Spring Is Coming!

 

I don't think I can say that I have a favorite season because there are aspects of each that I love. There is just something though about the first signs of spring that makes everyone's heart happy. The first half of winter is fun and exciting. But eventually the darkest time of the year starts to wear on you and all the snow and rain become less thrilling and more gloomy. Then out of no where you start to see little buds of new life popping up around you and it's like a breath of fresh air. You have to go out and enjoy them before they are gone.

 I like how Robin Williams said it "Spring is nature's way of saying 'Let's party'!"  That is exactly how I feel when I start to see these blossoms in my back yard. Spring is coming! I can't help but smile and feel rejuvenated again. This year was no different. I had to get out and enjoy it.

 These blossoms on one of our trees in our back yard only last a few days. So when I saw them I knew I only had a short time to take some pictures. Ron had gotten me some photography videos for my birthday and I thought it was a perfect day to practice the techniques I was learning. I know I still have a long way to go with my photography but I sure am having fun with it.

 The boys were just as excited to get out as I was. It was a fun break from the rain. Jaxen decided that he wanted to try and climb our tree. He got a little ways up but the branches aren't spread out very far and he couldn't really get anywhere. It sure was fun watching him try though. I love watching him spread his wings a little and try new things. I love seeing how proud of himself he gets when he's able to do something he was either afraid to do or just wasn't able to do before.

 Of course I couldn't help but take some photo's of my boys while we were outside. They were enjoying the moment as much as I was. I think seeing how happy they were at the time really added to the excitement we were all feeling. These are some of my favorites that I took of Jaxen.

I did try to get photo's of Jaden but he wouldn't hold still for them. I don't blame him. I wanted to run around too after having to stay inside for so long because of the rain. He was having so much fun exploring one end of the yard to the next. I did, however,  manage to get this photo of me and him together.

We did have a fun afternoon and evening together. It was hard to come in for the night. Luckily we knew we'd have a few more days like this before it would start to rain again. But since we knew spring was on the way the rain didn't seem so bad anymore. Happy Spring!

Night Ride!

February 23rd, 2013 Ron decided to take the kids on a night bike ride.  I love this about living in California, that even in February it's possible to have nights warm enough for night rides. It would be Jaden's first time in the bike trailer. The kids were all so excited. Jaden loved being outside at night. For him, it doesn't matter what time of day it is anytime outside is the best time. He loved running up and down the side walk with Tristan while Ron and I hooked up the bike trailor to his bike. Jaden wasn't so thrilled about having to wear a helmet however, and was so nervous about getting into the bike trailor. He cried and cried while we put him in and got him buckled up. As a mom it was so hard for me to see him so upset because I knew it was because he was scared and not because he was throwing a fit. My natural instincts were to hug and hold him and let him know he would be safe. I knew this night ride was important to Ron though and I knew Jaden would be okay once they started going, but it was so hard to let go. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't worried and a little nervous watching them go but I was excited for them at the same time. I love watching Ron play with the kids and I love how excited the kids get when they all go off together. I didn't go on the ride with them for a couple reasons. One, I don't have a bike anymore. I gave mine to Kaeryn. And two, Ron likes to take the kids sometimes so I can have some alone time. Even if it is only for a few minutes. Ron also likes to have his special daddy time with the kids. Jaden did calm down once they got moving. But only when they were moving. Each time they would come to a stop he would start to get upset again. It's hard to tell whether he enjoyed the ride or not. I think as time goes on and we go on more rides and he has time to process the whole experience it will be more fun for him. As for everyone else, it was evident that they loved the whole thing and they couldn't wait until they could go again. I think at some point we should invest in getting me a bike so I can go with them. That will be fun!

In Daddy's Arms!

This was such a precious site to find after Tristan's birthday party. Jaden is very much a mommy's boy. He likes to play with his daddy but most of the time when he needs comfort or snuggles he comes to mommy. Ron was in heaven when Jaden crawled up to his lap and eventually fell asleep. He didn't want to move because he wanted to enjoy this as long as he could. It doesn't happen very often or for very long. So he took a little nap with him. It was such a beautiful site and I couldn't help but take a moment to watch them. These are some of my favorite memories with Ron. He loves our kids so much and times like this are perfect evidence of that. It was sweet to see the love Jaden has for his daddy as well. He looks so calm and peaceful and seems to feel the safety in daddy's arms. It was a great reminder for Ron too.

Afterwards, when Jaden woke up he still wanted to just snuggle with his daddy. But he was also thirsty and wanted his milk. We couldn't help but smile and laugh a little when instead of taking and  holding onto his cup he just started drinking like a little prince. It was too funny! It was a cute way to end a fun day!

Happy 10th Birthday Tristan!

 February 13th, 2013 Tristan turned 10! Ten years old! How can this be! When Ron and I got married Tristan was the age that Jaden is now. It still seems a bit surreal at how much time has gone by. He's your typical big kid. He loves to read, watch T.V. and movies, and play games(especially video games). One of his absolute favorite games to watch and play is Pokemon. So for his birthday I made him a pokeball cake and included some of his favorite Pokemon. He was very surprised and happy when he saw his cake. I am glad he loved it.

  His birthday was actually on a Wednesday this year so we ended up waiting until the weekend to celebrate it since that is when he was with us. Which worked out well. It was the perfect way for him to end his weekend! He was all smiles and very excited for his new treasures. It was fun to see him so happy.

 One of my favorite moments of the night was when Jaxen gave Tristan a hug after he opened the gift Jaxen chose for him. For Christmas the boys got a Skylanders game and they were having so much fun playing together. Jaxen wanted to get Tristan another Skylander to go with their game. It was a very sweet moment between the brothers.

It was a very "enthusiastic" day according to Tristan. He loves to laugh and make everyone else laugh too. He's great at making us all smile. He's growing up so quickly and it's still hard to believe how much time has gone by. But we're so excited to see what's in store for him as he enters his pre-teen phase. These last couple years have brought some changes for him with his diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy and having to wear braces on both his feet. He's been such a trooper though and hasn't let it get him down. We love you so much Tristan! Happy 10th Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jaden!

 February 10th, 2013 Jaden turned 2! I can't believe our little guy is two already! How fast time has gone. He has the biggest smile and most contagious giggle. Sometimes I want to freeze time and hold on forever but I love watching him grow. My heart is filled with so much love for this little boy. He brings us so much joy! He loves chocolate and so I made him a construction digging site of chocolatey goodness! I think he liked it! He was all smiles!

 

 Last year Jaden still couldn't really feed himself and so we had to feed him his first cake. Solid foods have always been a hard thing for him. But chocolate is not one of those things that is hard for him to eat (he gets that from me) and this year he was able to feed himself. It sure was fun to watch him eating, enjoying and loving his cake. He did make some attempts using his fork but he knows that it's a whole lot easier with his hands. 

 It was Jaden's turn for a car table. I had so much fun painting this. Jaxen helped to paint the black layers. He was excited to help. I think it turned out really well and Jaden can use the trucks from his cake for his table.

 

We didn't wrap any of his gifts. We just sat them on top of his new table and let him investigate and explore his gifts on his own. The whole opening presents thing seems to be very overwhelming for him. At Christmas time he just stayed by the kitchen table instead of joining us in the family room. He didn't want to open anything then and so we decided that for his birthday we would just set his gifts out and let him come to them. It worked out much better that way. He was less overwhelmed and seemed more excited and curious about his gifts. He definitely knew that this day was a special day.

 Since I'm usually the one behind the camera I tend to forget or don't get many pictures with me in them. But on birthdays I try to remember to have Ron take a couple pictures for me. These are a couple of my favorites. I think he did a pretty good job. I always love Jaden's snuggles.  That's the best birthday gift he gave to me! I'm still so amazed at how much he has grown. It doesn't feel possible that it's been two years already yet it seems as if he's always been a part of our family. I really do wish that I could freeze time and hold on forever but I also really love to watch him grow and experience new things. It will be exciting to see. We love you so much Jaden Glen! You light up each day! Happy 2nd Birthday!

Grandpa Time!

 The year before during our anniversary we flew my mom out to stay with the boys while we were gone. That worked out so well we decided that we were going to continue to do that. This time though it was my dad that came to stay with the boys. I know he was really nervous but he was also excited to come. The boys and him did really great. Jaxen was off track from school and so they really just got to play at the park a lot. The boys don't get to see their Grandpa very much and so I was so happy that they got to have this time together. We had dad stay a couple extra days so that we could spend some time with him as well as Kaeryn and Tristan. They are usually only here on the weekends during the school year. We had planned on taking dad to the auto museum but we had a late start and when we got there it was closing. It had closed early that day. I was so surprised and then I remembered that it was February 2nd and I realized what I had forgotten. February 2nd, 2013 was free museum day! I was so disappointed. I had been getting email reminders for free museum day and thought it was perfect that it was when dad would be here. We try to go to a different museum or park each free museum day. But this year I had forgotten it. Oh well. Dad laughed a little bit, well, we all laughed a little bit. We ended up just hanging out at home with dad. Which turned out to be just as great. We had some laughs and good talks just like he and I used to when I was younger and before I got married. I would stay up late and wait for him to come home from work and we would just talk. I really enjoyed being able to do that again. It was such a wonderful visit and I loved seeing my dad bond with my boys and with Kaeryn and Tristan. It made me happy to see them play together. I love you Daddy! Thank you so much for coming.   

Our 8th Anniversary!

January 28th 2013 Ron and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary! Wow! Can it really be 8 years already? Sometimes it seems a bit surreal when I think about being married for 8 years. It goes by so quickly yet seems so long ago. It's strange how life does that to you. 

Ron was unable to take the whole week of our anniversary off like he has done before. The client he was working for at the time was in San Jose. Normally, Ron just stays in a hotel for the week instead of commuting 6 hours each day. Since he was unable to get the whole week off, I went with him and stayed in the hotel for the week. Now to some that may not seem all that exciting to stay in a hotel while your husband goes to work. But I was really excited! Staying home with the boys is something I really love but I don't get a lot of "me time" with Ron traveling for work. So the thought of going and having actual alone time was wonderful. We drove in Sunday night and I remember waking up in the morning and doing a little happy dance. I didn't have to clean or cook or or change diapers! I got to go to the bathroom in peace! Hahaha! I know that may sound silly to some but most mother's of young kids will understand. Ron had gotten me some photography videos and books for my birthday and it was so nice to be able to read and watch them. I even played some of my own video games. The hotel is right next to a city park and nature trail and so I had originally planned to get out and practice my photography along the trail. But instead I ended up staying in and just relaxing. I think I needed that more. The hotel staff are great! Ron has stayed there for so long that they know us by name. They knew I was coming for the week to for our anniversary so they had a gift for us our first morning. These beautiful roses and yummy cheesecake! I couldn't resist a taste before I took a photo. It was delicious!

The week was a wonderful one. I was loving my free time and lunch and dinner dates with Ron. Dinner, dessert and a movie on Santana Row with the perfect guy. At one place when they learned it was our anniversary our server brought us these yummy lemon cookies. He tried to bend two candles into a heart for us. It was really quite sweet. Ron was able to get one day off. We decided to drive down to Monterey Bay and go to the aquarium there. I love aquariums and the one in Monterey I've wanted to go to for a long time. It was fun. And it was nice to go during the week when it was less crowded. That's one of the best things about getting married in January. Everywhere is less crowded this time of year. We walked through at our own pace and enjoyed every minute of it. The only thing we didn't get to see were the otters. Their exhibit was closed due to repairs. It's okay though, it just means we have an excuse to go back. This time it will be with the kids. I took a lot of photos but these are some of my favorites.

After our visit to the aquarium we walked over to a cafe and had some crepes. After that we got in the car and tried to look for the house that my mom and dad lived in when he was stationed there while in the air force. It was a fun little treasure hunt. Afterward we stopped at a nearby beach to enjoy the sunset. One of my most favorite things is watching the sunset on the beach. This time though it had that somewhere back in time feel to it as we walked along where my parents once had. I wasn't born yet when my parents lived there but yet I felt like I was taking a walk in my past. It was such a peaceful and wonderful way to end our week. We made it! 8 years! Happy anniversary Ron! I love you so much!

Time to catch up!

It's been well over a year since I have posted anything. We've had a lot going on and sometimes life has a way of getting a head of you. But I think it's time I get back to my family updates and stories. I've missed writing them down and our lives are now back to a point where I can write again. After much thought I decided that I do want to go back and catch up on our last year. We had some fun times, memories and changes last year and it will be fun(for me at least) to revisit them. So I think I will begin with January 2013..............