Caden's 3rd birthday and Day Out with Thomas

Caden turned 3 on Thanksgiving this year, so we had his birthday party a little early. (Naturally I am late posting.) We held it at Kidsville, an indoor playground for kids. We - I - did a "Cars" theme; notice the cake. It was great; we had a party host directing and keeping track of everything (he's the one helping Caden play pin the tail). I just made sure everyone ate as much as possible and had a good time. (the two are directly related, right?) Some pictures from the fun, compliments of my friend Liz:













The next weekend Thomas the Tank Engine came to town. (When I say town, I mean an hour + drive north.) We loaded up early - it was so foggy I could hardly see. But it cleared up and we had fun riding Thomas, playing with all the trains, and eating carnival foood.

Tagged...

Ah, crap. I got tagged....three times. Here goes...
The rules: A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves. C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
1. I love Dr Pepper. The sound of the can opening is only a slight second to the sound of my children laughing. That is how much happiness I get from drinking a nice, cold DP. I know this is sad. I have tried to beat my addiction, only with limited short-term success. Hey - this problem is genetic! My family has been drinking DP since it was introduced to the public in 1905. My great-grandma took a big glass of Dr Pepper to work with her everyday. I know, still sad.
2. I have lots of family. Seriously. In our 5 years together, Scott still hasn't met all my family. Because of a few divorces in my family, I have 7 siblings, 4 parents, 7 living grandparents, 25 aunts and uncles, and so many cousins, it'll make your head spin (I think first cousins number at about 60). I cannot fathom what it's like for those people without a lot of family. Boring, kind of sad, but definately cheaper...do you have any idea how much I spend at Hallmark in a given month? (And this isn't even counting Scott's family!)
3. I love to travel. I have been to every state except Alaska. Thankfully the kids travel pretty well, so we log a lot of frequent flier miles, especially since none of the aforementioned family lives close. So far my favorite places are London and Hawaii. I'd like to explore mainland Europe and Australia, and have to mark Alaska off my list.
4. I love to white-water raft. Rafting is a family tradition - we go every Memorial Day weekend to the same spot in Idaho, and then try to go on a 5- or 7-day long trip sometime in the summer. You get all sorts of people out on the water, but away from the hustle and bustle, you also get the best out of people. Some of my favorite memories are on the river. All of my family loves it too - my stepdad's favorite joke about my boyfriends was that if he could stay in the raft, then he was ok. (Yes, he even said that same joke at my wedding luncheon!) We didn't get to go this last summer, and I truely missed it. I can't wait for Caden to get old enough to take him down his first wavetrain. This is a love I hope to pass onto my kids.
5. I love to dance. I started when I was 3 and danced into college. In high school, I loved having the house to myself so I could turn on the big stereo and use the windows as my mirror and dance, dance, dance. I trained in all types of dance - ballet and jazz were my favorite. I miss dancing. I really miss my dancer's body! ;->
6. I am an organizer. There is a certain thrill I get from clearing off my desk, finishing my to-do list, making a new file. So far I have refrained from buying a label-maker; I'm seriously afraid I'll go to crazy with it. Example: we just had Caden's birthday party (pix and a post forthcoming), and I had to go through the toy room and take out old toys to make room for the new ones. When the time comes for me to go back to work, becoming a professional organizer holds quite a bit of appeal for me.
Whew - enough soul-searching for tonight! I tag Star, Jill, Lisa, Tammy, Chanel and Amy.
Hope you enjoyed!

Family Picture Gallery

We had our annual family pictures taken Tuesday, this year on the beach. We used the same photographer from last year, Molly, since she did such an excellent job. (Shout out to Amy who told me about Molly!) I was a little worried about how the kids would do at the beach. Would they just want to be in the water the entire time? Would they both immediately get covered in wet, sticky sand? The day of the pictures it was cold (San Diego cold), overcast, and both kids were cranky and tired. I was actually worried that Molly didn't get any good shots. I mean, Caden REFUSED to look at the camera and smile. Threat, bribes, nothing worked. Scott and I were completely frazzled on the drive home. Then Molly emailed me the picture gallery.....if you are interested, check out http://mollyhilton.com/BramwellSlideshow/. The pictures will only be posted till Monday. Turn up the music....and grab the Kleenex. Seriously.
P.S. No comments about how my butt looks. I will not be purchasing those pictures, and would take them out of the gallery if I could.

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween

I really need to catch this blog up - so this post will get me through October and hopefully caught up.
We went (almost a month ago!) to Bates Nut Farm with our neighbors for some hay rides and photo ops. It was so much fun! Definately a tradition in the making!

Caden and Brennan started a game of King of the Pumpkin. They had so much fun climbing up and pushing each other off. Ah...boys will be boys.

And now for Halloween!

Jen inspired me with her cute themed Halloween pictures from years' past, so I convinced Scott to also do a theme. I originally wanted Caden to be a BYU football player and Soleil a BYU cheerleader, but apparently so did every other BYU alumni. The bookstore was sold out of the cheerleader outfit for weeks, but I think we came up with a great alternative.

Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, and Tiger Lily!!

Seriously, have you seen a cuter Peter Pan??? And Soleil killed me in her little Tinkerbell outfit...trying to crawl with all that toile and satin...too funny!!

Peter Pan LOVES Halloween - totally got into trick-or-treating. We went around the neighborhood with Spiderman and his dad, Don Ho, and Spiderman didn't want to get out of the wagon. Peter Pan got so much candy that we had to empty part of his bag into Spiderman's so he could keep going. Good thing too, cause Spiderman needed something in his bag!

(Ok, so looking at the pictures, I needed to pin up my apron. It looks like I'm pregnant. Oh well - and I'm not!!)

This was my first time trick-or-treating with Caden. It was so much fun! We left a bowl of candy out - and I wondered if the first kids that came would empty it out - until we started going and noticed that that's what most houses did too. Made me feel better. Anyways, Caden got quite a stash that Scott was kind enough to take to work the next day so as not to tempt me. Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween too!

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Girl!!

Soleil turned 1! Ok, she turned 1 two weeks ago, so I stink at promptly blogging. Sorry. I figured I had to get this up before Caden's birthday party this weekend. Then I'd really be behind. Since her birthday was in the middle of the firestorm, we celebrated low-key with our neighbors, presents and cupcakes. Not that a 1 year old needs much more! I can't believe Soleil is one already. Wow, that was a quick year! Since this is supposed to be somewhat of a journal, I thought I'd list some Soleil-isms. She growing up so quickly, if I don't write them down, they'll be gone and forgotten.

Moves: while she still isn't walking, this girl can MOVE!! Maybe that's why she's not walking yet; she is an incredibly fast crawler. And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree - whenever Soleil hears music, she starts dancing! I love it! Already I'm having images of her in black leotards with pink tights, her hair piled into a bun, and practicing her plies in the reflection of our fireplace. While I don't want to ever push my kids into a sport of activity they aren't interested in, I REALLY hope Soleil dances. I loved dancing so much - still do. Too bad there's not a class for has-been, used-to-dance moms with a little extra baby weight to work off. But this post isn't about me....Anyways, Soleil is just starting to stand unassisted for a few seconds, so I think she'll be walking in no time. Which means she'll be into more stuff than now, if that's possible. I got so used to Caden - he wasn't interested in the cupboard under my bathroom sink. I can't keep her outta there! Hmm...maybe because that's where my makeup is. She is a girl; maybe she's already wanting to get dolled-up!

Foods: Soleil didn't stay interested in baby food for long. She has always wanted to feed herself - as long as it's not on a spoon. No yogurt or applesauce or oatmeal. Favorites of hers are fruit leather, bananas, any kind of cookie (seriously, this apple hit the tree on the way down!), pancakes and waffles (although I try to give it to her sans syrup, justify it as healthier somehow), peas (she squishes them, then eats them), quesadillas, chicken nuggets, lunch meat, hot dogs, and she just tried PB&J for the first time and loved it! I wish this were a healthier list. Sigh.

Words and Gestures: she definately babbles a lot. Not much is coherent. She does say hi and wave - so cute! Caden and I were singing "Ring Around the Rosy" in the car today, and she sang along with us in her own little language. She also has been giving lots of sideways thumbs-up's. Don't know where she got that gesture, but she sticks out her thumb then holds her hand like she's giving "daps." Cute until she sticks her thumb up your nose or into your eye, just hopefully not in that order.

She has been good at sleeping through the night lately -YEAH - although now that I typed this, she'll have a horrible night tonight. Murphy's law. I'm actually surprised at how great she's been sleeping - she, like Caden, is a late teether. She got her first tooth just in time for our New York trip a month ago, and is getting 3 more teeth right now. Her poor gums look so sore, but she never complains. That's another great thing about this precious girl. She is the happiest baby! She smiles all the time and rarely cries or is upset. And this girl is TOUGH! Maybe this is how most second kids are, but she puts up with a lot from Caden without complaint. I don't think Caden would act the same if the roles were reversed. That's another reason why I can't wait for her to walk. Then she can really stand on her own! ;->

This little girl brings me so much joy! She is so fun and loving. I am so thankful for her and her sweet personality. And I'm so excited to watch her grow up and into the wonderful person I know she'll be.

Ok - sorry for the sappiness. It had to be said. P.S. This picture is her first "ponytail." If you look closely at the top of her head, you can see it. A little wisp of hair.