My Little Monkey

Color Me Rad 5K

2012-11-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have been "running" for a while now. Let me clarify. I have been jogging slowly for a couple of months. My endurance has been building up--no where near where I would like it yet, but it is coming slowly but surely. I have made it from dying after 30 seconds of jogging to being able to go about 2 miles before I start whining heavily. Looking for a race to check out my endurance, Jim and I signed up for the Color Me Rad 5K. We ended up bringing the kids--and basically walked the whole thing. So, it was a fun family event--but no running involved :) I will have to keep persevering as I am currently signed up for a 1/2 marathon in January? What was I thinking?!

So nice and clean!

My buddy, Tim, from work

Zane going for a ride--3 miles is far for short legs

Colorful family photo!

Tim and his girlfriend, Brittany

Our "rad" RAD tattoos. I am leaving mine for work on Monday :)

SeaLife

2012-11-03T16:00:00.002-07:00

Sunday morning, before we started our trip back home, we went the the SeaLife Aquarium next door to Legoland. We didn't stay too long as we had a long drive home ahead of us. However, we had fun checking out the fish and sharks and the "Claws" exhibit they had set up for Halloween time.

SeaLife!

The slide at the start of the aquarium.

Popping up in one of the tanks!

Huge crabs!

Couldn't resist Lego Spongebob!

LegoLand

2012-11-03T15:52:00.002-07:00

We spent 2 fun days in Anaheim at Disneyland. Friday night we drove to Carlsbad so we could go to Legoland. Our Saturday morning started off at the Minute Clinic so we could get Caden's throat checked out. He had finished antibiotics for strep on Tuesday, and by Wednesday night was complaining that his throat hurt again. The rapid strep test came back negative (the culture would come back positive a few days later) so with ibuprofen in his system, off to Legoland we went!

Legoland also had a bunch of stuff set up for Halloween. Including Brick or Treat nights--you dress in your costume and follow designated paths to collect goodies!

Lego Vampires

Favorite thing at Legoland is the Volvo Driving areas

A sleeping lego tourist

All dressed up for Brick or Treating

Start of the Brick or Treat Trail

CANDY!

Disney!

2012-11-03T15:37:00.001-07:00

Jim and I planned on taking the kids to Disneyland. We also decided not to tell the kids. We left Wednesday after school--and told the boys we were going out for dinner. Our trusting kids whined only minimally as we drove for almost 1.5 hours before finding a McDonald's for dinner. And then didn't really question WHY we drove so far for a restaurant that is 1 minute away from our house. After we had some chicken nuggets, Jim explained that now we would have to drive home. So, as we continued our drive to California, the boys thought we were heading home. We made it all the way into the valet parking area of the Grand Californian Resort before I POINTED out that the signs said Disneyland. I asked who wanted to see Mickey? Zane started crying and saying he didn't want to. Caden started panicking because Jim said he made a wrong turn and Caden thought we were lost. Not exactly the reaction we were looking for, but it was late after a long day. Once we go checked into the hotel, and the boys found that they had bunk beds to sleep in--and Zane realized that Mickey was not in our room, the boys were SUPER excited.

The last two years we have gone to Disneyland in the summer. Lines are long and weather is hot. So, this year we decided to go in the fall. What a BIG difference it made! Disneyland was all set up for Halloween. Some of the rides had "Halloween" effects and lots of decorations everywhere! The weather was perfect and since we stayed at a Disney hotel, we got the "Magic Hour" which allowed us in to the park one hour prior to the park opening. That was so much fun! We got in some rides that would've taken a long time to wait for otherwise.

First morning at Disneyland!

My 3 favorite boys on the Jungle Cruise.

Cars Land was AMAZING!

Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen

Zane still way too skeptical to be in pics with characters by himself!

The Tooth Fairy Visits

2012-09-26T21:45:00.002-07:00

Not too long ago I posted that Caden had not lost a tooth yet. Caden discovered last week that he had a loose tooth. It was barely loose, but he was excited to have a wiggly tooth. A few days later we noticed a grown up tooth coming in--behind a tooth that wasn't wiggly at all! We made a quick call to the dentitst and were advised to come in and get things checked out. Caden's grown up teeth are so much bigger than the baby teeth that the dentist was concerned about space. And since the grown up teeth were already coming in, Dr. B. said it would be a good idea to pull a few teeth. Four to be exact. The front four on the bottom.

Caden has a little bit of anxiety. So, we decided sedation was the best course of action. They gave him some "sleepy juice"... which contained Versed. A drug of wonders :) They gave Cade the medicine and then sent us to the "Quiet" room filled with stuffed animals to relax while the meds kicked in. Caden loved it in there. They came 10 minutes later--took Caden back and 15 minutes later caden came out in a wheel chair--a little loopy and missing four teeth!

Caden was pretty out of it for a while. He could hardly walk--and kept yelling at me to tell him what was wrong with his eyes because he was seeing double. A little funny, but....

Caden was excited for the first visit from the Tooth Fairy. We managed to get a picture of the Tooth Fairy visiting Caden's room!

If you look closely, you can see the fairy dust on the dollar bills.

Caden will be disappointed to realize that he won't be eating any corn on the cob any time soon, but is pretty impressed with his gaping smile!

Caden turns SIX!

2012-09-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

So hard to believe that my first born, Caden, turned six! I must be getting old! He had a 3 day celebration starting on his birthday with cupcakes to celebrate with his classmates. That night, we had a family pizza party.

Caden, Zane, and Nana

Caden's ice cream cake!

On Sunday Caden had a "kids" birthday party at Skyzone. Skyzone is an indoor trampoline park. Jim and I and some of the other parents jumped too... Left us crippled the next day! We are old! Caden had a great time playing with two of his old friends from Joy that he doesn't get to see daily anymore!

Climbing out of the foam pit!

Blurry jumping!

Caden and his best friend EVER, Dylan!

One of many sets of wonderful legos!

At age six, Caden has not lost any teeth but has some grown up molars popping up in the back! His favorite snack currently is "Fruit by the Foot". The kid is a bottomless pit. A breakfast for him can consist of a egg and cheese bagel, cereal, yogurt, and juice. Breakfast is his favorite meal of the day. Caden enjoys swimming more than anything and has become quite a swimmer! Caden loves Legos and of course that means we will find lego pieces everywhere! We will be starting soccer again next week...and Caden loves being a part of a team, but is less than aggressive on the field. He still enjoys it, though! Caden knows how to push his brother's buttons, but will protect him fiercely if needed. Amazing that my little boy is SIX!

First Day of First Grade

2012-08-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

It is always amazing to me to see how fast time goes by. Caden started 1st grade today at Sierra Verde. It was a long, exhausting process making the decision of where Caden would go to school. He had been going to Joy since he was 3. Hard decision to make but we are hoping that Caden will excel at Sierra Verde just like he did at Joy.

Caden was pretty excited to start school. We had gone to meet the teacher night last week and Miss F. had given the kids bags of goldfish crackers--because they were "o-fish-ally" a first grader! Caden loved it. (Food will win him over every time!) We checked out the Viper Den which is the before and after school care. We were ready for school to start!

Caden and his new backpack

Zane hiding behind his backpack

It is a good thing we left in plenty of time this morning to get to school. We had to park about 1/2 mile away (probably not much closer than walking form the house). It was at least 100 degrees outside. Got Caden over to his classroom and snapped a quick picture with his teacher! Way before I was ready, it was 8:40 and time to go in the room. I gave him a hug and he walked away without any hesitation. So proud of him! I couldn't resist snapping one last picture of him settling down in his desk.

OREGON-Part 2 Crabbing!

2012-07-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

My Dad's cousin, Duncan took us crabbing. We unfortunately didn't catch any crabs that met the requirements to keep. The ones that were big enough were females, and the males were too small. So, they all went back. But the kids had a great time--and as far as they were concerned, we caught some crabs even if we couldn't keep them. After crabbing, we went to another dock and Jim and Gabe took the kayaks out. We had a great time being together and hanging out!

Zane, Jim, Caden at the docks

Duncan leading a serious crabbing conversation

Dad throwing his crab trap out

See! A crab!

Jim in the kayak

Playing at the dock!

Caden and Brandon

Oregon part 1

2012-07-30T22:02:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my VERY generous parents, we went on a week long trip to Seaside, Oregon. We stayed at a gorgeous beach house across the street from the beach. It was great to see family we don't see nearly often enough.

Dad and Gabe

Jim and the boys

The water was FREEZING-but didn't bother the kids one bit!

Mom and Dad at the beach

Beach = exhaustion!

Kindergarten Graduation!

2012-05-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

So the school year has come to an end. Last day of Kindergarten was today. As I was leaving work, I told a co-worker that I was leaving early to attend Caden's Kindergarten Graduation. She asked if I was going to cry. I said no with emphasis--this was a happy occasion. Why would I cry?

And then I saw Caden walk in with his class. I watched my brave, tall, well spoken 5 year old boy lead the classes and audience in the Christian Pledge. I teared up.

I saw Caden's medal--which means he completed all of the tasks for the Kindergarten Olympics--he can recognize shapes, he can read, write, count by 1s, 2s, and 5s. He can recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the Christian Pledge, the Bible Pledge, the Kindness Pledge, the Lord's Prayer. He can tie his shoes-well, almost. Seeing the medal and how much he has grown in the last year made me tear up.

Hearing Mrs. Kempf, Caden's teacher, tell me that Caden was an amazing kid, a born leader, and truly one of the most special students she has ever had made me tear up. (Even though I am well aware that she probably says that to all of the parents!) Hearing that Caden's favorite part of Kindergarten was the Mother's Day Tea warmed my heart and made the tears well up again. Seeing Caden with his friends made me tear up.

So, I technically did not cry during Caden's kindergarten graduation. But the pride and love I have for Caden made some tears of joy appear. Congrats Caden on your first amazing academic milestone! So proud of you!

Run, Walk, Honor

2012-04-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning started waaayyy to early for my liking. We were up by 4:00am and out the door by 4:45am. We were on our way to the 8th Pat Tillman Race. Jim and Dad were going to run and my mom and I were going to walk the course with the boys in the stroller. We wanted to get there early as we were going to be in good company with an estimated 35,000 people. Parking was luckily no problem and we made it to the Tempe Stadium in plenty of time.

We had to split up as my Mom and I headed to the last "corral" where anyone with strollers had to start. The race started... and we waited and waited and waited. It took so long to for the groups to start that Mom and I were still waiting to start as Jim and Dad finished. It took us about 1:20 to walk the 4.2 miles but our clock time was over 2.5 hours! That was the biggest struggle we had. Caden and Zane did great. Zane loved to get out of the stroller and run with everyone else. He kept checking his Walgreens pedometer. So cute!

Not sure why Jim has a halo?

Eat more Chicken! Caden was thrilled to have his picture taken with the cows!

Zane won't be left out...

2012-04-15T21:10:00.003-07:00

Everytime Caden shows off his new decorations, Zane insists that you see his room, too. Although we haven't done much to it, the train table is a relative new addition. So, here is Zane's Monkey room....

My Little Monkey in his bed!

Lego Room

2012-04-15T20:55:00.002-07:00

Caden moved into an "airplane" room when he graduated from a crib. Pastel blues and greens were perfect for my toddler. But, as you know, Caden is far from being a toddler anymore. It was time for an update to his room. Caden's obsession with Legos started a while ago and hasn't slowed down. So, it seemed obvious that Lego themed room was necessary. That being said, we were not looking for a room full of primary colors that would need to be changed again in a year or two. So, after some searching online, we got some ideas and created Caden's Lego Room. He looks pretty happy, right?

Yes, that is Caden peeking around the corner...

Jim (and I!) built this board for Caden's wall. On the left is lego boards--so you can build right on the wall! On the right is cork board to hang up all the important things...

Can you see the "Lego wall"? Kind of looks like a Lego, right?

2 years?

2012-04-15T20:28:00.006-07:00

If you look at the date of my previous blog post, you will see that it was over 2 years ago. It has been so much easier to just upload pictures, etc to Facebook. However, after repeated badgering (from the only two people who read my blog in the first place) I finally have broken down and returned to my blog. We will see if I post again after this...

I will not torture anyone and begin to attempt to catch up 2 years worth of information. We can start with last month--when my "baby" turned 3. Zane LOVES Peter Piper Pizza--and requested his birthday party to be there again. Again. Fine by me--someone else does the cooking and the cleaning--and entertaining kids is easy!

My mom and I did attempt cake pops--decorating is apparently NOT one of our strengths--but cute enough!

I LOVE this face!

My birthday boy and me!

At three, Zane is fearless (which causes me great anxiety!) He loves to climb and slide. Trucks, dinosaurs or anything Toy Story will keep him entertained for hours. He mimics everything his big brother does--which tends to drive Caden crazy. Zane refuses to eat most meats unless it is a hot dog or a McDonald's chicken nugget. Zane, who at one point was so allergic to milk he wasn't gaining weight, now will choose chocolate milk over any other beverage. Age 3 has brought a streak of independence and stubbornness. "I DO IT!" is a common phrase. A rough and tumbly boy through and through! Love you, Zane!

Ok...so even Blogger comes up in French!

2010-03-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

Finally found some internet time--and an internet connection. It has been down in our hotel, so not wanting to hang out at McDonalds for any length of time, I have forgone it. But, we are in business now!

I have posted some pictures on Facebook. I think there are less than 30. I picked a few good ones--and left the other 200+ pictures out. But, I thought it might be interesting to put more of a journal on here and keep the pictures on facebook.

So, here is the first couple of days of our trip...

Friday, March 5th, 2010- Saturday, March 6th, 2010

It was a bitter sweet goodbye as I kissed both of my boys for the last time. They had spent the morning at the Phoenix Zoo with Nana and Granddad so Jim and I could have some last minute time to get things ready for our trip. I thought I was prepared, but dropping them off at Grandma’s where they would begin their overnight stays broke my heart. I cried as we left. I was excited for our trip, but sad that I wouldn’t see my boys for over a week.

Mom took us to the airport and we got there in plenty of time. We checked in with British Airways and our new passports worked just fine! Security was a breeze (much easier without strollers and baby food, etc). Our plane boarded about an hour late. British Airways offered complimentary drinks—including alcohol—and provided two meals. We were seated in Premium Economy which meant we had a little more leg room and seats that reclined back further. But, for ten hours, no seat is comfortable. We slept the best we could, which was minimal, and watched movies on our little screens in our seatbacks.

We landed in Heathrow, London about an hour later than expected. This was difficult for us since we already had our train tickets to Paris booked…and we would be cutting it close getting to the train station! We went through customs, collected our luggage, and got directions from a man at information. We had to take the “Heathrow Express” to Paddington station, then take the underground from Paddington Station to St. Pancreas. Needless to say, we missed our train. We had to purchase new tickets—58 pounds each! Bummer. But, we could leave shortly and still make it to Paris that night.

We worked our way to the Eurostar departure area. We survived our 2.5 hour train ride through the Chunnel—in much more comfort than on the plane! We arrived in Paris Nord train station and looked at the map to find where the taxis were. A man approached us and asked if we needed a cab. We agreed…and he said his cab was right outside—no queue… He said to follow him…and after a few seconds took the liberty of pulling my luggage for me. Terrified that he was going to take off with my suitcase, we followed quickly behind him. He led us to a taxi outside and asked for 20 euros. I thought it was for the driver, but he put it in his pocket and walked away. Our first experience in Paris was not a positive one. Then the cab driver then asked where we were going and off we went. It was further then we thought. The Royal Regency was dark from the outside—not very welcoming. The cab driver asked for 60 euros and I was pretty sure we were being taken advantage of again, but not much you can do when you can’t speak the language. I had researched before we left and the trip from the train station was supposed to be about 50 euros, so we paid and went into our hotel.

We checked in at the Royal Regency. Luckily the man at the desk spoke English, so check-in was no problem. He gave us the key to our room—a REAL metal key and pointed us in the direction of our room. We started down the hallway that was very dark and into another hallway that was even darker. I was worried and confused…We continued down the mostly dark hallways looking for our room which we were told was on the first floor. After no luck, we determined that we were on the “ground” floor and must go up to the first floor. We found the elevator and up we went and out into another dark hallway. We found our room right off of the elevator—and discovered that you have to push the little buttons in the hallway to turn the lights on. Who would’ve known? I suppose it makes sense—and saves electricity, but don’t you think someone would’ve mentioned that to us? Maybe? No…

Once in our room we unpacked a little. We were hungry, but I was in no mood to head back out into the cold. Jim was brave and went to a little store down the block and came back with two bottles of water, two cans of ravioli, and a can of Pringles. We had a quick meal (after cooking the ravioli on the stove as there was no microwave) and headed to bed. After traveling for so long, we were exhausted. We took an Ambien and went to sleep for twelve hours.

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

We had slept for so long thanks to our drugs, that we got a late start. Jim ran to the bakery down the street and came back with fresh croissants and a baguette. Yummy. We had breakfast and headed out. We found the Metro and was very glad that we had some cash as the ticket machines would not accept our credit cards. We took the Metro to the Louve gardens and explored there for a while. It was chilly and the gardens are not very exciting when it is not blooming or green. So we decided to take coverage in the Louve. It was nice because admission to the Louve is free the first Sunday of the month—perfect timing for us! We went up to the top floor of the Louve and started exploring there. So much art—and a lot of it we did not recognize, but could appreciate it for its beauty. We found the Venus de Milo…and went on a hunt for the Mona Lisa. The Louve is such a maze. We were on the correct floor to find the Mona Lisa, but you couldn’t get there from where we were. We had to go up a floor…across a hallway and take an elevator back down. I was so lost at this point, but we found the Mona Lisa! It was behind glass…so it was hard to see—and the painting is smaller than you think. But, we can say we saw the Mona Lisa in person. We also saw the Winged Victory of Somothrace and some other very cool things. After the Louve, we hunted down the restaurant “Breakfast in America” since the Frommer’s guide said that it served American food. I was homesick and needed a good meal that I understood. After a good walk we found the restaurant. We had hamburgers and French fries and coca-cola light. It was good. We took the Metro back to our hotel and crashed early again.

Monday March 8th, 2010

We slept in late again on Monday--but not due to the comfort of our bed, which was severely lacking. We headed out to McDonalds to grab some lunch and see how late they were open since they had WiFi and I had not yet been able to talk to my boys. We ordered at the Kiosk since you could order in English there. The food was pretty much typical McDonalds…but not as good as you get at home. We then headed to the Metro to head back into the city. We started at Notre Dame. What an absolutely magnificent building. The size is immense and the artwork inside amazing. The stained glass, the sculptures, the paintings…everywhere you look is beauty—and history.

From Notre Dame we headed to Saint Chapelle. Another church—much, much, much smaller in size, but no less wondrous. The stained glass was floor to ceiling and was currently being restored. Each panel of stained glass told a different biblical story. From there we headed to La Conceierge...which was a prison that held notable prisoners such as Marie Antoinette. After that it was time for a visit to the Arc de Triomphe. The outside was stately and magnificent. Then we went in. And climed all 234 steps to the top. The view was impressive--especially when I started breathing again! We went from there to the Eiffel Tower which was massive and beautiful, but we stayed firmly on the ground since we had just had a birds eye view of the city from the Arc. We found a nice little Italian restaurant where we had delicious pizza for dinner (Jim's pizza had egg on it and artichoke...strange). We made our long way back to our hotel switching routes on the Metro like pros!

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

We actually managed to get up and out of our room before noon. We grabbed a croissant from our little corner bakery and went to the Metro. We booked a tour to Versaille and had a quick lunch at a quaint little cafe. We had a window seat--and crepes! Oh they were soooo good! Our trip to Versaille was worth the time and money. It was only 12 miles away, but took us almost an hour on the bus. That is Paris traffic! I am not sure how there are not more accidents and we have been unable to identify and lane markings--or flow of traffic. Incredible.

The Palace of Versaille...beautiful. Each room more adorned and decorated than the last. My favorite spot was the Hall of Mirrors. There were the King and Queens rooms...Marie Antoinette's "apartments" the gardens, etc...it was all amazing.

Our trip to Versaille was about 4 hours. We walked through a few shops when we got back and found a little Italian place for dinner. No French restaurants that we can find--except for the cafes. But the pasta was warm and good!

The most entertaining part of Tuesday was that Jim had to pay to use the bathroom. It was like a store...seriously...and you had to pay 1 euro to utilize the facilities. Paris is not cheap!

Until next time...

Where does the time go...

2010-02-20T20:05:00.001-08:00

No clue where the time goes.

Zane is almost one year old. Only twelve more days and my baby will be one! How does that happen? I blinked my eyes and another year flew by! Even more astonishing is my surrogate nephew, Kole, is going to be SIX in the beginning of March. HOW? Crazy. For sure.

So, in honor of Zane's first birthday, I tortured my poor children with a trip to the portrait studio. Usually we go to Kiddie Kandids. However, the Kiddie Kandids in our mall closed...There one day and gone the next. I was totally astonished that it closed because I was pretty sure that I alone provided enough revenue for them. Apparently I didn't and Kiddie Kandids has filed for bankruptcy. Bummer.

I asked a friend for a referral and went to Portrait_Innovations. We had a great experience. They shot a ton of pictures (ALL of them are in an album on my Facebook page) and we bought a TON of pictures. The kids did great and overall I was very pleased with our appointment and how it all turned out.

You can see in Zane' picture he is still my "vampire" baby. But, it won't last too much longer as one of his front teeth is coming in.

In other news, Jim and I are quickly approaching our trip to Europe. We are defiinitely excited, and a little nervous to be venturing to another country. But what an adventure! I just hope I won't miss my boys too much..I know they won't miss us too much!

My Vampire Baby

2010-01-03T12:59:00.001-08:00

I know the whole Twilight series is popular right now.

In fact, I am pretty infatuated with the books and movies myself.

However, Zane has take this whole "vampire" thing to a whole new level.

In October, Zane got his first tooth. Right, front, bottom. So cute.

The next tooth came in right next to it. We were joking about Zane asking for his two top front teeth for Christmas. Sure enough right around Christmas I felt some more teeth coming in. But they were not where I expected them to be. Can you see them?

Look closely! Now you see why he is the "vampire" baby?

Luckily he seems to be limiting his diet to plastic toys right now...

Speechless

2009-11-05T21:17:00.000-08:00

I had a customer come in today for the H1N1 vaccine. Yes I have it in stock and no you can't have it. Unless you are in a priority group.

She was 18 weeks pregnant. Pregnant women are at high risk for complications so are in the priority group for receiving this vaccine. She said she had been going back and forth trying to decide if she should get the vaccine at all but finally decided that having a baby with autism was better than having a miscarriage. WHAT? Okay. Now I was beginning to understand. She was one of those...

Those? The ones who believe that vaccines are the root of all evil. That vaccines cause autism... Even though you can read on the CDC website and the FDA websites that several studies have been conducted and do not show an association between vaccines and autism. The FDA protects people. Keeps them safe from potentially harmful substances. They are not for promoting drugs--but for safety and health. I have a hard time believing that if studies were truly showing that vaccines may be responsible for autism that something wouldn't be done.

I don't want to downplay the importance of autism awareness and how serious autism can be. So, instead of arguing with this patient, I let her express her opinion and kind of kept my mouth shut.

So, as I was starting to give her the shot, she tells me she is afraid of needles. Which is why she had two kids without an epidural. I said, "Good for you! "

She said, "Yes, it was good. Epidurals just slow everything down. It was great!"

I smiled and said that I had had 2 c-sections. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry."

Sorry? Seriously? That was kind of offensive. Just because my labors didn't fall into her "Labor Plan" doesn't mean that they were any less miraculous or wonderful. I said that it didn't matter as long as my kids were healthy. I think she agreed with me. Maybe not...

I was kind of speechless after that.

Toilet Training Tribulations and Triumphs

2009-10-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

I think we have done it. We have found the right bribe.

We have been having issues with our stubborn-if -it- isn't- my- idea -it -I -am- not -doing- it- three year old and potty training. He just was refusing. When we took him for his 3 year old well check, the doctor said to give him a little time and try again. She suggested that even though we had tried different incentives maybe we hadn't touched on the right one...Well, I think we found it.

They were going to be discussing pets at preschool so they were asked to bring in a picture of a pet they had or a pet they wanted. Since there are NO pets in my house, my Mom helped Cade pick a pet he would like. Cade decided he wanted a fish. A goldfish like Dorothy, Elmo's fish. **LIGHT BULB!**

Cade was told he was not allowed to go back to school in pull-ups. He was not supposed to be wearing them, so when the teacher noticed them, we got a phone call. But Cade loves school and was doing well. Didn't want to pull him out over potty training--especially when he knew how to do it. So the bribe...the fish.

We bought a fish tank, rocks, plants, and little figures. We bought fish food. Every day that Cade was dry, he got another piece to his tank. He knows that when the tank is all ready, he gets his fish. We have had NO accidents. Amazing. We found the right bribe. We are still working on number two, but, one step at a time... WOO HOO!

Speaking of well check appointments, Cade weighed in at 43 pounds and 41 inches tall! In the 99th% for height and weight. Zane was over 17 pounds. He gained 5 pounds in the last two months. Guess he had some catching up to do! He went from being in the 5th % for weight to the 50th%. Now he is right where he should be. Happy, chubby, healthy. Love it.

Pictures--Cade 3 years, Zane 6 months

2009-08-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have a blog?

2009-08-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Wow. I almost forgot I had a blog... But, since I did remember, you can now suffer through my long overdue--and possibly long-winded update.

We were honored with a visit from our friend's the Peterson's for Cade's 3rd birthday. It was so much fun to have them here. Swimming, eating, drinking, card playing...it was wonderful. Cade LOVED having two boys to play with. They hunted dragons and bad guys with a strange assortment of weapons (foam swords, drum sticks, spatulas)... You can check out Jaime's account of their visit here. One of the best things we did was take the boys to Ridemakerz. It is like a grown up version of Build-a-Bear. Instead of making teddy bears, you make cool cars or trucks. Cade and Kole made the same truck--same color. I think the Dads had just as much fun as the little boys!

Cade turned three on August 17th! I am not sure how my baby boy is three. Is it really possible? Apparently it is. We had a fun party at Peter Piper Pizza. Backyardigan themed. For those of you who don't know who the Backyardigans are, well, no loss there! Cade had a great time and I didn't have a house to clean up! It was a win-win situation!

The weekend after Cade's birthday, we took a quick trip to California to go to Legoland. My parents came with us and we all piled in their car for the long drive. My two boys did very well considering we were on the road for about 7 hours each way. Cade liked Legoland. He loved driving the cars--but was NOT thrilled that he ended up on a roller coaster with me. It was pretty tame, but he said it was "scary, scary, scary, scary, scary". Most kids think it was fun after the fact, but Cade will NOT say that it was fun. Maybe in a few years...On Sunday we went to Sea Life. Cade loved the fish and Zane enjoyed them, too.

Cade started preschool. He is doing well--or he did in the first week. He seems to enjoy it!Of course, to be in preschool, he is supposed to be fully potty trained. However, that seems to be an issue for us. Cade understands the concept. He can even execute the concept when forced. But, the key word is forced. It is a full out raging battle to get Cade to go to the bathroom. I actually found an article on line about potty training REFUSAL. It isn't that he isn't capable, it is a power struggle. So, the recommendation was that you make the child in charge. WHAT? That is exactly what he wants. So, Cade is back in pull-ups for now. At least until we come back from vacation and see his pediatrician for his 3 year well check. Maybe we can get some good advice then.
After our trip, Zane will go for his six month well check. He has grown so much! He actually has rolls on his legs! He was sooo skinny for such a long time, that he has plumped up in like the last 6 weeks. He went from weighing 12 lbs 5 oz on 7/13 to over 16 pounds tonight! He had some catching up to do and he has done it! Zane has mastered rolling over to his tummy--but hasn't quite mastered rolling back over on his back. So, several times a night he cries because he is stuck. Great fun!
We leave for Hawaii soon! I can NOT wait. The long plane ride with two kids isn't as exciting, but the destination is well worth the travel. Maui here we come!

A picture worth a thousand words...

2009-08-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

I just had to share some images I took with my phone. Therefore the quality of the pics are lacking, however, they get the point across.

This is the clock in my car. This was at night.

This is a picture of the temperature reading on my rear view mirror at that time of night.

Yes, you are seeing it correctly. It was still 104 degrees at almost 10:00pm. Lovely, isn't it?

The second set of pics are a list I found in my house. When we learned that my Grandfather was very ill, my mother and I flew out to NY and took Zane with us. That left Jim and my Dad in charge of Cade, and my nephews, Brandon and Gabe who were visiting.

Brandon and Gabe stayed the night with Jim before they left to join us in NY. Jim, as I similarly do, made a note of things they needed to grab before walking out the door.

Do you see what I found funny?

Jim explained that the note was for Gabe's Nintendo DS. Not for Gabe himself. I am glad that Jim didn't really need a note to remember one of the kids...

He

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He was larger than life...

Even after his life was over.

He was a pillar of the community,

A judge that was fair and just.

He was a man that loved fully and faithfully

With no regard for the boundaries of this physical earth.

He was a believer.

One who shared his faith through his words and actions.

He was a family man

Whose family included more than those with blood ties.

He was a humanitarian

Who helped anyone in need by providing a warm smile, a firm hand squeeze, knowledgeable advice, or the items they lacked.

He loved to make other people smile

Even if it took corny jokes to induce those smiles.

He was an amazing man.

He was my Grandfather.

2009-07-17T21:39:00.001-07:00

Play Bejeweled! But Don't Beat me!

2009-06-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

What has kept me away from blogging?

Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook. There is a monster competition going on between my brothers and I. Well, it was initially just my brothers and I...now my mom is involved. And she keeps pulling ahead of me!

Books. I haven't read a book in so long. Having young kids means that I read more "Hungry Caterpillar" than any adult books. But, when Jim had his surgery, I had some time in the waiting room to start a book. I read, "The Shack" by William Young. It was an amazing book with such insights and explanations that opened my eyes. It was wonderful. So wonderful, I think that book needs a post of its own. Totally excited by reading a book again, I jumped right in to another. I read a book about the Columbine tragedy. It was an interesting book that dispelled a lot of incorrect beliefs I had about what had happened. Then, I started the Twilight series. Ohhhh...I am enjoying them immensely. I am on the second book. Wish I had more time to read.

Kids. Zane is flourishing. Sleeping pretty well at night and gaining weight finally! Tonight our scale said he was 12 pounds. Because he has gained so much weight, we had to go back to the GI doc to increase his Omeprazole for the stomach acid. He is much happier now that his meds have been adjusted. He will go for his four month check up next week. Cade is doing well, but seems to be having a little trouble with jealousy of his brother. Cade occasionally wants to "be the baby" and asks to be fed a bottle or pretends to have a pacifier. We are trying trying trying to potty train, but with little success. He is figuring it out, but...

Work. I am bummed out that I am being kicked out of my store and having to move to Sun City. The store isn't bad--slow, but I will survive. I will just miss my coworkers and my customers who I have known for over 5 years. Change is tough. But, I will continue my one day a week work schedule which is great.
Kim. Kim was here for a week visiting. What an awesome time we had drinking and just hanging out. We shopped and ate and went to the spa... We just generally had fun enjoying each other's company. Well, I enjoyed it anyway...you would have to ask Kim if she had fun. I hope so.

So, I have a new masthead up and a current blog. That's a start, isn't it?