Potty Time???

Or so he thinks!

So the past 2 days Cayden has been wanting to go to the potty instead of letting me put a diaper back on him. The first time he did it he wanted to try out both toilets. So we went back and forth between the bathrooms a few times. He hasn't had any success of course and I don't really expect him to. He is only 20 months old. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to have him actually potty trained by the time our new one comes along but I'm not sure he is really ready. He knows what the potty is. He recognizes when he has gone to the bathroom. But I'm not sure he is quite ready to put the 2 together. I guess all I can do is continue to take him to the bathroom every time he asks me too. Its just crazy to think that he may actually potty train himself.

Trip Across the Country

So Cayden and I are finally home. Its a good thing we are because my dad told me Jared was walking around like a lost puppy without us. ; ) We had so much fun with my grandparents and we will miss them very much. Cayden loves his "Elmer" (great granddaddy). Every time Granddaddy went to take a nap you were sure to hear him ask where "Elmer" was. He tried numerous times to sneak in and wake Granddaddy up. It was very cute. Great Grandmommy spoiled us all rotten. We celebrated 4 different birthdays while we were in Florida and Cayden got a gift at every celebration. We sure do love Grandmomy and Granddaddy Loso. We hope they will be able to join us in Colorado SOON!

Anyway, we left Wednesday to start our drive home from Florida. We didn't get out as early as we'd hoped because it seemed as if EVERYTHING was going wrong. But we finally made it on the road again. We stopped in Perry Georgia for the night. Thursday morning we got up and began driving again. We made it to St. Louis, MO and stopped just west of it so we could get one more good night sleep. Friday morning we woke up with the determination to make it home and we arrived home around 11:30 pm. Cayden was such a trooper. I'm so glad he is such a great traveler. We made lots of stops to get out and run around. And towards the end he got pretty good about telling me when he needed his diaper changed. We had so much fun driving home. I forgot how much I really do enjoy driving across our beautiful country. I'm grateful to be back home now, even if it means getting back to reality.

So on our drive home I noticed many different things about certain states in our country. I thought it would be fun to share my findings with you.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN _______ WHEN.....

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN FLORIDA WHEN...

• Almost everyone has a swimming pool in their back yard
• You get out of the shower and dry off but still feel wet
• You walk out the door and sweat instantly
• You need a jacket inside instead of outside because the air conditioner is set to freeze
• You check every body of water you come across hoping to see an alligator

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN GEORGIA WHEN...

• Every other billboard on the interstate is about peaches and nuts
• There is a cop in a speed trap every 10 miles
• There is a Chick-fil-A at every exit
• Chick-fil-A has flowers on the table and brings your food to you
• Every restaurant sells peach milkshakes
• The Hotels in Perry are packed because of the Jr. Rodeo

Chick-fil-A in GA

Yeah, the dang Jr. Rodeo really was in town

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN TENNESSEE WHEN...

• You finally see mountains again, even if they are green
• Every other billboard is about fireworks
• You stop at Taco Bell and they give you bouncy balls for change because they ran out of quarters
• The only Subway you can find is in a Wal-Mart
• The drivers are psychotic!

Tennessee change from Taco Bell

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN KENTUCKY WHEN...

• It only takes and hour and a half to drive through
• You have to sit in the back seat because your little brother is driving and you fear for your life so you try to take your mind off his driving by pulling out a Sesame Street coloring book and coloring a picture of Bert (Timmy actually didn't drive as badly as I thought he would)

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN ILLINOIS WHEN...

• You have to change interstates 3 different times
• You don't even realize you are in Illinois

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN MISSOURI WHEN...

• There is a Cracker Barrel at every other exit
• You can see the Gateway Arch from the interstate
• You have to drive in down pouring rain and everyone around you wants to drive 20 mph
• It is difficult to find a nice hotel just off the interstate (luckily we finally found a Holiday Inn)

Riding the luggage cart at our hotel in MO

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN KANSAS WHEN...

• You cross the state border and can smell coffee
• You can smell the manure outside even with the air circulator on
• The manure smell goes away and you smell fresh cut grass
• The fresh cut grass smell goes away and begins to smell like a sweaty soccer cleat
• There are corn fields on both sides of the interstate
• There are no more corn fields all you can see is sunflower fields
• There is only Cracker Barrel off of I-70 (that's where we decided to stop and eat)
• It takes all the day light to get through the dang state!!!

Cayden SMOKIN Timmy at a friendly game of Checkers

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN COLORADO WHEN...

• You see the sign that says "Welcome to Colorful Colorado"
• The speed limit FINALLY goes back up to 75
• You only have to drive 2.5 hours more before you get to Denver
• You stop outside of Limon and find a VERY ghetto Wendy's
• You pull in front of your home and your husband is running down the stairs to greet you

It was a fun drive but its good to be home.

~LOVE TO ALL~

Florida Vacation-Day 5, 6, and 7

This was really posted Thursday July 16, 2009 ;)
Monday of our vacation was a work day. Jared and Mikey got up early and began doing the small jobs that needed to be done and then moved on to some bigger ones. They worked hard all morning and then went for a swim in the afternoon. Jared was kind enough to take Cayden into the pool with him. Then we went to Arizona Pizza for dinner. It was a cute restaurant and the food was yummy. After dinner we headed back to the house for a movie. We let Granddaddy choose and he chose an old Clint Eastwood western, Pale Rider. Its a pretty good movie but once again I was so tired I fell asleep. ;)

Cayden watching Daddy and Uncle Mikey work.
Tim helping Jared dive.
His dives gradually got better.
Cayden had so much fun with the tubes!
Eating cheesy nachos at Arizona Pizza!

Tuesday was spent with a little work but mostly lounging. In fact Jared and Cayden took a 3 hour nap!!! What a way to spend your last full day in Florida huh? This was the day Jared decided to try out some new facial hair.

This is what he decided to stick with.

Later that evening my cousin Brian and his new wife came over for dinner. It was so fun to see them. After they took off we hung out and waited until 11:00 and then headed out to the movie theater. Me, Jared, Mikey, and Tim went to the 12:01 showing of Harry Potter. We didn't buy tickets early so we hoped that there would still be some when we got to the theater. Sure enough we walked right up to the ticket booth and bought our tickets with no problem. Then the hard part came. We had to wait in a line outside! It was so hot and we waited outside for 40 minutes before they let us in. Their system to keep things under control with little chaos failed. It was the stupidest set up I have ever seen. So after all the waiting we FINALLY got in and found good seats to watch the movie. We enjoyed the movie but all agreed that they left out WAY to much info from the book. I thought it was a great movie but I really was sad that so much was lost. So now I want to go and read the book again. We got home at about 3:15 am. When 8:00 am rolled around and Cayden was ready to get up I decided that midnight movies aren't really my thing anymore. ;)

Taking a 3 hour nap!

Yesterday, Wednesday, we were all EXHAUSTED! Jared got up with Cayden and played with him for a bit. Cayden came in to wake me up and then ran off again. Jared came and crawled back into bed. I wanted bagels for breakfast so mom was kind enough to go get some from Panera. Cayden wanted to go with her so I quickly got back into bed to sleep as much as I could. Mom returned and Jared decided he needed more sleep but I was ready to eat! They were such yummy bagels. After breakfast and some chatting Jared got up again and headed out to check out the work he did the day before. It looked great, of course, and after a little more touching up it looked perfect. When Jared was done we got ready and went to check out my cousins new house. He has a huge pit bull that Cayden was terrified of. I felt bad because he was shaking he was so scared. Kerry was kind enough to put the dog outside and then Cayden warmed up to him, but only because there was glass between them. Then it was time to head back so Jared could pack and get ready to go home. But not before one last swim in the pool. Cayden has had so much fun swimming in the pool with his daddy. 5:30 rolled around and it was time to head out to the airport. We walked Jared to security and hugged and kissed him goodbye. Cayden watched as Jared walked away. He waved and kept saying "Bye bye daddy, I love you." It broke my heart. Then to top it off when we got back to the house he SCREAMED and ran back to the front door and screamed "daddy." He was furious that we didn't bring Jared home with us. But, he'll be ok. We hooked up skype on my grandparents computer so we can still "see" him.

Cayden would throw coins into the pool and make Jared dive for them. They had fun playing this game.
Last float in the pool.

We are having such a great time here. We will miss having Jared with us but Cayden and I are excited that we get to be here another week or so. We hope everyone is having a great summer!!!

~LOVE TO ALL~

Florida Vacation-Day 3 and 4

Saturday rolled around and we were headed to Disney World for Jared's birthday. We made the trip there in three hours and when we parked we looked to see what row we were in-Daisy 28. Jared thought it was a little ironic. When we got there we had to go buy my ticket and pick up Jared's free ticket. They gave him a button that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY and gave Cayden and I buttons that said "I'm Celebrating." Then we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom. I was so excited to spend they day at Disney world with my boys. We rode the monorail over and were on our way. When we got into the Magic Kingdom and rounded the corner Cayden was so excited to see Donald Duck and Pluto. He kept saying "duck, duck." Our first ride was The Magic Carpets of Aladdin and we rode carpet number 14. It was definitely a day for Jared. After a few more rides it was time to eat. Then it off for more rides. Cayden was in HEAVEN!!! He loved every ride we went on, including the Haunted Mansion. Jared was grinning ear to ear and I loved watching his and Cayden's face as they experienced things together. Towards the end of the day it began to rain but it was not enough to keep us from playing. We went to Sleepy Hollow, just west of Cinderella's Castle, and got a funnel cake to share. He needed to have some sort of cake for his birthday. We enjoyed it and then headed to the Emporium to find Cayden a fun souvenir. It was a wonderful day and Jared said it was the perfect way to spend his birthday.

Cayden showing off his button.Riding the monorailHe fell asleep after the parade. He only slept for 30 minutes!Jared and GoofyWe took this picture with the timer while Cayden was sleeping.Playing with 3D glasses, waiting to see Mickey's Philharmagic.In line for Winnie the PoohThis is one of my favorite pictures from the day. (It's a Small World)Cayden was very excited to ride the carousel Cayden sat on the lamp post base and pulled Jared down with him. He was pretty worn out.

On Sunday we woke up early to head to church. We only went to sacrament meeting because my cousin was still here with his family and they were leaving later that day. So we went back to Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house to hang out. We played a bit, took some pictures, ate lunch, and then hugged them all and they were on their way. After they took off we all took naps. I LOVE SUNDAY NAPS especially at Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house. When I woke up I hurried and made Jared his carrot birthday cake. Once everyone else woke up we ate an enchilada dinner and then had cake and ice cream and a small family party to celebrate Jared's birthday. It was a great day and a lovely Sunday.

OK, more to come!!!

~LOVE TO ALL~

Florida Vacation-Day 1 and 2

I LOVE being back in Florida. Its nice to be home again. Its awesome being with my grandparents and being able to give them a hug and kiss before bed each night. I love sitting and hanging out with them and just talking with them. I really miss having them around.


We got here Wednesday night just after midnight. Cayden was such a great traveler. I'm so glad that he doesn't mind traveling. We had a 3 hour flight to Atlanta and then a short layover. Then we had an hour and 20 min flight into Ft. Myers. Thankfully he finally fell asleep before the flight into Ft. Myers took off. It was a lot easier to travel down here than I was expecting it to be.


When we woke up Thursday morning we were tired but excited to hang out. It feels as if the days go by so quickly here!!! We spent the day hanging out. Jared even got a little work done for them. They had to get a new dryer and when it was delivered the plug didn't match the outlet. So Jared went and bought a new outlet and had the dryer running in 10 minutes. Grandmommy and Granddaddy treated us to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Iguana Mia, for dinner. It was at dinner that we shared our exciting news with Grandmommy. Jared blabbed it in the car on the way over so Granddaddy knew but didn't say anything. ;) It was a wonderful dinner shared with perfect company. Then we went back to the house and watched Cat Ballou, which I quickly fell asleep watching. Its one of my all time favorite movies but I was SOOO tired.

Cayden enjoying his corn on the cob

Outside Iguana Mia-"Just look for the green building"

Friday was spent much the same way that Thursday was, just hanging out. Friday afternoon my cousin Tim, who lives in Michigan, came over with his family. They have been visiting Florida this week too. I was excited to see them because they have never met Jared and I haven't met 2 of their 4 girls. So we celebrated Tim's and his youngest daughter, Sophia, birthdays. It was a fun evening. Once the thunderstorm stopped we all headed out to the pool for an evening swim. We had an awesome time hanging out with them.

Enjoying the birthday cake

Playing in the pool-Cayden really enjoyed "jumping" in

But he really enjoyed pushing his daddy in!

We are having a great time! We will post more soon!

~Love to all~

4th of July fun 2009!

This year we spent the 4th of July together with our little but growing family. All of my family was out of town but we enjoyed just spending the day together.

Our day started out with our ward Annual 4th of July Breakfast. This was our first year attending and it will probably be our last. They served french toast, scrambled eggs, and sausage. The french toast was over cooked and the eggs and sausage were undercooked. The eggs were slimy and the sausage was still pink inside. The only thing that was perfect was the store bought juice. Needless to say next year we'll make our own breakfast.

After breakfast we headed down to the Cherry Creek Shopping Center where we went to the annual Cherry Creek Arts Festival. It was so fun walking the streets of Cherry Creek and seeing all different kinds of art. Its all for sale but pretty expensive so we never buy anything. Its just fun to go and see what people can do. I think it helps to give Jared more ideas too. We just enjoy hanging out and looking at good art.

When we were done at the festival we went to the food court at the mall for lunch then we headed home. Once we got home we all took naps. We were pretty exhausted. Walking around in the sun is tiring! When we woke up we headed out again to find some poppers and sparklers for Cayden to play with. We had to go to one of those tents to get sparklers because all Wal-Mart sold was things that pop. After we found the sparklers we headed home. We fed Cayden, neither of us were very hungry because of such a big lunch, and then we took him out to the balcony to play.

I threw a popper down and he laughed hysterically at the sound it made. He couldn't quite throw them down hard enough so Jared taught him to step on them to make them pop. You would have thought he was in Heaven with how happy he was popping them. Then we brought out the sparklers and he had even more fun. Here are some pictures from our evening.

After we were done playing with sparklers and poppers we went inside for dessert. S'MORES!!!! I had been craving them for weeks so I was very excited to finally eat one. It was Cayden's first and he was a big fan. They ended up being dinner for Jared and me. Quite the nice 4th of July dinner huh???

We hope every one had an awesome 4th of July. We are so thankful for this country that we live in and for the freedom that we enjoy every day.

Ok. So this may be the last blog for a few weeks. We are headed to Florida today and can't wait for an exciting vacation!!!

~LOVE TO ALL~

I LOVE Summer

Its been so great to forget what day it is and not worry about what time it is or even worry if I have to be somewhere. I love Summer. Its been great to just hang with Cayden all day and play. Here is an update of our fun the past few weeks.

We took a last minute trip to Utah over Father's Day weekend. Thanks to Jared's sister we were able to go and have a fun weekend with everyone. We got in LATE Friday night. On Saturday we had a lazy morning and then took a trip into Tooele so I could check out the children's books at DI. I was successful and pleased with the books I bought. Then we headed back to the house and waited for Jared's sister Jess to come out with her kids. (Thanks for coming out to see us Jess) We had a BLAST playing and hanging with them. Then Saturday night we went to Jared's 10 year High School Reunion. It was actually a lot more fun than I expected it to be. I'm glad we were able to make it.

Jared and Julie's group of friends. That's Julie's date laying on our laps.

This was the ONLY picture we got of the two of us. We looked awesome though!

Special thanks to Jared's mom for being an awesome Grandma and watching Cayden for us. Sunday rolled around and Cayden and I gave Jared his Father's Day gifts. We headed out to church and then were back on the road on our way home. Cayden is such a GREAT traveler. Thanks to the Utah family for making it a fantastic weekend.

When we got home it was back to work for Jared. But Cayden and I anxiously wait for him to come home everyday. In fact Cayden misses him so much he calls him (without me knowing) almost every day while he is at work. We try to keep busy while Jared is gone. We had Spencer over for an entire day to play with us. The boys had SO MUCH FUN. I'm so glad that they get along so well.

Comparing and enjoying lunch.

Exploring on the playground.

Jared's sister Julie came back to Denver from Utah so she could catch her flight back to Kuwait. When she got here she said she brought Cayden a present. Out of her bag she pulled the perfect pair of pajamas for Cayden. They have Lightning McQueen ALL over them. He was so excited. We finally washed them so he could wear them. The morning after the first time we wore them he refused to let me take them off. He would have worn them all day if I'd let him. We now have to hide them during the day or else he wants to put them on. Needless to say, he gets ready for bed SUPER early now. ;) Thanks Julie for the great gift!

It has matching pants too!

He had to go find his Lightning McQueen car as soon as he put the jammies on.

On Tuesday of this week I decided to take Cayden to the free movie at the theatre to see if he would enjoy going to the movies. Well the movie was Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. He sat and watched for about 3 minutes and then wanted to be all over the place. About 40 minutes into the movie he was getting really naughty. So I asked him if he wanted to go home and he said, "uh huh." So we went home. I don't think I'll be taking him back to the movies for a while.

Figuring out how to sit in the booster seat.

Mommy and Cayden scrunch picture!!

Jared had today off so we decided to use our Elitch Garden's passes and go to the water park. Cayden was in HEAVEN!!! He found the best of both worlds...water and slides. He was exhausted after an hour of playing. We had so much fun though. Tomorrow we are very excited to be able to go to the annual Cherry Creek Arts Festival. I'll post pictures from it. We can't wait!!

We hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July!!

~Love to all~