The Byrum Family

Weston Henry, you are 9 months old!

2012-01-26T08:27:00.001-08:00

Still not entirely sure how that happened so fast, but you are 9 months old!!!

You are the happiest baby and on the move. You follow your brothers around the house constantly and you love being in their room surrounded by their toys.

Your loving to eat these days, but you prefer adult food over baby food (I don't blame you). In fact, anytime you see a baby spoon coming for your mouth you make those lips so tight, nothing could get through. You love to feed yourself and you have had that pincher feeding down for months!

You are babbling so much. You clearly say "uh oh!", "dadda", and "woo hoo". I'm still waiting for you to say "mama", even though sometimes I think you do say it. You are super into your Daddy right now and you cry when he leaves your sight. I'm not complaining, I think that is the cutest thing ever.

We love you so much and you have us all wrapped around your little finger. We can't get enough of you and miss you while you sleep! We love
you Hank the Tank!

Back to School-August 2011

2011-09-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

Back to school this year was really exciting because both Kaden and Austin were starting school somewhere new to them. Kaden started kindergarten and Austin started preschool. Both were really excited and have done amazing adjusting to the changes. I can't say enough great things about these boys.Kaden is loving school. We lucked out this year and he has a very special teacher. She is my best friend's step mom and a long time next door neighbor to my family growing up. She is like a second Mom to me. Mrs. Jordan. We had been out of touch for a few years and we were "reunited" at kindergarten round-up. We are so happy that he has her as his teacher and we know that he is in the best hands. He comes home every day in a great mood and is learning so much. It really is so amazing. We are just so proud of Kaden.
Austin started preschool in September. He has grown up and matured by leaps and bounds in 2 months. He is so smart and has so much personality. I know he feels like a really big boy going to school. Seriously the only thing I've heard from his teachers is that he picks his nose a lot. I already knew that, so were in great shape! He has so much energy and sometimes can be really intense, so I kinda feel bad to say that I thought he might get in trouble a little here and there. I have to say that he has surprised me so much. I would love to be a fly on the wall in there, just to see how he interacts with everyone. His teachers tell me that he loves to sing and that one day he played "baby" with all the girls and they had him in this little crib sucking on this bottle. I love it. He loves school so much too and I feel really fortunate that both of them really enjoy school so much. It's never a battle to get them to go, getting dressed for school is another thing...that is a bit of a battle some mornings :)Weston is 6 months and has all of us wrapped around his little finger. We just love him so! The boys are still just as into him as they were the day he was born. He is very sweet, kinda shy and a total mama's boy. He loves to watch his big brothers play. He loves his belly time and is now getting up on his hands and knees. We are enjoying him at every stage. We are so blessed that he is ours.

2011 Summer Camping trip-Butt Lake

2011-08-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is my 200th post! I know it's been awhile since my last post, but let's just say, we have been busy.

We just got home from our annual camping trip with the boys. This year we decided to go to Butt Lake. Mike camped there as a kid and has a love for this place. We set the date in June and the planning and preparation began! Mike and I had a list that we were working off of. I should take a picture and post it because it was seriously...long. We brought so much stuff!! We borrowed a truck from Mike's supervisor, there was no way we could of done it in our car. Here is the night before leaving, our kitchen was beginning to fill up with boxes and things we were taking with us. By the way, it feels like we took everything but the kitchen sink with us.
We did the drive in two days, stopping in Napa to eat and sleep basically. The drive to Napa was long, I think we made of total of 5 stops. We had the truck full as possible, with a tarp over the top with the bikes on top of the tarp. Let's just say we had a ton of people on the road staring. :) We were picking up an ice chest in Napa and had to pack that the night before and find a way to get it in the truck with all the other stuff. The next morning, we got up at 6am and got back in the car to make the last leg of our journey. We made pretty good time on this stretch of the trip and it was beautiful driving the Feather River. This was the same way Mike's Dad would take them on their family camping trips. There are several tunnels that you go through and we honked through every one of them. The boys thought that was really fun and had huge smiles in the back seat. Weston was a little upset towards the end and we ended up having to stop and feed him and the boys got to get out and stretch their legs.

We knew that we had quite the job ahead of us to set up our camp. We were meeting Mike's brother, Bobby and his friend James up there who had been up there a week already. They had saved us a camp site right next to them and we began setting up. Melissa, Stan and Nolan arrived a few hours later and together we set up camp.
The boys hopped on their bikes right away and Mike joined them for a ride after all the camp set up was complete. Bobby and James made us dinner that night. We had blue cheese burgers, chicken, beans, and corn. Yum!

Weston was a happy camper from the beginning and barely made a peep between his naps in the tent and our long walks through the camp ground.
That night we took a walk down by the lake. It was peaceful and pretty down there.
We were in awe of the beauty and so thankful to be together out in the woods. The boys were all happy and dirty.

The next day (Tuesday), we went fishing mid morning. It was our family plus Melissa, Stan and Nolan. It was really nice down there, warm and peaceful. No fish were caught that day.
The boys all had their bikes and they spend a ton of time riding around on them. Nolan got his first bike.Nolan and Austin were two peas in a pod. They are so similar in personality, they fought the most, but spent the most time together.

That evening, I made a big pot of chili and a salad early, because Bobby had the boat working and Mike was planning on taking the boys out on the boat. The boys were really excited to go out on the boat. Everyone else stayed back at the campsite. We took a walk along the shore after the boys took off on the boat.

To spare you the details, they got stranded out on the boat that evening and had only one oar in the boat to get them back to shore. Since Mike had forgotten the boys sweatshirts, I was not super happy when they came up to camp shivering and crying. Mike was exhausted from oaring. We bundled them all up and made them some hot chocolate to drink by the camp fire.

Weston was still happy as can be!

Wednesday was spent at camp. We hung out by the lake and relaxed. Stan caught a crawdad. Kaden and Austin couldn't wait to hold it. We gave Weston a bath in a huge pot we brought. He really loved that. Melissa and Stan made dinner that night. Chipotle southwestern burgers with taco salad.On Thursday, Mike, the boys and I headed up to Mt. Lassen National Park. We were hoping to see some snow, but we ended up going on a hike. You can read about where we hiked here. 10 miles outside of camp I realized that I had forgotten the baby carrier for Weston. Mike told me that he was not going back and that he would carry the baby on our hike. It was a beautiful hike. It was actually pretty hot up there. No snow in sight! The boys were tired, but had a good time hiking. Weston slept most of the time in his Daddies arms.
Kaden and Weston fell asleep during the drive home. Austin refused to sleep and was dancing around in the back seat.
I took a picture of this phone booth on the way home from Lassen. This is at a little store across the road from where we camped. Lake Almanor is in the background. This is the phone booth where Mike would call home when he camped there with his Dad during the summer.
Weston finally got some belly time in after a long day hiking at Lassen.
Despite being tired, the boys hopped on their bikes. We bbq'd a tri tip that evening.

Friday we spent by the lake chillin. Stan and Mike played beer pong that afternoon while the boys ran around the table. Bobby drove into Chester and picked up some pizza's.

That night we went fishing again with the boys.

Just when we thought we were gonna get skunked again, Mike caught a fish!!! That made his night and he spent the rest of the evening with a smile on his face. It was a catfish, so we let it go.
Saturday was officially our last full day there. Mike really wanted to fish some more, so he took the boys down to the "powerhouse". I stayed back at the camp with Weston. Melissa and Stan took Nolan into Chester for a milk shake and to get a cake for us to celebrate Nolan's birthday that evening.

Happy 2nd Birthday Nolan!!! We love you and had so much fun camping with you!!!

Stan stayed at the campsite with the big boys and Melissa, Mike and I went fishing with Bobby and James. It was another pretty night at the lake. So sad to be going home the next day. I have never been so dirty in my life. I was SO ready for a shower!

Sunday was spent packing up our camp. It took us over 5 hours to break it all down and load up the truck. Mike and I were seriously tired and irritated by the end of that. We drove to Napa that night, got showered and rested.

Monday morning we woke up and went to breakfast with Grandma Dawn. It was so nice to see her. She gave Mike a precious gift. It is his Dad's fingerprint in silver with his name and year and date of his birth on the back.

This trip for Mike was very healing. He has a ton of memories of his Dad camping at the very same camp ground. Kaden was really sweet, while fishing at powerhouse with his Dad, he said "I love you Papa Lew". While packing up our site we listened to the playlist that Melissa had done for Lew's memorial. The first song on there is a Conway Twitty song and the song really reminded Mike of his Dad. I heard it and started to cry a little, a few minutes later Mike walked up to me and he was crying too. Mike needed that trip and I am so so happy that we did it. I am so proud of us for being able to give that experience to our boys.

2011-07-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

2011-06-30T14:48:00.001-07:00

Weston 2 months

2011-06-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

2011-06-22T13:17:00.001-07:00

Kaden: "Is Jackass a bad word? " Me- "Yes it is.." Kaden-"well I was gonna call you that..." Me-"Aren't you glad you didn't then?"

Let the attitude begin...

Kaden-"Oooh, I was just thinking of a bad word" Me-"What word were you thinking of?" Kaden-"I can't say it out loud, it's too bad." Me-"Well then just whisper it to me then." Kaden-"I was thinking Get your ass out of here" Me-"Oh really, that was what you were thinking about?" Kaden-"Yes, and I was going to say that to you!"

Nice Kaden, real nice... What does this kid have against me?

The dreaded 5 year well check...

2011-06-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

I have been dreading Kaden's 5 year well check for a while now. I knew he would have to get some shots for kindergarten and I just didn't know how well that would go. About two weeks before I broke the news to him. He looked at me super worried and started to cry. Not how I wanted the conversation to unfold. Over the two weeks that we had to wait, we talked a lot about the appointment. He asked a lot of questions and wanted to know what it would feel like. He thought he was only going to need one, I thought two MAYBE three...Actually he had to get 4!!!!! By the time we made it in to appointment, he was in good spirits. I had my Mom take Weston and Austin out on a walk, that way I could give Kaden the attention he needed. He did so good. He didn't cry at all!!! I was so so proud of him. Here are his 5 year stats...

Kaden Michael
Age: 5
Weight: 42 lbs (50th%)
Height: 44" (65th%)

Kindergarten here we come!

Weston-1 month

2011-06-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

We can't believe that it has already been 5 weeks since Weston arrived. Time has flown by. Weston has been a true blessing to our family. He has just fit right in. He is pretty mellow for the most part but he does know how to tell us when he needs something. We are enjoying every second with him and really trying to live in the moment and not get wrapped up in the craziness of having a newborn baby. Here are his 1 month stats. Dr Macias could barely believe how much weight he had put on since his 1 week apt.

Weston Henry
1 month
Weight- 11 lbs 4oz (90th%)
Height-22 1/4" (80th%
Head-39cm (75th%)

Austin and Weston Love

2011-05-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

LOVE

Austin and Weston were both sleeping in the back seat. My heart melted to a big pile of mush when I looked back there and saw this. I quickly has to regain my composure and grab my phone to capture this moment.

Papa Lew

2011-05-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Not long after we got home from the hospital we received a phone call from Mike's sisters saying that their Dad had taken another turn for the worst and that we really needed to get up there to see him. Without hesitation we hopped in the car, packed like sardines we headed up to Napa to visit. We stayed for a week and Mike got to spend some quality time with his Dad. It was heart warming and heart wrenching all at the same time. I took some pictures that mean a lot to us.

Weston meeting his Papa Lew for the first time

We are so happy they got to visit with their Papa, since it has been awhile since they had seen him. We were happy that they jumped up in his lap like they did and they weren't weird around him like I thought they could be. It was so good for them to see him and for him to see them.

Bonding as brothers

2011-05-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

I can't describe the look on both Kaden and Austin's face upon entering my hospital room to meet their little brother for the first time. I could try and it would be a mixture of anticipation, excitement, anxiety, happiness...I'm pretty sure all those emotions were there. I wanted to make sure I wasn't holding the baby when they came in, so I had him in the hospital bassinet. Luckily I caught this special moment on camera and can show you the joy that was all over their little faces...From that day on, a bond was formed that will never break.

I'm not sure I can name one other thing that these boys are that excited over. The first thing they do when they get up is come find Weston. They want to kiss him, squeeze him, talk to him and one of them always asks how Weston slept. It's really very sweet. There is no doubt that bringing in a new baby brother has flipped their worlds upside down and by no means have things been perfect. Both of them are still trying to figure out ways to get attention and love our new little addition while doing it. The first week we were home was spent cuddling with Weston, Lots of wanting to hold him, kiss him, and talk to him.

I know things are going to be crazy and hard at times. They already have been a little....However, Mike and I are really trying our best to savor and take all this in, it goes by so fast and before we know it, he will be a grown boy breaking girls hearts with his brothers.

Weston's birth story

2011-04-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

The week began like any other, wondering whether this week we would get to meet Weston, our third baby boy. Monday morning I went to my NST like I did every Monday. The boys and Mike went with me to the appointment since Mike wanted to take them to Home Depot after to get the things we needed to plant our vegetable garden.

I noticed during my NST that I was having some contractions, not for the first time that week, but for the first time while I was being monitored. I also noticed that every time I would have a contraction, Weston's heart rate would dip. Sometimes it would go down a lot. It kinda started to worry me, afterall this is why they do NST's. If the heart rate dips that is how they can tell the baby is under some kind of stress. The boys were getting a little wild and I knew that they would be taking me off the monitors soon, so Mike took the boys out of the office and they would wait for me outside. A few more minutes went by and the Dr. came in to look at my NST. Right away he also noticed the decels in his heart rate. He told me that he would call Dr. Lickness and talk with him about what was going on but he was going to suggest to him that I be induced. So, I finish up my apt there and headed outside to find the boys and tell him that I may need to be induced. Dr. Lickness agreed with Dr. Cedars and wanted to see us back at the hospital that afternoon at 5. He checked me at the office and my cervix was completely closed and the baby still felt very high, so he knew that we had some work to do to get this labor going....

One of my fears during the end of my pregnancy was my water breaking and us having to rush to the hospital in case my labor went super fast like it did with Austin. I envisioned having to get my bag all finished being packed and get the boys all ready to go over to my Dad's. God forbid it happen in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping. I was seriously starting to stress a little about that. So, knowing that i had to be back at the hospital at a certain time made it nice for the preparing part. I told Mike that we could still go to Home Depot after, he had been looking forward to doing that with the boys all week and I didn't want to disappoint him. I also knew that all the walking I could do was probably for the best knowing what I had coming that evening. I was so anxious and excited, knowing that we would get to meet our little boy finally and also scared that my body wasn't actually ready to go into labor yet.

Finally the time came and we packed everything into our car and dropped the boys off at my Dad's. As we left the house, my emotions kicked in and I started to cry knowing that the next time I would see the boys, we would have another boy and they wouldn't be my only boys anymore. We said goodbye to them and headed back of to SLO to Sierra Vista. We got checked in at the hospital and they put me on the monitors right away. Dr. Lickness's plan was to use Cervadil, which softens and opens your cervix. Then start pitocin when my cervix was softened. I was still contracting regularly after arriving and Dr. Lickness didn't feel it was necessary to use anything to get labor started. It appeared to him that it had actually started. Due to the fact that I was on insulin during this pregnancy, I was immediately put on an I.V. of insulin. Apparently this made my labor pretty high risk and because of that, I had to have my blood sugars checked every hour until the baby was born. I knew that I woulnd't be getting much rest that night, but I was hoping that the baby would come rather quickly and it would all be over with. From the beginning I had told the nurses that I wanted an epidural this time. With Austin I never had time to get one and it was the most primal experience ever. I knew that my body was not ready to feel that pain again. They checked me a few hours into the night and i was already dialated to 2. This was actually good news because we hadn't done anything to speed things along and my body seemed to be progressing on it's own. Sometime during the night my labor seemed to stall out, I didn't seem to be having stronger contractions and I knew that labor wasn't speeding up at all. I was up almost all night long, trying my hardest to sleep in between the times our nurse would come in to test my sugars. I think I maybe got an hour total. It was pretty brutal. In the morning, Dr. Lickness came in and was surprised to see that my labor had slowed down, he thought for sure that my body would just respond and we would have this baby. He checked me, I was still only 2 cm... No progress. He tried breaking my water and since the baby was still so high, he had a really hard time breaking it. They started pitocin. A few minutes later, I felt like I was peeing the bed, he had actually broken my water. I thought for sure this could kick things into gear and labor would finally progress!!! Especially with the pitocin being added to the mix. The contractions never really kicked into gear like I thought they would. In fact, the pitocin wasn't really making me progress either. When Dr. Lickness came in to check on me during lunch, I was till a 2. ughhhh....

They continued to up my pitocin every half hour. Around 5, it seemed like the contractions were getting stronger. I knew that these ones had to be doing something. Finally at around 10 or later, I knew that I needed my epidural. Things were getting intense and I just didn't want to risk not being able to have it. I thought things were moving right along. When she checked me before I had my epidural I was still only 3 cm. All the work and nothing really had changed... So frustrating. After i had my epidural, I fully anticipated falling asleep and letting the pitocin finish it's job. After about an hour a nurse came in told me that I needed to turn on my side, that Weston's heart rate was dropping after having a contraction. Nothing we did seemed to change that. Dr Lickness came in and made the decision to take me in for a c-section. It was scary and not at all what I expected or wanted, but nothing was worth risking the health of our baby. So, to the O.R. we went.Weston Henry Byrum came into this world with his cord wound tightly aroung his neck. April 27th 2011 @1:58am 8lbs 6oz 20 1/2" long...Words cannot express how much we love him. More to come on the relationship that was instantly formed with his sweet big brothers.Our life is complete!

Easter Egg hunt 2011

2011-04-23T15:36:00.001-07:00

I usually avoid public Easter Egg hunts every year for several reasons. 1) Mike usually always works that day and I am not brave enough to take 2 crazy boys out by myself with the amount of people that swarm to these events 2) It honestly makes me cringe a little to be around that many people myself. This year, however, Kaden and I were talking about some of the things we were going to do this weekend and he mentioned the Easter egg hunt at his school like there was no question on whether or not we would go, like it was just something you did on Easter. At first I told myself there was absolutely no way that I was going to attempt it this year being as pregnant as I am even with help. Then, Mommy guilt crept in and I starting thinking that I had never taken them to an "actual Easter Egg hunt" and that this was the last Easter I would have with just them without another baby to take care of. So I decided I would just brave it out and go. My Mom agreed to come with me and help. I have to admit, I was really not looking forward to it at all. They had the hunt set up in 3 sections for different age groups. Supposedly the parents were only allowed to hunt with the 0-2 year old group. So the parents were supposed to stay behind the white line and not follow their kids into the hunting area. It was a HUGE area with hundreds of kids and parents just in our age group. When they said "GO!" of course the boys charged in. I realized quickly that all the other parents were following their kids and my kids were getting lost in a sea of people. So my Mom and I of course followed them in. Even though we told them to come back in our direction, I knew that wouldn't happen. So we found them and the hunt was over within minutes. So not worth it, each boy only got a few eggs. We were all standing in the middle of the field waiting for the others to filter their way through this small exit gate. The boys were still kinda running around looking for strangler eggs. I look around and realize that Austin is not with us. I start looking all around and can't find him anywhere. There were hundreds of people outside the fences just standing around and I totally starting panicking. This lady stopped me and told me how cute I looked all pregnant :) and I just burst into tears. That poor lady. I told her that I had lost my son. I finally made it outside the gate and found him pretty quickly. He was staying in one spot but turning circles looking all around for me. He was starting to cry and was calling "Mommy!" I swooped him up and gave him a big hug. I have never lost either of them like that and it just freaked me out. Took me a few minutes to gather my composure. Then we went off to do the bounce houses and the pony rides.
Phew! What a day... Not sure if we will be attempting the good old hunt next year. I know the boys think it's fun, but in my opinion it's just not worth it. Maybe I will look around for one that is organized differently and take them there. Afterall, next year I will have 3 boys to watch! eek! While leaving we stopped at the fire truck to take a few pictures.

1st year of tee ball-The Brewers

2011-04-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

Both Mike and I grew up playing sports. We both really loved being active and involved in sports as kids and also want that for our kids, as long as they are into it. Kaden showed interest in playing tee ball this year, so we signed him up. Both Mike and I thought that it would be fun to be as involved as possible, so Mike signed up to coach. We lucked out and he is co-coaching with another great guy/Dad. So far the experience couldn't have been better. Kaden has always been a little leery about trying new things and I know it has helped him tremendously having Mike as involved as he is. You can tell he feels "special" that he is the coaches son. Ever since the first practice, I have seen something emerge in Kaden. Maybe it's confidence or maybe it's just sheer happiness that he is finally getting to play baseball. He is getting some serious quality time with his Daddy and it's just been really really great for him, and for Mike too. Huge time commitment, but so worth it. I am just really happy that we signed him up and that things have been going so great for him. I have to hold back on taking pictures because I feel like it's just one photo opportunity after another with them playing in their cute little uniforms. Here are some of my favorites of them so far. Oh, I should mention, Austin is not technically on the team, but he sure thinks he is. It has been kinda tough on him this year because he did miss the deadline to play by just a few months. He luckily gets to be very involved and actually goes out on the field with the team during the games. It is obviously very laid back and Mike is always out there with him. Hard for me to see him sad when he can't go up to bat or when we tell him he can't have a snack at the end of the game because there are only enough snacks for the kids on the actual team. Heart breaking...The hardest by far was the first game when all the kids were getting ready to go out on the field from the dug out, Austin had his glove on and he was right there with the team. He started heading out on the field and we had to tell him that he couldn't go out there because he wasn't old enough. You might as well of taken a knife and stabbed me in the heart because it was seriously so sad to see his little shoulders slouch down and he looks up at me with his little puppy dog eyes and says "But I'm a Brewer..." Saddest/Happiest tee ball day ever!!! Since then we have realized that it's not a big deal if he goes out there on the field with the team. He blends right in, he's bigger than some of the kids on the team, and all he really needs is a few minutes out there and he feels like a part of the team. It's just really fulfulling and so amazing to see our little boys thriving and loving their life.

Waiting for Weston

2011-04-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

Sitting here at the computer thinking that I really need to catch up on some of this blogging, since Weston will be here very shortly. I only have about 2 weeks till my due date and even two weeks is nothing. Besides I highly doubt that I go that long. I feel like it could be any day, but pregnancy and childbirth is such a wild card sometimes and I really have no idea what will happen. All I know is that I am enjoying these last few days as a family of 4. Loving our boys and trying to spend some good old quality time with them. I know they are going to be great with the new baby. However, I don't think they understand how much our lives will change. Can't wait to see Austin with Weston. He is already so protective and interested in the baby.

My heart went to moosh when Kaden brought this home from school the other day. Seriously seriously precious...

Kaden is 5!!!!

2011-04-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

Crazy that Kaden is 5. Sometimes I think about 5 years and I think it can't be true. Then I look at him and how much he has changed from the sweetest, cutest, little chubby cheeked baby to a little man. He is so so funny. His personality is priceless and we love him so much. He had a great birthday party at our house this year. Wasn't sure how it was all gonna pan out because I was 36 weeks pregnant, but honestly it couldn't have gone better. He was so happy and loved every minute of it and to me that is a success. We started the day out with a tee ball game bright and early (tee ball-another subject that is blog worthy). We had family and friends come to the game that morning and to the party and it truly made Kaden's day. The party went perfectly. The bounce house arrived about an hour before it was going to start. My Mom and I cracked up as they blew this thing up and it slowly took up most of our back yard. It was so funny. The bounce house was a total hit and most of the kids spent 90% of the time in there. We did have face painting, cake and icecream, a pinata, and presents too. Overall it was a great success and we had 2 happy boys at our house. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The crazy large bounce house filling our yard :)

Grammie with the birthday boy!

Grammie going down the slide

Kaden whacking the pinata

Some of us ladies hanging out in the kitchen...Posted this so you could see the bump!

Love this HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOY!

2011-03-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

It is already March...Can't believe how fast time is going by.

Kaden will be 5 next month. Seriously? He is requesting a bounce house and a pinata. He already has his list together of who he wants to have there. It should be interesting to see how the actual birthday party comes together, because I will be 36 weeks pregnant then. April is a little up in the air as far as weather is concerned and it makes me a little nervous to plan a park birthday party. It rained the day he was born and it rained on his 4th birthday. If we do it at home, at least we have the option of moving things inside if we need to. Kaden is such a cool kid. He is so smart, so sweet, and so darn handsome. We are so proud of him. He just started tee-ball last week and really really loves it. Mike is one of the coaches and that seems to be working out really great. He is really good with the kids and I think this is really good for him too. Can't wait to post the pictures from his first game and just see how he does. He is naturally good at sports and seems to be pretty coordinated, he was so excited to get his cleats, because he just knew that they would make him run fast!
Austin is 3 1/2 and is such a sweet, loving, FUNNY boy! Last night we were watching American Idol and this girl was performing. All of the sudden, he says "She's HOT!" Curious to know what he meant by that, I asked him what he meant. He said, "she is very beautiful"...How in the world did he learn the word "HOT"???!!! So funny. He and Kaden have been arguing over who is going to marry this little girl in Kaden's class. hmmm...Isn't it a little early for that?! I just love what comes out of his mouth. He is constantly telling us how much he loves us and talks constantly about the baby and how he can't wait to meet him. I know he going to make a great big brother! Austin was really sick yesterday, he has an ear infection and was running a fever, so he had to miss out on tee-ball practice. He is not technically on the team, but he sure thinks he is...Not sure how it will be when the first game rolls around and he can't actually play. He wasn't old enough to start this year, but next year him and Kaden will be on the same team. He was so cute at the first practice, he was right along with everyone else, running all the bases, hitting off the tee, right in the middle of the team huddle. It was pretty precious. Him and Kaden get along really well these days. They have always been buddies, even since the day Austin was born, but they are really starting to relate to one another and can play for hours on end. Using their imaginations, playing with cars, stuffed animals, dirt, you name it, they do it...and it's always together. I really really love that.

I am 32 weeks pregnant tomorrow!!! It is weird how a pregnancy can go by so fast and so slow at the same time. The first trimester seemed to go on forever, and also waiting to find out the sex of the baby. From 20 weeks and on, it has really gone by fast!!! This pregnancy has been a little more complicated than my others. Not sure if it is my age or what. I had gestational diabetes with both of my other pregnancies, but I was always able to control it with diet and exercise. This time around, we discovered around 20 weeks at one of my appointments that I had sugar in my urine. Knowing my history, they didn't even send me in for blood work they just referred me over to the Sweet Success program, which is for gestational diabetes. I was happy to know I was being taken care of so early, but I was also a little worried that I was having to deal with it so early in my pregnancy. After about a week of testing my blood sugars and eating my special diet, we discovered just how sensitive I had become to any carbohydrate and I had to go on insulin within a week. This consisted of me giving myself 4 shots a day in the stomach. Over the course of my pregnancy and the higher my hormone levels have gone, my insulin dose has been adjusted numerous times. It has been frustrating to me, to not really have control over what was going on with my body. It became clear pretty quickly that it didn't really matter what I ate, that my blood sugars were just not regulating on their own. I guess women who have diabetes during their pregnancies significant enough that they need to go on insulin, they have to monitor the baby a lot more towards the end. The baby is at a higher risk for certain things. So because of this risk, I now have to go in twice a week for Non-stress tests. I go in and they hook me up to the monitors and monitor the babies heart rate for a twenty minute stretch. I guess this determines whether or not the baby is under any kind of stress. I will do this until I deliver the baby. About two weeks ago, I just felt weird, something just didn't seem right. I went home and decided to lay on the couch and rest. It was then that I noticed that I was having some contractions. Not labor contractions, just braxton hicks, but I seemed to be having quite a lot of them. I started to get a little anxious about it and the next day I put a call into the on call doctor. Of course it was on a Saturday... The on call doctor told me that I needed to be drinking at least 4 liters of water a day and that I just needed to lay down and rest. I did that and I still continued to have contractions. She made me promise earlier that if I continued to have them, that I needed to call her back. So I did, and she sent me in to the hospital to be evaluated. It was scary being in there at 30 weeks. They had me on the monitors for awhile, checked my cervix and did this test that is supposed to determine whether or not I would deliver in the next two weeks. Thankfully that test came back negative and my cervix was closed. Baby was moving around like crazy and they sent me home. Ever since that incident I have been told that I need to rest and drink water. So that is pretty much what I have been doing. I have learned that I just can't do everything. That even the minimal taking care of the family can be too much on some days. Ever since I have been drinking my 4 liters of water a day, I really have been feeling better. Way less contractions and overall, I just feel better. I did decide to stop working and use that time when Mike was home to rest and be with my boys. It was a hard decision, only because my work is like my break from life at home and I also happen to work with some of my best girlfrieds. So not only was I making a little extra money, but I was able to get out 3 times a week and hang out with my girls. I do miss that... So here I am 32 weeks pregnant, just trying to really soak up this time with the boys and enjoy this last pregnancy I will have. I am trying not worry about all the what if's, and just take things day by day. I just want this baby to be healthy and full term!!!! I keep referring to him as "baby", but I should be referring to him by his name!!! His name will be

Weston Henry Byrum.

We are all super excited to meet him. We still have plenty to do to get ready for his arrival, but we definately have made some serious strides in getting prepared.

I am so impressed with Mike, he has put up with so much this pregnancy :) He is such a pillar of strength for me. He has done so much lately and I just feel so lucky to have him. He works all day and then comes home and continues to work at home. It seems like there is so much that i can't do right now, and he is really impressing me with his desire to help me in any way he can. I really really really love him....
Since this is getting super long, I will end things here. I will "try" to keep things more updated on here. If you made it to the end of this, I am seriously impressed!!!!

If you do read this blog, can you please just leave a comment on the bottom, just so I know if anyone is even reading it.... I do it for us to, to read back through it and remember things, but it is also to update people on our lives. So let me know if you do read it, then maybe I will be more motivated to write more... :)

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas with our boys gets better and better every year. They just get so excited, seriously a month before Christmas, they are counting down the days. We buy them each an advent calendar, so the chocolate they get everyday adds to the excitement. We are trying to establish our own family traditions with our boys. We drive around and look at Christmas lights at least once a week in December. This year Austin was the one who really expressed his delight every time he saw a house lit up with even the smallest amount of lights. We cut our own tree as well, and the last two years we have gone out to a little tree farm on the Nipomo Mesa. The boys love running around trying to find the perfect tree to cut down, strap to the top of our little car, and bring home to our house to decorate their little hearts out. We got most of our Christmas decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving, so we can enjoy all through the month of December.

As the week of Christmas approached, the boys could barely contain their excitement. We saw Santa and they both sat up on his lap and told him what they wished for for Christmas.
McLintocks has a Christmas party every year for their employees on Christmas Eve. They have a big lunch, Santa comes and hands out gifts to all the kids, and their is a reptile guy that comes and brings along a huge iguana and a gigantic snake. Last year, he brought an alligator, but I guess some laws have changed and now he isn't allowed to bring the alligator. This is a full sized alligator, not some tiny baby one. I am talking like 6 ft long, big mama alligator.... So we did that this year, and I so happy that Mike could join us this year for that.

Later that evening, we went over to my Dad's for a Christmas Eve dinner of prime rib. The boys opened a present over there and we headed home to wait for Santa's big arrival. We left Santa some cookies and milk. We left carrots for the reindeer. We also wrote letters to Santa. My Mom got to spend the night with us too, and that will be a new tradition for sure. It was so great to have her here to share in everything and it made her so happy to wake up with boys on Christmas morning.

We told the boys that they needed to come in to our bedroom in the morning before they headed out in the living room. I woke up around 6:45 and couldn't believe that they hadn't woken up yet. They were super tired from the night before. Ten minutes later though, I heard Kaden get up out of bed and head straight into Austin's room. A minute later, we heard them whispering to each other. I wish I could have gotten it all on video. It is just so precious. They came into our bedroom and we all went out together.

My brother was already there so he got to see them wake up to all their gifts too. That was Christmas for me, seeing them so excited and happy. It was magical for them, total and complete happiness.

After the morning at our house, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We got to spend time with Uncle Ben, Uncle Andy, Kim, Aspen, Great Grandma, Papa, and Grandma. We did stockings and Santa came again. We had a really great time.

Overall, super fun Christmas! All the stress and anxiety was all worth it, to give that to our boys. That was all the gift I needed.

2010-12-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

That is right, we are having another boy! We are really excited to meet our new son. The boys are anxious to meet him too!

Christmas Parade 2010

2010-12-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Every year the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Kaden's preschool participates in the annual holiday parade in the Village of Arroyo Grande. Kaden gets super excited about this. He gets to get his bike all decked out and he really loves riding in the parade. This year Austin was going to ride in the wagon in the parade too, but he got sick the night before. He had a high fever and was just not in shape to be out in the cold in the parade. We decided to take him down there anyway, since his fever had gone down. We had him sit in the stroller with us and watch the parade. Kaden was so stinkin cute riding his bike waving to all the people yelling "Merry Christmas"! Mike said he was the loudest one. I snuck up on him and got the most adorable picture of him riding his bike in the parade. I just love that he loves to do this!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

I am super bummed that I didn't get any pictures from Thanksgiving this year. I don't know what I was thinking! No scratch that, I know, I was cooking all day long!!!! We stayed home this year because the boys had been really sick with strep throat and we just didn't feel like traveling would be good for them. Mike and I decided to do Thanksgiving at our house and have my Mom and brother over. Papa and Grandma were away on a much needed vacation to San Francisco. My Mom came over early to help us and we just cooked our little booties off all day long. The night before Mike and I brined the turkey in a big 5 gallon bucket. Mike bbq'd the turkey the next day, it was the best, most flavorful juicy turkey ever. We will never cook another turkey any other way, and that includes brining it. It is really the key to a moist flavorful turkey. We had all the standard fixins. Turkey, mashed potatoes and Gravy, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie...It all turned out so good. I was really impressed with us!

This time last year my Mom had just been diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. It was a really hard time of year for us all. What a difference a year makes, she finished up her treatment in April this year and so far has been doing great. So this year was extra special for us and I found myself feeling more thankful than ever for her and her life. It was truly so special to have her over for dinner and to see her so healthy and full of life.

Brothers for life!

2010-11-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

By far, the greatest thing about having these two boys so close in age is the relationship that they have formed. They are best buddies. Neither one of them feels right about being away from the other. I love that no matter what, they always have a friend. They fight over toys and who is touching the others things, but overall they really just love one another. It is the most great thing for Mike and I to see.

A Fall haircut for Austin

2010-11-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

We cut Austin's hair and he was more than happy to do a little photo shoot on the front porch for me. I really love this little personality that is busting out of this boy!

Mud pies and mud fights

2010-11-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

As usual the boys spent lots of time in November playing out in the backyard. Making mud pies, having mud fights, and getting super dirty. That's ok though, after all these years with them I am so over the whole keeping them clean thing. Every boy needs to get super muddy once in a while, or maybe every day!

Avila Valley Barn in the fall....

2010-11-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Our boys love going to the Avila Barn during the Fall. They have tons of hay everywhere and a big fun maze. They always have so much fun feeding the animals and running around like banchees. This year, they both wanted to go in the big maze. So I went in with them the first time and they wanted to keep going in. Honestly, it kinda freaked me out and I didn't like feeling of being trapped in there. So I let them go back in by themselves. I told them to stay together and they went through several times with no problems. Well the last time, they were taking a little longer to poke there little heads out. I wasn't worried, I figured they were just roaming around in there together. Well, Austin came out without Kaden. He said that he had lost Kaden. So we waited a few more minutes, still no Kaden. I still wasn't worried. Then this lady comes out holding Kaden's hand and he was in tears. Poor guy got lost in there and couldn't find his way out. He panicked when he lost Austin and was just beside himself in tears. So this sweet lady helped him find his way out. He was totally traumatized. It brought back flashbacks for me at the midstate fair going into those creepy fun houses with the mirror mazes. I totally got lost once, and it traumatized me forever. Kaden wouldn't go back in that maze again. Sad...Here are a few pictures of them at the barn this year.

2010-11-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Just some sweet pictures from the month of October...

(Hiking out in Oso Flaco)

Love these two pictures taken out at the Pismo pier on an early morning walk with the family. The boys just look so refreshed and precious...

Mike and I got to go to a couple 49er games this season. It was fun to hang out with my husband, even though the 49ers pretty much suck this year... Sorry babe, but you know it too!

2010-11-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

The boys had a really great Halloween this year. Lots of candy...how could it be bad? Kaden decided that he wanted to be superman this year and Austin wanted to be a monkey. Grandma Diane made Austin's costume. She put some much work and love into it. It just made it more special for him. They went trick or treating earlier in the day down at the village of AG, just to all the businesses. It was kinda crazy down there and I don't think we will do that next year. Later on that evening, we went over to Papa and Grandma's house for dinner and trick or treating. There is not much more to say, so I will just post some adorable pictures...

Flashback! Both boys first Halloween costumes.

2010-10-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

GOOD NEWS!

2010-09-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

We are expecting our 3rd baby sometime in either late April or early May 2011! We are over the moon excited and oh so scared at the same time...

2010-09-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have gotten so behind in my blogging. I've missed some very important events the last few months and it is just not acceptable to skip it. First up, Austin's 3rd birthday!!!! Yep, Our little man is 3!!! Where did all that time go?! I know, I say that about every birthday every year, and I probably will forever, so get used to it ;)

Austin had a fun birthday. I was knee deep in first trimester misery, so the planning and prepping process was hard. Luckily when they are young, all they really need is their family, friends, presents, and of course a bounce house!!!! We rented him a bounce house, and he literally jumped in it for 4 hours!!! He had so much fun. We kept it pretty simple and invited just family and some neighbors. Too many people is overwhelming for everyone... Here are the pictures to prove that Austin had the time of his life!

Then we went over to Papa and Grandma's house on Sunday, his actual birthday. We had ourselves a little party for the big birthday boy.

The boys had a great time giving "fast Grandma" a doctor checkup with Austin's new doctor kit. So as you can plainly see, Austin had a wonderful birthday! We love you little man!

Back to school 2010

2010-08-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

Kaden went back to school yesterday and it was really refreshing to get back into a routine again. Kaden has always loved school and has never had a problem adjusting to it. We went to his orientation last Friday and he started Monday. Mike happened to have the day off, so we took Austin out to the pier and spent some time with him while Kaden was at school. Kaden loved having Mike there for both the pick up and drop off. When I told him that Mike was going to be there his face lit up and he said "It's my lucky day!" So cute how much they love their Daddy! On the way to the school, Austin had some words of advice for his brother. We heard him back there saying "you be nice to the kids at school Kaden". When it was time for us to leave, Austin gave Kaden a big hug and told him that he loved him. They have bonded a lot this summer. I think Austin did enjoy the time he had with us alone. He doesn't get a ton of one on one time. So that was really great for him and for us!

A beautiful day-End of August 2010

2010-08-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Childrens Museum August 2010

2010-08-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

2010-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Momma! We love you so much...Best Grammie ever, hands down!

2010-08-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

I don't really have a ton to say today, I am not feeling good. However, that can't stop me from sharing a few photos of our little babes. We took them to the car show cruise night again this year. Here are a few pictures from that. They really didn't like it, just like last year Kaden sat in my lap most of the time and cried with his hands over his ears. Oh well, we will try again next year. They sure look cute tho...

Mid State Fair 2010

2010-07-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to the fair on Monday. It was a great day to go. Normally it's 100 degrees plus there, but it was only 80. There was a slight breeze and it was just really nice. This year, Kaden and Austin were really excited about going on the rides. Needless to say, the rides at the fair scare me a little. There is something about the old, rusty things that give me anxiety. I don't know maybe it has something to do with the 9 year old girl that was thrown from a ride the day after we were there...just sayin...They make me nervous! The boys emptied out their piggy banks just so they could ride some rides. We decided to walk around first and scope out the selection of rides. We ended up in the "kiddie" section and we decided to let them go on this dragon ride that was like a small roller coaster. The height requirement was only 36", so I figured the ride had to be pretty harmless, right?! I don't know why we didn't let the boys watch it go before we put them on the thing. We weren't thinking. So Mike went up with them and loaded them up on their first ride of the day... Then the thing took off. First of all, it went WAY faster than I expected it to and it also whipped you around the corners and let's just say, it wasn't the best choice for their first ride. As soon as the ride started, Mike and I looked at each other and immediately regretted letting them go on it. The first loop around, I could see the panic all over their little faces. They were so scared. I could see them gripping the bar with all their might and the looks on their faces said it all...Everytime it went around, I kept thinking "let this be the last time it goes around!" About the 3rd or 4th time around, I watched Austin's little head smack the side of the ride and he started to cry. He continued to cry the whole rest of the ride and we watched them go around 3 or 4 time with my baby up there crying his eyes out. SO SAD...We totally learned our lesson on that one. It has been all Austin can talk about all week. He went on one other ride and then he wouldn't go on anymore.

Kaden was scared on it too, but once it was over he was still ready for some more. We let him go on a few more mellow rides and then we were done with the rides. PHEW! We survived.
We walked around and saw the animals, got the boys a cinnamon roll, and just enjoyed the fact that their weren't a ton of people there. Over all, we did have fun. We just know that next year we can expect Austin to be a little more leery about some of the rides, which is not necessarily a bad thing...

1st annual Yosemite Lakes camping trip 2010

2010-07-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

June was a fun month. We ended the month with our first annual Yosemite camping trip. It could not of been a better first camping experience for our family. We drove there on Wednesday and stayed until Saturday morning. So a total of 3 nights. We did not know how the boys would do, so we were playing it safe.

I'm not gonna lie, getting there was INTENSE, it took a total of 7 hours, that is including all detours and stops that we made. Kaden threw up twice and Austin screamed and dry heaved for the last hour or so. I was beginning to get that "is this really worth it?" feeling and then... we got there!
As soon as we got out of the car, everything changed. Just the smell of the air changes your mood instantly, then you look around and see streams, rocks, trees and it's all just so pretty. The camp ground was beautiful. It was about 15 miles outside of West entrance to Yosemite on the S fork of the Tuollomne river. The sun was shining, kids were playing in the river, there was dirt and trees everywhere, the boys were in heaven!!! Since we were only going to have 2 non driving days there, we had to make the most of the time. Mike made me proud wife on Thursday and accomplished something incredible, he hiked Half Dome!!!!

He did it with Stan, Melissa, and Bob. They left at 6:30am and didn't return to the camp site till after 9pm. That day I stayed at the camp ground with the boys and we just played in the dirt, went on "nature hikes" and relaxed. Friday morning came around and I really was just wanted to chill with Mike, play with the boys, play cards....Mike had other plans and he wanted to take me on a drive into Yosemite and maybe go hiking a bit. I just was not in the mood, but Mike and Melissa convinced me that I needed to go and that I wouldn't regret it, so I did. Melissa offered to watch the boys while we took the drive. Let's just say, that was the turning point in the trip for me. I could not believe my eyes. It was breathtaking and beautiful! My worries, gone... Stress, gone... It's just not possible when you see the views. Mike and I hiked up to Mist Falls and took some pictures. We started to really miss the boys and headed back to the camp ground. We cooked together, sat around the fire, laughed, cried, got super dirty, got absolutely no cell phone service, really never knew what time it was, got eaten alive by mosquito's, made s'mores, bonded... It was just what we needed and we will definitely be doing it again next year. Thank you Melissa, Stan and Nolan for inviting us and helping us make these dear memories with our family.

Fathers Day 2010

2010-06-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day Mike!!!!!

We are getting ready for our first camping trip with our boys, so Father's Day for Mike yesterday was spent getting ready for our big trip. We are taking the boys to Yosemite. I know, we are brave!!!! :) This is the very first time they have been camping, so this is very exciting. As children, Mike and I both spent many summers camping with our families. We have so many fond memories of camping. I realize now how much work went into those trips and now have a new appreciation for what my parents did for us. Mike did get to sleep in yesterday, which if you are a parent, you understand what I true gift that is! That is all I wanted for Mothers Day this year...We have somewhat of a tradition going for Mike, on Fathers Day morning we always make him bisquits and gravy. Mike spent the rest of the day working in our yard and trying to get all our gear together. We are meeting Melissa, Stan, Nolan, Sadie and Colby up there. They have been there since Saturday. We are just so excited to be out in the wilderness with the boys. I can't wait to see how they do. I'm sure they will love it and they will be right in their element with all the dirt and sticks.

I will post pictures and let you all know how the trip was when we return. Pray for safe travels for us! Traveling anywhere with a 2 year and a 4 year old is always an adventure...

Thank you Mike for being the best father and husband! You really do amaze me with your dedication to providing for our family and loving us while your doing it. We are so lucky to have you! We love you!

2010-06-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

2010-06-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Birthday Kaden

2010-04-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

It seems like yesterday, well maybe not yesterday, but at the very most last year that Kaden came into our lives. He is our firstborn, our bubba, our silly little man. We love him so much and he is going to be 4 tomorrow! What?! How did that happen so fast?

He has blessed our lives every day since the second he entered it. He makes us laugh with the silly things he says and the funny faces he makes. We couldn't love him more than we do!

Love you Kaden! Happy 4th Birthday to our firstborn boy. You will always be special to us.

2010-02-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

The boys have been sick with really bad colds for the last week. They started to get sick last Friday, the day Uncle Bobby and Auntie Stace were coming into town. Kaden had to miss his little friends birthday party. I wasn't sure if I should just not say anything and hope he didn't remember, or if I should break the news to him. I thought it would be better to just tell him the truth. He had been looking forward to this birthday party for weeks. He was devastated that he was going to miss it, but I just told him that we couldn't risk him getting anyone else sick or him getting sicker. I think he really understood the reason behind it, because after that he was just ok with it. He has really been doing a lot of deep thinking lately. He asked Mike the other day if we were going to live forever. So sweet, complex and innocent of him. I just love hearing his questions and trying our best to answer them. Luckily Mike got that one. :) He has been asking tons of questions about God, I can tell that it really fascinates him to think of all the possibilities and just figuring things out. He is very smart, I can't get anything past him these days.

I have gone back to work 2 nights a week and I love it. It is so great having some time to contribute to the family, and also to just have time away from all the craziness. It has made me feel so refreshed.

My Mom has completed her 4th chemo treatment. She had it yesterday and it all went well. The good news is, her CA-125 blood test, which is a cancer marker blood test they do for ovarian cancer, has gone down from 51 to 11. The doctor was happy with that because the fact that the # is going down means that the chemo is doing its job. The not so good news is she will most likely have to complete all 6 treatments. Due to the type of cancer she has, they are treating it rather aggressively. When they did her surgery, the first thing they did was an abdominal wash. They basically squirt saline solution in there and suck it back up and send that sample off to the lab to determine whether there were cancerous cells floating around. Some cancer cells are really easy to spot and others aren't. She has clear cell carcinoma, which means that some of those cancerous cells look a lot like any other healthy cells. So it is really hard to spot those cells and distinguish them from any other healthy cell. This type of cancer, if not treated properly will often times come back. We are hoping and praying that 6 treatments is enough to knock this out and just be done with it for good. While talking to my Mom yesterday about how her treatment went, she mentioned how eye opening it is being in a place like that. She said she is shocked at how many young people she has seen in there being treated for cancer. It is really has no boundries and it affects the young and the old. It is crazy and so scary. This makes me really appreciate everyday, to love my family more, to just look at even the simplest things differently. It is so cliche to say "live each day like it was your last", but it's so true. Going through something like this with my Mom has really opened my eyes to how fragile life is. To live each day to the fullest and truly appreciate the things we have. To find the good in even a bad situation. I remember back to my Mom was in the hospital after she had had her surgery. She was pretty drugged up and whoozy and I don't even know if she would even remember that day if she tried. We were all pretty upset about the news, it was the evening we found out that it was indeed ovarian cancer. We were all trying our hardest to be strong for her, to not let her see the tears that wanted so bad to drain from our eyes. She looked at us all and reassured us that everything would be ok. She mentioned this verse in the bible....

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

She believed that then and she still believes that now. I truly believe that is what gets her up everyday and out of bed, when she doesn't even feel like she can. She is amazing in more ways than I could ever write on here. If you know her already, you know this. There is not one person that meets her that doesn't love her. I remember when i was young, she would make friends in the line at the grocery store. I would come up to her and she would introduce me to someone and I would be like oh how do you know them, and she would say I just met them in the line. You can't meet her and forget her, she is just special and you can see it right away. I love her dearly and she has taught me so many things throughout my life, more things than she probably even knows. I know that she is the reason that I have so much love inside me for others, that I am a great mother to our boys, that I can sympathize and be sensitive to others. Thank you Mom for the gifts that you have given me, for they are truly invaluable.

Since Christmas

2010-02-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

First of all, where in the world has the time gone?!!! Does anybody else find it a little crazy that it is FEBRUARY!!! I haven't posted on here since before Christmas, and I am feeling a little overwhelmed with the big project of updating on everything that has happened since Christmas. I will do my best.

We had an amazing Christmas this year. Excited doesn't really capture what the boys felt about Christmas. Let's just say they are both still talking about it and asking when it will be here again. It's almost impossible not to feel and partake in their joy as it is completely infectious. We wrote letters to Santa, baked him cookies, left carrots for the reindeer, drove around and looked at Christmas lights nearly every night in December (slight exaggeration), cut our own tree, decorated it while listening to Christmas music, visited with Santa more times than one, opened up new pajamas on Christmas eve, spent Christmas eve with our family, cooked a big breakfast on Christmas morning, sang Christmas songs till we couldn't sing anymore, ate tons of goodies, made tons of goodies, gave baked gifts to our neighbors, decorated the inside and outside of our house with all the Christmas decor, some old some new, overall I can safely say that we accomplished our mission in making Christmas memorable for our boys. I have a feeling that it will just get better and better, but this year gave us a glimpse of the innocent joy and love that Christmas can bring to our children.

Since the boys can't stay up till midnight and don't have any concept of SLEEPING IN yet, we didn't really celebrate New Years eve the traditional way. We were all fast asleep in our beds by midnight. The boys way before that...and while everyone else was celebrated a new year, we were catching up on sleep. I can't think of a better way to bring in the New Year...

Since the holidays have come and gone, it seems like time has been in fast forward. I swear last week was just Christmas. Kaden is going to school still Tuesday and Thursday mornings and still loving it. He has made some friends and has his first birthday party to celebrate with friends that he has made. Austin and I continue to spend the time while Kaden is at school doing things together. We have taken walks with friends, gone to the library, gone to the park, wondered around the pet store, and have really enjoyed the one on one time together. The boys have been playing so great together lately. They are finally at ages where they can lose themselves in imaginary land and play their hearts out. I'm not gonna lie, there is still lots of fighting over toys and squealing arguments, but overall, they really do play well together.We have spent many January days hiking with our family and spending time together enjoying this beautiful place we call home.

Austin has been talking so much lately. The other day he walked up to me and said "Howdy Partner"....He will also climb up in my lap and say " I lub you mommy...and best friend". It really is the cutest thing you have ever seen. His personality is just so funny and we love him so much.

Kaden continues to be the one the sweetest boys I have ever known. He is very sensitive and loving, a total momma's boy. He is hilarious and makes us laugh daily. He makes funny noises, makes up funny words, shakes his booty and distorts his little face into the funniest faces. He is one of a kind and we can't get enough of him. Sometimes I want to go into his bedroom when he sleeps and kiss him. He wraps his arms around us and tells us he loves us and just says some of the cutest things you've ever heard.

My Mom has completed her 3rd chemo treatment and she has to do a least one more. She looks great and feels good for the most part. She has her treatments every 3 weeks, she has about 7-10 days of feeling very low energy, has bone pain, and she has had some pretty bad headaches. However, she does have some really great days in between where she gets recharged for her next round of chemo. Overall, I think we all feel pretty blessed that she is taking the treatments so well. She had labs done last week for her to be tested to see if she carries this certain "cancer gene", and from there we will know a little more about the cancer that she has and also what precautions need to be taken for her future health. Also, if she does come back positive, I will most likely covered as well to have the test done, which will allow me to be monitored much more closely in my life. So there is a little update on her. Continue to pray for her, as she still has good days and bad days. She continues to inspire me. I am so thankful for her.

Happy Anniversary Mike!

2009-12-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

A Soulmate Found ♥

The very first smile, it’s the very first glance
That confuses the mind and captures the heart at first chance
Across a crowded room where the conversations roar
Heartbeats hear each other and coincide like never before

Eyes are locked together by an unbreakable bond
Seeing within the depths of the soul, the heart and beyond
Every step that’s taken draws closer to the side
Of the one with whom the heartstrings are forever intertwined

A forever bond is found, one untouchable by any other
The soul’s recognition of its counterpart in another

Laura Wojcinski

Love this man of mine. There is no doubt in my mind that we weren't made for one another. You can't see our children and not believe that!
I love you Mike
Every year keeps getting better!

3 more days till Christmas

2009-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

The countdown is on....Well actually, the boys have been counting down since November. To say they are excited about Christmas would be a total understatement. Every morning Kaden asks if today is Christmas. We have a calendar hanging on the wall that every day you move santa to the pocket that counts down the days to Christmas. Every time we move Santa, they both squeal and clap, because after all it is one more day closer to Christmas. It's so cute, it's ridiculous. We have been to see Santa 3 times!!! He totally knows us now...Austin was scared of him last year, so I was kinda surprised when he climbed right up in his lap. That night we were talking about Santa and Austin said "Candy canes, LOTS OF THEM!" So now I know why he likes him so much. Kaden has asked for something different every time he has gone...I finally had to have a talk with him about him NOT getting every thing he asked for. I told him that Santa would pick one or two special things and that is what he would get. Kaden has been asking a lot of questions about Santa and Christmas. That boy is smart! I can't get anything past him...Love these boys with all my heart and it truly makes my Christmas special just seeing them get excited.

With their candy canes...

2009-12-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

I took Kaden to see Santa yesterday in the village. He was super excited and didn't hesitate at all to jump right up in his lap. He promptly told Santa that he wanted a remote control airplane. Insert panic here...Needless to say we didn't get him a remote control airplane, we got him a bike. Which is what we THOUGHT he wanted. How can you tell a 3 year old that Santa didn't bring him what he asked for?...So guess who is going out shopping to find a somewhat age appropriate remote control airplane for Kaden? ME! If your wondering why Austin didn't go, it's because he was taking his nap. Plus he is not feeling too good right now and I didn't think it would be a good time for his first real memory of visiting Santa. I'm hoping to take them tomorrow on this weekend if Austin is feeling better. I got an adorable video of Kaden talking to Santa, but I am having issues getting it downloaded. So when i can manage to make that work, I will make sure to add it. It's truly priceless.

Fun at the beach Dec 14th 2009

2009-12-15T07:22:00.001-08:00

The boys have been sick and have been on lockdown forever. So yesterday we decided to take them to the beach. It was absolutely beautiful down there...Way too pretty and warm for a mid December day. I don't even have to say much more, just look at the pictures...

Preparing for Christmas

2009-12-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

Normally we head up to Napa for Thanksgiving. It's one of the holidays that we travel to see Mike's family. This year we had so many things going on that all signs were pointing to staying home this year. It was sad because we really missed seeing everyone and spending time with our family and friends there. We stayed home this year and had a super mellow Thanksgiving. My Mom had had surgery the week before and it was nice to have everyone together for a nice dinner. We went over to my Dad and Diane's. My Mom and brother also came. During the day we took the boys out to the park and played. It was really warm and sunny here and it didn't really feel like winter at all.

The day after Thanksgiving we decorated for Christmas. We didn't get the tree right away, but we started putting out the fun decorations. With young children, the joy of Christmas is so exciting and contagious. I love seeing their little faces light up when they see a house decorated with lights or when we first turn on our Christmas tree after decorating it. I love the smell of apple cinnamon when i open my door and walk in my house. The smell of the Christmas tree when I walk in the family room. I love the smell of cookies baking in the oven and boys peering into the window on the stove waiting for them to be done. I remember being little and loving Christmas, I want that for our boys too. Here are some pictures of the holiday decorating and some of the festivities that have been going on around here.

This year Kaden got to be in the Arroyo Grande Christmas parade with his school. He absolutely loved it. We decorated his scooter all up and he was so happy. Mike walked in the parade with him (such a good Dad), and I sat with my Mom, brother, Dad, Stepmom and Austin. It was so great to see Kaden having such a good time riding his scooter.
Last Friday we went to the Christmas parade in SLO and then got our tree on Saturday. We decided this year we were going to cut down our own tree. The boys loved picking out a tree and cutting it down.

Life is good

A crazy month

2009-12-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

I have been MIA for about a month here on my blog and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the catching up I need to do here.

So much has happened in such short amount of time. Many of you already know, but my Mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last month. If you know me in "real life", you know how much my Mom means to me. She is not only my Mom, but she is my best friend.

She went in for a physical and her doctor felt something in her stomach area. She went in for an ultrasound and we found out that it was a tumor that was attached to ovary. It was very large in size and her doctor suggested a complete hysterectomy. She went in for surgery to have it removed. Prior to the surgery, her doctor told us that it could go either way. He couldn't tell by feeling it or seeing it in an ultrasound whether or not it was malignant or benign, so he would do a biopsy during surgery and if in fact it did come back malignant, he would then do other biopsies of surrounding areas. Even knowing the possibilities of it being cancer, I just didn't allow myself to go there. I didn't prepare myself or even think about it, I just couldn't...I wanted to be positive for my Mom and I just didn't want to get upset if there wasn't anything to be upset about. My Mom knew it was cancer, she knew before she even had the surgery that it was cancer. She told me the day before but I still didn't want to believe it. Our worst fears were confirmed when the doctor broke the news to us. It was in fact a malignant tumor.... He felt like it was encapsulated, which was a good sign. He said that he was confidant that he got gotten it all, but that we would have to wait for the pathology report to know whether or not it had spread. After surgery she was on morphine in the hospital, since it's a narcotic, she didn't really feel any real emotions at first. Probably because she didn't even know where she was. Once she got out of the hospital, reality set in. She had been doing great physically recovering from the surgery. Since the cancer that she has was an aggressive, fast growing cancer, they want to treat it rather aggressively. They don't want to take the chance that it would come back. So she starts chemo on Thursday. She is really trying hard to readjust her thinking on chemo, at first she thought of it as poison. She thought of all the horrible things it was going to do to her, but she wasn't thinking of all the great things it is going to do also. She is learning to embrace it for now and she knows now that it's necessary. The pathology report came back stage 1 level C. Thank God! That just means that it was contained to that one area and hadn't spread at all. However...the level C part is what we have to worry about. This means that she had cells floating around in there that tested positive as well. Which means there were/are cells in there that could be cancerous. This is where the chemo comes into play. I am scared to see my Mom go through such a horrible thing, but I am also optimistic for the future and know how much I want/need my Mom here.

I love my Mom so much, I always have and always will...BUT this has really made me appreciate her and love her more. I just know how fragile and temporary life here is, and I want to savor and take in all that I have with my family. It has stirred something in me and i have felt such a strong desire to protect her and make her feel loved and secure. I would literally do ANYTHING if it would mean she would be better.

Mom, even though this isn't the way we would have chosen, somehow someway WE WILL get through this. You are the best Grammie to our babies and they love you so much and have a bond with you that can never be broken. Stay strong and I will be strong for you. You inspire me daily to be a better Mom and person, thank you for all you have given me.... Love you!

brown bear, brown bear...

2009-11-15T07:47:00.001-08:00

More Coupon Shannanigans

2009-11-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

I've had a few people asking me questions about the whole coupon shopping thing, so I figured I would just type it up here in one place. It's just much easier. The main thing that I have learned with this new way of shopping is you really should never have to full price for ANYTHING. The key to this is building a stockpile of things that you use either once in awhile or everyday. If something goes on sale super cheap and you have a coupon also, you should stock up on that item if you know you will use it. Kmart has events once in awhile where they double all manufactures coupons up to $2. So any $2 coupon doubles to $4. This is when you should stock up on these items if possible. Also, some grocery stores double coupons, locally here I'm pretty sure just scholaris does and they only double up to $1. The idea of stockpiling is not to be a pack rat or to just have "things". When chicken breast goes on sale for $1.79/lb or less, stock up. Freeze it. When things are cheap, use the opportunity to buy it so when you need it, you won't pay more for it. We have whole chickens stocked in our freezer, chicken breast, pork loin, hamburger, ground turkey, sausage, bacon, basically every type of meat you can imagine. It was all purchased at bottom prices, so now we don't really "need" to go shopping for anything except our fresh fruits and vegetables. Everything we buy during the week is stuff that is not only on sale, but what we have a coupon for. Obviously most produce items don't have coupons, but occasionally you will find coupons for fresh items as well. I recently got a whole pineapple for $1.24 because it was on sale for $1.99 and I had a $.75 off coupon.

I get lots of questions on where I get the coupons. Some people subscribe to multiple sunday papers. I buy one paper on Sundays, usually a LA times and My Dad gives me his Sunday paper inserts too. Then I follow several blogs that list deals going on at all the stores. These blogs do all the work for you. They find the deals, tell you the price of the item, where to find the coupon, many times offer the link to print it out right from there, and then they tell you the final price after the coupon. Some of the ones I follow are....

A Thrifty Mom
Coupon Cravings
Deal Seeking Mom
It's Hip to Save
Krazy Coupon Lady
For the Mommas
Frugal Living at it's finest

I never really kept close track of our expenses, but I was curious to know how much money I was saving once I starting feeling comfortable shopping with coupons. When I put all the #'s in, I realized we were paying over $900/mo on groceries before. Sometimes more, sometimes less. The very first month that I spend the whole month shopping carefully with coupons and really shopping around all the stores, I literally cut our grocery expenses in half.

If you look at the post below from Albertsons. you would think that I was feeding my family just these processed foods all week. I bought nothing fresh, no veggies or fruit. I am still building my stock pile of things I want to keep on hand and with the deal they had going on, it was a good opportunity to do some stocking up on things I would need the next 3 or 4 months. I don't just shop a one store, it's usually 3 or 4. I organize my list when the adds come and I decide what i am going to buy, but I technically don't really need to buy anything. Below is another example of a more "normal" shopping trip for me. I bought mostly fresh fruit and veggies, some meat and a few things we could use through the next week or so. This was at Spencers...

There are a few things I feel I should mention... :)
#1 Yes that really is a 3 pack of Coors Light 22's
#2 What you can't see is there are not one but two packs of ground turkey there. Buy one get one!!
#3 I know you love the yogurt pyramid. Those are 10/$4 with the coupon in the ad. They will also let you pair this with a manufactures coupon to save even more
#4 Who can resist a bag of fritos once and awhile, plus if you read the ingredients there really isn't that much "junk" in them...Not to mention they are amazin
#5 Look how presh Kaden looks even though he is sick once AGAIN...
#6 I paid $42.85 for it! Total savings on the receipt read $35.95. Not bad for 38 items.
#7 How amazing do those grapes look? They are called "Holiday Grapes", they are huge!!! I took a close up just in case you were interested. Ha ha...I'm such a nerd

Albertson's catalina deal

2009-11-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

If you have been reading my blog for a little bit, or know me in real life you know that I have started shopping with coupons. Also if you know me, you know that sometimes I can get a little obsessed with some things. So I have become obsessed with saving $. Not a horrible bad thing to be obsessed with. I have stopped posting all the "great deals" I was getting, because I figured that may be a little boring to read about... :) However, I just have to post this one because well it's just too good to not. Albertsons is doing a catalina promotion where if you spend $30 in participating products you get $15 back in catalinas after the transaction. Catalinas are coupons that print out at the end of your transaction, and they are basically a coupon that is $. This was the first time I have tried a catalina promotion. You can only get one catalina per transaction, but if you do several transactions and break it up you can get $15 back for every transaction where you spend $30 in participating products. Basically if you spend $60 in products in one transaction you will only get $15 back, but if you break that $60 in two transactions, you actually get another $15 back. So I went last night. I did this all in 3 transactions. I took one picture of everything, but I will break it down by transaction so you can see how I did it. I'm not gonna lie, this took lots of organization before hand and a plan. I had coupons for most of the items I purchased as well. I did the self check out and it did take awhile to check out. So here is the picture of everything I got...I know it's not the best picture, some things are hidden but you get the idea of the quantity of stuff I came home with. Here is the break down of how I did this and what I actually paid.

Transactions #1
Large box of Huggies diapers
3 Knorr pasta side dishes
4 boxes of lipton soup mix
2 bags of chex mix
1 box betty crocker potatoes

before coupons $43.64
after coupons $29.74

paid and received $15 in catalinas to use on my next transaction

Transaction #2
3 boxes of Fiber One bars
1 Light best food mayo
2 wishbone salad dressing
8 cans of green giant vegetables
5 pillsbury crescent rolls (the boys love these)

total before coupons and catalina $52.82
after coupons and catalinas $12.08

paid and received another $15 catalina to use towards my third transaction

Transaction #3
2 pack of papertowels
12 pack of double roll toilet paper
1 Orowheat bread
1 Tabasco sauce
1 bag nestles chocolate chips
1 pack of corn tortillas
1 Tide laundry detergent
2 English muffins
1 dozen eggs
2 6 packs of danimals yogurt
1 Suave Shampoo
1 Suave Conditioner

total before coupons and catalina $ 54.59
total after coupons and catalina $19.57

So in total I got 44 items for a total of $ 61.39
total before coupons and catalinas would of been $151.05
total of $89.66 in savings!!!!
Pretty good considering the diapers, laundry detergent and paper goods alone would have been close to $40 on sale, and that is only 4 of the items I came home with. I would say 45 minutes of planning and organizing and 1 hour at the store was well worth it for the deal I got.

Feel free ask questions if you have them. I can tell you that we have cut our grocery bill in half by my new "obsession". For us, that is $ in our pocket that can go towards all the other things that cost $$. Like gas for our car, rent, utilities, etc... It's kinda like I got a job but never left the house, well except to go to the grocery store...

This is how our cupboard looked as of last night...Eek. It kinda looks like it's going to snap in half!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

We had a good Halloween this year. In the past we have taken the boys down to the village to trick or treat. Last year they didn't close down the street and all that was separating the cars from all the kids was some yellow tape. It just didn't seem safe with a gazillion kids down there and cars driving through. Apparently they decided to shut down the street this year, we still decided to skip it and just trick or treat in our own neighborhood. This was both of their first time trick or treating from house to house.

Kaden caught on really quick, we talked about it for about a week before, so he was ready. He kept singing "trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat, if you don't I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear!" He thought that was just hilarious. I told him that he couldn't actually say that to our neighbors. He never did bust out with that during the night, Thank god! He did really love the whole process though. Knocking on the doors, then ringing the doorbell...he would burst out with "TRICK OR TREAT!" before they could say a word. It was funny. He was really polite and always said Thank you. He didn't ask for one piece of candy while trick or treating, he was so focused on getting to the next house and getting more candy in his bucket. Everyone commented on his muscles and he loved feeling like a true superhero.

Austin, being just over 2 was understandably a little more cautious and scared. He did love getting all the candy though, in fact he was opening the candy he was given before they even shut the door and said good bye. I swear that boy ate 100 pieces of candy that day. I can only imagine how scary it must be for a 2 year old to walk the neighborhood and see all the scary stuff. There were ghosts, wolves, monsters...things he never sees. He wanted to be held a little bit, but overall I felt like he was pretty brave. I have to say he was the cutest batman I have ever seen...
Mike and I took a video of them running around the living room on a complete sugar high doing ring around the rosie and basically bouncing off the walls.

Earlier in the day I dressed the boys up in their costumes and we surprised my Mom at her work. They really liked doing that too. My Mom loved seeing them in their costumes. She came over later and took the boys trick or treating with us too. It was a good year. I'll just stop talking about it and post the pictures now. They were so adorable in their superhero costumes...

They love their Grammy!

VOTE

2009-10-13T19:36:00.001-07:00

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/Byrumfamily/

2009-10-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy because tonight I got some great deals at CVS and saved a ton of $$$$!!! The boys have been sick with colds and their doctor recommended that we give them benedryl. I knew we were out and we also needed a few other things. I figured I would use that opportunity to stock up on some other things... The picture above are the things I came home with. Of course Mike gave me the good ol' eye roll. However, after I told him how much I spent he was calling me his coupon queen... :) I post these things not to brag or rub it in anyones face but to inspire people, that you also can save money like this $$$!!! I don't really have a choice, we need all the extra money we can get and I really feel like I am doing my family a great service by saving money for us. So here are the items I got and how much they would have cost without coupons

CVS double pack of Nightime and Daytime cold and flu $7.99
CVS Kleenex $1.49
CVS hand sanitizer $2.99
Revlon nailpolish $3.99
Childrens Tylenol $6.00
Childrens Benedryl $5.00
Motrin $8.00
Adult Benedryl allergy/cold $5.00
2 packs of planters nut and fruit trail mix $3.00/2
2 cans of carnation evaporated milk $2.50/2
2 Thomas english muffins $3.69/ pack but were buy one get one
4 packs of gum $2.00

$51.65 is what I would have spent had a walked in there with no coupons....and that is with buying everything on sale!

but with a couple manufactures coupons, some cvs coupons, and earning extra bonus bucks, my total was....wait for it....$14.63

WHAT???!!! Crazy huh...

Life...

2009-10-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

So I guess it's time for an update on here. We are all finally feeling better after getting sick at the beginning of September. The boys have been so funny lately. They are playing so well together these days. They entertain each other for hours...It's great. We still have to break up plenty of screaming fights, but overall they really really love each other.

The newest thing we have battled is breaking Kaden of his paci habit. Yes, he is 3 1/2!!!! We took Austin to the doctor for his 2 year checkup (more on that later) We got to talking about the paci habits they both have and Dr Macias thought it really was time for Kaden to be free of his addiction to his beloved paci. He told him that on Friday that week (it was on a Monday) he wanted Kaden to throw away his paci. We counted down the days with him and talked to him alot about it. We marked each day on the calendar and circled Friday so he knew that was the day. He really only had the paci while in bed for the last year or so, but if it were up to him, he would have had it in all day. He totally relied on it to relax and to fall asleep. Since Kaden was a baby, as soon as the paci would go in his mouth, his hand would go up in his hair and he would play with his hair to soothe himself. He has continued to do this all the way up until last Friday. When the paci left, the hair swirling and twirling did too. So Friday came and I told Kaden that since it was his last day of having his paci, that he could have it all morning. He took full advantage of that and I seriously didn't hear a peep from him all morning... By 11 or so I told him maybe he needed to give the paci a break for a little bit and eat a snack. He walked right over to the trash and threw it away. Keep in mind he has done this several times in the last few months and we have had to dig it out when he couldn't fall asleep at night. This time I told him that since he threw it away, it was gone and we weren't going to dig it out. He seemed fine with it. He didn't take a nap that day, which I wasn't really surprised about. I was more worried about night time. The paci had almost a physical dependence. On one of the days that he had thrown his paci away before, he had told me that he needed something to make his mouth warm and cozy. I felt really bad about this intense dependance on the paci. After all it was us that gave it him and didn't take it away from him at an early enough age to where he didn't form this severe attachment to it. I gotta say that after all the build up to the big day, it went incredibly smooth. That first night Kaden was tired from not having a nap during the day. So when we put him to bed that night, he did have a little bit of a hard time but it was NOTHING like I imagined it would be. After less than 10 minutes he was fast asleep in his bed. I was a little anxious about how the rest of the night would go. He did wake up several times that night. I just tried to encourage him that he could do it and that he was going to be so proud of himself in the morning. The best reward was waking up to him (@6:45 by the way) squealing with delight "I made it all night without my paci!!!!" He was soproud of himself. Once he got through the first night, he knew that he could do it. We told him that once he got through the first night we would take him to pick out a special toy. So we did that on Saturday. He picked out Optimus Prime, it has several buttons and makes different noises and it's eyes light up. He is such a boy! Every night has been smoother and smoother and there have even been some nights where has gone to sleep without even making a peep. If you know Kaden and his bedtime antics, you will know that this is amazing. He hasn't napped since, but I will take that any day for having him be free from the paci. I am so beyond proud of him. It has truly been WAY easier than I expected. He still continues to amaze me everyday with his zest for life and his sweet nature. Love that boy to pieces...

Kaden with his "Optimus Prime"

Mike got these glasses from a lady at work. Have you seen the commercial? I don't even remember what it's for but I laugh every time Kaden puts them on and says "ESTRADA!"

Like I mentioned earlier, we took Austin to his 2 year check up. He is doing great! Here are his stats from the appointment...

Height: 35" (70th %)
Weight: 28lbs (50th%)

He did have to get one shot and he didn't like it, but he didn't cry. He just yelled "OW" really loud. Poor babe. He is so hilarious these days. It seems the day he turned 2, he changed....He is really learning to assert himself now and loves to growl "MINE!"....and "NO!" As strange as it sounds I really do love the fact that he is growing like this, I know it's all part of the process of learning and discovering who he is. He is still as sweet as ever and now hold his hands up to me and says in the sweetest little voice "Hold you mama". He is beginning to put words together too and form sentences. Last night we were all talking about Austin giving up the beloved paci, otherwise known as the "tee tee" to Austin, when Kaden said that he was going to throw his "tee tee" away, Austin yelled at him "NO! Don't do it!" SO precious....I am really loving the age and stage both boys are at right now. They are both at perfect ages for playing together and it everyday I see the bond they have growing stronger and stronger. 9 times out 10 Austin is up before Kaden in the morning, as soon as Kaden comes out of his room, Austin's eyes light up and his voice gets about 10 levels higher and he says "Hi Kaden!" It's so adorable....Usually Kaden greets Austin with a hug if he is in a good mood, sometimes he doesn't want anyone to talk to him or look at him for a good 10 minutes. Either way, Austin is just happy as a clam that his big brother is up for the day and soon they will be playing together.
Many of you know that I have been doing Weight Watchers. I started in mid April. I have lost 31lbs so far. I still have about 10 more to go, but words can't describe how much better I feel. I feel disgusted that I let myself get like I did, but at the same time I am so proud that I did what I set out to do. It has affected my life in more positive ways that I can even explain. All our lives are better because of it. When you are not happy with yourself, it's really hard to be happy with ANYTHING. I have so much to be thankful for and to be happy about and now I really can see it for the first time in a long time!

Not a full body shot or anything, but I like my hair in the picture...Plus you can kinda tell by my face that I am happier now than I have ever been...Life is great!

What can I even say about Mike? He is amazing, so incredibly supportive and loving... He has been through so much with me and has seriously held me up when I felt like I couldn't stand. He is our rock and is everything to us. He is such a hard worker and never has thought twice about working hard for our family. Even on his days off he is out working on the yard, making our house look amazing. Although since football season has started, he is spending a little more time on the couch...He deserves this and I am 100% OK with it. Best husband and Dad we could ask for, hands down....

Another coupon post

2009-09-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Another K-mart trip today...We needed coffee and I needed contact solution, I knew I had coupons for both. So why not use a coupon that they will double? All the other stuff I got, I just couldn't resist the deal. I knew it would be used eventually and why not get it cheap. Here is the price break down.

Secret Deodorant $3.89 :) FREE
Clear Care Contact Solution $8.95 $4.95
Folgers Brazilian coffee (big size) $6.49 $5.99
Tostidos tortilla chips $3.00 No coupon!!! But it was on sale!
Hershey Special dark chocolate kisses $2.50 $.50 who could pass this up for $.50!!!
Ragu Spaghetti sauce $1.99 $.99
Wheat Thins $2.50 $1.75
Triscuits $2.50 $1.75
2 Coffeemate coffee creamers $4.98 $2.98 for both

price before coupons $36.80
total after coupons $21.91

Not as great as last time, but I did get a couple higher priced items...Like the contact solution and the coffee. So when you consider what I got and what I would have paid before for these things, then I did pretty good. Plus Mike just had to have his tortilla chips, I only bought these because he requested them. I know I could have gotten them cheaper somewhere else...ha ha! It would have only been $18.91 if I had not gotten those. When you consider the coffee and contact solution alone would have been $15.44. I'd say that's pretty darn good for what I got!

Coupon obsessed...

2009-09-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

I have a new hobby. I have been collecting coupons for about a month and decided I would try to save our family some money. So far I think I have done pretty good with it. It is time consuming but I feel a sense of accomplishment when i leave the store spending WAY less than what I would have spent before without blinking an eye. I also shopped for sale stuff before, but never did I imagine how much less you can pay if you take the time to use coupons.

Kmart is doubling all manufactures coupons up to $2 till October 3rd. I have made 2 trips so far and I wanted to share how I did. This is the list of the things I ended up with. The price in black bold is the price that I would have paid if I didn't have a coupon and the price in red is what I actually paid for the item.

2 secret deodorants $7.78 FREE
1 Dove deodorant $3.99 FREE
2 Visines $7.98 FREE
1 24ct advil $3.99 FREE
2 Aveeno baby lotions $9.58 $1.58
1 Reynolds foil $2.99 $1.49
1 Ajax dish soap $1.99 FREE
2 Pringles $3.00 $1.00
1 huge gatorade $1.66 no coupons (gasp!)
1 10 pack Bic disposable razors $3.49 FREE
1 bag of dark chocolate kisses $2.50 $.50
1 jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce $1.99 $.99
1 Lea and Perrins Worcheshire sauce $3.25 FREE
1 dial hand soap $1.59 $.49

TOTAL before coupons ( I would of spent) $55.78
TOTAL I ACTUALLY SPENT $8.71

*total before coupons*
*total after coupons*

I did this in two trips but if I would have done it in one, I had a $5.00 off coupon when you spend $50....shoot! They do actually have a 10 coupon limit, so the chances of me being able to do all of this at once is slim. So I am really proud. These are all things we use. It makes me feel like I am doing something good for my family. You may be thinking, why in the world do you need 3 deodorants? I thought that also when I started reading about "stockpiling", but not only will I not need to buy deodorant for like a year, I will probably never pay a cent for it again. In fact, before this double coupon shinanigans is over, I will probably have 3 or 4 more...Why pass up something that is free that eventually you will use? That is my theory anyway. Also, I can give it away to someone who needs it. Every time I come home with another bag from Kmart, Mike rolls his eyes. ha ha...He really does like that I am saving money though. He just thinks it's funny how obsessed i get with things.

Down with the Dodgers! Let's go Giants!!!

2009-09-19T09:45:00.001-07:00

Momma's day with Austin

2009-09-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

new art projects by Kaden

2009-09-19T09:14:00.001-07:00

Pictures from the party

2009-09-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

Great Grandma and Grammy

Papa

Austin taking the first swing on the pinata

Singing happy birthday! Right before my camera died...boo

Kaden and Uncle D playing sword fight and Austin hanging out with D

Austin with his buddy Jeremy

My Mama and Laurie

Hanna and Marcel

Gavin

Grandma and Grammy

Mike and Cody

Jude

Jude and Austin

Kaden

blowing bubbles

The pinata

the cake

posters I made for the party

Big ol birthday boy

Playing with "Woody"

2009-09-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Austin is 2!!!! He had a super great birthday this year and he really understood that it was his special day. Mike had a 3 day weekend, so we were all home on the morning of his birthday. It was so much fun to celebrate all together. The night before Mike and I were up till midnight decorating the house, wrapping his presents and putting together his new tricycle. Finally I had everything set up for how I wanted it when he woke up.

Kaden's presents

He woke up bright and early Saturday morning. I think he knew that it was his birthday or something. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw all the decorations. Kaden was just as excited as Austin was. Kaden ran out in the living room first and squealed, "I got a new bike"!!! It was so sad because we told him that it was Austin's birthday and that was his present. We did get him a present too, but I think it was really hard for him seeing Austin get so much attention.

Austin's reaction to decorations

When Kaden realized that the tricycle wasn't for him...

Kaden eventually got over it. It took lots of talking about how we should all be excited to celebrate brother today and everyone has their very own day. We explained that he had his birthday in april and now it's brothers turn to have his day. We had lots to do to prepare for the party the next day. So we headed off to Costco to do some shopping. We got the boys a hot dog and then headed home for naps. We headed back up to SLO later in the afternoon and High St. Deli for dinner. Yum! We were trying to get everything done for the party, so we tried to get the boys to bed early. We knew the next day would also be a long one.

We had his party at Strother park this year. We have done the birthday parties in our backyard before but this year we just wanted to try something new. I have to say that it was really nice not having it at home. I think all the kids enjoyed having the spacious park to run around and play in. Not to mention cleanup was a breeze compared to having them in your backyard...

2nd week of preschool!

2009-09-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

So here we are in the second week of preschool for Kaden. He was super excited this morning when he woke up for school and was really happy to have Grammie and Uncle "D" come with us to drop him off. He really wanted them to see where he went to school. We got him all ready and headed off to school. Kaden showed Grammie all his favorite things at school and then we left. He did great with us leaving, he has never cried or even acted sad. He seems to be really adjusting great.

While Kaden was at school, we decided to take Austin to the Avila barn. He had a ton of fun feeding all the animals. He laughed every time he gave them a piece of lettuce. I even caught him reaching his hand in there and yanking back on a goats horn.... yikes. He has no fear. He jumped around on the hay and looking at the toys and then he was ready to go pick up Kaden.

Kaden had a great day at school. He told me all about it on the way home, he even told me that he went potty at school, which was the first time he had done that. After everyone had left I asked the teacher how Kaden was doing. She said that he was doing great. She said "he sure is a happy boy!" I loved hearing that...She said he really seems to enjoy making friends and the socialization. I love that things are working out for him there and that he is thriving. I'm just so proud of him. To top it all off, he brought home this....

UH OH!

2009-09-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Big boy haircut

2009-09-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Austin got a haircut today. He is turning 2 in less than a week and we thought he needed a haircut to go along with his big boy status...As you can see from the pictures below, he looks adorable...

Before

During

After