My newest project!

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!

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

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.

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

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!

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!

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!