Kaylen Sayings

Kaylen has said the funniest things lately. I thought these were the cutest and wanted to jot them down to remember them.

Patty Cake

I was playing patty cake with Kaylen. We made the cake, rolled the cake, and marked it with a

B. We put it in the oven for baby and me. When I said the oven part, Kaylen said, "We don't put baby in the oven. That's not right."

Playing Around

Kaylen and Logan were playing/wrestling/tumbling around. Kaylen ended up getting hurt. She declared after the crying stopped, "That wasn't a good idea."

After School

After the end of the day, that included dance and school, Kaylen stated, "I've hard a hard day."

Singing at School

Kaylen was talking with me about songs that she sings at school. They sing the alphabet song and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She sadly stated, "My teacher doesn't know "I Am a Child of God."

Peaches

I ordered a 30 pound box of peaches. I arranged them all in the fridge; they took up an entire shelf all the way across the fridge. Kaylen opened the fridge and exclaimed, "Holy Cow!"

Articles of Faith

The Primary children in our ward are memorizing the Articles of Faith. For each Article of Faith memorized, the child can put that number of marbles into a jar. Kaylen was so happy because on Sunday she got a "marble of faith." She had memorized the 2nd Article of Faith and got the chance to add to the jar with her marbles of faith.

Weather Change

It's finally cooling down here. This morning when Kaylen went outside to get the newspaper, she declared, "It's freakin' cold." (It was about 75 degrees.)

Football Season

Spencer


Spencer

Logan

Logan

It's football season again for the boys. We've taken about a year off, with the boys constantly asking when they could play football. Eric and I agreed that the boys definitely need something active to do, so we signed them up. Eric decided that he would coach Spencer's team, and then later agreed to also coach Logan's team. Just by asking around, we were able to come up with boys to fill both teams. So, the teams are made up of good kids with supportive parents. They wanted to be the Bengals, but that wasn't available, so they are both the Seahawks.

There have been games for 3 weeks so far. The schedule is rather horrible, so I've only made it to two games. I skipped the 1st week because the games were so early and Colton sleeps in and I didn't want to wake him for a football game. The second week, I went to Logan's game in the middle of the morning. It was hot. Today I went to Spencer's game at 12:00. It was so unbelieveably hot! I took Colton out of his stroller (after he was in it for 5 minutes). His shirt was already sweaty! So I took off his clothes and he sat there watching the game dressed only in his diaper (slightly white trashish). The boys have played so hard, but haven't won any games yet. Spencer did score a touchdown.

During last week's game - Eric got so mad at the refs because they "didn't know the rules." He called refs over from another game to inform the refs about the rules. He gets so into the game that he people wonder if he's ok or if he's slightly crazy. It's tough to deny the crazy part ; )

You can tell football is on Logan's mind.
He is constantly drawing football pictures.

"Play Time" with Dad

I took these pictures of Colton while Eric spent some quality time playing with him.

The Zoo

Today I took Kaylen and Colton to the zoo. We went with my sister's family and my mom. I didn't tell Kaylen that we were meeting them there, so it was a fun surprise. I had to feed Colton, so Kaylen went around with her uncle and my mom.

Kaylen, with an iguana in the background


Kaylen (on left) with two of her cousins

This orangutan put the palm frond on top of himself and chilled

Well-Check Doctor Appointments

Today I took Kaylen and Colton for their 4-year and 2-month well visits at their doctor's office.

Kaylen was very worried about getting shots. She got her flu shot earlier in the month (actually on her birthday). She did very good with it, not even any tears, but was quite apprehensive about going today. Eric had been talking with the kids about the swine flu, that it came from pigs, and that there will be a "shot" for it. While driving to the doctor today, Kaylen asked, "Will I get a shot from the pig?" It took me a little bit to figure it out, but she was worried about the swine flu vaccine that Eric had talked about with the kids.

The doctor says both kids are doing great. Kaylen is average in all areas - height and weight. Colton is above average with everything, especially with height.

An hour and a half later, we walked out of the office with 11 bandaids (4 for Kaylen's shots, 2 for Colton's shots, and 1 for my flu shot), 2 stickers, one sleeping baby, and one 4-year old who dislikes doctor appointments but whose hearing and vision are good.

Siblings

It has been fun to watch the kids interact with Colton. They all love him. Colton is beginning to recognize them and pay attention to them. I love to watch their interactions, especially when they talk to Colton and he responds with a huge smile. Below are some of the pictures of the older kids with Baby C.

One Saturday it rained. The kids love it when it rains and always play outside in the rain. After the rain stopped, they decided to eat outside. Spencer and Lindsey worked together to prepare lunch for everyone to eat outside.

Sleepy K

Kaylen comes home from school and is completely wiped out! I know to watch out for grumpiness on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays (school days). She has been so busy at school and hasn't been able to nap, so she is so tired, whiny, and grumpy.

I was folding clothes on the island when she had a meltdown. I asked her to come and help with folding the washcloths (she loves to do that). She came over and climbed up on the counter. The next thing I knew, she was asleep! She slept through clothes folding, dinner prep, and eating dinner.

Another day Kaylen sat down to color, and was asleep before we knew it. She woke up very confused but started to color right away.

I Love This Baby!

This cute little guy slept 6 hours last night!

A Stronger Testimony

When Colton was blessed, I bore my testimony in church. I really don't care for doing this, but I did it. The tears started during Colton's blessing, continued through my dad's testimony, and continued while I made my way up to the pulpit. My heart was so full because of all the blessings I have and because of my testimony of the Gospel. I bore a short testimony. I realized when I sat down how many more things I wanted to say, but that had left my mind once I was in front of everyone.

One of the things I could have said was that I know Heavenly Father is mindful and aware of our individual circumstances. When he feels like we need help, he gives it to us. I really feel that Heavenly Father was aware of how my grandma's death would affect me and sent baby Colton to me 2 weeks early to help me get through it.

On Monday we went hiking as a family. Halfway through the hike, Lindsey, Logan, and Kaylen didn't want to continue. I hiked back down the mountain with them (and Colton). I fed Colton in the car. Halfway through feeding him, a man drove into the parking area and parked. (We were the only ones in the remote area.) At first I told the kids to stay close to the car while I finished feeding Colton. Sometime I decided that they needed to get in the car. I locked the car and rolled up the windows most of the way. During this time, the man and his dog walked around the area. There were two trailheads near us. He started out on one of them then came back after 5 minutes. He then did this with the other trail. He just wandered around the area, taking pictures of his dog and car, and hiking back up the road he came in on. I thought his behavior was a little strange and tried not to think of all the Criminal Minds episodes I have watched.

After about 45 minutes of this man being in the area, Eric came running down the mountain. As soon as Eric showed up, the man took off. I thought it was a little odd. But then, when Eric told me why he had been running down the mountain, I realized more than ever how aware Heavenly Father is of each of our individual circumstances. Eric had felt prompted (more than once) that he needed to run to me. Who knows, besides Heavenly Father, what could have happened. I am so incredibly grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who protected me and the kids. I am very grateful for a husband who lives righteously so the Spirit can be with him and listened to those promptings, possibly saving our lives. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and will help me when I need it.

Labor Day Hike

I woke up this morning to Eric presenting the idea of going to Four Peaks and hiking. He thought we could pack a lunch and eat it before we started hiking and stop just outside the valley for dinner. I didn't like the idea of driving on a dirt road for one hour to get to the trailhead, but I was really wanting to get out of the house, so I agreed. We got a late start (it always seems to take us at least an extra 10 minutes to get ready to leave the house to go anywhere), but headed out.

The drive to the turn off was short, but then the dirt road began. We drove for about an hour on it, being jostled around. I was worried about Colton and being shaken too much, but he actually seemed to enjoy it and sleep right through it. Occasionally his head would tip forward when we were driving on an incline and Lindsey would help to prop his head up. We made it to the trailhead. There was such a change of scenery. We went from cactus to pine trees. There was also a drastic drop in temperature. The kids were actually cold. The weather was perfect. It started out sprinkling, but then the clouds would come and go.

There's a lake in the distance!

Lindsey, Logan, and Kaylen started to get tired during the hike. Lindsey also didn't wear the right shoes, so I took them and Colton back down the mountain. Eric, Spencer, and Purple decided to continue and hike to the top of the mountain. Colton did great throughout the hike. He loved being in the baby carrier. He enjoyed the movement and got fussy when we stopped to rest (this also happened with the dirt road on the way back - he was fine when we were moving, but got fussy when we stopped driving). I fed Colton once we made it down. The kids played, collecting rocks and wood. They made a little campfire. It took Eric a while to come back down the mountain, so we had to push Colton around in the stroller. We had an interesting experience with a man in the parking lot (read the following post about a stronger testimony).

We were able to watch the sunset - I loved it. We finally made it back home at 9:30. It was a fun adventure.

A Name and a Blessing

Fast Sunday = Baby Blessing Day

During Sacrament meeting today, Eric blessed Colton. Colton wore his white "monkey suit," complete with a bow tie and vest. He looked so handsome. (As I was walking down the hall at home I was talking to Colton and telling him that I was going to get his "monkey suit." The next thing I hear and see is Kaylen, skipping/galloping down the hallway chanting, "monkey suit, monkey suit...")

When Eric started to take Colton up to the front of the chapel, my tears started. Eric gave Colton his blessing. Colton lasted about halfway through before the his crying started. I guess he sensed how emotional I was and decided to support me. We were very fortunate to have all of my family be able to attend church and participate in the blessing. Those who participated include my dad, Jeremy, Mark, Eddie, Bishop Johnson, Bob Jones, and Tyler Brown.

My dad bore his testimony (as my tears continued). Eric bore his. I knew that I was an emotional mess, but I too (shocker!) bore my testimony. I got up there, and through tears, gave my simple testimony. When I got down, I realized that I forgot to share many things. One of the things was how grateful I am that I have a worthy husband who holds the priesthood and uses it to bless our family.

I feel like I have been incredibly blessed in my life. I have a hard-working husband who loves me and our children. I have a supportive family. We all have great health. The most important thing that I've realized through Colton's birth is how much Heavenly Father loves me, is aware of me, and how he blesses me and helps me in life. He knows exactly what I'm going through and when to help me. For that, I am very grateful.

Morning at the Museum

To celebrate Kaylen's birthday, I took her and Colton to the children's museum. The exhibits and activities were monster-themed. The pictures below are from our outing.

Kaylen was quite apprehensive about this create-a-dino activity. She didn't even want to go by it at first. When I took of the head, that eased her fears.

Kaylen, as Max, from "Where the Wild Things Are"

HB Kaylen!

Kaylen turned 4. We celebrated by her choice of meals. For breakfast we had pancakes. During the day I took her to a children's museum. For lunch, of all places, she wanted McDonald's. We don't usually go to McDonald's, so it was an odd request. We had a school night at Cici's Pizza, so that's where we had dinner. She was quite excited about it and enjoyed going, especially since I invited my parents, Shelly, and her kids. She had originally said that she wanted to go to Rainforest Cafe for dinner, so we went there, just on another day. She didn't like it last year (the gorillas scared her) so it was surprising for her to ask to go there again.

Another year made a small difference with the gorillas at the Rainforest Cafe. She was still quite apprehensive about them, but wasn't completely terrified of them.