Refreshed

I got to spend the weekend with some friends without kiddos! We did some shopping and watched Thriller in St. George. It was so much fun and it was so refreshing. Rich got to spend the weekend with his Dad and they did a lot of fun things together with the kids. Sadly, I don't have pictures of either! We carved pumpkins together on Sunday. Kailer picked a ghost for Meili's pumpkin and a spider for his. We turned the lights off, lit the pumpkins, and they were running and screaming back and forth between Rich and I on opposite ends of the room. It was so dark that Kailer ran smack into Meili totally leveling her flat on her back two times in a row. Poor girl, at least it was on the carpet, and really it didn't phase her much at all. It was actually quite hillarious. Anyway, here's a few random pics

Reconnecting

We got a chance to travel to Florida to spend some time with my brother Dennis. It was so much fun to spend some time with him and see the kids get to know him better. Our first day there we went to the beach and let the kids get a taste of the ocean! Literally Kai kept saying it was yuck when he would get it in his mouth; not used to that! It took him about an hour to warm up to the waves. He wasn't sure about it at first, but then had a great time letting them crash into him and knock him over. Meili was a bit shell shocked, she would sit on the shore and the waves would continually crash into her. She had this look on her face like, "Enough already!" They both loved the sand and we buried Kai, which he loved!

The next day was spent just relaxing and enjoying each other. We walked to a beautiful park near their house and Kai got to feed ducks near the canal. He was a bit tentative, as they were as big as he was! We spent the rest of the day carving pumpkins, swimming in their pool, and Dennis even helped Kai bust open a coconut! They cut one off a neighbor's tree and busted it open, drank the milk, and ate some coconut. Kailer liked it, It wasn't what I expected - one drink was good enough for me, but it was the experience that counts! Their neighbor told them to bring one home and plant it in the backyard, which we did. Kai was so excited he wanted to go out later that evening and check to see if it had grown. Our last day there we got up early and spent the day at the everglades. We went on an air boat tour ride on the everglades. We saw a couple of crocodiles, one of which was really aggressive and came right up to the side of the boat. They were huge, and our guide said he was getting nervous, so we relocated. He said they could jump 1/2 of their body length! It was really crazy to see them in the wild and to see endless miles of sawgrass and swamp going into the horizon. The temperature the night before had dropped about 20 degrees and it was super windy, so we were freezing, but it was definitely worth it. Afterwards we got to see some exhibits and Kailer's favorite was definitely getting to hold a baby alligator! He was so excited that even today he was pretending to be the baby alligator and telling rich to take a picture while I hold him. He straightened his legs and arms out and didn't speak, it was definitely hilarious.

After Dennis dropped us off at the airport Kailer started crying, sobbing actually, when he realized that we couldn't see Dennis again. He said with real tears, "But I will miss my Uncle Dennis." It was so sad, but so sweet and heartfelt :( We had such a great time with Dennis and Tony and we are so grateful for their generosity in housing and feeding us for three days! We love them and can't wait to see them again.

Tid Bits

First tid bit: ALERT for all those nursing Moms out there!!! Go to http://www.uddercovers.com/ and get a free nursing cover. Type in "1free" and you just pay the 8.95 shipping. They are normally $32. Even if your not nursing or not a mom this makes the best gift ever! (thanks to a good friend I am passing on this awesome deal.)

Now, on to more important things! We are getting ready for Halloween and the costumes are finally finished!! Yes, the big bad wolf and little red will be parading around in style! I made literally every inch of their costumes and they turned out super cute. Here's a sneak peek of what's to come! In fitting with the Halloween spirit we took the kids to the pumpkin patch here in town. It was a mini carnival with some cute little kiddie rides. Kailer totally soaked it up. He rode the swings, a pirate boat, a petting zoo, bounce houses, a train ride, and spinning boats. After the spinning boats he was so dizzy he started freaking out screaming, "I'm falling! I'm falling!" His world was spinning so much he couldn't walk straight, but he loved it and wanted to go again. We also got a couple of pumpkins for the kids to paint, but really Kailer painted both of them. He did a great job and was super proud of his work! Here's his cowboy outfit for the ward party, yeehaw! He said to me a couple of days later, "Mom, you remember that cowboy party? I wanna do another one of those!" Here's a few more tid bits, Kai has now become "the ipod boy". Rich got a new ipod touch for clinicals, which we all love :) If you have one you know how cool they are. He downloaded a bunch of free educational apps for Kai and he plays it when he gets home. He said to us the other day, "Mom, I'm just 'ipoding' right now." or "Mom, I really need to 'ipod' " As if it were adjective :) Love IT! Also, we moved Meili out of our bedroom (she has been sleeping next to our bed in a crib for the last year). Kailer was super excited to have a roomate, but she was a bit confused. She did ok, but then they spent about a half hour talking and laughing together, it was actually really cute. Kai even came out to tell me, "Mom, Meili's not laying her head down!" It is so nice to have our bedroom back, but I have to admit I got kind of used to her being there and it seemed a bit empty after moving her. I keep telling myself, CHANGE is good! Although, CHANGE means my baby is growing up! Here's a pic of their first night together, aren't they sweet :) Lastly, we went on our first bikeride tonight. This was a first for Meili and Kailer didn't seem to remember doing it last year, but they loved it so much I bet we will end up doing it almost every night! Kailer didn't want Rich to stop peddling even on the downhill and Meili took her binki out several times to clap and giggle! They were even holding hands in the carriage. It was so cute and so much fun. Ok, another fetish of his lately are bacugans. Not really sure what they are or who came up with them, but they are a hit in this household. He now has, count them, 4. His first baseball game was on Saturday and he was totally into it. He hit the ball a pretty good distance, twice and made it all around, which isn't hard to do in T-ball. He got the ball once and threw it to first, but the runner beat him out. More importantly though, he thoroughly enjoys every minute of it! Go KAI!

Take me out to the Ball Game!

So, we started baseball with Kailer this week and it was so funny to watch him. He followed his coaches around doing, to his best ability, what they asked of him, and tried his hardest to learn the game. He is starting to get the idea of running the bases and he is a magnet for the ball. If someone hits it, he's there, even if he's already standing on a base! Oh, it is so much fun to watch! You know what I'm talking about if you've started a kid really young in any sport for the first time; it is so entertaining! They don't get the game at all, but do their best to keep up and sometimes end up running around oblivious. He loves it and asks me every day if it is Tuesday or Thursday, which is when our practices are. My parents came down for the weekend and watched conference with us. We really enjoyed their company. We took the kids to parks and even went bowling. It was really nice to have them because Rich had to work the weekend. He works next weekend too, making for a 17 day stretch. After that we are off to Florida to visit my brother Dennis. YEY! One last photo, just love this pic, I color coordinated them for church. It's what I do best :)Also, I added new photos to the slideshow. Check 'em out!