Shooting Grandpa's "Shoot Gun"

So as many of you know my little Cal is obsessed with guns, (or as he calls them "shoot guns"). For Thanksgiving we decided to go to my Uncle Arnold's farm in Kansas. While we there, Cal was in heaven shooting Grandpa's "shoot gun". The guns Adrian brought were a little too powerful for Cal so my dad decided to bring a BB Gun for Cal to shoot. Cal thought it was pretty cool, he also got to shoot Grandpa's 22 Rifle. He takes after his dad, as my dad would say, "he'se a real gunnie!"Cal and Grandpa shooting the BB gun on the bridge!

Cal giving a big thumbs up after shooting!!

Cal and daddy shooting!


Cal a little excited after he got done shooting!

The 3 Gunnies! Grandpa, Adrian and Cal!

Grandpa's visit from New Zealand

This is long overdue, but we have been so busy! Back in October Adrian's dad came and visited us. We had fun seeing him again and miss him! We wish we could see Adrian's side of the family more! We didn't do anything too big this visit because of Adrian's work but we still had fun with him. We went trick or treating, carved pumpkins, went to see Thriller at Tuachan, put him to work at the warehouse and relaxed.

We had to take Grandpa to the park because it is one of Cal's favorite places to go.

We also went to the Grand Canyon for a day, attempted to take some family pictures, hiked around a little, took lots of pictures of the great view and had a picnic dinner.

Tagged By Casandra

Four random things I like about my husband :
1. Hard worker
2. Funny
3. Great dad
4. Gives great back rubs

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. High school Gymnastics, basketball and track coach
2. Marriot Front Desk
3. Cart Girl at Racoon Creek Golf Course
4. Sales and catering directer at Golf course

Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. Monsters Inc.
2. Sound of Music
3. High Noon
4. Ice Age

Four TV shows I watch:
1. The Office
2. Lost
3. So you Think You can Dance
4. One Tree Hill (I know don't judge)

Four places I have been:
1. New Zealand
2. Australia
3. Kansas
4. California

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Oatmeal mint cookies
2. Pizza
3 Chile Cheese fris
4. Nachos

Four places I would like to visit:
1. Hawaii
2. Cancun
3. Cruise
4. Canada

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Cade's 1st b-day
2. Going to see dad and uncle Arnolds farm
3. Starting a new company with Adrian
4. Christmas

Four People I tag:
1. Tanya
2.Kristie
3. Andrea
4. AMy

Tagged by Kristie

I am: taking it easy from my surgery yesterday
I think: too much when I am lying in bed trying to sleep. it keeps me up forever
Everything in life: has a purpose
I want: too many things this Christmas (to name a few, new leather coat, a food processer, black boots, tickets to Disney land, bumble watches (and that is only to name a few)
I have: a hard working husband and a great dad!
I dislike: cleaning bathrooms
I miss: my mom
I fear: loosing a child
I feel: my stomach hurting from yesterday
I hear: Cade babbling
I smell: Pumpkin Pie Yankee candle burning
I crave: Elder Lords cookies (oatmeal and mint chocolate chips)
I cry: all the time. Adrian makes fun of me because of it, we can be watching some dumb movie and I'll cry, if I see someone crying I will cry with them.
I search: the scriptures
I wonder: when Cade will stop spitting up
I regret: Not spending more time with my family when we lived closer.
I wish: all my family lived near each other
I love: Adrian's and my family
I care: about all my family and friends
I always: Kiss my boys and Adrian every night and tell them I love them before its bed time
I am not: happy about the elections
I remember: playing "fat people" in the green machine at Uncle Arnold's farm
I believe: My family will be together forever
I sing: songs to Cal and Cade all the time
I don’t always: take a shower every day
I argue: not very often
I write: too many lists (I get it from my mom and sister Kristie)
I win: most of the time ( my family is pretty competitive)
I lose: when playing Trivial prusuit and other brainy games
I listen: to country music
I don’t understand: why certain things happen
I can usually be found: at home, pool, Target, or the park
I need: to mop my floors
I forget: to gas up the cars before the light comes on
I am happy: when Adrian is home from work
I tag: Tanya and Jamie K.

Trick-or-Treat

Cal and Cade had a great time dressing up. We took them around the neighborhood to go Trick-or-Treating. When the people answer their door instead of saying Trick-or-Treat Cal would say "BOO!" It was pretty funny!Cal dressed up Winnie the Pooh (thanks Kristie for the outfit!) Cal thought he was pretty cool because I colored his nose brown, and Cade was Nemo! They were so cute!
Cal enjoying his Candy!

Cute little Cade!

Carving Pumpkins

We had lots of fun this Halloween! Grandpa came and visited us from New Zealand and celebrated his first Halloween with the boys! So of course we had to have him carve pumpkins with us! I think he had a good time. Our pumpkins all looked great! Cal liked to work on his pumpkin and Cade was happy just playing with his little pumpkin.

A few fun pictures of the boys

Right now the boys either play so well together OR not so much. Cade can't play with any toys without his big brother taking them away, Cade can't make any noises without his big brother saying "no Tadders too loud" . Cal's hugs and kisses are sometimes loved by Cade and other times Cade wants nothing to do with them. BUT when they do play together it is the cuttest thing ever! They laugh so hard at eachother and love playing peek-a-boo and singing the happy song! I love these guys!

Happy Birthday MOM!!

Instead of making this a sad post, (even though I am crying right now) I want to just mention a few of my favorite memories of my mom. When I was little I remember I kept having a bad dream, finally one night I went in and woke up my mom, she let me sleep with them that night, she also told me about a bad dream that she had when she was little, her dream was about her going to the bathroom in an outhouse on a hill on a snowy day when all of a sudden a big snowball started rolling down the hill and over all of the kids and she didn't know because she was inside and it ended up rolling right over her. All you could see was the big snowball with little hands and feet sticking out. I remember laughing with my mom telling her that that was a funny dream not a scary dream. I also remember driving one night with my mom back in the hills and us both pulling the car over because we both saw something in the sky , we sat and watched it until it disappeared, I still to this day think it was a UFO! Ha Thanks mom for all the great memories! I miss you and wish so much that the rest of my little family had the chance of knowing you on this earth! We love you!

Update on the Boys

I thought I would let you all know the latest happenings with the boys.

Cal is really into lining up all of his toys with wheels and calling it his train, he loves trains! Did I mention a few months ago at church when the sacrament was being passed, all was perfectly quiet, Cal stood up in his chair, cupped his hand around his mouth to make it louder and yelled "All Aboard!!!".
He is so proud of his train and the straight line he puts them in. He gets a little upset when Cade tries to play and ruins his straight line.Yes Casan, Cade must be taking after his brother, he has no shirt on! Cade had his 9 month check up the other day. I can't believe he is that old already. Anyways, he only gained one and a half ounces in 3 months, the Dr. was a little concerned she ended up weighing him 4 times on 3 different scales to make sure. (I had just nursed and fed him solids right before and he hadn't had a wet diaper, meaning he probably lost weight). He dropped to the 8th percentile for his weight. The Dr. decided to put him on some medication for his spit up. For those of you who have not have the privilege of holding this cute little boy, he spits up all the time to the point that people don't want to hold him because of it. After visiting us once, my brother in law told my sister he thought something was wrong with Cade because he spits up ALL the time. Well Brett, the doctor finally agrees with you and thinks there is something wrong also. We go back to the doctors in a month to get him weighed. I am not a fan of having him on medication so young. Hopefully he won't have to be on it too long.
Cade also just got his 1st tooth yesterday!
I love pictures like this, Cade sleeping with his little bum pushed up!

Cute Little Cade

I just think this picture is so cute of Cade. He looks so much like Cal but at the same time I think they look so different. I think it is the big blue eyes that make them look similar. Their personalities are so completely different but sometimes so much alike. Cade is such an easy easy baby, except he is not a big fan of anyone holding him but mommy and daddy. Totally a momma's boy, but sure loves his daddy, the rougher daddy is with him the more he likes it.

1st Day of Joy School

Today was Cal's 1st day of school. A friend of mine from our ward invited me to do joy school with her and 2 of her friends. There are 4 kids all together so about once a month they will all come to Cal's house and I will teach the lesson. Cal was pretty excited about the whole thing. I don't know if he actually understood that he was AT school I think that he thought it was just a play date at Hunter's house.He was totally into his backpack and school supplies. While at school he was a little obsessed with his glue stick. He learned all about the letter A and made some pretty cool crafts!

Cal and his friend Hunter listening to their teacher. Cal and his class coloring their "A" books. Next week is my turn I am teaching the letter B, let me know if you have any fun ideas!

The Real Blessing was Ours

My wonderful wife does not know I am posting this...

Joe and Willie (our next door neighbors) were not the ones blessed by our association with them, I am the one who has been blessed. What a humbling blessing for me to watch the way my wife's concern and love for this quiet elderly couple grew. Danell is not one to get up in Church and tell everybody how great she is, or how strong her testimony is, or what wonderful things she accomplished over the week. She's not big on words and long discussions about how much she knows. But I have learned more about her divine character and her quiet capacity to love and serve, in the last 9 months than the whole time I have known her before that. She made it a point to take Cal over there and make sure he gave Willie "hugs & kisses" not just because it was "cute" but because she knew it meant a lot to Willie, and because Willie had grown fond of our little bundle of energy(chaos) that is Cal. She made it a point to try and visit whenever possible, just to provide company, knowing that most of Joe and Willie's family are a long way away. And it was never just "taking brownies over to the neighbors because that's what we do," it was always because of the sweet bond Danell has developed with them.

I had no idea that blowing kisses and "catching them and putting them in my pocket for later" (read the entry before this to understand what i am referring to) was something that Cal learned from Willie. Willie may never know that this has become one of our favorite bed time traditions and is now a family tradition that will last for generations... (well, she does know...).

I can't imagine the grief that Joe must feel with the huge void that has appeared in his life with the loss of his companion of 53 yrs. I am also glad that Willie has been set free from the pain and misery of the last few months. I have no doubt that Joe will get to see and be with her again, he was always so gentle and caring for his wife.

Willie, we are so grateful to have been blessed by our friendship with you and we miss you...

In Memory of Our Dear Friend Willy

Our dear friend and neighbor passed away this morning. In the course of living in St George, we have not met many people, I always joke and say that are best friends are Joe and Willy even though they are twice are age, we don't know them from church or work just from being neighbors. This picture was taken the beginning of June on Cal's B-day, they got him 2 movies, one being about a fish which has become his favorite.
Joe and Willy both knew this was going to be happening so Willy had been cleaning out everything and getting everything in order for Joe, while doing this she gave us some of their Christmas dishes. Every Christmas I will use these dishes and be reminded of our good friends Joe and Willy. Our little family sure grew close to them, when we say our prayers, Cal will always remind us "Bless Joe and Willy" in case we forgot. Willy had the most beautiful front yard, it was nice living across the street from them because our view was so great with all of the flowers Willy would plant and tend to all the time. She always had a cookie to give to Cal even when visiting in the hospital Cal always got a cookie. She taught Cal had to blow a kiss, and when he would blow her a kiss she would always "catch it and put it in her pocket to save it for later" This was a tradition of theirs to always catch each others kisses.
The last 2 months have been pretty rough on her body, but she kept fighting to stay alive to spend time with her husband Joe of 53 years. I know that she is in a better place and not in pain anymore but it still doesn't make things easier right now, my heart still aches for Joe and his family and we will still miss her. We love you Willy!

Caught on Camera...

It has finally happened... The little stinker has figured out how to climb out of his crib... So tonight began the first night in his "big boy" bed... So far so good. The quality is a rough because the camera had to be in "night vision" mode...

Cade's Big Day Boating

I finally brought the camera boating but only got a few shots (it is hard to take pictures because one of us is always driving the boat which leaves noone to take pictures.) I wanted to make sure we took a picture of Cade and his first time riding the tube. Our friends went with us and their littlest girl loved the tube!

This is how we find Cade normally on the boat on the floor in the shade ASLEEP! It has been nice because every time we have gone boating with him, he will fall asleep down there and we don't have to worry about him getting sun burned. I think the motion of the boat puts him asleep.

Rec Center Swimming

It seems like all we do here is go swimming, which is fine by Cal. Between our neighborhood pool, the rec center and boating at the lake we keep busy. Here we are at the rec center Cal sure has a fun time going on the big slide with dad.


























We took Cade down the slide also. He is starting to like the water too. He didn't like it too much at the beginning of summer but enjoys to splash around and even float on his back now.

I WON!!

So my sister told me about this cute blog mommasassy.blogspot.com (very cute you should check it out!) Anyways, the first time I looked at it I entered to win a $25 Gift card to Mountain Aven Baby on ETSY, and I WON! She sells some cute little lounge outfits! I can't wait to use my GC! I am thinking about this little giraffe outfit?! What do you think? Thanks mommasassy and Mountain Aven Baby!

Sitting next to Tadders

So Cal's new thing is making sure he is always sitting next to Cade. While we are eating, Cal will push his place mat over, get out of his chair and push it right next to Cade so they can sit together saying "I sit by Tadders" (Tadders is how Cal says "Caders" which is our nickname for Cade). The other day Cade was in his chair eating a snack and Cal was sitting at the bar coloring. I was in the other room and heard the chair moving across the floor (normally this is Cal moving the chair over to the door to unlock it so he can escape outside) I came into the kitchen and this is what I saw... I guess Cal wanted to Caders to sit next to him while he colored. Don't you love how Cade is under the bar?! Pretty cute!