What we have been up to

As most of you already know, we have since moved out on our own and are enjoying the time together as our little family of four. Over the last few weeks we have been up to a few things: First, potty training. This was something I did NOT want to do, and have put it off and put it off. Then, when living with Nicole and Adam and their two boys, things were a little too crazy already to introduce potty training. So, now that we are on our own, I had to get to it with Chase. Even though he wasn't all for it, he jumped on the bandwagon and success soon followed. We started last week and we already have a pro on our hands. Only a few minor accidents, and that is it. I am pretty amazed...I guess he was ready. So here is a picture of that, (we ended up going to a smaller potty chair, but I thought this picture was kinda funny with Kai attacking me with the camera, and Chase being goofy).

Slightly before we moved we realized that Kai liked all of our food, not baby food. So we started him on anything and everything. Now that he has a few teeth (you can't tell here), he really can eat most things. One of his favorite things, which he gets on a rare occasion, is Oreos :).

Now that we have our own furniture back, the boys are embracing it. This is their favorite pastime, it seems, (or jumping on the couch), and if I am not paying attention for a minute, all of the books (as high as they can reach) are brought tumbling down. Unfortunately with the curved bookcase, it is hard to put them back up, so they aren't really able to help me clean up their mess.

Without two other cousins always around, Chase has had time to sit and ponder life. Haha, yeah right. I did think this was a funny picture though. All of a sudden Chase says, "Mom, look at my chair!" and I turn to see him sitting on this little toy chair all seriously.

We were also able to go to Brown's Point in Tacoma, WA, and even though it was way windy and freezing, we were able to enjoy the sun and see the lighthouse, and even a bald eagle. Pretty cool.

Lastly we enjoy having more space to ourselves. So the other day I put Kai up on my shoulders and chased Chase around the house. Don't you love all the drool on Kai? He is majorly teething and is constantly soaked.

We Love Kai--Happy 1st Birthday!

It is so weird to think that a year ago today contractions were starting and I was in denial that I was actually going into labor. Thanks to the help of Melissa and my mom, I heeded their advice and went to the doctor to check things out. Kai was relatively easy to bring into the world, however, once he was here, he wasn't the easiest baby right off the bat. But over time we got his reflux figured out, and the Kai we all know and love came through, a sweet, fun-loving, loves to eat a ton, and little baby boy who knows what he wants and when he wants it :). It has been a lot of fun getting to know him over this last year, and we can't believe how much he has grown up. We love you, Kai, and are glad to have you part of our family.
Here he is less than a week old.
And now here he is, grown up a little more, and able to feed himself, kinda. We celebrated his birthday while at my parents (with his cousin Payton who is just 3 weeks older than him), and will celebrate it again tomorrow (a day delayed), but here he is discovering his first cake. It didn't take him long to discover that eating his first cake would be a lot of fun.
I love Kai's personality...we didn't even have to encourage him, he went all in...so typical of this guy.
He seriously ate almost his entire cake. A few pieces were slung through the air, where my parents dog was anxiously waiting. Samson knows to hang out where Kai is eating, Kai is pretty good about sharing his meals and his treats. Happy Birthday Kai, we love you and are anxious to celebrate your birthday again tomorrow.

Adam's Wedding & Our Visit to El Dorado Hills

It is crazy to think that my little brother Adam is a married man now, and that I have a new sister named Cortnie, but I am happy for the two of them, and excited for us to have an even bigger family now. Adam and Cortnie got married on a golf course outside of the San Francisco area on Feb. 28th, and thankfully the weather cooperated and it was really nice. My parents were nice enough to fly me, Chase and Kai down for it, as well as Kelli and her three kids. It was soooo much fun being all together as a family (minus Nathan and Kelli's husband, Todd). The wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun, and I am glad that we were able to be there.

Here's the newly married couple.

The reception afterwards was a lot of fun as well, and Chase was up to his antics in putting on a show. He loved to go out on the dance floor while everyone was still eating, and start dancing to get the wedding party to laugh at him. He especially liked flirting with a lot of the women there. Chase can be really shy, but when he is tired he typically turns into a little ham. I thought this picture was cute of the grandkids that were old enough to dance.

I know that none of us girls like this picture, but it is decent of the three of us, and we had a great time hanging out at my parents' house the rest of our visit. It was nice having our kids all together because for the most part they played with each other and left us alone to visit.

Here is the whole gang of grandkids on the Stoker family side. There is one on the way, so that will make four boys and four girls...crazy to think how many we have already!