Father's Day 2013

Just a little shout out to Dad, Kaden's very favorite playmate.  We celebrated with a french toast brunch at Ortega's, followed by a day at the beach.  After nap we tested out our new ladder and ended the evening with popsicles on the porch.  Kevin may have preferred spending the day on a golf course, but his boy thought the day was practically perfect.

Touch-A-Truck

This year, Touch-a-Truck was held at Chargers Stadium.  This meant bigger and better and...a whole lot noisier.  So noisy, in fact, they sold ear plugs for the kids.  Kaden, not liking loud noises too much, took the whole thing in stride and when he saw all the trucks he jumped right in the fun.  That is until RoboTruck started his act.  Then the poor boy clung to his father's neck and begged to be taken home.  It was fun while it lasted.

School Is Out For Summer!

Kaden had a great first year of school!  

We celebrated the end of the year at a party with all our new preschool friends and our beloved teacher, Mrs. Carroll.  The cake pops and bouncy house were, not surprisingly, the biggest hit of the day.

What a difference nine months can make!  I sent him to preschool a baby, he returned a little boy.

Another Step in the Process - Bye Bye Termites

Prior to closing on the house, we had to have a termite inspection and, lo and behold, they recommended we have the house fumigated.  Now this isn't unusual in Southern California.  Any given day you'll drive down a street and see at least one house with a giant colored tent surrounding it.  I think it is probably a racket, but since it is required...  Our plans were to spend the weekend in Palm Springs with friends, but the 110+ degree temperatures scared us off.  Lucky for us, we have generous friends who offered their beach house to us.  We played in the sand, ate breakfast out, went for bike rides on the boardwalk, and had friends over to play.  What a great excuse for a staycation!    

A Summer Visit From Gammi and Pop

Gammi and Pop surprised us with a visit to San Diego.  They spent their first week at the Montage Resort in Orange County and, of course, we took advantage of all the amenities.  We drove up two days to swim in their pool, play on their beach, and just have fun with Gammi and Pop.  

"Bellhop, please take these nuts to their room."

We couldn't get the little pool rat out of the water.

The weather was glorious, sunshine abounded and it was as warm as could be.  The only problem...we missed a couple spots with the sunscreen.

When we offered lunch with a Jello dessert, he gave in and took some time out of the water.

Bath time in the giant tub

A beach stroll with Pop

Back in La Jolla

Kaden pointing out the fixed termite spots to Gammi to make sure she didn't step on them. 

Spotting a fire engine at the supermarket is really the only reason to get groceries....oh, and smoothie samples, can't forget those.

Turning a box into a rocket ship - Gammi comes up with the best projects!

Pop letting Kaden do things that generally aren't allowed - riding in the front seat (through a car wash), and climbing to the roof.  No wonder Kaden thinks he's so great!

An outing to the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park to see Dinosaurs Alive!  Kaden was a little nervous about the life-sized moving dinosaurs, but Gammi carried him through.  He loved the trolley ride and naming all the dinosaurs for Pop.

Helping Gammi cook - these two make a great pair in the kitchen!

Silliness

Saying good-bye was tough this time, but we know we'll see them in July when baby arrives!

Go Cards!

The Cardinals came to town and we were there to watch!  Kaden had a great time listening to his dad explain the ins and outs of the game.  He had an even better time taking in the tastes of the ballpark - popcorn, candy, a hot dog - he was in junk food heaven!

Spring is Here!

Getting a fresh haircut to welcome in the spring season.

A new fascination with sharks (he knows at least 30 of the 350 different species) and the ocean led to a snorkel set purchase.  So far, they've only been used in the bath tub, but Kaden is anxious to try them out in the pool.  I'm hoping this new interest convinces Kevin to take us to Hawaii!

The Easter Bunny brought bubble bath...and a whole new level of fun to bath time!

The silliness brought on by spring fever is contagious - nude guitar concert, anyone?

On St. Patrick's Day we woke up to find that a little leprechaun left gold coins in Kaden's shoes and turned our toilet water green - much to Kaden's amusement and delight!  We celebrated the day with Lucky Charm's cereal and a green smoothie for breakfast. 

Kaden and Daddy intently watching March Madness.  Since our dear CATS weren't in it, Kaden decided to cheer for the "dirty birds" (a.k.a. Louisville).

Kaden and Cousin Boris, in from Amsterdam, playing in Igor's old Volkswagen Beetle.

Checking out the attractions at the Reptile Show - his favorite was the lizard with a blue tongue.  I was really proud of Kaden, he chose to pet every animal presented!  The ten year old boys sitting next to us weren't nearly as brave!

Kaden came up with the idea of inviting some friends over for movie night.  I have to say, it was a wonderful idea.  The parents dropped their kiddos off for pizza, popcorn, and a movie while they enjoyed a date night of their own.  All the kids had a great time...even though the movie was a little too old for them to completely follow.  The popcorn was the biggest hit of the night!

Kaden enjoying his latest gift from Pop - a radio controlled helicopter meant for a boy much older than three.  When Kaden isn't playing with it, Kevin is.

Kaden is into music of all kinds.  The first photo was taken at the Children's Music Festival at the Del Mar Race Track.  Kaden had a great time with his friend Charlie dancing to the tunes of Hullabaloo.  The second photo was taken before a recent church service - he likes the drummer and the guy with the pink guitar best.

Kaden is really into "helping" recently.  This night he decided to help me make the calzone we were having for dinner.  He is very thorough, following each step of the recipe to the letter, and, like any good chef, asks to taste every single ingredient before it goes into the mix.

Kaden and his favorite sculpture on a recent Mommy-Son date at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art.

One of Kaden's friends had her birthday party at Pigtails and Crewcuts, a local hair salon/toy store.  It was princess and knight themed and each child got a hair style of his/her choice.  Kaden went the rock 'n roll route.

The end of April has not been kind to my little boy.  First he picked up pink-eye, immediately followed by a sinus infection, and then, for good measure, a new virus accompanied by extremely high fevers.  Throughout all of these, he has had the nastiest of coughs - I can only imagine how much his little chest hurts.  After a couple of prescriptions, lots of fluids, and as much rest as he'll allow, I think he is, FINALLY, on the road back to being my healthy little guy.  It's comical in that the last time we saw Kaden's pediatrician she made the comment that Kaden is so healthy she only sees us around town and never in the office - the ultimate jinx!  

We also have two exciting new announcements!  First, Kevin and I put in an offer to purchase the home that we've lived in for the past few years and...it was accepted!!!  We are so excited about continuing to make this house and this community our home.  Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly and we will be the official owners come June! 

For those of you who know us, the celebratory bottle of sparkling cider should have tipped you off that our second announcement is of the happiest kind a couple can make - we are thrilled to announce that we're expecting our second child in the end of July.  Kaden is beside himself with excitement over the prospect of becoming a big brother.  He goes back and forth about whether he would like a brother or a sister, but has agreed that we let it be a surprise on baby's birth day.  For now, he thinks the ultrasound pictures show either a puppy dog or a giraffe.  Yikes, let's hope not!