Grandma Left Today

And our house suddenly feels a bit too empty and a lot less fun.  

Most of the time I do OK with my family living across the country.  Most of the time.  But at the end of a nice visit with family, I always remember why I miss living close to them.  I usually slump into a depressed puddle of spontaneous tears for at least a few days after dropping them off at the airport.  Today, while I was crying on the way home from dropping Mom at RDU, Kaden kept telling me to turn around, so we could go with her to her house.  I sure wish it was that easy, buddy.

We had a fun-filled ten days with Grandma.  Pretty much right after her arrival, we headed to Wilmington for a weekend at the beach.  Everett loved taste testing the sand and dumping it all over his legs and feet.  

Is there anything better than a baby at the beach, I ask you?

Grandma and Kaden found a kite at Target that turned out to be a stellar flyer.

And my little heart was pretty thrilled that Kaden ran straight into the water this time.  I've always wanted to raise beach bums.

We ate fresh seafood and explored the charming waterfront of downtown Wilmington, while Kaden insisted on chauffeuring Everett the entire time.

We hit up the aquarium.

And on the way back we stopped at the famous Britt's Doughnuts.  We bought a dozen (fried to perfection and dipped in a glaze that begged to be licked from sticky fingers when the treat was gone).  While we chowed down on our doughnuts in the car, we watched this sweet little gaggle of geese cross the street.

We stopped by the beach on Saturday night after dinner to take some quick shots of the boys, before the light was completely gone.

My mother in law is a treasure hunter of children's clothing, and I found this darling romper hanging in a stash she had in a closet.  Even though it barely fit, I knew I had to get a portrait of Everett in it at the beach. Thanks, Joy, for the darling outfit!

Everett was super tired, the sun was fading fast, and it was pretty amazing we got any shots with smiles before he completely fell apart.

This is how I will always remember Evers as a baby--he is such a thumb sucking fiend.

Windblown family snapshots:

 





We had such a great time in Wilmington.  The place we stayed seriously had the most amazing staff.  Everyone was SO friendly.  Kaden loved swimming in the pool, getting to have "cherry juice" with his breakfast each morning (cranberry juice mixed with apple juice and water), jumping on the beds, and guessing which elevator was going to arrive first each time we went up or down.  He also developed a love for showers.  Up until this trip, he would never take a shower, but our hotel room didn't have a bathtub.  We told him if he wanted to swim in the pool, and especially if he wanted to go to the beach, he would have to take a shower afterwards.  He ended up loving the shower so much, that he has taken a shower every night since we got back.  Our water bill will definitely act as a testament of his new found obsession, since he wants to stay in there for twenty to thirty minutes.

While mom was visiting, we also did lots of fun things in Raleigh.

Kaden finished filling his marble jar so, as promised, we took him to Monkey Joe's to get his bounce on.

Poor Everett was such a trooper.

We went to Pullen Park and rode the train, boats, and carousel.

There was Chick fil A.  Twice.  In ten days.  Kaden was a pretty happy camper.

We swam in the neighborhood pool and made new friends.

Chad and I went out on a date and bravely tried the first beets we've eaten since we were kids.  

We made lots of yummy dinners.  Kaden helped Grandma make some biscuits to go with the ribs we cooked on the grill one night:

And, of course, we had lots of time to just hangout and play.

Kade became semi-obsessed with Superman while Grandma was here.  He's seriously had these jammies since Everett was born, but when he got some new Superman underwear to go with them, it was like a spark ignited.

Here, he is showing us how strong he is, after eating his cucumbers and carrots:

Everett started to cruise like a crazy man while Grandma was here.  The baby gate has become our new best friend.

We love you, Mom!  We are so glad you came to visit us!

Please, come back soon!

Tourists in the Metropolis of Kinston

Now that we have two kids, going to visit Kinston for a weekend definitely feels like a getaway.  There are other people excited and willing to help entertain our kids, there is always a phenomenal menu planned (on which we can gorge ourselves), and it's always fun to see family and friends.  Going for a three day weekend is even more luxurious.  We spent Memorial Weekend in K-town with Chad's family and were the ultimate Kinston tourists.

On Friday night, after the kids were down, we took advantage of free babysitting and paid a return visit to the Boiler Room with Cameron.  The second visit confirmed what I already proclaimed after my first eating experience:  Hands down, the best burgers I have ever eaten.

This is me, looking a bit guilty.  I've been doing Insanity daily with Shaun T., and I'm pretty sure he doesn't approve of a side dish that is fried in grease, and then dipped in some kind of delectable, liquefied lard before you eat it.  I don't like mayonnaise, but I think I could drink the kitchen sink mayonnaise they give you to dip your fries in at The Boiler Room.  Really.  I could probably drink a quart of it.  I kid you not.

Cameron went for it and ordered "The Bensanity" burger.  It was beastly.

On Saturday, Chad went golfing with his dad in the morning, and then Joy, Cameron, the kids, and I joined them for some extra holes after Everett's morning snooze.

Bruce, in maintaining his status as best father in law in the world, cut down one of his old putters and re-gripped it, so Kaden could have one just his size to practice with.  Kade was beyond excited!  Here he is practicing his swing:

The weather was absolutely perfect.  It was the perfect morning to be outside.

Kaden loved controlling the gas pedal on the golf cart, and after steering for him a couple of times, it is clear that my nerves will not be able to handle teaching him to drive when he's a teenager.  It was terrifying, I tell you.  Terrifying.  

Then, we headed to the pool for a nice, refreshing dip:

On Sunday, we partied at church with our old ward family, whom we love and adore.  Here is Everett, meeting baby Taylor, who is just as pretty in person as she is in these photos:

Which is probably why he wanted to make a move with a bit of hand holding pretty early in the game.

After church, Kaden got to go play with our former neighbors and best buddies, The Howards, in their amazing backyard.  Someday, I want a backyard just like theirs, but that will never happen, because I'm not as awesome as Stephanie, and she is the lady that makes it so fantastic.

Here, they are showing him the baby birds who hatched in one of their bird houses:

Then, it was time for a delicious steak dinner, followed by homemade chocolate gelato for dessert.

And all the folks there conceded that it was delicious, but kept voicing how "rich" it was, and that you only needed a "little bit."  I know you'll find this shocking, but this didn't prove to be a problem for me, and I may have gone back for seconds.  And thirds.

We finished out the weekend on Monday with another lengthy swim at the pool, and this time Uncle Tyler and Aunt Lauren came, too.

Everett loved snacking on the sidelines.  I loved breathing in his delicious sunscreen-scented baby smell, which smells just as delicious as regular baby, except ten million times more awesome.

Kaden loved "surfing" on this boogie board:

And having the attention of multiple adults who were willing to drag him all over the pool on it.

Having a family we love to spend time with is such a blessing.  It was great spending the weekend with the Reese clan.

The Best Four Dollars I've Ever Spent

May have been the purchase of four Dollar Tree water squirters last night.  

They made the perfect addition to our Joy School curriculum today. 

I loved watching the water warriors race around our yard, identifying and obliterating letters and numbers that were written in side walk chalk all over our fence.

These three boys were in paradise.

After awhile, the princess of the group opted to sit on the deck stairs and point out what work needed to be done.  I loved it.  

And some of us were pretty thrilled to practice our writing skills, and add some letters of our own to the mix.  I love that Mark chose to write "his letter" first.  

I can't believe we're almost to the end of our Joy School experience.  I am definitely going to miss teaching these cute kiddos once a month.

Kaden-isms at 3 Years and 9 Months Old

I can't believe that this little guy is going to be turning four in just a few short months.

He is such a clever, funny, spitfire of a little boy.

  

I sure love being his mommy.  Here are some great things Kaden has said and done lately:

-He gets so upset when I do "Patty Cake" with Everett, and insists we say, "Slide it in the oven," instead of "Throw it in the oven."  He has adamantly pointed out that if we throw something in the oven, it's going to make a huge mess!  Touche, Kaden, touche.

-He has his own unique set of "Ring Around the Rosie" lyrics.  I'm not exactly sure what he says, but it's something like, "Ring around the rosie, a cot, a pot, a cozy."  Super cute.

-We are doing a reward system using marbles in a jar.  Kaden earns marbles for doing chores, behaving exceptionally well in the grocery store, being a good helper, being extra kind, etc.  Basically, anytime we want to give him a marble, he gets one.  He can also lose marbles from his jar for making poor choices.  He gets to choose the prize for when his jar is full.  Last time he filled his jar, he chose to go to Chick-fil-A, with the specification that he would get to play in the play place.  It was a huge hit.  This time, he is trying to earn a visit to Monkey Joe's, the place packed with bounce houses and high pitched screamers.  He's excited.

-We have now finished three chapter books together:  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, My Father's Dragon, and Charlotte's Web.  We just started The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  I have really enjoyed doing this with him, and I think it's helping his reading comprehension, too.  I was super impressed that he was able to remember enough to point out the differences between the book and the film version of Charlie, without being prompted to do so.  (Also, as a funny side story, we were at Sam's Club when a rather large woman walked by our car.  Kaden, excitedly said, "Look, Mommy!  Augustus Gloop!"  He was disappointed to find out it was not the character from the story.)  Finishing up Charlotte's Web has definitely sparked some interesting questions about life and death.  When I told Kaden I was thirty years old today, he looked at me with a completely serious face and asked, "How many years until you die, then?"  When I explained that I didn't know, but hopefully not for a very, very long time, since I still had to help him and Everett grow up, he said, "Here is the plan, Mom.  You get really old, get lots of gray hairs, and then you die.  And then you get to meet Jesus, OK?"

-It's been fun to watch Kaden become more social.  I love seeing him interact with his friends, especially when they aren't wrestling and trying to cause each other bodily harm.  We were at the park a couple of weeks ago, and he struck up a game of hide and seek with a new friend he had met five minutes before.  It seems like something so small, but I still remember him screaming when there were other kids on the jungle gym when he was two, so it kind of made my heart swell with pride.

-Anytime we see anyone without a helmet riding a bike, motorcycle, scooter, etc., he freaks out and points out that they aren't being safe.

-He makes sure to distinguish between his real and imaginary friends in conversation.  The other day, he was telling me a story that started out, "My real friend, Liam, that you can see . . . "

-He often uses the phrase, "More better," and I try not to let it sting too badly, since he is still a preschooler.

-Has his own sense of style.  The times when he combs his own hair, it is usually styled quite interestingly. And he is always quick to point out that, "See, Mom, my hair looks super cool!"  It's almost scary how much he is already concerned about things like this.  We recently busted out all of the 4T clothes for the summer, and some of them are a little big on him.  I put out an outfit for him, and while he was getting dressed, I started to get ready.  He came into my bathroom with a disgusted look on his face and said, "Mom, this shirt goes down to my knees!  I do NOT even look cute in this."

-Often says, "You are going to be so impressed by this!" before telling us something he has done.  And he's usually right.  I'm usually impressed.

-He will say, "Look at this sweet precious!" when showing me a picture of him with Everett.

-When we're out driving around, he often says, "Look at that house!  Oooooo, that one's so beautiful! Wouldn't you just LOVE to live HERE, Mommy?"  Someone's been on too many Zillow app driving trips with Mom and Dad.

-He was pretending to be a kitten the other night and jumped on top of me.  When I said, "Ow, Kaden, that hurt!" his response was, "Well, kittens are rough."

-He has picked up a few less than nice words from Mommy and Daddy.  The other day, Chad was putting his clothes away, and Kaden said, "Good!  You've been needing to clean up your crap for three days!"

-He has some serious teenage angst moments, when he tells us things like, "Don't talk to me!"  or "Just stop talking!"  So not adorable, or cute, or even tolerable.  But he can give a pretty charming, heartfelt apology afterwards that makes it easier to forget.

-He went on his first overnight camping trip with Daddy and had a great time.






























-He has memorized the first eight Articles of Faith, passed them off in Primary, and is working on memorizing the ninth.

-He can write his name on his own in capital letters and is showing a lot more interest in writing, period.  He's written some short messages with my help for Gigi, Grandma, etc.  He's also getting really good at guessing how short words are spelled, and recognizing the sounds of letters in words, especially consonant sounds.

-After attending the opening pool party for our neighborhood, I think we've got a lot of swimming in our future this summer.  The water was freezing, the night was breezy, and he still jumped right in!
     

-He continues to be the best big brother Everett could ever ask for.  I have to remind him to be gentle at times, but that is mostly because he wants to include Everett in everything he does, no matter how intense and rowdy the activity.

There is nothing like a sweet hug from my Kaden Bug.  I love the moments during the day when he calls out, "Mommy?" and when I yell, "Yes, Kaden?" he yells right back, "I love you!"  Being his mom is a pretty great job.    

Flashback Friday, Camping Edition

Kaden just boarded the minivan express for his first father and son camping trip.  To say he was psyched is putting it mildly. All day long he's been asking me when Daddy would be home, and when Mr. Andy was coming to get them.

When Chad and I got engaged, I excitedly added tons of camping gear to our wedding registry.  I was raised on family camping trips during the summer, so I thought a tent, Coleman lantern, and sleeping bags were standard items on all wedding wish lists.

In contrast, Chad grew up with tent camping being something you had to do for Boy Scouts.  It's really not his thing.  Can he do it?  Yes, and exceptionally well, I might add.  Does he love it?  Not so much.  Does he love me? Yes.  So, occasionally, he has humored me with overnight excursions into the great outdoors.  

Our first camping trip was over Memorial weekend in 2006.  We had been married less than a year.  It was memorable.    

It was memorable, because when we pulled into Yellowstone National Park, and stopped at a little store to buy some ice, the people laughed at us when we said we were going to be camping in a tent.

It was memorable, because shortly after we drove away from their chuckling faces, it started to look like this:

It was memorable, because by the time we reached our reserved campsite, which was HOURS away from the main gate we entered through, it was pitch black.  We'd never set up our tent before.

  

It was memorable, because we'd planned on sunshine and flip flops.  I had camped at Yellowstone with my family as a child, and I had memories of tank tops and sunscreen.  I obviously forgot to consider what mountain weather is like in the spring, as opposed to the summer.  I had honestly packed my bathing suit, planning to lay out and catch a few rays.  We had each packed one hooded sweatshirt and a pair of jeans in the warm clothing department, which we slept in and wore while driving around looking at bison from the heated car the next day.

  

It was memorable, because we cut our trip short, packed up in a rush, and booked it out of that frozen death trap.

While we were still in Utah, we tried camping again in Arches National Park.  This trip was also chillier than we would have liked, but with better preparation, we were at least warmer.  

However, this time around we didn't reserve a campsite ahead of time.  So we got stuck with a primitive campsite, with a rather interesting toilet situation.

My favorite part of this trip was when this rugged fellow camper saw us walking and told Chad how lucky he was to have found a girl willing to "rough it" in the wilderness with him.  After the man walked away, Chad reminded me that in this regard, it was me who was lucky to have found him.  

And he was right.  I am so lucky.

  

I'm not sure Kaden will sleep a wink in the tent tonight next to his daddy.  But at least things can't get much worse than an unexpected snow storm, or a toilet seat on top of a hole in the ground.

I can't wait to hear about their adventures tomorrow.