Arrington

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:22:00.003-06:00

We had such an eventful day today! The boys had a blast! Kayson had a party at school and I got to go help out. We had a good time.

The boys both wanted to be Super Man. I think they looked adorable. You can judge for yourself. :)

Trick or Treating around Jess' office. :)

Flying!

Our dinner-in-a-pumpkin - the boys helped me scoop out the seeds and color it!

Then we went to a carnival at the church. It turned out wonderful .. the Young Women were in charge of the carnival games and it seemed like they were having a good time. The boys loved it.

The boys both ended up with a full gallon size bag of candy ... I think they'll be sharing it with others! In fact, after we got home we had a few trick-or-treaters. Kayson answered the door each time and gave them the candy. He looked so responsible! When the bowl got almost empty, Kayson grabbed his bag of candy to fill it up. We told him he didn't have to do that .. but he said he wanted to.

It was a wonderful day! Happy Halloween everyone! :)

My first's first day of school!

2011-09-13T14:50:00.002-06:00

My sweet Kayson does so good in new situations. He doesn't seem to get nervous at all. He just goes right in and is ready to go! However, I am realizing lately that altho he does very well, he has a hard time preparing for it and getting there. He did not want to go to preschool because I was going to drive away. :( Up until we got into the car, he was saying he didn't want to go to preschool. However, when we got there, he went right in and as his teacher helped him he was already getting excited about the classroom! He does really well! But inside he still can't believe I leave .. when we talk about preschool, he says, "You drive away and I so mad." sigh .. at least he knows how to talk about his emotions! :)

I love you, my Kayson!

At home!

At school.

Isn't he adorable!?!

Airplane Ride and San Go-Lay-Go!

2011-09-13T14:01:00.007-06:00

My fun family went to San Diego! We had such a good time. The boys were so excited to fly on an airplane! Kayson loved take-off, he had the biggest grin on his face and kept saying, "I like airplanes!" "I really like airplanes!" Lendon didn't like the first take-off, it kind of scared him, but the next ones he couldn't stop smiling! Because of our layovers, we had 4 take-offs total there and back. I think the boys liked that even better - more fun!

We went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Zoo, and Sea World ... we had a deal to do all three or we probably would have skipped one, but I'm glad we didn't. Lots of fun! We also went to the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center .. what incredible church history we learned there, and the San Diego Temple .. beautiful!

It was nearly impossible to get the entire temple and people .. this is the best one I got!

There was a little "tide pool" that the kids could touch the starfish.

This is Len, when I told him to touch a starfish for the picture. :)

Jess in the Mormon Battalion attire. The boys would not put it on!

Sometimes they surprise me!

A favorite thing to do - chase the birds!

They must be their daddy's boys.

The best part was going to visit my really good friend, Hayley. It was so good to see her and catch up. I love the friends that no matter how long it has been, it feel like no time at all. That is Hayley! She is the kind of girl that makes you feel so loved! Thanks Hayley for a wonderful time!

I only got a couple pics with Hayley .. and they just didn't turn out. Bummer!

Jess had a conference so the boys and I went to a science museum and played at the beach. They loved the beach! Sand, water, and lots of space to run!

We had such a good time. I think the boys got too tired by the end with insufficient naps and late bedtimes (they were too excited to go to sleep most nights ... I found that when I tried to make them, they'd still go to bed late and I'd be frustrated so the nights I just went with it ran a lot smoother.)

We were there when about 5 million people around had no power.

Crazy staying in a hotel with no lights. At least they gave us a candle!

I'm glad to be home, but look forward to the next time! :)

Bye San Diego!

Precious children

2011-03-21T13:47:00.000-06:00

This week at church, Lendon was looking at one of our books. The cover has a picture of a little boy walking with and holding the hand of Jesus. After Lendon had pointed out Jesus, as he always does, he pointed to the little boy and said, "I wanna do that." I said, "You want to walk with Jesus?" "Yes," he said as he kept looking at the picture.

Aren't children wonderful?

Here is a link to the book since I can't post the picture.http://deseretbook.com/Savior-Stood-Beside-Me-Greg-Olsen/i/5011731

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-15T21:58:00.006-07:00

We got a beautiful tree this year! I have absolutely loved having it in my house. It smells incredible and is so full and green. I love it .. there is something about having it in my house that just makes me smile (except when my boys keep using the ornaments as a kicking ball -haha ... luckily they are shatterproof!)

We had such a good time decorating the tree! We set it up and put on the lights, but didn't have quite enough so only put the star on next. I know, tradition is supposed to be to put the star on last and Kayson was just too excited! So here he is putting the star on .. with his daddy not shown! :)

Without putting on the ornaments, the boys went to bed. Altho, they had a good time playing with the ornaments first.

It turned out as a good thing that we didn't finish decoration ... b/c the tree fell down on Jess and I that night. :( It was such a disappointment for the next couple days to have our tree here, but leaning on the wall. We tried again the next night, but it was very crooked and would have fallen over too. Third time is a charm b/c it worked the 3rd night! Hooray! I put on the lights and ribbon w/o the boys, but saved the rest for them to help me with!

My big helpers.

Concentrating so hard! The finished product! Isn't it beautiful!?!

This is what Len looks like when I tell him to "look with your eyes" .. only w/o me and the camera he is looking right at the ornaments.

I'm sure it will still be up after the holidays .. especially since we'll be gone for a while .. we are all enjoying it too much!

Side note:

Glad we got more snow, the boys and I spent the entire morning playing in it! We all had a blast! Here are the 2 things Kayson wanted to make sure happened (I only have a pic of 1):

1. Build a snowman

2. Eat the snow!

I don't think they anticipated the spitting .. but they thought it was soo funny. Eat, spit, say, "yucky" and eat it again and again and again!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

2010-10-21T14:40:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, we had friends over for dinner. I wanted to be a little festive for Halloween and finally tried for the first time, on my own, Dinner in a Pumpkin! What fun!

My happy helpers, scooping out the muck and seeds!

They are hard workers and,

as Kayson says, "I a strong boy!"

The finished product!

I know the pumpkin looks a bit unappealing, but

trust me, it had to look like that for the pumpkin

to taste so good! :)

"and they all fall down!"

Having fun with friends! (If you listen carefully, you can tell Jess is having his own kind of fun with his friend!)

Photo shoot!

2010-10-21T14:23:00.004-06:00

As you can probably tell, I'm not much of a photographer. But my boys are so cute and did pretty well for these shots, I just had to share them!

Brothers!

This is doing the "rock" after a high-five.

Sweet smiles!

One of these days I'll catch one of Kayson's

real smiles. But for now, I'll enjoy the cheese!

Playing with each other.

"cheese!"

And a video to show how much Len is learning from his big brother!

And the new outing is ...

2010-10-21T14:05:00.003-06:00

... bowling! My boys love it! Our first time, Kayson already knew enough about what it was to be excited. The second time we were planning to go, I told Kayson and he said, "I love bowling!" Lendon showed his excitement by chanting most of the way there, "I, bowling!"

Lendon could carry the ball basically on his own.

We still helped him tho .. that would hurt!

He just loves watching the ball go.

But even more, he wanted to make sure both

mom & dad saw him push it!

The happy bowler!

Check out his hold on the ball!

He's got it down!

And now for the victory dance!

They have a dragon that the kids can push it down the lane. Lendon uses it every time, but Kayson chose not to use it at all our second time. And he's pretty good! I hate to admit this, but all 3 of my boys (Jess included) bowled a better game than me. Sad. :( That just shows how good they are .. right!?! :)

My boys!

2010-08-24T22:45:00.007-06:00

A load of pictures .. I'll just let you enjoy them. I have to tell you the truth tho .. you're missing out, they are even cuter in real life. :) I know, is that possible!?! :)

Aren't they sweet? Especially my sweet Jess. I'm sure you all can see why I feel so lucky to be the girl in these boys life. I love them deeply and am so glad to have them! :)

Anniversary and birthday.

2010-08-24T21:46:00.008-06:00

I know I'm a little late, but these were such fun days, I wanted to go back! Our anniversary is the day before Kayson's birthday. We got a wonderful babysitter and spent the evening together. We were able to go to a nice restaurant and have the best steak I think I have ever had. Yum! The nice thing about Jess is that we can often share a meal .. so it isn't too pricey! :) Then, with a nice deal from citydeals.com we were able to go on a sunset sailboat ride. The sunset was nice .. and it was just nice to spend the time together.

This was the yummy dessert they served us on our boat ride .. unfortunately I was soo full from dinner, it was hard to enjoy. :)

My sailing partner!

Kayson's birthday was a fun day .. but I think it was a little full for a 3 year old. He enjoyed every activity, but when the end of the day came .. he was soo tired.

We took him to Toy Story 3 for a matinee. He was so cute in the theatre. I think he was very amazed at how big the screen was .. and loved the treats he got to snack on the whole time!

We also went to Pirate Island, where they have pizza and arcade games. He had a good time with both .. especially since his friends Seth and Ellie were there.

Playing air hockey with daddy .. he did pretty well!

He requested a guitar cake (which he kept calling a piano) .. so whenever anyone asked him about his birthday, he would say "piano birthday" or "it's my birthday" or "happy birthday me" :)

Here he is enjoying cake with his friends!

His birthday is close to the 24th of July which (for those outside of Utah) is a Utah holiday .. which means we can set off fireworks. So, we ended the day with some fireworks. He loved the ones we did for the 4th, so we invited a bunch of people from the neighborhood and lit up the night. He loved it. This pic is actually from the 4th, but here he is with his good friend Gavin .. watching the fireworks!

Bedtime! As mentioned, he was so sad. Is it mean that I took a picture? I guess I wanted to remind myself to take it a little slower next year .. fun activities, just not so many (or just not so late into the night)

I am so happy to have this sweet boy in my life. He brings so many smiles to my face. I can't believe at times it's been ONLY 3 years ... just because I feel like he has been in my life forever. I am so lucky to be his mommy and so pleased with the boy he is. I love you, Kayson .. with all my heart!

Water!

2010-06-30T23:15:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I was planning to set up our cool beach ball sprinkler for the boys. Kayson LOVES running thru any type of water and I knew he would love it. Lendon gets in the water some, but loves being outside no matter what we're doing. :)

Plans changed, however, when we had quite the rain storm!

This was our alternative:

At least they still got to play in the water!!!

Binkie Boy!

2010-05-21T14:15:00.004-06:00

For those of you who don't know, my Lendon is addicted to his binkie. He loves it. He'll see one and start saying please (so cute) then, when he gets it he opens his mouth super wide and chomps down on it as dramatically as possible. haha - you'd have to see it. :)

Well, today he was very sad about the toothbrush being taken away from him and after a few minutes of sadness, I decided to look for his loved binkie. I found 2 sitting in a regular spot and give him one. "Please" he says pointing to the other one. So, I give it to him. "Please" again .. I look, he's pointing to a binkie on the floor. I laugh and give it to him (why not!?!). "please" --pointing to yet another binkie hiding partially under the couch! You've got to be kidding me!! However, I admit, I gave that to him too! So, he went down for his nap just now with one binkie in his mouth, one in one hand, and 2 in the other. (Happy as can be, I might add!)

Silly, cute little boy!

There he is with his binkie .. and Kayson with his finger and "blue blanket"! My boys!

Thank you to my wonderful husband!

2010-05-11T11:30:00.003-06:00

Here is a big THANK YOU to Jess!! His work schedule is always so busy, yet he is always so willing to work it out so I can go do fun things. A couple weekends ago was the BYU Women's Conference. If you haven't been or haven't heard about it, it is a wonderful experience. It is 2 days full of spiritual upliftment. It was well needed for me and without Jess, it would not have been possible. He worked from home both days so he could watch the boys while I went. I'm sure you can imagine, it wouldn't be easy to watch a very active almost 3 year old and a very cuddly 1 year old AND try and work as well. However, my Jess is amazing and he managed just fine!

This is me, Sharece, and Shonda waiting for our class to begin on making your Sabbath day more committed to Christ .. it was great!

This last weekend, my sister's had a "sister sleepover" planned. It was all 6 Petersen sisters, plus Bettie, and even Karina, Lydia, Renae, and Gideon. We all met at a hotel in Salt Lake City and spent a night of fun and laughter together. Again, without Jess and his support, it wouldn't have been possible. He stayed home with the boys, putting them to bed and taking such good care of them for a full 24 hours! This break was also well needed, more in an emotional way. We laughed and laughed with everything we did .. and laughter is very good for me. It made me set a specific goal to LAUGH more with my boys. WHY NOT!?! Life can be full of laughter here too! And it is!

I didn't get a pic of the full group, but here is one of 3 of us. Just chillin' at the hotel room after a fun(ny) time of swimming in their pool and a yummy pot luck meal we brought!

Lastly, a pic of the hero of the hour with his wonderful boys. They love him soo much! Lately, Kayson will cry and cry when his daddy goes to work. It is so sad. But I sure love the excitement when Jess comes home - both boys run to him as happy as can be! I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband who loves me and who takes such good care of me and my boys. I couldn't ask for a better husband and best friend.

Thanks, Jess, for all you do!! I love you forever!

Happy First Birthday!

2010-03-15T16:14:00.005-06:00

My sweet Lendon turned one on March 5th .. I can't even believe it's already been a year. We are so blessed to have that sweet, smiley, cuddly, loving boy in our lives!

Can you believe how much he has changed??

Opening presents!

He loves hugs (when he wants them!) Sweet Karina.

His cake! What do ya think? :)

First taste.

Loving it now!!

So thirsty .. they sure dug into it!

On his birthday we went to the aquarium ... the boys had so much fun! Kayson even touched the starfish! He was trying to touch the stingrays, but the water was too deep! Lendon just loved watching the fish swim around. He would just stare and try to touch them! It was a wonderful day!

A video of the cake .. I love that Kayson was right there with him. So much fun!

Happy birthday, sweet boy!

My newest project!

2010-02-23T13:42:00.002-07:00

My big project right now is getting our 72 hr kits complete. I am so close! It seems like in the past, every time I would start and be so ambitious, but then I'd get stuck on something, not know what to do, and I wouldn't look at it again for a couple months. But this time, we are really going to do it. If all goes as planned, I should have them complete next week. I am so excited! This has been a GREAT project for me! I love having something worthwhile for me to do. It is more than just filling my time. I am doing something that might save my family if an emergency hits and we need to leave our homes quickly. The prophets have told us to prepare every needful thing. This is one thing I can do to follow their council, then I'll go on to the next! It feels so good to be prepared.

We're alive ... and even smiling!

2010-02-23T13:11:00.005-07:00

I know it has been a long time. Part of me wants to play catch up and give you pics and stories of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's weekend, and so many other fun things. Instead, I will just post some of my favorite random pics of that last few months. Be ready for some cuties! :)

**Sledding!**

**I told Kayson stockings were like socks ... **

**Kayson's snow man**

**Writing his letter to Santa with his cousins**

**Our nativity play (minus Lendon who was acting as baby Jesus!)**

**Have you ever seen such cute curly hair! I love it! **

**I know it's a bit blurry, but I LOVE them "reading" together!**

**Handsome Kayson!**

**Play time!**

**Handsome Len -- and getting so big!**

And for a LATE update ... Lendon is crawling like a pro now. He is soo fast! He loves to walk around with our ottomon and Kayson's train. He also crawls up our stairs (when he is feeling very brave) AND is starting to try and stand on his own .. only for a few seconds, but he gets so excited when he does! He loves to copy, copy, copy. He watches us and loves to try and do what we're doing and say what we're saying. He is growing up so fast in my eyes! He is so much fun .. he loves to laugh. He'll be playing by himself and I'll catch him laughing thru out. I love my Len.

Also.. Kayson is now potty trained!! He'll still have random accidents when he doesn't get to the potty fast enough, but I am loving having a potty trained li'l boy! His confidence seems to have sky-rocketed since he goes potty too .. in a lot of ways! He wants to do everything himself .. "I do it" and is soo pleased when he does it, even if it is something he has been able to do for a while. The smile on his face is so sweet. He also LOVES to give hugs and kisses. I won't complain!! Especially during meals. He leans over and gives kisses and hugs. It makes mealtimes go slow sometimes, but I don't mind. He really is such a sweetheart. If he is ever in trouble, usually all he wants is a hug from me. He sure brightens my days!

My happy helper

2009-11-16T14:34:00.005-07:00

Kayson is my big helper. Here is a clip of a few things I caught him doing. These are not just for the video .. he does these things with me often. As you can see, some of them are more imitating than actually doing it, but I still think it is wonderful and so fun to watch! Enjoy! He is also learning how to put on his own pants ... mostly!

My fun project.

2009-11-10T13:31:00.004-07:00

I know .. when I post, I really post. Make sure you look below, there are about 4 new posts for you to enjoy. This one is about ME! I've found a new hobby. It isn't an every day thing, but for special occasions, I sure have fun doing it. My dad had his 60th birthday on Saturday, so we all got together to celebrate. I was put in charge of the cake because I've had some fun with others before. My dad grew up as a farmer and, as Shonda said, he will always be a farmer! So, in celebration of his birth and who he is, this is what I did: It is far from being done professionally, but it was a lot of fun to do! It took a little time and planning, but fun projects like this are just what I need every once in a while. I am slowly trying to add fun things in my day-to-day life to give myself a little more ... substance! So this was great!

My little Lendon

2009-11-10T13:21:00.004-07:00

Lendon loves mirrors! Often, I will bring my little mirror to church with us as a toy .. it entertains him so well! I came in to find Lendon like this. He was "stuck" because he couldn't get out of this position .. but he did not care. He was happy as can be just smiling and having fun! Check out that tooth! (trust me, the pic is lots better than the last ones I posted) My cute Len is the happiest baby! Here is a fun video that shows it.

Kayson cuteness!

2009-11-10T13:16:00.005-07:00

Have I mentioned Kayson loves trains! Well, this is Kayson with his own train, that he put together himself. The other day, I asked Kayson to go get me a tissue for Lendon. It took him a little while and later I figured out why! I just love that he tried to fix it! Driving his car in the pile of leaves!

Halloween!

2009-11-10T12:56:00.003-07:00

I know Halloween is long over, but I know everyone wants to see my boys in their costumes .. right!?! Or maybe I just want to show everyone!! :) It was a very fun Halloween, we went up to his Grammy and Papa's house for the weekend and had so much fun. Their ward had a carnival at the church on Thursday, so they got to dress up twice. In fact, Kayson has 2 costumes so he got to wear both. For the carnival, he was this green monster. He thought it was pretty neat to wear! He posed for a lot of cute pictures, but here is a fun one with Lendon, our jack-o-lantern! Cute Len-o-lantern! On Halloween, we ate dinner in a pumpkin at Grandma Parks and did trick-or-treating around there. Kayson was a lion this time. I couldn't get him to smile, because he would always roar. I should have known .. lions don't smile, they roar! Trick-or-treat! And here is the roar! That green thing he is holding .. a mirror! After his "nose" and whiskers were on, he couldn't stop looking at himself! This is Kayson's new phrase .. he picked it up from Grammy!

Milk to meat

2009-10-25T18:08:00.002-06:00

Lendon is ready for a nice juicy steak .. or maybe not! He is well on his way, though! You guessed it, my Len has his first tooth! I can't even believe it. It seems like there may be more on the way. This was my attempt at getting a pic of it. Good luck seeing the tooth, but isn't he adorable! Lendon is ready for a nice juicy steak .. or maybe not! He is well on his way, though! You guessed it, my Len has his first tooth! I can't even believe it. It seems like there may be more on the way. This was my attempt at getting a pic of it. Good luck seeing the tooth, but isn't he adorable!

Our fun game!

2009-10-25T18:05:00.002-06:00

My new fun game with Kayson ... makes me smile every time. We always try to scare each other. Just a simple "boo" or "roar" ... and it is always followed by, "did I scare you?" You should see Kayson .. "boo ... cay-you" My favorite is when he starts it on his own. The other night, I was gone visiting teaching. When I got home, I hear "mama" as he runs to me and immediately after says, "boo... cay-you" If only you could hear his cute voice .. it's the best!

The scary silence coming from a 2 year old!

2009-10-13T18:52:00.003-06:00

I'm sure y'all have heard, or experienced, how when a child is quiet they are getting into trouble. Trust me, I've experienced plenty. The other day, Kayson was playing in his room and I heard the dreaded silence. Much to my pleasure, when I looked in his room, he was sitting in the middle of his train track ... looking at a train book. I love surprises like that!

a fun outing

2009-10-13T18:40:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Sharece's realtor had a pumpkin party in Orem so we met her there for some fun. There were bounce houses, a pumpkin patch, "fishing," and donuts! Jason loved the bounce houses! Kayson wouldn't even get in, but he loved picking out our pumpkins! I didn't get any pics of the party or Jason, but here are my 2 boys at the park. And this is Len enjoying the balloon the next day! Thanks for inviting us, Rice, it was so nice to get out and play with you and Jas!

Lendon

2009-10-02T13:17:00.005-06:00

Now that you have Kayson imprinted in your mind .. here are a few pics of my Len! The videos weren't working, maybe they'll come later!

He puts himself to sleep ... most of the time!

Do I need to say anything on these?

He sits and plays for a long time! The boppy is just for me mostly (I feel safer for him)

Reading!

Close-up! Playing in the sink!

He is growing up so much! He loves to jabber ... and he and Kayson will just jabber together very loudly. I can't even be in the same room sometimes. :) They really do enjoy each other and I'm glad for that. It's amazing how good it feels to see your kids play together .. I don't know how to express it except that it is good for my heart. That still doesn't suffice, but those of you who have 2+ kids, you understand!

Pigs say "ew"

2009-10-02T12:32:00.004-06:00

Lots of fairs this summer ... here are just a few pics!

He loved petting the pony!

..and driving the tractors.

so brave :)

Len liked looking at the animals too!

Love this! Did I mention ever before that Kayson loves trains? Here is a side note: last night I was driving home late so the boys were sleeping and I hear Kayson say, "woo -woo." Surprised, I look back ... he was sound asleep!! He even dreams trains! I can't leave out the rides! He drove cars, boats, motorcycles, trains(!) .. and became a pro at every one!! :) Watch for the "conductor" waving at you!

Friends

2009-10-02T12:24:00.003-06:00

Kayson and his neighbor friend, Gavin, have a lot of fun together. I only have this one video (with Rachel too) but it is a good show of how they play together. The other things they love to do together is play in the dirt and throw footballs. It is really great to watch. One day, Kayson asked to go outside with his football and went straight over to their door, saying "play." So we knocked and asked if Gavin could come play. I didn't realize my little boy is old enough to do that!

Family!

2009-10-02T11:50:00.004-06:00

We had a lot of family get-togethers the last couple months. It was a lot of fun! We went camping with my family, to the Twin Falls fair and rodeo with Jess' family, and other little activities in between. Here are pictures of my kids enjoying their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents! (please excuse the pics of Kays with only undies on .. we were trying to potty train!)

Eva holding Kayson .. they both loved it!

Now with Lendon!

Playing w/ Isobel

Sweet Grandma Polly

Enjoying the outdoors!

First canoe ride!

Fire w/ cousins ... it's starting already! Proof that Kays had lots of fun! Riding the roller coaster w/ Dylan! Driving w/ Gaven. Begging from Aunt Jenny Watching the rodeo w/ Papa.

One video to end with a bang! Jason and Kayson having a BLAST!

Loads of pictures!

2009-08-10T10:47:00.008-06:00

I have so many fun pics and videos .. and I haven't blogged in a while. So, this will be a load of random cuteness! Enjoy!! Kayson loves to play with Lendon .. and Lendon loves it too. Here is Kayson's version of "this little piggy." (and don't believe Lendon's face .. he may look bored but he was so sad when Kayson would stop!) My Lendon is growing up. He is rolling over now! Unfortunately, he always stops and stares at the camera when I get it out. However, I was able to get his talking. Kayson loves to sing and dance. Here is his "Happy Birthday!" My own photo shoot of Lendon! He was so cute. Kayson woke up only after a minute or so .. so he joined in. After that, I had a hard time getting Lendon to look at me .. he loves his brother! My boys in their daddy's hat! More having fun together. Doesn't he look so big!?!

For my birthday boy!

2009-07-26T22:22:00.006-06:00

Kayson Danny had his 2nd birthday a couple weeks ago. I can't believe it has been two years since my sweet boy was born. It seems like a couple months ago we were celebrating his 1st birthday, and a month or 2 more when I was holding him in my arms at the hospital. Yet I can truly say it is hard to even think of what my life was like before I was a mom. Oh, I remember it (my mom brain isn't THAT bad yet) .. but you understand! My boys are the joy of my life. I think back on the last two years with Kayson and have so many wonderful memories already: sleeping in my arms as an infant (I couldn't get my eyes off him), realizing his eyes were going to be deep, dark brown, his excema, the army crawl, so many smiles, his "cheese" smile with the scrunchy nose, listening to him learn to talk (that's still going on!), first steps, kissable lips, eating and eating and eating, "talking" on phones, loving soft blankets, lots of laughter, kisses (mmm, I love sweet Kayson kisses), tight hugs, zrrbt's (otherwise known as blow kisses), "cheese", woo woo k-ch-k-ch-k-ch woo woo (train), his facial expressions (loads of 'em), looking at me with those dark brown eyes with so much love, etc, etc, etc. I love my Kayson so much. I'm so glad he is a part of my life!! We had such a fun time for his birthday. He got a tricycle. He loves it! He woke up to it in the living room with a bow on it. He ran up to it, grinned at me, and said "bike" then rode on it most of the day! I was quite pleased with his cake. He loves cars and trains so this is what I did. Do you think he likes it? Blowing out his TWO candles! He had 3 friends come to his party - one from the neighborhood and 2 co-workers of Jess'. They seemed to have a good time with the cars to drive around, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, Kayson's presents, and the pinata! Of course none of them could break it, but they sure had a lot of fun trying! It was a wonderful day. We all had such a good time. I love being a mom!

Water Fun!

2009-06-05T11:05:00.006-06:00

Kayson loves to play in the water. He always has, but last year was more reserved when it was cold. I think this year he has got past that. Last week, the sprinklers were on, he was enjoying looking at them thru the window. Then I showed him what fun sprinklers really can be. This is us AFTER our fun of running thru the sprinklers. We told him to show daddy how much fun he had ... This week I spent up at my mom's .. just for a change in scene. It really made me want a back yard b/c of all the fun he had. One of the days, Kenna set up her water toys in their back yard. The cousins had a blast! Then Kayson and Jason bathed together too. hee hee. Sharece and I were worried at first .. will they do okay together? (Sometimes they want the same toys and don't play well together). But they had a lot of fun splashing and playing! I didn't get any good ones of both, but I got some good cheezer grins! We had such a fun time at mom's house. It was a nice break for me!

Party time

2009-06-05T10:55:00.006-06:00

Almost 2 weeks ago, we had a bunch of ppl come to our house for Sharece's birthday. Shonda and her fam were in town, my parents were driving thru, Vince (and Ambier) lives close, and Sharece (and Jason) came for the party! We had a really good time. It was fun for me to meet little Renae .. what a beautiful little girl. This is the two newest "grand kids" in our family. They are just under 2 months apart .. I can't believe how big Lendon is compared to her! Sweet grandparents love their babies so much! It makes me so happy to see how loved my kids are from their grandparents. I love you, mom and dad! Thanks for having a birthday, Sharece, so we could have that fun party!

Trip to the Aviary

2009-06-05T10:48:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks ago, we went to the aviary with some good friends of ours. October (their little girl) and Kayson have so much fun together. They loved looking at the birds, holding hands, and playing at the park together. I haven't seen Kayson play with anyone so well in a while. It's nice to see them playing together! The peacock was showing off for us, they both thought that was pretty neat (who wouldn't!).

Kayson's pucker!

2009-05-21T15:37:00.003-06:00

I mentioned once that I always beg for kisses from Kayson .. and I just wanted to share why. Tempting, eh!?!

Oh boys!

2009-05-21T15:22:00.003-06:00

Lendon sure is growing up! It seems like time is going faster than it did when Kayson was little .. probably because my time isn't only for Lendon so I don't see everything every moment. Look at those big cheeks! Lendon loves to look at toys now! He just studies things. My favorite thing, tho, is that even when he's looking at toys, when I come close enough, his attention turns to me! Kayson likes the "new" toy too .. and thinks it should be his!

Don't mind the crying .. he just decided he was done "right now!"

Here is a video of my Kays. We got a new camera a while back and our old one is now Kayson's, since it doesn't work very well any more. He loves it!

How Swine Flu is Spread

2009-05-10T15:17:00.001-06:00

Blooper

2009-05-07T16:01:00.002-06:00

This was just too funny, I had to share. I thought I was taking a picture, but it turned out to be a video instead. Thanks for being the model Sharece. Now that you've seen it, I'll tell you what she saw ... Kayson was being a bit of a bully to Jason b/c, well, he's that age and she caught him in action there. Sorry Jas!

Lendon's blessing

2009-05-07T15:40:00.004-06:00

Sunday, May 3 was Lendon's blessing. It was such a special day. Thanks to all who could make it! The blessing was given by his daddy with wonderful family and friends in the circle. It was a special blessing for our special boy. Here are some pics of the day. There are so many good ones, but I didn't want to overwhelm anyone! Enjoy!

The boy of the day

His white outfit

Our family

Handsome Kayson

Petersen's

Arrington's

If you're happy and you know it ...

2009-05-07T15:19:00.004-06:00

These boys sure put a smile on my face. Kayson has been so kissy lately. He loves to give kisses. As a mom, I can't complain abt that at all! I'll take them whenever I can. In fact, you'll often find me begging for kisses .. you should see him pucker, you'd beg too! :) He is so very handsome. Don't you agree? He also gives the tightest hugs. I guess he learned from me. He will just squeeze around my neck with so much intensity. I just love my boy. He is such a good sleeper too. I can ask him if he is ready for a nap and he will tell me. Most of the time he says yes, and if he says no, I'll ask him again later. I'm pretty impressed with him. He also loves to play in his room once I've put him down. But the majority of the time, he plays until he's ready and then goes to sleep. He even likes to play in the middle of the night (crazy kid) and mostly puts himself to sleep after that too. He is quite a funny kid. This is him ready for a nap .. only he went to the wrong bed! It makes him look so little! Lendon also makes me smile, of course! He is such a smiley boy! He just smiles and coos, even in the midst of cries sometimes. If he sees a face close to him, he will almost always smile. It is so sweet. I took him to his 2 month appt the other day. He is a big kid. He weighs 12 lb 5 oz (67%) and is 24.25 inches long (91%). Can you believe it? 90th percentile on height! My boy is very tall right now. He is definitely bigger than Kayson, I can see that. He is such a cutie. I love this pic -he is just so adorable. I especially love how it shows his chubby cheek!And just a cute one that I love being so strong. Did I mention that I love these boys? Because I sure do!

More and more pics!

2009-04-21T09:44:00.004-06:00

These are in no particular order. I just wanted to show off my cute boys! Do ya blame me? :)

Lendon just chillin'

Kayson can't get enough of him!

Kayson playing with me .. and loving it!

So handsome!

Last weekend, I went to Rexburg for Shonda's baby shower! It was so fun to have all the Petersen girls there (including mom). We had so much fun .. congrats Shonda, we can't wait 'til that Renae comes to join you! This is one of his favorite positions in my arms .. it helps his tummy feel better. Sweet little guy. Handsome Kayson, ready for church! Sleeping Lendon says, "I love you!" (can you see it!?!) Kayson LOVES this hat! He puts it on when it is time to go outside! I love it too .. he looks so darn cute! The end! I hope you enjoyed them almost as much as I do!

Easter!

2009-04-13T10:43:00.004-06:00

We had so much fun for Easter. On Saturday we went to my Grandpa Joe's house for their annual weiny roast. It was quite rainy, but we had a good time. Kayson loved running around his field and didn't want to stop. Later that day, we did our "commercial" Easter egg hunt, inside, with his gifts, basket, and a few eggs. We got more gifts than candy because I don't let him eat a lot of candy .. and if he isn't eating it, we all know who will (the mama - and I do not need that). The whole hunt was in his room and Kayson loved it. It's hard to decide what his favorite was, but I think it was his new superman blanket. Not necessarily because it was superman, but because it is so soft - and he loves blankets in general. Sunday was wonderful. We enjoyed the focus on the Savior at church. I got to sing in the choir, a beautiful version of "Jesus, Once of Humble Birth" -- they didn't have very many sopranos so they asked me to sing it. Normally that isn't too hard, but for those of you who know me well, I would prefer alto PLUS this song had a few VERY high notes. I did it, and it wasn't so bad, I guess. I mean, I hit the note, I just don't know how nice it sounded. haha. Later, we watched "Finding Faith in Christ" -- what an inspiring movie. It was nice, we paused it at least 4 times just to discuss insights that we picked up . . I love my husband! That afternoon, we went on a beautiful drive up the canyon and stopped at the park for our "spiritual" egg hunt. We have those plastic eggs and inside them I have put quotes from prophets, scriptures, and songs that we gather around after and read/sing them. Unfortunately, it was super windy so .. we hunted for them, but never got around to enjoying the message inside. Well, at least FHE was planned early for Monday night! I loved watching Kayson hunt for the eggs because the eggs were not his first priority .. he was just having a great time being outside and at the park! I love that boy. Then we enjoyed a nice meal at home. I was pleased with my meal of Chicken Cordon Bleu and a yummy veggie salad on the side (Jess was very busy taking care of the boys while I got it together .. and helping when he could - Thanks Jess, you're the best!) Kayson helped too. He was cutting up the broccoli with me - I gave him a butter knife and he really enjoyed himself helping cut it! Cute, cute. All in all, it was a wonderful day! At first, I was feeling down because we don't live by any extended family and it would only be us .. but it turned out to be a wonderful, memorable day with my boys. I love all 3 of 'em with all of my heart!

My Growing Boy!

2009-04-13T10:29:00.003-06:00

Lendon is sure growing up! I can't believe that he is already 5 weeks old! The time flies so fast. You'd think since it's been over a month I'd feel like I had a little better handle on things .. haha .. well, we're still working on that! :) As you can see by the pics, he still sleeps a lot. However, he is starting to have more happy awake time (I say happy b/c before when he was awake he was usually sad on account of an upset tummy, poor kid). He is a smiley boy. Today I'm sure he smiled right at me and FOR me. I thought abt running to grab the camera but I was enjoying the smiles too much. Sometimes you have to enjoy the moment, even if you can't see it looking back you can remember it! It was sweet -- he was lying on the floor and I stopped to talk to him, he turned his head and eyes towards me and gave me a big baby grin. I loved it! He is also getting a little more tolerant with loves from Kayson! Altho Kayson is getting a little more fiesty with his loves ... in a loving way! The other day, I caught him lying right on top of Len .. yikes! To Kayson it was just a full body hug .. to me, well you can imagine. :) Lendon is starting to look more like himself and not soo much of an identical to Kayson. When he was born there were only a few things I saw that were different from Kayson. But he is looking more different every day. Here are the pics:

Holding on to his binkie Sleeping with daddy

Awake time!

Just relaxin'

Pictures.

2009-04-06T10:24:00.001-06:00

I decided to soak my feet during conference this weekend, mmm it felt nice. Kayson couldn't resist, he joined right in! My sweet boy sleeping away. What a sweet face. Kisses from Kayson .. I'm jealous, I love those kisses! This was hilarious. I found Kayson sharing his FINGER with Lendon. As you can see, he has one in his own mouth and is sharing the other one. How thoughtful of him! Lendon smiles! (sorry it's sideways, I didn't flip it before and don't have the time to flip it now.) I love my 2 boys so much. They are both such good boys. Sometimes I wish I could just take turns with them -- maybe hire a nanny so I always have one-on-one time with each! haha. It's hard to balance the time with them both. I guess that is part of being a mom! If any of you multiple children mothers (or fathers) have any good advice on being a mother of two, send it my way .. I'm very open!

Kayson at the table!

2009-04-02T11:20:00.006-06:00

We recently moved Kayson over to the table! It all happened because he was too sad to eat in his high chair away from the table .. so we moved his high chair up to the table! He has been feeling a bit neglected with his new brother around taking some of the attention, I think the high chair sadness was from that .. he wanted to be right next to us. So far, he has been loving the change. I'll admit, it does leave a lot more mess to clean up, but he is happy so I don't mind. (please excuse the underline .. i don't know how it got there .. or how to get rid of it!)

Kayson eating at the table

He always wants a paper towel next to him to wipe off his hands and face! I guess I shouldn't ever complain about the extra mess .. he is such a naturally clean boy!

My little one!

2009-03-24T16:32:00.004-06:00

Lendon is such a good little boy .. the only thing that seems to bother him is tummy aches. These make him sad and not able to sleep :( Poor guy. But it isn't too bad. He is such a good kid, very mellow and a good eater. He is getting stronger, trying so hard to hold his little head up. We are really enjoying him. More pictures for you! Hasn't he grown up already!?! A couple sweet smiles! Look at those "shoes" - they are really socks and look so good! Thanks Sharece! Does it show that I love him!?! Kayson is such a good helper. He'll bring me blankets (and more blankets) for Lendon, he'll give Lendon a binkie when he is sad (and when he is sleeping), he rocks/bounces him in his car seat/bouncer, he tells us to "shhh" because Lendon is sleeping! He is a wonderful big brother!

Who is growing up?

2009-03-24T16:08:00.003-06:00

My Kayson sure is fun! We have so much fun with all his new things every day! He loves his sunglasses and has learned, from watching others, where we wear them inside. I think he really noticed it from Grandma with her glasses! Thanks mom! He wears them around the house like this so often! I love it! My favorite thing he is doing now is joining in more on the actions of songs. This one is the first song he started w/o prompting from us (at least the first that I knew what song it was!) He'll sing this one often! And he loves to scoot the stool or his chair wherever he wants to get up to! Here is a pic of when he scooted his chair so he could be closer to Lendon. So sweet! I love my "big" boy!

Lendon Jess

2009-03-12T13:43:00.004-06:00

Lendon Jess Arrington has arrived! I'm sure many of you know that we had our sweet little boy last week. He was born on March 5 at 5:43 am. He weighed 7 lb 5 oz and was 20 inches long. The delivery was perfect, he is healthy and absolutely beautiful and I am feeling wonderful! Jess and Kayson are loving the new addition as well. Things are wonderful! The transition has it's challenges, but so far I have nothing to complain about. From what I expected, things are going pretty smoothly. Thanks to all who have been there to help .. especially my mom, Jess' mom, and my wonderful neighbors who keep an eye on me! Life couldn't be better! Enjoy these beautiful pics!

Look how tiny his beautiful head is in that coat!

Cute little body!

Kayson loves his brother .. and LOVES to show it!

Story Time!

2009-02-21T21:41:00.002-07:00

Okay, every one gather round! We have lots of fun stories to tell!! :) - We went to the zoo today with Kayson and his cousin Jason (and Sharece and Bryce, of course). I forgot my camera but Sharece took some ... I'll get 'em on here later. For those of you who know Kayson you can imagine his "ooohs," "wows," "woahs," and just trying to figure it all out. He was adorable. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time! - I am less than 2 weeks from my due date (by one day!). But we're getting excited. Things are mostly ready for him to come. Of course, the longer he takes the more I can do around here which is nice. However, I'm okay with any day! :) - Kayson had his Dyches cousins here for the last couple weeks while Karina was here for therapy. He loved having so much entertainment! I also think it was a help to prepare him for the addition. It isn't the same, but there was extra noise and a little less of my time (only a little b/c Kenna, Lisa, and mom were great helping out) -- both of which will happen when the baby comes. He even got to spend some time with Holly (3 1/2 months) and he was so cute with her. He smothered her with love! So, I might have to watch him closely, but at least it is love! I'm excited to see how he does with his little brother. - Sorry, no pics this time. I probably do have some good ones I could add, but I'm just not feeling up to it at the moment. I just figured I needed to update something since it has been so long. Next time I'll try to have double pics to make up for it!

5-5-5

2009-02-11T15:08:00.002-07:00

Well, this is my first time being "tagged" -- I must really be a blogger, eh? (thanks Sharece!) I'm supposed to post the 5th picture in my 5th folder. I think I did it right! This was in April of '08 when we were in Florida. Aren't my boys cute!?! Now (this is going to prove I'm not MUCH of a blogger) I don't know of 5 people I could tag ... so, you just get to enjoy the pic and anyone who WANTS to post their 5th pic .. I tag YOU!

Other Updates!

2009-01-31T08:59:00.002-07:00

I had a doctor's appt yesterday! We had another ultrasound to check the placenta (it was lying low at the last ultrasound). Thankfully, the placenta has moved and is not in the way of the birth canal. Basically, if it hadn't moved, a C-section is needed. I am so grateful I don't have to worry about that! It was fun for me to be able to see my little baby again. He sure is getting big .. and squished .. in there! He is already about 6 lb 5 oz, so they think he'll be bigger than Kayson (who was 6 lb 15 oz). I know he'll still look tiny to me! He is head down and we could even see some hair on his little head! Wow! I'm so excited to meet this little guy. Next week, Jess & Kayson get to have some guy time. I get to go play with Jess' mom and sister, so Kayson and daddy get to play. I know they'll have soo much fun! Kayson loves his daddy! It'll be so weird for me to be without my little Kayson for a couple days (I've never done it before!) but it will be so much fun. I'm looking forward to it! You can expect I'll be calling my boys every once in a while to check on them tho! :)

Kayson Updates!

2009-01-31T08:38:00.006-07:00

Kayson started nursery this last Sunday! He was amazing. I figured he'd be fine because he usually doesn't mind when Jess & I leave. And it was perfectly fine. He saw the other kids and was ready to go play. We even peaked in half way thru to make sure all was well and he was just coloring away ... he saw me when I shut the door, but it didn't even phase him. That's my friendly boy - just like his daddy! Today, he had a little bit of a melt down close to the end, they had to bring him to me b/c he was so sad. He was definitely hungry AND tired .. not good. So I had him, but only for the last 5 minutes .. he enjoyed the rest! He loves it! Another new thing in Kayson's life is that we have started moving him over to his toddler bed. This is a picture of him the very first time I tried it. No - he isn't crying or praying .. that is how he sleeps! I think the camera might have interupted him because he cried only a few minutes later ... oops! But it was so cute, I had to! Kayson's scared/surprised/"what's going on?" face! Kayson and I have so much fun together! In this video, I combined 3 videos to make it easier. #1 - blow kisses #2 - practicing his name #3 - Kayson reading. I may be a biased mom, but I sure think he is so adorable and so much fun! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do ... but is that possible? You aren't the lucky one getting slobbered on!!!

My Big Boy!

2009-01-16T14:23:00.005-07:00

Kayson is growing up leaps and bounds. He loves to try and do everything I do ... and he only wants to do it himself! Altho, if it is important enough, he'll ask for my help quite often. For example, putting on his socks. He'll try on his own, then either ask for help or ... put the sock on his hands. :) I love it! And here he is trying to put on his shoe! haha. He usually tries a little better than that .. I guess he was ready to get going! He is so talented! Here he is talking on the phone .. one on each ear! Oh, this boy gives me so many good laughs! I guess that's all for now! He keeps growing and running and keeping me busy, busy. What a fun little boy!

For Hayley -- my pregnant pics!

2009-01-09T12:01:00.004-07:00

As requested (and only because requested) I am adding pics of my pregnant belly. Yes, my baby is getting bigger and bigger and BIGGER! It is a good thing that he is healthy! And I am feeling pretty good too! Here is a belly only picture -- I actually didn't take this on purpose, I was taking it with a timer and this was all I got. Oops -- haha. And here is my smiling face to go along with it! Here is a story for all to hear .. I was pretty impressed. I had a Dr appt yesterday ... with a new doctor. I still have Dr Ludlow but he has a new partner and I figured I better meet him sometime in case he is the one to deliver my baby. Well, I'll be honest, I wasn't very pleased after the appt. I tried to tell him about me and my views so he would know what to expect when I had my baby. His response wasn't what I expected. Without going into details, I felt like I didn't have his support in what I wanted for my birthing experience. However, since I don't hide my emotions very well, he knew that I wasn't satisfied. In response, he called me today specifically to apologize for coming across wrong. He also let me know that he does support the views I presented and hoped for a better appt next time. I was very impressed that he would take the time to call me to make sure our doctor-client relationship was healthy. My hats off to Dr. Warner!

Eating!

2009-01-08T14:20:00.003-07:00

Kayson has so much fun eating lately! Here are some fabulous pics of some of his most unique eating moments! Sloppy Joe meat .. this spoon was daddy's idea! He loves using a fork now with ANYTHING .. as you will see. Yep, he did this one himself! Licking the beater when we made brownies. I don't think he has ever had a better treat! Olives. We put them on his finger once or twice and now, like most kids, he can't eat it w/o it being on his finger first. He must be growing up! And here he is feeding himself. Sometimes he does quite a bit better than this ... and other times a whole lot worse. So we got a good in between one. He loves to feed himself. Notice how he even moves the bowl away from me - so independent!

Going to work with daddy!

2009-01-06T15:21:00.002-07:00

This morning, as Jess was putting his coat on, Kayson said to him, "Ba Dah" (or bye dad) as he waved. So Jess asked him, "Do you want to go to work with me?" "Yes!" Poor Jess didn't realize Kayson would understand and WANT to go through with it. He said yes and reached for him. After his hug, he did not want to come back to me. He couldn't believe it when Jess left without him. So, we had to go have lunch with him today so Kayson could "go to work" with daddy. He loves his daddy!

Christmas break!

2009-01-02T13:44:00.011-07:00

Are y'all ready for a LONG post!?! I hope so because Christmas is a time for lots of fun and pictures (especially when you have a cute little Kayson!). We've been "vacationing" for about a week and a half, with the term vacationing meaning Jess hasn't had to GO to work! It has been nice for me (and him, I'm sure!) We had a fabulous day on December 23, spending the day at home together. We got to play in the snow as a family ... Kayson had a blast! Apparantly, Jess is a faster (and more fun) horse than I am! Christmas Eve we drove up to Hyrum to spend some time at my parents. We had a good time! Kayson had been a little off on his sleep so this was his Christmas eve ... The rest of us acted out the nativity! Here is our cast: Jess is Joseph, Lydia is Mary, and my dad is (always) the donkey. George as the angel, Vince and Amber as shephards with their cute sheep, Dawn. And our 3 wise men (George, Devin, and Lisa)Not pictured: Lara as an innkeeper and my mom as the narrator! It was a lot of fun being together and remembering this sacred night that we celebrate! And with dad at the guitar, we enjoyed the spirit of Christmas music. Singing of our Savior really brings the spirit into the home. What a wonderful evening. Christmas morning was quite fun. Kayson went thru a 5:30am wake up time so we were up bright and early! But we didn't do presents until later. He doesn't understand it quite yet. :) Altho he does understand the concept of opening presents. He LOVED finding out what was inside. He also enjoyed playing with EVERYTHING ... his toys and other people's gifts! He had a blast!

On Friday night, Kayson got to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa while me and Jess went to a hotel to just enjoy our time together. We had a good time playing games, watching The Cosby Show, and just being together! Kayson had such a good time with his cousins! He sure is growing up .. you can see him getting into their activities more and more. And we caught him a few times "hugging" his younger cousins. He ended up lying right on top of them! Yikes. At least it was full of love!:) On Sunday we headed up to Twin Falls to be with Jess' family. We had a lot of fun! We got spoiled some more as we opened gifts there too. Kayson (and his cousins) loved his train! Isn't Gaven the cutest helper! He looks more excited than Kayson .. I love it! On New Years Eve we went up into the hills and went tubing. The main event was getting pulled behind the four wheeler on the tubes. Kayson LOVED it! He kept asking to go again and again! If you look at his face, you wouldn't think he was loving it, but you should have seen him when they left w/o him .. sad as can be, and SHOCKED that they would even think about driving off w/o him on the tube! This is him during a ride .. it must be relaxing! He also just loved playing in the snow, riding the 4 wheeler, drinking the hot chocolate, and getting warmed up .. fun! Our New Year's Eve party was fun with the Arrington clan: games, good food, and fun people. I went to bed about 12:05. I made it to the new year, then I went to bed .. hey, i was tired! :) Now we are home! We had such a fun time, but it sure is nice to be home. We came home to a house of 43 degrees .. yikes! Luckily, our heat doesn't take too long to warm up. Today we're getting all unpacked, doing LOTS of laundry, and just adjusting back to regular life. The holidays were wonderful!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful ..

2008-12-19T14:53:00.005-07:00

... but Kayson is so delightful! We played in the snow the other day! Kayson got to wear his marshmallow suit. Luckily, it wasn't too cold outside .. just the snow! We had a lot of fun. He would play in the snow for about a minute then he'd ask to get back in the sled. I have to say, I make a very good horse to pull the sleigh (that's for you, Jess). We had a good time! It only took a few seconds for Kayson to figure out how to walk in his suit and not too much longer until he figured out how to get up once he fell. :) I think he is going to like these winter activities!

Wink!

2008-12-19T14:31:00.003-07:00

When I wink at Kayson, he winks back! He is such a copy-cat .. I love it! You can also tell that he only does things when he wants to! I guess that is a good thing! Enjoy!

My project is complete.

2008-12-19T14:26:00.003-07:00

I finished my fun project I've been working on (a while ago) ... but I'm excited to show others!It actually doesn't hang on my door very often .. I'm afraid the crazy wind here will steal it away forever so it is still trying to find a home. But it was a fun project and I like the end result!

We got a Christmas Tree!

2008-12-19T14:20:00.002-07:00

It's official, we have a Christmas tree! I'm very glad about it ... the house didn't feel very festive with just lights up. It's nice! My visiting teaching companion had 2, and didn't want both so she gave us one .. so nice of her. Well, here it is! It doesn't have a lot of decorations yet .. and even the ones we have only cover the top half of the tree (for obvious reasons!) Kayson loves it. Even when the lights aren't on, he looks at it and says, "ooh!" Merry Christmas everyone!

It worked!

2008-12-17T22:06:00.002-07:00

Thanks Sharece! I double-checked and there were 2 of them that I had to change ... I dunno. But it is done! I have some cute videos and such to add ... but that will come later. I spent too much time with the background. :) Merry Christmas everyone!

Full of Thanks!

2008-12-17T19:10:00.004-07:00

I truly am full of thanks ... but that is not the reason my background is still a Thanksgiving background. Arrgh! I can't get it to change! I do everything like it says, but then it stays the same as it was before. sigh. Just enjoy my "give thanks" background for a while! And since it is there, I'll just say that I really do have a lot to be thankful for. I often think how blessed I am to have such a good husband. No matter how busy he gets with work, he always makes me feel so special and loved. He never forgets me. My Kayson is another big blessing in my life. He surely is growing up. And when I'm having a hard day he notices. If I'm crying, he usually either 1) starts to whine with me (haha) or 2) he'll give me a hug. He really is sweet. I also feel very blessed to have such a wonderful pregnancy. People often ask me how I'm "feeling" and I can honestly say that I feel great! That doesn't happen a lot for women in their 7th month, I hear. I have a healthy baby, wonderful family, great neighbors, and a good ward. I could go on, but I'll stop there. I really do feel very blessed in my life!

Cute updates

2008-12-07T19:37:00.005-07:00

I had to put this video on ... my Kayson is such a good little dancer! He loves to turn on music and just dance. In fact, in church today, he was dancing as we practiced singing in the choir! He loves music. This is one I caught of him dancing with his farm toy. He knows which button plays music and will just push it over and over to dance to it. Don't mind the mess, Kayson likes to pull ALL his books out of the cupboard at once. At least he is a pretty good helper when we clean up. He is such a good boy. :) Other cute stories about Kayson: 1. he blows kisses a lot! Out of the blue I'll hear him from wherever he is, "mmm-aaaa." Sometimes it is to a random passing car. And others, he is looking directly at his daddy giving him a kiss. Jess loves that! 2. He is very much in the copying stage. "Monkey see, monkey do." If I am lying on my back reading a book, he will lie down next to me (sometimes with a book, other times with whatever he's playing with). He is also copying words (as best he can). My favorite was "uh oh" -- he would make the shapes with his mouth, but wouldn't separate the 2 words so it sounded more like "aa-ooh" :) I love it! 3. He is my climber. He climbs on EVERYTHING! Which is cute, but it sure keeps me on my toes. He loves the couch, my stool, his bookshelf (yikes), his soon-to-be toddler bed, our drawers, etc, etc, etc. You name it, he has climbed on it .. or at least has tried! And for me: This week is a busy one in the ward. We have a relief society dinner on Thursday night, choir practice Saturday morn, ward dinner Saturday night, and a stake music program on Sunday eve (which I am a part of as primary chorister!) My primary gets to sing "A Shephard's Carol" at the stake program. They are so cute singing it in a round and surprisingly did really well today (our first time as a round). They are such good, fun kids! It will be a busy weekend, but it should be very fun! And Jess: Work is busy as can be. Luckily, he loves his job. The Purchase Order for Good Year finally came this week. As most of you know, he has been working on this one for a long time and was so glad when they decided to purchase. Well, with the PO it really is official. He was excited. A good friend of Jess' volunteered to watch Kayson on Saturday so we got to have the afternoon together. We went to the temple and did sealings, and had lunch at the Olive Garden - yum. Then we just did a bit of Christmas shopping (we are almost done, yay!). It was fun to spend time just the two of us. (I am a mom, tho, and did miss Kayson like crazy ... always wondering how he was doing. Don't worry, he was fine! of course!) The end .. until next time.

Thanksgiving report!

2008-12-01T12:19:00.007-07:00

Our Thanksgiving weekend was a BLAST! We got to spend the weekend with Jess' family .. it was perfect. Kayson loved his Thanksgiving feast! I don't think there was anything he didn't like to eat. Of course, he always has been a great eater ... you wouldn't be able to tell by his cute skinny body. I guess that is one more thing that he gets from his daddy -- tall and skinny with a high metabolism!! :)

Kayson had so much fun playing with his cousins. I meant to take more pictures, but I enjoy watching him so much I don't want to interfere by leaving to find the camera! I guess I just need to hook it to my belt so I have it at all times! :) This is one video I got of him playing in the "kids" drawer at his Grammy's.

We also got to see my side of the fam when we went to Hyrum for Holly's blessing. That was wonderful! Holly sure is a precious little girl. We enjoyed spending time there as well.

We love being with family, but it sure is nice to come back home. Kayson played and played when we got here. He was the happiest of all to be in his home!

I'm Baaaaack!

2008-11-18T13:55:00.005-07:00

I'm going to try again ... maybe I'll post again in another year! haha. At least I put a video on this time (thanks to Sharece!). I'm staying at my mom's house this week ... Jess is in Texas for a business tradeshow. He seems to be enjoying it! Kayson and I have been having fun with Grandma, Aunts, cousins, Uncles, Grandpa, etc .. it is soo much fun!!

This is Kayson enjoying Grandma's bouncy chair. It's better than Lagoon!!

More to come ...soon (I hope!)

*Lara

Outdated!

2008-03-10T18:19:00.002-06:00

Well, you can see how often I update our blog ... go figure since I haven't yet even told anyone we have a blog. Good job, me! Well, hopefully I'll get on top of it and Kayson and I (Lara) will update you more often! As of right now, our entire Arrington family is getting over a NASTY cold. I think we actually got 2 versions of similar colds which made it seem like they lasted forever! We all still have the lingering coughs, ick, but other than that I think (cross your fingers) we are getting back on top of things! Other big news is that we're flying to Florida the beginning of April. We'll be there for a little over a week and we sure are looking forward to the warmth, the beach, and the people!! (You see, Lara served her mission there almost 3 years ago!) Things are fabulous in our home. Kayson definitely brightens it up every day -- he is so much fun! However, right at this moment he needs his mommy so, I will update more later. Bye, Lara Joan

Great News!

2007-03-21T18:04:00.001-06:00

Hello y'all! There is a reason I'm writing in BLUE here. Okay, maybe it is a bit cheezy, but I thought it was fun. You see, PINK won't work here because blue=boy. So, many of you know that I am expecting a baby! And for those of you who don't know ... SURPRISE! It's a very exciting time in our lives. Yesterday we went in for our ultrasound and found out we're having a little boy. Hence, the blue! We are both very excited and cannot wait until our little one comes. Well, actually, I do have a few things to prepare for first before he comes .. so I am fine with having 4 more months to prepare. :) Isn't it amazing the way a baby is forming right now inside me. All of you women who have had children can appreciate this feeling. I just feel that I am such a big part of his life already. And I'm sure it only becomes more when I get to hold him in my arms and take care of his every need. It is incredible. I wish I was better at expressing myself. I have so many thoughts and feelings flowing through me, but they just cannot be explained. *Lara*