We miss Grandpa

As we said in the last post, Grandpa came out for the family reunion in Sunriver. He also got to stay at our house for an extra 2 1/2 days. We had the best time with him and miss him already. We made the most of our 2 1/2 extra days by showing it that it's ok to be in the hot sun. We went to the river, to the park, dug in the dirt in our backyard.

But when it got just too hot (who would ever think it's too hot?!), we moved the party inside. We played airplane and pretended to fly to Vermont. And we read books till way past our bedtime.

Come back soon Grandpa! We love you!

Family Reunion in Sunriver

Grandpa came all the way from Burlington, Vermont. Uncle Anders came all the way from Eugene. Uncle Lars, Aunt Renee, and cousin Leif (10) came all the way from San Diego, CA. Cousins Darin, Natalie, Kyrie (7), Kale (4), Renee, Troy, Amelie (4) and Elianne (almost 3) came all the way from Spokane, WA. Aunt Sue came all the way from Portland, OR. And Aunt Carole came all the way from Texas. Though a couple people were missing, we had a great time!

We went to the pool; the life jackets were so we could go down the slide. Even Kai went down the slide like a big boy. No fear in this family.

Always eating...

Sometimes I can't get over how much they look alike...

There's a great park in the center of Sunriver that we went to a couple of times. Aunt Sue bought all the boys matching monkey shirts and all the girls matching flower outfits. Very cute! Here we are practicing being brothers and being kind to one another.

This is my "shy" face. I stick my hand in my mouth and suck on my pointer and middle fingers. I spent much of the first day like this...or any new experience like going to the new playground for the first time.

I was even the tour guide for the High Desert Museum. I think it might be something I'll consider as a profession as I grow up. I was quite good at it. The hole in the picture is where Kai should be...he was home taking a nap.                  (L-R Leif, Elianne, Kadyn, Amelie, Kale, Kyrie)

                                      (L-R) Amelie, Elianne, Kadyn

                                             (L-R) Kyrie, Kale, Amelie, Elianne, Kadyn)

What great memories!

Here are some Kadynisms of the weekend:

1. B-I-N-G-O is sung "There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his NEMO" 

2. You "amen't" going. Meaning, aren't.

3. "Leif (keep in mind leif is 10), if you want that to stay safe from my baby brother (referencing a book of cd's) you need to put it up really high." 

4. Kadyn learned how to ride a bike with training wheels...we know what he'll be getting for Birthday/Christmas this year. 

Besides spending much of the weekend in timeout for screaming, Kai did manage to learn some new words.

1. Hieeeee ("Hi")

2. Boo

3. Ot ("Hot")

4. Ow (he's actually known this for awhile but I don't know if I wrote it down or not)

5. Da-pa (Grandpa)

6. Though not a word, Kai had a fascination with his brother's bike helmet and all the bikes. Again, we know what he'll be getting for Birthday/Christmas this year.

T-Mom and Aunt Linda's Visit

We had an amazing and fun time with T-Mom (Great-Grandma) and Aunt Linda. We packed in a lot of fun things; a visit to the High Desert Museum, lots of fun evenings playing outside in the sprinklers, a trip to Sisters, fun at the Children's Festival, celebrating Mommy and Daddy's anniversary and T-Mom's birthday and Aunt Linda's birthday. Mommy said we need to visit them soon...we just hope it's REAL soon. We love you T-Mom and Aunt Linda! Thank you for all the special memories.

Follow up to sod

Happy Anniversary!

Today we celebrate "us." It's hard to believe that 5 years have come and gone. 9 years ago I met a boy. 5 years ago I married a man. And boy have we crammed a lot in those 5 years...1 dog, 2 kids, 2 home remodels, 5+ major trips. And to think I love this man even more today than I did then. Happy Anniversary Babe! You're an amazing husband. An amazing father. An amazing friend. Thank you for saying "I do."

Poop epidemic

For those with weak stomachs, don't continue reading. Though I'm sure it can be said a girl could do this too, I don't know of any...

If there is poop in our yard, inevitably Kai will find it. He will step in it. He will feel the texture between his fingers. And then, and only then, will he stop, point, and call for one of us to come scoop it up.

Not only that, but the last 2 mornings Kai has greeted first Ryan, then me, with wide open hands full of poop when we got him out of his crib. Yup.

And...in case that wasn't enough...he took off his diaper at Grammy's house last night and pooped on the hot tub cover. Ah Uh.

Oh yea, this is also the same kid that has pooped in the tub. Not once. Not twice. Nope. But a total of 4 times. Yea.

AND the other day while I was on the phone he wanted until I cleaned up his already poopy diaper and left him alone for 30 seconds while I grabbed another diaper. Yup, he waited for that moment to poop AGAIN. On his floor. No, not just the floor, but the brand new carpet. The best part? I was still on the phone, managed to get it cleaned up and chased him in to the tub without letting on to the person I was speaking with on the phone that anything was out of the ordinary. Why? Because let's face it. Around here, that is ordinary :)

Oh boys. And yes, despite my sarcasm, a little poop can't scare this mama away :) These stories actually make me smile...though it is something we need to work on ;)

Happenings

Kai Isaac--

-New Words: "Yea," "bah (means bye)," "kna, kna (means knock knock)," "yellow (pretty much everything is yellow right now)."
-New Actions: He loves blowing kisses goodbye. He'll grab me by my hand and lead me somewhere depending on what he wants or where he wants to go. He loves to sit on my lap. He's become insistent on doing whatever his brother does. He no longer sits in the high chair. He's become a little brother (i.e he knows just how to push his big brother's buttons). He SCREAMS and as a result has countless timeouts in a very short period of time. He's officially a jumper. He is becoming more interested in books. Kai is a love bug.We continue to be blessed and rejoice in his laughter.

Kadyn James--

-Kadyn continues to define "boy." He is hysterical, serious, loving, demanding, sweet, trying, shy, outgoing, sensitive, sneaky, wonderful.
-Here are some of my favorite Kadynisms of late...
-A girl would say "Mommy, where do babies come from?"
Kadyn says: "Mommy, where do babies poop when they are inside your tummy?"
-Every night at bedtime I sing the boys lullaby's and scratch their backs. Every night Kadyn asks me the same question: "Mommy, are you going to stay with me tomorrow, or do you have to work?" Breaks my heart 5 days of the week. 
-He spent an entire day calling Kai "Sis." When asked why, he said "I wanted to pretend I had a sister."
-Kadyn has gotten the hang of his strider bike.  
-Kadyn also continues to keep me on the edge of my seat with all things allergy and sickness related. We've now added an inhaler to our diaper bag along with the epi pen.

I sure love these boys. Their laughter is contagious, it's beautiful, it's pure. There is no greater sound.

Fourth of July

This was a big Fourth of July. Not only was it the first time Kadyn expressed interest in actually being IN the pet parade, but he also got to stay up late to see the fire works. We met Gracie and Elliott downtown for the parade and snuggled in to the wagon to throw candy to all our spectators. It was a blast! Definitely something to make a tradition.

It was such a busy day that Kadyn fell asleep waiting for the fire works. We'll see if he wakes up to see them...

Well, awake for a few, but then right back to sleep. Maybe next year...

Getting yard ready for sod

Happiness is...dirt and boys. Is there a better combo? However, we're getting sod! Though we'll miss our built in dirt sandbox that expands the length of our yard we are SO excited to get sod. Daddy promises he'll build us a big sandbox too.