look cute.

We had an impromptu party for Kole on his actual birthday & I was happy so many friends came last minute. I feel loved when my boys are loved :)

My future missionary. Actually, he's my future missionary-Dad-Prophet. When I ask what he wants to be when he grows up he's still giving me that cute response. When I ask about his job, he says he'll just make money. Oh, ok...like grow it on trees or print it? I wish he'd let me in on his plans, they sound pretty good to me!

We had the laziest 4th ever & it was nice to relax & do nothing until we left the house at 8 to see fireworks.

Why do I love torturing my children like this?

Cake-tacular

2011-07-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

I forgot to blog fondant baby when I blogged Ali's shower. He's a big rice crispy treat & I never quite made up my mind if he was cute or creepy. He was fun to make though.

I'll do a whole post on Koley's party later, but I can't wait to post pics of the cake. I'm pretty proud of myself.

I used a cupcake recipe for the cake & I wasn't sure how it would turn out...utter fail! I patched it up the best I could with marshmellow cream, but it was a mess. So disheartening.

It turned out pretty well considering. The cake is sloppy, but I like the monkeys. I always mean to buy a cake & just add cute decorations.
They're the fun part.

Arrrr, matey!

Of course, the birthday boy had to coordinate his shorts with his cake, because his Mommy's a bit of a dork.

I have to enjoy this stuff while they'll let me. Pretty soon they'll realize how un-cool it is.

Happy First!

2011-06-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

My little Koley is already one...how did that happen?! I told myself I would savor every moment with this little guy & even though I really have it's still flying by all too quickly.

A year ago he looked like this:

It makes me want to rewind time & snuggle his tiny softness. Of course, there are perks to having an older baby. Kole now:

-sleeps through the majority of nights (finally!)

-claps his hands (and expects praise every time)

-says "hi", "wow", "woah", "uh oh", "I" (in response to "I love you") and "ouch" (he likes to play ouch, which is pulling Mommy's hair. any ideas to discourage this?)

-still does the butt scoot, no walking, crusing or crawling yet. This stubborn little mister thinks he has it all figured out with the scoot!

-has half a tooth, but manages to eat most of what we do. Baby food offends him. He knows he is a big boy.

-steals toys from other kids. I know this is normal, but Kaleb never did & part of me feels like apologizing profusely every time & another part just thinks it's funny, especially when the kid is alot bigger.

-likes to play on his own, but comes to me constantly for hugs...sigh!

-has no fear & would scoot himself into the ocean & off furniture if I'd let him. He loves it when I throw him in the air & I think this kid just might be brave enough to go on Pirates with me!!

I love you Koley & I'm so happy I get to be your Mommy!!!

We've Been

2011-06-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

playing jokes on those we love (he was napping).
Letting the baby sleep

Wherever he may be.

Wearing Halloween clothes in June.
training to be superheros.

acting like rough & tough boys. (He already likes sticks...and messes!)

starting new traditions (picnic at the temple on fast Sundays).
eating yummy food. (ever tried lime zest & mint on watermelon? So yummy!).

Just hanging out.

A day in the life of

2011-06-07T17:17:00.001-07:00

Me. Boring as it may be, I figured I'd write it all down so someday when my kids are grown & I wonder what I did all day when they were little I can remember it all.

7Am - Wake up and relish in the silence & that my kids are still sleeping. Go back to sleep.

7:30 - Answer my phone. It's Val & I'm not sure if she's crying of just having the morning sniifles & didn't mean to call. me. She didn't know she called me, no sad news. We chat.

8 - Say goodbye to Val & get Koley. He's talking to himself in bed & I don't want cute talking to turn into sad crying. Get him a bottle & snuggle in my bed.

8:30 - Kaleb joins us in my bed & we play Ben 10 before getting dressed

9 - Bryce & Shea come over. Get my kids Cheerios (I love that Kole feeds himself now!). I eat Mini Wheats, put on makeup & pluck my bushy eyebrows while watching the kids.

10 - Barb & Anika show up to get the kids & we chat for a bit before she takes Anika back to school (she had an orthodontist appt)

10:30 - Turn on Caillou & feed Koley a bottle of 1% milk. Feel guilty because I'm out of whole milk for him & I paid bills last night instead of grocery shopping while Kevin had the kids.

10:55 - Set Kole in the swing. Nap time, Yay! Change my shirt because apparently Koley's diaper is leaking. Lovely. Check email & put new Caillou on for Kaleb so I can call the attorney.

11 - Get chicken dinos & apples for Kaleb because he really wants a cookie & I'm telling him he has to eat lunch first. Most families don't have breakfast desert. It's not a real thing. Put some on the high chair for Kole when he wakes up. He likes his food cold anyway.

11:05 - Upstairs to look at email from atty & leave him a message. I hate trying to figure out the money stuff. It's hard to know what's fair & I hate the akwardness of it all. Take out upstairs trash, rotate laundry while eating apple slices.

11:20 - Kole's up. He is such a cat napper! Put him in his high chair & get a new load of laundry started. Kaleb's jammies are wet...his bed smell suspicious. Does he pee the bed without telling me often?!?! Gross! I thought he was good at not having accidents, maybe I'm just bad at noticing. Remind him to tell me. Wash sheets & put on new plastic liner because his old one was shredding. Kaleb follows me upstairs & I tell him to pick up his toys & he does (yay!). I tell him to give himself 2 puffballs. 1 for cleaning & 1 for not crying when he got hurt, which he is telling me about. I'm trying to encourage bravery because he cries so much I'm worried about him in kindergarden, but I feel weird telling my kid not to cry. Who knows what is best?

11:40 - Heat up leftover chicken enchilada casserole for myself while discussing dinosuars & upcoming meals with Kaleb. Give the boys a cookie. Kaleb suggests we eat chicken dinos, cheesecake and chicken rings for dinners, gets bored & goes out back to play (I love having a yard). Make a menu & shopping list. Mom come s in & we chat. Poopy diapey.

12:15 - Eat a cookie while cleaning the kitchen. Kids are so messy! I remember before I had kids I would sweep once a week just because I thought I should. There was nothing to sweep. I love my mess-makers! Be careful not to clear Kaleb's cookie. After begging me for one he only at half...that's Kaleb.

12:30 - Put another Caillou on for Kaleb. Kole is scooting around the floor while I'm still sweeping this humongoous mess.

1 - Rotate more laundry. Start a load for my Mom because her towels in the laundry room are bugging me. Grab the steam mop and start another Caillou. How do Mom's get anything done without rotting their children's brains?

1:15 - Finish mopping & Koley needs loves. Snuggle him & watch Caillou. Snuggles don't last long. Fold laundry while watchign Caillou with the boys & eating another cookie. Kaleb did finish the rest of his cookie at some point. Relax a bit with the boys after the show.

1:50 - Carry laundry upstairs, check email

1:55 - Load crying baby & whining 5 year old into the car to get groceries. On the way Kaleb says he liked it better when Daddy lived with us. I sigh and say I did too. I'm not sure what else so say, but he's already talking about robots. Stock up on groceries, because most of my trips lately have been for only milk & bread. Stop for Lobster time (we just look at them). Forget to tell the cashier I have 2 milks & she has to ring me up again. I had coupons too & I can tell she is annoyed. Oh well, what can you do?

3:10 - Home from the store. Unload groceries while Koley has a meltdown. As soon as I get the groceries on the counter I give him a bottle. I thought I had one before we left for the store, but I couldn't find it so I make another one & find the old one in the microwave. Wow I feel smart.

3:30 - Nap time. Put groceries away while making stuffed french toast with Kaleb.

4:05 - Koley wakes up. Sit down to an early, un-healthy dinner. Usually I shoot for soemthing slightly healthy, but I haven't made this in a while & it's so yummy. Gotta love dessert for dinner.

4:20 - Clear my place & pack extra french toasts for frezzing. I love my freezer meals!

4:30 - Bathe & jammy the baby. Get Kaleb in the bath. Check facebook.

5:00 - Fold & put away laundry. Snuggle Koley.

5:30 - Figure my boys are as bored as me with this day & take them to the park, even though they're both in jammies.

6:45 - Home from the park. Cheerios for Kaleb & french bread for me. Guess dinner was too early. Kole wants his bottle but doesn't drink much. Print out a lesson for FHE (because Kevin had the boys Monday night) & have FHE. Cookies for treat.

7:20 - Why is it not bedtime yet? Kaleb decides we should play tag, which ends up on the trampoline & we end up playing hide & seek too.

7:45 - Early bedtime. Brush Kaleb's teeth & have him look at books while I give Kole his bottle. Lay Kole down & read Kaleb 3 books, scriptures & he says a prayer.

8:30 - Lights out. Me time! Make a chinese salad (no chicken. I'm too lazy), enter this on the blog & watch the first episode of The Bachelorette. Paint my toes. Gotta have some glamour.

The baby got up twice during the night, but not at all the night before. Woo hoo!

So I ended the day with a sink of dirty dishes, un-showered and peed on. Realized I feed my kids & myself junk food & let them watch too much TV, but we're all happy & had fun together. Somehow this (plus a husband and home of my own) is everything I've ever wanted & it's good even if it's not glamorous. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you...it is tough having family visit so often. All the beach trips, amusement parks, etc...oh wait. I love it!
Val & her fam came out for the long weekend & we went swimming twice.

They got slightly fried.

We threw Ali's shower & it's a good thing it was last weekend, because Baby Ty is set to make his debut any minute now. Or hour. I'm hoping it's minutes...her water broke a few hours ago! But that will be another post.

Val brought all her party supplies with her.

Including goblets & glass plates. My sis doesn't skimp on details. Or food. Of course, I think it's all about the food :)

Ali & her friend due the same day. She had a freezer meal shower, which I think is genius. Everyone brought a freezer meal & she'll be set for a while after Ty gets here.

We had a carbo-loading dinner before race-day.

Isn't he cute?

Of course we stayed up too late & had too much fun.

Monday was race day & Tuesday we had lunch & Val headed home for her kids' last week of school. Time really does fly & I hope they visit a ton this summer!

We drowned our sorrows of missing cousin with one last day at Dland.

We met up with friends & I kept my boys so late I'm kind of embarrased to admit how late it really was. Suffice to say they were at meltdown stage by the time I left & I'm still exhausted, but it was so fun I had a hard time dragging them away.

Race Recap

2011-06-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day was the big day...race day! Here we are bright & early, un-sweaty & rearing to go. Enjoy this pic...the rest all involve alot of sweat, stink & grimacing.
Ali is so sweet...she made this Flat-Chris because Chris is on his mission this year & can't be part of the annual run.

She also made an awesome sign...although the sign-holder is my fav. She made him too :)

Kaleb, Sam & Kaylen ran the half mile race.

JT & Jeff ran the 5k together.

Val & I ran the half marathon together. I love this pic. Apparently they take good ones if you start a few minutes late due to lines at the port-a-potties.

Val didn't even run for 2 weeks before the race & hadn't trained since her marathon in France.

But I'm not jealous or anything.

This was my big race for the year & I've been training for it for a while now. It's been something to look forward to & gotten me motivated to get out the door when sugar is calling my name. Val & I started together, but we separated pretty early on. She was having issues with her music & I didn't realize we wouldn't meet up again. I remember this race being pretty hilly, but this time I felt like the hills were pretty small. Around mile 5 my knee started getting shooting pain & I was bummed because it hasn't bothered me at all before. I figured I'd push through it, because this was THE race. It made the downhills pretty miserable & I kind of limped all the downs. It didn't bother me for the ups though & since I had alot of hill training I flew up all the hills. Everyone around me hated me & I did hear a little murmuring as I passed a couple guys who were hurting. Miles 10 - 12 were tough. I only train up to 10 miles & the course got pretty secluded with no one to cheer at that point. Alot of people started walking, which just made it harder. At the last mile I told myself it was the first mile & that actually helped for about half of it. I think that's part of why I love running, the mental discipline & tricks to keep yourself going are pretty interesting. It's fun seeing what helps & what doesn't for different people & it's a new level of getting to know yourself. The last stretch was all uphill & I sprinted as much as a girl can after running 13 miles on a bum knee. It was just fun. After that I couldn't walk without limping for 2 days & I've just started to walk down stairs normally. Seriously, after races I wonder if it was worth it, but I'm already excited for next year so it must be. I finished in 2hours 2minutes & 32 seconds. I was hoping for under 2 hours, but figured I didn't train hard enough to make it. Maybe next time...

Kaleb did so good at his half mile. Last year he seemed confused & walked most of it. This year he ran it like a champ.

I bought him "fire shoes" & he says they make him run fast. So cute!!!

Sam ran it like a pro too. Look how cool he looks with his shades.

Kaylen beat the boys, but I'm sure that will change when puberty hits. I used to put all the boys on the playground to shame in elementary school, but it didn't last after that!

I am seriously proud of JT running a 5K. He's 8 years old! He also ran the half mile with his little bro after his big race. Driven & thoughtful. Awwww.

They didn't get any pics of them together, but Jeff & JT ran together. After the races the kids jumped on bounce houses (because of course they still had energy) and checked out the army tanks, guns & equipment. I couldn't even lift their backpacks off the ground. It was cool that on Memorial Day we could meet members of the armed forces & see all their cool stuff up close. They even painted the kids' faces camoflauge.

Self Control

2011-05-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

Apparently I have no self control. I let our Dland passes expire & was all set to wait until fall to renew. Kevin's parents called to ask if we wanted to meet them there & I renewed my passes without a second thought. Just in time for the summer black-out days. Whatever, it was worth it! We had a great day & they even cancelled their dinner plans to take us out to Goofy's Kitchen. I'd never heard of it & it was awesome! Goofy liked Kaleb's backwards sweatshirt & gave him so much attention the photographer was a little annoyed. That's how you know it's a good character.

I love this picture. Kaleb is very anti-princess. I find our princess movies turned around so he doesn't have to look at the picture on the DVD. Snow White wasn't used to such a cold reception. Funny boy (he still loves Tinkerbelle & Rapunzel is "not too princessy").

Kaleb and Grandpa Duck. Not Dunk, Duck. He has perfected his immitation of Donald Duck & talks to strangers in every line & at tables nearby with his Donald voice. He sings to anyone with a birthday badge with his Donald voice. So cute.

I think our fav was the villian. He tickled Tank with his hook & had us all laughing. It's always a treat to see Gma & Gpa Duck.

Dave & Dana stayed with us for a couple weeks between bachelor's graduation & Dave starting law school in Florida (sniff sniff...so far!). We figured we should play as much as possible while they were in town. It's our family duty, right? We had a family beach trip & Ali busted out her camera. I know I'm in for a treat when I get Ali pics!

I think this is my fav.

Love this action shot of us running from waves. The waves won & our feet got wet.

Jeff surfed.

Everyone besides me dug in the sand.

I have nothing against getting sandy, but how could I resist snuggling my sleepy baby?!

Isn't he too cute?!?! How is he getting so big already?

We got together for a few dinners & BBQs & had a girl's night & ate lots of yummy food. I'm realizing my idea of entertainment is eating. I can just imagine me in the dating world "What do you do for fun?" "I eat. I like dessert. Cheese is good. Bread is awesome." I might have to actually say that sometime, it would be funny. (I know I'm skinny. Apparently running means you can eat anything you want & stay skinny. Another reason to love running). We took a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific. I remember loving this place a couple years ago, but it seemed small this time. Probably because we just did Sea World. We spent 3 hours & saw everything. Fun, but I would need an awesome deal to go again.

Koley fell asleep & I saw a hint of a double chin. I had to document it because this poor kid is so stinking skinny. I spend all day trying to shove food in his mouth & he rewards me by being in the 5th percentile for weight. Come on, baby! Eat!

I guess he does eat sometimes. Everyone loves Costco samples.

He's still not crawling, but does a cute butt-scoot thing. I have to admit, I like that he can get around without putting his hands on the ground before shoving them in his mouth.

Funny that the past couple weeks have been tough, considering all the fun we've been having. I think emotions go up & down. It's ok to feel sadness & loss as long as I don't close out the good around me. So many people are so supportive & loving that I feel guilty when I get down, but I think it's all part of the healing process. Sometimes I have a hard time being in the moment & getting out of my head...I've always been that way & I think it's something I will always have to work on. Life can be tough for everyone & I think enjoying the good moments & focusing on the good help get us through those times. I fell asleep without reading scriptures & praying a couple nights & it's funny how huge a difference that made in my attitude. I've always loved the hymn "I Need Thee Every Hour" & it is so true. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who sends us peace in times of trial.

Easter, Eggs & Everything

2011-05-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was young and I'd go through a breakup I'd allow myself a period of mourning, then I'd get rid of everything the ex gave me, go out with friends every night, get extra involved in church & pour myself into school and work. Things are so much different this time around. Having two adorable kids & having built my life around a failed marriage for 9 years kind of ruins my old cathartic routine. So I'm figuring out new ways to feel good about a mess of a situation. Running hasn't failed me...it's always a great stress-reliever & endorphins are my sanity. Playdates and spending time with amazing friends and family is at the top of my list. Running errands without kids on the nights Kevin has them is actually really nice. I'm even to the point where I'm excited for me-time after the kids are in bed (instead of being sad that I'm alone). A surprising amount of things about my life haven't changed. My day-to-day routine is somewhat similar. This is both good and bad. I am relieved Kaleb doesn't have a whole new life to adjust to (such as moving, me going to work full time, etc), but it is still hard to beleive everything is real sometimes. Something had to change. What does a girly girl do when she needs a change? She decorates!! Let's face it, this bedroom needed help to start with. Exposed box-springs & long ugly curtains. I don't love the bedding either, but I don't have funds for that kind of commitment so I had to work around it. Not that it's bad...it's just not what I would pick if I was looking for bedding at this point. It's what I picked when I was looking for guest-room bedding about 6 years ago :) A couple trips to the fabric store, one late night & some pillows from a garage sale & I have a new room! I'm not done; I still need to put up the new curtain rod & do some sort of wall art, but I'm so excited I had to share before I get around to those things. Sorry about the book & sidewalk chalk on the floor. I'm not even sure what sidewalk chalk is doing in my room. Who doesn't love throw pillows?!
My sweet baby had his checkup this week and he's so far behind the Dr seemed a little concerned. He's down to the 50th percentile for height & 5th for weight. Skinny little piggie. You wouldn't think he spends all day eating to look at him! He's not crawling, not pulling himself up and doesn't have any teeth. Thankfully our Dr isn't the anxious type & he didn't stress me out. I know Koley is fine...he's just a late bloomer & he can thank me for his metabolism when he's older. We checked out the tar pits with some friends. They were fun, but the drive was not. Whenever I go to LA I am reminded why I avoid it, especially with kids in the car.

Building lincoln log forts to the ceiling. It's alot of work (for grandpa & Uncle Jeff), but totally worth it when Kaleb gets to knock it down.

Of course, I need to blog an obscene amount of easter pictures. This is the best picture from my attempt at a formal picture of my boys. Sigh.

Kaleb had a total of four easter egg hunts. My kid's not spoiled or anything. He's really not..I'm eating all his candy, hah!

Just had to share this pic from the ward egg hunt.

This was Kaleb's favorite egg hunt. It was mine too. Maybe because we hid the eggs well enough that they had to look for a while & I got to talk longer :)

Yay...candy!

The community egg hunts are fun too, but no one has to hunt for eggs. It's more of a run & grab scene.

You have to be tough to get eggs with all those kids competing for them. Or something.

The egg hunt on easter. Now that Easter is over Kaleb has asked me every day this week if it's Mother's Day yet & he's constantly planning his birthday party. Which is cute and annoying, because his birthday is six months away. Keep planning buddy, I'm not investing in robot paper plates any time soon.

Theme Parkin'

2011-04-13T22:42:00.001-07:00

Last week my Mom & sis took a little trip. To Europe. Paris & Rome to be more specific. Soooo cool! If you want to see tons of cool pics & be completely jealous check out Val's blog: http://pagebabes.blogspot.com/
The only real bummer was that Mom missed seeing Jon while he was down for a week between semeters. She left me with instructions to entertain him. Poor guy. What single 25 year old wants to hang out with his sister & her 2 kids for a week? Apparently my baby brother does...or at least he'll do it without complaining. He even watched them a couple times so I could run outside. Have I mentioned how much I love running outside & how the treadmill is completely boring? It totally lacks the scenery & feeling of freedom running outside has. But I digress.
Lucky Jon got to go to Dland twice in a row, because I realized our passes expired that week. Nothing demands putting housework on hold like an expiring Dland pass!

Koley's getting to be such a great age for it! While we were there I realized I'd coordinated our outifts. I haven't been able to find any cute, ultra-cheap Easter outfits, so I figured we'd just wear what we already have. Here's a preview :)
After doing Sea World twice in one week and now Dland twice in one week I'm feeling a bit like a Theme Park Pro & figured I'd share my helpful hints. If you have any please share...I love simplifying!

Camera case - I put my essentials in my camera case & wear the wrist strap on my camera. By essentials I mean annual pass, license, cash & maybe my AAA card, depending on how much I trust my car. I like to know I have everything with me, because I'm sure people steal stuff out of strollers & I get nervous with stuff in my pockets. I'm sure my license would fall out. Feeling that little strap on my wrist lets me know I have what I need & doesn't take an extra hand.
Phone & Keys - Of course, a camera & cards aren't everything you need. I keep my phone in my pocket & keys on my beltloop (I take off housekeys, etc first). When I was prego & didn't have a beltloop I put my keys in my shoelace, because I always wore my ugly running shoes. Poor prego feet.

Snacks - Buy the good stuff at a regualr store. If you dont' bring something yummy those expensive, sugary treats will be even more tempting. I'm all for splurging every once in a while & indulging all the time. Last week I brought a 6 pack of Ikea cinnamon rolls to Dland. I also always bring sandwiches, and lately, baby food. I've never had an amusement park make me dump my food & even if they did, it saves so much it's worth the risk.

No bags - Since 9/11 all parks seem to be doing a "bag check". So I don't bring any bags. I shove everything under my stroller (I love my old beat-up stroller!) & when I tell the people it's all under my stroller they never feel like bending over, so it's like I get a free-pass & don't have people digging through my stuff. I only keep waters, diapers, wipes, nursing cover & snacks under there, so if anyone did steal anything it wouldn't be a big deal.

I think those are all my secrets to a successful trip. And leaving when you're tired, of course. What are your secrets?

I recently read some good parenting advice & figured I'd copy it. Behold the puff-ball-jar. Kaleb puts a puff-ball in the jar when he does something good...like buckling his carseat before I have to ask him 50 times. I don't know why it took me so long to start doing this...it's stuff I thought I would be doing right away as a parent, but I've been lazy. He's so excited about it. He picked out the paper I used to decorate it & the morning after I decorated it he noticed it right away

and said "Mom! Thanks for making my puff-ball-jar look awesome!". I know...he got a puff-ball right away :)

Today we decorated Easter eggs. The pics of that never turn out very exciting, but I still always post one :)

Apparently eggs aren't the only thing we decorate for Easter around here. Funny kid was so worried that the paint didn't come off right away when he washed his hands. I keep reassuring him that it will come off eventually. I think it's cute that he thought to decorate his hands.

I finally got a little of Koley's Darth Vadar voice on video. :)

Random

2011-04-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been hearing how alike my boys look. (Tank) I see it in some ways, but in others not at all. (Tank) I've also been hearing what nice coloring Koley has & how tan he is. Which is funny comparing his pics above with the two below of Kaleb. (Lub) Sorry Tankster, looks like Kaleb is the golden child. (Lub) I have been stocking up on freezer meals. I'm still cooking the same size recipes, but I end up with leftovers like this: I'm loving having so many homemade dinners without much cooking. Sometimes they don't always look appetizing after they've been frozen (this is Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Soup, trust me...it's good).

Have I mentioned I love both sides of my family? Here is the Dunkley side on conference Sunday. Chaos, Food, Love, Food...gotta love it.

Koley had his first taste of ice cream. He's eating quite a bit off my plate now. Lucky kid.

Just chillin

Just a random laughing video to cheer up your day. He's been doing a funny Darth Vadar voice, but the only video I have with it is about 2 minutes long & he only does the voice once in the middle. I'll keep trying to catch it on tape, but this kid does not want to be my performing monkey!

Hard Nough Life

2011-03-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

Don't feel too bad for us. This is where we've been the past week: We're actually still here, half packed & spending our last night on vacation. By ourselves. I have to be honest and admit that the prospect of taking a vacation with kids and no husband didn't sound very appealing. I had originally planned this vacation when I was pregnant with Koley & desperately needing a break & time away as a family. Packing for vacation I wasn't sure if I should be excited for vacation or depressed because the circumstances are so different than I had anticipated. Also, I get a little nervous about doing big things by myself. How was I going to get all the luggage to the room while holding a baby?! It may have invovled a random surfer running to my rescue as I tried to lug the cart one-handed up the street (there was no parking close to the condo). What's the worse that could happen anyway? The worst for us involved my jogging stroller's front wheel collapsing on itself & pitching both kids face-down on the boardwalk. Ouch! Poor kids. A nice guy bent the wheel well back so I could walk with it. It truly does take a village to raise kids. Other than that it was great and I'm glad I didn't chicken out. We spent the first day just hanging on the beach. It was pretty overcast, but there was an awesome playground so we spent more time than we were planning there. Apprently too much time for not having sunscreen & I burnt my baby! Can you see him starting to peel? I feel so bad! Now he's pretty multi-colored in the face. Poor baby. The next day we got ambitious & drove to Old Town & met up with Ruth (Kev's sister).

They totally redid the Mormon Battalion since last time I went & it was pretty cool. And free. Free is good.

Of course we had to get Mexican food and candy while we were in Old Town. I am tempted to drive back down just for more candy; the homemade fudge & taffy is amazing. The next day we tackled Sea World. We got annual passes, because it was only $24 extra for Kaleb & I to go for the rest of the year. Not too shabby. Kaleb was pretty obsessed with the shark exhibit. We may have gone through it 4 times this week.

Kaleb insisted that we sit as close as possible at the Shamu show. Thank goodness the first 6 rows were closed for renovation. We wore ponchos & still got pretty wet.

Me & my cuties.

Yup...more shark exhibit!

After 2 busy days we took Thursday easy. We planned a beach day & Ruth came down to relax. Someone got the memo that we wanted nice weather, because it was awesome! It was also crowded, but who cares?!

We heard about a street fair & it was pretty fun. It reminded me of a regular fair, but with no rides. There was a bounce house, but more importantly there was awesome food. Better than regular fair food & we all know how awesome fair food is :)

After a relaxing day we figured who needs relaxation when we have Sea World passes? We only went for a few hours this time though. There is a free sky ride. A few days before Tank was born Val took Kaleb & her kids to the zoo (she's a saint!) & Kaleb wanted to go on the sky ride, but JT was too scared. He's been talking about it ever since, so he was really excited about this one.

This time we hit the dolphin show...and sat in the second row. Soaked doesn't even begin to describe us by the end. Don't ask me why I didn't bust out the ponchos. I really should have. Kaleb had the bright idea to run around the splash pad in his poncho. Great idea, but he still got soaked. I love that he thought of it though.

I was planning on stopping by the temple on the way home & was only too happy to find out Sprinkles was just down the street. That could be dangerous if I went to the SD temple often! We pulled up & my cousin, Daniel, was patrolling the grounds. He showed Kaleb around outside while I fed the baby.

We spent our last day watching the half ironman. Kevin & Uncle Jim were competing & it was fun to be part of the excitement.

And fun to eat sand.

We are so glad Ruth & JoeJoe (Kaleb's cousin) went. He helped manuver the disfunctional jogging stroller through the crowds & played with Kaleb. He's a triathalete too, but isn't old enough to compete in the larger races. Soon we'll be cheering him on. I love that Kaleb has good role models :)

Now for one last night of seeing the waves from my bed. Sigh. I could live like this :)

Top O The Mornin'

2011-03-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

Kaleb first became obsessed with green on St. Patrick's day. He was only 3 and St. Patrick's Day followed by learning that green means go cinched it. He has been obsessed ever since. Of course I knew St. Patty's would be a big deal, but I didn't realize how big a deal. A few weeks before the big day Kaleb announced "St. Patrick's Day is as exciting as Christmas!". Wow. Really? Time to get busy!
Honestly I didn't do as much as I should have with an announcement like that, but I did the best I could at this point in life. Here are my two little leprachauns after a nutritious breakfast of Lucky Charms (rice cereal for Kole). I've done the whole cooking nutritious green stuff, but who wants green pancakes when there is sugar cereal to be had?
A leprachaun left green socks & shirts to wear. No one wants to get pinched & we always like to wear green. We had a pretty stressful day, so thank goodness Kaleb had mentioned that he wanted to throw a St. Patricks Day party!
We barely made it in time for our own party! By party I mean we decorated cookies, but sugar & friends are all it takes for a party. Oh, and green. Green always helps. :)
We spent St Patrick's night at a friend's house eating traditional Irish food, although I bet the Irish don't eat that well every night. Corned beef, boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, twice baked potatoes, potatoe soup, soda bread, mint pie, seconds, thirds and..ok, I didnt' quite make it to fourths, but I was tempted. Yummy!

Sister Trip (and cousins)

2011-03-03T23:13:00.000-08:00

First off, a few things I skipped & want to include. Ice skating way back from December. It was so much fun to get on the ice this year. Last year I was prego & couldn't go.
Disney for Evan's bday. So fun & we stayed all day. Go us!

Field trip to the dump.

Yes, the dump. They're boys, what can I say?

More beach time. I can't manage to stay away for long.

On to our trip to NV. How could I not feel welcome with baskets of goodies waiting for me?! How cute is Valley?!?!

We had lots of sister bonding time. Tons of eating out, watching silly shows, facials, painting toenails, shopping, antiquing, going to the hot springs and talking talking talking. I need my sister to move back!

The kids were pretty happy too. They had fun sledding, going to Chuck E Cheese, a birthday party, eating junk, terrorizing us, running, screaming, not sleeping & making messes. Just as it should be.

I just think my kids are cute. Here's a collage so you don't have to scroll through 500 pics of me doting on my babies.

Ok, some of them have to be posted at a decent size. This one's too cute to keep little.

I was excited to visit & see the snow, but when I talked to Val before we left she told me there hadn't been snow for a while & that it was in the 60s. I was a little bummed, but apparently someone got the memo & made it snow just for us!

Enough snow to go sledding a few times, have a few snowball fights, think about making a snowman & decide that drinking hot chocolate sounds better.

Horsie is still around...I'm thinking he always will be. Sam has a lovie too: El Tigre.

Apparently they don't always treat their lovies well, though. It got suspiciously quiet upstairs & we stumbled upon this scenario:

Yup, hanging their lovies with ribbon. It's a cruel world for stuffed animals everywhere.

We all went to the hot springs our last day there & even Kole loved it.

We all loved it & no one wanted to leave.

Val kept saying we needed to go feed the ducks & I thought she was kind of funny to be so excited about it...until we got there. This picture doesn't even do it justice. The boys were scared because there were so many ducks & geese. They refused to get out of the car & just threw bread from inside. Pretty cool.

All of a sudden 2 weeks was over & we were heading home. It really blew by quickly. Kaleb cried about half the flight because he missed Sam. He also woke up that night crying because he missed Sam. I love that they love each other so much!

We were thinking we should make this a yearly tradition, but I honestly don't want to wait that long. Fly me back Val! Or you could just come out here & enjoy the sun, beach, sand, bonfires, ect.

The D Word

2011-03-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

Divorce. No one ever plans on it. I know I certainly didn't, but it's happening. I'm certainly not going to post details on my blog. I just want to put it out there so everyone knows. I've been too distracted to post much, plus I wasn't sure exactly what to write. It just didn't seem real enough to put in to writing. It's sinking in now & I'm doing a lot better. The first couple weeks were really tough, but one night I got the impression that I can still be happy. It kind of caught me off guard, because I wasn't feeling very happy at the time. I thought about it & I am still pretty happy. My life is still pretty good. I have two adorable little boys, lots of amazing friends who have been keeping me busy with playdates, a sister who let me visit her for a 2 week vacation (more on that coming soon), a sister in law who lets me talk her ear off, a (soon to be) ex husband who is committed to our children & wants me to stay home & take care of them, parents who let me live with them so I can stay home with my boys, a healthy body, and tons more. I am so grateful for the gospel & the inspiration I've been receiving daily. I know that God loves each of us & he wants what is best for His children. Things are tough right now, but there are still many moments of joy, laughter & silliness. Happiness can be a choice & I chose to dwell on the good things rather than the bad. Thank you for your thoughts & prayers...I know a lot of you have been thinking of us & I appreciate it.

January Beach days

2011-01-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

The great thing about awesome weather in January is that you don't take it for granted. We had a few days in a row with the most perfect weather & we rushed off to the beach a couple times. During the summer it's too easy to procrasinate , but in winter you really have to seize the moment.
We enjoy lots of park days (even when the weather isn't perfect). To be honest I just included this picture because my hubby's hot & I love Kole's hat & shoes :)

This week was also a big birthday week: My bro, Jeff & Bro-in-law, Joe. Also cutie Evan. Too many birthday parties...we missed one :(:( Here is the pic of Joe being surprised.

And Ruth holding my babe. At least I got a ocuple pics at this party...just not enough

Family Time

2011-01-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

My littlest brother, Chris, just left for a 2 year mission in Chile. I am so proud of him & happy about the example he's setting for his nephews. My sis came out for a visit before he left & we had one last hurrah at Dland. Well, last for him...for a couple years. This is pathetic, we are addicts!
We had tons of fun. We had to split up because the two oldest boys were too scared to go on most rides. My sweet Kaleb & his cousin, JT. Terrified. Not only of roller coaster, but even of pirates. It's kind of nice that JT is scared too, because Kaleb's getting to the age where the other boys his age are excited for the fast rides. Tom Sawyer's Island was the biggest hit & we did spend a nice 12 hours there. I was proud of myself for braving the bjorn that long.

Ok, fine, we did have a nice long, semi-relaxing dinner break that I'm including in that 12 hour long day :) Don't Kaleb & Kaylen look like twins here?
We had a dance party after dinner.

We wore the kids out.

4 out of 5 were sleeping by the time we got to the car. That's what I call success.

We got Chris's first email recently & miss him. Who is going to run to the store when I forget an ingredient for dinner or entertain my boys when I'm busy? Good thing he's doing something important :)

White Christmas

2011-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Blogs are all about the pictures, right?
Because i kind of need to post quite a few.

My SIL, Ali, took our pics again & they are all so cute!

This was my fav.

And this of course!

Random blackmail photo. He was trying to flex his muscles, but it looks more like 3rd position in ballet. In my new boots. We've been having fun with rainy days. Ok, fine...I'm happy that there have been plenty of sunny days mixed in there. I'm not exactly a rainy day kind of girl. Or snowy day. Or cold day. It should just be perfect weather all the time. This is California after all!

We had a great Christmas this year. I love holidays & family time! Here's the recap

Christmas Eve dinner: In case you were curious...do NOT add egg nog to mashed potatoes. Gag. Not my idea.

No one ate them. The rest of the meal was great though.

This is best pic I could get of Kaleb in front of the tree. It took my prego SIL, Ali, tons of work to even get him to cooperate this much. I know...she's prego! So exciting!!! Jammies & slippers on Christmas Eve. I know...they're more like summer jammies, but they have Ben 10 & Kaleb is super obsessed. Kaleb went to bed without much of a fight, although it was later than I was hoping for. On Christmas morning my angel child slept until 7:15! Not sure how many more years he'll do that. We rushed to the stockings.

Kaleb was beyond spoiled. Every year I swear I'll only buy a couple things. Willpower. Maybe next year.

Good morning!

Ben 10 shirt! So cute. Fun toys.

Scooter. Trampoline. Oh, yah and a Wii. Are we the last people to own one? We are loving it & I'm developing callouses on my thumbs from so much Mario! Seriously though..not exactly the small Christmas I'd promised myself. The best quote of the day was when Kaleb opened the trampoline & looked at a close up picture of the springs & said"A trampoline! And Explosives!". I think I can blame video games for teaching my sweet baby what explosives are & how they look. Good thing we got a Wii & more games.

Look how cozy they look. Doesn't it make you miss the days before you had kids & could cuddle all the time?

Well...that didn't last long. He's so cute!

After a mad morning of wrapping paper flurries & exciting surprises we headed to Bucca for a family lunch with Kev's family. This has got to be the worst picture ever, but you can see most of us. There were 35 of us. Too much fun for any other pictures. We filled up on junk food, had a kid's gift exchange & white elephant exchange. I love white elephant. So fun!

We didn't get home until 11PM & Kaleb ended Christmas face down on the couch trying to watch a movie Santa brought him. Some days you just need to enjoy to the fullest.

Just as I started catching up on laundry & getting back into the swing of things New Years hit. As on top of it as I can be with a cute snuggle bug who cries when I'm not holding him & doesn't nap.

We went to a community event with bounce houses. We love bounce houses!

Koley slept the whole time. And it was freezing out. Even with several layers I was worried about him being too cold.

Racing cars. He may have thrown a few tantrums when he lost, but ended up winning eventually. We headed home around 8, which would normally be bedtime, but we figured we'd play a little Wii before bed. Kaleb stayed up later than me & made it until almost 1! We started out the new year exhausted, but loving life.

Today Koley got his first haircut. Kaleb was 1 when I finally cut his hair & he had quite a bit to trim.

Koley's pretty bald still, except for a long patch on top of his head. I've been tempted to put bows in it & pretend I have a girl. Time to cut it before Kevin walks in on me playing dress up. It was bad enough when I did it to my brothers.

One chop is about all it took. I'm holding his hair in this pic. I probably should have cut it a while ago.

Kev & I just celebrated our 9 year anniversary. Yay. Apparently Claiim Jumper didn't want to celebrate with us though. Are they all shut down or just the ones by us? What's going on? I need my chocolate chip calzone!!

Also, my littlest bro, Chris leaves to go on a mission to Santiago, Chile in less than 2 weeks! We'll really miss him. Kaleb especially. He'll be surprised how long missions really are...he told Jon his mission was too long when he came back from being at school for a few months.

Holiday Happenings

2010-12-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

I finally got a pic of Koley's ear when it gets stuck to his face. This happens when his ear folds over while nursing. The hazards of big ears. Dumbo never let us know.
Do you remember when I would let my boy leave the house looking like this:

Or this:

Or this. I thought it was cute & figured I'd let him express himself. How long do they want to look like dorks anyways?

Not that long...he picked this out himself & it all matches! Of course he was wearing sunglasses in the dark, but at least he looked cool.

I've been totally irresponsible & been living it up at Dland insted of cleaning. The house is a total disaster, but we have lots of good memories. Totally worth it, as long as we don't catch some disease & somehow get clean clothes to wear. I'd better get on that.

Here are the boys playing in the Cali "snow".

This is the best pic I could get of Kaleb in front of the castle. Serioulsy, my camera was not even acting up...he just wouldn't cooperate & I even used bribes (chocolate).

Bryce was nice enough to smile at the camera. He even snuck behind the rope so there wouldn't be any other people in his picture. No, I didn't tell him to, but I may have been busy snapping away instead of telling him to come back :)

Sadly, Jack will be leaving the Mansion soon & this was our last chance to see him. Of course my kid's favorite ride is the one that's not there year round. The 40 minute wait was totally worth it, especially because Bryce got so excited about the decorations in line.

Isn't my baby cute? I know I post pics all the time, but he's growing so fast!

Check out my baby now. That's what he did the whole night last time we went. I thought he might be up all night after sleeping so much, but he slept through the night!!! Of course, I'm paranoid & may have gone in the make sure he was breathing at one point. Someday I'll relax, right? Who am I kidding?

So that's our week in a nutshell, Dland a couple times, a birthday party, shopping, preschool at our house, etc. Pretty much anything to avoid running errands & cleaning. Can I be irresponsible every week?

Turkey, Trees & Burgers

2010-12-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving came & went all too quicky. I was too busy stuffing my face to get many pics, but someone took this one for me. It's the best pic of Kev (at least for blackmailing purposes).
At the end of the day I asked Kaleb what his favorite part was & he said eating these "fake turkeys". Ali made them & they were the cutest things of the year & a total hit! They may have been the only thing Kaleb ate all day.

Some of the spread. We had way too much food. Not that I'm complaining :)

Before I knew it everyone had left & we were putting kids to bed. It's always a little sad when holidays are over. I wish they could last forever. Although this Thanksgiving kind of did last forever...or at least it felt like it, because Barb & got ambitious & went to Toy R Us at 10PM. I'm not crazy enough to wake up at 2AM & hit the stores, but figured 10PM isn't that bad. I stay up a little too late every night & how long could it take to pick up a few toys. Umm...it could take FOUR HOURS of standing in line, that's how long it could take. It was insane! It took over an hour to even get into the store & we witnessed some ladies racing to get a cart & one of the fell & ate it. Hard. The other lady was nice & let her have the cart. That's right...there were not enough shopping carts for everyone! I was contemplating getting my stroller when a guy in front of us in line got us a cart. We got in the checkout line immediately & took turns putting items in the cart, but that didn't help us move very fast. It was fun to be part of the madness the first couple hours, but I was regretting it when midnight came & went. I ended up staying out until 2AM to buy some toys I didn't even need. They are pretty cool & I got good deals, but still...not worth it. Maybe I'll try it again when this little mister isn't waking me up every few hours.

Isn't he funny? Can you see how hats push his huge ears down & fold them over? Love it!

Now it's already officially Christmas-time. How in the world is time moving so quickly?! We never even made it to Dland the whole month of November. We finally went last week & it was soo fun to see the Christmas decorations, especially at night. We even stayed for most of the parade.

No story here, he's just cute:)

We decoarted a gingerbread house. Store bought & pre-assembled. The best kind.

I love his look of concentration. A couple of the cousins get this same look too...so funny :) At first he wanted me to decorate it, but I insisted that he do it. So he started getting creative, then he noticed the picture on the box & said "Mom! Look at the instructions!". He sounded kind of upset that we hadn't been copying the picture on the box. I managed to convince him to be creative & he added a chimney, extra doors & windows & turned half the roof into a window. It's fun to see what kids will do when they don't try to follow directions. Santa came to our ward party & Kaleb was excited to see him. This is such a fun age for Santa & anything that involves imagination. We saw Santa at the mall & he wasn't that great. After Kaleb said "I just don't know if that was the real Santa". He didn't say that about this guy...he was the real deal!

I had to get one of Tank on his lap.

And then one of both my boys. Don't worry...I think I was the last one in line by then so no anxious kids were waiting.

Then we headed to watch Kevin do his first & only eating contest. It was in a tavern, but I didn't think much about it, because we went to an eating competition before & It was really kid friendly. Also taverns & pubs seem to be more like restaurants than bars. This one was more of a bar. With plenty of white trash to go around. Thanks goodness Kevin's sis & her family came with us or I would have felt so uncomfortable! It was really fun to see them!

Finally it was time to eat. Kev only had one competitor in the amateur division. Ten minutes & plenty of burgers. He ended up winning with a total of 7 burgers. He even trained for this. All week he's been drinking as much water as he can hold to stretch his stomach out. Honestly...I dont get it. Triathalons seem a little too much for me, but I totally get it & respect the accomplishment. Eating this much is just kind of gross & can not be healthy. It was fun to see him try it once & Kaleb ate well last night & tonight, so maybe it inspired him?
Still, I'm glad Kev's not planning on making this a hobby.

Then it was time for the pros. These people are not kidding when they say they can eat. This poor fool ended up winning with a total of 18.5 burgers.

Tassle Hat Tutorial

2010-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

Start out by picking up some fleece. I got 18 inches for $2 & it was enough to make 3 hats. It's on sale at JoAnn's right now :) Of course, you can always just bring a coupon or check the remnants section. Measure your hat-wearer's head & leave enough room to sew. Tight hats are not fun.
Cut the fabric, leaving a lot of room at the top. Go ahead & cut a small strip while you're cutting.

If you want to sew the cuff down fold it over now.

Now fold the fabric over with the cuff inside.

Sew it up.

Or, if you want an adjustable cuff just sew a straight line. I only did one with a sewed cuff & it irritates me because I keep wanting to adjust it. Plus it's a little more work.

Now cut the excess fabric. You want it very close to the stiching.

Flip it right side out & try it on to be sure you sewed the right size & to see how far down you want the tassles.

Cut the tassles.

Bunch it up.

Use that strip of fabric you cut at the begining to tie it all together at the base of your tassles. Tie it tightly & do a double knot.

Try it on & wonder if you're in the Christmas spirit or just a big dork.

Personally, I have no problem being a dork.

Malt O Meal Man

2010-11-22T17:24:00.000-08:00

Kaleb has invented a pretty interesting new superhero: Malt O Meal Man. He gives all the people Malt O Meal. He also screws his finger off & has a laser that kills the bad guys. Lately he has also been able to turn into other superheros, like Skeleton Man.

Yesterday he randomly told me "I love you my Mexican Mama". No idea where he heard that, but it was pretty hilarious.
With it being cold & flu season I figured I'd post about my favorite humidifier ever. My wonderful sis in law, Ali, recommended this & I LOVE it. In the morning the windows are dripping with condensation. It requires some annoying cleaning, but it totally worth it. i might even buy another one. We've been busy today making these cute hats. They are so simple, I think I made 9 today. Koley outgrowing all his beanies, but I still need to keep his cute bald head warm.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ears

2010-11-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

I know I'm way behind, but I still need to post our Halloween! We had teeth & fingers for appetizers. Yummy!
We had rats for dinner. I wanted to do something spooky themed that we actually like to eat (ribs make Kev sick) & thought this was cute. Not so much. They didn't look very appetizing, especially because kitty caught a rat earlier in the day & I had to clean it up. Gag. At least they tasted yummy.

With Halloween being on a Sunday a lot of people weren't trick or treating, but I really didn't think that would be breaking the Sabbath & figured we'd play it by ear. We started out the night with some dry ice fun.

and never stopped. Kevin bought the whole brick of dry ice & it entertained us all night long. We put it in soapy water, which made fun smokey bubbles.

and lots of regular bubbles.

We put it in containers & watched the lids pop off. We put so much in our root beer it made a slushie. The best was putting it in boiling water!

I highly recommend some dry ice experiments if you haven't tried them out!

Have you noticed my baby's ears?
He is so cute & his ears are so funny! The camera does not do them justice. They are huge! When I nurse him his ears always fold over on themselves. Last week I didn't lift him up to un-fold them & his ear sealed itself shut. I sat there for about 5 minutes just looking at his folded-over ear. It was either that or housework. It kind of looked like a potsticker. I ended up prying it back open & rotating laundry.

We started solids a little early. He seemed really interested & the Dr said anytime between 4 & 6 months is fine. He loved them at first, but doesn't seem quite as excited lately. Not sure why.

I got a haircut...finally. It's pretty pathetic when a trim is about 5 inches. Why do I always procrastinate this stuff? Good thing I don't color my hair or I'd look really shabby! I also bought 3 new shirts for my bday, which motivated me to get rid of about 20 pounds of clothes. Totally worth it!

I lost my camera for a while, so I don't have any pics from my birthday, but it was the best birthday ever! Seriously. Kevin got my parents & his parents to both babysit our kids, so everyone would have fun. Yes...I said kids. Plural. Of course, I'm still nursing, so we came home to feed the baby, but we went out all day & night! We went out to eat. Twice. Or 3 times if you count Sprinkles :) I checked out H&M for the first time. Yup, my sweet hubby shopped with me. We also checked out a garden that we've always meant to go to. Kind of funny that a place we'd never been to has meaning for us, but it does. Kev was going to propose there, but didn't realize how early they close, so we ended up walking around the block & he proposed there because he just couldn't wait. I wouldn't have wanted him to. So after almost 9 years of marriage we got around to checking it out. It was the best day ever & I really didn't want it to end.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Kevin (talking to Tank) "You little insomniac!"

Kaleb "Why did you call him a Zombieac?"

Happy Halloween everyone! We had a trunk or treat & went with a Staar Wars theme (inspired by a Vadar costume on sale after last Halloween). I've always wanted to coordinate the fam, but never got around to it. Kev=Han, Me=Lea, Kaleb=Darth, Kole=Yoda (in case you thought Kev was Luke or a disco cowboy). We even won the family theme costume contest.

My cousin's wife made this for us & I LOVE it. Soooo cute. Can he wear it year round?

Kev won the men's pie eating contest.
Kaleb & I were the slowest eaters of our contests. Kaleb took his pie back to his seat & continued to eat during the next 3 contests :)

Birthday Madness

2010-10-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Last week was tough. Tank started waking up every 2 hours so we figured we'd try to let him cry it out for a week. BAD idea!! By the end of the week the entire house was running on no sleep, whining, arguing and bursting into tears for no reason (that was mostly me). Horrible! This week we're back to feeding when he cries, but it's only twice a night & life is much better. I wish I could function without sleep!
Thank goodness we're back to life this week because I've been looking forward to this week for months. Or maybe since Kaleb's birthday last year. We went with a Jack theme.

When the kids got there I gave them a glow necklace & drew Jack on their faces with these:
I love these...I used them to draw Spidey's webs on Kaleb's face last Halloween. Just dip them in water & draw. They wash right off too. Sooo fun!
We played pin the tie on Jack.

The kids grabbed their Jack pumpkins and...

pinata time!

Musical chairs to Jack music. Time for cake (I seriously wanted to do a store-bought cake this year, but Kaleb would have noticed the difference & I just couldn't do it. This was pretty simple though & luckily Kole napped so I could decorate without a crying baby).
It took him 6 or 7 tries to get all the candles. Love my boy!
Kevin had a free day at Dland from doing service (which I may have done for him because he doesn't even like Dland & wouldn't think service would be worth it to go stand in lines...weirdo). He took Kaleb actuall birthday off work to play (stand in lines) with us. We blew up balloons the night before so Kaleb woke up to a room of balloons.

We ate Mickeey pancakes, took our time getting ready & arrived at Dland around noon. I've been telling Kaleb we could meet Jack on his bday so that was our first stop. When we got there the line was closed...apparently he is so popular the line fills up before he even gets there! We went on some rides & rushed over to get back in line for Jack 30 min before he was supposed to get there. Kaleb had fun wandering around. Check out how empty the park was. It was perfect weather & not crowded. It was awesome!!

I went over to see where he learned yoga. Nope, not yoga....transforming, lol.

Jack took his time getting there so we ended up waiting for 45 min. Sooo worth it. Kaleb was jumping up & down as they walked up & got some good attention. The only bummer is that my camera sucks & Kevin's Dad doesn't know its quirks so we didn' get any good pics. Oh well...it was more about meeting him than getting pics.

When I told Jack Tank is being Yoda he said "Oh..because of his ears". I need to get a good pic of his pixie ears. I hope he grows into them!!!

Kaleb wanted to climb on this cannon & I told him I didn't know if he was allowed to so to hurry up & do it before the workers noticed. My boy is so obedient he had the hardest time getting the nerve to do it. The workers never even looked his way so it must be allowed. So funny to watch him be so super timid. He was really excited about the rockets & I was glad Kevin came because I hate them. I feel like I'm going to fall out!

Kaleb really wanted to do a "motor boat ride" & we weren't sure what he was talking about. We guessed 10 different rides and even followed him around looking for it. After 2 hours of guessing we figured out he meant the Juungle Cruise! We got some dinner & sang to him. Too bad the cake was bitter. I thought somthing was wrong with it & wanted to return it but all the other adults loved it. I guess Kaleb & I have the same sweet-loving taste buds!

My parents were all excited about this Halloween tree.

We always turn the wrong way on teacups, but Kaleb figured us out. Bummer...i loved getting away with not spinning. Kaleb went on a second time with Dad & they had som real fun.

Tank was fine with not spinning with me. What am I going to do when they're both old enough to be braver than me?!?!

We stayed until closing & managed 8 full hours in the park! Even though we were exhausted, as we left Kaleb said "I just want to stay at Dland forever!". Success! We even managed to spoil him & have no birthday brat incidents. It was fun to have my parents, Kevin's parents & us following our big 5 year old around!

We've had non-stop playdates this week & 2 other kids had their birthday parties this week. It's been so fun. We went to the park to learn soccer skills with some other kids (my friend is doing a non-formal thing) & my boy spent the whole time either crying that someone else was using his ball, grabbing his ball & hiding it by me or playing in the sandbox by himself. Sigh. I thought sports might help him be more confident & outgoing. Ideas? Input?

I was going over letters with Kaleb yesterday & asked "This is the letter..."

Kaleb "I don't know"

Me "I. The I says...."

Kaleb "Roar".

Love my funny boy.

Getting to Know Me

2010-10-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't been tagged...I saw this on a blog I stalk, but it sounds fun to do & sometimes I like a break from the travel log.
1. What is your dream occupation? Stay at home Mom, baby! I'm living the dream. It's pretty demanding, but worth every second...which is saying alot because there's no time off :)

2. What is the best dish you can cook? I'm really liking Basic Beef Drip sandwiches. Recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/drip-beef-two-ways/ but there are tons of things I think I cook well, which is a huge change from a year ago, when I decided I wasn't allowed to bake until I cooked dinner :) It's been life-changing in a great way, no more cookies for dinner!

3. Have you ever been mentioned in the newspaper? What for? No, but my face was in a pic in elementary school when my class sang Christmas carols at an old folks home. I wasn't even smiling...I was making a face because it smelled bad & the old people scared me a little

4. What's the worst and/or most memorable job you've ever had? This is a tough one, because I've had some very interesting jobs. Working at a waterpark for 3 summers selling pretzels & churros was pretty memorable. Every time I hear one of the songs from the 1 tape they played on repeat I feel like a 15 year old wearing an ugly uniform, breathing the smell of chlorine, pretending churros were damaged to give to cute guys who would talk to me. Giggling with my bff over our horoscopes & spying on boys we liked. I usually didn't get lunch/bathroom breaks so I never felt guilty about stealing food & I did burn myself several times a week, but something about it being summer & working with so many other teens made it a great experience (despite being so grossed out by the food I sold that I became anorexic...yah they failed the health inspection the next year).

5. When you were a teenager at what age did you envision yourself getting married? How old were you in reality when you got married? It depends which age as a teenager...when I was in my early teens I figured I'd be 21...just sounded good to me. When I got older I wasn't sure if I'd ever get married. I was 22 when I got married. Now that sounds so horribly young to make such a huge decision!

6. What's your most hated household chore? What's you favorite? Hated = floors. Why do they even have to be clean? Can't I just skip them? Favorite = Folding laundry. I know everyone hates this, but I sit on the couch & watch what I want on TV (it's the rule that I get to chose when I"m folding laundry). What's not to love?

7. What's your earliest memory? I remember a little girl at church taking 2 peices of bread during sacrament & her mom spanked her. I remember thinking that the mom was too harsh & should have been more loving to her daughter. Don't you love that my first memory is of me being critical of someone else?!?!

Happy October!

2010-10-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

October is one of my favorite months! I think summer is my favorite season, but October has Halloween & Kaleb's birthday. Plus, I'm holding out hope for sweater weather.
We may have decorated for Halloween 2 weeks ago & Kaleb may have been wearing this skeleton sweatshirt non-stop for the past 3 weeks. We like our holidays, give us a break!

We also may have been some of the fanatics that went to Dland at 9AM the day Halloween decor went up. Good thing we did, because it's been too hot to go since then..especially with a kid who won't take off his skeleton sweatshirt! This big smile is for having our own compartment on the monorail. I felt like we were flying first class or something & Kaleb laughed the whole time. Totally worth barely missing the monorail that left right as we walked up & having first pick of where to sit on the next one!

Also...I got to ride a grown-up ride! It's only been 2 years since I've done that...which is pretty pathetic considering we go almost every week. That's what happens when your kid is scared of scary rides like Spc Mtn, Pirates and Pter Pan....don't ask, it doesn't make sense to me either.

For your viewing enjoyment (or mostly for me) I finally got a video of Koley being his cute self before he noticed the camera & went into his "what is that? I want to figure out what it is & how to work it" glassy eyed stare. Isn't he cute?

Simple & Crafty

2010-10-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while because it's such a simple solution to a problem I've been having. It's hard enough to be modest in general, but when you add being 20 pounds heavier & breastfeeding to the mix (and not wanting to buy a whole new wardrobe) it's almost impossible. After a couple instances where the people behind me had a nice view of my lovehandles while I fed my babe I found several shirts like this:
I cut them short like this:

I didn't even hem them because my Mom told me that because they are a knit they won't fray. They haven't frayed, but they do kind of rol up at the ends, so if you do this you might want to hem them. I'm too lazy.
I use the top part of the shirt to go under plunging necklines & because the shirt is so short I can easily pull it up when baby's hungry.

At first I thought the bottom part was trash, but realized it's great to avoid the whole exposing my lovehandle thing. It goes up pretty high, but doesn't cover my breasticles, so baby can still get his milky :) I know there are websites that sell stuff like this, but I got each t shirt for $5 each, so I like this solution!

Also, we went to a playdate this week & I made this cute wreath while Kaleb ran around a friend's backyard. I never would have thought to do anything but sit & talk during a playdate, but it was fun to craft. I would've been more fun if I hadn't been holding a baby while trying to hot glue ribbon. Thank goodness other mom's are baby hungry & gave me a break!

If you want to make one we just wrapped a wreath with ribbon & hot-glued it in place, hot-glued various halloween themed ribbon into circles on the ribbon wrapped wreath, then hot-glued the pre-made wooden decorations on. This wreath may have about 10 hot glue sticks on it...but it was easy to make!

Who says it's too early to have Christmas decorations out?

2010-09-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am not actually decorating for Christmas. This hat was found in the Halloween decoration bin, which we did decorate for this Thursday. I attempt to wait until Thanksgiving time to decoarte for Christmas, even though I think it should be ok the day after Halloween. This child is not portraying the pope desite the shape of the Santa hat.

Labor Day & Blessing Day

2010-09-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

I thought about being productive over Labor Day weekend & tackling all sorts of projects, but as the day got closer the projects seemed less & less important. Instead we went to the zoo. I'm always amazed how close you can get to the scary animals.
Lions & Tigers & Bears, oh my! Ok...no tigers.

I thought it would be fun for Kevin & Kaleb to go on a boat ride. Kevin had already gone on a super long bike ride that morning & the boats are pedal powered. Didn't think that one through, sorry hon!

Sunday I took Kole to our ward for the first time & it went pretty great. I did decide never to nurse in the mother's room, because it smelled like a port-o-potty. The only thing is, I'm not sure where to nurse when he gets hungry & I'm teaching primary. In sharing time I just went to the back of the primary room, but in our classroom I'm not sure what to do. I'm not comfortable nursing in front of 9 year old boys, even though I am fully covered. Church is one place it's kind of a bummer that Koley eats every 2 hours. That's nursing twice every time I go to church.

Jonny left to go back to school Monday night so we went out for one last hurrah. Kev & I kind of invited ourselves, but it was fun. I eat with the bjorn on alot...everyone's happy, although alot of food usually ends up on Tank's head.

Gotta love the smiley pics. I get so excited when I capture one on film (or digital) that I have to post them.

Our week was pretty low key, except for one trip to Dland & the ward corn roast. Sunday was Koley's blessing day! yay! I was hoping for a nice family picture, but this is the best one. At least the best one of me. I hate days I feel like I look pretty & when I review pictures I'm sorely dissapointed. Did I not really look good? Did the camera just not capture me well? Who knows. I figure we'll try for another family picture in a few months when the babe is bigger.

I also wanted a cute pic of Tanky, but this is the best one I got. Sad, I know!

Thank goodness my amazing sis in law, Ali, brought her camera! I meant to ask her & never did, but she brought it anyways. She's amazing!

I'm also loving that I got his entire blessing outfit for $8...the outfit, shoes & onsie to go underneath.

Also, the blanket Kevin's Mom crocheted for him. The one she started working on in the delivery room. I love it & am keeping it forever!

Of course, the best thing is my little boy! We had so much fun with family & food after the blessing. I am still on a family fun high...love how those carry over into the week & love all my family!

This week

2010-09-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty pathetic. Monday Koley got his shots & we got groceries. Then I got sick & we didn't go anywhere else or get anythign else done (except laundry & cooking, because even when you're sick you need clean clothes & food...especially if you just bought perishable groceries).
Chris & I were both sick with the same thing & commiserated about our miseries together. Several times Kole needed to eat & I groaned as I picked him up only to see this little smile.

Who can be grumpy & feel self pity when looking at this face?

Not me...at least not for long.

We're feeling all better now & I'm hoping to have some Labor Day fun!

Hot Dog Eating Contest

2010-09-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Kevin's buddy, Cole, has the most disgusting talent ever: eating....a lot....quickly. He heard about a hot dog eating contest & began training (eating a whole watermelon every day, ugh). We figured we'd show up & be his cheering section. What better way to inspire your kid to eat,right?
You probably don't want to know what the buckets are for...

The contest began & our athlete (?) was behind. By quite a few hot dogs. Kevin told me not to worry "He's pacing himself". I didn't beleive him. As the contest continued most of the skinny teens didn't get past 5 hot dogs. Our champion managed to eat 18 hot dogs. And buns. In 12 minutes.

He didn't even need the bucket.

It was cool cheering for the winner (another guy ate 18, but he was still chewing at the end & Cole was done, so I think he should get credit for that). Afterwards I took Kaleb to watch some skatboarders doing tricks & for some reason Kaleb was more excited about that than watching a bunch of guys stuff their faces. I guess I'd rather have my son want to learn to skateboard than be a professional eater.

Visitors

2010-08-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, because I was going through withdrawls from The Big D, we went to Downtown D. I'm usually rushing Kaleb through so we don't have to pay extra for parking so it was extra fun to do all the things he wants to: sit & eat, play with cars, Lego store, etc. He was pretty confused when I said we couldn't go on a ride he requested. What a life, being confused by not going on rides!
I am realizing that August is the month everyone (but us) travels. We had about a week to recover from previous houseguests before getting more. By recover I mean find where the pee smell in the bathroom was coming from & take care of it. Gotta love boys! My sis came in town with her kids at the same time Kevin's nephew got back from his mission in Guatamala, one of my BFF's book was published http://www.laniwoodland.com/ , Kevin's fam came from out of town and one of my BFFs was visiting from the east coast. Yup, all in one week. Sadly, we couldn't do everything & we missed seeing Jacob in the airport, the book launch party & seeing some friends from out of town. Even still we kept so busy that by Sunday night I was so tired I was near tears. Ever get that from rushing to so many fun places? It makes no sense, but that's how I'm wired. No sleep = tears. Very mature, I know!

Thursday & Friday we spent with my sis & her monkeys. It has been stinkin hot, so we tried to find fun things appropriate for the weather. Awesome waterpark, splashing in fountains, train & merry go round, check!
The waterpark was so fun Kaleb woke up crying a couple days later. Sad that we only went once & he wanted to go twice. Funny kid.

Saturday we ditched my Mom with my sister's kids & went to the beach with Joe & Barb & Pete & Kimber (visiting from out of town). We got there late & were late to dinner; we also stayed out too late. Late seems to be our theme lately! We had fun chatting while the kids entertained themselves.

Cousins are awesome!

Sunday was Jacob's homecoming & we got together with all of Kevin's family. So fun to see everyone. Not so fun having the get together in a house with 2 cats & a large dog (Kevin has allergies & the dog knocked a bunch of kids over too). We headed out as the entire ward started showing up & were kind of bummed we didn't get to hang out longer, but Kevin didn't want to be sick the rest of the week.

Monday my sis took her kids to the Big D & after much debate I took mine too. Only in Cali would a baby go to the beach & The Big D before turnign 2 months! I was nervous about germs, but between the Bjorn & alcohol gel hanging on my stroller I think we were ok.

I could only stay for a few hours so we rushed to do a couple things Kaleb likes. I ended up leaving him there with my parents, so he was just a lucky boy all around!

I'm not sure what Tank thought of it though. He looks a little weirded out.

I rushed to meet my friend, Sue for a late lunch & ice cream. We tried to walk along the beach but I ended up nursing the baby the whole time. This kid likes to eat all day.

I know I just posted a video of him moving around, but this one is much cuter. He usually stops cooing & smiling when I get the camera out. He tries to figure out what the mechanical object is...such a man! This time he didn't totally stop & I can't restrain myself. Baby smiles....aaah :)

Getting Out & About

2010-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Kaleb has been having "Grandma Dates" since Tank has been born. She's taken him to the library & other activities. I love hearing him ask if it's a Grandma date day. Living with my parents they do so much of the boring day to day stuff, it's great that they have fun activities & enjoy each other. Here they are before heading to a costume party.

Alot of our days get filled up with boring stuff lately, because it takes me all day to do a couple small chores & heat up a frozen dinner. One particularly boring (even for me) day I figured we'd make a volcano. Here's Kaleb next to his playdo volcano before we put in the red food coloring, baking soda & vinegar. He loved it & we kept pouring more vinegar on top to make it keep erupting :)

This past weekend my sis came in to town, dropped off her kids, picked up her besties & went to Vegass. Fun for her & fun for us with cousins! We met up at breakfast before they flew out. Funny how they had a big weekend trip & I thought going to breakfast was a big trip. lol!
Last year we watched her kids for 2 weeks & I had major activities planned every single day. This year we did alot of this:

We did make it to the beach. My Mom took all the kids while I packed up all the necessities to bring a baby (and tried to get my hubbie out the door too). They were about to leave the beach by the time we got there...luckily we convinced them to stay longer.

We showed up right as the waves got huge so my ex-beach-lifeguard was on high alert.

It was 5:30 when we got there & we didn't need any of the towels, beach umbrella or snacks I packed, but it's all about being prepared just in case,right? It was a fun trip & I want to go again soon! Our pediatrician told me babies like the sound of the ocean & Tank is no exception, he slept the whole time.

This week Kaleb got the service monkey at church. The kid who gets the monkey does an act of service & writes about it in the service monkey journal. Kaleb made treats for his teachers & made them a card. We just like baking & I don't want to eat it all until after the baby weight is off!

Here's a video clip of Tank. I love him in the mornings, he's always so happy.

1 Month!

2010-07-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

We've been busy over here, but haven't managed to leave the house more than a handful of times (unless you include walks & parks trips, which we do almost every day to keep our sanity). We keep busy with feeding, diapering & more feeding.
Kaleb has been adjusting so well. He loves his little brother. The other day I said "Oh, you spit up!" to Tank & Kaleb ran in the room all excited because he thought I'd said that he sat up. I felt kind of bad to dissapoint Kaleb, because Tank won't be sitting for a while! He thinks Tank is hilarious...Kevin changed his diaper before he was done last week & a huge mess resulted. I didn't mind scrubbing the poo at all because Kaleb was laughing so hard. Hooray for having another kid to show you the humor in fecal matter! Kaleb has been such a good helper too...he always grabs diapers, my phone, etc for me. I think he's happy to have so much more video game & movie time than usual :)

Kole had his 1 month appointment this week & he's doing great. His stats (so much more fun than pregnancy stats) are:

Weight: 9 pounds 12 ounces

Height: 22 inches
He's in about the 55th percentile for both, but he was screaming his head off, so I wasn't paying as close attention as I wanted to :)

He's a really good baby & this transition is so much easier than it was with Kaleb that I still can't beleive it's real. He tends to eat in 4 hour stretches at night & goes right back to sleep after he eats. During the day he eats in 2 -3 hour increments, but he eats pretty quickly. Kaleb took an hour each feeding & Tank can guzzle it down in 20 minutes sometimes! He's not overly fussy, but he hates the car. Doesn't every baby though? Yesterday he laughed for the first time & I completely melted. I didn't expect himi to interact as much as he does... I can already catch him looking to me for cues on how to react to his feelings & if I give him sympathy when he's frowning he'll start bawling. If I tell him it's all ok he'll usually cheer up. I'm loving the baby stage & it's already passing too quickly!

More Kalebisms

2010-07-22T19:43:00.001-07:00

The other day I was nursing Tank & Kaleb wanted me to kill a spider (not that I'm ever brave enough to kill them for him). I told him he'd have to kill it & his response was "Oh...um....I need to get something first." I was about to offer him my shoe when he continued with "My mask! I need my Batman mask first!". He did kill the spider with a shoe after putting his mask on, lol.

At the end of our lesson for FHE (yay us, we acutally remembered to have FHE) Kaleb contributed these thought provoking words "and then we put macaroni in our shoes & it would tickle us! Ha ha ha". Yah...our lesson did not involve macaroni & I'm pretty sure Kaleb has never stuffed his shoes with food. Maybe I should start checking...

Kevin taught Kaleb what Twilight is (the time of day, not the book). I love that my hubbie teaches Kaleb random facts. Kaleb started calling sunset "rainbow twilight". I love it...isn't such a pretty, descriptive term? Needless to say, we're keeping that one!

I always get glimses of what Kaleb learned in primary...not after church when I'm pumping him for information, but randomly throughout the week. This week, a couple days after church, Kaleb started talking about that analogy of your body being a glove & your spirit being the hand. Only the way he understood it was a little off "Mom, did you know your skin is a glove?"
Me "Hmmm?"
Kaleb "Yes, your skin is just a glove. You are really your bones."
He then repeated himself a couple times while tugging at the skin on his hand. Good thing I've taught in primary for 10 years & know what he's really talking about!

Kaleb's thought on Tank & nursing

2010-07-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Kaleb has been adjusting to having a brother better than I had hoped. Bedtime is a little tougher & he's been a little more whiney, but I think that's mostly due to the lack of outings. The lucky kid wakes up every morning asking where we're going & lately the answer is "downstairs for cereal". Some priceless moments lately have been:
Kaleb usually runs into our room in the mornings to snuggle with me. If Kevin happens to be home Kaleb gets upset (he's usually already at work or biking on Sat). The other morning Kaleb ran in, glanced at me & said "I just wanted to see Tank". I've never been so happy to be relaced.

Kaleb randomly told me that we should have more babies. I asked him how many he thought we should have & he replied "twenty thousand."

Kole was crying & stopped...when i walked over Kaleb was talking to him. I think he was being sweet, but the next time he talked to Tank while he was crying he sounded irritated...either way it got him to calm down..right?

I might have chosen a bad time to teach Kaleb about modesty..right before nursing. If I'm not using a coverup he'll usually say "I didn't want to see that!" or "you should use that brown thing" (the coverup). When I'm upstairs I nurse Tank in the boy's room because that's where the glider fits. Kaleb woke up yesterday & I was sitting there feeding Kole & asked "Are you feeding Tank here because you didn't want Daddy to see that?" Can I just keep him this innocent forever?

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Also, here's another side by side of our boys, but this time Kaleb is more Tanks age. The last pic Kaleb was a month or two. To be honest, pics aren't capturing it, but who can argue with more baby pics, right?

He's Here!!!!

2010-07-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Final Stats
Weight: +37 pounds
Waist: I didn't even measure...with as low as he sat it wouldn't accurately reflect my hugeness.

Despite being 4cm dialated & 80% effaced for 2 weeks this little stinker decided to wait as long as possible before making his debut. I kept trying to eat alot of super yummy food & get alot of rest so I'd be ready when the day came. Turns out he was just waiting for his scheduled induction.
The night before we dropped Kaleb off at Joe & Barb's & went to Spag Fac for a nice carbo load. We tried to get a good night's sleep, but let's face it...we were too excited to sleep much. The morning of we woke up half an hour before the alarm was set to go off & got ready to head to the hospital.
Just in case the side shot does give an accurate idea of my deformity, here's a frontal shot. Gotta love the crooked line on my belly too.
Initially I had planned to wait to go into labor naturally, I just figured the less drugs the better (unless we're talking pain meds), but Val, Barb & my Dr. talked me into being induced & I'm so glad I listened. We showed up at 7 & they monitored me for a while & then the Dr broke my water & they started the pitocin around 8. The nurse suggested I sit in a rocking chair & it was nice to sit instead of lay & rocking gave me something to do when the contractions hit. Because I was already at a 4 they said I could have an epidural whenever I wanted, as long as the contractions were regular. The nurse put me on the list before I thought I needed it, but I'm really glad she did, because there were already 4 people ahead of me. The timing went pretty well & the anesthesiologist showed up after some really intense contractions, but before I completely lost control & started screaming. Kevin's Mom helped me breathe through them & made me feel empowered.
By the time Val & my Mom showed up I was feeling good & just laying in bed enjoying not feeling anything. Here's a lovely pic of me with my support. I'm so glad everyone was there. When my Mom & Val showed up the nurse made a comment like "wow...it's a party", but everyone was so supportive & even just listening to them talk in the background helped me relax. At one point we heard a baby crying & I started tearing up just realizing how close I was to hearing my own baby cry. Then Val started tearing up & I made her walk away so I wouldn't really start crying :)

Kevin's Mom has been on a knitting kick & has made 3 blankets for Tank & 1 for Kaleb, so I commissioned her to make a pretty white one for Tank's blessing day. She started it in the delivery room, which I thought was pretty cool. I'll post a pic of the finished product in about 2 months ;)

Kevin was amazing...he knew exactly what I needed & was there for me the whole time. I cannot say enough nice things about him, but instead I'm torturing the poor man because I'm so hormonal & sleep deprived. Life isn't fair. I love you, Kev!

I started to feel pressure, but figured I'd wait as long as I could to push, so I didn't end up pushing for 2 1/2 hours, like I did with Kaleb. At that point I started needing to really breathe through the contractions despite the epidural. I also tried to downplay it in front of the nurse so she wouldn't make me push :) Finally I admitted that I was feeling pressure, they got the Dr. & pushing began. Kevin & his Mom carrssed my face (I like to feel something else so I can concentrate on that instead of pain), my Mom kept the ice chips coming & Val took some pretty graphic pictures, lol. Overall labor lasted 6 hours (as opposed to 12 1/2 with Kaleb) and I only pushed for 1 hour. When Tank was finally born the nurse set him on my stomach & it was so amazing to feel him & see him. Then I immediately felt guilty that with Kaleb I felt like I'd survived a traumatizing battle & been handed something slimy. How silly is that? I'm pretty sure Kaleb isn't scarred for life or anything.
Kole Grant Dunkley (aka Tank) officially weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces & 19 3/4 inches.
When Kaleb came to meet Kole he barely gave him a glance & ran to me to show me the gifts he'd bought for Kole & I at the mall that day. The next day he seemed interested enough to hold him for a minute. He's really excited to make Tank laugh (he's really into being funny right now), so I think it's a little dissapointing that Tank can't laugh yet. He does get concerned when Kole cries though.

The first night in the hospital all Kole wanted to do was sleep. The kid would not wake up to eat & the nurse had us trying every hour. Torture! After 6 hours of not eating he finally took a bottle & we were back to trying regularly. He started latching after about an hour of convincing, but the next night I sent him to the nursery & we got 5 blissful hours of un-interupted sleep. Thankfully, he's more than gotten the idea now & wants to nurse every 1-2 hours now. He's a little jaundice, so it's fine with me for now. I'll work on a schedule with him soon enough.

Isn't he just so adorable? I've been so worried about how hard the newborn stage is, but I'm loving it more than I thought I would. With Kaleb my milk didn't come in for 10 days & I spent the entire time on a rigorous schedule of nursing for 40 minutes, supplementing him with formula & pumping for another 40 minutes. 1 hour off & starting up again. It really was excruciating & I've been kind of stressed about going through that again. Thankfully my body knows what to do this time around & I can enjoy him a little bit..ok fine, I can enjoy him a whole lot!

Kevin & I are a little weirded out by how much Kole looks like Kaleb did. I have to remind myself that Kole isn't Kaleb. Hopefully that will wear off soon :) Check out the pics...don't they look alike? I figure that means good things for Kole, because Kaleb's a pretty cute kid :)

In case you can't tell, Kaleb is on the left (with the pronounced eyebrows) & Kole is on the right.

Last Week Pre-Baby

2010-07-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Nesting (aka: freaking out) kicked in high gear the last couple weeks before Tank's due date & I completely re-organized some areas that have been needing help.
Check out all these lovely baskets, courtesy of the $ store. They're not exactly what I would have chosen, but for $1 I am super happy!

Isn't it just so refreshing to look at organized things? Love it!

I probably would have spent every last second oraganizing & driving everyone around me crazy, but Val came in town. She came a week early, because she wanted to be here for Tank's birth & we all figured he'd come early. Even the Dr. Oh well....at least I got to have fun while she was here!

Even the simple pleasures are a huge treat when cousins are involved.

Yes, she managed to talk me into Dland at 39.5 weeks pregnant. It was the last day we could go for the next 2 months & cousins were going....how could I say no?!?

We had tons of fun, even though it was hot & crowded.

I was initially sad that it didn't put me into labor, but I was so tired from Dland, I'm glad I didn't follow that up with labor right away. Even the kids were so tired that my single stroller turned into a triple! Not very comfortabley, though.

We did one last beach trip (there's no way I'm even thinking about bathing suits or sand right now). Val overheard some guys comment that I looked like a character from the Alice movie...trying to have an over-sized body part, lol.

JT was the only kid to get in the water & spent his time clearing the water of seaweed.

Kaleb was only too happy to take credit for JT's work :)

Mostly there was alot of fun for boys with sand toys.

The girls just relaxed.

Val took all 4 kids to the zoo! Kaleb was in heaven & Kev & I didn't mind a whole day to ourselves, which involved alot of eating out....yum!

38 weeks & last desperate attempts for tons of fun

2010-06-17T09:41:00.001-07:00

It's getting closer! This week at the park a little guy kept pointing & saying "ball". I didn't realize he was talking about my stomach until his mom tried explaining that there's a baby in there :) The Dr. thinks Tank will come early & that labor won't be very long. Of course, he said the same thing about Kaleb & he was only 4 days early & labor was 12.5 hours. It's still nice to hear though. 38 week stats:
Weight: +36 pounds
Waist: +14.5 inches

We're still frantically getting ready for baby, which means I'm organizing & cleaning & shopping & begging Kevin to do heavy lifting every night after he gets home late from work because he's covering for a guy on vacation & trying not to fall behind with his work. Ideally he would be getting ahead for the week he's going to take off when Tank comes, but instead he has to cover for someone else's job (I'm not bitter, really).
We're also trying to enjoy some of our free time. Going to the beach with cousins is always a blast. The museum with cousins is great too & we really need to get some use out of our passes!

And, of course, our fav, Dland (with cousins of course)!

We had tons of fun, but this will be our last trip until fall. It was hot & crowded, which was fine, but I know it will only get worse. Horray for my little hand held spray fan & tons of water bottles. And for my blantant disregard for fashion...it was all about comfort & I'm keeping that theme for the rest of this pregnancy. Dresses with running shoes every day....

Kaleb driving cars with Gma & Bryce. He finally smiled for a picture & no one else looked....can I ever win?

We've also been busy getting rest & eating alot too. When you can't decide which you need more just pretend to sleep while eating. Foolproof :)

Hopefully my next post will involve newborn pics intead of a hugely distorted belly. It's so weird knowing such a huge change is coming, but not knowing when or how. It's very exciting, but sometimes I wish I could just know....the downside of being a planner.

36 weeks, Baby Shower & Holiday Weekend!!!

2010-06-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking these prego belly shots are getting old, but soon enough the belly will be gone (at least the prego/firm part) & I'll be glad I took pictures...right? 36 week stats:
Weight: +35 pounds
Wasit: +14.5 inches
Thank goodness it seems to have slowed down! As of next Tuesday this little guy wil officially be full term & will be good to go!!! Yikes! So much to do before then! We spent the holiday weekend playing & since then I've been in a minor panic to get everything done so I can feel prepared for this kid. This results in me giving Kevin long lists when he finally gets home from work because alot of things I just can't do anymore. Thank goodness he's so nice!
As sick as I am of pregnancy (being unable to bend/twist/move, morning sickness...yes still, heartburn, gingivitis, random pains & braxton hicks) I will really miss feeling this little guy's every move. I remember when Kaleb was born I missed feeling so connected to him that I could feel every little thing. I also think it's funny to watch the weird shapes my belly makes when he stretches. I keep meaning to get that on video.
I almost forgot to post the good news...he's not breach anymore! We'll see if making me sweat for no reason is part of his temperment or if he was just trying to wait until the end to get head down & make it even harder for me to walk. Thoughtful or not? I'm not sure....
We've gone swimming at Evan's pool a couple times. I love that Kaleb is so attached to his life jacket. Here are the boys playing catch....so cute!
Val came down & teamed up with Barb to throw me the most amazing baby shower ever! Leave it to my 2 party-designers sisters to completely blow me out of the water. It was a Dr. Suess theme & it was so cute: Dr. Suess books, Thing 1 & 2 cupcakes, goldfish centerpeices, diaper cake, candy bar...there were even green eggs! The food was amazing & I ate non-stop the entire time.

Here I am with my amazing mother in law. She's out of town next week, so we really want to make sure this little guy waits at least a week to get here. I doubt he'd be that early, but I really really really want Kevin's mom to be there. Barb & I think she should be a doula she's so calming & encouraging in the birth room.

Here I am opening one of my favorite presants...a careseat cover that Ali made! Isn't it perfect?!?! I'm so excited to use it!

Here are my mom & one of the party designers herself. I don't have any pics of Barb, which is either because her daughter took the pics I have or because I only have the pics she posted...either way it seems highly suspicious.

The next day we had an somewhat improptu BBQ at the park. The weather was perfect & it was fun to have an excuse to play some more.

The kids went exploring,

we all ate too much, especially junk food,

we all goofed off,

played handball & volleyball,

and just relaxed. I don't think I moved from that spot the whole time...I just sat and ate. Isn't that my job right now?

One more pic I thought was too adorable to leave out. My little bro with his little boy....awwwww!

The next morning was race day! Kaleb has done this race twice before & even spent alot of time traning for it with Kevin (aka, run/walking around the block). Lately he hasn't wanted to train so we haven't pushed it...running should be fun, not something you're forced to do. Kaylen is in the same age group, so Val entered her to run too. Here they are with their cute pre-race jitters.

The race was 0.5 miles...which I think is alot for 4 & 5 year olds! Kaylen finished with the rest of the group, running hard & doing great.

I knew Kaleb wouldn't be the first kid, but I assumed he'd be somewhere in the middle. Nope. Everyone finished, the stragglers crossed the finish line & I sat there waiting & waiting. I finally assumed I had missed him & was about to leave to find him (Kevin was with him so I wasn't worried) when he turned the corner.

Apparently haveing Kevin run next to him kind of threw him off his game & he wanted to walk until the end when Kev backed off. Also, the poor kid had to pee so badly he was almost in tears! Mental notes for next year, asuuming he even wants to run in. He was stil pretty stoked to get his medal: the real reason he wanted to run.

It was so fun to have my sis in town & get together with family so much. It's been nice getting organized this week, but I really wouldn't mind another 3 day weekend.....

34 Weeks, Dland & Lovies

2010-05-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

My Dr. appts are every 2 weeks now, so I figure I'll update after each one. The huge belly shots are the fun ones, so why now have more of those than the I-think-I'm-showing-what-do-you-mean-you-don't-see-it? pics.
Weight: +32 pounds Um, yah...I'm up 6 pounds in the last 2 weeks. Not sure if I should worry about that! Yikes. The sad part is I consoled myself with pumpkin muffins & chocolate chip brownie bars :):)
Waist: +14 inches
The Dr. thinks this little guy is breach, so we're hoping he flips in the next 2 weeks. Otherwise they'll do an ultrasound & try to push him into position. Flip, little guy, flip!
We went to Dland with some friends last week & it was super fun (of course). While we were there we ran into more friends! I'm loving how many people have passes! PS. Don't you love how focused Kaleb is for this picture? I can NOT get this kid to look at the camera! Grrrrr.
Barb has a great tradition where her kids make a bear for the new baby. Great idea....we totally copied. Here is Kaleb putting in the heart after kissing it & pumping it to get it started. We got the cammo bear because baby's name is Tank. Funny how that has stuck. We know his nickname but aren't sure what his real name will be. Michael? Kole? Any thoughts??

Don't worry, Tank won't be the only one getting a gift. Kaleb will get a new horse for his horsie family (it's already wrapped & in the hospital bag or I'd post a pic). Horse family members from left to right: Daddy-Horse, Mommy-Horse & Kaleb-Horse.

Mommy horse is a little small, but hey, I'll take it :) In case you think Daddy & Kaleb look alike check out Kaleb's receeding hairline. He's been loved bald.

maternity Pics & some random ones too

2010-05-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

I met up with my friends, Erica & Michele for lunch yesterday. Erica lives out of state, so it was really fun to get together. We took a picture with poor lighting to document the event. Look how huge I look next to these tiny girls. I'm a whole head taller & both their waists combined!
For FHE Kevin decided to teach Kaleb how to ride the bike we bought him last year. Here he is showing Kaleb that the bike is fun, not scary.

Kaleb was too scared to get out of the car. I had to bribe him with leftover pizzookie to get him to come out & ride in two small circles before he broke down & ran back to the safety of the car. Kevin blames his timidity on me, because I asked if a parking lot was a safe place to learn (there were cars driving) and if he should be wearing pants. I totally blame Kevin, he's the one who said the words "skinned knee" out loud instead of covertly implying it. Also, seeing Kevin come home twice with broken arms, ribs & road rash might be a contirbuting factor. I'm just saying.... And, finally, the beautiful maternity pics Ali took! I want to frame them, but I really can't decide which ones are my favorite. Plus I like the picutres I already have framed & don't want to replace them. What to do? Maybe I'l have to buy more frames....

32 Weeks and Counting

2010-05-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

I'm finally 32 weeks! I've been looking forward to 32 weeks because I know alot of healthy, smart kids that were born that early & it just seems like the odds of having a healthy baby should be better by now. Of course, it's not the most comfortable stage of pregnancy, but there's also a light at the end of the tunnel. My current stats:
Weight: +26 pounds (supposed to be gaining 1 pound a week now, but I'm gaining 2. I've always been an over-acheiver...;)
Waist: +13 inches
Just in case I start getting confused with my different stats I figure I'll write down my ending stats with Kaleb. I didn't keep track every 4 weeks with him, so I really don't remember when I started ballooning with him. Kaleb ending stats:
Weight: +35 pounds
Waist: +16 inches
Of course, I was smaller then, but I don't think starting bigger this time is going to make one bit of difference!
Enough pregnancy talk. We haven't been doing too many fun & crazy things this week, but we have been crazy house-hunting. We put 2 offers on 2 different condos this week & I"m really trying to just forget about them, because they're short sales & the odds of getting them are so low. Especially because being picky & poor means we bid under market for both of them, but higher than asking. We'll find the right one eventually & I've come to accept that we'll be living with my parents when Tank gets here. Some pluses will be that other people will be here to entertain Kaleb & there is a park within walking distance. See...I can be positive.
I said I'd share fun house-hunting stories & I've been pretty bad about that. We've had to break into a couple homes that didn't have accessible lockboxes (or crack the code for one lockbox/climb over a fence & open a sliding glass door), so those were fun experiences. Also, alot of times we go looking with 6 children in tow. Add a pregnant woman to the mix & any neighbors that see us looking at the 900 sq. ft. condo next to them practically have a heart attack. Guess they'll be happy with whoever they really get for new neighbors!

We looked at a fixer upper this week. It was so cheap that it was pretty tempting, but when I say fixer upper I mean it. The flooring was ripped out, the place was beyond filthy, there was a huge hole in the ceiling & the place felt pretty gutted.

Kaleb stood wimpering in the doorway refusing to come inside. Barb mentioned that the place needed alot of work & Kaleb just kept repeating "It needs alot of work!". When we got in the car he satrted quoting the nursery rhyme about the crooked man who had a crooked style & a crooked cat & they all lived together in a little crooked house. It took me a while of repeating the rhyme with him(which I obviously don't have memorized) to realize that he was calling the condo a crooked house. Hah, good thing someone else already bought it!

No Rides

2010-04-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

I know people who don't go to Dland very often wonder how we can go without going on a single ride. Last week we had one of those days (and it was rainy when we got there, although it was nice when we started driving). We went to a food prep demonstration for the F&W Festival in the other park. To be honest the demonstration wasn't exactly thrilling, especially the attempts at humor, but we got to sample the food! Plus, it was free!! I highly recommend this, because what beats a fresh, tasty, free snack at a theme park?
After we filled up on soup & mini sandwiches we tried to see the Bug video, which is apparently terrifying before you even get to the front of the line. We ended up turning around about halfway through the line (just the walkway, there wasn't a wait) with 2 crying children & 1 very worried looking child. Everyone wanted to go to the bread factory & I'm all about free sourdough samples...even if they're small. Except for some reason, today they gave our group 2 large mouse shaped sourdough breads. Score! While we stood outside buttering & enjoying our free food this guy noticed us. He was cutting the bread bowls & started chucking the bread at the kids, it would smack into the window & make a loud noise.

Apparently this is hilarious & we stayed for about 20 minutes just laughing as hard as we could (well, mostly the little boys laughed that hard...) until he was done cutting the bread.

Sadly by then it was time to head out & we made a quick bathroom stop. Which turned into an ordeal. Kaleb has not had an accident since he potty trained & I feel bad because this wasn't his fault. I taught him to "go" sitting down so I don't have to deal with the mess of small boy bathrooms...you know what I mean. I also always put 2 seat covers on public toilets for him, because who knows what nastiness is on those seats & he tends to put his hands on the seats while getting situated. I have taught him to push the paper down before going, but he didn't this time & his pants & undies got super soaked. Somehow it bounced off the seat cover onto his clothes. Did I mention earlier that it was rainy? I couldn't make him walk around in wet pants! Luckily Barb had a diaper the right size & we improvised...with lots of funny looks from everyone we walked by. Thank goodness Kaleb's not old/observant enough to realize that. He did keep saying "Mom, I don't like diapers". Check out how fashionable we were. You only wish you could look so cool!

We figured we'd eaten dinner for free & stopped for dessert on the way home. I kind of forgot about Kaleb's "outfit". More funny looks, but when you're eating that combo of sugar & fat who cares.

The next day with my brother, Chris's birthday. Happy 20th Chris! My sis in law, Ali, emailed me a link with "barrel cakes" & I copied from them because I am too lazy to make anything out of fondant right now. Cute, huh?

Chris got a bike for his bday & Kevin is excited to destroy him....I mean, train him. :)

Saturday Ali & I went to a community garage sale & I had to restrain myself not to take pics of everything I got & do a single blog about how awesome that was. My fav is a jogging stroller I got in brand new condition for $50. I hate my current jogging stroller & this new one is so awesome. I was debating whether or not to get a double stroller, or a sit & stand, but I figure Kaleb is 4 1/2....he should be capable of walking, right? Feel free to give me your input, because I'm not sure if this is a horrible idea or not. I know I don't want to push 2 kids running, because my form gets sloppy & I'll injure myself, but for around town/amusement parks, etc. The one thing I am kicking myself about is that I didn't get a cute diaper bag I was looking at. I think I just got distracted & walked away before buying it. Bummer!

That evening Ali took maternity pics & they will get their own post. partly because I don't have the pics on this computer & partly because she did such a great job I can't decide which ones I like the most & they deserve their own post. Thanks Ali!

Today I finally got my hair cut. It's only about 6 months overdue.

Wow, when I said to take off 4 inches I thought it would end up being short. Guess the scraggly ends were longer than I thought! Don't ask why I got maternity pics before the haircut. I am not very good at planning ahead these days.

Too Much Fun

2010-04-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

We have been having too much fun around here. Is it bad when the house is a mess & chores are behind but I don't even have crafts to show for it? Too bad, because it's been worth it!
We had our first (and so far only) kite-flying excursion. There was no wind & it didn't get very high but Kaleb was super excited.
Then we had a wild & crazy spring break, elementary school style :) Val & her cuties came to stay for the last half of the week. Kaleb was so excited I though he was going to bounce into the ceiling. We sure love our cousins!
We had a beach day & it was complete with hotdogs & smores...perfection! While the other kids frolicked in the waves

(yes, even Evan got into it),

Kaleb sunbathed with his beached whale...I mean Mom.

He did frolic in the waves for a little while, but he's a lightweight & a wave knocked him over & started dragging him along the beach while he was still underwater. Of course, Grandma was right there & pulled him out immediately, but after that he was content to be a land-lover & I was only too happy not to worry about him! We ended up staying for about 6 hours & left crispy & happy.

We did more fun things I didn't get pics of: going to Rachelle's (my cousin) baptism, girls night with shakes & a chick flick, plus lots of running around & screaming. The kids mostly :) When they packed up & left Sunday Kaleb chased their car down the street. Val drove slowly so he could be alongside them for a while. When they sped up & turned the corner I told Kaleb to wave goodbye, he looked at me confidently & said "I can run fast!". When the car was really gone he was inconsolable. Poor kid!

I also couldn't keep my resolution to wait to buy Dland passes. It didn't help that I had 3 days worth of credit to apply to our passes staring at me every time I looked at my desk (bday money from 09 & a service day from 10).

My Mom got a pass too & we met Barb & her kids. I'm so glad my Mom could go on the rides I didn't want to with Kaleb. I'm also glad no one minded constant breaks to sit down!