Halloween

The Fireman and Firehouse Dalmatian had loads of fun Halloween night.  It was a really cold night so the Dalmatian didn't stay out long but our Fireman loved the trick-or-treating.  We invited Nana along and then sent the kids home with her afterward.  Joe and I were leaving town in the morning so, it worked out perfectly.  Let me also say that inviting a grandparent to trick-or-treat then sending the sugar-filled children home with them is genius.  GENIUS, I say!

Brody's 1st Birthday

Seriously? My baby is 1 year old?!?!?!

We went with a "You Are My Sunshine" theme.  This is what I sing to B when he is upset.  Kamden now knows this and sings it to him anytime he is crying.  He doesn't even want me to sing along... Just Kam singing to his baby brother :)

 I got adventurous and actually made a birthday cake.  This is the first cake for a kid's party I have made. I found a way to make something "fancy" but still not "perfect".  An ombre frosting job was a good fit... looks a little unfinished but that was the plan.  A sheet of Wilton's decorator sugar made the sun in a snap.  Seriously, this stuff is magic.

 An attempt at a family picture...

The Birthday Boy!

I "may" have told a couple people that he LOVES balls and we don't have many.  

Great minds think alike.

In a moment of parenting gold, I placed a candle in front of my child (while holding his hand) and then looked away for a second.  Clearly, my finest moment.

HOURS later, we were able to recreate the "smash cake" photo. 

These boys are definitely focused when it comes to cake eating.

When we sang to him, he was SO adorably shy...

This boy is melts my heart.

Breckenridge - Part 2 & July 4th

July 4th in Breckenridge is loaded with activities.  It reminded us a lot of Park City's celebrations 2 years ago.  The parade was fun... one of the floats was throwing snow!   

 Kids and adults alike go nuts for the main street water fight.  Fireman open up the hoses for 2 hours and people just play in the street.  Kamden REALLY wanted to help hold the hose like other kids were doing but he didn't want to get wet.  Smart kid.  That water was very cold.

This is him holding a fake hose and spraying water...

The art district had a sidewalk chalk contest.  They were super impressive!

That face... I want to pinch it!

My parents joined us for a couple of days over the holidays.  It allowed Joe and I to spend an evening out on our own!  Sadly, I didn't get any pictures with my mom but this one is awfully good of these three guys...

On the last day they were in town, we drove up to Vail.  It is about 45 minutes from Breck.  The day we went, they have a big farmer's market.  Kam was obsessed with this water feature... didn't seem to mind the freezing water.  Luckily, I had extra clothes with me.

Grandma captured this photo at the playground while they babysat and Joe and I went out for dinner and drinks

Easter

Easter was a beautiful day!  We all had a really great time.  It started with a little visit from the Easter Bunny. We ran into a bit of a problem when Kamden liked Brody's basket better than his own but we moved on.  It was, yet another, lesson in sharing.  Kam was obsessed with the kid snow shovel all winter so I thought he needed the summer version.

Then we headed to church with my parents.  These two had WAY too much fun.  Luckily, it was a very casual service and mid service, it was actually the pastor that encouraged me to grab this photo.  Kam was singing and dancing throughout the whole thing.

We headed back to the farm and did an egg hunt before having lunch.  Kam had his own personal egg hunt the night before but he still wasn't very into actually getting eggs (fine by me!).  He had more grass and rocks in his bucket than eggs. 

Some of the bigger kids were helping him out.  A was moving the branch to make sure Kam got that egg.  So sweet!

Here is the group picture of the kids.  They are a hilarious.  All of the kids are obsessed with "Baby Brody" (except his own brother, of course). 

A few family pictures.  Shocker... Kam wasn't the most cooperative!

After lunch, the younger three took naps and then there was buggy rides... and more buggy rides.  The parents enjoyed some time on the screened in porch while Grandma indulged them.

Good Friday - or Saturday

We couldn't get together for Good Friday this year so it turned into Good Saturday.  The weather was gorgeous and the kids were happy.  I can't ask for much more!

I have to thank Aunt C for all of these photos.  I am continually amazed by what she can capture with a good old iphone... must be all those years of professional training!

 

Nana had a egg hunt for Kamden

 We can't forget Brody :)

 Score! Chocolate!

 

 Kamden found a bowl full of the extra candy.  He dumped those into his basket, too.  I am the kind of Mom that let him have a few pieces then the rest disappeared.   I might as well keep this going as long as he lets me get away with it.   The kid barely eats real food...

Happy St. Pat's Day!

We celebrated the occasion a bit early at the Snake Saturday Parade in NKC.  Joe and I have been there in years past but it is a little different as a family :)  Just as fun... but different.

I had to get some cute pictures of the kids because I was able to pull together some coordinating outfits on the fly.  I was handed down this outfit for Brody.  (maybe from my cousin S in MN?)

I happen to have a shirt for Kamden that perfectly matched Brody's pants.  It was a tad big but we made it work.  I was really hoping Kam would cooperate.  Not so much. 

Brody is a sweet little smiley guy....

Kam said "Yucky Brody" and would NOT sit next to him.  Ugh.

I abandoned the dream of a cute photo of both boys together and headed to the parade.  We had a great time... lots of fire trucks, music, and general craziness.  What's not to love?!?!

Valentine's Day

This little lover boy and I had a fun day together while big brother was at school.  He is seriously one of the most easy-going babies EVER.  I am loving it! 

I got Kam a little "special treat" after picking him up.  He said it was "delicious."  While I am proud of his growing vocabulary, I get so sad that he is growing up so fast.  He definitely has some crazy toddler moments but he is generally so much fun.  Saying things like "delicious" or "dangerous" is so much different than "yummy" and "owie."  He actually came up to me the other day and asked if I was "frustrated."  It kills me!

And for a little comparison...  I don't think they look all that similar!

Brody 2014 (5 months old)

Kamden 2012 (6 months old)

I should probably document Brody's "bump."  He has a Hemangioma lump just above his left ear.  You can probably see it best in the first picture... it pushes down the top of his ear a bit.  A lot of time Hemangioma appears as a "strawberry" or bright red, flat birthmark on a child's body.  Brody's is a deeper lump that sticks out from his head but it is mostly skin tone.  It should start to slowly decrease in size around a year old and be completely gone a few years later.  I first went to the doctor about it around 2 months because it looked like a spider bite or something.  It has certainly gotten bigger but not at an alarming rate.  The pediatrician said she wouldn't send me to dermatology until it was the size of a golf ball... so lets hope it doesn't come to that!  FYI - the Pedi warned me not to google image this but I didn't listen!  Don't make the same mistake!