The Deschamps Family

All Smiles!

2010-04-11T00:52:00.003-05:00

March 2, 2010

The saying goes, "When mom is happy everybody is happy" but if your little ones are happy how can you not be? It's so nice when these two actually get along! They were such great buddies this day and played so well together.

I realized it had been awhile since I'd taken bath time pictures so we pulled out the bubbles and the camera and had a party! After bathing them separately tonight it went so much smoother I can't go back to both in the tub at once. With them getting older and realizing their 'differences' its definitely for the better. So I'm glad I got these pictures when I did.

Don't you love Kalli's red hot nails!

The Imagination of a 3 year old

2010-04-10T23:58:00.005-05:00

March 1, 2010

Many who know Kalli know she has one of the wildest imaginations out there. This particular morning she was being exceptionally funny. She sat at the door to the hallway with her back to the living room and made me sit all the way at the end of the hall as she 'read' her Book of Mormon. I wish I would have video taped more b/c she went on forever.

Next we moved to the bathroom to finish our scripture study

And later that day Kalli was able to pick out a 'toy' for her recent successes in the bathroom department (and no I don't mean reading scriptures!) The previous day she found an old dog collar at my mom's and being the wonderful Gege that she is, my mom let her wear it...Yuck! So I promised her if she didn't have any accidents she could pick out her very own, never-been-worn, dog collar. As we wandered aimlessly through the toy aisle she did in fact have her eye on a few things and I pointed out a handful of toys. But in the end she really wanted that pink and white polka dot collar. I made a promise and as weird as it was buying a dog collar for my baby girl she was very excited. Luckily she hasn't worn it much since and I'm just happy when she decides that she does want it at least I know it hasn't been worn by some dog!

Phone Pics for February

2010-04-10T22:02:00.008-05:00

Here are my updated phone pictures and videos for the month of February...enjoy!

Kalli and her newest cousin Buddy (Auntie Autumn and Uncle Matt's pup)

I love this picture of Kalli and Matt swinging in our backyard

Kalli at the library after they sang Happy Birthday
Joe and Kaiden both had a day off of school and since it was so cold we decided to enjoy a day at the movies. And guess what we saw...the Chipmunks!
After leaving the theater Kalli kept screaming, "Alllllllviiiiiiiin" Kaiden accidentally fell in the ditch by our driveway and it was hilarious! Of course he didn't think so and was very upset as well as a little embarrassed. I tried taking a picture but I guess he didn't like that either. Oops
Me, Greyson, and Kalli had a play date at Rachel London's and I didn't want Greyson to feel left out while us girls played dress up. You can imagine how much his daddy loved these pictures! But doesn't he make a beautiful little princess fairy?
Me and Kal took a walk in the back with our boots and she got a little stuck in the mud and then preceded to fall over...as you can tell by her face she wasn't thrilled. I think she was more worried about getting in trouble. As for me I knew what I was getting into when we went out in the first place.Kalli and my adorable little nephew, Greyson, playing outside at Gege'sKatie finally let me take care of her kids for once! I was able to pick up Kaleigh and Tyler from their daycare to come play at our house until Katie got off of work. Tyler was so excited to come play and I loved having Kaleigh love on me.
I don't remember what the deal was or why Kalli was so extremely tired but if you know my kids they DO NOT normally do this! Poor thing she was exhausted during lunch at Chili's and as you can see with Uncle Aaron sitting next to her she didn't get much rest!

No Training Wheels!

2010-03-14T23:26:00.009-05:00

February 28, 2010
On Sunday afternoon me and the kids were about to take a ride around the pond but Kaiden needed Papa to fix one of his training wheels. That's when we decided now is as good of time as any to go all out and just take them off. That's when Joe stepped in and did an awesome job filling his fatherly role teaching Kaiden to ride his bike without training wheels! Kaiden also did pretty great and didn't fall nearly as many times as I expected. We thought it would be best to start in the grass so it wouldn't hurt as much when he fell. But we didn't think of the fact that its pretty darn hard to ride in the grass. So after a few times we switched to the street and he did so much better! I was really amazed at how calm he was the majority of the time Joe was teaching him. When he did fall he didn't get extremely upset which I would have expected from him (he gets his temper from me). He did have some trouble taking off by himself but since then he's learned how and he's a real pro now! I'm just so proud of him!

KK

Kal quickly realized she wasn't getting much attention so this is what she did to fix that little problem!

All smiles after a fun night!

Once he had it down the three of us rode around the pond, FAST, and he only fell once. He did awesome! Luckily Kalli didn't get her feelings hurt staying behind and was just happy taking a picture before we took off. It was a great day!

The biking wore my two out and they were sleeping all crazy like when I checked on them before going to bed.

Gymnastic Videos

2010-03-13T22:21:00.004-06:00

February 23, 2010
Here are a few video from Kalli's gymnastics class. As clumsy as she is she still loves going and I love watching her each week! She's learning more and more and her tumbles are also getting better and possibly her balance...or not. :)

Please excuse my voice I was apparently sick this week!

She always has the hardest time trying to figure out what they want her to do different with her feet. She's use to walking on the beam so when asked to put her feet to the side she's like "What?!".

I think she looks extra cute on this one. :)

It's Soccer Time Again!

2010-03-11T22:24:00.006-06:00

February 19, 2010
Kaiden has started another season of soccer! This year we decided to try out PARDS league and so far we really like it. It seems to be much more organized and maybe a little more competitive than at the Y but Kaiden doesn't notice any difference. The coaches are required to have practices so that's nice and Kaiden has really enjoyed goofing off with a few other boys at these practices instead of following his coaches instructions. But he's a 5 year old boy what do you expect!
He is definitely no longer the big fish in the pond and is one of the smaller kids on his team. This 5-6 year old bracket is so different from the 3-4 team he was on at the Y. It also seems like he's not as focused as before but I think it has a lot to do with the kids on his team. By having practices he's been able to make instant friends with several boys and they just love to be boys and act silly instead of pay attention. By not having any practices last year he didn't get a good chance to know any of his teammates so there was less goofing off. We want him to do well and actually listen to his coach but what's most important is that he's having fun, and I assure you that he is! Luckily it hasn't bothered him that he hasn't scored a goal yet he's just excited that his team is winning! In all we're excited for another great season, Go Team Lighting! (and yea for getting a different color this year!)

Getting ready for his first game (with rocks in his hand :) )

I had to add this picture b/c Joe was tyring to get a shot of Kaiden and then Kalli started falling in front of him right as he snapped the picture. Love that face!

Always so happy! Maybe not always....

One of those 'not paying attention' moments...

Soccer Mom in all her glory!
All I needed was my minivan in the background.

Nice action shot

And another

Throwing the ball back into playFinal score 3-1! Go Red!

Happy Birthday/Valentine's Day

2010-03-11T22:02:00.006-06:00

February 14, 2010
My sweetheart turned 3 on Valentine's Day! I can't believe my baby girl has gotten so big! We had church in the morning then played and had cake and ice cream at my mom and dad's later that afternoon with family. We couldn't have asked for a better day to spend with our little princess.
Kalli is the funniest little girl I know. And although she gets into lots of trouble she has us laughing all the time. She has such a creative imagination and its so funny to just see what she'll come up with next. We love hearing all of her crazy stories and she keeps us updated with everything her stuffed animals are doing whether they be good or bad. She adores her big brother and wants to do what he's doing all the time and has taken on the 'annoying little sister' role quite easily. We are so glad to have her as part of our family!

Kalli cut right to the chase and went straight for the presents!

She loves her new book from Grandma and Grandpa!

I love this little smile

Time for cake!

Greyson thought the cupcakes were delicious! (even though his mom didn't let him have any icing! :) )

Two Cheeseballs

Throw Me Something Mister!!

2010-03-07T22:28:00.012-06:00

02/13/10
My good friend Wendy invited us out to New Orleans to enjoy the Endymion Parade. She lives just 10 blocks away from the start of the parade which made it an ideal location! Joe wasn't so sure about packing up the kids and going to an actual Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans but I convinced him it would be fun so off we went! Things couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Wendy (probably annoying so many people) parked in the middle of two driveways in front of her house to save us a spot. It was so nice not having to drive around for hours looking for one on our own. In true Wendy fashion she had so many yummy foods that we were able to enjoy and snack on before heading out to the parade where her Dad and cousin where saving us a spot. The kids did great on the walk and we tried keeping them out of the wagon (which was a life saver-thank you Lisa!!) as much as possible since they would be in it most of the time once we got there. We made the walk and just enjoyed the beautiful day-man was it gorgeous! I brought extra jackets for me and the kids but didn't think we'd need them b/c it was just so pleasant outside. But once the sun set it got cold and fast! I wished I had brought beanies and gloves for the kiddos, and for me!
The kids really enjoyed the atmosphere and all the things going on. We couldn't have asked for a better spot. We parked the wagon right along the gate. There were so many people behind us I couldn't imagine having to stand back there and watch the parade b/c you really couldn't see anything! So big thanks to the Ragan Crewe for getting out early and saving seats! The kids, mainly Kalli, started getting antsy waiting for the parade and Wendy's Aunt Beth kept her very well entertained which was so nice for me and Joe. Once the parade started she was fine but then it started going so slllllooooowww! The floats kept having to stop and usually didn't throw anything while they were stopped. Kaiden would get so intense and yell (very angrily) "Throw me something mister! over and over. He finally chilled out a bit and realized he wasn't going to catch something every time. There were also a million bands or dance teams that kept having to stop in front of us which was lame b/c they didn't do anything while standing directly in front of us. After about an hour or longer only 5 floats had past (there is usually around 30 floats in this parade!), it was getting pretty cold and Kalli was having some constipation issues and kept whining about her bum hurting. If a float would go by she was fine but after it passed she would cry out again. And the parade was still just moving so slow! Of course there were no bathrooms or port-a-potties around so me, Kal, Wendy and her dad made the trek back to Wendy's apartment, Kalli being carried by Mr. Danny the entire way.
Once we each had a bathroom break, in which Kal just cried instead of relieving herself, we made some yummy hot chocolate to bring back and headed towards the parade. While we were gone the parade finally started moving and Joe and Kaiden caught so much stuff! Kaiden had 7 swords (two of which were light up swords), beads galore and lots of little stuffed animals. Kal was in a much better mood and was able to enjoy the tail end of the parade where Joe caught her a few things including her Mardi Gras Dragon which she loves. And that was it so we packed up and our Endymion Crewe started heading back towards Wendy's apartment. Kalli was very shy and scared around Mr. Danny at first(she does this every time we don't see them for a while) but now couldn't stop worrying about him on our walk back. She had so much fun having him carry her for the potty break I think she fell in love. Every few minutes she'd ask, "But where's Mr. Danny?" or "Is Wendy's Dad with us? I don't see him." It was really cute. I guess we need to go visit soon before she forgets how much she actually likes him!
Once at Wendy's we ate even more food including Mrs. Karin's crab and corn bisque-YumO and lots and lots of King Cake! We were able to visit with everyone while eating and the kids watched part of a movie and then it was time to head home. We were all so tired I'm not sure how Joe stayed awake on the drive home but he did (I didn't) and we made it home just after 11. We put the kids in bed and we went straight to bed as well. I wasn't so excited about 9 o'clock church the next morning. It's no fun when the kids sleep in and you can't enjoy it b/c you have to get up and get dressed! In all it was a great day and we had so much fun and even Joe said he was glad we went! :)

Aunt Beth (Wendy's Aunt) and Kalli. She was nice enough to share her seat with Kalli and they loved playing together.Love this picture! My boys are so handsome!

Kaiden taking pictures. Mr. Danny (Wendy's dad) is in the background and Mrs. Karin (Wendy's mom) is right behind me. Sadly this is the only picture we have of them.

The kids patiently waiting for the parade to start

Ancient firetruck/wagon. It was pretty cool.

Me and my girl

Budweiser truck pulled by the Budweiser Clydesdales-those things are massive!

Kal and Joe

Me and Wendy with our antennas

One of the maids. I couldn't imagine how awful this would be! Her headdress thing is so heavy it has to be hooked to a pole behind her making it impossible to move more than a few inches to each side. The gentleman in the tux is there to hand her beads since she can't bend down. Plus she had to befreezing by the end of the parade. Totally not worth it to me!

Kaiden (or Dad) caught an Endymion Football

WHO DAT?! We were able to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy!! Geaux Saints!

Kalli and Aunt Beth again, she was a life saver in entertaining Kalli!

The music was so loud at times we had to help Kalli cover her ears

One of the floats. I forget how creepy they look with their masks on

Me and my honey. I don't know what I'm doing in this picture but the other picture of me and Joe he has a lazy eye and it looks likes he's on drugs but I looked great...so I decided to be selfless and post the not so cute picture of me but very cute one of him. I know I'm the best wife ever!

Wendy, Me and Erin (and some annoying drunk girl behind us)

Mrs. Sandra (Kevin's mom) and Aunt Beth (she is just hilarious!)

Erin (Wendy's cousin) caught an old school Saints football helmet and gave it to Kaiden (he looks so dorky here-I love it!)

Our first New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade as a family!

(The dragon has since been washed. :) )

Kevin was able to get off of work early and met us there along with two of their friends Alan and Lindsay
Aunt Wendy and Kalli O'Malley

Kalli taking the easy route home and riding in the wagon with all of our junk...I mean loot

Bring a friend!

2010-03-07T21:38:00.006-06:00

02/09/10
At Kalli's gymnastics class they had Val Pals Week where you could invite a friend to come to class with you. I mentioned it to Katie and Tyler was more than excited to come ,but was just a little shy when first getting there. Kalli has a little boy in her class but he didn't make it that week so Tyler was stuck to defend himself from all the crazy girls...notice how he doesn't even want to sit next to them here. :) They are watching their teacher show them how and what to do in each station.

Kalli and Tyler playing on the bars

Kal doing some tricks

I don't think she remembers exactly what to do at this station

Here comes her teacher, Ms Lynn, to help out.
I think she was trying to be a monkey here.

Now she's got it!

Tyler doing his roll off the beam over the big wheel thingy

What a fun class! Glad you could come Tyler!

Look at all the space between them! They are too funny!

Cell Phone Pics

2010-03-03T22:38:00.009-06:00

Since getting my IPhone, as a surprise from my sweet hubby on my birthday, I take millions of pictures. So I decided I'll post a few at the end of every month since I might not always have my camera but I always, ALWAYS have my phone! :)

These are all from January.
Kal loves putting on her rubber boots and going for a walk in the mud. She almost always gets a foot or two stuck and then falls down which then defeats the purpose of even wearing the boots.

Me and the kids rode out to LSU so Joe could get a few books before the semester started up. Mike was out and about on this cold day.
The was Kalli after seeing Mike the Tiger. She had had a very busy afternoon!

We spent the afternoon at our great friends Katie and Philip's houe and my kids loved playing their wii. I think they were racing bikes here.

Kids playing out in the leaves

Kal's first day of gymnastics. We were trying on leotards and she wanted me to take a picture so she could send it to her dad and she decided to stick out her tounge. I think she looks so funny here.

Trying the bars out for the first time.

Kaiden at his first soccer practice. He wore his Argentina soccer shirt Grandma and Grandpa got for him all the way from...you guessed it Argentina!

Another day at gym

We've had a really cold winter this year with several days cancelled from school b/c of snow. School wasn't cancelled on this day but it did get below freezing the night before. Even after we picked up Kaiden several puddles where still frozen and the water from a neighbor's boat still had large chunks of ice in it. We let the kids slip and slide on the ice puddles for a while then starting thwoing the ice from the boat on the street. The kids had so much fun..until Kaiden threw a pick chunk of ice and it went straight up therefore coming straight down, right onto his back. He didn't think to move out the way just curl in a ball and cover his head! Too bad I didn't get that on video!

Aaron and baby Grey
Kalli looking through the ice

Kaiden

I think the reason why Kaiden was screaming or whining "Nooooo" at the beginning was b/c he was worried Joe was going to hit Greyson with the ice and he knew just how bad it hurt! Lol I love how excited Kaiden is at the end

Let the celebrations begin!

2010-03-01T20:29:00.014-06:00

February 6, 2010
We (or I) decided to do a joint birthday party for the kids this year. And we (or I) was crazy enough to think that Chuck-E-Cheese on a Saturday was a good idea!! To give myself some credit this particular location was just recently renovated and use to be way ghetto so I was banking on the fact that most people weren't aware of its newness and going to the 'nicer/cleaner' CEC. Well no such luck b/c this place was packed!! There was a line at the door and they were even turning people away!! Nonetheless we had so much fun and let me tell you the kids were spoiled rotten by all of their friends! I couldn't believe all the really nice and expensive toys these two kids got!

Kalli is very excited to start opening all of her presents!

This isn't a very good picture but I wanted to just show how cute Kalli's gymnastics bag is that she got from Auntie Autumn.
Do you see all of those gifts?!?! Believe me when I say they racked up!

I still don't understand how he can get so excited by getting yet another Cars car

Kalli got a cute Dora Birthday Doll from her best friend, Jude (Kaiden's school friend)

He looks pretty excited about this one! Thanks again Auntie Autumn!

Kalli loves her little baby from mom and dad

Looks like Kalli likes this one, thanks Tyler and Kayleigh!

John John and Jude giving a helping hand

Ready to tear into some cake!

Kaiden says he used his hand b/c he didn't have a fork. But if you notice both Brooklyn and Jude have forks and it seems like there's one lonely fork on his plate...hmmm I don't think he looked too hard! Gotta love black icing!

Kal sat there by herself long after all the other kids were done eating slowly finishing her cake and ice cream. Then once she was done she said, "okay I can go play now!" Oh i just love her!

Isn't Autumn just too cute? Ugh she just makes me sick how beautiful she is and dressed to the T all the time...yea so what I might be a just little jealous. :)

Joe & Matt (Mr Ken to Mrs Barbie in the previous picture)

I think Greyson was a little distracted here. I love both of these girls!

My handsome little 5 year old!

My cute kiddos and the Stone's

Our family

Kaiden playing one of his favorite games . (He likes both the IPhone and real life version)

Papa with the Birthday Kids

Kalli giving Gege one of her ever so 'soft' hugs

Kal with her and Kaiden's best friend, Jude. :)

Kaiden got this massive automatic Nerf gun from Brooklyn. To be honest it came more from her Dad, Mark. :) Joe was ever so anxious to put this gun together. He was so fun to watch while setting it all up and then letting the kids take their turns trying it out.

Here Kaiden is with his tough pose.

Kalli showing her stuff

Kids showing off their cool Super Hero capes that I got them. They're both reversible which is really cool They love 'flying' around the house in them. They get to choose between Batman/Batgirl or Superman/Supergirl

Lisa and Aaron got the kids skates and boy were they excited to try them out! Wish I had someone taking pictures or video for me while I was helping them try the skates out for the first time, I'm sure we were a sight!

The kids had a wonderful time at their party and we want to thank all who came. It was a very hectic day and I'm SO glad its all over with! I will never in a million years have another birthday at CEC on a Saturday again! And this will probably be the last year for a joint party so I'm glad we did something they both would really enjoy. I love you Kaiden and Kalli!!

2010-02-22T23:05:00.002-06:00

January 30, 2010
This was such a cold day! But I insisted we go to our local Mardi Gras parade and I'm glad we did. The kids had so much fun and its always fun to see them get so excited. Joe and I of course get in the moment and try to get as much 'cool' stuff as we can and then once we get home we wonder where in the world are we going to put all this crap? At the beginning Kaiden was getting so frustrated that every float wasn't throwing him something. He was yelling "Throw me something!!" which is totally fine but you could hear in his voice it was out of anger and not excitement. It was pretty funny and luckily he finally calmed down and just enjoyed himself.

Lil Gymnast

2010-02-22T22:20:00.009-06:00

January 19, 2010
We signed Kalli up for gymnastics and boy does she love it! She has a hard time following directions (didn't see that one coming!) and listening to what her teachers say b/c she wants to do whatever she wants of course! But it is so much fun to see her each week.

This is my favorite picture. Look how much her teacher, Ms Jessica, is laughing!

And she's off!

Way to stay hydrated! She LOVES the trampoline! But instead of jumping she just runs all the way across and usually goes back to do it again (even though she's been told multiple times not too!) On the beam. (for some reason my flash hasn't been working too well.)

Still working on that balance! This was after class.

Tada!

My first born turns the BiG 5!!

2010-02-17T22:55:00.012-06:00

January 15, 2010
Kaiden turned the BiG 5!! He was so very excited and was happy to share the day with his friends at school. I dropped a King Cake off at school for him to share with his friends and when I picked him up he had a cool birthday hat on that his teacher gave him. Needless to say he was all smiles! Joe was able to leave school early enough to beat work traffic on a Friday and we headed to Chuck-E-Cheese for some family fun and greasy pizza. The kids had so much fun running around to all the new rides and games in our newly renovated CEC. After being there for possibly hours we headed to my mom's for another King Cake and to open a few presents. In all it was a great day and Kaiden was still able to look forward to a joined b-day party with his little sis in a few weeks.

Kaiden loves playing air hockey on my phone and was even more excited to play against his dad.

Kalli loved riding on this horsie

Kaiden will use more than half of his tokens to play this racing game. As you can tell he barely reaches the pedal!

My two sweeties

My favorite 5 year old!

Blowing out his candles

I love Kalli's face in this picture. She is just so happy for her big brother

New leapster games!

Grandma and Grandpa mailed a package for Kaiden

Kalli checking out the rocket that Joe's parents sent

The rocket was a big hit. The kids loved shooting their dad!

New Years 2010!

2010-02-07T21:18:00.007-06:00

I actually had to work on New Year's Eve but was luckily able to get off early enough to celebrate before the strike of midnight. I picked up Joe and the kids and we headed to meet up with our friends Katie and Philip. The kids had fun running around and watching all the fireworks. Kaiden was a little freaked out about holding the sparklers due to an incident last year but finally warmed up to the idea. The camera batteries died before I was able to get a picture with Joe but I promise he was there! We had a great time and it was absolutely wonderful that the kids let us sleep in the next day!

Kaiden and Tyler (I had to sneak this picture b/c everytime Tyler sees a camera he runs the other direction) Me, Ryan (Katie's baby brother) and Katie Patron loving Philip and Me My kiddos ringing in the New Year Aunt Katie and Kaiden

A New Year...A New Me....Hopefully!

2010-02-03T22:26:00.003-06:00

Wow it's been awhile! As much as I've missed blogging I got so stressed trying to keep up with it and wanting to keep up with everyone elses' that I just quite cold turkey. I've wanted to come back but the thought of needing/wanting to read what everyone has been blogging about as well as wanting to back blog all the things and pictures from the past 9 months would have me in hot sweats! So, with much whining to Joe about my dilemma he just told me to get over it and blog but don't worry about trying to catch up and just start fresh. What better time than the beginning of a new year right? With new motivation I decided to start and give a brief history on what's been going on in our neck of the woods. Well this brief history ended up being multiple post and pictures. I just had too much to tell and had a hard time leaving out the little I did! It took me a little longer than originally planned but here are the last 9 months! Hopefully I can stay caught up! I look forward to reading all of my friends blogs too!

December 2009

2010-01-17T22:46:00.030-06:00

I couldn't not post this picture b/c it's just too funny. After being tucked in for bed Kalli has started moving her toy box across her room so she could reach to turn on her light. She'd play for as long as she could until we'd go in there turn off the light and put her back in bed. This one particular night we didn't hear her making any noises like usual so we figured she'd just went straight to bed. Well a little later we decided to check on her and this is how she was found, asleep on her toy box. Doesn't look very comfortable especially when you have a bed not even a foot away! Such a silly girl!

Every year we get together as a family and let the kids help decorate Gege and Papa's Christmas tree. The kids loved climbing up the ladder to help decorate. Sadly the cousin shot didn't turn out great but everyone had a goodnight together.

How lucky are Kaiden and Kalli to decorate two Christmas Trees in two days? It was a fun family night. And as a mom it was more fun just to see how much my babies were enjoying themselves. By chance we ended up with an American Tree. Red Silver and Blue ornaments and I didn't even realize it until we were more than half way through! Kids loved it though and thats what really counts right?!

Our Activities Committee at church really out did themselves this year for the Christmas party. The theme was A Cajun Christmas which included Papa Noel. The food was great and we all had a wonderful time. Kaiden figured out pretty quickly that Papa Noel was his Sunday School teacher and quickly let his other friends know. Regardless if you call him Santa or Papa Noel Greyson doesn't want anything to do with him unless mommy is keeping a good distance between the two! Also at the party we enjoyed a Christmas play which involved one handsome sheppard and an adorable little donkey.

Santa came to the library for Story time. Trust me Kalli was much more excited than what she's showing. I think I took all of her happy pictures on my phone. :)

Kaiden had a fun Christmas party at school that Kalli and i were able to attend. And who else but Santa showed up!

A few of my girl friends from high school had a fun Christmas get-together. It was great catching up with one another and not to mention gossiping!

Kalli and Kaiden were able to open one gift each the day before Christmas Sunday mainly b/c Kalli needed her shoes to wear with her Christmas dress! Kaiden got new school shoes that make him run super fast!

Our family Christmas picture on Christmas Sunday. Can I just say I love, Love, LOVE Kalli's dress! And yes Kaiden looks pretty darn handsome too!

Christmas Sunday was Christmas at my parents house due to the fact that we were headed to Denver the next day. The kids got more than enough and Joe and i were pretty spoiled too. It was sad knowing I wasn't going to be home for Christmas but there was a lot of excitement being with all of Joe's family for the first time in over 3 years!

Our flight to Denver was better than expected, thanks to my dear friend Katie for letting us use her portable DVD player. We had a straight flight from NOLA to Denver in the afternoon so no rushing early in the morning to finish up packing. We watched movies and ate, and ate, and ate. We were all very excited to see Grandma and Grandpa but not so excited for the cold!

I was slacking and hadn't got the kids' yearly Santa picture so we made a trip to the Aurora mall. Wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected and look how great it turned out! Can't wait to put this one in a frame next Christmas!

The kids looked so cute all bundled up and ready to play in some snow! We had a great time outside throwing snowballs and trying to make a snowman. The snow was so light and fluffy it was nearly impossible to make a snowball much less a snowman! The kids decided our little snowman needed antlers. And Kal was a great help to Grandma shoveling the street!

This was right before we went inside and right after Joe lightly shoved snow in both of their faces! They were whining b/c it was soooo cold!

I love this picture of Jake and Kalli and Kaiden and Cameron. It was so fun seeing all the cousins playing together. They all got along so well. Even Nate, who's 12, decided to be a kid and play with my little ones. Kalli kept calling them her friends and was always asking when they were coming over again. I think she surprised them how rough and tough she really is!

Christmas Morning! The kids were so excited and poor Kaiden had to wait forever to go upstairs and see what Santa brought. Kalli was up off and on all night and she even snuck upstairs and woke Grandma up at 5 in the morning! So needless to say all of us girls were pretty beat! We finally woke Kalli up and luckily she was in a good mood. The kids were very excited to open all their presents and Santa got both kids Leapsters which they love!

AFter opening gifts Christmas morning we had a delicious breakfast cooked by Grandma and Grandpa with the whole family. Then more presents!

Family Pictures

I love this picture of Kalli and Auntie Sharon looking at all the pictures we ahd taken earlier. Not too bad of my kiddos either!

Thw Wii was a big hit. Kaiden loved playing with his cousings. Here he is showing us how to run fast. Grandma even took a few turns!

Very cute of Uncle Mark and Kaiden

Probably one of the highlights of our trip was sledding. We had a blast! Thanks to Gma and Gpa for buying the sleds. It was so much fun! The kids absoutley loved it and so did all the adults!

Sadly but this is the only picture we took of our kids with Gma and Gpa on our trip. Luckily its a great one! In all we had a great trip and we loved every minute of it. Thanks for letting us stay!

November 2009

2010-01-14T20:37:00.025-06:00

Kaiden had his last 2 soccer games this month and his total goals for the season was 31! He did so great! It was a blast seeing him play everyday and watch how much he'd improve every game. At the end of the season his coach put together a party at It's My Party. It has a huge play room with a bunch of different inflatable space walks and jumping things. Luckily siblings were also invited and the kids had a blast! Kaiden also got another trophy and I'm already starting to worry where I'm going to put all of his future ones!

I was lucky enough to have some of my regular customers at work give me two LSU tickets as part of my tip! And who else would I bring along with me but my very own handsome LSU graduate student! We had a good time and had pretty good seats. It was a great night out even after fighting traffic and nearly going broke from paying a sitter!

Probably the most exciting part of the month was having Joe's parents come to visit! They recently came home from their 3 year mission serving as Temple President and Matron in the Buenos Aires, Argentina Temple. Three years is a looooonnng time! It was their first time meeting Kalli so there was a lot of anticipation. As excited as both kids were all week the second we spot them in the airport they immediately became super shy and Kalli would hardly look at either Grandma or Grandpa! But by the time we were walking to the car she was already warming up and holding Grandma's hand. It was great having them here and seeing how quick and easy the kids became comfortable with them. It was also nice for my kids to have both sets of grandparents around. Special thanks to my mom and dad for giving them a place to stay. Again it was a wonderful visit and it was sad to see them go but comforting to know we'd see them in a month for Christmas.

With all of my family in town for Thanksgiving my Dad had no other choice but to make a massive bonfire! We all had a good time eating our fair share of hotdogs and roasting marshmallows...especially Kaiden! It was great to have my cousin Jill and her husband Harry come in town as well as my sister, Carmen, who flew in from Utah. It was a great night to help expand our tummies for the big Thanksgiving feast the following day!

Thanksgiving Day was a lot of fun! It's been years since all of us siblings have been home for Turkey Day and it was great just hanging out with one another. We also enjoyed the new additions to the family, Autumn's hubby, Matt and Nana's finance' Cary. Of course I didn't get the entire group shot on my camera but the Saxon family picture turned out pretty cute. I love my family and am so grateful that we are and Eternal Family!

After everyone over-stuffed themselves we walked to the back and took a few turns riding Aaron's motorbikes and playing on Papa's tractor. Kaiden was begging all the boys to give him a ride, he was a major adrenaline junkie that day. It was lots of fun and we ended the day by watching a movie at Aaron and Lisa's.

The following day we all headed over to Mississippi to go to the farm house (where my mother and grandfather grew up) to ride more wheelers and bikes and the boys even shot a few guns. The kids had a great time and were completely worn out by the end of the day as was I!

There were a few Birthdays this month, for one I turned 29! I can't believe I'm less than a year away from 30! Both of Joe's parent's birthdays were also in November and so was my little Kayleigh Ruth, she turned 1! Katie and I have been best friends for years and I just love her babies like they were my own and vice versa. We had a great time at KK's Birthday Bash.

October 2009

2010-01-07T23:45:00.012-06:00

We took advantage of Joe's fall break and went to the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. The kids loved all the fish and enjoyed petting a shark and a manta ray!

Now that Joe goes to LSU we had to make him an official student and go tailgating! We packed up the kids and enjoyed walking around and visiting a few of Joe's classmates. Unfortunately Mike the Tiger was not in his cage (he was being prepped for his appearance at the game) but the kids enjoyed seeing his statue instead. It was a fun day and it still amazes me how many people show up for tailgating and are there ALL day!

Kaiden's pre-k class had their first field trip and it was an all day event. The kids rode the bus, which Kaiden was super excited about, while most parents followed behind. We first went to the fire department, then the pumpkin patch, the library and finally the park. It was a great afternoon and I loved watching Kaiden with all of his school buddies.

When I got out my Halloween box there were a few old costumes that the kids had fun dressing up in. I had a zoo in the house complete with an elephant, a monkey and a tiger- oh my!
Kaiden started a fall session of soccer and he amazed us at how much better he was! He was on the purple team again this time #9. Sadly our team didn't even have practices but he still managed to score 6 goals during his first game! Each game he played he would tally up his total goals for the season. It was so funny during each water break he'd run over and say "Now I have x number of goals!" His total was 31 for the season...not bad! Hopefully our soccer star will make us millions one day!

We made a trip out to a local pumpkin patch and let the kids each pick out their pumpkin (with a little guidance of course. This is by far one of my favorite family pictures too!

Surprisingly this was our first time as a family to carve a pumpkin! Each year I planned to but then somehow we always got too busy. Kaiden didn't mind cleaning out the pumpkin but Kalli hated it! Joe did an excellent job carving them and the kids were able to tell him what kind of face they wanted. Kalli had the silly pumpkin and Kaiden's was the scary one.

Kalli and I were excited to be invited to Kaiden's Fall Party at school. We had a good time and Kaiden was happy to have his little sister at school with him. He even shared all of his goodies with her.

I had a scary Frankenstein and a beautiful little Tinker Bell this year for Halloween. We enjoyed our ward Trunk-or-Treat at the church and then hit up Aaron and Lisa's neighborhood a few nights later for the real deal. The kids had a lot of fun and we had waaaaaay too much candy to bring home!

September 2009

2010-01-07T22:37:00.011-06:00

My baby nephew turned the Big 1 on September 2nd. Lisa and Aaron had a party with close family and friends. He was so cute eating his cupcake. Kaiden and Kalli were more than helpful when it came to opening his presents. We were also able to say goodbye to a family friend, Ms Bernie. She flew out the next day to go to London for a mission for our church.

Labor Day weekend we meet up with my parents in Mississippi at the farm house. The kids enjoyed riding on the wheelers and we took a trip to the Mary Wall Bridge, which is named after my grandmother. As a kid we would go there every summer to play and swim. Our favorite thing was jumping off the bridge into the water-can't wait until my kids are old enough for that! We decided to let the kids wade in the water as you can tell they really didn't know what that meant. :) It wasn't long until they were completely emerged, good thing I brought extra clothes!

Kalli started a little mother's day out program to give us both a little break. I thought she would be bored at home all day without Kaiden to play with and I didn't mind having a few hours to myself. Her first day she did great and really loved it. But a month or two later she cried every time I brought her. It was such a sad cry and it broke my heart dropping her off. But when I picked her up she would tell me how much fun she had but when it was time to go again the tears came rolling in. I decided I couldn't take any more and stopped bringing her. But I'll still post her picture from her first day of school. :)

BYU was playing Tulane in the New Orleans Superdome and Autumn (who was then living in Colorado and a former BYU cheerleader) insisted that we go. I found a good price on tickets so we decided to it would be a fun family outing. The Wesley's joined us and we even saw a few other members from our ward there which made for a great afternoon.. BYU fans outnumbered the Tulane fans I guess being a mormon you're almost instantly a Cougar fan. We had awesome seats and the kids loved making as much noise as they could without getting in trouble. Cougars won (wasn't much competition) but we had a wonderful time.

The following weekend the Wesley's invited us to go boating at Lake Maurepas. Mark's brother-in-law Pat own a little party barge that we loved lounging on while we took turns riding the kids on the jet skis. We parked for a while and let the kids swim and play. Unfortunately Joe wasn't able to come due to school work but we managed to have a good time without him. Thanks Mark and Kim for the invite!

The last weekend in September me and my friend Katie took the kids to a little fair at Walker high school. The kids had a lot of fun riding rides and then we cooled off with some ice cream afterwards.

August 2009

2010-01-06T22:11:00.019-06:00

August was by far a busy, busy month! Autumn and Matt were married in the Baton Rouge Temple on August 1st and everything was beautiful! We enjoyed a nice luncheon after the sealing and then a beautiful reception at a local plantation (as you can tell Kalli enjoyed dancing with everyone!). These two are so much alike its crazy and I know they will be so happy together.

With summer coming to an end we tried to squeeze as much pool time as we could. By now Kaiden was hardly using floaties at all and really swimming! He was even jumping off the diving board and swimming to the side. Kalli was also jumping off the side with no floaties and doing pretty good at swimming from me to the steps. It was a sad day boxing up our swimsuits the following month.

Later in the month we were invited to spend the day at the Tarver's camp off of Belle River and we loved it! We spent the day lounging in the sun, swimming, jet skiing, tubing and eating of course!

We left the camp a little early to meet up with our friends to go to the Balloon Festival. We had a great time watching all the hot air balloons light up and let the kids run around like crazy. Then we were all able to rest and enjoy the firework show. (No clue why this picture won't turn)

And of course once summer comes to an end school starts. Kaiden started an all day Pre-k class at Southside Elem. I was very hesitant about signing him up b/c it was so long but I knew it was a great school b/c I went there! (and I still know many of the teachers...and they remember my family!) Plus Kaiden's teacher was my sister's Kindergarten teacher. As much as me and Kal miss him during the day he loves school and has already made some great friends.

One of our last summer things to do was attend a Luau for a friend's birthday party. My mom got the grass skirt and coconut bra from Hawaii a while back and I thought it would be hilarious Kalli to wear it then change in her swim suit later. She looked so cute!

July 2009

2010-01-06T20:22:00.008-06:00

We started the month off by celebrating for the 4th of July. Sadly I had to work but was able to leave early enough for all of us to ride out to the levee and watch the fireworks. We all had a great time and loved watching all the 'Awe' moments from the kids.

Remember one of my last posts from the Race for the Cure? I mentioned the handsome gentlemen with Autumn as being my future brother-in-law?? Well boy was I ever right! Autumn and Matt got engaged and as most mormons it was a short engagement! Friends from our home ward threw her a bridal shower and us sisters did the Lingerie shower. Which was so much fun seeing Autumn blush !

And most importantly Joe and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary! We enjoyed a nice night out with dinner and a movie...and NO kids! Two days later Joe turned 33! I know I married an old man but at least he's good looking! Work got in the way-Again! but Joe and I were able to enjoy another meal alone a few days later. The kids always enjoy helping anyone open a present! :)

June 2009

2010-01-06T19:36:00.009-06:00

In June I had my 10 year high school reunion! It was a lot of fun seeing people I hadn't seen in years. I can't believe I graduated 10 years ago! Sometimes it seems like days ago other times it seems more like 20 years! Joe was able to join me and surprisingly he seemed to enjoy it himself!

Again we had fun going to soccer games and enjoyed when family was able to join us. Kaiden had his last game where he received his first trophy! He was so excited and proud of himself and Kalli, well she was a little jealous. But she enjoyed kicking the ball around after games and we just might have a future soccer star on our hands.

June also involved a few trips to the Splash Park to keep us cool. The kids loved it there especially when friends were able to join us.

And let's not forget Father's Day! Joe and I kept it low key and enjoyed just spending time together while grilling shish-kebabs for the first time.

Last but not least Kalli moved to a big girl bed! She did so good giving up her crib. Luckily the first night she was super tired and feel asleep with no troubles at all, sadly part of the reason she was so tired was b/c she was sick. But as always she was a trooper.

May 2009

2010-01-05T23:38:00.005-06:00

May was a very busy month. Kaiden was officially out of school and we enjoyed many days at the pool, another trip to the zoo and Saturday soccer games. We were also glad to be around family for Mother's Day and give the men a chance to cook!

April 2009

2010-01-05T23:36:00.007-06:00

First and most importantly Joe was accepted into LSU for their doctorate program!! We are so proud of all his hard work! He's studying Clinical Psychology and really enjoys it. What's even better is school is completely paid for and they actually pay us each month! Can't get much better than that! It's a long road but before we know it he'll be Dr Joe!

Kaiden started his first year of soccer and absolutely loved it. It was so exciting to see him play and I felt like I was fulfilling my role as a mom driving my kid to soccer practice in my minivan! He was also the first to score a goal for the Purple Team! It was so much fun going to see him play every Saturday as a family and we loved when our extended family was able to come too.

Kaiden's pre-school had a field trip to the zoo and he was lucky to not only have mom and Kalli but also 2 of his aunts and his baby cousin Greyson!

We had a great Easter coloring eggs and going to our friend's, the Covingtons, Annual Easter Party. The kids were lucky to at least look for their Easter baskets on Easter Sunday before all the rain came that afternoon and ruined our Easter Egg Hunt!

The Saxon family got together and we were all able to plant a garden. It was fun having the kids help dig and they enjoyed being able to pick the veggies they helped plant.

And what's spring without a Louisiana Crawfish Boil?! The kids were a big help and loved playing with the live ones but didn't enjoy eating them once they were all cooked...Kaiden especially! :)

Rehearsal Dinner

2009-04-05T23:50:00.000-05:00

The Rehearsal Dinner was at Ralph's on the Park which was so nice! It was an open bar which was nice for everyone who drank and Joe and I along with very few others enjoyed free coke! :)The only bad part of the evening was on the way to the church for the rehearsal my head started to hurt and it only got worse. By the time we arrived to the restaurant my head was killing and I wasn't even able to enjoy the hors d'oeuvres. I really thought we were going to have to leave until finally Jill found me some pain relievers. Once they kicked in I was able to enjoy my Fillet Mignon to its fullest. Oh my gosh I have never had a steak (nor probably ever will again) that tasted so good! It was cooked to perfection and just wonderful! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We had a good night but I was totally exhausted and excited to go to bed. Wendy was so nice to let us stay at her and Kevin's apartment. It was very cute, which I knew it would be, and Joe and I didn't have too hard of a time adjusting to a smaller bed. In all it was a pretty good night.

The Wedding PartyBlaine, Wendy and Lauren
Me and Joe
Me and Wendy
Jill and I (We've known each other for years. Our grandparents lived close to each other in the middle of nowhere in Gillsburg, Miss)

Bridal Tea

2009-04-05T23:46:00.004-05:00

This is the start of my Wendy's Wedding Weekend posts. Wendy and I have been friends since our freshman year in high school. She's one of the most loving and giving people I know. She will and has always been a great friend so I was thrilled when she asked if I would be her Matron of Honor. Wendy and Kevin have been engaged for quite awhile now and since that engagement there have been numerous outings and parties in their honor. I think the number is close to 10! Well this is the final countdown so-to speak and I've enjoyed it but I'm kind of glad its over. Wendy is at her best laughing and that's one thing Kevin knows how to do is make people laugh! We started the weekend off with a tea in honor of the bridesmaids at a beautiful hotel in downtown New Orleans. If I've ever felt out of my element this might have been it! My family doesn't even drink iced tea much less tea in fancy little tea cups with hors d'oeuvres! Everything was really nice and the hotel was just like you see in the movies. The food was delicious and the deserts were even better! Wendy gave us these beautiful scarfs from J. Crew and Anthropology. I love them and they're so incredibly soft! It was nice getting to visit with all of the other bridesmaids and close family. It was really fun, but I'm just not cut out for all that fancy smancy stuff! :)

Me (with Wendy's family) Nana (Wendy's grandma), Aunt Beth, Erin and Mrs Karin (Wendy's mom)

high school girls Elizabeth, me and The Beautiful Bride, Wendy
Lauren and Blaine

one of my new scarfs

Wendy looking at her scrapbook from the bridesmaids

The bridesmaids-Jessica (and baby girl), Christina, Blaine, Wendy, Me, Lauren, Jill and Anna Mech

All the girls from the tea

Update on Kal

2009-03-09T21:01:00.002-05:00

I woke up early this morning to call the Doctor's office right when they opened to make Kalli and appointment. It took me about 10 minutes to finally get through but luckily there was an appointment available at 10. Kaiden stayed with mom which made Kalli very upset and she cried the entire 25 minutes there! She wanted Kaiden and then she wanted to play at Gege's and then her shoes were too tight and she wanted goldfish and so on and so on. It was a long drive to say the least. Once we got to the doctor she was fine once she had her goldfish to eat. Luckily the wait wasn't long and Kal did very well letting the Dr check her. The nurse said she had lost a pound since our last visit, less than a month ago. I believe it since she's hardly eaten anything. I did tell her that Kal had complained only twice about her ears but it was very brief and didn't bring it up again or pull on them. Once Dr Flechas looked in her right ear (the one she said that hurt) she said her ear was wicked. I was a little thrown off and didn't know what she meant by 'wicked'. She told me her ear was really infected and then looked in her left ear and said that one was just as bad. She just couldn't believe that Kalli hadn't been complaing more about her ears b/c of how awful they looked and said she must have a high tolerance for pain. After Dr Flechas was done checking Kalli, Kalli said her ears felt all better. Silly girl, I just think she didn't want her looking in them anymore. Dr Felchas said she probably did have a virus and then the ear infection took over, and to keep giving her tylenol if her fever persists. Which it hasn't since last night-yea! After the doctor Kalli got her sucker and then we met up with my dad for lunch at Picadilly. It was quite yummy and Kalli was such a good girl. She's now on her antibiotics and hopefully those will be helping soon. She can still be pretty grumpy on and off and her nose and cough are still yucky but for the most part she's doing good.

Race for the Cure and more sickness

2009-03-08T23:36:00.006-05:00

My sister Autumn planned on running the 5k for Race for the Cure and Joe wanted to as well. He found out that our friends Nathan and Jill would also being doing it so I signed up to walk with Jill and so did my SIL Lisa. It was hard getting up early Saturday morning but it was a beautiful day and ended up being a little warm while we walked (I even got sunburned!) Us girls had a good time walking and talking the whole way which made it go by quickly. Autumn's friend Matt met us up there and they both ran and Autumn was excited she didn't' stop and beat her record. Joe actually ran into a few of the students who had interviewed him the previous day so that was nice to have that extra contact. I just couldn't believe how many people there were! it was SOOO unbelievably crowded! Me, Lisa and Jill called our selves the walking weavers b/c we were constantly just weaving our way through people and we were practically the last ones to start the race b/c we were waiting on the 2 Saxon girls to go to the bathroom! In all it was a good morning and a nice way to get some exercise for a great cause!

Us sisters before the race

The Walking WeaversNathan and Joe

Autumn and hopefully my soon to be brother-in-law, Matt :)Our whole group- Matt, Autumn, Lisa, Me, Joe, Jill, Baby Drew and Nathan

Today Kalli is sick again! She woke up very cranky and was running a fever again. Later on she started coughing and ended up choking on her mucus and threw up two times. After her medicine started to kick in she seemed to be feeling better and I gave her a little juice. Right before Kaiden and I were about to leave for church she was laying on her back and projectile vomited about a foot in the air and it all came back and landed on her. It was nothing but juice but still gross. Joe was such a good sport and let me and kid leave while he took control and cleaned everything up and gave Kal a bath (in which she ended up pooping in!) Did I get lucky going to church or what?! After Kalli's nap her fever was getting pretty high and she was so whiny. We gave her more tylenol and finally gave her another bath just to cool her off. Kaiden then woke up and had a slight fever. About that time we called my dad over to help give a Priesthood blessing to both kids. After that they really seemed to feel much better. How grateful I am for the Priesthood and a worthy husband who can administer those blessing to our family anytime we need (and my dad too!) Since Kalli has been sick for almost a week now I'll still make her an appointment for tomorrow and hopefully we can get over this bug! And hopefully me or Joe won't get it b/c I'm in a wedding this weekend and I don't have time to get sick!

"I go work"

2009-03-08T22:53:00.006-05:00

Awww my little Kalli. She has been off and on being sick all week. Like I said on Wednesday she was sick but Thurs she seemed much better but was still pretty worn out. We watched a movie together while Kaiden was at school and once that ended she was bouncing off the walls. During the movie I had given her some benedryl b/c her nose was just running non-stop. Since I was in desperate need of some groceries we went to Wal-mart once I picked kid (that's Kaiden's nickname for those of you who don't know-not sure why ask Joe he came up with it) up from school. By that time Kal was exhausted! She could hardly keep her eyes open in the car while we were on our way to Kaiden's school. And her nose just kept running non-stop the whole time we were there. As bad as I felt for Kalli it made my shopping experience with 2 kids much easier. Kal sat in the front of the buggy while Kaiden rode in the back until he was overcrowded with food. Then he walked around following behind me like a perfectly obedient son. Well except for that one part where he was trying to poke holes in everything with his new pencil he had gotten from school. I caught him poking a hole through a package of water bottles and fussed at him for doing so and threatened to take away the pencil if he tried that again. The next isle over he was sticking the pencil through an attachment that was hanging from the shelf that had little slots in it. When I turned to look at Kaiden he proceeded to tell me that he didn't make the holes in it b/c it already had holes b/c that's just the way Heavenly Father wanted it. I just couldn't help but laugh and then he just gave me one of his big goofy smiles and continued on with our shopping. Okay so that was completely off track-sorry. So Kal being sick really helped b/c usually when Kaiden is kicked out of the buggy Kal wants to get out and walk around too. Only Kalli has NEVER just walked and followed me. She's always running in the opposite direction and never listens when I call for her. So usually she's just whining in the buggy wanting to get out. But this time she was just so pooped she just sat there and hardly moved. But towards the end she was whining for me to hold her and Kaiden was wanting to ride b/c he was tired of walking so I ended up carrying Kal while Kid rode in the front of the buggy and I pulled it behind me. Once I found a register, that wasn't too ridiculously long, I realized Kalli had completely snotted ALL over me! Poor girl she just layed on my shoulder and didn't move the whole time until I had to put her down to unload the buggy. She fell asleep on the way home and took a good 4 hour nap and woke up feeling fine.

I had to work that night and Joe was staying the night on LSUs campus for his interview the next morning so I dropped the kids off at my parents and Kal was fine all night. They went to bed late but both slept good. In the morning Kalli seemed fine, I went to play volleyball like I usually do at the church, and afterwards we went to Target and then had lunch at the park. After a bath the kids were exhausted and took a good nap. I was able to talk to Joe for a minute during a break and he said his interviews went well. He meet with the professor he's applying for then one of her students and then a group of 3 students from another professor's class. There were 7 people applying with this professor and Joe heard from someone else that she's accepting 2 students. That could be wrong and I hoping she's taking more! So far LSU is the only school we've heard from for a PhD program but we're still hopeful there could be other opportunities its just frustrating knowing that all of his papers were turned in at the beginning of January and here it is March and nothing. You'd think if they weren't interested they'd at least send us a rejection letter by now.

Well Joe was gone all day Friday and didn't come home until 9ish that night due to a social they had after all the interviews. The kids were still up watching a movie since they'd had a late nap. They were both so excited to see their dad but sadly went to bed shortly after he got home. Kal seemed to be feeling pretty good that night and enjoyed playing with her new bucket and sunglasses from Target. She put her glasses on upside down and had her blanket draped over her shoulder while she carried her juice around in her bucket. She came to me and said, "Bye Bye Mommy". When I asked where she was going she replied, "I go work." I thought it was so funny and decided to take a picture of her first day of work. Sorry for the snot nose, I promise I'm constantly trying to keep up and wipe it. She even whines for a kleenex when it starts to run and has cried out for kleenex in the middle of the night b/c her nose is running. Poor girl, I'm surprised her nose isn't completely rubbed raw by now.

Kal on her way to work

Wall E twins

2009-03-04T23:33:00.004-06:00

My kids LOVE "Wall E". It's all they ever want to watch anymore! I'm sure many of you can relate to this. One day while at JCPenny Kaiden saw "Wall E" pajamas and begged to have them since they were right at $30 I passed. But a few days later we saw the same ones at Wal-mart for $10. He really did need some new pjs but of course they didn't have his size. He was constantly bringing up the fact that he wanted those pajamas over and over. Of course they were on sale and didn't seem to be getting any new sizes in. But one day while we were there (it seems I got to wal-mart at least twice a week-please tell me I'm not the only one!) the kids saw a "Wall E" tshirt. It was only a few dollars so I gave in and told Kaiden I would buy it but that meant he wouldn't be getting "Wall E" pajamas. He was fine with that but now I had Kalli whining for a "Wall E" tshirt too. She is such a little copy cat! So they both got Wall E shirts and absolutely love them. They had just come out of the wash the yesterday and the kids were nice and clean so they put them on for their naps. They looked so cute I just had to take a picture. I think its definitely time for Kalli to have a little sister so I can dress them up alike, it's pretty fun!On another note poor Kalli was sick today. She woke up last night coughing with a low-grade fever and threw up a few times this morning. By this evening she seemed fine after her Tylenol kicked in and was finally able to eat. But right before bed time she seemed to be achy again and not feeling well. She fell asleep in my arms (which I LOVED) and will hopefully sleep through the night without any problems. I hate knowing my kids don't feel good but I do love the extra cuddles I get!

Joe's Roadside Pickup & Photo Shoot

2009-03-04T22:40:00.005-06:00

Shortly after the hurricane a group from our ward went down to Houma to help clean up. On the way back Joe, Nathan and Aaron saw a go-cart on the side of the road. If you know Joe you know he has a tendancy to live by "One man's junk is another man's treasure" (hence the 6 ft Santa Clause in his office) so of course Joe wanted to pick it up. As luck would have it (if you ask Joe) there was just enough room in Aaron's trailer for it to fit. So our back yard was so lucky to have this broken down go cart to help beautify it. Joe's goal was to fix it up and have it running but again those who know Joe probably knew that would probably never happen (he can be a lot of talk at times :)). It sat there for over a month not doing anything but giving bugs a new home. As I was teasing him about it one day he told me that he planned to have it fixed by Christmas otherwise he'd get rid of it. Well lucky for us a snow storm hit somewhat hiding the eye sore. As I was out in the field behind out house, with the kids, making a snowman we heard some cracking from the trees in our back yard. I was video taping Kalli and the cracking went on for a few seconds so I finally turned around quickly to see the big tree limb fall out of the tree and slam onto the back of Joe's prized possession! I couldn't believe I got it on tape and the go cart took quite a beating. Joe found it pretty humerous once he got home especially after seeing the video. (I would upload it but I don't know how to do that from our video camera only videos from our still shot) So now that the roll bar on the go cart is completely smashed there's no point in fixing it, so back to the side of the road, right? WRONG! A few days after the incident Joe came up with a brilliant *note sarcasm* plan to stage a wreck with the kids. He planned on having the go cart on its side with a bunch of DP cans laying around while one or both of the kids pretended to be out cold from the 'wreck'. But then the plan got better as he decided to use energy drink cans instead. Unfortunately Joe doesn't drink Monsters as often as he does DPs so this took a while. I guess he finally felt pleased with the amount of cans he had collected and just took his long-awaited pictures on Friday. Kal was napping and me and kid were outside when Joe got home so he quickly set the stage for the accident. Kaiden played along nicely as long as we promised him he could take pictures once we were done. So without further ado here are the pictures from Kaiden's highly dangerous energy drink crash and burn accident.

I hope no one thinks I sound ugly talking about Joe in this story b/c its all in good fun. I don't really care for the go car sitting in the back yard but he makes me laugh with all of his funny 'brilliant' ideas, but in all honesty I won't be sad to see it on the side of the road either (that's right it's still in the back yard! :)) Love ya babe!
Kaiden pre-accident

Doesn't the drink in the hand add a nice touch?

Kaiden's self portrait after his photo session

Spanish Town Parade

2009-03-02T23:51:00.002-06:00

We weren't able to go to the little Denham Springs Mardi Gras Parade this year but we did make it to the Spanish Town Parade. We decided last minute to go and practically jumped in the car and left. Since neither of had ever been I printed off a map so we'd have an idea of where to park and where the 'family friendly' section was. Well traffic was horrible and it took quite awhile to find a place to park on the street but we made it and the kids did great on our hike. We walked around for a bit and then decided it would be best to let Kaiden go on and potty before the parade started. Well we ended up standing in line for the port-a-pottys for a good 30 mins (at least!) and then the parade started seriously right as we were walking out! By then both kids were kind of grouchy from having to stand in one place for so long (and I just couldn't hold them very long b/c of my back) and it was pretty close to nap time. Also with the Denham Parade they are use to having so many things thrown to them but this parade was so CROWDED! It was so packed and they didn't get too many things but plenty since we only have, let's say a million beads at home already! So Kaiden was a little whiny about not getting things thrown right into his hand but he got over it and we still had a good time. I only took 2 pictures b/c it was just so crazy and crowded I didn't want to take my eyes off the kids and I had forgot to upload all the pictures onto the computer so my memory card was full. I'm glad we at least made it to a Mardi Gras Parade this year and I'm still undecided if we'll go through all the craziness again to go to the St Patrick's Day parade or not. But in all it was fun and we were able to mail some of our goodies to the kids cousins in Colorado along with a King Cake, in which they enjoyed.

Cake & Presents

2009-03-01T22:44:00.010-06:00

The day after Kalli's birthday we had cake and home-made ice cream at my parent's to celebrate. We also saved a few presents for Kaiden to open as well and I made him a small cake too with candles, since he never blew any out on his birthday. All of you out there who are cute and creative stop reading now and do not look at my pictures...I repeat DO NOT look at my pictures! I am so not creative and I have no talent whatsoever in the baking department so yes Kalli and Kaiden's cakes are pretty pathetic and a little humorous. But really who cares and they didn't seem to mind! We had fun hanging out with family and I was glad Autumn was there to join in as well as our cute friends, Elizabeth and Paul with their little girls. The kids loved their presents and Kalli was very excited about her Princess jewelry and pots and pans. If you tell that girl something is princess she's in heaven!

Blowing out their candles

Kalli was so funny and kept blowing up instead of at her cake, she eventually got it with some help.

Apparently Kaiden was more interested in Kalli's cake

Our cute little family

The 3 little cousins

Kal was excited about Tinker Bell

Kaiden was so excited about his "Towmater and The Ghost Light" book and just sat there and looked at the all pictures for a long time.

Kal was so happy about her new books from Uncle Mark, Aunt Sharon and all her cousins. She loves Ariel and we read "How many Kisses Do You Want Tonight" almost every night!

Princess Kalli with her Auntie Autumn (don't the earrings just crack you up?!)

Yup this poor princess has to cook too!Kal showing off her Princess Dress Mrs Elizabeth got her (and little Natalie is napping)

Valentine's Day Video Overload

2009-02-24T22:54:00.011-06:00

After our Valentine's Day Primary activity we went to mom's house to play for a bit. Mom gave the kids some new cute jammies for V-day then we went out to play. Auntie Autumn tried to see if she had any of her BYU cheerleader left in her after 18months of no flips. She did a few back tucks and got the kids all excited wanting to do flips and rolls too. She helped them both do back flips which was quite funny (I really should of gotten the camera out sooner) and then they started doing front rolls on their own. Kalli was hilarious b/c after Autumn would spot her for a back flip she'd try and do it by herself. Of course being 2 and her first time she CAN'T do a back flip so she'd practically just fall backwards. It was so amusing to watch and she didn't seem to hurt herself b/c she kept doing it. I finally got off my lazy bum and went to grab the camera. And of course right as I'm turning it own she does her backwards fall but lands hard on her head and starts to cry. I felt really bad for her but a part of me wanted to encourage her to try again just so I could get it on video, how awful is that?! But I didn't so I just got some cute videos of their much safer front rolls. Sorry for all the videos but they were just being so cute and silly.

Opening up their jammies

Kaiden had to get a running start

Auntie Autumn helping Kal do her back flip (once it was time to flip she turns into dead weight)

She needs a little more practice...

And she's got it!

I love Kaiden's idea of a backwards rolls, notice how he's clenching on anything for leverage.

For My Kalli Girl

2009-02-24T00:25:00.003-06:00

Here's the first 2 years of my little Kalli's life. I can't believe my baby is so big! I love her and couldn't imagine life without her. She's so energetic and has lots to say ALL of the time. She is quite the entertainer and keeps us laughing. I'm so glad to have her as part of our family.

Happy Birthday/ Valentine's Day!

2009-02-16T00:19:00.005-06:00

So my little Valentine Sweet heart turned 2 yesterday! I can't believe how fast time flies. I remember spending my favorite Valentine's Day to date in the hospital 2 years ago finding out "It's a girl!". Kalli is so prissy but rough and tough all at the same time. She is constantly making us laugh but also leaving me wanting to pull my hair out at times too! I have a little slide show of pictures to upload but not tonight. For now I just have a few pictures of her new kitchen she got for her birthday. It's so cute and I LOVE it...oh and she does too! :) We only gave her the kitchen yesterday b/c I had to work so we had cake ice cream and presents tonight for her and Kaiden with Auntie Autumn to join in. Again I'll post pictures of that tomorrow. I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Is that not the most adorable kitchen ever!Busting through the door to see her presentOne happy little girlNo need to waste time she went straight to work and 'cooked' everybody some grapes!

Autumn is Home!!

2009-02-13T15:40:00.008-06:00

My little sister Autumn came home from her mission on Wednesday! We were all so excited to finally have her back home. Her flight came in at noon and most of my family made it except Joe (who had an important meeting at work), Carmen (who lives in Utah), and Shannon (who is in training for the National Guard in in Alabama). Mrs Bernie as well as Shonna and baby Lilly came too. It was a little surreal when we first saw her. It's been a long year and a half! Kalli was only 6 months old when she left and she's turning 2 tomorrow so she's changed quite a bit! It was also Autumn's first time meeting Greyson. We have had a lot of fun being with her these last 2 days and look forward to the next few months with her until she's moves back to Utah for school. Kaiden was so sweet when I picked him up yesterday from school, I asked him if he wanted to go see Auntie Autumn he needed to hurry and buckle. He said "Oh Yea I'll hurry!" and then with a more serious kind of sad tone said, "I don't want Auntie Autumn to go back to New York." Isn't that so sweet! I assured him she wasn't but after a few months she would go to Utah and apparently that's not as bad b/c he didn't seem to mind that. Especially since she will be going to see CC. Anyway here are a few pictures from the airport. My battery was dieing so I didn't get many.

Kaiden and Kalli holding the sign we made for FHE

The babies liked the balloons and so did the big kids

Meeting Greyson for the first time

Everyone at the airport

Monkey Bizz Birthday Playdate

2009-02-08T22:18:00.012-06:00

I couldn't make up my mind whether or not to do a birthday party for the kids this year. I finally decided to have a joint one but then decided against it. With them being so close in age they have most of the same friends and it would be so many kids to invite. And then I worried what if the weather ended up being bad like last year for Kaiden's what would I do with so many kids at my poor mom's house?? So instead of a birthday party we had a fun play date at Monkey Bizz. We invited their closest friends and they all had so much fun. Thanks to everyone that came Kaiden and Kalli had a blast and I enjoyed having some adult time too!

The Whole Gang

(B) Allison, Kailey, Kaiden, Kalli, and Tyler (F) Brooklyn and Eli

The pretty girlies

Kailey and Allison are having a blast, Eli looks scared for his life!

Everyone but Katie and Tyler couldn't stay long so the 5 of us played and ended up having the whole place to ourselves. Katie and I enjoyed going through all of the tunnels with the kids and even playing in the ball pit. Later on Philip showed up with baby Kaleigh (who I didn't even get pictures of! ) we ordered pizza and Phe had a fun time playing with the kids. I wondered who was having more fun!

Me and Katie (notice Kalli face down in front of Katie)

Down the Roller SlideYou can't really see their faces but this picture cracks me up!Kalli could never leave her horses for long!

More Playing in the Balls, I love Tyler's face in this one

Here they are rough housing with Philip.

This was by far the most fun. Me and Katie both told Phe how fast the rollerslide is for those of us who weigh over 30 lbs but he was still a little startled. Kaiden quickly realized how fast he would go if he went behind me or Philip and he LOVED it! It was fun but it kinda hurt!

Katie did a great job taking this picture of me and Kaiden it looks posed but we were really rolling...fast! And you gotta love Kalli's face plant!

This video cracks me up! I especially love watching Kalli try and jump onto the slide.

What a Mess!

2009-01-27T23:38:00.003-06:00

My little Kalli has always been a pretty good eater. But just recently she's gone from being a Great eater to still a good eater BUT a very messy one. This girl will eat and then just play in her food making the biggest mess! She'll tip her water cup over trying to shake as many drops of water out before she's caught and I take her cup away. Or if she's eating her veggies she'll just dip both of her hands in the ranch and just smear it EVERYWHERE! The other night she was eating chicken nuggets and had tore the last two nuggets into little pieces and were smearing them all in the ketchup and all over her plate, pouring water in her plate and also piling her nugget pieces all on her cup. I told her I was taking her plate away b/c she was playing and not eating and she yelled saying "I still eatin'!" So I let her have her plate for another minute and of course she didn't eat anything she just went right back to playing. So I took it away again and dumped the remainder of it in the trash. Well Kalli lost it and was screaming "I NOT done eatin'!!" I thought she'd calm down once I offered her some grapes but not a chance so just cleaned her up put her down. She went on with her tantrum for some time screaming in her room and while I was talking to Joe's parents. I was still on the phone and she snuck into the kitchen and started digging in the trash for her food! Joe found her, fussed at her and the screaming started again "I still eatin!!". Now it seems we can't have a meal without her making such a mess and if you try to take her plate away she flips outs. Today I just had to take a picture of her greasy ranch hands and face and soggy sandwich. Tonight no different except when I went to give her back her plate I told her she better take a bite right then and she did but then went right back to playing. Joe was about to take her plate again so I grabbed the camera hoping to get her fit on tape but she was actually done b/c she stacked everything up and said "yup all done". This little girl just has me laughing all the time. Hopefully I can get a video of her "I not done eatin" fit soon.

Daddy's Princess

2009-01-27T23:03:00.003-06:00

Joe came home on Friday with a surprise for Kalli, a little pearl bracelet. He was at work walking back from a meeting with a supervisor when they passed someone selling homemade jewelry. His supervisor stopped to buy something and Joe saw a little bracelet that he thought would fit Kalli and had just the amount of money. I was probably more excited that he bought her jewelry than Kalli was but she still loved it. That's something my dad NEVER did was buy us girls jewelry. Given it would probably get rather expensive if he tried to buy 4 girls jewelry but I just think its so sweet and thoughtful and wondered if Joe would do ti for our girls. (If he didn't I would either make him or buy it myself and have him give to our daughter(s).) So needless to say I thought it was so sweet and tried to get a picture of the 2 of them together while Kalli was wearing it but Joe thought I was a dork and said no. So Kalli posed for me by herself to show off her pretty pearls.

Nothing Like a Saxon Bonfire

2009-01-27T22:26:00.006-06:00

For any of you who have been to my parents house know my dad builds a serious bonfire. Yes that's right I said 'build'. My dad puts so much time making his bonfires that they're usually over 12 feet high. This one was no exception. Because of the hurricane many trees fell down in the woods behind my parents house. My dad has slowly but surely been cutting them up and preparing for a big bonfire. He usually invites our ward and anyone else who wants to come and enjoy the big fire, and that's what we did-enjoy. Burgers were provided by church and we had some yummy chips and drinks to go along with them. My dad builds a smaller fire off to the side for roasting marshmallow and has some hot coals with racks over them for the cooking. It's a pretty nice set up if you ask me. The weather was perfect, not too chilly or too hot, just comfortable. I only took a few pictures b/c Joe and I were pretty busy running after our kids to make sure they didn't try and cook themselves!

Some of the YM excited to play with fire

Is that not HUGE???

Those flames were so high and the little embers were falling all around like snow (but not something you'd want to catch on your tongue)

Fun at the Park

2009-01-26T22:41:00.011-06:00

Last Thursday and Friday were just beautiful so me and the kids took full advantage of it and went to the park both days. Holly meet up with us on Friday and we had a great time. The kids enjoyed getting a lot of their built up energy out since we've been stuck inside with the cold weather. Thursday they had just turned the sand so it was so thick and hard to walk in (your fee just sunk into it). It also had a dark reddish tent to it which made the kids feet an orangish-red when we left but luckily it didn't stain their clothes or feet :). I was surprised at how compact it had become just in a day. We also remembered to bring our sand toys on Friday which was a big hit for all the kids at the park. I just love fun days at the park especially when nap time quickly follows!

They were both seriously laughing hysterically until I got the camera out and once I put it back they were back to laughing. I was so annoyed b/c I wanted to get their sweet little expressions!

Monkey See Monkey Do

They were so cute holding hands on the bridge but we just couldn't get our cameras out fast enough.

Day 2 as a 4 year old

2009-01-23T23:19:00.007-06:00

I realized the morning after Kaiden's birthday that I forgot to let him open his Birthday cards. So he had fun tearing into those and even carried them around days before it was his birthday. He was super excited that Great Grandma Liz and Aunt Linda and Uncle Greg sent him money. We decided we would have a fun day at Monkey Bizz with some of this money and the other money (a check) he would give it to Wal-Mart. So we got dressed and spent the afternoon at Monkey Bizz. We had never been and weren't sure what to expect but we had a lot of fun. Both kids loved running around through all of the tunnels and sliding. Since I decided against the joint birthday party we'll be going there again this Friday around 10:30 ish for a fun day with friends. I'm not worrying about cake we just want to go and have fun so if you'd like to join us we'd love to have ya! Just know there is a $4 plus change admission for kids 1 and older. Here are a few pictures from our fun afternoon there. We stayed and played so long it was nearly impossible to keep Kalli awake on the way home. She fell asleep the last few minutes and was completely out that she didn't move when I took off her shoes, and piggy tails. I just love doing fun things with the kids and seeing their adorable smiles!

He was concentrating so hard while opening the cards. I'm also curious why he was sent a pink envelope but he does say one of his favorite colors is pink so he was pretty excited.He was so excited that this card had the #4 o it. Notice the money falling out of the second picture. Once he realized he had his own money he was Mr Big Shot!

Enjoying the ball pit as any kid would

Going down the roller slide thingy. They loved this and I even went down a few times. Let's just say its not so comfortable and the heavier you are the faster you go!

Kalli was so drawn to this horse wagon. I told both of them upfront that I was not paying for them to ride rides we were there to slide. But every so often Kalli would take a break and just sit in the wagon. I gave in and let her ride it a few times. She was in heaven!Luckily this ride was broken and free...doesn't seem broken to me!One last ride on the horsies

Kaiden's Birthday Night

2009-01-23T22:54:00.008-06:00

After school and nap time Joe was home and we enjoyed hanging out as a family. Joe's Dad put together a cute little birthday card for Kaiden on Power Point and Kaiden LOVED hitting 'enter' to see what would happen next. He did that over and over until Grandma and Grandpa called and we were able to talk to them on the phone and then even chat a little through webcam. After that my family started showing up and we headed outside to have a little bonfire as part of Kaiden's big day. The kids had fun but boy was it cold! We roasted marshmallows for a little while and then headed inside to open presents. Kaiden was so excited to open presents (it's been a long few weeks since Christmas!) He was also nice enough to let Kalli help him with a few. In all we had a great day and its still a little unbelievable that my little boy is 4 years old!

Spirit Shirt, Nugget and Birthday Day

2009-01-19T22:34:00.006-06:00

Like I said earlier I went to Kaiden's school to bring cupcakes for his Birthday. I think I was more excited than he was. I really want to be a part of his school and help out when I can but I never exactly know how to tell the teacher that without being too pushy or whatever. Well a birthday is a great excuse to pop in! His regular teacher wasn't there b/c her mother had just passed away but the school's assistant, Mrs Liz, had been subbing for the last 2 weeks and she's great! (Not that Mrs Shawn isn't) Well when I got there the kids were enjoying their nuggets and watching a short movie to celebrate Nugget Day since they were learning about the letter 'N'. The kids were so cute singing Happy Birthday to Kaiden and were especially excited to get cupcakes. Afterwards while we were waiting for a US Marine to come talk to the class (something that was suppose to happen during 'M' week but was postponed) the kids sang their song that they had learned that week to help them remember the letter 'N'. it was really cute even though most of the kids didn't remember all of it. In all it was a really fun day to spend with Kaiden at school and see how he interacts with his teacher and all of his little friends.

Kaiden wanted to take a picture of me and Mrs Liz. He's the Birthday Boy so we agreed!

Baking Cupcakes

2009-01-19T22:29:00.003-06:00

Since Thursday was Kaiden's birthday me and the kids baked cupcakes on Wednesday so I could bring them to Kaiden's school and help celebrate. They had a lot of fun taking turns using the mixer and of course eating the left over batter. Can't say I blame 'em b/c that's the best part! And thanks to their help the end result was delicious!

The BIG 4!

2009-01-17T00:11:00.002-06:00

How in the world do I have a 4 year old!! I can vividly remember the day before I had Kaiden (my last day of work and everything I did that night) before we went to the hospital to have my sweet little baby boy. It seems like only yesterday... and in a blink of an eye he's in school and now he's 4! Joe and I loved looking through pictures from the last 4 years and finding our favorites of Kaiden. He's such a great kid and we are so blessed to have him as part of our family. A few things about Kaiden. He loves TV and would watch 'show' after 'show' if I'd let him. Although he loves TV he really LOVES playing outside and riding his bikes, scooters and tractors or just running around. He has so much energy and never seems to stop. Although you can tell when he NEEDS to stop and take a rest b/c he sure gets cranky when he's tired! Kaiden loves his family and although he plays the typical 'bully big brother' part well he can also be so sweet to his little sister. Helping her clean up, bringing her her toys and giving her the toy she's crying over. He's also a big helper around the house (when he's in the mood!) and loves to help mom. Kaiden loves ANYTHING "Cars" and has just about EVERY "Cars" car there is. He also loves trains and we're hoping (for Grandpa's sake) he keeps loving them at least until Grandpa gets back from Argentina and shows off his own train set! Kaiden loves to drive Papa's tractor and help Papa around outside. He also loves his cousins and still talks about our visit from the summer. He also loves his new baby cousin Greyson and is a real help to mom when he's fussy. He can have Greyson smiling in seconds while I'm getting his bottle ready (very big relief to me). Kaiden is a momma's boy but also his dad's biggest fan. He loves looking at jeeps on the computer with dad and won't let me do certain things b/c his "dad is suppose to do that!". But if he's cranky or sick he WANTS mom! Kaiden is so bright and very smart and his teacher and school assistant have both told me how impressed they are with him. Although he loves to play and goof off he knows his stuff and can remember everything it seems! He loves learning and is like a sponge just soaking it in. Kaiden loves Jesus and loves us to read the kids BOM with pictures to him. He loves missionaries and loves to pray. I enjoy ease dropping while he's saying his nightly prayers and especially loved his birthday breakfast prayer yesterday thanking Heavenly Father for blessing his birthday. In all Kaiden is such a blessing to our family and I couldn't' imagine life without him. WE LOVE YOU, KAIDEN!!
As I said I went through all of our pictures of Kaiden from the last 4 years and picked out most of my favorites. I know there's A LOT but you try doing the same for your kid, it's nearly impossible not to pick out a lot! So I've separated them into slide shows by each year. Enjoy...man he was/is a cute kid!
(And for those of you who didn't know Kaiden wore a correctional helmet when he was 7 months old for 2 months b/c the right side of his head was starting to get flat since he always laid on that side sucking his thumb.)

SNIP SNIP!

2009-01-16T23:49:00.004-06:00

As many of you know Kalli has a mullet. At first I was just excited that she was finally growing hair but since it seems to only be growing in the back...well let's just say I'm not as excited! One good thing is I can hide it pretty well with piggie tails (hence why she always has them if we go ANYwhere!). I was talking with a friend and she suggested I have her hair trimmed again in hopes that it would help it to start growing faster. So off we went. I didn't plan on getting any pictures b/c the last time (around her 1st year b-day) she screamed the whole time and I had to hold her down. This time we went to a more kid friendly place and she was fine until we buckled wrapped the apron around her. After that she was starting to freak out a little and trying to get out. That's when I noticed the suckers off to the side and the lady gave her one. After that we didn't hear a peep out of her. Unfortunately the hair cut isn't' the best...go figure! I just wanted the lady to snip just the tips off on her bangs and sides and then cut a little off the back. Well the front she did fine and thank goodness I told her ahead of time I didn't want the straight across bangs. Not that there's anything wrong with that I just didn't think it would look right on Kalli. With that being said you'd think she would cut straight across on the sides but oh did she! It's not awful but I'm definitely not happy about it either. Again thank goodness it still has some length for piggie tails! I'm just hoping this works and it start to grow soon. I know we live in Livingston Parish, but come on! does she have to have a mullet for life?!?!

New Year's Eve

2009-01-13T00:30:00.008-06:00

On New Year's Eve we went to hang out and BBQ with our friends Nathan and Jill. Nathan's brother's joined us as well as a few other friends, Jennie, Brandon, Elizabeth, Paul and the twins. We had a good time visiting, watching LSU kick butt and the boys enjoyed playing what else but x box! The kids were sooo good and stayed up all night to ring in the New Year with us. Joe and I said from the beginning if they got too crazy we would just go home. But after the game we put in a movie for them to watch and they were just fine. Shortly after the movie ended I bundled them up to watch some fireworks outside. A few minutes before midnight Joe joined us and Jill brought out some sparkling grape juice to help us ring in the New Year. The kids loved watching the amazing fireworks show hosted by all of Nathan and Jill's neighbors-we couldn't believe how many there were! It was really cold so the kids stayed warm in Jill's blankets while the rest of us froze...notice Nathan and Josh in shorts with NO shoes...Those Britt boys are not the smartest! :)

We had a great time and after the fireworks stopped the kids were back inside all hyper and running around with the dogs and we started talking again. Before we knew it we were laying the kids in bed at 2 am!! Obviously the latest I've ever kept my kids awake but we all had a great time and unfortunately the kids still woke up at 8 but they took one heck of a nap that afternoon! Happy New Year!

Jennie, Nathan (weirdo) Kaiden holding Natalie and Elizabeth

Can you tell Kaiden is still a little freaked out by the sparklers?!? (See pre new year's post)Let the show begin!Nathan, Jill, Josh and Joe braving the cold to watch the fireworks

Our little familyKalli had to have a sip of my drink

Me and Kaiden were the last ones outside, he wanted to see ALL of the fireworks so I stayed out with him for a few more minutes.

We had fun taking a few pictures

I love his cute smile in this oneKalli telling VooDoo to sit or stay...I don't think he heard her :)

My Lilttle Princess

2009-01-12T23:54:00.003-06:00

Tuesday Dec 30

Kalli woke up from her nap before Kaiden so I decided we would have a little girly fun together. I pulled her box of dress up stuff down and got out her new shoes and wand from CC. I asked if she wanted to put a pretty dress on and she said yes. As I pulled it out she immediately said "ohhhh princess dress!" I thought it was so cute and she just looked adorable in it. The only thing we're missing is a crown, but don't worry she'll be getting that for her birthday! She kept telling me over and over "I princess" so I think she was enjoying it just as much as I was. She really tried walking around in her shoes but they kept falling off so she finally gave up and was ready to put her normal clothes back on. But nonetheless it's a step in the right direction. I'm getting so excited that she's becoming more interested in all things princess and tells us often how she is one. We've also been enjoying many princess movies and Kaiden been a good sport about them as well. As long as there's a villain he'll just about watch any movie. I just love all this girl stuff! :)

Pre New Year's Celebration

2009-01-11T23:40:00.013-06:00

Our good friends Katie and Philip invited us over for a fun night popping fireworks two days after Christmas. This was also Aaron's birthday so it was fun to visit with him now that he's the BIG3-0! I'm amazed at how many people like my older brother b/c his house was packed especially for a last minute party invite! :) After visiting for a while there we headed over to Katie and Phe's. The kids were very excited to see Tyler and even more excited to play with his toys! They were also excited to see baby Kaleigh for only the 2nd time since she was born (I know I'm a horrible friend! We just kept getting sick!) Kaleigh is of course as precious as ever and Tyler is so big! The kids had a blast together playing with Tyler's new train table while Kaleigh ate and the big boys aka. Joe, Phe and Ryan (Katie's lil bro) had a Roman Candle war. I was out on the side line of the war zone filming these idiots the whole time. It was pretty amusing to say the least until the very last candle was pointed at me and zoomed over my head just inches from hitting me! Philip apparently thought I was Ryan and wanted to kill him! Luckily it missed me but it didn't help my fear of fireworks!

After the boys had their fun it was time for all of us to enjoy the fireworks show. Katie and Phe go all out when it comes to fireworks and we've luckily been able to reap the rewards from that quite a few times. Kaiden and Tyler were in heaven once the fireworks started. Kalli on the other hand was a little freaked out. Not nearly as bad as Kaiden was at her age (meaning she wasn't screaming or crying) but she could have done with out all the loud noise. Here are some fun pictures from our even funner night. Of course we had to end the night with a few games of Uno in which I totally kicked butt at!

Patiently waiting for the show to start

Can you tell they're excited or what?! Yes they're screaming but it's at least a happy scream!

I took this video after these pictures and I wish I would have taken the video first b/c their reaction was even crazier than this...if you can imagine that! Sorry it's so dark but if you look closely you can see how uneasy Kalli is by the whole idea.

Kal had to snuggle for the first little while to get used to all the loud fireworksAunt Katie, Kaleigh, and Kalli

The ones running the show, Joe, Phe, and Ryan

Kal was ready to 'get away' from all the noiseCover your ears!

Kalli was always much happier being held. She says fireworks at the end-too cute!

The safety goggles were passed around a few times

The kids were very excited for the sparklers

That is until Kaiden burnt his eye. He held it a little too close and burnt just right above his eyebrow...it could have been a lot worse so we're thankful for that but I did miss my cute picture opportunity.

All better now and having a great time with his best bud!Kalli hiding out in the play houseKatie and MeAfter the fireworks the kids took a casual drive around the yard

Cute pictures of Kal with her messy ponytail wearing her boyfriend's (Tyler) shirt. I just thought she looked so cute!

The kids watching their movie while we played UNO

It Ain't Over Yet!

2009-01-08T23:09:00.009-06:00

The day after Christmas the kids got a package from Uncle Mark, Auntie Sharon and their cousins. It came at the perfect time b/c the kids were already wanting to open more presents. I don't' even think they really cared about getting more toys its more of the fun in opening a gift. I can't say I blame them b/c I LOVE to open presents as well...I just don't get very many! (hint hint to whomever is reading this!!)Well we had just had a long day of black Friday shopping and lunch at Chick-fil-a so it was great to have the kids in a good mood the second we walked in the door. Kaiden got a firetruck thing with all kinds of cool gadgets and some fun sea creatures. Kalli got a new baby doll in which she absolutely LOVES! She also opened a cute Precious Moments dish set. She doesn't use it for real food b/c she's constantly wanting to serve her play food on it instead. Either way it gets a lot of use. They were also nice enough and didn't forget about me and Joe. We got a new Battle of the Sexes Game that I'll be kicking butt at real soon! Thanks again Auntie Sharon and the boys!

Can you tell Kaiden is a little excited about opening more presents?I love Kal's sweet smile in this picture

Kaiden lending a helping hand and Kal with her new baby and stroller

Kalli story- This new baby makes crying sounds and says a few other things and every time it cries Kalli has to run the baby to her room for night night. Joe even said one night she'd get half way down the hall and remember she forget the baby's blanket and run back to grab it and turn around and run back to her room. She also has to have both of her babies sleep with her at night and I have to give each one a kiss and put them on a certain side next to her. One night I tried to put the new baby on her right side and she quickly corrected me and told me where that baby was suppose to lay. She's so funny, we just love to laugh at her cute, spunky personality!

The Last of Christmas Day

2009-01-07T00:00:00.013-06:00

All of my siblings (except Autumn, who we were able to talk to on the phone!) had Christmas dinner at my mom and dad's along with my aunt and uncle. We had a great time visiting and eating so much delicious food. Afterwards we opened even more presents and the kids were geared and ready to open any present that was handed to them...even some that weren't! We were also able to chat with Autumn on the phone for 1/2 hour. She's got her official release date for Feb 11. I can't believe it's a month away! In all we had a wonderful Christmas day and it was great spending it with family. We're also grateful that we were able to talk to so much family that weren't there with us. We're looking forward to Christmas next year in Colorado with Joe's family. The kids will love being around their older cousins (we had the best time with them this summer.) and we can't wait to visit with Grandma and Grandpa in person! I hope everyone had as an enjoyable Christmas as we did. Now onto the pictures!

Greyson 'opening' his first present. I think he liked the paper more than anything. Aunt Linda showing Kal how to work her new toy.

Kaiden better watch out Gege looks pretty excited about his present!

Carey(Nana's BF), Nana, Kalli and CC. Kalli kept bringing every present of hers to CC and then they'd open it together. Not sure why but it was cute.
Kaiden didn't have a problem helping others open their gifts

Kalli showing off her dress up shoes from CC
Greyson loved his new toy from his favorite Auntie...ME! CC got Kaiden the "Let's Go Fishing" game and it was a big hit!

Uncle Greg entertaining baby Greyson...

...while mom takes a breakKal showing off her new dress ups and then she was locked away in the letter box waiting for her Prince Charming!

Christmas Morning

2009-01-04T20:09:00.012-06:00

Christmas morning unfortunately started with Kaiden waking up on the wrong side of the bed. He crawled into bed with us as usual and then went to potty but on his way something happened and he just lost it. He went from being content to throwing a nasty tantrum. I felt bad b/c I knew he might still be a little sick but I wasn't expecting that on Christmas morning! We finally got him to settle down and shortly after that Kalli woke up. It's been tradition in my family that you have to wait until everyone is awake before you can check out what Santa brought. Usually we were stationed in the hall until my mom and dad had both cameras ready and Christmas music was playing in the background. I can't see Christmas doing it any other way so Joe and I have kept it up. The more I think of it the more I enjoy doing it this way b/c I love being able to see the excitement and anticipation on my kids faces as they're waiting to run to the tree. It's looks kind of like this...

Tree on onside of the door excited kids on the other

Not to mention the squeals of excitement and their first reactions once they see what Santa left. Such as this...

In all we had an enjoyable Christmas morning and were glad that my parents and Carmen were able to make it over and participate in all the excitement. It was nice to take it slow and let the kids play afterwards since we didn't have to be at my parents for Christmas dinner until noon. We were also able to speak with Joe's parents in Argentina and the kids enjoyed telling them all about their new scooters. Santa knows how to catch a good deal and found Kalli's for only $1 at Goodwill...can't beat that! It was so fun having Kaiden really understand the whole Santa thing this year and Kalli would just feed off of his enthusiasm. But it was even nicer to help them both understand the true meaning we celebrate Christmas. Before we went to open our gifts we said a family prayer and then we all said Happy Birthday to Jesus. I loved how excited the kids were for Santa but I felt they were just as happy knowing we were celebrating Jesus' birthday. Just a side note it was so warm on Christmas day the kids didn't even wear their matching pj's to bed, but I had them put them on before opening gifts. Crazy winter in the south!

Santa did good

Opening their gifts from each other...I think Kaiden really liked his :)

Opening Grandma and Grandpa's gift

Opening our gifts that my cousin Jill sent

Jill always picks out the best books and the kids love them. They stopped playing with all of their toys to sit down and read!

The kids thanking cousin Jill for their new books

Kalli and Gege reading one of her new booksKaiden loving his new trains

Christmas Eve

2008-12-29T23:24:00.011-06:00

On Christmas Eve we had dinner at Aaron and Lisa's house, where Lisa baked a delicious ham. We were joined by Lisa's mom and aunt, these ladies are a hoot! We all had a great time and ate way too much. After we opened a few presents the kids surprised everyone with matching Christmas Jammies. Last year I saw so many of your families with this tradition and loved it so we added it to ours. Everyone thought they were so cute especially the grandma's! We loved being able to relax and visit and I love not having to cook dinner!

Kalli discovered Greyson's rocking horse and had to give it a test drive.Monkey see Monkey do!Ms Joanne (Lisa's mom) showing off her antlersMe and Joe after a delicious dinner!Kalli was obsessed with Greyson's new swing (forget that she has one just like this at my parents!) CC finally helped her get in and she loved it!Kaiden's turn to take pictures Another one from Kaiden (I think he had his finger over the flash)

Kalli wanted to be a reindeer too! She looks a little scary in the picture with her big chocolate teeth smile!Nana relaxing on the couch

The time Kaiden and Kalli had been waiting for-Opening Presents!

Papa loved his gift from Aaron and Lisa...I think he was the most excited out of everyone. He took his air compressor out of the box and even plugged it in to turn it on. He was so funny!

Ms Joanne got Kalli a 'Swiper' from "Dora the Explorer"She loves it and is always saying "wiper no wiping" (translation- Swiper no swiping) and "oh man!"
Opening more gifts with Ms Jeanie (Lisa's aunt)

Lisa and I got the kids matching Christmas Jammies and surprised all the adults...they loved it! This was our first attempt at taking a jammie picture

Kalli giving kisses to her favorite baby cousinOur 2nd attempt at pictures...the bumbo worked great and we could see little Greyson so much better...now if only everyone would look at the camera and smile!

Joe entertaining everyone with some good old fashion juggling...my hubby is so talented!

Kaiden loved his noisy light up gun from Joanne and Jeanie, he also tested out the bumbo chair.I remember when Kalli first used this chair and her thighs were so fat it took forever to get her out! What better way to end a great night than read a new book with her Papa!

Christmas Playdate

2008-12-29T22:52:00.003-06:00

Jenny Caillouet and Kim Wesley hosted a Christmas play date last Monday and we had a great time! Kim made 2 delicious soups and had Christmas puzzles for the kids to color on and finger puppets to make. Jenny made some yummy sugar cookies that the kids decorated or just ate icing...either way it was fun. It was especially fun for us moms to get together and just chat. Thanks Jenny and Kim we had a great time!

I didn't take many pictures but here's the few I have. I think I got all of the older kids but no babies...sorry Eli, Sara, and Sophie!

My 2 Christmas cuties!

Not sure what Kalli's doing with her hands and I just love Kaiden's smile with a mouth full of cookie!

Kalli was loading her cookie up!The 2 Brooklyns

To get their attention I asked where my nose was and big Brooklyn knew just where to point. I guess little Brooklyn didn't want her picture taken...hence the stink face!

Allison and Kailey

Look at Allison shoving what I think is icing in her mouth! These girls are too cute!

Having Fun with CC

2008-12-25T22:24:00.007-06:00

Saturday Dec 19

CC has been in town for a over a week now and its been so fun having her here! The kids absolutely love her and she's already been willing to babysit more than once (Thanks Carmen)! I think one reason the kids love her so much is because in a lot of ways she's still a kid at heart. She's full of love and has soooo much energy and will run and play with Kaiden and Kalli all day! Too bad lunch and nap time often gets in the way! On Saturday Carmen and Papa stopped by to play and enjoy the warm weather we've been having. It's crazy how Saturday we were in shorts and Sunday was so cold! We even had to wrap our pipes Sunday night. We saw on the news Sunday that the high for Sunday was 70 degrees and Joe and I were like 'what?!' But it was b/c the high was at midnight and then just dropped from there! Gotta love Louisiana weather! Anyway here are a few pictures from their play date.

Kaiden's Pre-KChristmas party

2008-12-24T23:56:00.006-06:00

Thursday Dec 17

Kaiden had his first school party and I'm not sure who was more excited me or him! It was very simple but still fun seeing him with all of his buddies in class. The kids had their snacks and then they opened their '$5 and under presents' from home. Kaiden, as most boys his age, loves "Cars". He as almost every "Cars" car and unfortunately has lost some as well. One of those is Chick Hicks. He still asks about Chick all the time and how he's sad that he lost but never complained about wanting a new one. Joe had the good idea to make Chick his gift. I knew he would be excited but it was so cute to see exactly how excited he was. I wasn't sure if I wanted to get a picture or video and I'm glad I went with the video b/c it's too cute! We had a good time and enjoyed going to see Santa afterwards with Kalli, Greyson and Elizabeth's twin girls. I'll scan those pictures soon.

Kaiden w/ Mrs Liz (his recess teacher) and Mrs Shawn his Pre-K3 teacher he loves them both and was asking Mrs Shawn where her mom was at the party since all of the other kids had their moms there. Sweet huh?

Before -After

Kaiden and his buddy Lane

Kaiden, Adagio, and Jude

(It was Jude's last day b/c he's moving to Houston so he went around and told everyone bye and gave them hugs. When he got to Kaiden, Kaiden said I love you Jude. It was funny. Jude is one of his best friends at school and I don't think Kaiden realizes he won't see him anymore. Kaiden would tell me Jude is moving but then say, "It's okay though he'll be back and I'll see him again" Lucky for kids they usually get over stuff like that quickly or even forget!All of Kaiden's classmates

2008-12-24T23:37:00.008-06:00

Sunday Dec 14

Lisa, Aaron, and Greyson stopped by after nap time Sunday and the kids always have a great time with them. They really enjoyed running around outside and playing on the see-saw (and just so you know Aaron and Kalli out weighed Lisa and Kaiden...as if you couldn't have already guessed that with those two fattys! Little Grey also enjoyed a little ride on Papa's new tractor!

Christmas Parade

2008-12-22T22:53:00.010-06:00

Saturday Dec 13
We took the kids to the Denham Springs Parade and had a wonderful time. It's so fun to reminisce about when I was a little girl going to this exact same parade! It also makes me feel a little old too. But we had a great time and Kaiden was so excited to go to another parade. He still talks about the one we went to for Mardi Gras (at the beginning of the year!) We did have plans to attend Kaiden and Kalli's little friend's, Kailey, birthday party but I swore last year (after missing the Christmas parade) I was not going to miss it this year. Holly thanks for being so understanding and we were glad we got to the party just as Kailey was unwrapping her last present. Kadien being so sweet gave Kailey our present for her and he was so excited he told her what it was! Kids are so funny!

Back to the parade the kids were able to get really pumped up as we were walking to get our spot b/c we passed by Santa Clause in the fire truck. We packed sandwiches for the kids to eat while we waited and the kids had a fun time just playing in the street waiting for the parade to start. Kalli had us laughing while she was making herself dizzy and Kaiden walking all weird with his hands in his pockets. We caught so much candy, beads, cups, stuffed animals, straws and even a stocking! The kids loved every minute of it and although we now have even more junk it's hard not to want to pick up every bead they throw...even if you have bags full of the same ones at home!

Kaiden and Kalli waiting for the parade to start

Kalli entertaining us with her 'spinning' skills.

Kaiden goofing off in the middle of the street.

Watching all the Police motorbikes driving by to start the parade off

Racing to get the 1st bit of candy

Kaiden pointing out candy in the middle of the road that we wouldn't let him go get b/c the band would trample over him!

Kalli just watching the float go by and then she decided it was time to get her grove on!

work it girl! (I know it's the wrong way but still cute!)

Santa Clause is coming to town!

Getting the last treats to stuff in our already overflowing bags!

Silly Kiddos

2008-12-21T23:55:00.003-06:00

After washing all of our hats and gloves from the snowstorm the kids saw me folding them and just 'had' to put them back on. So they bundled up and enjoyed being all cozy while dad read them "The 12 Days of Christmas" New Zealand style. Thanks Uncle Mark and Auntie Sharon the kids love it! I had to take a picture b/c they looked so cute. I just wish Joe would let me get a video of him reading the story. Joe lived in NZ for a few years and served his mission in Australia so he had a bit of an accent back in the day and it comes out a little while he reads the story...which is very sexy! ;0