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!

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