Everyday Life

July has been such a fun and busy month. I have LOVED spending every day with my kids. I have already blogged about a lot of the fun things we did in July so I thought for this post I would give a little glimpse into our every day life. I'll just preface this by saying... it's a good life!! :)

This little monkey is getting so big and so CUTE!! He smiles all the time now and he is starting to figure out how to grab toys.

Caden chillin in the high chair with his giraffe blankie... lovin' his big eyes!

I am very brave for posting this picture, but it's cute of Caden. Caden is a good sleeper until about 4 am, then he usually ends up in bed with us. I guess we sleep the same! :) Thanks Tyler for snapping this very flattering picture of me.

Speaking of sleeping, Caden doesn't cry when he wakes up, he "talks." Tyler says that he usually talks for about 20 minutes before I hear him.

We've also been working on tummy time. Caden starts out really great....

Then he gets tired...

Then he gets really tired... 

Don't you just feel bad for him? He looks so sad. Someday when he is crawling he will thank me for making him do tummy time.

Here's some more pictures of our adorable little man.

He just gets cuter with every picture

When Caden gets really excited he screams, but it's more of a breathing-in-scream and that's what he was doing in this picture. It's hard to explain the sound, but so funny!

Caden is losing a little bit of his hair in the back, but he still has enough in the front to spike it. I guess he is just taking after his daddy!

Caden gets frustrated being on his back so much, so I have to figure out ways to keep him upright. I think I should invest in a bumbo seat, but for now the high chair will have to do.

Have I mentioned how much I love Caden's big eyes? Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm a little obsessed with them.

Some other things about Caden at almost 4 months:
- He is the best burper. His burps are belly burbs and I can usually get two good ones. Sometimes they are so loud that Kayla looks over and goes, "woah!"
-Caden loves to coo and talk.
-He adores Makayla and loves it when she is around.
-I weighed him the other day and he is about 15 pounds. He is almost out of his 3 month clothes and is starting to wear 6 month clothes.
-The only frustrating thing about Caden is that he has a hard time sleeping when he is not being held. We can get him asleep, but as soon as we lay him down in his crib, he's wide awake.
-He's starting to be more awake during the day, which is good because he is just so stinkin' cute when he's awake, but bad when I need to get things done.
-Our nicknames for Caden include Mister, Fella, Buddy, Buddy-boos, Cader-tamater (given by Aunt Tracy) and Boyfriend.
-And if I haven't said it already, we just love our little Caden. He is the cutest and sweetest little boy we could ask for!!

And how's our little 18 month old? I can't believe she is that big already! Makayla is learning so much everyday and is turning into such a cute little girl! Here's a glimpse into Kayla's everyday life.

Just hangin' out on the front porch.

 Helping us with laundry

 (Tyler would like you to believe that he does the laundry at our house, but news flash Babe, posing for a picture while holding the laundry basket does not count as "doing the laundry") :)

 We went to The Land and all the kids got to pet the horses. Kayla was terrified of them at first, but she eventually warmed up to them.

We also took Makayla on a 4-wheeler ride while at the cabin. She had so much fun!

 Grandpa Craig taught Makayla how to play "so big". I love this picture of the two of them.

I think she makes an adorable cowgirl!

This picture just makes me laugh because of the situation. Makayla was playing in the laundry room while I was doing laundry and realized her blankie was in the washer. It was very traumatic as you can tell...

 Remember how our goal for the summer was to have an Otter-Pop a day? Check.

We've also been practicing good teeth brushing habits. We've started Kayla on a new bed time routine: bottle, brush teeth, read books, then bed.

 We've also been experimenting with new outfits. I don't know what I love more in this picture, her messy hair, the orange shirt with one yellow flip flop, no pants, or the hangy diaper... you choose!

 We don't always remember to clothe our child, but we do always remember shoes.

 Kayla's daily routine also includes hanging out with dad on the couch.

 We've also gone to the Herriman Splash Pad a few times this summer for play group.

 Don't you just want to squish her cute little bum?

 Tyler has been working on our back yard and Kayla is a really good helper.

After Tyler would load the wheel barrow he would take Makayla on a ride around the yard

 I just love her to pieces!!

 Makayla LOVES books. She can point to so many things in them.

 We decided to switch Kayla to a forward facing car seat. We know that doctors now recommend keeping them rear facing until they are two, but we think Kayla was getting car sick. After the fourth time of cleaning up puke in the car, we decided it was worth it to switch her. Besides, our child is really advanced for her age.

But guess who loves the new view?

Some other things about our 18 month old: 

-Makayla's favorite foods include oatmeal, pancakes, grapes, pretzels, tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers. She eats really well for breakfast, but the rest of the day is hit and miss.
-She'll hate me for this one day, but our little girl poops at least 3 times a day.
-She is talking all the time now. Some of her new words this month include: "Ses-wee" (Sesame Street), "fli-flop" "belly", "I git it", "Caden", "mine", and "no"
-When you ask her what you do when you smell the flowers she scrunches up her nose and breathes really hard. And when you ask her what we say when brother is sleeping she puts her finger up to her mouth and goes, "shhhh'
-We're still working on counting. She can say two and three, but forgets one.
-When you ask Makayla to point to her bum, she points to Caden's bum.
-Kayla is really turned out to be a "mommy's girl" this month, so much so that she won't even go to Tyler sometimes. I think it is because she is with me all day long. I think going back to work next month might be good for all of us.
-She is getting really possessive of her things. She doesn't like Caden to have any of her toys, and she frequently steals his binkie. We're really going to have to work on sharing now.

To end our post about our daily life, sometimes I look at these two and think, "wow, I have the happiest babies"

 Then we have moments like this where Kayla throws a fit because Caden is laying on "her" stuff, even though she hasn't used this for about a year now.

Just like that I'm back to reality.

I just need to remember to enjoy the little things in life, because one day I'll look back and realize they were the big things.

FFD at the Bees Game

For this week's Friday Family Date we went to the Bees game. Grandma Terry's work gave free tickets and because Tracy and Jeremy couldn't go, we got their tickets. We had so much fun!

 Kayla did pretty good through the game. She got a little restless a a few times and we had to go for walks. Grandma, Grandpa, Tyler, and I all took turns entertaining the kiddos

I love this picture... I just love the way Caden is looking at Grandpa Craig

 Our favorite part of the night was when they did fireworks. We have never taken Kayla to fireworks because she is usually asleep by the time they are ready to begin, but this night we tried to keep her up. I tried telling her about the fireworks before they started, so I think she was prepared for it, but I was nervous that she would be scared and start crying, and we would end up leaving early. Well guess what? Kayla LOVED them! As soon as they started she was in compete awe. She just kept pointing to the sky and every once in a while would say, "woah!"

 I don't think any of us watched the fireworks because we were too busy watching her. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen and I was trying not to cry. It is so fun to see your kids experience things for the first time.

When they were over Kayla looked at me and said, "all gone". Seriously, how cute is she?

And how did Caden do through the fireworks show? I think this explains it.

 Either he was really tired or he is deaf... I'm betting on the first explanation because he woke up to me and Grandma Terry talking a few minutes after the fireworks show ended.

I love our Friday Family Date Nights.

Hanna 2012 Olympics

In honor of the London 2012 Olympics that start this month, Tracy decided to host our own Hanna 2012 Olympics at The Land.

We had 17 people competing in three events: Horseshoes, Hanna hang ball, and 31. I didn't get pictures of the events, but here's the winners!

Jeremy and Rico won 1st place in horseshoes

 Tracy and I won 1st place in Hanna Hang ball

 And Gayle and Tom won 1st in 31 (sorry no picture)

We then awarded gold, siver, and bronze medals for the top three overall winners.

Craig won the bronze medal with 13 points

 Tracy won the silver medal with 14 points

 And Jeremy won the gold medal with 15 points

And here's our winners on their pedestals (or stairs)

I have the best in-laws... I mean really, what family would all agree to participate in the Olympics? :)

I do find it ironic, though, that Tracy came up with the idea and she and Jeremy walked away with the top two awards and almost $60 in cash...hmmm. Maybe next year we need judges.