Wednesday, October 21, 2009

September 2009

So I did it. I'm caught up to the month just before this one. Let's see if I can manage to post October in a timely manner.

September happened to be busier than August. Kaden started Kindergarten, Ashlyn started preschool, soccer games started, ballet started & Scarlet started crawling everywhere and getting into everything.

On top of it all Vaughn & I went out of town for one of his work conferences. He had meetings during the day while I slept & played. It was fun & much needed. My poor sister watched all 3 kids while we were gone. It's funny being on the other end of the phone listening to the stories that usually take place in my life.Kaden's first day of school was a success. I love his teacher & he just really enjoys going. He is so proud of everything he gets to do and appreciates all the little responsiblilities he has. He even enjoys doing his homework. It's a breeze this year. I just wish he didn't have afternoon kinder because it screws up the napping schedule. My girls now nap at 12:30 which is way too early for me.

Ashlyn is doing an amazing job in preschool. I can't believe how eager she is to learn. She is actually starting to master her alphabet which I thought would never happen. She loves her teacher, chapel, the playground, and her friend Kylie. She was so proud on her first day that she had her own school and that it was no longer Kaden's. She beamed with excitement when she got home.
Napa was fun. Vaughn had a lot of down time & most of the events we could attend together.
We actually went in a hot air balloon too. I'm not one for adventures but it was worth it.
We visited several wineries & this night we went to a fancy dinner.
Kaden is doing really well in soccer. He's very cooperative & really getting in there. He is on the All American Jedi...could you imagine anything other than something Star Wars?
My kids can not stay out of the crib. They love to go get Scarlet when she wakes up.
Ashlyn showing off her Yellow Day project. Each month they have a different color theme, shape, letters, bible curriculum, bible verse, and character quality. I love the school so much & all of their fun filled activities. It makes it really hard to go to a public school after having such an incredible experience at this preschool. Thank God I really like Kaden's teacher this year. Do you know that Kaden's school says the Pledge of Allegiance every day & sang America the Beautiful at one of their assemblies?...I thought that stuff was long out of the public schools. Hopefully nobody complains about it or it will be gone before Ashlyn gets there.
Ashlyn at her tap/ballet dance class. She likes it okay. She doesn't complain about going but she says it's too long. I bribe her with a sucker to dance the entire time.
And now last but not least, our little Scarlet. She had a very busy month...actually, a very busy week. She decided in the couple of days we were gone to completely crawl all over the house, go from her belly to a sitting position & pull herself to a standing position. I couldn't believe it all happened so fast. We got back a few days before she turned 7 months. Then the rest of the month she perfected her stair climbing (with me behind her of course). I just hope she perfects climbing down soon too because it makes me nervous.

August 2009

August is always a busy month for us as we finish out the summer. We went to Disneyland on Kaden & Ashlyn's actual birthdays, went on an overnight beach trip, had family in town, soccer started and we were getting ready for school to start.
Glad we bought the extra long wagon way back when Kaden turned one. Who knew we would be hauling this much stuff around for a day out on the beach.Kaden spent a lot of the summer out on the shoreline & in the water. It's funny because he hates the sun but would spend forever out on the beach. He never gets enough.
Everywhere we go people comment on how good of a baby Scarlet is. She really is an easy baby...well at least about as easy as they get. She finally lifted her body off the ground. She was scooting around and could get everywhere she needed to go. She turned 6 months mid August & it's really going by too fast for me.
All Kaden wanted to do for his birthday was go bowling. He turned 5 this year & is becoming such a big boy. He's a great big brother, a wonderful son & we are really proud of all of his efforts. Kaden learned how to read & ride a bike this summer. We worked on shoe tying but I really think his strengths are in other areas...maybe next summer;-) Ashlyn turned 3 a couple of weeks later & she still amazes me. We got her this doll house for her birthday because she has such a big imagination. She is really starting to blossom into a little girl. Her speech is becoming very clear, she loves playing with her big brother & little sister, she is very eager to learn, and has the most love and passion for everybody & every little thing in her life. I'm really going to miss her toddler years.

July 2009

July was fun. It's crazy to look back at these pictures & realize how fast time goes by. It's just zooming after having the 3rd one. Here's a quick recap of July...
Went to a friend's house for the 4th. The kids swam & played like crazy. It was fun with the exception of me totally eating it while holding Scarlet. I slipped on some water & hit the ground so hard. Fortunately I broke most of the fall before she made it down. It was the first time I've fallen with one of my kids & so incredibly scary. I was so thankful that she was okay & it was only me that got stuck with a very nasty bruise. FYI - I fell twice that night...I'm such a klutz.

It's been a while since I've posted one of these lovely shots. Ashlyn was so mad she couldn't get her other ugg on. She's happy, silly and goofy most of the time but don't make her mad.
We got Scarlet a Jumper because she loves to bounce on our laps. She jumped so much the first couple of days that she got a blister on her big toe. Her milestones in July were: sitting alone for a few seconds, getting her 1st tooth, waiving & rolling all over the place. Her favorite thing to do this month besides jumping was eating paper...she's a human paper shredder.

June 2009

June consisted of lots of fun activities. Here are some of the highlights...

Lots & lots of backyard baseball. They play it for so many hours that Ashlyn had to learn how to enjoy it too so she could be part of the action. It's really funny to watch her run bases. It's also hilarious to see how serious Kaden is when he pitches. He makes up the game play by play & directs everyone how they're supposed to hit & how many bases they can run.
Kaden's swim lessons have actually paid off. He really swims & is learning technique now.
Did you know Ashlyn can fly? She is so crazy in the water. Anyone who has watched her comments on how funny she is to watch in the pool. She LOVES the water & is learning to swim pretty well.

Scarlet mastered rolling over consistently. We had to move her to the crib so she wouldn't strangle herself in the bassinet. She loves to smile, laugh & baths are her favorite pastime. She's content wherever I set her as long as there's some sort of action in the room.
Kaden was fortunate enough to get chosen to fight Darth Vader at Disneyland. He was way beyond excited.
Kaden walked the Angels field with his Little League buddies. He watched most of the game and had a really great time. If you ask Kaden he likes the Dodgers first & the Angels second. He has shirts for both teams!

Monday, October 19, 2009

May 2009

Okay, so I fell behind again. My focus is obviously on raising my family & not updating everyone on our life's adventures. Until I can balance it all I guess people will just have to wait until I get around to things. Here's another fun filled month...
Scarlet was almost 4 months old in this picture & was working on holding her head up. This month she gave lots of smiles, laughs, rolled over a couple of times & started solids.
1 posing, 1 screaming & the other 1 doesn't have a choice. It's so funny having 3 kids sometimes.
Daddy started taking the kids out to surf.

The 3 Amigos.

Of course another Dodgers game. Kaden is obsessed with baseball. Real games, wii games, backyard games.