Halloween

I often get comments that Kamryn looks "just like Boo from Monster's Inc." so we HAD to go with it for HAlloween.  My first thought was to find a purple monster costume..  But the best I could find was ebay for like $50.  WAY out of my price range. 
So then I thought, I could just do the PJs that Boo wears.  Pink nightgown, purple leggings, white shoes and socks, pink balls in her pigtails.  Easy enough.  Wrong!  Everything has patterns or prints on it these days!  It is impossible to find a plain pink nightgown!  So, then I thought I'd make one.  My aunt offered to help.  But then she couldn't find the right binding for the collar... so...that idea was out.
Meanwhile, during this drama of Kamryn's costume, I was worried that people wouldn't know who Kamryn was supposed to be if she was just in the nightgown.  So, I decided to dress Kyler up as Mike Wazowski!  Everyone would know who HE was! So, I began the search for a green sleeper in Kyler's size.  Again--no luck.  I decided a onesie and pants would work too---again...no luck!  Everything was DARK green or had Large prints on it that wouldn't be covered up very well. 
So, there I was at a stand still with BOTH costumes.  VERY frustrating!

I put it off for a couple of weeks and then suddenly had some bright ideas.  I ended up being able to make both of their costumes in under $25!  It was wonderful!  And they turned out pretty cute!

Kyler--I remembered that I had a plain cream colored onesie and pants that came in a bundle of clothes I got before Kyler was even born, that had never been worn!  I thought, I'm never going to use that!  It's worth a shot to try to dye it.  It worked wonders!  Then I made a face out of felt pieces!  :)

Kamryn--I found the coat at Target on sale.  I attached yarn, pipecleaners and styrofoam balls to the hood.  Also added felt teeth around the hood.  Found the balls in her hair at Walmart.  We already owned leggings and just turned a nightgown (with Ariel on the front) inside-out and backwards!  It worked perfectly! :)

I ran out of time to do anything for Ryan and I --- but that's okay.  Ryan's not all into the dressing up anyway!

Other fun things we did for Halloween this year:

Ward Halloween Carnival:
Our ward does a carnival for the kids every year.  Kamryn hung out with her uncles (who were supposed to be helping with it! :P) She was overwhelmed at how many bigger strangers there were around, but she did enjoy the pumpkin bowling and the cake walk.  She got her sucker and her cupcake for both games (multiple times) and was talking about it for days after!  "party...cake...sucker!  It was fun!"

Kyler found a balloon and was content to play with it the entire time!














Pumpkins!
Kamryn and I went with Uncle Brandon and Austin and Grammy to pick out pumpkins 2 days before Halloween.  It was slim pickins by then, but we found some that would work.  Kamryn was so excited about "HER" pumpkin! It was cute.
 

Then we had our pumpkin carving party!  My mom invited some of our extended family to come carve pumpkins with us.  I also invited my friend Nancy and her family over.  It was a full house. 

Kamryn is not so into carving pumpkins -- but LOVED coloring on hers with a pen.
Kyler was SO into it!  He reached and reached and wanted to clean out his pumpkin faster than I could get to it!  Funny boy!  He was too cute!

 

Carving with Cassie and Nancy and other family!

 Finished Products!!

 Mine-Belle, Kamryn's- Jasmine, Kyler's- Happy face (Baby's first pumpkin)

 Kamryn's Jasmine and Cassie's Kitty Cat

Kyler was SO into his pumpkin, even after all the messy goop was gone.  Such cute "1st Halloween" pictures, don't you think?!

 

Kamryn was SO happy and proud of her Jasmine pumpkin.  

(Thanks Grandad for shrinking the princess pattern to fit her pumpkin!  She loved it!)

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Seamons!
We went over to Ryan's parents house on Saturday afternoon and the kids got to "trick or treat" and show off their costumes.  Grandma gave them a cute Halloween card, a cute Halloween book, some candy and some pretzels.  Kamryn and Kyler were both very excited about the gifts.  Thanks Grandma!

 I love this above picture--Kamryn eating the goldfish, Kyler eating the wrappers! :)

 Cute Happy Boy!

Trick or Treating!

The past 2 years I have gotten together with my friend, Nancy and her kids to go trick or treating around our parents' neighborhood. (We grew up in the same neighborhood). This year was the first year we both have 2 kids to take each, but we decided to continue the tradition--despite the rain! :)  We left at 5:30--right when it started POURING!  I had Ryan come get Kyler and the stroller--I decided it wasn't worth the effort.  He was asleep in there anyway and it was too much for me to do.  We went to a bunch of houses and Kamryn really started to understand what she was doing!  It was fun to see her eyes light up when she could knock on doors and then get candy for free! :)  Soon enough though, Cassie got very cold (I don't blame her...she doesn't have any fat on her!  Such a cute little thing) so they went inside to dry off.  I asked Kamryn if she was done and she replied "more candy"!  So, we went to a few more houses before she decided she was exhausted from walking around the neighborhood.

 

Kamryn as Boo--Cassie as Dorothy

 Nancy, Addy, Cassie, Kamryn and Me -- hard core trick or treaters

 So wet!!

After Trick or Treating: Time to dig into the candy!

 Kyler enjoyed the wrappers!

 Yummy!

 Kyler is trying to steal Kamryn's candy...Kamryn's not so sure about it!

 Cute kids!

 I forgot to take a picture of all 4 kids together before my kids took off their costumes.  Oh well.  :)  

It was a fun fun weekend!

Happy Halloween!!

Our busy lives

So, I constantly am thinking these days that I need to blog. I need to record what is going on in our lives right now. I need to cherish these days and get them on paper (or digital paper) because time really does fly by.  One week Kamryn and Kyler will be doing cute things and then the next week those cute things are replaced by other cute things.  and I'm forgetting a lot of it... :(  So sad!

BUT with 2 kids  (and one being a toddler who LOVES the computer like her Daddy ;) jk) it is just almost impossible to get on the computer to blog.  By night time I'm too tired and impatient to wait for pictures to upload...but like I said--it's not really feasible during the day.  Any ideas?


Today I find myself with a little bit of time to blog...but unfortunately I don't have any pictures with me (I'm not at home).  So, this will be a quick catch up and a reminder post for me to remember what things have happened lately that I'd like to post with pictures! :)

-We moved.  We are now officially moved into my parents house and checked out of our apartment.  It was quite a bittersweet experience for me.  As I was cleaning the apartment with Ryan the night before our checkout, I was surprised to find myself sorta sad to leave.  It was our "first" apartment. (I say "first" because it was our first one out of student housing.  Nicer and bigger.  Lots of "grown up" things happened there) :)

Along with us being moved--we are now at my parents and we LOVE it!  So convenient in a lot of ways and so fun to see my family more often and Ryan's family who are just a quick 4 minutes away!  Some people probably couldn't stand living with their parents and younger siblings again, but it is working out well for us so far. :)

-Halloween!  I wanted Kamryn to be Boo from Monsters' Inc. this year because I'm always getting comments from others about how much she looks like Boo.  So, to go with that, Kyler was Mike Wazowski. I managed to make their costumes for $24.  Not too bad and they turned out so cute!  My friend, Nancy, and I took our kids trick or treating around the neighborhood like we have the past 2 years.  This was the first year we both had 2 kids each to worry about.  It was okay but then it POURED on us!  So rainy, so wet, but so fun.  We are hard core trick-or-treaters I guess! :)

-Babysitting.  We babysat for some of our friends for a whole week in Mid-October and then this weekend we have been babysitting again.  It's fun but it's beginning to be a lot more difficult for us to do it anymore because we have 2 kids now.  It's nice to get a little extra money here and there though. :)

-Kamryn is our little climber.  She climbs out of her crib.  Out of a porta-crib.  Into Kyler's crib... :)  Everywhere!  She also can open doors--even with a baby handle on it!  Every door I don't want her opening better have a lock up high or else she will open it.  She also has found light switches.  If it is on (even being used)--she turns it off.  If it is off because someone is sleeping--she turns it on! :) What a toddler!  She talks all of the time these days.  She is constantly making us laugh.  She sings along with songs--even if she has never heard them before! :)  Her newest and funniest thing is when she does her Taekwondo moves.  (My brothers and mom are in Taekwondo and are often practicing at home.  Kamryn recently picked up some of her own moves from her observations of them!) :)

-Ryan is applying for the BYU MBA program on December 1st.  We are really really hoping he gets in for next fall.  The timing just feels right.  Please pray for him. :)

-This morning we went to my cousin, Jantzen's, baptism.  It was a wonderful meeting and experience.  I love going to things like that to help remind me what life is really all about.  About living to serve others, being around family and supporting those you love, and it's about following Christ and becoming like him.  Today was Kamryn's first experience with baptism and she was a little nervous about what she was seeing, but I think it made a good impression on her.  I feel so blessed to be able to live close to my family AND Ryan's family and to have support and good examples for us and our kids.  My grandparents drove down from Northern Idaho (2 day drive) to be there for him. My Grandma got to stand up and say a few words to Jantzen and she told him to be like his Daddy.  Be like his Mommy.  And he will be happy.  I thought about that and it's so simple but so true.  I am blessed to be part of a family who have made good choices and who are happy.  And isn't the point of life to be happy?  It's a wonderful feeling to feel like I am raising my kids in a good place with good people surrounding us.  Not to say that anywhere else COULDN'T be good--because there are many many good people in this world and I have no doubt we will find them when we move someday--but for the time being, this is where we are supposed to be with our little growing family.

-After a wonderful morning, however, it all came crashing down :) (luckily Ryan and I were happy and patient with it though!) :)  I was feeling sick to my stomach on the way home. Then I turn around to see Kamryn in the back seat and she is throwing up her breakfast!  Got EVERYTHING messy--her, her hair, her clothes, her blanket, her carseat, the car and seatbelt, on me, on Brandon, etc. It was nasty! Poor little girl!  Then we got that all cleaned up (Ryan was a good daddy and hosed down the carseat) and then I smelled something. Kyler was stinky.  I opened his pants and there was poop EVERYWHERE!  Another stinky nasty mess. 
Poor kids, I hope they aren't coming down with something!   Needless to say my stomach has still felt queasy all afternoon--but I think they beat me to being sick! :P

As you can see, lots to report, no time to blog!  :)  

I still have faith that someday I'll find the time...but for now this will have to do!

6 months old

I can't believe my little man is 6 months old already!  Time has flown since he was born.  Some fun things Kyler does these days:
-Kyler LOVES the camera!  (as you can tell from the pictures above!) He will smile and smile and laugh every time a camera is pointed in his direction.  This is SUCH a relief for me because Kamryn has always been exactly opposite.  It's like pulling teeth to get her to cooperate in front of a camera!
-Kyler can sit up by himself and will play contently for long periods of time.  Sometimes I forget he is even there because he can entertain himself so well. (also something Kamryn is STILL working on! ) :)
-Kyler can almost roll over from tummy to back and back to tummy.  Both of my kids have been "later rollers"
-Kyler will scoot himself in circles and is constantly flapping his arms and legs wanting to "GO"!
-Kyler loves to watch Kamryn play and be silly. 
-Kyler loves to take baths with Kamryn. He thinks she is just the funniest thing! :)  It's too cute!
-Kyler got his first cold this past week.  Poor baby has a runny/stuffy nose, cough, sore throat, slight fever, etc.  He has trouble sleeping even with the humidifier right now...but I guess you have to have a first for everything.
-Kyler eats 5 bottles a day and is starting solid foods.  He loves everything we have tried thus far! It's great.
-Kyler still has his 2 dimples on his cheeks. (my favorite feature ;) )
-Kyler puts everything in his mouth. blankets, hands, toys, hair, etc.  I get sick of everything being wet sometimes but its all good.  He is inquisitive and learning.
-Kyler has quietly weaned himself off his binkie.  He just isn't interested in it.  (Now I just wish Kamryn would become disinterested too!)
-Kyler still grunts a lot like he did when he was brand new.  In fact, his belly laugh is a mixture of laughter and grunting.  Kinda cute.

-Kyler will reach for EVERYTHING in front of him---so watch out when you are holding him! :)
-Kyler is ticklish on his neck and tummy.  Nowhere else.
-Kyler loves to play with his own feet.  There have been times I think he is going to eat them, but not quite yet! :)
-Kyler weighs over 16 lbs
-Kyler doesn't really nap.  He will take little 10-20 minute catnaps about 2-3 times a day.  I miss my good napping hours when I could get stuff done or just have a break! :) 
-Kyler will scoot around on his back in his crib (thus bonking his head on the rails and then screaming)
-Kyler is learning how to share a room with his sister these days.  Quite the adventure.
-Kyler has been sleeping 9-11 hours a night for the past couple of months.  It's been really really nice!  However, we moved last week and with all the changes and then him catching a cold, we've been missing that sleep lately.  I am hopeful it will return soon!  :) 

Love you, Kyler bear! 

We're moving! (AGAIN)

Our contract in this apartment ends on Halloween.  Because Ryan has decided to get an MBA at BYU and we are going to stay put here in Utah for a while, we have started househunting.  But because we are house hunting and know we aren't going to stay in this apartment for much longer anyway, we have decided to move in with my parents in order to help ourselves save up for a down payment AND to avoid wasting more money on rent.  So...this month we will be gradually moving, saving for a down payment on a house, househunt and look into grad school more!  Wow!~  What a busy month! :)

We keep joking around about how much we move.  This apartment is the 5th apartment we've lived in since we got married (just over 3 years ago!!)  We promise we don't just LIKE to move! :) haha  But we really appreciate everyone who helps us every time! ;)

Couple of new posts!

Blogging is one of my favorite things to do...but with a 2 year old and a 6 month old...I just have the hardest time finding time and energy to do it!

And Although, I can't promise anything--I will try my hardest to blog at least once a week!  (however, it will be even more difficult this month because by the end of this month, we will be moving in with my parents.)

Enjoy the 2 posts I got done tonight! :)  Comments always motivate me to keep blogging! ;)

24

So, my birthday was a couple weeks ago.  Ryan surprised me when I woke up with a nice card and note that sent me on a scavenger hunt around our apartment.  At each of the 5 "stops" there was a 20 dollar bill and another note.  The money was all for a little shopping trip that night.  We went to the mall where I found a pair of black heels I've been wanting for a while.  We went to Kohls, where I didn't find much (unfortunately) but it was still fun to go shopping with Ryan and have no babies for a couple of hours.  We went to dinner at Pounders.  It is a YUMMY YUMMY Hawaiian grill!  (If you haven't been, you should TOTALLY go!!  Soooo good!  Now in Provo!)  

And then we went to my parents where our kids were and had ice cream cake and sang happy birthday.  It was a great day! :)

  I feel so blessed--wonderful husband, wonderful kids, member of the LDS church, we live near family, have a great job.  Here's to my 25th year being just as great as 24! :)

Pass of all Passes!!

My Mom and Dad emailed us a few weeks ago and told us about "The Pass of All Passes".  This is a pass for unlimited Trafalga (in Orem and Lehi), Seven Peaks Water Park (2011 Season), all Owls games and all Flash games.  And at the time we could get it for $35/person on Citydeals.com!  So we went for it!  And we've already gone a couple of times.  It's been great! :)

We went on the slick track.  Kamryn wasn't so sure about going quickly in the cars but she got more comfortable with it as Ryan drove with her more.

Her FAVORITE activity is Mini Golf.  We told her we were going to play with balls and asked her what color she wanted.  She thought for a minute and said "Green?!"  It was so cute.

 She loved running down each green to the hole.  She understood that she had to hit the ball with her "stick" ... but did it one handed.  She loved to follow EVERYONE's balls and then pick them up and give them to that person! :)  So funny! :)

 One handed AND upside down! :) That's talent!

Kyler watching everyone golf and not keep score!! 

We went again (to Lehi this time) tonight and she loved just running around the golf course ... wasn't as obsessed with the balls this time.  But this time, on the drive there, I heard this from the back seat: 

"Balls?! Green....pink....blue.... OK????!"  

I couldn't stop laughing!  What a silly and smart girl! 

Golfing with Grandad and Grammy

Anyway, I think the passes are still available!  And they are SOOOOO worth it!! :)