The Young Family

Home Sweet Home

2012-02-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

The boys gave a little tour today of our house by posing for pictures. The living room... The other side of the living room. We are looking for a big comfy sectional to go in here. The kitchen. The island is actually a built in table also so that's where we have breakfast, lunch and most dinners. You could see the dining table from the front door, which we use for nice dinners. Mommy's favorite part of the house... the pantry! The boys have a toy room downstairs. They spend most of their time in here! The under the stairs hall closet is large enough that we can store stuff (Daddy's DJ stuff) in the back and put MORE toys up front. Crue loves to hide in the closet and play. Upstairs are all the bedrooms and the office/guest room (not pictured because we're still working on it). Caleb and Kellan love sharing a room together and LOVE LOVE LOVE their bunk bed. I just realized I didn't put a picture of Crue's room but it's pretty much just a crib and dresser. I will post lots of pictures once we get to decorating! I haven't found the motivation yet but it will happen soon enough! The same goes for our bedroom. I will use posting pictures as my motivation. I do love my bathroom and master closet. Anyway, that's our house. Thank you to Caleb and Kellan for being our models and tour guides!

Wild Card

2012-02-03T16:08:00.001-08:00

I know I have a lot to catch up on but I had to post about our "wild card" kid. When it comes to Kellan, there are always surprises.

One day I found him on top of a chair pointing out our "polite words" on the fridge and yelling, "Cubs, what da say?" He was helping him practice his reading skills apparently. He climbs in Crue's crib every morning and doesn't like me to get them out until they have played for adequate length of time. He likes to take pictures and the other day sneak attacked kissed me when we took one together. Today we took him to the doctor - he has an ear infection - but the only way he would leave without screaming and crying is if he got to wear his underwear on the outside of his clothes. Oh and he finds hiding places to read and sometimes just think. Lately it's my bathtub. He keeps entertained and on our toes.

Hello and Happy New Year!

2012-02-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't blogged in awhile but life was crazy with moving and the holidays! We moved into our new home in Gilbert in November. We are loving it! I'll have to post about the house soon but first we had a great Christmas! Since we have a bigger house that can accommodate more than one tree, Chris got his wish (his wish for the past 5 years) and we got a real Christmas tree to put in our front room. The boys had fun picking it out! It smelled AMAZING and made the Christmas spirit more magical! We will do it every year from now on! We had lots of fun Christmas activities, including lots of baking! We baked and decorated Christmas cookies three times! We attempted to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops but didn't get there in time, even in the middle of the week!!! We're not too upset because we saw Santa at Pinnacle Peak's ward party and Crue was the only one brave enough to have a seat, let alone say hi. Kellan screamed his head off and Caleb clammed up and walked away quickly. When we encouraged him he got teary eyed. Earlier in December he told me, "I don't care about seeing Santa because I know the ones we see are not real. He's in the North Pole. I just don't care about those guys!" At least he still believes but man, that kid is too smart! Nana planned gingerbread house decorating for the boys after the ward Christmas party. They LOVED it! Caleb was torn between eating his and displaying it at home. He ended up displaying it among the other decorations and set a date on the calendar for when he could eat it. By the time that date came, I was scared to let him eat it so an "elf" (Mommy) took it to "Santa" (the trash). The boys were very proud of their tree. We needed MORE decorations though because it was an 8 foot, very full tree! We decided it's going to be our "Christ"-mas tree and only have decorations on it that have to do with Christ and the Nativity scene. The tree in the family room will have all the fun, kid ornaments on it. We got a lot of Christ and Nativity ornaments during the after Christmas sales! I can't wait for next years tree! Yay for Christmas morning! Caleb got shy when he saw all the presents and Kellan's face was priceless. They made a great big mess but seemed more than pleased with what Santa and everyone else brought! Kellan gave some toys "thumbs up" This kid is happier with games, books and puzzles than toys! Kellan's latest obsession is "Sba-Man". He loved his talking action figure! Caleb has been waiting for this talking, shooting Smokey Truck for a long time! Love that face! Grandma and Grandpa got the boys an awesome train table. It goes nicely in their toy room and all three boys play with it every day! Peek a boo, where is Crue? Crue was a little lost on what Christmas was about but he's been enjoying the new toys too! We have lots of other pictures from our great holiday season but they are not downloaded yet or gathered from Nana. The boys got spoiled! Nana and Papa got them great gifts too, like Kellan's new favorite shoes and Calebs favorite Kinect game, Wipeout! Caleb also loves his fishing pole from Papa. They already went fishing and Caleb told me he's the best at casting.

We're sad the holidays are over. I'm mostly sad because now I have to really decorate and find furniture to fill up the house now that the trees are gone! Oh the joys of a new house. That will be my next post!

The Cold Days I wrote of...

2011-11-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

Crue had to get almost bundled in warm clothes the other week because of the cooler temperatures. He was so adorable! I sat him down to play in the grass and a photo op was born!The other boys decided they wanted in on this mini photo shoot!One of Kellan's new things is to put his arm around people when he takes pictures with them. No one taught him, he just did it one day and has continued since.Crue is a pretty good little poser now that he sits up so well!Last week we got lots of rain and HAIL! Caleb got a weather lesson that included what hail is and why it happens.You can barely see it but Caleb called those white things covering the yard, "ice balls that hurt your arm".I thought the boys should have new jammies to kick off the colder season... they LOVE them. Probably just because they glow in the dark! We have fun every night "charging up" and then dancing around in the dark. We've warmed up a bit this week but the weather is still great! Can't complain about low 70's!

Pumpkin Art

2011-11-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

Our pumpkin art festivities this year began with decorating the small pumpkins. They became fun caricatures. The first one is Kellan's with the crazy hair. Very fitting.The next one was designed by me and it's in resemblance of Chris... aka, DJ Big Drop, even though his "headphones" look more like ear muffs.The last one is Caleb's cool bug guy saying, "Heyyyy."

The next pumpkin activity was our jack-o-lantern making! The boys loved scooping out pumpkin guts. It was fun getting messy... necessitating the lack of clothing.Digging for guts!Daddy went for a nostalgic, surfing theme. It went along well with our "ocean" Halloween theme this year.He also tried something really new...Caleb got in on it...Ultimately this was our goal...We were going to take a really cute picture of Crue wearing just a pumpkin in the outdoor scenery but we got a week of really cold weather to foil our plans! So this was the best we could get - still really cute though!

Halloween Celebrations

2011-11-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

The Young family went with an ocean theme for Halloween this year. We dressed up for the ward party and only the kids dressed up to trick or treat. As you can see we had two sharks, two scuba divers and a mermaid. It was hard to walk in my mermaid tail so I was a "mermaid on land" for most of the night. I love this picture of Daddy and Caleb! Caleb's "tank" is a two liter soda bottle strapped into a little water backpack with "sea creatures" hanging out on it. I put my mermaid tail on to pass out candy! These boys are pretty cute! Caleb decided to be Thor for trick or treating on Halloween night. Danica Faiva came with her dad, Rich to trick or treat (mom, Kristin and brother, Kaimen were in Utah). She was the prettiest witch! Kellan started off great trick or treating and opened his bag for every door... for the first 5 doors before getting sick and tired of it. After that, he yelled "No" at every person passing out candy and had no expression. We tried heading home but he didn't want to do that either so we ended up pushing him in the stroller and he was a happy boy! Thor was a trick or treating maniac! Crue went trick or treating for a little bit. He's the happiest shark I know! Cute sharks! Caleb LOVED Crue's shark costume! All in all it was a successful, candy filled night!

More Park Pictures

2011-10-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures Nana took at our birthday park evening! Crue enjoyed watching his daredevil brothers! MUSCLES! Caleb is such a good big brother and took Crue down the slide several times. Don't worry it was a very short slide and Mama stood by the whole time. Crue loves that he sits up now! And so do I... great photo ops! Showing off his tricks in the sunset. I love these three crazy boys!

Happy Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

2011-10-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Kellan turned 2 on Thursday but received his present from Nana and Papa early. They love their trampoline! And mommy loves it because they just go outside and wear themselves out but aren't in danger of falling in the pool! I call it their hamster cage! Cute little hamsters. Kellan wakes up and the first thing he says is "Jump!" He loves his first trampoline! On his actual birthday he looked pretty cute in his big boy clothes. He wore the same shirt Caleb wore to his 2nd birthday party and wore the cool Vans Caleb got for his 2nd birthday. Gotta love hand me downs! :) Caleb had to wear his shoes that looked like Kellans and after doing his hair, he did Caleb's hair for his birthday (he styles Kellan's hair a lot actually). Before we took Caleb to preschool, the boys took a birthday picture together. Without being prompted, Kellan walked over and put his arm around Caleb and said "cheese". It was SO SO CUTE! Kellan and I got some treats at Target and played at a friends house while Caleb was at school. When we picked him up we got Happy Meals at McDonalds for lunch but they accidentally gave us girl toys. Caleb was both shocked and outraged. He kept saying, "Why would they do that? We're boys! Kellan doesn't want girl toys on his birthday!" Later that night, Daddy brought Peter Piper Pizza home for dinner and we opened presents! Kellan got a laptop from Caleb and clothes from Nana and Grandma. He showed us real quick before throwing them on the floor. Then came the much anticipated (by everyone but Kellan) gift. Grandpa and Grandma got him a... ... new quad! Now he doesn't have to share with Caleb, yay! It's also smaller and tyke appropriate so he fits perfectly on it! He was momentarily stunned before the giddy enthusiasm ensued! We quickly loaded up the quads or as Kellan calls them "bikes" and went to the park! The boys had so much fun riding together! They took a little break from riding to take advantage of the playground. But it wasn't too long before he was back on his quad, I mean bike. After riding, we came home and had cupcakes! Kellan had a great birthday. He's a happy boy who spends his day now, riding and jumping! We love our toddler!

Do You Have An Idea Why He's So Cute?

2011-10-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Caleb is fond of Baby Crue. He is constantly telling him how cute he is and the other day while driving home, he exclaimed, "Mom! Do you have an idea why Crue is so cute? He's the cutest, sweetest thing!" It's true! And Crue is pretty fond of Caleb too. They spend a lot of time together and Caleb LOVES to be my babysitter. Crue has been getting good at sitting up but he made it official last week. We took a picture to document that the days of the Bumbo are behind him. This week he's been sitting up for long periods of time, granted the boys are not running by, startling him, in which case he topples over! Crue sure does love Kellan too! He doesn't think he's as funny as Caleb for some reason but he likes to play with him. Crue has gotten to the point where he wants to be involved in everything, including bath time with his brothers. Crue has added another trick to his balancing acts. This one he finds to be particularly entertaining. He laughs hysterically the whole time. Caleb gets a little nervous when Crue sits up. He likes to sit beside him in case he loses balance. He's quick to catch him or surround him with pillows. Crue is lucky to have such great big brothers! Today we celebrated Crue's six month birthday! Caleb has been asking me all week when Crue was turning six months. He even announced in his preschool class (during the teacher's final instructions) that tomorrow (this was Tuesday) was Crue's six month birthday and it's a day before Kellan's 2 birthday. Well we get to celebrate both this week so stay tuned...

An injury is inevitable...

2011-09-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

Caleb is usually the instigator and the dominating one but oddly also the first to cry. Kellan is just a tough guy who goes along with any physical activity! I'm surprised there weren't any tears in this video but I think it's because they were so happy they were on film. They LOVED watching these videos later!

Never a dull moment...

2011-09-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures to illustrate our days... Oh and the picture of above is Caleb showing us how much dinner he ate. Mowing the patio and protecting his head at the same time I love this sweet, sleeping face with fat lips Chillaxing... Kellan loves to watch Caleb play phone and computer games. I love that they entertain themselves. Kellan is obsessed with this strainer. He wears it throughout the day, to the grocery store and as you can see, during nap time. Last week Kellan was extremely grouchy and the only thing that made him happy was sitting in the sink, so that's what we did. For awhile he didn't even need the water on. Whatever works, right? The boys had a picnic and swim day... Kellan went nude on us. Caleb turned his shark into a "cave". The neighbor girls gave the boys some toy sunglasses and they LOVED them! Caleb wore them for 3 days straight...

He even wanted to take pictures with me in them... but their lives were cut short by Kellan. Caleb sobbed so we promised to take him to buy real ones this weekend that aren't really cheap plastic but only kind of cheap plastic. He is my hilarious stud muffin!Kellan has become quite the Quad Master! He likes to go "FAS" and barely miss running into things. We tell him to go slow around the pool so he'll switch the low gear for a second and then look at us and say, "Um fas?" We have to say no several times before he's past the pool and then when we say yes he squeals with delight, switches gears and guns it! Caleb is a good sport and rides on the back but over the weekend Kellan's driving was making him very nervous. He was like a nervous parent with a newly licensed teenager! He kept yelling at Kellan to watch out and slow down. At one point, he got off and said, "This is too scary."

House Update

2011-09-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Our new house is progressing nicely and quickly! These were taken on August 23rd... This was taken August 30... September 15... We took the boys on the 17th to take a look. They were very excited! We planned out our yard and where their toys will go. They are standing in the living room/entry way. We were told that our closing date is November 11th. So we'll get our keys and we can start moving in November 12th! We are probably going to paint first but we have an end in sight! The boys are most excited to put their new bunk bed in their new room!

So Cuddly

2011-09-11T18:24:00.001-07:00

Crue is our cuddliest baby! He loves to cuddle with, smile at and talk to everyone! Lately he's been giving Daddy lots of loves.

He loves to go outside, just like his brothers. He's been checking out Makena, the dog, trying to figure her out! We got some cute pictures of him this last week, here they are! He started grabbing his toes this last week and thinks it's so much fun!

Calebisms

2011-09-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Caleb is known for saying unique and hilarious things on a regular basis. I call them "Calebisms" and this past week he was full of them! Sometimes it's hard to keep track of all of them so here's a sample of my recent favorites.

We built a fort a few days ago and Caleb was very proud of it. He said, "This is a great fort. It's like the best fort ever. It's like a house. It could be my house. It could be like a house of God. This could be a temple. My fort is a temple."

Last week he asked me what happens at several different ages, for example when he asked about being 18, I said you go to college. Well he decided that 16 and 27 are his favorite ages because that's when you drive and he can give some ladies a ride and then at 27 he can have kids and be a fun daddy.

A couple weeks ago the boys wanted to watch Uncle Jojo's farewell video and ended up watching it four times! Caleb got teary and said, "I miss my Jojo. I just love him so much. He's the best missionary uncle ever."

Speaking of Jojo... we sent Jojo a little something for his birthday coming up and Caleb drew some pictures for him. The first one started off with "Jojo and Caleb dancing together like Jojo danced in Mommy's wedding video" but then Caleb said, "Well I think Jojo would like to dance with red robots, because that would be fun!" He said it like "Isn't that a great suggestion?" And then he added a purple monster. He wrote "I love you Jojo" and drew a picture of them holding hands because "we're best friends". This picture cracks me up! It's of "Daddy with bugs eating his face and Caleb and Kellan running away". Caleb also drew a picture of all the boys and Crue has a sad face because "he cries a lot when he's tired or wants his binky." The boys also watched our wedding video last week and Caleb said, "You were pretty at your wedding but you're prettier like a Mommy."

Caleb loves to read scriptures and reminds us every night before bed. He has his own and asks where we are and turns to the page number I tell him. We were reading about the resurrection one night and he asked what that was so I briefly told him. He was very serious and said, "So our bodies will come back to life?" I said, "Yeah because our spirit will come back to it." He said, "Well that's cool." Nana and Papa were in the other room and he said, "We have to tell Nana and Papa. They need to know this. They're gonna want to do that too." So he found Papa and later Nana and told them that "when we die our spirit leaves the body but when it's resurrection the spirit comes back and our body comes back alive and then we live with our families again forever."

Yesterday the boys were being crazy! I was getting a little frustrated and Caleb said, "What's wrong Mom?" I said, "You guys are just being so..." but before I could say, "crazy" he interjected, "amazing?" He caught me off guard so I said, "What?" and he answered, "You were going to say we're so amazing."

He is amazing and I love his amazing personality!

Growing Too Fast

2011-08-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Crue is already four months old! We have loved having him in our family! He is our smiliest baby and possibly the cuddliest. He is the fastest at reaching milestones too. On his 3 month birthday he rolled over for the first time. He had been working on it for a couple weeks. He was wanting to stand a couple months ago and now when you stand him up he just wants to jump and run! I love his face in this picture. He looks so Asian! On August 5, I laid him on his blanket, walked into the kitchen to grab a drink and when I turned around I found this... He wasn't even four months old and already rolling around the room. Crue loves to sit up and watch what's going on, especially with his crazy brothers. Both boys love to talk to Crue and make him laugh. Caleb can always get smiles out of him. Kellan just likes to kiss on him. On the 14th, Crue started working on his scooting abilities. He gets his knees up underneath himself and pushes out. He also tries to grab the blanket and pull himself. It's so funny to watch him try to go after a toy. But he figured out that he moves better if he puts his hand down and pushes forward. So far we haven't had any rug burns on his head. Crue has had a couple playdates and tries talking to his friends. If they don't respond quickly he makes this yelping noise. He's been enjoying the pool regularly with his brothers. On the 18th, Crue had his first rice cereal dinner. He scarfed it down the first time but the next day decided he just wanted breastmilk. We quickly learned that he'll scarf it down if we mix it with breastmilk. He still loves his baths. Even when he's exhausted and we're trying to keep him up a little longer, he is content when we put him in his bath. Now he tries to grab the water. It's so fun to watch his concentration! He is a cutie! Everyone comments on what a happy, handsome baby he is and today at the grocery store this lady went on and on saying he's so perfect! He is and we love him!

Montana Adventures

2011-08-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our first day in Montana the boys decided to be cowboys and saddle some "horses". They enjoyed the cool air! Chris and I scratched up our legs in a field of wheat! We took a drive up to Red Lodge to have lunch. We stopped by the Candy Emporium to get some snacks. The park alongside the river was closed because of levy problems but we got to see it a bit and take a picture in front of the sign! The boys loved hanging with Uncle Ryan. The day after the wedding we did our major site seeing. First we went to Pompey's Pillar. We toured the grounds and watched a video to learn about Pompey's Pillar. It was named after Sacagewea's son. We hiked up to see Captain Clark's signature and then hiked some more to the very top! The hike was nothing for the men... I took up the rear but claim it was just to make sure no one got left behind! The top had an amazing view and we later learned that the other side we saw was where General Custer and his men camped and swam in the river.

Before we made further discoveries about General Custer, we stopped to look at some bales of hay! I know it sounds boring and crazy but they are so cool!

You won't find this in Arizona! Okay here we are at the Little Bighorn monument. We walked around most of it and went in the visitor's center for the insider scoop before walking up the hill to the place of Custer's Last Stand. Since then we have been obsessed with General George Armstrong Custer's story, watching movies and reading articles! It was really neat to see and we would have seen more had it not been so HOT, especially since we were not expecting such hot weather for MONTANA! To cool off, we stopped by Dairy Queen and the boys were in heaven! But ice cream was not enough so we after arriving back at the hotel, we hit the pool. The pool proved to be the complete opposite of the heat and very cold, so the boys hit the warm poolside shower. Auntie Abby joined them. That night, our last night, we went to a small amusement park and went go cart riding and the adults played laser tag. We had so much with everything and miss them so much already. We're glad we got to do so many fun things and can't wait until we get together again!

Best Buddies

2011-08-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

I know I have a lot to catch up on but these two just make me smile and I have to post about it! They LOVE each other. Every night in Caleb's prayers he says, "Thanks that Kellan is my best buddy. Bless us that we're best friends." They are sharing a room now and at first Caleb was sad that he doesn't have a big bed to himself but now he loves sleeping in a bed next to Kellan's bed! I asked if he wanted to go back to his big bed and he said, "No, Kellan's my best friend." They have long conversations together now that Kellan is talking so much. Caleb always informs us of the new words Kellan can say and exclaims, "He's just getting so good at talking! He's just growing Mom!" Their conversation today was so cute and went like this:

Caleb: "Kellan let's go downstairs and watch TV."

Kellan: "Okay, yay! Where's Nana?"

Caleb: "She's sleeping in her bed."

Kellan: "Oh. Where's Papa?"

Caleb: "He's at work."

Kellan: "Oh. Where's Daddy?"

Caleb: "He's at work like Papa."

Kellan: "Oh. Where's Crue?"

Caleb: "He's sleeping too."

Kellan: "Oh ok."

Kellan then came and found me and said, "Mom, Crue go nigh nigh and Daddy work."

Summer Wedding #2

2011-08-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

On July 29th, we attended the 2nd summer wedding this year in Billings, Montana for Uncle Ryan and Capri! While we waited for them to emerge from the temple as Mr and Mrs we took some family pictures. Picture of the women: Picture of the manly men: The handsome boys. The Newlyweds! The Groomsmen!

Caleb was so excited for the reception because he "brought his cool moves for the party". He also enjoyed the refreshments! Kellan busted some moves too and mostly spent his time looking good. The boys all had a blast with their aunts and uncles. Kellan with Uncle Ben. Auntie Abs couldn't get enough of little Crue... and vice versa! Caleb loved dancing with Capri. He made several comments about how pretty she looked that night. He said he can't wait to get big and get married so he can have a pretty girl in a white dress and dance with her. I loved the boys bow ties and red shoes with their suits! They were so handsome. Our family was the most color coordinated and we ruled the dance floor!

Beating the Heat

2011-08-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

One of the boy's favorite things about living at Nana and Papa's is the POOL! They go swimming practically every day! Crue even joins in on the fun! Our daredevil, Kellan doesn't want to wear floaties but has to for the sake of his parents sanity! He is fearless of the water (and pretty much anything). He jumps in wherever he is, without checking to see if someone will catch him. He loves to float underneath and blows bubbles when he's ready to come up, expecting someone to lift him up. A few weeks ago we got out of the pool and I put a towel on Kellan, but as I turned to put a towel on Caleb, I heard little feet booking it across the pool deck. I started towards Kellan just as he squealed with glee and jumped into the deeper part of the pool. He thought it was hilarious that I jumped in after him. He didn't like his floaties at first but now he loves that he can just float on his back and relax. He does get frustrated when he floats away though. We love our swimming boys! They are all turning out to be little fish!

The Boys 1st Move

2011-08-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

We recently moved out of our house in Queen Creek. We are renting it out and building a newer, bigger one in Gilbert (in the meantime, we are taking up residence at Nana and Papas). We have remind Caleb it will be bigger with more room to play to help him be happy about it. He has been a little emotional through the experience so far. Kellan on the other hand is more concerned with other things. We packed up and moved within less than a month of securing a renter, so it was a little rushed. But before we moved we made sure to hang out with some of the boys best friends and say goodbye. Once we're back in the east valley we know we'll hang out with them so it was just a temporary goodbye. First stop was the Avery's. These four have been friends since birth. First was Cali and Caleb. Cali was Caleb's first girlfriend and friend overall and is only a month older than him. Next is Kellan and Benson. Kellan is a month older than him! We visited with Caleb and Kellan's other brother, Ty-Ty several times before the move. Caleb said goodbye to his good friend and park buddy, Talin. Talin's family is actually moving to Pima, Arizona so this was more then a temporary goodbye. We'll miss them! The boys always played so well together! We also hung out with the Blair girls and the Duda kids before we left but we'll see them again too! Caleb is a good friend! Packing proved to be a little exhausting but while we were packing, Caleb found the balloon our friends the Wittman's gave him in the hospital when he was born! It has stayed inflated for over four years! We documented the boy's last night in their rooms in their first home! Caleb has expressed several times that he just loves his old house and doesn't want a new, bigger house. After we said goodbye to the Blair girls he said, "I'm just going to miss everyone. I lived in this house my whole life! Everything is in this house!" He threw his hands in the air and sighed after the exclamation. We cried a little together. He cried the first few nights we stayed at Nana and Papa's, saying he wants to go back to "761" but now he's okay and I think he's going to love his new house when it's done!

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

2011-08-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit at the end of June. Caleb had a great time with Grandpa. Crue got lots of attention from Grandma Penny! Kellan was constantly showing off for them and addresses them by "Go-Pa" and "Gomma". In celebration of Fourth of July, we met Papa at the Cave Creek ward lawn to watch fireworks, but not before we got dinner from Dairy Queen. The next day we went to the mall and found ourselves at the mercy of a haboob. For those who don't know what that is, it's a scary rolling wall of dust, like something out of a movie! It was so big it made international news. We found refuge in Dillards and did some shopping! It added some excitement to Grandma and Grandpa's trip! We're so glad they came to visit and can't wait to see them again!

Summer Wedding #1

2011-07-24T15:26:00.001-07:00

Auntie Nelly got married on June 25, so the night before we had a family get together. Caleb welcomed his new uncle, Uncle Ben! We had a BBQ and lots of swimming and water fun. Caleb had fun with Uncle Shawn. Crue was so excited to meet Auntie Abby and truly meet Uncle Ryan and soon to be Auntie Capri even though they saw him when he was less than a day old. The boys hung out with Capri, Abby and Shawn at the temple. Daddy, Capri and Ryan at the luncheon.

Party time! The boys were dapper and darling in their pinstripes and bow ties at the reception. Caleb played games while he waited for the highlight of his month - the dancing - to begin. Kellan was very curious, inspecting the reception, including the flowers but especially the food. Crue got some sleep before being admired by so many. Speaking of food... Caleb danced the entire time the dance floor was open. He danced with all the ladies, mostly his aunties, but had no fear. Kellan wanted to dance but soon realized the danger he was in of getting stepped on by all the adults. So instead he hung out with Daddy and Papa. Daddy Big Drop did a great job with the music and earned himself a kiss... ... he begged for a second! The next day we had another family get together to watch Ben and Chanelle open their gifts... ... and act silly together! The boys soaked up visiting with their aunties and uncles who left for Utah and Montana a few hours later. Kellan's expression portrays how we felt about our wedding weekend...

We Love Crubee

2011-07-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

Caleb started calling Crue, "Crubee" and now that's all the boys call him, and most of the time Mommy and Daddy say it too! The boys love him so much. They get so excited when he wakes up in the morning and after naps. They love that they can make him laugh and lately have been fighting with each other over whose turn it is to talk to him. Crue loves to take naps in Mommy's bed. He can be so restless but as soon as he gets in our bed, he's out cold.

Kellan is notorious for giving big, sloppy kisses to Crue. So much so it sometimes requires a bath... Crue has always been pretty social but now he coughs to get your attention and is constantly talking and smiling. He loves to sit up and will fuss until you position him upright so he can look around. On July 12, Crue's 3 month birthday, he officially rolled over and now we can't stop him! He had been working on it for over a week and now it's his signature move. When he first started rolling over, the boys were so excited, jumping up and down, cheering Crue on! Kellan yells, "Go Crue, Go!" I love this picture because it's show's Crue's trepidation around Superhero Kellan. I dub this photo, "Is he touching me?!" Caleb calls this Crue's "muscle picture". (Sidenote: Kellan is rubbing the satin border on his blanket. He does this when he's tired or stressed I think... it calms him and eventually puts him to sleep.) Crue already has a little girlfriend, Kennlie Hill. Her older brother is Ty-Ty, Caleb and Kellan's other brother and her mom is Mommy's best friend. She's an older lady (by 2 1/2 months older) but Crue's just cool like that. Crue is such a happy baby. He could be fussing away but as soon as you start talking to him he'll laugh and smile like crazy! He's pretty smart and funny for three months old! But he also knows how to be serious. It shows off his super blue eyes the best. What a cute little Crubee!

Superhero Kellan!

2011-07-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Kellan has always been our rough and tough guy! For the last several months he is constantly impersonating superheroes and bad guys! He loves to wrestle, shoot things, hit things (imaginary things included) and above all else, pose in superhero stances while yelling in a deep voice. He used to just yell, "Ahh" and "Yo!" held out for several seconds but now he's advanced to yelling, "Transformer", "Got you!" and "Score" (more athletic than superhero). Whenever you yell "Superhero Kellan!", he will either pose for you or shoot you, followed by a pose and a verbal exclamation of some sort. Below is just one of the many poses we see daily! He also makes shooting sounds, accompanied with "injured" sounds and "falling and crashing" sounds. This is Kellan's mean face. It's more intimidating than mean I think. Another pose for your viewing pleasure. Kellan loves to dress up and accessorize. He is obsessed with hats... that will be another post but I threw this in because the glasses somehow gave him extra karate moves. Another intimidating face... Caleb likes to be Spider Man and always tells Kellan (as well as the public) he's the Hulk. I think this picture greatly depicts his Hulk likeness. Superhero work must be exhausting.

Soccer and Swim

2011-06-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Caleb has been involved with lots of extracurricular activities lately! In the Spring he play soccer and liked it much more than T-ball! He was lucky that his best friend from preschool, Easton, was on the team. Caleb had a really great coach too! Mrs. Ayrica did a great job! After soccer finished, Caleb started swim lessons! He was really nervous the first day but as soon as he saw his teacher was a cute, teenage girl he warmed up. At the end of the half hour session he said he "LOVES swim lessons and is so excited to go again." Caleb started another session yesterday and is loving it too! Caleb was the only boy in his class the first session. Now he has one other boy along with three girls in his class. His teacher is another teenage girl but she's not as "pretty or nice" as his other teacher. He swims really well at lessons but when we go as a family he only wants his FLOATIES! So we are working on it. He can swim a few feet with his floaties but won't do it unless forced or strategically manipulated. I hope that changes after this session!

Crue's Newborn Pics

2011-06-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Oops I forgot to post his newborn photo shoot! He was three weeks old.

Two Months Old

2011-06-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Crue turned two months old yesterday! It has flown by and yet it feels like he's been part of the family for awhile! I know I'm behind in posting, we've just been keeping busy! But here's some pictures from the past two months! (picture above taken at 2 weeks) 3 weeks old and having a bath 4 weeks old 5 weeks old 6 weeks old Cutest sad face! 7 weeks old 8 weeks old His 2 month birthday fell on a Sunday so he got to get all dressed up! This picture shows off his super blue eyes. Crue started socially smiling at 7 weeks and now he's a social, attention hoarder. He smiles the best for Caleb and of course, Mom. Love that sweet boy with fat cheeks!

Easter, Birthday and Blessing Catch Up

2011-06-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

We had an egg hunt at Nana and Papa's ward party. The boys loved the candy! After the ward party, we had a coloring party of our own and Caleb got a special Easter carrot cake! He was so excited about it! The boys hunted for eggs in our backyard. Caleb did most of the hunting and Kellan ate marshmallows. After the hunt, we made deviled eggs! For Calebs birthday this year, he got to pick out a big boy bike! He loves it! He also got to celebrate with Nana, Papa, Grandma and Grandpa at Peter Piper Pizza and got some cool toys! Kellan inherited the tricycle! Going on walks is way more fun now! The boys had a great time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa! They can't wait to see them again! We blessed Crue in our home on May 1st with close friends and family. It turned out great, Chris gave a beautiful blessing and we're so grateful for all the support we received! Nana and Papa with Chubs to add to their Bubs and Tubs. We're so glad Grandma and Grandpa were here for Crue's special day! I can't imagine life without these four guys! :)

No Longer the Dynamic Duo...

2011-05-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

As you can see the boys have embraced Crue as part of their crew! :) They LOVE him to pieces! They already watch basketball together. There was a time we thought we wouldn't have any kids, and then we thought maybe we'd only have one boy. Then we thought we would be blessed with just the two boys but now we have the... Triumphant Trio!

Introducing...

2011-04-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Crue was born Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 2:15am. He weighed 6 pounds and was 19 inches long. He is a sweet, happy baby! Caleb is the proudest big brother and can't get enough of his baby. Kellan was unsure at first but now he is constantly kissing and SQUEEZING his "babay". We love our family of five!

Where's Baby Crue?

2011-04-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

Caleb is so excited and ANXIOUS to have his baby brother here! He asks about him all the time and talks to my stomach every day. After my appointments he asks how his baby is doing and he never fails to tell me how much he loves his baby Crue and he's excited to see him and hold him. The other day he came home from Nana's and we had had an appointment, so the first thing he said when he walked through the door was, "Where's Baby Crue?" He likes to watch baby shows with me and at one of my appointments he told my doctor that he's going to be a baby doctor when he grows up. I've actually grounded him from watching baby shows because he knows a little too much now. He told me the pros and cons of having a c-section and said I should just blow the baby out between my legs. Oh and not to be scared of the blood on the baby because it doesn't mean he's hurt and the doctors will clean him off. He is convinced he needs to be at the birth to help the doctors "get the baby and clean him up." We're going to have to distract him big time when we go to the hospital! Lately Caleb has had fun helping get things ready for the baby. He helped me space bag a bunch of blankets and clothes to make room for baby stuff. Just some of the many loves Crue and I receive! Below he is saying "I love you, Baby Crue". Caleb was involved in setting up the pack and play crib, packing the hospital bag, picking out a take home outfit and organizing baby's closet and clothes. He picks up random clothes all the time and says, "Aww my baby is going to love this and be so cute!" He thinks the diapers are especially cute. Kellan is excited too. For a while he has pointed to my stomach and said, "Babay" but the last couple weeks he has started pulling my shirt up and kissing my stomach and then hugging it and saying, "Awww nice baby." Sometimes he calls it a ball and tries to squeeze it. Well in the spirit of Kellan's imagination and college basketball, we continued our belly painting tradition and the boys created a March Madness masterpiece. Kellan created his own masterpiece on the back of Calebs head. The boys did a pretty good job with help from Daddy and now that this tradition is complete, Crue is welcome to grace us although another week of cooking would be just fine... well Caleb might disagree.

When Caleb Finds My Camera...

2011-03-27T18:30:00.001-07:00

... you never know what you're going to see!

T-Ballin'

2011-03-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

Caleb has been playing t-ball for the last month with a community team. He really likes it, well the practices at least and only part of the game. He isn't fond of the games because they are at 8:30 on Saturday mornings and that's usually what time Caleb is rolling out of bed! He also is not fond of catching the ball and playing in the outfield. Since before the first practice Caleb has said, "I just want to bat and throw the ball." So it usually takes Caleb a bit to warm up to the idea of playing outfield and playing altogether on Saturdays. But after he does, he is so fun to watch! He is really good at hitting and throwing! I think it's all in the tongue! He is a fast runner too but says the helmet makes him "too tired". Honestly, the tongue must help his concentration! Occasionally, Caleb will hustle after the ball but for the most part he daydreams, plays with lady bugs, talks to the other teams players and balances his glove on his face. So Daddy has to step in and keep him focused... ... but it doesn't last long. This guy, however, is a full blown sports fanatic and pays attention better than Caleb! He is shouts from the sidelines, jumps out of his seat when Caleb should be running for the ball and "oohs" and "aahs" when someone hits it far. It's a struggle to keep Kellan off the field. During Tuesday night practices he stands in the outfield and keeps up with Caleb to "catch" the ball. He's going to be our jock for sure! Lucky for Caleb the innings don't last long and he only has to wait a short time before he gets to hit again... and stick his tongue out. We love our T-Baller! Thanks Nana for coming to the game last Saturday and taking such great pictures!!!

Auntie AbbyDabby

2011-03-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Abby was so nice to come help out a couple weeks ago and we all had such a great time! The boys loved hanging out with her! She could have slept in Calebs bed, since he slept with Daddy and Mommy, but she chose to make her own sofa bed. It was actually quite comfy! The boys were so lucky to have such a fun playmate! She even spoiled them with Mommy's popsicles! In the middle of the week, we went to Nana's to check on things while they were in Hawaii and let Abby visit Kitten! The boys had fun playing in the yard! And dipping their feet in the freezing pool! The last few days of Abby's visit were hot in the 80's so we broke out a pool and slip 'n' slide! We're so grateful for Abby and her willingness to help out! Not only did she help out but she kept us entertained!! Thank you so much Abby. We love you!!

My Dog is a Penguin

2011-03-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Phineas has a unique way of drying himself off after baths and the boys LOVE it!

Baby Boy Crue

2011-03-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

While I was in the hospital we got a few ultrasounds down and during one we got some great shots of Crue's face. You can't tell as well in these pictures but during the actual ultrasound it looked like he had more of Chris' nose. He puckers his lips like Kellan does and would grimace every time she pushed down on him. Very cute. These were taken at 29 weeks and he weighed 3 pounds 5 ounces. This is the bed rest version of me (actually better because I blow dried my hair) at 31 weeks. We are 32 weeks now and taking it day by day. After all the ultrasounds they concluded that Crue's heart is strong despite the defect but they are still a little worried about his one kidney, so we will be getting another scan this Wednesday to see how it's doing. Overall, I think he's proving to be a tough little guy!

Who Loves Mommy?

2011-03-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

These boys do!! And I love them too! They always make me smile and here's some pictures and videos to show why! Caleb is a little actor and jokester. He is always putting on performances of sorts! Kellan and his quirks keep us laughing all day, every day. He likes to find hiding spots, like the dogs cage. Others include, closets, behind the couch, under the dining chairs and end tables, and the tupperware cabinet. He just finds a spot and sits there, sometimes for long periods of time. The first two videos are of the boys playing together. They really do play well together. Caleb frequently says, "Kellan you're my best friend." The last video is the answer to the question "Who Loves Mommy?" Kellan started raising his hand this past week. We don't know where he got it from... we didn't teach him and Caleb doesn't do it... but after preparing dinner last week, Chris asked, "Who wants to eat?" And Kellan jumped up and raised his hand high in the air, yelling, "Ada!" Maybe he's saying "I do!" Love these boys!

Mr. Mom

2011-02-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

Chris has been a full time Daddy a lot lately and is awesome. Not only does he have to take care of two crazy boys but me too! He has not complained once. He keeps the boys entertained all day long. I keep telling him he can just put a movie on to get a break but he plays with them all day long. At the end of the day, with a sleepy, smile on his face, he says, "These guys wear me out." I'm so grateful for such an amazing husband. He is so attentive and loving! He took work off, adjusted his hours to be at the hospital or help with the boys and when he is gone, he makes sure to check in regularly. He even endured sleeping at the hospital on the couch or the cot, exposed to noisy nurses and doctors coming in and out at all hours of the night. He rubs my feet and my back as much as I want (he did that before the hospital though) and has been there for my every need. I know it's got to be rough with me off my feet but he is always positive. Chris is constantly expressing how much he loves all of us and uplifts me throughout the day with his encouraging words and small acts of kindness. I LOVE HIM!!! I just had to brag a little and say THANK YOU for being the best husband and father!!!

I also have to give a shout out to Nana and Auntie Abs. Nana and Papa took the boys so much while we were in the hospital and even after I got home. It was such a big help and huge relief to know they were in good hands and surrounded with love! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Auntie Abby just came in a couple days ago and is staying for the week to help out too! The boys love her and are having so much fun with her. It means so much to us that she is here helping out! We really don't know how we could have made it through all of this without all the support we've received. And thank you to all the family and friends, for thoughts, prayers, meals and help with the boys! We are truly blessed.

Valentines Day

2011-02-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

There are lots of things I love, but not as much as my two little Valentines! Caleb is my little lover. He is constantly saying how much he loves me and asks for hugs and kisses. He also loves Toy Story, trains, babies, peanut butter and jelly and lots of people. Kellan loves food, being outside and his "baytee" (blanket). As you saw in the earlier post, they both love popcorn. On the 10th, Caleb had a Valentines party at school, so the night before we made special Valentine rice crispy treats. We had lots of fun but he decided he didn't want all pink ones so we had to make blue ones. Caleb made a big one for Mrs. Brianne and lots of little ones for his friends. He also had Spider Man valentines with candy for them. We had big plans for Valentines Day and bought everything to make a nice dinner for Daddy, but instead Mommy was in the hospital making sure baby Crue delays his entrance into the world and the boys hung out with Nana before Daddy picked them up to visit me. They brought me beautiful orange and green flowers (Caleb picked them out). Our dinner is still being delayed since I am not back on my feet (I am at least home!) but I'm so glad I got to see my three Valentines! I got lots of kisses and hugs. Caleb was so snuggly and asked me several times if I was feeling better and told me he was proud of me for being brave. I love my sweet boys! I missed them so much while I was in the hospital. It was the longest week of my life! But I'm glad to be home with them and see their cute faces and bright smiles every day!!!

Where did Kellan's hair go?

2011-02-25T12:59:00.001-08:00

If you saw the last post you might be thinking that Kellan looked a little different... yes because we chopped his hair off! He got candy and sand in it so bad that we couldn't get it out, plus he needed a trim anyway. Well that trim turned into a cut... ... and the cut turned into a whole new Kellan! We took Nana's advice and cut most of it in the bathtub so he was a happy boy! And now he's so cute. I do miss his long hair but he looks really cute and older! He's not a baby anymore. He's our growing toddler!

I Love Popcorn

2011-02-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

The boys love popcorn but Kellan LOVES it! Caleb leisurely eats one at a time, whereas Kellan can't shove it in his mouth fast enough. He also has decided he has to sit on the floor against the couch to eat it... as you'll see in the video.

We Love Jojo

2011-02-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

Uncle Jojo is now Elder Wilkins and in the MTC in Provo! We miss him lots but got to spend some time with him the weekend before he left! We have already sent him two letters and a package! Caleb was so excited to decorate a Valentine for him. We love Jojo.... I mean Elder Wilkins! :)

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

2011-02-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

Grandma Penny and Grandpa Craig came to visit a couple weeks ago and we had lots of fun! The weather was a little chilly so we did a lot of hanging out but on Saturday we went to the train park in Scottsdale! Jojo, Nana and Papa met us and we had a fun day riding the train, looking at trains and playing on the playground. Caleb was Grandpa's buddy all weekend. When Caleb woke up the morning they left he came in my room and said, "Oh no, my grandma and grandpa are gone." I said, "I know hunny, they had to go back to Hawaii." He sighed and fell against the pillow before saying, "Ah I just can't believe it. I don't know how I'm supposed to believe it." Later that day I told him to put something in his room and he said, "No this is Grandma's room. I need to keep it nice so she'll come back." We had a great time with them and can't wait until we get to see them again!!!

When Life Gives You Lemons....

2011-01-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Well first off, pick them! We spent a good portion of last Saturday picking lemons off Nana's tree. We were out of control with our picking! Good thing Daddy loves lemonade so much... and we have two freezers to store the juice! Caleb was an expert picker and Kellan wanted to play on the ladder but in the end proved to be an excellent bagger. It was fun to have everyone involved, including Nana and Papa. Caleb was so excited when Papa got out his "glubs" (gloves) and tall ladder. Kellan just enjoyed being outside and watching the yellow "balls" fall from the tree before throwing them around the yard. Well here is our stash! We hit the lemon jackpot and needless to say, there was not a single lemon left on the tree. Whoops! Like I said we were out of control. So after you pick, you have to make LEMONADE! Well we got right to juicing and Caleb is a pro! Kellan tried juicing but with his mouth! The sour taste did not deter him in any way! Thank you Nana and Papa for a fun Saturday and for all the lemons!!!!

Twenty Eleven and a Couple of Bed Heads

2011-01-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

It's 2011 (Twenty Eleven) and the boys are having a great year so far. They are having fun with their new toys from Christmas and have fun together all day long, with the exception of some toy possessive behaviors from Caleb. He has figured out that his toys are not age appropriate for Kellan so he gets frustrated and either waits until blessed naptime or barricades himself in his room. But for the most part they love having each other around. Shortly into the new year, Mommy's friend from college, Moani, came to visit. She brought her new baby and the boys fell in love!!! Caleb, and especially Kellan, wanted to be around her constantly. Kellan was repeatedly trying to hold her hand and kiss the top of her head. He didn't even get jealous when I held her. I'm relieved a bit because before this he had not shown any interest in babies. Well this is a picture of guilty faced Kellan playing with Calebs not age appropriate toy... while Caleb was at school. Speaking of school, Caleb was so excited to go back after winter break and continued his trend of taking Ms. Brianne flowers! Kellan has continued his trend of EATING nonstop! He is anti-highchair though, so he roams around eating, or joins Caleb at the table. However this proves to be problematic with Phineas, well it's problematic to me and not the dog I'm sure.

Kellan and Phineas have become great friends. They spend a lot of time together and share a dog bed to lounge in during the day.

Well here are my bed heads! They are hilarious together even moments after they wake up! This morning in particular, they sat in the rocking chair for almost 15 minutes just making faces at each other, laughing and cuddling. So I made sure to snap a few of these cuties. I love my boys and can't wait for all the fun that 2011 holds with them!

Mama's Birthday

2011-01-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

For my birthday we went to a gourmet cupcake shop and we all got to pick one out... Kellan got a cupcake bite and then Caleb wanted one so Caleb really made out that night. You'd think it was Calebs birthday. Kellan was in heaven until a big chunk fell on the ground... So we finished the night off with some gelato. The boys had a great time. On Saturday they sent me to a pregnancy day spa and went to the park with dad before going to Nana's and Papa's for a sleepover. Mommy and Daddy got to go to dinner and a movie. On Sunday, they all came home and we had a yummy dinner and opened presents with Nana, Papa and Jojo. Thanks everyone! I was so spoiled by everyone and felt so loved! It was a great birthday!!!

Happy New Year

2011-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

Caleb and Daddy went a little overboard in buying fireworks! Kellan liked the sparklers and wasn't scared at all by any of the fireworks. Most of the time they didn't even phase him. Caleb was so EXCITED... actually that's an understatement and I don't know how to put into words his excitement. However, he was very cautious and nervous about getting too close... as you can see below. He gets further... ... and further... ... and further as he anticipates them lighting it. Many times he just ran away!!! Kellan was more interested in snacks than anything else. We ended the night with some Martinellis and cheers. Caleb loves to "clink" his glass with everyone! We had a fun New Years and still have fireworks left over!!! :)

Temple Lights

2011-01-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

A little late in posting this but here you go... we got to go to the Mesa Temple Lights twice this year. The first time we went with Uncle Ryan, his girlfriend Capri and Nana and Papa. The next time, we went with Nana, Papa, Nelly, Abby, and Shawn. They were as beautiful as ever and the boys had a good time! Kellan didn't chew on any this time :) Upon arriving the second time Caleb said, "Oh I love this temple." I told him it's where Mommy and Daddy got married to which he exclaimed, "Oh yeah, I remember that. I was there." Caleb was very excited to see Baby Jesus with Mary and "Yosef". He said everyone likes to look at Baby Jesus because he's so cute. Lately during his prayers instead of ending his prayers, "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" it's become, "in the name of cute baby Jesus, amen." The boys loved having their aunties home! What a fun night! Can't wait for next year!

Christmas Day

2011-01-09T17:19:00.001-08:00

Santa found our house and all the cookies, cornbread and egg nog. Caleb was most impressed with the reindeers eating his carrots. Kellan was impressed and more concerned with himself eating a banana than anything else going on that morning. We don't have pictures of the boys opening things because we filmed it but Calebs favorite gifts were his Buzz Lightyear scooter, space ship toy and Toy Story movies. He was watched Toy Story 1 countless times already. When he sat on Santa's lap he asked for a train and later specified a yellow one, so here it is! After finishing some breakfast, Kellan had fun playing with his new toys! After our Christmas morning at home we drove to Nana and Papas house, still in our Christmas PJ's. We were all spoiled! Caleb got lots of cool toys!!! Our sweet faced, Kellan got lots of noise making toys and was thrilled :) And of course, no gift giving for Kellan could be complete without a ball! Uncle Ryan got Caleb a nerf shot gun... perfect! Chris is loving that Caleb is getting older and he gets to play with his toys too... After the present opening we had a yummy brunch and the boys rummaged through toys. While everyone rested, Nelly and Caleb had a moment to themselves lounging outside. Later in the evening we lit some celebratory fireworks! Caleb was ecstatic but made sure to keep his distance! We had a great Christmas! Caleb is still talking about it and making plans for next year! We loved seeing our boys faces light up the past month with all the lights, festivities and traditions! We can't wait until next year!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve, Nana, Papa, Abby, Shawn and Nelly came over and we celebrated with our traditional soup dinner and sibling gift exchange. Pretty much we open the gifts from each other and anything not from Santa. We had a yummy dinner and a fun time. Caleb gave his daddy a new hat for Christmas. He picked it out the first week of December when we were shopping for Uncle Ryans birthday present. He picked it up in the store and exclaimed, "My daddy will love this. I have to get it and give him a Merry Christmas." He tried to buy it himself but told the cashier, "I forgot my money and my credit card." I took care of the bill and Caleb was so excited he talked about it all day and even told his dad he got him a hat for his Merry Christmas. So much for surprises, but it was SO CUTE! Daddy loved his hat on Christmas Eve! Auntie Abs and Uncle Shawn got Kellan a fat cat book, so fitting for his eating habits and a cool Cars sleeping bag for Caleb. He has slept in it almost every night since! Auntie Nelly gave Kellan this ball game that he's obsessed with... and Abby and Shawn gave Chris a marshmallow gun which Kellan is also obsessed with, as you'll see. Caleb got Star Wars legos from Nelly (also an obsession in our household). We had a great night. It took Kellan awhile to figure out the white things in the gun were edible but he had fun taking them out and putting them back in so Caleb and Daddy could shoot people. Caleb was so excited to leave food out for Santa and his reindeer. We picked some carrots from our garden for the reindeer and left out Egg Nog and Snickerdoodles with a side of cornbread for Santa. Caleb was adamant about leaving a note and according to him, his scribbles translated to, "Dear Santa, Hope you like your cookies. Give the carrots to the reindeer. Please bring me a scooter, five toys and lots of babies for my mom. From Caleb." Well he got a scooter and more than five toys but I'm not sure about the last request...

Zoo Lights

2010-12-26T20:46:00.001-08:00

On Monday the 20th we went to Zoo Lights with Nana, Papa, Jojo, Auntie Nelly and Auntie Abs and Uncle Shawn. We had lots of fun! Kellan was all over the place and wouldn't pose for pictures. Caleb loved all the lights... Kellan apparently thought they tasted good.

We ended the night with a ride on the carousel!

Sitting on Santa's Knee!

2010-12-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend the boys saw Santa. These aren't great pictures because I had to scan them but the actually pictures turned out great. Caleb was a little nervous but he did great and asked for a train. Kellan... not so much. Since then Caleb keeps asking, "Mom did you see me with Santa? I sat on his knee and he's my friend."

Kellan...

2010-12-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

Really that's all I can say... Kellan... he is our handful, but so adorable. Just a few pictures here to illustrate that thought.

He recently decided he has to feed himself... everything... always... including oatmeal! He now knows how to climb on tables. The other day he climbed up REALLY fast and was eating popcorn leftover from the night before. He doesn't want to open any of the presents under the tree but would rather sit on them and smash them or throw them in the trash. I think he's come to find time out as a familiar place so he created his own... on the floor mat. He eats his snacks here and I think, meditates or ponders the ways he's going to land back in time out. But he's SO CUTE!!! And he knows it and uses it to his advantage.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

2010-11-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS!!!! The boys had fun decorating or shall we say, "making a mess". Caleb tried several ways to put the star on the tree before asking me to do it. Kellan LOVES the ornaments because they look like balls... good thing they are plastic! Caleb was Daddy's big helper outside too. He said he was so excited he was "just freaking out and smiling". He really wanted to help on the ladder but that's a big no no... so sneaky. Halfway through the light hanging, Caleb assumed the role as photographer... Well this is the finished product of Daddy and Caleb's hard work: And now Mommy and Kellan's hard work inside: Caleb hung all the ornaments and I moved them around a bit while he was sleeping that night. We didn't take pictures of all the decorations inside but we have lots. Kellan loves them all and so far he's really good about not pulling anything down. He talks to the snowman, Edmund, all the time and even hands him the telephone. We have all six of our nativities up and Caleb always comments that "Baby Jesus is so cute, that's why everyone is looking at him." We have changed our scents in our home to Spiced Cranberry and Balsam Tree and turn the trees on all day long! We're ready for Christmas!!!

Daddy's Birthday and Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

On November 20th we celebrated Daddy and Nelly's birthday with the family. Nelly came home that day for the week to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Daddy got lots of Christmas decorations for his birthday along with lots of other fun gifts! Including drinking glasses from Auntie Abby. So stylish! We had fun visiting and eating cake! On Monday, Daddy's actual birthday, we had a small party with Daddy's closest friends. We made his favorite foods and had White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies and Butterfinger Ice Cream instead of cake. Happy Birthday Daddy! We had a fun Thanksgiving this year and tried out a new turkey recipe. It was so yummy! Almost all together! Unfortunately Abby couldn't come down, Jordan had to work and my boys moved during the picture so you only see half of them! We missed Abby and Jordan but still had a good time! Kellan and Uncle Ryan especially loved the turkey! Kellan also loved Auntie Nelly and started saying her name earlier in the week, "Melly" and now we hear it all the time! He also tried on some warm gear for winter! Caleb wasn't much for Thanksgiving, food or festivities. He is just ready to move on to Christmas, which you'll see next post. But before we could even think about that we had to conquer the dishes that made our wonderful Thanksgiving meal possible!

Crazy Boys

2010-11-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

Caleb and Kellan are best buds. But Kellan is proving to be a bad influence on Caleb. He is in time out more often and encourages Caleb to break the rules, like pour water out of the bath tub and play in Mommy's garden. Caleb tries to resist but Kellan's sneaky persuasion is too much for him. Caleb is still my sweet, sensitive boy and Kellan though sweet, has a sour side. He's rebellious and stubborn! But it makes for lots of entertainment!!! Gotta love these crazy boys.

Kellan decided the wrapper wasn't going to stop him from eating some Halloween candy. One day we came home to find Caleb's "scary guy" more lifeless than usual. The wind had blown him over but Caleb was very concerned. He ran over, held his hand, and said, "Mom my scary guy is sick or got dead." I told him, "Well I don't think he's alive but let's put him up again." I thought standing him upright would squelch any distress Caleb might have but he demanded to know who "died" his "scary guy", because he didn't want that monster to "die" him. Needless to say, we've had nightmares since Halloween. When Caleb isn't dodging serial killing monsters, he's being cute and adorable. We've been playing with our good friend Ty-Ty lately and Caleb loves it! The three boys have so much fun together! My boys latest pastime has been playing in Kellan's new tent and tunnel. The constant wrestling, hide and seeking and energizing go on for hours. This is Kellan waiting for Caleb, the dinosaur, to find him... it was only quiet for a moment. They love to roll around the house in the tunnel but sometimes they'll just sit and talk. It gets cozy in there but they don't mind. For the past couple weeks, every night Caleb wants to fold laundry. He said it's what daddys do and he wants to be like his Daddy. To further his quest to be like Daddy, Caleb has to drink protein at night (whole milk in a cup he can shake), go potty standing up without taking his pants all the way off (that's hazardous sometimes), wear a tie to church (this also accomplishes his quest to be a missionary, and do his hair himself, with mousse and all. Did I mention Kellan's a handful? His favorite game right now is to climb up the side of the couch and try to open the back door. It has resulted in several flips off the couch but it's near impossible to stop him! He's just too cute for his own good.

We have so much fun with our boys! They always put a smile on our faces! I love that they are such good friends!

Surprise

2010-11-14T13:55:00.001-08:00

A couple months ago Caleb told me he wanted lots of brothers and another sister... well I don't know about lots but at least one more is coming his way in April! We are VERY surprise but excited. Caleb has decided it's a girl and has named her Gabriella, but sometimes he calls her Kamrie (Dad's influence). We'll see but either way, boy or girl, we're grateful that Heavenly Father trusts us with another precious spirit to raise! Well we will find out if Caleb is right about Gabriella in a couple of weeks!