Merry Christmas

I love Christmas time - especially Christmas Eve. This year was especially fun because Caden understood the general concept of Christmas and baby Jesus. He also understood that because Jesus got presents, so does he! He was a blast this year, except for the fact that he grew tired of opening gifts because he couldn't play with them yet. After every present, he would ask Daddy to open it, but Daddy just kept telling him to open another one. Finally he decided it was more fun to help pass out presents than open them.. Here's some pics of our fun couple days..

Caden and his cousins Lily & Breya by Great Grandma's Tree on Christmas Eve

Shane & Elysia having way too much fun hearing the Christmas Story!!

Caden trying to behave with Papa while we read the Christmas Story.

Our cute little fam by the Tree. (Don't mind my ginormous belly! - only 8 weeks to go!!)

Caden trying to play the guitar with Uncle JoJo and Kristina.

Caden and cousin Nicholas. They're so fun together!

The Proctor grandkids at Grammy & Big Al's.

Snow Ball Fight!!

Jay has been working so hard lately that we decided to relax and have a little fun in the snow!! Good Times!!

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Tag - It's ME!!

So - thanks to Jami I've been tagged!! I've been trying to put this off since I couldn't think of anything to say - but oh well.. You really want to know 6 random things about me?! Welp, here ya go:

1. JENNY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD!! I know it's silly, but I hate to share my food. Must be a middle child thing.. If it's something I put on my plate to sit and eat, don't even think about touching it or I will seriously stab you with my fork! - just ask Jay.. I've had to work on this one a lot lately because Caden has discovered that what's on mom's plate tastes better that what's on his plate (even when its the same thing!) and he loves to help himself to my food.. Sometimes i really want to scream at him to eat his own food - but when he gives me a funny face and says "thanks mom" it some how makes it better.. Too bad he's the only one that can get away with that!!

2. I love candy! My dentist hates it, but I love it. I could eat candy all day long. Mostly fruity candy, but mix some chocolate in here and there and I'm good to go. Nerds are my all time favorite since Jolly Rancher stopped making the Lemon flavored ones (so I'm boycotting them - I've stopped buying Jolly Rancher all together until they bring back Lemon!!)

3. I have a love/hate relationship with rain! Yes, rain. I love it when it rains, but only if I am at home in my sweats, curled up with a blanket, some hot chocolate and a good movie (and my hubby too of course!). But other than that, I hate the rain. I hate driving in it, standing in it, shopping in it, etc. I hate driving in it so bad, that I refuse to go anywhere if it's raining. Forget it, I just won't do it.

4. I am very critical of myself. I always feel like I'm not quite good enough or I didn't do it just right and I should have tried harder or done it differently. I guess it's a good thing I have a husband who reminds me every day that I'm beautiful and a good wife/mom and that I am good enough for him and Caden. Without him, I think I would be a wreck!!

5. I love pizza!!! Yes I do - I could eat it every day. And thank goodness my husband and son love it too.. Whenever he asks what I want for dinner my first choice is usually pizza.. It's a good thing we found some awesome frozen ones that we can make - a lot cheaper that ordering out every time (since we seriously eat it once a week!!)

6. I wish I could sing! I love music and have always loved singing along - but I have the worst voice ever! Seriously, dogs howl when I sing. But I just love it - I usually only sing in the shower or the car so that no one else can hear me. I won't even sing in front of Jay (well, maybe sometimes, but not very often!) At least Caden doesn't mind my voice - I sing him a song every night and he loves it (maybe not in 5 years or so though).

So - there you go - now you guys know all about me!! or at least a little bit more than you did before!!

Dunk It

Caden got a new basketball hoop for his birthday from Papa and Grandmama and is totally obsessed with it. (It definitely has nothing to do with the fact that Daddy & Papa & the boys play every other Sunday after dinner!!) Well, he's a little too short to "dunk it" just yet, so he backs it up to the couch so he can reach the rim. And since Papa and Daddy tell him to "dunk it" every time they play - he doesn't know that you can shoot it too.. I think it's cute he wants to be like his Daddy and Papa.

Candy Canes!

While at Target the other day we were walking by all the Christmas stuff - at Caden's request of course!! They had candy canes on sale 3 for $5. Jay and I couldn't pass them up - especially since they had gobstopper and now and later flavors. So we each got to pick a box of candy canes. Poor Caden has never had a candy cane before(as I do recall he was sick for what seemed like the whole month of December last year so candy was not an option!) As soon as we got home we had to get the candy out for enjoyment!! As you can tell he LOVED them. Except for the idea that he couldn't walk around the house with it(since I wasn't about to follow with a wash cloth!!) but he definitely had a good time enjoying pure sugar!!

This is the "I'm too busy crunching on my candy cane to smile picture!!"

And of course, my favorite -his "CHEESE!!" face!!

I love that little guy!!

Happy Birthday Caden!!

Caden officially turned 2 on the fourth. Yeah for Caden. He was so excited for his birthday this year so it made it extra fun! He even got two birthday parties - one with each side of the family!! On his birthday I let him pick where he wanted to have lunch - and of course McDonalds won that hands down. But it was so fun watching him play and seeing how big he's gotten over the last year.

I like to think I got the cake thing down since I made three. yes, 3. I had to practice first before I made anyone else look at or eat it.. Then I made one for each family party. But it was so fun! I always remember having a Strawberry Shortcake cake like that for my birthday one year that my mom made and I have always wanted to do that for my kids! Yeah for me..

Birthday cake

So - with Caden's birthday fast approaching I decided to get a head start on the cake thing. Since I'm the farthest thing from Betty Crocker and my little guy wants a Superman cake I decided to give it a shot and see how things turned out. I gave myself a few days to test it out so I still had time to order one if necessary!! But I don't think it turned out that bad - aside from the huge nose and jacked up eyes - for my first try - I think I did ok..

At least Caden was able to enjoy it.. I let him have at it once I took a few pictures and he definitely thought it was awesome!!

I don't know if he enjoyed himself so much because it was good or because for once Mom let him make a mess of himself without freaking out!! But either way he definitely had a blast! He kept saying - That's Caden's Cake!" with a big grin.. It's so fun to see how he's grown to understand that we are celebrating him and his birthday!! What a cute kid!!

I'm Thankful for:

OK - I know we past Thanksgiving but I figure we are still in November so it's not too late for me to be Thankful. I've been pondering this questions for quite some time now and at first the answer was really easy - My 3 boys.. But as time goes by I realize all the little things I'm thankful for ...

I'm thankful for a great job that I love (not many people can say that and really mean it!!). I'm thankful for a nice hot bubble bath. It seems they can cure just about anything. I'm thankful for the movie Nemo - cause that's the only one Caden will watch the entire way without moving an inch. I'm thankful for Dr. Pepper - I know it's bad, but it's oh so good!! I'm thankful for Tums (I think all pregnant women are!!) And I'm thankful for shopping malls with play areas. They are my saving grace when we are out..

But on to my 3 guys - where would I be without you.. Here's to you..

I'm thankful for a husband who puts up with my crazy mood swings - crying, ranting and all (gotta love pregnancy)!! And who thinks it's funny when I cry for no real reason at all. I'm thankful for a husband who lets me be me, even when it's not that fun. I'm thankful for a husband who is able to take care of our family and support us not just financially but in every way possible. I wouldn't be where I am today with out him!! Thanks babe!!

I'm thankful for a little monster named Caden. OK, he's not really a monster, but with the terrible two's well under way - I think he definitely has his monster moments. And as crazy as it sounds, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm thankful every day for the things he teaches me. He is so smart and looks at the world in such a way that I never imagined. I'm just so thankful for him - I couldn't imagine life without him.

I'm thankful for baby Keegan who has yet to grace us with his presence, but has already made an impact on our family. I'm grateful that he already loves his big brother and moves every time Caden tries to hug my belly. I'm grateful for the little boy that he is going to be and what joy he has brought to our home! We worked hard for this little guy and I can't wait to meet him.

I know I could go on and on about all sorts of things like my family, friends and the gospel - but then I would be sitting here all day!! But I do love my family - both of them and am so grateful for their support and love. I wouldn't trade them for anything. And to all my friends - let's just say life wouldn't be the same without you.

Boys and their Toys

While outside the other day I realized just how much fun Caden has with his quad.

Thankfully it's just a battery operated one for now.

We are going to be in big trouble here in a year when he gets his real one. I tried taking some pictures of his "tricks" but it was getting dark fast so some of them are hard to see. He's such a cutie.

Happy Halloween!!!

Caden with his bucket full of goodies!!

Caden and Lily getting ready to trick or treat!! Awe - such cute cousins!!

Getting three kiddos to stand long enough for me to take their picture is quite the task - But aren't they so adorable!!

Caden & Daddy all dressed up for Halloween as dirtbike riders!! I love my boys!!!

Trick or Treat

Caden got to do some early Trick or Treating with Papa and Grandma on Saturday. He looked so cute is his halloween costume - Travis Pastrana.. He is obsessed with dirt bikes so we thought it was very fitting!!

He wasn't too sure about the whole trick or treat thing at first. He wanted to eat each piece of candy as he got it. But after a few times he got the hang of it and loved the idea of getting candy!! Great....

He loves pumpkins! It's so fun to see what a difference a year makes. Last year he was scared of everything and this year he is obsessed with pumpkins. He thinks they are so cool!!

He got to see his friend Kaden Kurzawski all dressed up!! How cute are these two!!

Caden & his girlfriend

So Caden has decided that he has a girlfriend, Maizee Arnold. It is so cute. We ask him, who's your girlfriend - and he grins and says "Maizee girlfriend" and then gets all shy. He's so cute.. I, well I should say, Grandma, finally got a picture of them together!! They make such a cute couple!!

Finally!!!

OK - so we've finally got this blog thing going so all of you can see how big Caden is getting. He's growing up so fast and I never have time to share with all of you how big he's getting!

My little man is getting so big - almost 2!! He's a blast and I wouldn't have him any other way!! It's fun to see how much he's learned over the past year and how smart he is getting. He can count to 11 - yes, 11 not 10, and he is now speaking in sentences!! He loves to sing songs - some favorites are the Itsy Bitsy Spider, You are My Sunshine and I am a Child of God (or as he calls it, the Jesus song!). His loves to watch movies with Daddy - Star Wars is a big hit right now because he thinks Jar Jar is "funny!" He's getting used to the concept that baby Keegan is in Mommy's tummy and will come out soon.. We'll see how that goes in February when he finally does come.. But he loves talking about Keegan and being a big brother, so hopefully they will be the best of friends as well as brothers!!


Hopefully I will remember to add more pictures so you can all enjoy seeing how big out little man is getting..