In Mom's Shoes

Caitlyn's has found interest in my shoes for a while now,

but today she was interested in walking around the entire house...

including the stairs!

Baby Whisperer

Yesterday, when I posted about our trip, I realized that I had no pictures of my mom. I thought all night about how and why that happened... and decided that it was probably because she spent a lot of time washing, waxing, cooking, cleaning, and...

baby whispering!

Ashley and I nicknamed my mom the Baby Whisperer while we were camping because after he and I would spend an hour or two wrestling with Caitlyn to take a nap, she would come in and give us a break and all she'd have to say is, "Caitlyn, it's time to rest your eyes" and I swear to you, she'd fall right to sleep. There were even some times she'd say, "Caitlyn, I can tell you're getting sleepy" and Caitlyn would agree and they'd both go into the camper and go right to sleep. AMAZING!!! Since we've been back from camping, I've tried using both of these lines. They sure as heck don't work for me. Thanks, Mom for all your help at the camper! Even though there are no pictures to prove it... Ashley and I especially will never forget your presence at camping 2009!
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!

Kite Festival 2009

This year my Mom, Dad, Me and my children went down to the beach a few days before the rest of the family cause my parents wanted to get some maintenence done around our site. Well... those days that my parents were working were spent like this...... after a few HOURS of walking, they'd both end up like this...Before everyone arrived, my Dad and I found our 1st Geocaches. Searching for them was so much fun that when everyone else arrived, we found a few more. This is something we will definitely be doing more of!

Here is a collage of just a few of the hundreds of pictures I shot at the beach... Caitlyn had a blast feeding the seagulls and running towards the waves!








And here are a few random camping shots of everyone. Enjoy! We all love the Long Beach, Washington Kite Festival and look forward to next year... We sure missed Mandy!!!

4 Months

Ashton turned 4 months while we were at the beach. At his 4-month check-up, he weighed 13 pounds and 13 ounces and was 25 1/4 inches. He loves to hold on and stand and he prefers sucking his fist over his pacifier. He smiles whenever some one looks at him and he giggles at all the funny noises we make at him. He is just as precious as can be and we love him more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.

Mickey Mouse Club House...

... was the theme of Caitlyn's oh so fun 2nd Birthday!

We had such a fun time celebrating with all of our family and friends. Caitlyn is so blessed to have all of you in her life. Her day was absolutely wonderful... she even cooperated and took a good nap before everyone came over.

(click to enlarge)

After everyone left, we videotaped Caitlyn a little more and then watched her entire tape that we've been working on since she was born. I laughed and cried and by the end of it we were all pretty pooped so we went straight to bed. ******************************************

Caitlyn had her 2 year check up today and she did amazing! She out grew the growth chart on her height (higher than 100%) and jumped from the less than 5th percentile to the 20th (the highest she's ever been in her life) in weight.

We truly are blessed to have such a happy and healthy 2 year old! Happy Birthday, (again) Caitlyn Leigh...

We hope all your birthday wishes come true!

Caitlyn Turns 2 Today!!!

Just a few reasons I absolutely LOVE my 2 year old!

Caitlyn Leigh...

I love waking up to you every morning, I love the way you kiss your hand and wave good bye to me on the days I go to work. I love that you are getting better at communicating through sign and words! I love that you love cinnamon rolls and that you really love love love your dad! I love that you are totally into copying everything I do even if it is something like trying to put on my face cream or hairspray (although it probably doesn't seem like I love it at the time). I love that you are one of the most affectionate and gentle toddlers I have ever met. I love that you rubbed your Dad's back until he fell asleep last night. I love your blond curly hair and how you are the spittin' image of your dad! I love that you sing to me in the car and when I sing to you, you try dancing with your brother by tugging on his arm. I love when you come and give me hugs and especially kisses when I don't even ask. I love the way you fall to the ground when singing ring around the rosie. I love the way you get scared to talk to the elephant on the phone but then can't stop talking about it for days. I love how you listen for your brother on his monitor and the second he makes a peep, you let me know ash is up and you run upstairs to check on him. I love the way you run into my legs and hug me when you are super excited or scared. I love the way your tiny feet look in salt water sandals. I love that you can talk to me in long sign sentences. I love the way your voice gets so excited for cinnamon rolls and you yell, "roll roll!" I love that you know how to open all the doors in our house now, even if it has made nap time a little difficult. I love how you squeal with excitement and run to the door every time any of our family comes over to visit. I love watching you sleep and I love even more that you are sleeping right now so I can write about how much I LOVE YOU! I love that you challenge me every day to be the best Mom that I know how to be.

Thank you sweet Caitlyn Leigh for being so darn lovable!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

August Update

Caitlyn- Turns 2 next weekend and is loving life! She is a very affectionate little toddler; she loves to cuddle and hug and kiss, but when she’s tired… she also loves to kick, scream, and pinch (which we’re working on). She gave up on her toddler bed and now falls asleep with us and we then transfer her into her own room where she will then sleep the entire night…. Wait… I’ll update you more on her for her birthday post in 8 days!!!

Ashton- Is as sweet as can be. He actually is back to eating and sleeping a lot… I think we’re getting ready for a big growth spurt. He really enjoys watching Caitlyn and is really calm and smiley when she’s close by… unless she’s trying to pick him up (which she does often to give him hugs), but really it looks like she’s just squeezing the heck out of him and I don’t think he likes it too much… yet! He enjoys tummy time and sitting upright in the swing and bouncy chairs. He doesn’t sleep well in our room, so he’s been in his own room and crib for a while now (he’s a real noisy little sleeper). He goes off and on with sleeping through the night.

Ashley- is the most wonderful husband in the WORLD!!! Really, he is the best partner I could ask for. He had his first weekend alone with the children and when I came home the house was spotless and the kids were happy… what more could I ask for?!? He was Caitlyn’s swim coach in her recent swim lessons (I absolutely LOVED watching them swim and sing together). He definitely knows how to keep our family functional and I’m so thankful for that. Also, we had our 10 year high school reunion last weekend and Ashley and I both had a chance to reconnect with some old friends… it was a lot of fun!

Moi- I just finished my first full week in my new position. It was weird working Monday through Friday, because I’ve never worked full time in my life… (Well I have… but only when I’ve picked up extra shifts)… Thank God for my Mom!!! She’s been watching Cait and JD full time… I know it’s a hard job and I totally 100% appreciate her! Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you!!! I still am trying to lose a ton of pregnancy weight and it’ll be more difficult now with my friend Stacy force feeding me cookies and candy in the office.

Our Family as a Whole- We’ve been trying hard to keep cool, we spent a few nights at my parents house this last week when it was 109 degrees… they have AC! We’ve been BUSY enjoying the summer weather with trips to the park, wii bowling parties, BBQs, weddings, many adventures to the zoo (with Tiff, Avery, and Jax... and also with Grandma and Bubba), wading in the tiny kiddy pool and swimming at my aunt’s really big pool. This summer has been a blast so far and we have a ton of things still to look forward to.