Snapshots from January

Just thought I'd post some pictures from the month. Hope you enjoy!!!
Kayla's always up to something, and it usually involves climbing on things.

But look how innocent she looks!

Once again, Busted!!!!

Anybody want a Fish Kiss?

When Hayden was a baby, he loved to always empty out
his toy box and climb on in, I guess some things never change!!!!

First Time for Everything...

So, I guess there's always a first time for everything that you do, but I never thought one of mine would include skiing. After having lived in Colorado for almost 8 years now, I hit the slopes. Can you believe it, am I crazy or what? We (Waylen and I) went with Waylen's sister, Melody, and her husband, Tyler, and a couple of our friends, Andrew and Amber went too. We didn't know we were going until Sat. around 11, so I didn't have all week to mentally prepare myself, or time to reconsider and not go. I kept telling Waylen I have no idea how to ski, and for anyone who knows me really well knows I'm not very patient at learning new stuff (that's why I never played sports). He kept telling me it had been ages since he had been and wasn't sure how well he would do, and that I may not have fun because it is kind of hard to learn. So after much debating, I did decide to go. We got there and went down the "bunny" run, well, I pratically rolled the whole way down, I fell at least 6 or 7 times. Everytime I would get up from falling, I would start sliding downhill and panic and fall again. Waylen kept trying to give me pointers, "Don't lean forward, that makes you go faster," do this, do that. We tried it one more time, and it turned out about the same, with me falling my way down and Waylen (who hadn't been in ages) gracefully skiing down. By then, I was ready to give up and strangle Waylen for not being more patient. He'd keep telling me, well, I'm not an instructor I can't teach you, blah, blah. So, I headed over to the "kiddy" slope, and Waylen went about skiing with everyone else. Now, it was pretty sad that while over at the "kiddy" slope, I had a 9 year old telling me how to ski and supposedly, it was her first time too. But you know what, she was much more patient than my own husband. I stayed on the kiddy slope for awhile, and then headed back over the "bunny" run and guess what, that time down I only fell 3 times, then the next time 2, then the next 3, then the very last time (after getting some more pointers from another "new" skiier) I went down with out falling at all. I'm sure I looked pretty silly going all the way down with my legs in the shape of a "pizza" (as the 9 yr. old called it) going straight down with no turns, hoping no one ended up in my "path". But hey, I managed without getting my skis all crossed together and "rolling" down the slope. So then, I was all excited and ready to see if I could do it again without falling, but unfortuantely, when I went to get back on the lift they were closed for the day. Well, maybe it's better that I ended the day on a good note. Now, I need to go again and at least see if I remember and maybe learn how to turn. So, in the end, I would say I did have fun, although a lot of my time was spent falling down and getting covered from head to toe in snow. And boy, am I sore, not sure if from falling down so much, or using muscles I never have used before. But I guess it was worth it, just to say I've "skied" before!!!!

The Big Fall

I got to experience one of those moments yesterday when you turn your back for two seconds and things (or your kid) can just come crashing down. While we were waiting in line (for a really long time) at Hobby Lobby yesterday, I turned from the cart where Kayla was sitting in the basket for like two seconds, and then I hear "Thud". And I turn back around and there she is sprawled out on the floor and crying. Not sure if she fell out when she stood up, or if she jumped out, who knows? But I know, I felt like I should have been presented the world's most neglectful mom award for the day. Especially since, all the people standing in the next line over just stood there and looked at me, no "Is she o.k?" or anything. Then, I know usually when something like that happens in a store the employees will at least ask it or sometimes call a manager, but none of the 3 or 4 that were around did. I guess it doesn't really matter, or maybe they felt like they didn't know what to say. But I think I would have felt a little less like a "bad" mom if someone would have asked. Sure it was my carelessness of putting her in the basket part, but you know I had her strapped in, but guess what, she managed to climb out of that, just like she always does. About two months ago, I had her strapped in the cart at Wal-Mart, and I turned my back, once again for like two seconds, and I hear "Crash". Luckily, she had feel into the basket and not the floor. So, the little "straps" for a restraint aren't much of a restraint if your child can manage to climb out (no matter how tight you tighten) every single time. So should I have really felt so bad? Not sure, but you know my theory is, had we not been waiting in line for so long, I probably wouldn't have wondered what a certain item on the shelf was and thus wouldn't have turned from the cart, and thus Kayla wouldn't have fell. And luckily, Kayla is already so hard-headed, she didn't get hurt too bad, nothing that a lot of TLC couldn't heal. She got a little red bump on the forehead and I'm sure a headache:(

We'll never find Manassa!!

Well, yesterday was an eventful day for Hayden. It was his first visit to the dentist in Pueblo. He had went in a couple of weeks ago to the dentist in Alamosa, and he referred him to Dr. Prucell in Pueblo. So we made our first visit yesterday. It went really well, Hayden was excited that they had a video game to play with while he waited, and I think he drove the other kid that was playing with him nuts because he talked non-stop the whole time. Then, when he was seeing the hygienist, he asked her questions about everything, "what's that tool for?" what's that called", etc. So, I'm sure he drove her nuts too. But he did think it was cool that they could take pictures of his teeth, except he didn't like the "big one" (bitewing) because it made him choke too bad. However, they did manage to get them all done. Then, he was excited to get a gold coin to get a prize, and of course, he picked a tattoo. He loves them!!! Unfortunately, we now have to make 3 trips back to Pueblo to get all the work done!! But I guess, it gives us a reason to get out of Manassa. However, Hayden doesn't like traveling too far from Manassa. On the way home last night, he was getting anxious about getting home, he kept saying "I just wanna be home." When we got to San Luis, Grandma Debby told him "Look Hayden, we're in San Luis." And he quickly replied, "Oh, no, we'll never find Manassa."

Future Painter?...Very Doubtful

Hayden went to his first Primary party this morning. He had a lot of fun, except he hated getting all the paint on his hands. He kept saying "Mom, I need a napkin, I need to wash my hands." I'm sure Kayla will be the one to have it all over herself when she paints. --They played some games while waiting for the paint on their blocks to dry. They played Duck, Duck Goose, and when he was the goose, I told him to go around until he found a girl that he wanted to pick, and right away he said, "I want Hailee." So, he had to go completly around the whole group of kids (about 35), saying Duck over and over until he got back to Hailee. Then, they played Red Rover, but he wasn't too sure about that game. He really liked playing Musical Chairs, and when the music would stop he'd get all excited and start dancing around looking for a chair, and there would be one right in front of him. When we had lunch, he was happy that it was ham and cheese sandwiches. After lunch, they finished their blocks, and now he's ready to get a nail and he wants to hang it right in the middle of the kitchen wall.

Hair-larious

When I went in this morning to get Kayla out of bed, she was standing in her crib with this great big smile on her face and her hair was sticking out all over the place. I started laughing, and she looked at me, then started laughing too. The question is: Was she laughing simply because I was or did I look just as silly to her?

Playing the Guessing Game

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they had some type of device that could end all the guessing and instantly fill you in on the culprit of all your child’s refusing to eat, not sleeping as well, and being more irritable than usual. That type of device would have been beneficial for us this week and saved us from playing the guessing game, which 9 times out of 10 you end up losing. When Kayla started refusing to eat this week, having some diaheria, and not sleeping as well at night we assumed it was from teething. Since that is how she has been the other 4 times she has cut teeth. But then on Wednesday night, she started running a fever, which at one point in the middle of the night reached almost 105. So, then we instantly knew it was all caused from an ear infection. Needless to say, she was up much of the night. She finally got a couple hours of sleep when I slept with her on the couch. That was after she had one of her coughing fits that led to her throwing up. Luckily, I got her into the bathroom before it happened. But, thankfully, after that she slept fine. --So, of course, I called first thing yesterday morning to get her into the doctor. I was hoping to be able to get her in right away, since she was so miserable, and of course, it was the one-day in ages that I had been scheduled to sub. But of course, they couldn’t get her in right away, and there was no way I could have her there at 11:45, and be finished and to work by 12:30. So, thankfully, Waylen’s mom said she would take her, so then I didn't have to worry about canceling on the school. –In the end, it turned out to be STREP, and all the swelling in her throat had caused an EAR INFECTION. That wasn’t expected at all, that had never been one of our guesses in our guessing game. –So they gave her a shot and then she started on a medication today too. She’s feeling a little better this afternoon, and has started to eat a little more. However, she didn’t sleep well last night, she was awake about every two hours. One of the times she was screaming and screaming, and kept hitting her ear, so we put some drops in her ears. And miraculously, after a few more minutes, she went sound to sleep (at least for a couple of hours). The next time she woke up, she ended up throwing up all over herself, me, and the bed. So, I jumped in the shower with her, while Waylen changed the sheets. Kayla went back to sleep until about 4, when she woke up screaming again, so we put more drops in her ear again. By then, Hayden was in our bed, and so to keep from waking him up too, Kayla and I ended up on the couch again. Thankfully, after she finally went back to sleep, she slept until about 8 this morning, and hopefully, the events won’t repeat themselves tonight. –However, had we had something like the device I mentioned, we could have "plugged" it on her early in the week, and it could have told us that she was refusing to eat because she had a sore throat, not simply because she was teething. Then, we could have taken her in and gotten that taken care of before it got so bad and gave her an ear infection. Then, we probably wouldn’t have lost as many nights of sleep and had so many grouchy days. But then that would take all the fun out of playing the guessing game and make things too easy, right?

An Update

I guess I've been pretty neglectful in keeping up with my blog, since I've been asked do an update. So, I've had to think back on what "events" have taken place in the last couple of weeks. Well, I guess one big event is Hayden's first day in "big boy" primary. He had been excited all week, but then Sunday rolled around and the attitude was a "little" different. The whole time we were in Sacrament, he kept saying "I'm tired, I want to go home." And he got progressively louder as he said it (and he doesn't have a quiet voice ever). I kept telling Waylen (since I was wrestling with Kayla and trying to entertain her) to take him out, but he never would. So, I finally got him and took him out, and paid a visit to the restroom, so to say. He did end up going to "big boy" primary, but he refused to sing because he was "tired". --The next Sunday, he was fine in Sacrament, but when we started down to Primary, he wanted to go into the Nursery with Kayla. He stiffened up, and was starting to throw one of his fits, saying "no, I don't want to go to big boy primary, I want to go to play with the toys." So I pratically dragged him into the Primary, sat him down by his teacher, and left to go finish preparing my sharing time. I thought for sure he'd come running out, but he stayed, but once again, he didn't want to join in with the singing because he was "tired". But he did do a really good job saying the closing prayer that day in Primary, I wasn't sure what voice we were going to hear (the evil voice or the nice voice). Luckily, it wasn't the evil one. After church, I asked him, "So how did you like Primary today?" and he replied, "It was kinda long." (I often feel that way too on Sundays.) So who knows what "attitude" he will have this next Sunday.
Then, there's our "sweet" Kayla. She loves to climb on everything, loves to turn the T.V. off when Hayden's watching cartoons, loves to eat Hayden's food instead of her own, loves to laugh when someone farts, and the list goes on. So, the other night, Waylen was "fighting" with her and Hayden, and him and Hayden kept saying to each other, "Bring it on!". Then, Waylen tells her, "Bring it on!" and much to our surprise she holds up her fists and says a little jeberish that sounded alot like "bring it on" (all you could really get from it was "on"). So, of course we grab the video camera, but of course, she wouldn't do it then. Every now and then, we'll get her to say it, but it usually has to be her idea, not ours. So now she's already to "bring it on." She's our little pistol.

The Start of a New Year!!!

Our first adventure for the year 2008 was going snowmobling and tubing on New Years Day. It was pretty cold that day, so we got all bundled up. Kayla didn't like being bundled up to the point that she couldn't hardly move. She prefered sitting in the car and watching out the window. She'd look out and point and say, "ook, ook." Hayden loved sliding down the hill on the tube, and he loved driving the snowmoblile too. But every now and then, he would get too cold, and have to come sit in the car with Kayla and mom until he got warm enough to go out again. After awhile, he got so tired, he ended up falling asleep.

Remembering 2007

As a new year begins, it is fun to think about all the memories that were made during the past year. We had a great year in 2007, it was filled with lots of adventures and tons of laughter. Some of the memorable events included: In April, we were able to enjoy a trip to Georgia to visit with my family. We had lots of fun and stayed busy the whole time. We went to a Jacksonville Suns (minor league baseball) game, attended three Easter egg hunts, had family pictures done, went shopping, and the list goes on. Hayden had lots of fun playing with his "GA cousins", and they had fun entertaining Kayla too.

Another memorable "event" for the year was "Mater" for the Pioneer Days parade. It was fun to watch him (Mater) come to life, and everyone loved it. Hayden was really sad when we had to take "his Mater" apart after the celebration. I think it will be pretty hard to top how darn cute Mater turned out.

Then in August, my mom and dad were able to come out and stay for about a week and a half. Once again, we stayed busy; we went camping, went to the zoo, and did some shopping too. Hayden was so excited to see Papa Mike and Nana and loved showing off for them. Kayla loved all the attention that she was getting. We were all sad when they left, and my mom and dad were too. It's hard not knowing when you will get a chance to visit again. Luckily, we (me and the kids) will be making a trip out to GA the end of February. We can't wait!!!

The next memorable event happened in September: Hayden's first day of pre-school. I thought for sure he was going to cry the first day, but it ended up being me who cried. He walked right on in, like he had been going for ages. He really likes going, although if you ask him anything about what he did, he usually says nothing or says something silly. He loves show and tell, and loves all the singing. His favorite song is about a turtle named Tiny Tim. He loves to sing it, and he even sang it at the family Christmas party this year.

We had a big event happen in October: Kayla's 1st birthday. We had a party with the family, and had lots of fun. Kayla didn't really know what was going on, but that was o.k. She had lots of "help" opening her presents and Hayden was the first to "volunteer" to blow out her candle. She loved the doll babies that she got, she had to give them lots of kisses.

These are just a few of the many memories that were made during 2007 that we will always cherish. The list could go on with Halloween (trunk or treating, and carving pumpkins), Thanksgiving, snowing the day after Thanksgiving, the camping trips we went on during the summer, and trips made (Grand Juncition for Uncle Ben's graduation, Denver for Sophie's blessing, and many many more). Like I said earlier, it was a great year full of lots of memories and tons of laughter. We are looking forward to the year ahead of us, and all the memories that will come from it.

Christmas 2007

We had a great Christmas this year. Hayden was so excited, and couldn't wait for Santa to come. Luckily, he didn't get up too early, it was about 7:30. He was a little worried that Santa hadn't come, but guess what he did!!!

Hayden loved everything that he got, as he opened his presents, he'd say "I love it." But his favorite presents were all of his new Hot Wheels toys. He got a Hot Wheels City and some cars from Santa, a Hot Wheels race track and some cars from Nana and Papa Mike, and a Hot Wheels Storage Case from Mama and Daddy. He's ready to race now!!!

Kayla wasn't too sure about what was going on, but she knew just what to do with the "rocking caterpillar" that Santa brought. She loved it!!! She was way too busy to sit and open her presents, so mom had to open them for her. Mom would show her what she got, and she wanted it out of the package right away. She loved playing with everything that she got.

By the time we finished opening presents, Kayla was ready for a nap, and Hayden stayed busy playing with all of his toys until we went over to Waylen's parents that afternoon. We had our Christmas dinner, opened presents, then spent the rest of the evening visiting with everyone. It was a great Christmas, and I'm sure it will be Christmas again before we know it.