so busy

i'm a little disappointed in myself. i've just been so busy i haven't had time to include all the updates i plan. i have them in my mind, but they don't all make it down here as they should. where is all the time going? we've had so much going on.... life is full and we are enjoying every minute of it... well, almost. ;P in all seriousness life is great.

i'm starting to see kaetlyn as a little girl, rather than a toddler child. she is becoming reasonable and sweet... most of the time. her vocabulary is very cute and she impresses me regularly. she loves her brother and is helpful, but is also very independent. there are so many stories... its hard to pick which ones to share.

cj is growing up so quickly. he's a happy boy and his personality is really starting to come through. he like to play games - like chase, patty cake, and keep away - and laugh and i can tell that he's starting to understand english. he babbles a TON, but no real words yet... he also sings, and dances... just WAY too cute. right now he is the only baby in the nursery, so he and his teacher are spending time with the one year olds. apparently he loves it.

yesterday cowboy bob came to school with his pony for the kids to take pictures. from what i hear, it was a cute event. they let cj sit on the pony with kaetlyn. i can't wait to see the pics!

riding at the hills

the weather was BEAUTIFUL this weekend.... i know i'm skipping some stuff, but i just have to get this one in. so yesterday, we went riding. kaetlyn was oh so excited! when we started going, i stopped and waited for her to ride with me and she said, 'i don't want to ride with you mommy. i wanted to ride all by myself.' i was just following her on the track, so i told her that i was just taking cj for a ride... LOL independent little snot. after she finished riding, she said, 'i need to go to the dr to figure out why my thumb hurts so much.' i explained that almost everyone's thumb hurts after riding for a while. that throttle can hurt!

the slideshow from yesterday will show that kaetlyn got a hold of the camera. the 2nd half of the pictures are from her vantage point.... so cute!! i am so greatful that we've found a family activity that we all love... and a good group of friends as well. blessings abound.

happy anniversary!

this week was also craig and my anniversary. 7 years! as you can see from the many posts that march has been very busy... hence the reason i have not had time for blog entries.

happy anniversary to craig. i love you. looking forward to 77 more years. :)

my birthday

yesterday was my birthday as well.... (i know i'm posting a lot today, just have a ton to catch up on) i had a perfect day! i took the day off work and spent time to myself getting stuff done around the house and enjoying some quiet. it was wonderful! when craig got home we went and got the kiddos, picked up shrimp fajitas and had a little birthday party. kaetlyn was so excited for my birthday... she could barely contain herself and keep secret the gifts they picked out for me... 'mom, we got you beautiful earrings,' she whispered in the morning on the way to school. 'are you supposed to tell me this kaetlyn?' i inquired. 'no, mom... daddy said its a secret,' she informed me. here is a pic of my wonderful earrings:

i love my life. i am extremely blessed and am thankful for my husband who went out of his way to make my birthday special.

brithday parties

over the weekend we went to houston to celebrate logan, barbara, and my birthday. my mom also joined us for the festivities. we had a fun time and the weather was beautiful. cj very much enjoyed his dinner:

silly sock day

the kids' school had a week of festivities last week:
monday - crazy hair day
tuesday - pajama day
wednesday - silly sock day
thursday - teddy bear day
friday - bicycle day

kaetlyn in her silly socks:
on friday she actually brought her 4 wheeler helmet to school in place of a bicycle helmet and everyone got a huge kick out of it. btw - those socks didn't make it home in one piece.. both of them had holes in their heels from being on top of her shoes all day... all in a good day's fun.

the next pic is just two of a series of sibling pics gone awry. fun times.

Torn Race #1 - Kaetlyn and the Umbrella

Click here to view this video

Click here to view this video

this is just hysterical. the weekend was a blast, but sunday it was very rainy and cold. what a mess. check out the link for Traction Racing Family to see more pics and videos from the weekend. my little girl is the cutest thing ever!!!!

cj is 9 months!

9 month stats:

22 lb 10 oz - 80th percentile

29 inches - 80th percentile

he's dropped a little since he's become mobile. at nine months old, cj has 8 teeth and is pretty much on solid foods. he claps, waves (sometimes), signs 'more' & 'all done', babbles somewhat... mamama, dadadada, babababa, crawls, walks & cruises, and balances standing with no hands. he eats regular food, no baby food at all. he also just started feeding me and thinks its very exciting when the food actually makes it into my mouth. another new trick as of the last few days is the indian. he will let you tap on his mouth and will make a sound as you tap so he sounds like an indian. :) very cute. he is quite a playful and happy baby. he already teases his sister too.... giggle... he pulls her hair and tries to hit her face. i say she's got it coming to her!

cj still does not sleep through the night, but prefers to nurse at least 2 times. stair climbing is another interest we are trying to deter... he's pretty much into everything. banging things and walking behind everything he can are his two favorite activities.

we are very blessed. i am thankful everyday for the life we have.

my boy is cute

9 month appt is tomorrow morning. details to follow.

cj's octopi

so a couple weeks ago, craig accidently lost cj's octopi. this is like linus and the blanket... cj and the octopi. sad day. the end result has been positive and we have many good friends and family that helped fill the void until the new one(s) arrived, but i just have to post how AMAZING these little things are. angie, the owner and creator of the octopi was fantastic, shipped quickly and also emailed back... exceptional customer service!

http://www.octopibaby.com/

here are a couple 'older pics' from the fall of cj with his octopi. the attachment started early. you should see him cuddle with it now... and carry it around... and suck on it... i'll have to take some new pics. :)