Conversations With Cayden

I ADORE this little man of mine. We have some fun Conversations. On Tuesday he was wearing his soccer shirt and said..."Mom what size soccer shoe do I wear?" "You wear an 8 Cayden" "Oh, ok, thanks mom." A minute later," Umm Mommy" "Yes, Cayden" "I think I only need a 2 because I don't have 8 legs."

Yesterday as he woke up from his nap he said, "Mommy, Jakey and I have stinky feet." Trying not to laugh,"You do? How did you get stinky feet?" His reply, "From playing on the slide outside. But you don't have stinky feet. Only me and Jakey have stinky feet."

So as difficult as he can be sometimes I love to just sit and talk with him. He has a lot to say and I LOVE to hear it.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

~Love to All~

Memorial Day Weekend!

We had such a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! Jared's brother, Brent, and his wife, Ashley, came to town for the weekend. They had a heck of a time getting here but we were so glad that everything worked out and that they FINALLY arrived (in one piece). I took Friday off work so we could just hang out with them, unfortunately Jared wasn't allowed the same luxury.

So Friday we went to the zoo. I was nervous when we got there and the parking lot was closed and we had to hike from Timbuktu to get into the zoo but once we got in it actually didn't see all that crowded. It was fun walking around the zoo and seeing all the animals. It was great to spend time with Brent and Ashley too. It was fun for me to watch my boys get to know them. I didn't take very many pictures at the zoo. I guess I was too busy enjoying the animals and just hanging out. ;)

Jakey really loved the fish.

On Saturday we were up BRIGHT and EARLY because my boys don't know the meaning of sleeping in. No matter how late they got to bed they are up by 6:00. Its really hard sometimes. But we deal. Anyway, I was tired of having no grass in the backyard so we headed to HD to buy sod. We also bought flowers and a strawberry plant.

The boys thought the cart was GREAT!

By the time we got home it was time for Jake to nap again so that he would be a happy camper when Brent and Ashley came to hang out. But Cayden was eager and willing to help his daddy with the grass. I just felt bad he didn't have his own gloves. They worked on the grass while I planted flowers and fruit. I'm so glad we finally have grass. Its AWESOME!!!

Once Brent, Ashley, and Julie made their way over we packed up stuff for a picnic and headed to the park. We have a really neat park that's fairly close by. The boys LOVED the sand box.

After playing there for a bit we headed back to the house for naps and then Brent and Ashley treated the crew to dinner. (Thanks again!)

On Sunday we went to my sister's ward because they were blessing their new baby, Caleb Joseph. He was born on May 10th and is such a cutie pie. My nephew Spencer (and Kimmy and Tyson) have been praying that this sweet little baby would finally join their family. It was a rough road and a hard pregnancy but we are glad he is here. Now there are 4 little boys to cause terror ;) Anyway, after church since Kimmy and Tyson live so close to the temple we decided to go and hang out there for a bit. It is such a peaceful place to be.

My brother Matt (fresh from his mission in Honduras) and Cayden
Jared and Jakey (Jake LOVES water)

Is it ok to jump off the fountain in front of the temple? Oh well, it makes for a GREAT picture.

Matt, Jared, Tim

On Monday everyone came over for a BBQ. What would Memorial Day be without a BBQ? It was a BEAUTIFUL day and perfect for being outside. It was a little windy but that was easily overlooked. Jared and Brent were in charge of grilling and they did a great job. The food was delicious and the company was awesome!

Jared did get a little excited about grilling

After we ate we headed out to the open field right across from our house (also where our pool is) so we could play for a bit and just enjoy the day. It was such a wonderful day. Nothing super exciting but a day spent with family is always wonderful.

So that's it. That was our weekend. Sadly Brent and Ashley returned home on Tuesday. I was glad to get to hang out with them until they left. It was so wonderful to have them here. I'm also glad that my boys actually know who they are now. ;)

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend as much as we did.

~Love To All~

100 Doubloons

We have recently begun a reward system for Cayden to help him be a better listener and a nicer big brother. He LOVES the show Jake and the Neverland Pirates so Jared thought it would be a fun idea to let Cayden earn doubloons each time he is a good listener and for LOTS of other reasons to promote good behavior. ( He loses them for negative behaviors.) We took him to a party store and bought gold doubloons and a treasure chest. He was VERY excited. Throughout the month he worked diligently to earn his doubloons. When he earned 100 he got to go the ride the roller coasters.

Every time we go to have lunch with Jared we pass Elitch Gardens. When the weather was cold we would tell him that we had to wait until the park opened. He COULDN'T wait. He was excited when he earned his 100 doubloons and could go ride.
He ended up not really enjoying the actual roller coaster. Neither Jared or I could ride with him because you HAVE to be under 54' to ride. SO he bravely went on by himself but only went around once and was screaming to get off. So Jared pulled him off and he pointed to a great big green roller coaster and said, through streams of tears, "I want to ride that one!" We explained that his body wasn't big enough yet for the big green one and stayed in the kiddie area.

Way to go Cayden for earning 100 doubloons!!!!

We had such a fun day!

~Love To All~

EASTER 2011

I feel as though I have been a bit of a slacker lately when it comes to my blog and catching up on family blogs. I guess I'm just getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and forgetting to stop and write down the special moments. So is our Easter Catch up! ;)

My brother Mikey was in town and boy was Cayden excited. He sure LOVES his uncle Mikey. Mikey got into town on Tuesday and stayed for a week. It was so nice to have him here. On Saturday, the day before Easter, we let the boys dye Easter eggs. They were excited to have Uncle Mikey helping out.

Easter Morning rolled around and Cayden couldn't WAIT to get downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny had brought him. He was excited when he started spotting eggs all over the house. We let him and Jake grab their buckets and start hunting. Jacob didn't really get into the hunting thing. He would just find an egg and throw it. He thought they were balls. We had to show him that there was candy inside. However, once he realized that he would find an egg, sit down, eat the contents, and search for the next one. Cayden proceeded to give me all the pink and purple eggs. Apparently the Easter Bunny hides gender specific eggs and Cayden was aware of this, I was not. I though it was super sweet of him though.After the egg hunt we sat down to a yummy strawberry, banana, and whipped cream waffle breakfast. It was awesome! Then I gave all 3 boys haircuts. We had to hurry so we wouldn't be late for church but it didn't work. we ended up being about 15 min late. But we are never late so I didn't feel too bad about it. After church we came home and tried to get a few Easter pictures. I hate camera timers!
After restful Sunday naps we went to my parents house for dinner. They had an egg hunt for the boys. Then they told us there was going to be an adult egg hunt. We were very excited. However, the weather didn't cooperate so we had to wait until Monday night for our egg hunt.

It was a great Sunday spent with great people. It was a nice opportunity to explain again to Cayden why we celebrate Easter. That its not just about eggs and candy and the Easter Bunny. It is a day to remember our Savior and the sacrifice he made for us. I am so thankful to have the atonement in my life. And I'm thankful that I can share my love for the Savior with my boys in the small teaching moments that come along.

~Love To All~

80's Prom

Jared and I were invited to an 80's prom by some friends of ours in our old ward. We thought it sounded fun so we planned to go. Then as the time drew closer and we had NO CLUE as what to wear (we were both pretty young in the 80's. I was born in 84' and Jared in 81')! I was frustrated and told Jared that I didn't want to go. WE decided to go out shopping and found outfits for the both of us so we asked my parents to babysit and the date was set. Jared and I were going to the prom. Exciting right???

EXACTLY!!! We had SUCH a blast. It was so much fun. It was probably one of our better date nights. (Except for the fact that we didn't go out to a nice dinner before hand.) Jared bought me a corsage and everything. We got to the prom about an hour late, that's normal for prom right? But there was still time to vote for King and Queen. As the night went on there was 80's trivia. There was a "how 80's were you" game as well as a game matching tv characters to the show they were on. It was a super fun night with some great friends.

~Before Prom~ (can you see my purple extensions?)

~Prom Pictures at the Prom~

~Jared and his buddy Carl dancing the night away~

When the time came to announce the Prom Queen I didn't hold my breath. I never win ANYTHING.

~Jared and I totally won Prom King and Queen~

~Our spotlight dance~

~Our friends Carl and Dawn are the couple in the center-We were glad they came.~

WHAT A GREAT NIGHT!!!!!!! Jared and I were so glad that we could go to a prom together. It was a small glimpse into what it could have been like if we had really gone to prom together in High School. Thanks for being my date and making this prom a night to remember Sweetheart!

If you ever have the chance to go to an 80's prom totally go. It was so fun!

~Love To All~

An Unskinable Date

A few weeks ago Jared and I had a super fun date night. We went to the theater. It wasn't the big theater downtown. It was a cute little local theater in downtown Littleton called The Town Hall Arts Center. I discovered it on a field trip with school. We went the night of the performance hoping they still some tickets. They did! They save 10 $10 tickets each night for at the door slackers like us and we were fortunate enough to get 2 of them that night. What did we see you may ask????? When I found the theater I looked at the shows they were doing and I had never seen this one. I so wanted to see it so I asked Jared and he was stoked. He said that this was the first show that he saw that made him interested in theater. So it was a must that we go. We had about an hour to kill before the show started and we were both STARVING. Right across the street was a little place called Abe's Cafe. It was empty and since we were short on time we thought, "What the heck, let's give it a try". It turned out to be a little Greek cafe. It was a lot like Dancing Zorba's on My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The food was good but their baklava was TO DIE FOR! It was the best baklava Jared and I had ever had. I wished we didn't decide to share it. I totally wanted my own. I can't wait to go back.

Inside Abe's Cafe before we headed to the show.

We left Abe's and walked back over to the theater and anxiously awaited the start of the show. I don't know what it is about going to the theater but I totally love it. The show was great and it made me wish I still performed on stage. I really miss it. Jared and I loved spending an evening to ourselves and we owe Bethy a HUGE thank you for babysitting on such short notice. Date Night is always wonderful. YOU ROCK BETHY!

On our way out of Downtown Littleton I noticed a sign....

Yep, right on the edge of historic downtown Littleton is this restaurant "Merle's". When I saw it I pointed it out to Jared and we were both kind of shocked that this place existed. We decided that, in honor of his Dad's birthday, in November we will go and eat at Merle's. I checked out the menu the other day online and it looks pretty good. I'm excited.

~Love To All~

5 Years!

Today is our 5th Anniversary. I am so thankful that I made the decision to marry such an incredible man. Every day in an adventure that I look forward to and at the close of each adventure I look forward to being in his arms. 1 Year

2 Years

3 Years

4 Years
5 Years

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Catch Up!

I'm still here!!! I promise! Life has been crazy since the start of the new year so I haven't had a chance to sit down and blog about it. But I finally have so have fun reading about our holidays!
~Love To All~

New Year's

We had such a fun New Year's! The big boys decided it was a good night to play RISK. Not everyone is a fan of that game so we found other things to occupy our time. Cayden and Spencer played a fun game of Disney Magical Moments Scene it. It quickly became a game of just watching all the movie clips. But it was still cute to watch. I think my dad had fun playing with his grandsons. ;) The rest of us just hung out and talked.There was A LOT of goodies for everyone to snack on to keep us awake. We watched Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. It was awesome because my cousin and my aunt were in Time Square and were on TV dancing with Ryan Seacrest. It was fun to see!

We all anxiously awaited for the ball to drop and start out 2011 together. We decided to let Cayden stay up if he could.He made it!!! I wasn't all that surprised. What I was surprised about was that he didn't get cranky and he and Spencer played happily with no fights at all. It was a fantastic evening.

Our first 2011 picture! I don't look so great after midnight. ;)

I promise its just sparkling cider in their cups!

Happy New Year to all! May this year bring many wonderful and exciting blessings!

~Love To All~