SWAP

One of my friends, Emily, from college organized a "SWAP" with 5 of us friends. We were all in the same cohort in the Elementary Education program. Now that we are all graduated we are scattered across the nation so this was a great way to stay connected! (plus who doesn't like getting fun mail!) We had a set date where we had to send a gift to someone else. So everyone was getting and sending a gift. Once we get the gift we post it on our blog to show what we got. I received a gift from Alisa. (yes Alisa-we are enjoying your home state very much!) It was cute fall decorations. The pumpkin has a spot inside for a candle so that light can shine through the holes and the black hanging one says, "Trick or Treat". This was perfect because I was just telling a neighbor that I really had no fall/Halloween decor! Also there was a package of fall colored Jelly Belly jelly beans which are now gone :) Thanks so much Alisa!

Bummed

Besides seeing family and friends, one of the big things we miss about Provo is going to BYU football games. Yes even me-it was a fun social event and really the only team, of any sport, I have really ever cared about. We only get the basic local channels which also means we can't watch them on TV. Even bigger bummer. But last Saturday was the one and only game this season that was airred on a more local channel (not sure all the details there) and so we were able to watch the game from home. We all got in our BYU gear and watched the game. I am sure one of Cole's dreams is to have a son be a sports star so here is Cade starting out early.

Cade Update!!

Cade will be 9 months by the end of this month. He is doing so good and still maintains the description of a happy little boy. His sleeping is....improving. He really has come leaps and bounds from where he was so I guess there can be no complaining there. (but does not sleep soundly through the night yet.) I guess the biggest new is that he has cut his first tooth on the bottom. As of yesterday the other has barley poked through-like just the ridges on top-so soon we will have a toothy smile. And teething has been just as bad as everyone says it is :( This picture shows his cute little tooth. He loves books. He loves sitting on my lap while I read to him. I think he likes the rhyming sound. His favorite is a picture book titled The Way I Feel by Janan Cain. With each page I make a different sound for my voice that corresponds with the feeling talked about-that may help.

He gets into EVERYTHING!! Every crevice, every particle on the floor, every non-toy item...you name it he wants it! This last picture is kind of random picture but don't you just love these eyes!!

Below are 3 videos of Cade and his super baby abilities!

This first one is Cade and his scooting. Notice how he reaches out with both arms and then pushes off with his toes so that we propels himself forward. Don't be fooled-he can get pretty fast at this.

Cade just learned how to wave. I am pretty sure he has no idea what it means but it sure is cute!

This last video is of Cade babbling to himself-also a new ability. He woke up from a nap and Cole is trying to sneak up on him and get video of him talking. At one point Cole is trying to get a different view and the camera is kind of everywhere. High quality recording. And then at the end Cade catches him-we think it is hilarious. Be sure to turn up the volume for this one!

There's No Place Like Home

I finally have pictures taken so I can give the grand tour. Cade will be your guide. (and yes he is playing with a rubber spatula. He is teething and likes to chew on the rubber end-hey whatever works)

Front Room:

Master Bedroom and kitchen and utility room

Cade's roomAnd here is the view from the front door-basically the whole house. I spy Cade!!!
We also have two full baths-one in the master and one in the hall- but I didn't feel a need to post pictures of them. We are really enjoying our place.

Extra fun perks include: air conditioning, big closets, good lighting, dishwasher in the cabinets (our old one was portable so we had to hook it up to the sink every time we used it) and ceiling fans in almost every room. Kansas is going well. Cole is adjusting to being in school again and I am adjusting to being a stay-at-home mommy. And is Cade is adjusting to teeth-pictures coming soon.

2 Years!!

Today we celebrate our two year anniversary! Woo Hoo! Cole and I are so grateful to be together-good thing he called out to me on the corner of 7th and 7th in Provo! We are loving our little family and look forward to the many years to come. We are not doing anything super elaborate because today is also Cole's first day of school. But we made sure to have lunch together and will go out for dessert tonight. Here are a few scenes from our wonderful wedding day 2 years ago.
I love you Cole!!

San Diego

After being in Kansas for about 2 days we turned around and left for a family reunion in San Diego. It was great to be able to relax after making the big move. It was so good to see all the family on my mom's side. Many of them had never met Cade and I had never met some of the newer additions. Grandma and Grandpa were the main planners of everything and they did a fabulous job. Here are some of our adventures.

This was Cade's first experience with the beach. He was ok with standing in the sand and watching the water but he was a little nervous about the water rushing up around this feet.

We went to the San Diego Zoo. What an amazing place! My favorite was the monkeys. We saw a mommy monkey cuddling with her baby. So precious!

We also went to LegoLand! What a fun idea for an amusement park. Of course it would have been so fun to have a Cade a few years older but we still had a blast. Miniland was awesome-they had several major cities (DC, Vegas, New York...) all made out of legos. It was amazing.
Cole loves baseball and we were able to go to a Padres game. Cole loved taking his son to a baseball. We just had to dress him up like a baseball player.
Other activities included a bike ride along the beach, playing games in the hotel lobby, Cole went deep sea fishing, and touring the USS Midway-a naval carrier. They had old veterans there giving presentations on what it was like to be on the carrier. It was pretty fascinating.

This was a great time for us to spend time with lots of family before moving. Now the nearest family is 8 hours away. So if you are ever passing through Kansas feel free to give us a visit!

There's No Place Like Home

I have Internet! It is amazing how lost we have felt with no Internet. I am writing from our hotel in San Diego (a later post will tell about our family reunion.) Anyways, we made the big move to Kansas. Although it was stressful and busy (not to mention a really long drive with a baby) everything went smoothly. Thank you so much to all the family and friends who helped with packing, cleaning, and watching Cade. A big thanks to Cole's brother Brandon for driving our moving truck for us and then helping to get all the big furniture set up. We were there for only 2 days before we had to leave for San Diego but already other church members there have been so welcoming. Within the course of two days we had several men help us move in, a dinner made for us, cookies dropped off, lemon bars dropped off and lots of warmth and welcomes. So although we are a little nervous to live somewhere and not know anyone, this was a big comfort to us and wenare excited to get to know this new area. Here, we captured our first moment in our new home state-notice the gorgeous scenery. To get into the spirit of being Kansas-ans here are a few interesting facts about Kansas I thought I would share.
-It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which was named after the Kansa tribe who lived there.
-Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states. Most years Kansas leads with the most wheat and sunflower production in the nation.
- Population -2,775,997
-Overland Park, a city in Northeastern Kansas, was voted the 6th best place to live in America in 2006.
-Famous people from Kansas include Amelia Earhart, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Bob Dole.
-Accomplishments and attractions include a Wizard of Oz museum, the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center (a smithsonian instituion), the world's largest ball of twine, and Big Well which is the world's largest hand-dug well. Looks like we are in for a treat.