Thursday, December 1, 2011

Halloween and Kasey's Birthday

This is a bit out of order - but we'll start with Halloween. I thought of it would be fun to make Kasey a Bam-Bam costume, but then I realized he probably wouldn't wear it unless it was his idea. However, his baseball shirt is his favorite of all shirts, so I had no doubt that he would wear this costume. He was so excited to be a baseball player! The shoes he is wearing in this picture have now officially become his "baseball shoes."
Here's Kasey with his cousins, McKayle and Braiden.

Kris is attempting to carve his pumpkin...with a saw. I guess the little carving knives just weren't cuttin' it. (Haha, get it?)
Here's Uncle Tyler spraying Kasey with silly spray - right in the face. What an action shot!
Helping dad carve his pumpkin.
A whole family of baseball players.
Kris' finished pumpkin. Be warned, this part gets a little gruesome. Yes, his pumpkin is a cannibal pumpkin, and here is the poor little pumpkin who fell victim. I'm hoping that this horrific idea was merely prompted by his recent reading of Hannibal.
Dad and Kasey, checking out the Halloween loot. We only made it to a few houses, but Kasey had a good time and made it home with quite the pile in his pumpkin bucket.
Now, back to Kasey's birthday. I still can't believe he just turned 2! It's crazy how time flies. On Kasey's birthday, we told him "It's your birthday today!" He knew exactly what that meant, and he immediately asked for the fire engine that dad had promised to give him on his birthday (he had seen it in dad's closet). Then he started talking about how we were going to go to "Old McDonald" for dinner. :) We made waffles for breakfast and went to the Pumpkin Patch where he could choose a pumpkin. We saw some animals there, and after learning their names, Kasey decided to talk to them: "Hello donkey!" and, "Hi llama! Watcha doing?" Then, we met dad at "Old McDonald's" and at home he opened 5 presents from the dollar store (we wanted to save his bigger presents for his party). To be truthful, though, he loved his cheap $1 presents! We had to play with each one after he unwrapped it, and he felt so special getting new toys. It doesn't take much to please a toddler! We had a good day together.

Here he is, devouring a cupcake at his birthday party.
Opening presents with Aunt Leisa and Cousin McKayle.
This picture may not seem that significant, so let me explain. If you look closely his whole face is lit up - this is the moment when his dad is bringing out his new tricycle! (We have grandma and grandpa to thank for that.)
The tricycle, in all its glory.
Going for a ride.
It even has a compartment to put his new dinosaurs! (Sidenote for parents: If you are looking for a tricyle, this tricycle is so well designed. It has feet rests if your kid's feet can't reach the pedals. You can push and steer for longer walks. There is a seatbelt to strap your kid in for safety, plus a zippered backpack and buckets. Kasey has loved it!)
Kasey's new firetruck! Some of Kris' old family neighbors gave this to us when their kid outgrew it! It was so generous and so timely of them - Kasey LOVES firetrucks. At first, he didn't know exactly what a fire-fighter did; he just knew that fire engines go fast! We're trying to explain, though. The other day, he did said, "I'm a fire fighter. I help the people!" Then later he said, "So they don't get fire on their clothes."
Blowing out the candles.
Mmmm! Cake with chocolate frosting!
Ready for our walk! (I think we won't be needing the stroller much any more!)
Kasey in his firetruck - I love this picture, especially how the fall leaves make a nice frame. We are so lucky to have a backyard, however small it may be!
Kasey at the aviary, all bundled up.
Reading books with dad. Molly wanted to hear the story, too.
Kasey spread out his blanket in front of the heater (our new favorite spot in the house, now that it's winter and our house is "like a cheese-grater" according to Kris). Then, of course, Molly came and plopped down right on his blanket! Kasey wanted Molly to move, but then I told him that Molly's just like a big pillow. He snuggled right up after that.
Kasey trying on dad's cowboy boots. This is an older picture, but I wanted to include it on the blog anyway. This was back from Kris' work party with Ivory homes. As you can see, the theme was Western. They gave us free passes to go to Heritage Park that day. Ironically enough, Kris had to work, but Kasey and I enjoyed the park!
I thought I would end with a few (okay quite a few - I have a lot of catching up to do!) of the fun things Kasey has said or done lately:
  • Kasey's grandpa came home from working, and he said to Kasey, "I'm dirty, huh?" Kasey replied, "You sure am!"
  • I asked him if he wanted some eggs, and he answered politely, "Sure, I'll have a few eggs." He sounds so grown up sometimes!
  • He put his banana in a bowl and said, "The banana's in timeout. It's in trouble!"
  • He never sits still unless he's sleeping. He always has to be doing something. One of his favorite things is to run in circles. :)
  • He's still learning how to communicate what he wants. Combined with his stubborn and independence streak, he's had some tantrum moments. For example, he has to open the door to the car, climb in by himself, buckle himself, get out by himself, close the door to the car, and open the door to the house, and sometimes go in the door before mom does. If all this doesn't go according to his plan, there's a tantrum. :) We're both learning a lot! We've been working through it, though.
  • One morning, we heard him singing songs in his bed at the top of his lungs – Mary Had a Little Lamb, Eensey Weensy Spider, etc. Kris finally rolled out of bed to go get him, and he wasn’t in his bed – he had dragged his blanket and was on the couch, looking out the window singing by himself! He loves to sing!
  • Kasey likes to boss us around: "Mom, sit down right there!" "Mom drink your juice!"
  • One day, Kris said, “Kasey, put that banana peel in the trash and then you can come and watch me cook the eggs.” Kasey responded, “Ok dad I will do that plan!” J
  • He climbed up on the toy cupboards at Grandma's and said, “Holy Cow! I’m high!”
  • He also climbed on top of a cooler, and pretending to be on top of the temple said, "I'm Angel Moroni!"
  • One morning, Kris asked him if he wanted a waffle. He said, “Yeah!” Then he said, “Dad can have a waffle, and mom can have egg!” J Apparently dad gets more privileges.
  • I believe on that same day as the waffle incident, he told me I was nice mom, twice. Then, he told me that I had a pretty shirt (he saw my purple beads.) Talk about making your mom feel good!
  • One day he said, “I love you mom!” He hugged me and said, “You’re my best friend!” So sweet! That totally makes up for the tantrums! He told Kris that he was his best friend, too.
  • I had my hair down, and Kasey said, “Mom, make your hair nice! Put your hair in a ponytail!”
  • I also thought I would mention that his height and weight are in the 15th percentile, but his head is in the 75th. I thought this was so funny. No wonder we can't get his shirts over his head! :) Big head, little body. :)
  • His current favorite songs (that he wants to hear over and over and over again) are the Lion King song and Praise to the Man.
As any mom knows, motherhood can be so challenging, but there are so many wonderful, precious moments that make it so worth it! I'm so grateful that I've had a chance to be a mom. I feel like I'm learning and growing so much. Kasey helps me slow down sometimes and recognize all the wonder and joy of living. What a blessing to have him in our home!
As
A

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Catch-up!

Be prepared for a whole bunch of pictures! I've found pictures are the easiest way to blog.
So, what have we been up to?
Well, Kasey, for one, has been putting his pants on his head, apparently. :)
We've also been camping/boating at Echo Reservoir. Here is Kasey at our campsite, looking mischievous.
Molly, snuggled up in the cold.
Kasey, also snuggled up in the cold.
Mom and Kasey.
We had a great trip, making yummy camp food (cobbler, dough boys, s'mores, tinfoil dinners, etc.), boating and wakeboarding, and enjoying the lakeside view (as well as the riotous company of our camper/trailer neighbors - we won't call them rednecks :)). The only bummer was that Kris had to work one of the days while we were there, but we survived without him - barely!

Kris' work had a contest for the best pic of an Ivory home, so Kris talked me into turning Kasey into our little poster child. Here he is saying, "Step into my office; let me tell you what Ivory has to offer."
"New. Cool. Ivory."
Here's Kasey enjoying a bit of bribery. I kept trying to get him to say "New Cool Ivory" on camera with his glasses on. Talk about difficult! Kasey has somewhat of a stubborn, independent nature (as does his mom), and he did not want to keep his glasses on! So, I offered him a sucker, which still didn't help. At one point, he took the sucker and ran off with it! Then, he finally said "New Cool Ivory" right after bursting into tears. Sigh. What an awful mom I am! It is a funny bunch of scenes to watch on camera, though, and all's well that ends well. I mean, doesn't Kasey look happy now?
Who says that high heels are just for girls?

Temple Square Visit! We are so lucky to be minutes away from the Salt Lake City temple.
Dad and Kasey near the temple doors.
Beautiful, isn't it?
By the way, if you ever venture to the SL temple grounds, there is an impressive presentation on the family in the North Visitor's Center. We highly recommend it!

If Kasey could choose what he wore everyday, this would be it: Hat, swimwear, snowboots. :)
We took a family boating trip to Jordanelle and stayed in our friends' condo. We had the best little get-away, even if it was for just one night. We also learned that there was an Earth Festival just across the lake. Here Kasey is meeting a bird.
Kasey's new hat.
Fishing with dad.
We were impressed with the festival: it was both fun and educational.

One of Kasey's new favorite activities: covering Molly with blankets. He will spend a full 10 minutes situating the blanket (s) just right, all while Molly lays still. :) Then he snuggles up.
Molly does cause me grief and trouble from time to time (ok, daily); however, this right here is the best reason to keep her around. ;)
Wheeler Farm Visit: Kasey with his friend Persy. Wheeler Farm is an authentic farm with ducks, pigs, goats, horses, cows, chickens, bunnies, tractors, haybales, etc. Complete with a wagon ride, it is a blast for kids.
Testing out the tractor.
Wagonride time- two cute toddler grins! (Why the bandaid? One of Kasey's many. This time, he will tell you, he "fell down the boat ramp.")
I don't know why sleeping children are so precious. Perhaps it's because this is the only time all day that we see them so still and calm. :) (And the only time moms really get anything done! :) )


We tried potty training. Kasey had told me several times that he needed to poop on the potty, and then went on the potty right afterwards! I thought I would see if he was ready to be potty trained. So, we tried for 2 days, and then promptly decided to wait until Kasey is older. :) He was so excited about wearing big boy underwear with Pooh Bear, watching potty movies, and reading potty books, but when it came time to sitting on the potty for a length of time, he wasn't up for it.
Big boy undies!
For some reason, this picture just makes me laugh. Don't ask me why he has a beanie and jacket but no pants. :)

Kasey and dad, looking out the window.
One of Kasey's favorite perches.
We went on a beautiful fall hike up Big Cottonwood Canyon. We passed Silver Lake, and hiked up to Twin Lakes. It was gorgeous! Poor Kasey was sick that day, but still he was as happy as can be to be hiking outside!
Silver Lake
At the Trailhead.
Looking down on Silver Lake.
One of the Twin Lakes. Kris decided to be extra adventurous and forge ahead past the lake and up to the saddle between the two mountains.
From here, he could see both lakes, hence the name. While Kris climbed, Kasey and I stayed and threw rocks into the water. :)
I love fall hiking.
Next blog: Kasey's B-day and Halloween!