Halloween 2013

This was Kason's first Halloween, and Lexi's third! We love fall and love an excuse to dress up our babies in cute costumes so we always make the most of this time of year by partaking in lots of activities! Lexi was really into it this year because she is all about dressing up. Months leading up to Halloween, she told us she wanted to be Sofia the First. When we took her to try on the costume, she was overwhelmed with all of the princess dresses at the Mickey store (what Lexi calls the Disney store). She tried on Cinderella, Sofia, and Sleeping Beauty. She looked A-dorable in all 3, but we told her she could only get two. We were going to save one to take to Disney with us for her princess lunch we had reservations for. She chose Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. So fun!

Keith and I are big on dressing up our babies for their first Halloween in something soft and cuddly, like a stuffed animal. When they get older, you don't really get the opportunity to do that, so we take full advantage of it. We really wanted a bear costume from PBK, but it was sold out and wasn't being carried in stores. Bummer! Nicole had bought a bear costume for Lo, but thought it looked too 'boy.' It was a win for us! He looked so cute, and made the perfect teddy bear.



Our first Halloween festivity took place the weekend before Halloween when we took the babies to the zoo for HallowZOOeen. Lexi loved it this year and was able to say trick or treat and thank you to everyone. They had a few girls dressed up as the princesses and Lexi wanted her picture taken with them, but when we would have her go up to them, she would literally just walk up and stand there. She didn't say anything, and would barely look at the camera...hilarious! Kason had fun taking everything in, and stayed warm in the ERGO most of the time. We bought train tickets, and planned on riding on our way out, but the line was wrapped around the bathrooms. If it hadn't been cold, and we didn't have two small ones, we would have done it, but not this time. We did let Lexi ride the carousel though. She was a little disappointed that the tiger (her new fav.) was already taken, but she still enjoyed it despite the bitter cold breeze!



I also took the kids to my mom's office on Halloween afternoon for some trick or treating. I love doing this in a safe environment and indoors! My mom always enjoys having her grandkids up there, and Nicole also brought Lo. Lexi demands to bring her pink bucket and carry it all by herself the whole time no matter how heavy it gets. She did great this year, and loved every second of saying, "Trick or Treat," and "thank you." :) After we had gotten a good load of candy, the kids and I met Keith at Bass Pro. He had just gotten off of work, and had to work in the hospital all night so we only had a short dinner break with him. We did trick-or-treating at Bass Pro and had a quick pic taken before heading to Charleston's for dinner. It was a fun day/night! Love making these memories with my little family!

Kason- 11 Months (January 7)

I'm posting way late. I went through my drafts folder and found a bunch of posts I have typed up, but just hadn't added the pics so be ready!

My sweet Kason,

I am in shock as I type this that this is our last monthly post I write before you turn a year! A YEAR!!! AGHHH....the second baby definitely goes by quicker, and I don't like a thing about that. Since there's not a thing I can do about it though, I'll carry on and tell the world about my sweet little man. ; )

You really are just the sweetest, most laid-back little guy. You're tougher than snot, have a smile that will melt any heart, and the best snuggle bug. I cannot get enough of you. So amazing to me how God expands the hearts of parents with each child. I never knew such a thing was possible until you came. We are in the full-on planning stages of your first birthday party. Definitely bittersweet, but we're having fun with it. You still adore Lexi. You stare at her as we're driving in the car, and it melts my heart to see that in my rearview mirror. I can't get over that I have two happy, healthy, sweet, and precious babies in the backseat.

Your favorite things right now are all of your new toys from Christmas. You are loving (and we are loving watching) rolling all of your trucks, cars, and anything else with wheels all around the house while making sound effects. SO. STINKING. CUTE!!!! Have I mentioned how fun it is to watch the differences in raising a girl and a boy? You also love playing with the farm, farm animals, kitchen at Nana & PopPop's, and balls. We always know when you spot a ball, because you start saying it repeatedly (Ba! Ba! Ba!). You enjoy being read to, but you sure do not sit for long. That's okay. We continue the book while you roam off to explore your next activity.

You shake your head no when asked to say, "No way," and you put your hands on the sides of your head when we say, "Oh no!" Very cute!! I love this age because it's full of so many new tricks! You still love fans and look for them in each room. You're also cruising everywhere! You push the activity table as if it is a walker. I guess we better get you one! Lexi wasn't interested in one for the longest time, but I'm certain you will love one! You can stand for a few seconds unassisted as well.

You like to point at things, including people's faces. This may also be the reason you love sensory books right now. You love to 'feel' whatever is on the page. You eat better in a highchair finally! Yaya! Never thought that day would come, but you actually enjoy eating now. You can also drink from a straw cup. Your favorites right now? Bananas and yogurt melts! You signed more for waffle

We're so excited to take you on another trip this month...Disney World here we come!!!!

We love you to the moon and back! Stop growing so fast!

XOXO,
Mommy, Daddy, & Lexi

First Road Trip-The four of us! (November)

I'm trying to get caught up on some posts that I'm way behind on....We took our very first road trip with the four of us to Decatur, TX in November. For Keith's 30th birthday present, we purchased him a spot in the roping clinic that he loved so much the last time he did it. We were a little nervous because Kason is not a fan of the car at night, but he was a rock star! We decided to drive at night after Lexi's gymnastics class and grabbing dinner. I fed Kason after dinner, and then we were on our way. He fell asleep within minutes (yay!), and it caught us all off guard. We stopped about halfway to make a potty break for Lexi, and Kason woke up. We all got a good laugh because he was perfectly content in the truck with Keith sitting on Keith's lap until he saw Lexi and I come out of Braum's. The second he spotted me, he lost it! Hahaha...he's going through a little separation anxiety from me to say the least (I secretly love it).

I fed Kason again, and we decided to keep trekking on. We stopped at a hotel around 11:00 that night, and we were only about an hour away from the clinic. The kids did pretty good about going right to sleep, and we woke them early the next morning to head towards the clinic. No early morning would be complete without donuts, so we found a spot and got our fix! Lexi insisted on not getting out of her Cinderella nightgown we had just purchased for her the day before, so she went in with Keith with that on. Good thing she has a good daddy who does not care what other people think.

When we pulled in, we were so excited! It was the cutest little cabin! The town wasn't too bad. It reminded me of the size of Tahlequah, and I familiarized myself with the nearest sonic and walmart! :) Inside the cabin, there was a bedroom with a big jacuzzi tub, a kitchen & living room area, and an upstairs loft. Way to go NRS! This is how you get the wives to go. You put big granite jacuzzi tubs inside cute little cabins! : ) Haha

We had a lot of fun just hanging around the cabin while Keith roped, and we would venture down to watch him for a couple of hours a day along with meeting up for lunch. Kason enjoyed pulling up on everything (he just started doing this), and crawling and getting stuck under tables as you can tell from the pictures. Lexi enjoyed chasing the cats in the barn, and playing with her new friend Luke whose Daddy was also there roping. While we hung out in the cabin, we would work on learning time with our puzzles, books, toys, and markers we had brought. In the evenings, we were on our own for dinner and tried a local Mexican restaurant as well as Cici's.

We made it all the way home with just a few pit stops along the way. The kids did great! Kason got a little antsy the last twenty minutes, but it was a successful trip! We really enjoyed our time, and didn't feel like it was long enough. That's how you know it was a good trip! We plan on making it a tradition, and next year convincing my parents to go so my dad can get a roping fix in. ; )

10 Months (Dec. 7)

Kason,

We are LOVING having a second baby to spoil during the holidays. You are finally going to get some toys that are for boys! :) You really haven't seemed to mind honestly, you're pretty easy going, and just love to roam around looking for something you can get your hands on. Your favorite thing this month? A big orange ball we have just floating around the house. You love to chase after it and say 'ba' (ball). So cute! You can also wave and say bye, mama, dada, and nana. 

You dance now too! One of my favorites!! You still love your big sister, and think she is hilarious no matter what she is doing. She loves to make you laugh too. You two are quite the pair when you get each other going. One of your favorite activities to do with her is crawl in and out of a play tunnel we have. I love watching the two of you play, and know your interactions will only get more entertaining.

You are so sweet, cuddly, and curious. I love to just watch you play. We took you on a road trip this past month to your daddy's roping clinic in Decatur, TX. We were a bit worried about you in the car, since you are NOT a fan at night, but you were a rock star! I was so proud of you! We had so much fun together, and plan to go again in the future. You just enjoy being with your family.

Can't wait for the holidays with you! Love, love, love you sweet little man!

XOXO,

Mommy, Daddy, & Lexi

Kason- 9 Months

Sweet Kason,

I know I say this a lot, but you are just the sweetest little addition to our family! We are so delighted with your presence, and enjoy every second with you. You are officially on the move this month. You've been scooting your way around for quite some time now, but your full-on crawl isn't quite there yet. We call it a frog crawl because you do something silly with your legs. :)
Your sister had a goofy crawl at first too. You guys are so much alike, yet so different. It is so much fun as a parent to get to experience two sweet, bubbly, funny personalities on a daily basis.

Your favorite things this month are the remote, iPad, (You just push random buttons if you get a hold of it, and one evening we heard an unfamiliar voice coming from it. When we turned to look, we noticed you were trying to buy audio novels....you little genius! hahaha) Little People toys (farm and lexi's castle), sensory books,  and baskets of toys to go through. You wave, are interested in the dogs, love lights, hate the dark car, and get angry when we take away something that you really want. Your angry/mad is adorable still. You love to kick the dryer and listen to the sound it makes when you do so. You still love to be lifted up in the air and brought back down. You are pulling up all the time. Lexi wasn't too interested in doing this for the longest time, so this is new territory for us.

Your stats: 18 pounds, 25%, 28 inches, 30%

You love your mama and whine when I walk out of the room, or when you see me and realize I'm not holding you (you do this often at gymnastics when daddy or nana have you and you get hungry). It is sad, but oh so sweet! Another adorable thing you do while someone is holding you is completely turn your head to look at someone's face. You have done this to Daddy, Nana, and PopPop. I'm not explaining it very well, but it is just the sweetest thing. It is almost as though you need them to make sure they're either paying attention to you, or they can see how cute you are! ;) You still love and think Lexi is the funniest thing you've ever seen! She adores you too! You're her "brudder!"

Still working on becoming a better eater...you do enjoy strawberries, blueberries, and puffs! Yay! You currently have your two bottom teeth, and working on the third tooth on the bottom coming in. I imagine your top teeth aren't far from coming either. We can't wait to see what the next month will bring sweet little man.

We love you to the moon and back!
XOXO,
Mommy, Daddy, & Lexi