Like the new hair-do???


"Rock Star" in the making!!

Welcome Home Elder Bishop!

The long awaited September 3rd, 2008 finally came!! We all carpooled in a 15 passenger van, 3 babies and all, to go to LAX to pick up our little missionary! After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, he finally made his way around the corner and there he was! Two years of waiting and he is finally home. Korea has given us back our Kristopher! We were all so excited and anxious for his arrival. When Kris and his mom embraced there was such a tender moment of pure joy and happiness to be together again! I can't imagine the relief of having him home safe and now in your arms! We were also extra excited to introduce Kris to his nieces and nephew that were born while he was gone. It was so sweet to see the love on his face for these new babies in his life and how excited he was to play with them and shower them with hugs and kisses. For probably about a year now, we have been showing Kaden Kris's picture on our refrigerator so it was cute to see him recognize him and call him by name. We are so proud of his great sacrifice and the hard work that he gave to the Lord and the people of Korea for two years of his life, and are glad to have him home!We love our Uncle Kris!!!

A Visit From Grandpa and Grammy!

My dad left his "home" in Africa to come to his "real" home and payed us all a nice visit. The days always seem too short and the time passes by much too fast, but amidst the chaos of babyland, it is always nice to have some quality time with my parents and especially my dad when he is home. So of course we had to head to the beach for some sandy fun!
Kaden and Gracey helped Grandpa dig a hole to play in. It offered much enjoyment and a break from chasing them around!The tide came up and filled the hole with water so they had their personal swimming pool which they absolutely loved!!
Maddy is in Grammy heaven!Grammy and Kaden enjoying the waves! (Uncle JJ I think we might have a beach bum in the making!)Maddy could not get enough of the sand, especially in her mouth. They all go through the sand eating time, I stopped trying to prevent it and decided that it wouldn't kill her! She enjoyed the tide coming up and the cold water on her little or should I say plump legs! Gracey is content in her domain, "The Beach!" and too cute for words!There is a hand full of sand in those little grippers!Cousin Fun! Skye showed Maddy how to get around in the sand!
We miss you already Grandpa and Grammy. We had a fun visit and can't wait for the next one!! Love you!

"Wove"

I had to post a precious moment I had with Kaden this evening. I kinda had a rough evening and fussy kids didn't help. Kaden fought taking a bath, brushing his teeth, and tried to prolong bed time as long as he could. When I finally got him calmed down in his room we were saying our prayers and he was sitting on my lap facing me. My eyes were closed saying the prayer and I felt a tiny soft hand rub my cheek a few times, more like pet my cheek very softly. When I finished I opened my teary eyes and he was staring right at me. He looked at me and stared into my eyes and said "wove" (translation: I love you) It was one of the sweetest moments I have had with Kaden. Not only was he being so gentle and sweet but I saw that he really understood "wove" and didn't just say it because we asked him too. I wanted to make sure I posted this moment so I don't forget it. I love you Kaden!!

I Can Count!!

Kaden learned to count a little over a month ago but I was finally able to video it and have the proof. He is concentrating on his blocks so he is a little quiet. You might need to turn up your volume a bit to hear him.



What a cutie pie! Kaden is 21 months old and is such a fun little guy. He has so much personality and has so much energy, he keeps me on my toes. Kaden seems to say a new word every day and is just shy of speaking in sentences. He LOVES animals, mostly making their noises. He also would run and play until his legs fell off if possible, and has developed a real love for the park, any park with slides. He tests the boundaries every day by doing stuff he shouldn't do and then looking at us to see if we are going to do anything about it. Perfect example...he loves to jump over things now and of course Maddy is a perfect candidate when she's on her belly. So naturally he wants to jump over her but doesn't always clear her. So the other day instead of jumping he was stepping over her and looking at me the whole time seeing if I was going to make him stop. He is a little stinker, a cute one at that! My friend Stacie took these precious pictures of Kaden a couple of weeks ago. I can't wait until the day comes when I too will own a Canon!! A girl can dream!!Yes he is laying on a cement sidewalk. This was after a traumatic bubble/dish soap incident. Sometimes they are the cutest when they aren't feeling well. What a handsome boy!He is Bryce's child! :)

She's on the Move!

That's right, Maddy is crawling at 8 months!! Well the Maddy version of crawling. You will understand by the video. A bitter sweet moment for us!! Of course we are so excited that she is progressing, however, that just means more supervision needed! Yikes! Maddy is growing up way too fast. This week was a big week for her. Her two top teeth poked through, she started crawling, she can wave and also say "uh-oh" as she learned from her big brother. They weren't kidding when they said that younger siblings progress a little faster. Amidst her busy week of changes, Maddy has managed to still be the happiest baby I think I've ever seen. Not much seems to bother her and she smiles at the drop of a hat. She is very resilient and Kaden has taught her to be one tough girl! We definitely were blessed with a little angel girl!

(Sorry the color is kinda funky, it was in the evening, bad lighting!)Contrary to what this picture portrays, Maddy 's hair is starting to come in! Patience!
You are very talented lil' miss!Kaden and Maddy are really starting to enjoy playing. Just about anything Kaden does makes Maddy laugh. His laugh is contagious to her and they both just end up giggling for no reason!

Summertime Fun!!

We have had a great summer so far and spent most of it outdoors. Kaden is constantly standing by the door saying "side", which of course means outside. We have had lots of fun pool days, park days, and our own backyard days. I'm with Kaden, might as well enjoy the sunny weather while it lasts, as long as it's not too hot!! Maddy is finally sturdy enough to ride in the wagon! Yeah another mode of transportation! Their skin definitely doesn't do our play time justice! My little whities!! I think it's the lighting!! :)She poses so well for me, she needs to give Kaden a few tips!Perfect seat for you KK! First of many tree climbs I'm sure! Assisted tree climbs of course!They both enjoy the crab floaty! It seems as though he loves the pool more and more everytime we go.Maddy is our water baby!! Loved it from day one! She gets her feet kicking so fast that she actually moves herself. Future Olympian swimmer I guess! :)I might be biased but isn't she just the cutest thing ever!! She just learned how to clap her hands which is so cute. She actually knows the word and will clap if you ask her to. Smart cookie! She also just recently said "mama", a very happy moment for me. Now she can say dada, mama, and a whole lot of babbling we can't quite make out yet. What a happy little monkey!!I had to throw this one in here, I'm sure Kaden will hate me for it later. He got a hold of a pair of fake glasses I used to sport, and enjoyed running around the house looking extra intelligent! My kids are so much fun! This is such a fun age for both of them (amidst the days I want to pull my hair out). They really are such fun little munchkins! Now if we can just keep it to two for a while that would be most terrific!!