The Fab Five

Santa Monica Pier

2011-01-14T16:40:00.001-08:00

We went to California in late October/early November to go to Disneyland, but while we were there we definitely had to make a trip to the beach. The kids loved it, they could have played in the sand forever. J., wanted to leave the beach exactly 5 minutes after arriving ( he wanted to walk around the pier), but I made him stick it out so the kids could have a little fun.

Happy Halloween

2010-12-02T09:40:00.001-08:00

This year Kaiden and Carson were looking through a Halloween catalog and Kaiden came across a Strawberry Shortcake costume. She told me that was what she wanted to be and I immediately thought where in the heck am I going to find this costume because I am not going to order it through the catalog. I did end up finding it at one the Halloween stores around here and it was the last one there because apparently it was a best seller. She was the CUTEST Strawberry Shortcake. Her only complaint was that the wig hurt. She wanted me to take the net out of the wig becuause it itched her head, but I had to explain that if I did that then all of the pink hair would fall out. Carson wanted to be Buzz Lightyear and it was also a best seller. I could not find one in his size anywhere. He decided that a pirate would be the next best thing. Can I just say, Seriously. He was so adorable, and he kept walking around saying, "I'm a pirate, Arrrrgh..". Loved it! Bailey, sadly being the second girl, didn't get a choice in the matter and used one of Kaiden's old baby costumes. She still made a cute little Tinker Belle.

Freakin' Adorable

2010-11-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

I know I probably post way to many pictures of Bailey but honestly can I help it.? NO. She is too cute. It's gotta be the hair, my other two kids were bald so I am loving all the hair.

Tell Me How I Get to Sesame Street

2010-11-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

While I was getting out the Halloween decorations, the kids found some old costumes and proceeded to put them on. Meet Cookie Monster and Elmo! Aren't they adorable? Yep!!

Fun Run

2010-11-08T13:11:00.001-08:00

At the end of September, Kaiden's school hosted a 'Fun Run' to earn money for their Science Center. Kaiden latched onto this 'Fun Run' activity and that is ALL she would talk about. She was sucked onto this activity like the grim reaper, she would not let go or shake it off. "Mom the Fun Run is going to be fun", "Mom my teacher is going to be at the Fun Run", "Mom I get a shirt at the Fun Run". On, and, on, and on it went. Finally the day of the Fun Run finally came. Kaiden, Bailey and I headed off ( Carson and J. went on a camping trip with the Scouts). We got to the school and went to line up for the race and Kaiden asks, "Mom where is the Fun Run" ?!? I had no idea that she didn't know what the Fun Run was. Umm...Kaiden we are at the Fun Run. We are going to run around this neighborhood..for fun, run for fun. Ohh!! I could see understanding dawn in her eyes and I thought that she would be disappointed or let down after her weeks of anticipation. She did no such thing, once the race started (running for her and walking the stroller for me) she said "look Mom I am running for fun". Gotta love that girl, she had a great time!

Tiny Moments

2010-11-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

You know when you're having a stressful day and the kids are driving you nuts, crazy, out of your mind. You get the idea. So you think to yourself, "dropping them off at a fire station might not be such a bad idea, they would be looked after". No, no that would be too cruel and a little extreme. So then you think, "o.k. I don't drink (bummer), so let's up the caffeine intake times 3, and on top of that throw in about a pound of chocolate and I just might make it through this day". Right? O.k. so I might be the only one, but then as I am making the motions of going through my caffeine and chocolate overload day, I stumble upon these tiny moments that make it all worth while.

I love that Kaiden and Carson have made a "fort" out of pillows. Reminds me of when I used to do that.

Red Rock Canyon

2010-11-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

On Labor Day, some of our friends and us decided to explore the beautiful Red Rock Canyon. I thought it was simply magnificent with all the different color of rocks and the crazy formations they made. Kaiden and Carson had fun hiking and playing with their friends. The only drawback was that it was HOT. I was sweating bullets the entire time. The price to pay for a day of fun.

Kaiden and her friend Ryan.

Red Rock Cont..

2010-11-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Kaiden's First Day of School!

2010-11-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my little girl has started kindergarten. I will say it again, I REALLY can't believe that my little girl started kidergarten. There I said it twice now you know I'm serious. I am excited for this new milestone in her life, but also sad that it is already happening. Aww.. changes you can't stop them.

Kaiden't 1st day of school outfit. I know its rather bland but her school requires a uniform. She can only wear navy blue, yellow or white shirts. Complimented by kakhi, navy or white shorts, skirts or pants. I have to say it totally took all the fun out of my 1st "back to school shopping".

Ready to leave for school!!

All of her friends from church, who also started kindergarten this year.

Getting ready to go into the classroom.

And she's gone. She didn't cry or anything, I was really proud of her. I, however, felt like crying and I thought it very appropriate that the school hosted a "Boohoo Breakfast" for all the kindergarten parents.

All in the Family

2010-11-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

In August, the kids and I headed up to Pinedale, to spend some quality time with grandma and grandpa.

My aunt (who btw is one year older than me) had her first baby 3 days days before Bailey was born. This trip was an added bonus to meet little Brylee. Bailey and her had fun sizing each other up.

I think that this picture is harlious. My mom has what we were refer to has her "candy bucket" in a kitchen cupbard. Everytime we visit, my little brothers always mangage to spoil the kids by overloading them with candy. Oh well. Carson somehow managed to get himself two suckers, which he enjoyed at the same time.

Carson and his cousin Emma.

Sara and Gabriel

2010-11-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Sara and Gabriel

2010-11-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

Sara had a beautiful ceremony in the Salt Lake Temple. It was really nice to meet at the temple and walk around the lovely grounds.

After the ceremony and while we were waiting for Sara and Gabriel to come out, we decided to kill the time and take some cute pics. around the temple.

Slumber Party!

2010-11-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

In August we headed up to Salt Lake, Utah to see J.'s little sister Sara get married. While we were there, we stayed with my sister Kristi and her family. The kids had fun playing with thier cousins Adi and Robby.

Watching morning cartoons together.

Matching Tee's

2010-11-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know when I became one of those parents that thought it would be so "darling" or "cute" to put thier kids into matching outfits. Somehow it slowly snuck up on me that I find myself looking for clothes that match for Kaiden and Bailey. Come on, Shannon, thier siblings not twins. They don't have to match. I remember my Mom used to do that with my older sister and I. Same outfit, different colors, Amber's would always be blue and I would always be pink. We are exactly 2 years apart ( I was born on her second birthday). Anyways it would sometimes drive me nuts, so why am I now doing this with my own children? It must be genetic.

However, I couldn't pass up the opportunuty to put Bailey and Carson in an absulutely "darling/cute" ensamble.

Kaiden's Birthday Party

2010-11-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

We promised Kaiden that she could have a "princess party" for her birthday and invite all her friends. We played so many princess games like, put Cinderella in her castle. Then we threw water ballons at all the evil villions in the movies. We played musical chairs with Disney princess's has the chairs, and finally had a castle pinata. So much fun! Remind never again to invite like 12 kids to a birthday party.

24th of July Parade

2010-11-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Our Stake had a fabulous parade for the 24th of July. They also had tons of games to play and food to eat, but we only stuck around for the parade because it was hotter than hot. My kids LOVED the parade or should I say they loved all the candy that we thrown at the parade. They got so much it was like Halloween. Carson ,in particular, really got into the spirit of the candy throwers and had no problem running into the road to grab has much as he could. Greedy little bugger.

Kaiden Turns 5!!!!

2010-11-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

I can't belive that my little girl is 5 now. It doesn't seem that long ago that she was born. *Sigh* Anyways, Idigress. The only thing that Kaiden wanted for her birthday was a princess bike, and she was very specific that it be princess. All I heard about for months before her birthday was that she was turning five and would be going to kindergarten, and that she wanted a princess bike. Princess bike, princess bike. I was all for giving her that princess bike early just so I didn't have to hear about it anymore. I stopped myself though and she got the best present ever.

One very happy, happy girl!!!

Fourth of July

2010-08-23T14:12:00.001-07:00

After we blessed Bailey we all came back to the house and had lunch and visited. I personally ate so much that I probably gained 4 pounds, but on the up side you probably couldn't even notice seeing as I am still carrying around my lovely post baby stomach (uugh).

My sister-in-law Sheridyn and her son Cole.

I LOVE this picture. Bailey and Sheridyn taking a nap together. My brother-in-law, Will, is next to Sheridyn.

Bailey with my sister Amber.

Bailey with my parents.

Fourth of July Cont....

2010-08-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Bailey's Blessing Day

2010-08-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

We were able to bless Bailey on the Fourth of July. Most of J.'s family and my family were able to drive to Vegas and celebrate the fourth with us, as well as bless Bailey in church.

Carson is 2, Happy Birthday!!!

2010-08-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my little buddy turned two! He has such an infectious smile and laugh. It is fun to watch him play with his cars and trains. He as recently gotten really into the "Toy Story" moveis and walks around saying "and beyond". We love you Carson!!

Just Because

2010-08-23T12:56:00.001-07:00

Just because thier so darn cute!

Splish Splash

2010-07-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

All I can say is, what a good Dad to play with is kids in a very small kiddie pool. Awww.

Rock and Roll Kids

2010-07-13T14:12:00.001-07:00

I left Bailey home with J. and took Kaiden and Carson took an indoor play gymn with our neighborhood play group.

More Pics. of Miss Bailey

2010-07-13T13:52:00.001-07:00

Welcome th the World Bailey Kay!

2010-07-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Our little sweet pea arrived into the world on May 29th (my birhtday) at 3:53 p.m., weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. Now if you were wondering, wow, what a coincidence her being born on my birhtday. I will have to squash that thought and mention that I was induced and was well aware that she was going to celebrate a birthday with me. I actually share a birthday with my older sister. I kind of wanted her to have her own special day, but I was so uncomfortable at that point I didn't care. Plus once a person gets into thier thirties celebrating a birthday is not a big deal, so she can have it.

Kaiden's Preschool Graduation

2010-07-13T12:51:00.001-07:00

Kaiden's preschool class had a graduation to celebrate the end of preschool. I can't believe she is done with preschool and getting ready to enter kindergarten. Crazy. Miss Courtney was a great teacher and helped Kaiden with her letters but most importantly helped her become more social (she is a litte shy). We had the graduation at a park, and the only complaint that I have to make about that was that the wind was blowing like 60 mph. Hats, papers, and pinic stuff kept flying ever where.

Jump, Shout, Let it All Out

2010-07-13T08:57:00.001-07:00

J. found this trampoline on Craig's List for a mere $70. Can you believe it? What a deal! The kids love it. I guess it was an early birhtday gift for both of them.

All Boy

2010-07-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Carson is into cars, cars, and more cars, oh and also big trucks. He loves getting his cars and pushing them around the table. Vroom, vroom.

San Diego Zoo, Cont.

2010-07-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

I was super excited to see the Panda because I have never seen one before. Well, I have on T.V. but that hardly counts.

We rode on the sky rail. I have to say that I was more afraid of the height we were at and the difference between me and the ground then my kids were. They loved it.

Carson was done for the day.

Wonderful, Wild San Diego Zoo

2010-07-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

We took a train ride around the entire zoo. It was acutally pretty cool and it didn't involve walking (because I was still pregnant at the time and my feet were always hurting).

To cute. Seriously.

Carson with the Koala bears.

New Port Beach, California

2010-07-12T21:47:00.001-07:00

J. had a work conference at New Port Beach, so the kids and I decided to come with him and be squatters in his hotel room. Definately a good idea. The first thing we made sure to do was soak up some rays at the beach. There was a little bay not to far from our (er I mean J.'s) hotel that we walked to.

Kaiden and Carson were beyond happy to dig in the sand and look for sea shells.

Easter Time

2010-07-12T21:28:00.001-07:00

This April we drove up to Utah to watch conference and celebrate Easter with my family. We were able to visit with my two sisters ,who live in Utah, and also my parents, who drove up from Arizona.

While we were there we had an Easter egg hunt in my sisters apartment because it was to darn tootin' cold to do it outside. The kids LOVED it. Caron wasn't sure at first, but the more he understood what to do, the more he got into it.

Kaiden was so-o-o happy she got a Princess and the Frog outfit.

Kaiden and her cousin Adi. The pretty pretty princess's.

Best friends...most of the time

2010-07-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Kaiden and Carson and pretty good play fellows. They are really fun to watch when they start wrestling each other. Kaiden doesn't seem to mind when Carson comes up behind her and grabs her back in an attempt to pull her to the ground. Usually after much struggling one of them starts crying and whoever that is, is pronounced the loser of the match.

He pins her and...

she pins him.

Shark Reef Aquarium

2010-07-12T19:45:00.001-07:00

Mandalay Bay Casino has a very cool aquarium, if you ever visit Vegas it is definately worth checking out.

Vegas Baby!!!!

2010-07-12T19:41:00.001-07:00

While my sister Amber was visiting us in March, we went down to the strip for the first time since moving here.

Field Trip to the Fire Station

2010-07-12T18:36:00.001-07:00

I know that it is now July and I have let my blog sadly suffer the injustice of never posting anything. So, in order to retify that situation I am attempting to do a blog overload over the next few days in hopes of catching myself up.

Back in March, Kaiden's preschool class took a tour of our local Henderson Fire Station. Carson, I think, enjoyed it more than Kaiden did. My sister and her kids, who were visiting from Utah, were able to come with us too.

It's finally happened....

2010-03-31T08:19:00.000-07:00

It has finally happened, I Shannon Bradshaw, have found a way to get Kaiden to eat that doesn't invovle threats and food strikes. Kaiden has ALWAYS been a super picky eater. This started as a baby, when I couldn't get her to eat baby food. Hello, you're a baby you shouldn't decide what you do and you don't like. Since then it has been a constant battle of tears, frustration, and threats. Last Saturday this all came to an end when we went to A & W for dinner and Kaiden had a meltdown. We had ordered food for her and Carson to share and she decided that she didn't like it. After dinner we were planning on going to Diary Queen and getting an ice cream sundae. I informed her that she wouldn't be getting one if she didn't eat some of the food we had ordered (which were mini corn dogs by the way, who doesn't like corndogs). She wouldn't eat anything besides French Fries and as a result she didn't get any ice cream. When we got home she had a HUGE emtional meltdown. I mean shaking, crying, pleading. I was tired of this and frustrated that I had to put up with it at every single dinnertime meal. I almost felt like crying and pleading with someone myself. I put her to bed without receiving anymore food and then the idea hit me.
Kaiden works really well on using charts and stickers to recieve rewards, so I thought to myself why not try this on eating as well. I am not above the idea of bribing my kids to get them to do things. So I made a chart titled "Kaiden Loves to Eat New Food". Everytime she eats a new food at dinner (without crying) she gets to put a sticker on her chart. Once she has recieved 7 stickers she gets to go to the dollor store and pick out one thing that she likes. This was my thoery and plan and I was hoping that it would work.
On Sunday I made pot roast for dinner, I explained to her what she would get if she tried some pot roast. She was really excited about the idea but when it came time to actually eating the meat she kept putting it off saying "I'm waiting for it to cool down" Kaiden, it has been sitting there for 20 minutes, I think its "cooled" down by now. Finally, I got tired of her waiting for her to try it and told her that she wouldn't get a sticker. Five minutes later, she came over to me with her plate and started to eat her meat. Halleighluai!!! She even told me she liked it. What?!? Wow. It has continued to improve since then. She ate chicken pasta on Monday and French Dip sandwiches last night. In fact last night, I made my plate first and she asked me where her sandwich was. Who knew that I would have this kind of success. I don't even care that I had to bribe her with a prize from the dollar store (hello it's a dollar) because it's worth it seeing her try new foods and actually liking it. I am just so-o-o happy that the pleading (me) and the crying (her) have stopped. The last few nights of dinner have been a lot better. Hopefully this will continue. Oh, on a little side not, Carson who as always been my really great eater is starting to show some pickiness. I don't know if he learned it from watching his sister or if this is a little taste preference on his part, but I am already not liking this. Please let this be short lived. Please universe. Please.

Tempe Heart Walk

2010-03-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Since we live so much closer to AZ now, J. decided that he really wanted to participate in this years Tempe Town Lakes Heart Walk. One of his former coworkers at Chase Bank has a son with a heart condition, so every year she organizes one of the largest groups to walk and raise money. J. has supported her in past years by walking, so he really wanted to be apart of it again.

He decided to let the kids come and pulled them in the wagon. I, being the unmotivated fat pregnant woman chose to stay behind and wait for them at the finish line. Yeah, yeah, I know, I am lazy. Carson especially LOVED being pulled around in the wagon.

As soon as the walk started, Carson saw that I was not coming with them and got a little sad.

Yey!!! They fininshed! J. said Kaiden and Carson were really good until Carson got tired of the whole thing. He decided to get out of a moving wagon and fell head first onto the road. He was o.k. after a few minutes but J. had to carry him the rest of the way to prevent future injuries.

Are they not the cuteset kids you've ever seen? Seriously.

Las Vegas Temple

2010-03-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks after we moved to Las Vegas, we decided to drive over to the temple and check it out. I had never been to the Las Vegas Temple before and I really liked it. The kids were really excited to be outside and loved looking at all the flowers.

Dad Turns 70!!!

2010-03-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

This year J.'s dad turned 70. His birthday is on New Years Eve so everyone decided that we needed to throw him a surprise party a few days early in honor of the momentous birthday. All I have to say was that he was definately surprised. We had the party at thier church building and so to get him down there a little white lie was told, something about the Bishop wanting to talk to him. I can't remember but it the trick. He was surprised, he walked in, we yelled "Surprise" ,and then he walked right back out. Priceless.

All of J.'s siblings and thier kids.

Uncle Mark is back, Uncle Mark is back!!!

2010-03-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

One of the real reasons that Christmas was so exciting this year was the fact that my brother Mark was coming home from his mission to Russia. I was so more excited about that than Christmas. He supposed to be home two days before Christmas but because of weather and flight delays he wasn't able to make it until Christmas night. His flight didn't come until late Christmas night so we didn't get to see him until the next day. It was a frustrating few days but all that mattered was that he made it home.

Before Mark left on his mission, Kaiden and him were good buddies. She was really excited to see him again. Please try to ignore the fact that it looks like she is picking her nose or maybe she actually IS pickig her nose. Nice Kaiden.

Mark is already roped into reading a story to Robby, Kaiden and Adi.

Love the Russian hats!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-03-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

My family usually gets up at the insane hour of 6 a.m., however this year we were able to convince everyone to sleep in a little bit later. The kids were still jitterey and anxious to open presents. I wish that I could still get that exctied. Sigh. The good ole' days.

Carson really liked ripping into his presents. In this picture though it looks like J. is taking over the opening. Boo, J. Carson got a lot of cars. He is especially in love with all the Disney Cars.

The majority of the presents Kaiden asked for this year involved the Disney Princesses. She is some kind of crazy over them. I wonder if I should be concerned or if this is normal.

Putting out treats for Santa and his Reinderer

2010-03-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

Kaiden and her cousin Adi were really excited about Santa this year. So my mother being the wonderful person that she is, helped them make cookies for Santa. They were so excited to leave him a plate of goodies and even made a plate of carrots for the Reindeer.

Christmas Eve- The Nativity Story

2010-03-17T21:08:00.003-07:00

Every year my family reads the birth of Jesus and acts out the nativity story on Christmas Eve. Since we had all the grandkids together this year, we thought it would be fun if they dressed up as the characters. Kaiden and her cousin Preston were Mary and Joseph. I have to say that Kaiden was the best Mary ever. She was so attentive to her baby Jesus and never left his manger. At one point she came over and asked me if she could get him a baby toy to play with. So sweet.

We tried to get Carson to participate as a shepard, but he didn't like wearing the robe for very long. But he did make one cute little shepard!

Fun in The Snow!!

2010-03-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

We went to my parents house for Christmas and Kaiden was really excited to go and spend time with her cousins, grandparents, and whoever else was there (we had a very full house). Besides all the visiting, Kaiden was really excited to be able to play in the snow. I have to admit that being a person who hates being cold I wasn't as excited to go outside everyday. However, between J. and I, she was able to get outside and play. Carson wasn't to sure about the whole snow thing and would only stay outside for a few minutes.

Ward Christmas Party

2010-03-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

O.k., so I know that it is March so it is pretty sad that I am now getting around to posting some Christmas pictures but I do have a good excuse. That excuse would be the move down to Las Vegas and that fact that our computor died and we just got it replaced with a new one last week. Anyhoo, here are some fun pics with Santa Claus.

Christmas pics.

2009-12-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

We decided to only do pictures of the kids this year for our Christmas card, mainly due to the fact that I desperately need to get myself to the hair salon and have yet to do so. They are much cuter anyways. First off let me complain and say why is it that everytime you want your kids to smile they never do so at the same time. We got some cute pictures of Kaiden smiling and Carson is not ,and vice versa. Aggravation. This is the closest we could get of the two of them smiling in unison.

After 5 minutes of picture taking, Kaiden the DQ (drama queen), decided to have a meltdown for no apparent reason. After that it was impossible to get her to smile again. Carson our happy-go-lucky guy decided we were mistreating Kaiden by begging/slightly yelling at her to smile and he decided that he to was done with it. So we had very little to work with. Isn't that always the way it works.

...maternity pants!

2009-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

So most people who know me, know that I really do not like being pregant. The major factor in this horrifying thought is that I hate wearing maternity clothes or more specifically maternity pants. There is just something about how they never stay on your ever expanding stomach and you always feels like the crotch of your pants is down to your knees. Why? Why is it down there? What can I do to make it stay in place? I. Hate. That. So as most of you know, I am pregnat again with my third child. While I am excited to have another kid (most of the time, then I am scared the rest) I once again find myself dreading the cursed word. MATERNITY PANTS. Yes, I don't even want to utter it aloud for then I know I will soon be wearing them once again. Ugh. Well, I am almost 16 weeks along now, and am qiute lucky in the fact the I am now noticing the tightness of my "normal pants". Well let me tell you, I am doing everything I can possible do to cram myself into my "normal pants" as long as possible. However, I am finding that my jeans do not seems to want me in them anymore. Everytime I wear them, they are so unforgiving and seem to come unzipped in protest of my expanding hips and stomach. But don't worry I am not giving up the fight just yet and plan to continue to war against them until I have to surrender and wear...maternity pants.

Halloween!!!

2009-11-06T19:18:00.001-08:00

Kaiden was lucky this year. She got to have Halloween 3 times. She started the week out with a party at preschool (where she got to wear her costume), then we had our ward trunk or treat, and finally Halloween. On Halloween, during the day, I asked her if she was excited to go trick or treating that night and she said, "It's Halloween again". Poor child, yes you get to fill up your bucket and get even more candy. Lucky you and lucky me (haha).

Carson had no idea what was going on. He really did not want to wear his costume. However, once he realized he got candy, he insisted on carrrying his bucket all by himself. Really, it was quite hilarious. Man it does not take them long to get into the spirit of Halloween.

The beautiful Cinderella and the heroic Spider Man.
.

My Littler Helper (or Not)

2009-11-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

I have to say that Carson is interested in all things toys, books, and games. Having said that, he is into EVERYTHING ! ! ! Nothing is safe in my house. As much as he likes cars and balls, he is constantly getting into drawers, dishes, closets, and papers. I think he is the human tornado. Kaiden was never this bad, so it MUST be a boy thing. I was overjoyed when I found him trying to sweep the floor. Usually he just waits until I have pushed all the dirt into a pile and then he picks through all the food items and eats them. Gross, I know, but he is too quick for me.

First Day of Preschool

2009-11-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Kaiden has started preschool. She has always been a little shy around new people and most of the time will not talk to adults she doesn't know very well. So I was excited for her to start preschool and have a little social interaction with kids and adults. The day that I took her to her first day of school, I was a little worried about how she would do. Would she cry when I dropped her off, would she make friends? With all the questions running through my head, I took her to school. She loved it. Within the first five minutes, she didn't even notice that I was still there. When I told her I was leaving, she didn't even look at me just gave me a kiss and went back to whatever she was doing. Woohoo! Since that day she still LOVES preschool and can not wait to go. Now I am stuck at home with Carson who misses his sister the whole time and (I think) puinshes me by achieving to get in my way the whole time she is gone.

The Greatest Show on Earth!!!

2009-11-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

Over Labor Day weekend, I went down to Utah to have a nice relaxing girls weekend with my sister and sisters-in-law. J. got stuck at home watching the kids. Ha, Ha. He seemed to find ways to amuse them because luckily enough the circus came to town that weekend and he was able to take them.

Mount Rainier

2009-08-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday afternoon, we went driving around in Mt. Rainier national park and got to see some really pretty views of the mountain.

Killer Whale Alert!!

2009-08-17T10:42:00.001-07:00

At the end of July, J.'s parents came out to visit us. We were super excited to see them. Kaiden kept saying that her other grandma was coming. My parents had just came a few weeks earlier, so J.'s parents were therefore labled 'the other grandma and gradpa'. We were glad that they made the trip up to see us and tried to think of some funs things we could do while they were here. When my parents were here, we went out whale watching, or should I say that we tried to go whale watching. Sadly we did not get to see any whales that day. Not to be discouraged, we decided to try again. This time we left from Port Townsend instead of Anacortes, hoping that a different route would make a differance. This time it did, because we got to see the Orcas. I was singing the last part of that line in my head while I wrote it, just so you know.

Kaiden with her 'other grandma and gradpa', Linda and Mike Bradshaw.

The boat was not allowed to get closer than 100 yards from the whales, so we did not get very good close up pictures of them.

Fun in the Sun

2009-08-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

It is terrific that all I need to entertain my kids is a bucket of water and the hose. That's it. They think it's great and I think what ever keeps them busy for a few minutes is fab with me.

Kadien Turns 4- Party at Point Defiance Zoo!!!

2009-08-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

It is strange to think that Kaiden is 4 now. It doesn't seem all that long ago that I was in labor with her for umpteen hours. Wow. All I have to say is that our family wouldn't be complete without her wierd obsessions and quirky attitude. She is fun to have around albeit sometimes she is rather annoying, but I do love her imagination and laughter. I love you my sweet girl!

O.k, O.k enough of the reminiscing. For her birthday, my friend Kim suggested they we take her to the zoo. She conveninetly had free passes for us, so I was definately up for it.

Kaiden and her friend Ryan.

Kaiden absolutely loved the seals. She didn't want to leave this part of the zoo. To bad Kaiden.

Kaiden Turns 4- Party at Point Defiance Zoo Cont.

2009-08-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

After looking at all the animals, all the kids wanted to do was chill out and play at the zoo playground.

Our little friend Peyton had a blast in the water!

Isn't he just the cutest little guy. Yes, he is! Oops got a little carried away there.

Super Pretty Waterfall

2009-07-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

Seriously, the prettiest little waterfall just off the side of the road.

My brothers and J. were climbing up the rocks to the top of the waterfall. Well, Kaiden really wanted to go with them, but the rocks were really slick from the moss and water. However, she insisted on climbing up part of the way. On the way back down, I wanted her to hold my hand so she wouldn't fall and she said, "No way, I can do it myself." Man I wish she was this independent in other things...oh... say like picking up her toys. I wish.

Olympic National Forest

2009-07-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

O.K. people so this is straight from the horses mouth. I think that how that quote goes, anyways you are looking at the worlds largest Spruce Tree. It really is.

Kaiden had a blast climbing around on the trees roots. Can I say, holy freaking roots!

Pacific Coast

2009-07-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

A few days before my parents left, we decided to drive to the coast and play around there for a while and then drive to the Oplypic National Forest. My little brother, Daniel, had never been to the ocean before and we was super excited. Kaiden was also excited to go, mainly so that she could play with her beach toys. The tide was low when we got there, and Carson immediately sat in the wet sand and got his pants all wet (oh well).

Kaiden got to fly a kite for the first time. I know, I am a terrible mother. Better late then never I guess.

My Dad and brothers got obsessed in digging for clams. I had never seen a live clam before, and have to admit it was pretty cool. They would dig them up and then watch as the clams would dig themselves back in the sand. J. even got in on it. He, however had the misfortune of putting his clam back in the ocean only for a seagull to swoop down and steal it. Rest in peace little clam.

San Juan Islands

2009-07-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

The next place we went with my family was to the San Juan Islands. I had never been before but J. had, and he said it was really pretty. We took a ferry from Ancortes to Friday Harbor. I have to admit that the main reason we were going was because we were going to take a boat tour, and go whale watching (to hopefully see some Orcas). The weather did not cooperate with us and we were basically freezing. So much for that July summer. Also the whales did not cooperate with us either because we didn't get to see any. Sniff, sniff. I was pretty disappointed but what could I do about it. We did get to see some seals and bald eagles, so that was pretty cool.

My mom and Kaiden on the ferry.

While we were in Friday Harbor, Kaiden got to feed some fish to the local seal that hangs around the docks. Her name is Popeye. I was bummed that I didn't get a picture but Kaiden loved her.

You can't see it, but there were some seals on the rocks out there. Man I wish I had a camara with a better zoom.

Snowqualamie Falls

2009-07-15T12:47:00.001-07:00

I was excited when I found out that my family was coming to visit us. So I started thinking of places where we could take them while they were here. The arrived on the evening of July 3rd, so on the grand foruth of July we decided to go to Snowqualamie Falls and hike around.

Sorry, I know that this picture is kind of dark and Kaiden wasn't even in it. We kept trying to get her to look at the water fall but she wouldn't. We thought she was just scared of the heights or something, oh no, she just REALLY needed to go to the bathroom. No worries though, I got her to the bathroom in time.

While we were walking down to the river, we saw this doe and her two fawns. They walked right in front of us on the trail. It was pretty cool.

My Dad and my brothers Taylor and Daniel.

Carson Turns 1!!!!

2009-07-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

I simply can not believe that my sweet little guy turned 1 year old!! How did time go so fast? I guess when he was an infant ,that 3 in the morning feeding routine did seem to drag on. Now woosh it's one year later. I will say it again, I can not beielve that he turned 1. I love you buddy boy!!!

Trying out his new birthday present from Dad. It was a very thoughtful gift but obviously J. didn't think that all those buttons on it would become annoying after a while. I get to hear 'Little Einsteins' all day long. Lucky me!!!

We had a small birthday party for him with some friends. He was hilarious to watch, when it came time to eat the cake. I remember that when Kaiden turned one she didn't even want to touch the frosting but daintily picked off the sprinkles instead. Carson, however, had no problem digging in up to his elbows.

Pick, Pick, Pick

2009-06-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

O.K. it is official. Kaiden is addicted to picking the dirt out between her toes. I have no idea how this little obsession started, all I know is that the past few months it has got steadily worse. She does this little ritual of sitting down, and then carefully going toe by toe and removing whatever it is that is between them. One day she told me, "Mom look at this dirt, it is so disgusting". She has even started doing this toe picking addiction during opening exercises of primary. Yes it's true. Yesterday I saw my child carefully take her shoes off and begin (yet again) this toe-picking obsession. Meanwhile sitting in such a way that she is flashing her panties to all to see. I teach the CTR 5 class, so I had a full view of her one row ahead of me. Her primary teacher told me she noticed that she does it in class all the time. Just great. If that is not bad enough, I have caught her pinning Carson down by sitting on his stomach so that she can remove the dirt between his toes(while all the time he is screaming bloody murder). I sat down with her yesterday and told her that she is not allowed to pick her toes in church anymore. As for the rest of her toe-picking, I can only hope that she outgrowns it soon or at least it doesn't get to the point where she wants to start doing it on me.

La Push and First Beach Baby

2009-06-03T11:32:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is the treaty line where Edward would drop off Bella to go and see Jacob. Though I didn't realize that it was sponsered by Pepsi. Interesting. In fact, we ate at the small restaurant behind the sign. I had myself the Wolf Burger, it was quite tastey (it wasn't actually made of Wolf meat, you know, it was named for the wolves in book, oh forget it).

Kaiden loved the beach! She was really upset that we forget to bring her beach toys, so she could play in the sand. Sorry Kaiden, you'll have to make do with your hands.

Forks Cont.

2009-06-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

Dr. Cullen has his own parking spot at the extremely small hospital.

O.K I have to hand it to J. at not laughing (to much) at all these bizarre things the town of Fork's does. Oh, you know like giving the Cullen's thier own mail box. Shoot, maybe I should have opened it and see what was inside. Dang.

Edward's house, I admit was a bit of a dissapointment. First off, it was like a block from the high school. I guess, the house they were orginally saying Edward lived in burned down last winter (mmm, I wonder if there are Edward haters out there). It was supposed to be a more accurate representation of the Cullen house, because it was set in the middle of woods like Edwards, and much bigger (it had 18 bedrooms, crazy!). Oh well, I need to remember that he doesn't exsist anyways. I have to say that Forks was fun and crazy. They really made it seem like the Cullen's lived there. At one store, I went in, the cashier, was an Alice look-alike. She told me she was the towns Alice. Well, what I want to know is where is the town's Edward. Where is he?

Forks OME (Oh My Edward)

2009-06-03T10:30:00.001-07:00

O.K so here's the deal, I (like every other woman/girl on the planet) REALY wanted to see Forks, Washington. I probably wouldn't have ever make the trip if I still lived in Arizona, but since I am convientaly living in Washington and it's a mere 4 hours from my house, I say what the heck. Plus our boat to and from Victoria left from none other than (drum roll please) Port Angeles. I did have one slight reservation about going to Forks and that was the fact that I would much rather go with girls, who love the books like me. Not my husband and two little kids. Plus if gorgeous god-like Edward did truely exsist (sigh), I would definately not want my husband and two little kids ruining my good time. Oh well. I have to say in J.'s defense though, he has read the first 2 books, so I ended finding that worthy enough to accompany me to Forks (we had to bring the kids because apparently it's frowned upon to just leave them alone somewhere).

"There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new- well, new to me- truck." (Twilight pg. 8)

"Evetually we made it to Charlies. He still lived in the small, two bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early day of thier marriage." (Twilight pg. 8)

See they do exsist. Here are thier student cards.

"Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school, only the sign, which declared it to be Fork High School, made me stop." (Twilight pg. 12)

Buschart Gardens Cont..

2009-06-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Buschart Gardens

2009-06-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

While we were in Canada, we decided to go and see the famous Buschart Gardens. It was only about a 40 minute bus ride from Victoria, and it definately worth seeing. They had so many different types of gardens. There was the Italian Garden, the Rose Garden, the Japenese Garden, and the Sunken Garden. My only fear while we were there was that Kaiden would start picking the flowers behind my back (she has been known to do this). So I had to keep reminding her not to pick or even touch the flowers. She did great, she did pick up an occasional stick or two, but who cares about that, right?

Victoria Cont..

2009-06-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know what was with the Totem Poles, but they were everywhere. It was kind of cool.

There was a beautiful park, part of Becon Hill.

Victoria Canada

2009-06-03T08:21:00.001-07:00

J. and I had our 6 year anniversay on May 23rd. I still can't believe that I have been married for 6 years. Crazy. Anyways, we decided that we wanted to go up to Vancouver Island and see Victoria. Of course, there was the problem on what to do with the children. Since we have no family around, and we didn't want to pawn them off on our friends, we decided that we might as well take them with us and make it a family vaction. Kaiden was especially excited to go on the boat, so it worked out great.

The beautiful Olympic Mountains.

Rain, rain, go away!

2009-05-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

Gah, I knew that moving to Washington I would have to endure a fair amount of rain. It is o.k. most of the time, but now it is May and I am SICK TO DEATH of the rain and the clouds. Hello, is this not when summer should start? I am sick of wearing long sleeve shirts and long to wear my shorts and the 50 pair of sandals I own. Just as soon and it warms up to 70 degrees (hello when did I become one of those people who think 60/70 degrees is warm, I have been out of Arizona to long) bang then next day 50 degrees again. Arrgh. Get warm already, this is driving me nuts. The only person who seems to be enjoying this somewhat warmer weather is Kaiden, she loves going outside in her cute raincout (courtsey of anut Sheridyn). Maybe I should learn from Kaiden's attitude or maybe I should just wallow in self-pity for a few more days. I can't decide.

Carson on the Go

2009-05-05T10:20:00.001-07:00

Now that Carson is crawling, he is getting into everything and going everywhere. One night last week I was upstairs folding laundry, and J. was downstairs supposedly watching Carson (yeh right). Kaiden comes into my room yelling at me to go and see what Carson was doing and this it what I found.

Right after that incident J. immediately got on-line and purchased a gate from Craigs list. This makes for very happy parents and a very sad baby, who was just getting the hang of climbing up the stairs. Kaiden, thinks it's hilarious to block Carson, that is until she gets bored and finds that she herself is now trapped.

Tulip Festival

2009-05-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ever since we moved to Washington, we have heard so many great things about the annual 'Tulip Festival' in Mount Vernon; so we decided to go and see what all the fuss was about. We headed up there with some friends and I have to say that we had a fabulous time. It was so surprsing to me to literally see fields and fields of tulips (duh, I guess I should have expected it, hence the name Tulip festival). Anyways, everything was so beautiful that I have decided to see if my undoubtedly black thumb can grow anything up here.

Easter Morning

2009-04-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

We decided (we meaning I) that since we have early church, we would not give Kaiden and Carson thier Easter baskets until we got home. Upon arriving at home, I put thier baskets outside and rang the doorbell. I told Kaiden that the Easter bunny had left something outside for them. Her immediate response was and I quote, "I'm scared, Daddy come with me". Hilarious. She thought the Easter bunny was still there and would not go to the door until J. picked her up and took her. Once she saw the baskets and the fact that there was no Easter bunny there, she was fine. More than fine actually!

Kent's Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-24T22:02:00.002-07:00

Every year, the City of Kent has an Easter egg hunt the day day before Easter. They host it in front of the local AMC theater (notice the AMC line seperator or whatever it's called) Anyways, we thought it would be fun to particpate, and take Kaiden down there to look for eggs. We arrived about 1/2 before the egg hunt was to begin. It was a crazy madhouse of kids and adults, and to top it off it was fre-e-eazing. Kaiden had fun, despite all the chaos. She was, however, a little impacient to wait her turn to hunt for eggs.

Yes, you will notice the absense of Kaiden in this picture. She was mortally afraid to go near the Easter bunny. Carson was to little to care so thats that.

Cookie Monster

2009-04-24T21:33:00.001-07:00

Kaiden and I decided to make some cookeis one rainy day. We wanted to do it while Carson was taking his nap, but of course he woke when we were only half done. I put him on the ground with some toys, he didn't like that. So I put him in his bouncer, once again he cried and didn't like that. Finally, I resorted to putting him in his highchair and giving him some chocolate chips to eat. He most definately liked this. After the cookies were done he literally ate 3 or 4 of them. My little cookie monster!

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma's

2009-04-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

Right before my sisters and I left my mom's house to go home, we decided that it would be fun to have an early Easter egg hunt with the kids.

Let the coloring begin...

Kaiden and the first egg she decorated (of course it's blue). Not sure about her facial expression. She looks kind of bored or possibly constipated.

After we had decorated the eggs, we went to Mortinson wash to have a picnic and hide the eggs. Carson somehow got bored between things and decided to eat some dirt, and some rocks wich I had to fish out of his mouth.

Cake Decorating 101

2009-04-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Everytime we are at my mom's house, she is always really good at baking, making, and decorating something with the grandkids. This time was no different, so the project this time was a very cool cake mold of a train, with the engine, caboose, and everything in between.

Left over dough...mmm.

Finished project, maybe a little heavy on the candy.

Carson wanted to particpate, but since he is to little I gave him a piece of licorice to keep him quiet (I have to say it worked really well).

Every grandkid (and my two brothers) made a part of the train, and this is the finished master piece.

Emmma Lynn's Blessing

2009-04-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

My sister gave birth to Emma on December 24th (I know poor Christmas eve baby). She is seriously the most adorable baby. She looks like a little doll. When we were in Az. we were able to go to her blessing.

My sister Ashlee and her husband Rocky.

My grandma O'Dair. She wants the great grandkids to call her 'Grandma Grace'.

Fun in the Sun

2009-04-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

J. bought Carson some sunglasses. Carson would take them off almost immediately after having them put on, but we got some cute shots.

J. and I went to a Cubs spring-training game with his mom and brother.

San Carlos Lake

2009-04-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

After J. flew down to Az., we met my family at San Carlos lake for the day. My family loves to fish and every springbreak they go to either Roosevelt or San Carlos and fish for a week. We were going to spend the night, but after we found out that there wasn't any outdoor bathrooms at the campsite we changed our minds. I am not too much a girlie girl that I would have had a problem with this, but Kaiden just got potty-trained, and will not go to the bathroom anywhere besides a toilet. She, in fact, proved our point on the way to the lake when we got stopped in some road constuction and she had to go the bathroom. I tried to get her to go on the side of the road behind some bushes, but she wouldn't do it. She kept saying "this isn't the right way to do it. I need a potty". It was actually kind of hilarious. So we had to turn around and find a bathroom. Anyways we were relieved to make a day trip out of it.

Carson loved playing in the dirt. My neice, Addy, was playing next to him. He only decided he was done with the whole thing, when my nephew accidentally poured some sand into his eyes. Yeh, that would do it.

Kaiden had a blast playing down by the water. I swear she was determined to find every shell there.

Carson decided it was time for a nap. Notice that J. has wrapped him up in an old towel. Nice J..

San Corlos cont...

2009-04-13T11:32:00.001-07:00

My cute little newphew Preston. He decided to brave the cold water.

J. and my brother-in-law, Nathan, wanted to go fishing out on the boat so my uncle Brent took us. We left Caron with grandma but decided to take Kaiden with us. She loved it!

J didn't catch a darn thing, and neither did I. In fact I gave up completely after my line got snagged on some underwater bushes three times in a roll. After first you think a fish is nibbling your line and it turns out to be a freakin' bush. Aargh. Aggravation. Oh well, at least I got some sunbathing in.

I have no idea what Kaiden is doing here. I think that boat excitement wore off and she got bored. Although why she wants to wedge herself in this position is beyond me.

Phoenix Zoo

2009-04-13T10:51:00.001-07:00

J. gave me a terrific Valentine's gift when he gave me tickets to go back to Arizona and visit for 15 days (totally made me feel guilty especially after the half hearted sucky gift I gave him, but that's a different story). So needless to say, I was really surprised. Especially since I had just been home at Christmas, but hey I wasn't going to complain. I was really excited because two of my sisters were coming down at the same time and it would be a could chance to reconnect with them and thier kids. Anyways, I headed down two AZ. with two little kids. On a plane, by myself. (Yikes!)

I was able to stay at my in-laws for the first few days until J. flew down to join us. They were terrific, both Kaiden and Carson had fun playing with silly Grandpa and Grandma. Linda, my mom-in-law, took us to the zoo. We had a great time, even in the heat. Bring it on! After the long cold Washington winter, I was more than ready to handle to AZ desert.

Carson and Grandma Bradshaw. We took the little train around the zoo and he loved it.

Kaiden favorite part of the zoo was eating the rather large snow cone.

Woodland Park Zoo

2009-02-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

Last week some friends and I decided to take the kids and go to the zoo. We had a terrific time, and thankfully it was a beautiful sunny day. Kaiden was so excited, the only animal she really wanted to see was the giraffes and the elephants (she has some wierd obsession with elephants). Then sadly we didn't even get to really see the elephants that well, except for thier bums that is. She didn't seem to mind.

Carson and I in front of the gorilla's.

Kaiden has somewhat of a forced smile. I think she was getting a little sick of the whole picture taking thing. She really loved the kangaroo's. A friend of J.'s (who lives in Austraila) gave Kaiden a stuffed kangaroo, so she was excited when she saw that they had some at this zoo.

Kaiden and Carson both fell asleep in about five minutes after we got in the car.

Carson vs. Sucker

2009-02-22T16:53:00.000-08:00

Carson got a sucker for Valentines day from some family members, so I gave it to him to see what he would do. He loved it!! Half the time I wasn't sure if he was eating the sucker or his fingers. What a fun mess I got to clean up!

ASU vs. Oregon State Game

2009-02-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here is Dusty, Kimball (thier son) and J. at the basketball game. ASU won, yea!!! I can't even remember what the final score was, but hey at least ASU won and we didn't have to hear any complaining on the way home. That alone totally made the trip worth it!

Our Trip to Portland

2009-02-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

So... J. planned this whole trip to Portland with the intent of attending the ASU vs. Oregon State basketball game (typical J.). I had never been to Oregon and we went with some frineds Mandy and Dusty Heal. We were lucky enough that we were able to stay with J.'s cousin Amber Dahl and her family, who live in the Portland area. We were able to go and explore Portland while we were there. One of the sights we had to go and see was the famous Vodoo Doughnuts (shown on 'The Amazing Race'). This is Amber Dahl, myself, and Mandy Heal in front on the shop.

O.K., so this is thier menu and the names of the doughnuts that they make. You seriously need to read the names of the doughnuts. It might be a little suggestive, but I thought it was so funny that I had to take a picture of it.

J. and I both got their famous maple bacon doughnout (simply a maple doughnut with a piece of bacon on the top, wierd but very good), and Kaiden got a doughnut with M&M's on it (genius).

Kaiden's Potty-Trained

2009-02-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

Yes! The day has finally arrived that I can say that Kaiden is pretty much potty-trained. After ranting and raving the last time, you might wonder how this happened. Well I pretty much made her sit on the toilet after she had been holding it all day until she finally went pee. She literally sat there and cried and screamed for about 1/2 an hour before she went. Talk about stubborn. After that she did the whole crying and screaming thing a few more times before she started miracuously telling me when she needed to go. Let me just add that we did do a lot of bribing in process before we got to that point. O.k now getting on to the poo business. I have heard that kids will hold thier poo for days, but Kaiden defineately proved that point when she held number two for 4 days. Gross. I couldn't even stand to be near her, she smelt like crap. I mean it! It was disgusting. Everytime I tried to get her to go I didn't have any luck. Finally, she went and I think only for the fact that the poo had no where else to go. O.k. that was a little visual but true none the less. Now, she still holds it a few days before she goes but at least she doesn't smell like the sewer. My poor stinky child. Yea! We are almost there. Anyhoo. thought I should share my great news with everyone.

Like Father Like Son

2009-02-06T12:58:00.001-08:00

You can tell that J. loves having a little boy around. He is already trying to turn him into a little sports addict like himself. I am sure that he will succeed in this.

Sleepy Days

2009-02-06T12:49:00.001-08:00

Kaiden has an uncanny habit of falling asleep in the strangest places. If I haven't heard a peep out of her in a while chances are she has fallen asleep, and it still amazes where she does it at.

Silly Kids

2009-01-17T15:38:00.001-08:00

Our silly Kaiden! She found a pair a J.'s socks and then proceded to put them on. She walked around like that for most of the day (sorry she isn't wearing pants).

Yes my child is in the sink. He was having a hard day and wanted me to hold him and I really (and I stress really) needed to clean my toilets. So I put him in sink while I cleaned them, and we were both happy.

Isn't this a million dollar smile?

Kaiden and J. played horsey for 15 minutes or more. What a good dad! Kaiden didn't want him to stop.

Potty- Training Nightmare

2009-01-15T11:08:00.001-08:00

So I have been trying to potty train Kaiden for about 6 months. Well actually even longer than that. I think I started before Carson was born, and then gave up after he was born because you know a new born baby is crazy enough. So anyway, after we moved to Washington I made up my mind that it was going to happen. NO MORE DIAPERS! Gosh, I just wish that someone had let Kaiden in on this new resolution. She was nervous at first, but extremely excited to wear panties. At the beginning she had the normal accidents, but had no desire to go on the toilet. She would sit on the toilet but the accidents continued to happen. Then she got where she would not tell me that she peed in her panties. Well, that continued happening for a while until I decided every time she peeed in her pants I would wash her off with cold water in the bathtub. Let me just say that that was a big mistake. From then on she was determined to hold it until the end of time I guess, who knows. I mean she would literally not go to the the bathroom for 8+ hours. Aggrevating. So I gave up trying to do anything with her. Give her a break and then she will be ready, I thought to myself. So I didn't do anything during Christmas, and now I am back at it again. And once again she is holding it all day. What the heck!! On Monday she held it for like 11 hours. She was crossing her knees, walking repeatedly around the room, and whining. Freaking go to the bathroom already, but I put her all the little toilet and she didn't do anything. Is she afraid to let it come out? Does she have a bladder the size of an elelphant? I have know idea. So that night (after she is still holding it all the live long day) I went upstairs to put Carson to bed and when I came back down J. had put a diaper on her, and (of course) lo' and behold it is already full, because she peed it it. Aargh. She is so stubborn! I need a Toilet Fairy, you know just like the Tooth Fairy who comes and magically makes all children miracuously potty trained. What a nice thought. Sigh. People I need some advice or I am going to stangle my daughter! I have already started dreaming about potty training her. What more do I need. My dreams will probably start turning into nightmares. Instead of a person stalking me, I will have Kaiden's Dora potty lurking around the corner ready to pounce on me and drag me down to the sewer. Oh well. Someday it will all be over (fingers crossed).

Zoo Lights

2009-01-03T08:45:00.003-08:00

When we got back to Washington, we decided to go to Point Defiance Zoo Lights with some friends. We had a great time, despite the fact that it rained on us (of course).

Kaiden and her friend Ryan had fun throwing snow at each other. Well...I think Kaiden is doing more of the throwing and Ryan is just enjoying Kaiden's attempt to hit her.

Christmas ! ! !

2009-01-03T08:25:00.004-08:00

My sister-in-law Sheridyn gave this cute little outfit to Carson. Seriously people, isn't he the cutest little Santa ever!

Kaiden loved opening all the presents (of course). She wanted us to open the boxes right after she unwrapped them. On a little side note, why are kids toys so difficult to get out of the boxes. Come on, this isn't rocket science, it shouldn't be so hard to open them.

Poor Carson, it looks like he his buried in a mountain of boxes.

Carson and Grandpa Bradshaw! He thought his Grandpa was so hilarious.

Here Comes Santa Claus

2009-01-03T08:07:00.004-08:00

All of the Bradshaw relatives have a huge get together right before Christmas every year. We were able to go to the party this year and were pleasantly surprised when Santa arrived.

Carson didn't seem to mind the jolly guy. It probably helped that our niece Aleia was holding him.

Kaiden, on the other hand, was way to scared to speak to him let alone sit on his lap.

Carson and the Balloons

2009-01-02T20:56:00.005-08:00

While we were at my parents house, we discovered that Carson has a huge fascination for balloons. He would sit there or lie on the floor and hold onto the strings forever, just looking at them. Everytime the person holding him would walk past the balloons, he would try to reach out and grab onto the strings. Such a silly little guy!

Visit to Grandma and Grandpa's

2009-01-02T19:56:00.004-08:00

So two weeks before Christmas, I decided to leave J. behind and fly to Arizona early to make a visit to my parents house. We were able to make it out of Washington just before the "worst storm in 20 years" hit. Woohoo, lucky us! We had a great time at "dramma and drampa's" house. Kaiden still can't say her /g/ sound. Carson loved all the attention. Everyone wanted to hold him, which was fabulous for me. Kaiden was loving all the snow that came while we were there. She was able to go sledding for the first time, and also made her own snowman, with uncle Daniel's help of course. She was especially estactic when Grandma made cookies with her. It kind of made me feel bad, that I don't make cookies with her more often.

Carson and Uncle Taylor. He did such a great job at entertaining the kids.

Kaiden LOVES the color blue (I think loves is even an understatement). She wanted to decorate all her cookies blue. It didn't matter if they were trees or Santa Claus, all her cookies had to be blue. She even hoarded over the blue frosting and was upset if anyone else wanted to use it. What a nerd!

Kaiden was a little scared to go sledding for the first time. However, after her first time down the hill she didn't want to stop. It's a good thing my brothers were there, I wasn't about to track up and down that hill 30 times. I'm way to lazy!

Thanksgiving in Idaho

2009-01-02T17:47:00.006-08:00

I told J. that I did not want to make a huge Thanksgiving dinner for 3 people, so we decided to make the insanely long drive to Idaho Falls to stay with my sister. That was an adventure with 2 young children in a 11+ hour car drive. However, it was so-o-o much fun visiting and playing with my neice and 2 nephews. This is Carson with his cousin Preston on the left and his cousin Robby on the right.

Kaiden had fun playing princess dress-up with her cousin Adalynn.

My kids and I. Kristi and her kids, and Amber and her son. It was utter madness with all the small children. We don't get to see each other that often, seeing as we each live in a different state. Sigh. Maybe someday we will live closer together.