Kason's First Birthday Party

Kason's theme was based off of his favorite book, "The Little Blue Truck." I didn't get great pictures because I sent Keith to run errands all over town picking up last minute items (cake, chick-fil-a tray), but they do give the idea of the overall theme I was going with. A family friend on Keith's side made the cake, and it was so good! Kason's little smash cake matched the big cake. I had my best friend, Ashley, make cupcakes. They all came out SO cute!

Kason wasn't a big 'cake eater' just like lexi. He was so tired by that point since he had missed his morning nap and was battling a cold. He was still so cute when everyone started singing Happy Birthday to him. :) Love my little guy so much! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves now...

Recap of Disney! 2012

I realize I never blogged about Disney the first time I went soooo I'll do a quick recap of that trip, and then follow up with our second trip. When Lexi was just a little over a year old, we decided to make our first Disney trip as a family. Keith, Lexi, my mom, and I put this trip together quickly, but were pretty excited about it! This would be Keith and Lexi's FIRST Disney trip!

We didn't have a lot of time to spend here (residency schedule & residency budget), so I knew I needed to choose two parks wisely. We chose Magic Kingdom (I mean, how could you not?) and Epcot. Our resort? The Wilderness Lodge...love it! This was where my family had stayed when they visited for their marathon so we had good reviews to go off of.  :)

Our first day we just spent the evening at Downtown Disney. This just consisted of us browsing through the shops and grabbing some ice cream. Our most took picture this day was of Lexi falling asleep in her stroller. She was exhausted! Clearly, my child is not one to fall asleep just anywhere. The next day, we got up bright and early to eat breakfast and head to the happiest place on earth. I cannot say enough about Magic Kingdom. I love love love it!! If I could live there, I would. The first thing we did was run and get in line for Space Mountain. My mom was gracious enough to watch Lexi while Keith and I did this. Unfortunately, Keith and I had no clue what a fast pass was, or even how to use them so we skipped these this trip. We loved Space Mountain!

After Space Mountain, we did all of the fun kid stuff with Lexi...It's a Small World (my fav), Magic Carpets, main street parade, main street shopping (got some cute ornaments in a Christmas shop for lexi & Lo), and then Keith and I also did the Stitch experience. That's always a lot of fun. We had reservations for lunch, but it wasn't anything special.

I will say that we did not pick a great time to go to Disney. It was hot! I'll definitely keep this in mind for next time. The good thing about the heat though was getting to enjoy the pool in the evenings at the resort. Wilderness Lodge has a fun pool with a unique slide, and Lexi loved the water! The next morning, we were up bright and early again to head to Epcot! Epcot is such a fun park because of all of the diverse foods, shops, and rides. I don't find it as kid-friendly as Magic Kingdom (of course), but it's still a great park to visit.

We rode the look into the future ride, Finding Nemo, and stood in line (for a loooong time) for the Mickey characters (so worth it!! ). Lexi actually slept the entire time we were in line so it worked out perfectly. We had no idea how she would react to the characters, but she loved all of them! It was adorable!! Again, worth the wait! We hung out at the pool again that night, and then packed up to go home the next morning! :( Until next time, Disney....

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