Ryan & Misty & Cayson

Dylan and other news...

2012-01-22T15:30:00.001-07:00

These are pictures of Dylan taken at about one month.

Thanks Heather!

Our little old man…

Seriously though, doesn't he look like an old man?

He has changed quite a bit since these pictures and is definitely growing into himself.

Mom and Dad have given a sigh of relief!

He has the longest little toes!

In other news… Cayson is potty trained! Well mostly. We are still working on "#2".

A couple of weeks ago Ryan had put Cayson on the toilet. Cayson was not making any progress and it was bedtime. Ryan told him it was time for bed, in which Cayson responded "No" and proceeded to take care of business. Needless to say that week was spent potty training. Incentives seem to really work on this kid. I bought some chocolate for him to have every time he went. I'm not sure if it's the fact that he never gets candy or if he really was ok with going potty on the toilet, but he has done really well with it. Our other tactic was to reward him with two crackers every time we asked him if he was dry and he was. I couldn't be more thrilled with his accomplishment and am definitely the proud mother! We are now going on five days without an accident. Hopefully here is to many many more!

Dylan also has reached a milestone in his life. The past couple of nights he has been sleeping through the night. Eight weeks old and sleeping seven or eight hours. Boy does my heart swell to be getting some sleep! Thank you Babywise!

Tis the Season...

2012-01-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

CHRISTMAS…It's the most wonderful time of the year.

That is what they always say, and I couldn't agree more!

I love the Christmas season. I love the lights, cheerful faces, presents, the feeling in the air, and most of all BLACK FRIDAY.

With Dylan's due date a month prior to Christmas and two days prior to Black Friday, I thought Christmas was mostly going to be a non-event for us this year. It actually turned out to be an amazing season and wonderful day.

Our first festivity was the Kurt Bestor Christmas concert.

Ryan worked Mr. Bestor's concerts for KSL and in turn was able to score us some tickets.

This was exactly what we needed to get us in the Christmas spirit.

I have a secret love for Jane Seymour and Dr. Quinn. Kind of nerdy, but I can't deny it. When Jane was going to be performing with the Mormon Tabernacle choir for their Christmas concert I knew I had to get tickets. Unfortunately an event like this is a lottery. You put in your name and hope you get picked. Well, I didn't. I was devastated. I watched KSL for a chance to snag some tickets, but I wasn't willing to pay the hundreds of dollars people were asking for to go to a FREE concert. I didn't give up hope though. Well Thursday morning, the day of the concert, I got a text from my dear friend Heather telling me she had tickets and asked if I wanted to go. It was a Christmas miracle! The concert turned out to be wonderful and an item was crossed off of my bucket list, to be able to semi-meet Jane Seymour. (I already admitted it's nerdy!)

Our season also contained the tiniest bit of snow… in which Cayson was prepared to take full advantage of.

Too bad he hates the cold like his mother and came in a few minutes later.

We made Santa hats…

Had a family Christmas party with the Reilleys where we made gingerbread houses

Opened lots and lots of presents…

Hung out with the grandparents…

Opened even more presents…

Played the Rhodes annual ping-pong tournament…

Bingo…

Won some amazing white elephant presents…

Lost all of our money to Robyn…

Opened even more presents…

Wore new pajamas…

Opened stockings…

Enjoyed the company of family…

Were spoiled wrotten…

Set up Cayson's new train… that quickly became Ryan's new train…

(He had always dreamt of having a train of his own)

Hung out with our dear Granny, Nelly, and Grandma…

Story behind this one… we were at the hospital and were asking the nurses what to name Dylan… they said one of the names that came through was the one below… I will let you figure it out!

The Rhodes were generous enough to get me a present from that person…

Even Dylan was spoiled…

What a great year! We celebrated… made our turkey dinner… stayed home… opened presents at five pm… and were just lazy.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Cayson’s 2nd Birthday

2011-12-11T18:50:00.001-07:00

On November 28^th we celebrated Cayson's 2^nd birthday. I can't believe how time flies. It feels like just yesterday they were placing him in my arms. Yet, here we are. Cayson has brought a tremendous amount of joy into our lives! We are so happy to have him in our family!

Cayson seemed to really enjoy his special day. He would sing "Happy Birthday, two… three…"over and over again. It was really kind of cute. He spent the afternoon with Grandma Meleta, Uncle Ben, and Grandma Mott. They spoiled him rotten, from delicious food, to shopping and toys. Later on Grandma and Grandpa Rhodes and Reilley and family came over as well as Mason and Jen. Cayson was in heaven with all the attention and toys that he received. He is definitely loved!

Happy Birthday Cayson!

I wanted to journal some of the things that describe Cayson and some of the things that he loves, so that one day he could look back and see what his little two year old self was like.

Words that describe Cayson:

Energetic…Caring… Good at sharing… Loving…

Happy…Inquisitive…Aware… Loves to Learn…

Great Brother… Comedian

Loves to play with trucks, cars, trains, and balls… he is all boy.

Movie that he watches over and over and over… Tangled

Foods he loves: Cereal, crackers (fish and chocolate animal crackers),

Favorite song: "Temple" and "Snowman"

Loves to be outside and go bye-bye

Favorite thing to do with Dad: "Timber"

Introducing… Dylan Parker Rhodes

2011-12-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

Well, our little man has arrived and we couldn't be more thrilled. Yes, he already has us wrapped around his little finger. I admit this pregnancy flew! I can't believe he is already here.

Dylan Parker finally arrived Wed. Nov. 23, 2011 @ 3:50 am, weighing in at 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 or 21 inches long. (I truly do not know which one it is, they told Ryan 21 inches but wrote down 20 inches.)

Here is Dylan's story…

When I say "finally arrived", I mean FINALLY arrived. Our little man tried, unsuccessfully, to make his debut for four days. The previous Saturday night I started having contractions. They were fairly intense, and started every five minutes, but they didn't last for a solid minute so we couldn't go in. These contractions continued on through Sunday and Monday night. On Tuesday night, at about 10:00 pm, the contractions started again. This time they came every five minutes and lasted for the solid minute. I remember Ryan kept asking me if I wanted to go to bed? I looked at him as if to say, you do realize that we are counting the contractions and may be headed to the hospital, right? He was convinced that it was another false alarm and that we would be heading over to the hospital the next morning for our induction, just as we had planned. Well, needless to say… for once I was right. At about 12:00 am that night we headed into the hospital. At 12:24 am they placed me in triage to "watch me". I have to admit this was THE WORST time of my life! There was no doubt I was in labor. The contractions didn't let up at all the entire time I was there. I laid on that table in the most excruciating pain I had ever experienced, and they refused to give me any pain killers whatsoever. Finally at 2:00 am they came in and said they would have to call the on call Dr. to see if he would admit me. At that point I was only dilated to a 3, so they were hesitant. Luckily for everyone the Dr. did admit me due to the amount of pain I was in. The nurses got me into a room, gave me the epidural, and told me to just rest because it may be a while. Well, about 20 minutes later my water broke and I was fully dilated. The nurses were shocked at how quickly everything had progressed. They quickly called our Doctor. Dr. Langer and luckily she arrived fairly quickly. At that point, I had to keep from pushing, or that little guy was going to slip right out, Doctor or no Doctor. When she arrived, I pushed through two contractions and out came our little guy. It was literally that fast and that easy. I couldn't have dreamed up an easier delivery.

Our little man was born as healthy as could be and without any complications. When they placed him in my arms, my heart melted and I was smitten.

Just a little side note: Can you imagine if they would have sent me home?!? Ryan would have been delivering him. In case you are wondering, Ryan practically faints at any sight of blood. I don't even want to imagine how well that would have turned out!

Dylan's Name:

It took us some time to come up with his name. We went to the hospital with a few names in mind, but I couldn't bring myself to call him by any name before I saw him. Not only that, but Ryan and I were having a really hard time agreeing on what a "good name" actually was. If it were up to him to name the baby it would be something horrible like tanq, or max powers, or something like that. If it were up to me it would be a great name like Ryker, Ryder, Rylan… something like that. Instead we met in the middle and chose between Parker Ryan or Dylan Parker. Obviously, Dylan won. So far, no regrets. I think the name fits him.

Discharged:

It happens to be that Dylan was born on the day prior to Thanksgiving. We had planned on spending Thanksgiving Day in the hospital ever since our induction date was set. It just so happens, though, that everything was going extremely well for the both of us, so we decided that we would head home on Thanksgiving. What a treat that was! We were able to stop by Ryan's family and enjoy a little dinner and family time before heading home. It worked out perfectly!

We have now had Dylan home for a couple of weeks. All three of us are so happy to have him in our home! Even Cayson is adjusting well. The first day we were home I remember him climbing up on our bed to read Dylan a story. He showed him all the animals, told him what it was, and the sound the animal made. This was such a special moment for me. Throughout this pregnancy, I have been extremely worried that Cayson would feel replaced or left out and that he wouldn't want Dylan in our home. To see Cayson take to Dylan from day one meant the world to me. He is such a good big brother. He already brings Dylan his dog when he is sad, or perhaps a drink of water, or even just a little kiss. I sure do love my boys!

The Big Move

2011-11-20T19:59:00.009-07:00

When this year started, we were certain our "BIG MOVE" would be moving to an entirely different home. Obviously, we were naïve. Home prices are still falling and it just doesn't make sense to sell our house right now. So instead of the "BIG MOVE" consisting of a new home, our big move involved moving Cayson down to the basement. As a mother, this was extremely difficult for me. What kind of mother sends their 2 year old to the basement, right? Well, we really didn't have a choice. Cayson is an extremely light sleeper, and we needed the nursery for the new little guy. So it had to be done! I must say though, it ended up a success. Cayson LOVES his new "Cars Room" and was so excited to move into it. I was even able to come to terms with his move after pulling out the baby monitor. Now I can know every night that he is OK… just in case.

Cayson in his race car bed.

Cayson's new room…

These pictures really didn't fit in with this post, but I thought they were cute and thought I would add them in.

Our little stud!

Aren't they handsome?!?

Halloween... All Month Long!

2011-11-05T22:38:00.011-06:00

I admit I am not a big fan of Halloween. It's not the costumes and dressing up I don't like. I guess I am just odd, and do not care for all the sugar that the holiday entails. This year however, may have changed my mind. Cayson absolutely loved everything about the Holiday. He loved dressing up in his Lion Costume and he loved getting his hands on all those suckers. (Yes, my child passed up full size candy bars when a sucker was involved.) As a parent I enjoyed every minute of watching him absolutely thrilled about his newfound traditions.

Our Halloween celebrating lasted the entire month of October.

Robyn, Grandma Rhodes, and the girls joined us on a visit to The Gardner Village Witch Festival. Since Robyn lives so far away, spending time with them is rare and always a real treat!

All the witches cracked me up. I mean seriously, take a close look at that witch!

The kids loved finding all of them.

I tried to get Brielle to kiss this frog, but she was not having it.

They quickly grew tired…so Brielle and Cayson shared a seat in the stroller

Grandma Rhodes and the kids.

Grandma sure is a trooper!

Our other Halloween celebrations…

How can you celebrate Halloween without delicious Halloween sugar cookies, right?!?

Kristyn joined Cayson and I in the festivities.

Cayson was in heaven cutting out the ghosts and pumpkins

For family night we decorated the cookies.

I'm pretty sure Cayson spent more time sneaking the toppings and eating them, than putting them on the cookie.

The Friday before Halloween, Jen and Mason invited us to go Trick-or-Treating at her dad's work. It was perfect!

This is cute Mason in his Halloween costume!

Cayson wouldn't stop long enough to get a picture, so this was at good as it gets.

The boys!

I was surprised that Cayson understood what we were doing and was actually good at just taking one and saying Thank You.

We only hit two of the four floors in the building, and he still walked away with a haul. Spoiled little boy!

Ryan happened to be working afternoons the week before Halloween. So I decided I would make Pumpkin pancakes for breakfast.

They didn't turn out the best, but we still had fun.

On another day my sweet friend Heather humored me and joined Cayson and I at the Halloween party at the Gallivan Center.

We sure loved having her with us!

On Halloween our fabulous Aunt Michele invited us to her work to go Trick-or-Treating.

Of course we had to go!

It just so happens that Ryan works in the building right next to her…

So he was able to leave work and join us.

That night we put Cayson in his costume once again and Daddy took him Trick-or-Treating to a few of the houses in the neighborhood.

I'm not sure who was more excited- Daddy or Cayson.

When they returned we painted a pumpkin…

Well tried too.

With Cayson's attention span it only lasted literally a minute.

The final product…

I think we may have a little artist on our hands.

What do you think?!?

Afterwards Cayson and Daddy settled down on the couch for a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

They were exhausted!

Peach Days

2011-11-05T21:35:00.002-06:00

My Grandma, Aunt Lisa, and Mom have a tradition of going up to Brigham City each year for Peach Days. This year they let Cayson and I tag along. Ryan had his own guy's night out and then worked the next day so it was the perfect time for Cayson and me to get away. It was definitely one of the greatest weekends we've had in a really long time!

Cayson was great on the ride up…

Between Millie and Ratatouille, he was entertained the entire time

Our day entailed a lot of shopping…

Cute Lisa and Millie… Isn't Millie's hat adorable?!?

During our rest breaks…

Cayson and Millie played extra hard…

Cayson loved every minute of it.

Grandma was a big help-

Thank goodness since I was heavy with child

That evening we went to Wolf Creek and spent the night at Lisa's condo

Millie was a big helper yet again…

The next morning we got up and headed for the play room

The kids had a blast

Then we went back and just hung out.

Sadly the weekend came to an end… but not before we got our four generation picture.

Thanks Grandma, Lisa, and Mom for a fabulous weekend!

Anniversary

2011-10-23T06:41:00.004-06:00

Three years later… and still madly in love!

I couldn't ask for a better husband, best friend, and father of our children! I love you honey!

I was so excited to be out with my husband ALONE, that I sorta kept forgetting to take pictures, but we did celebrate. Ryan's parents took the kid so we could spend the weekend all by ourselves. That Friday night we did a little shopping at Downeast Outfitters. We found ourselves some great bargains, including some new pants that I will hopefully be able to enjoy after this kid comes. Afterwards we went to the Outback Steakhouse for some yummy grub.

Being the lame couple we are, with a kid that goes to bed at 7:00, we had no clue what normal people do late at night. So we rented a Redbox movie and went home.

The next day we got up and went golfing…

Isn't he gorgeous?!?... I'm just sayin'…

enjoyed some subway…

and had a fabulous and much needed couples massage. Yes, we truly know how to celebrate! OK, so it was pretty low key, but we enjoyed ourselves.

Happy Anniversary babe!

Summer of Never Ending Fun!

2011-10-22T19:46:00.011-06:00

With all of the changes that are about to occur in our family, I wanted to make sure this summer with Cayson was a special one. Next summer we probably won't be quite as mobile, so we took advantage of the time we had and played hard.

Warning: This is definitely picture overload. I purposefully waited to blog the summer until it was over, but didn't realize that I would have so much to share. I'll attempt to make it all brief.

Probably one of my favorite things we did this summer was spend time at the park.

There is a park nearby that serves free lunch for the kids every week day during the summer! They didn't just serve a small snack or sandwich either. Lunch consisted of anything from a hamburger, hot dog, burrito, or chicken sandwich along with a milk, chips, fruit, veggies, and treat. Cayson and his buddy Mason loved it! I admit I loved it as well because it meant free food and a lunch I didn't have to prepare.

4^th of July Celebrating

Our 4^th of July turned out to be quite fun… we spent the morning at the West Jordan parade. It turned out to be perfect weather and Cayson loved it! Ryan was a trooper and tagged along. (He hates parades, but I think he secretly really enjoyed going.)

That afternoon we went to Daybreak and fed the ducks with Grandma Meleta and Grandma Mott. I found my dream home while we were there; too bad I was unsuccessful at convincing Ryan that we need to buy ourselves a green colored home.

Afterwards we had ourselves a little picnic.

Can you tell by the stain filled shirt that Cayson LOVES watermelon?

Our celebrating also consisted of sparklers…

And the park…

What a great day! Holidays are so much fun when you have little ones to celebrate with!

Thanksgiving Point

Thanksgiving Point became a favorite activity for Cayson and me. We went a total of three times.

He loved the little playroom before you enter the dinosaur museum.

You push down on this toy and smoke comes out of it. He thought this was the coolest thing he had ever come across.

And of course he loved this, he loves anything round that reminds him of a ball.

Once we entered the dinosaur section, he didn't care about it at all. I guess he was just too young. I still thought it was fun to see all the bones and replicas. Hopefully one day Cayson will enjoy it with me!

He did love this play area…

…but for those of you that have been there, he hated the sandy play areas. Yes, my child has inherited Ryan's OCD habits.

Cayson complained about the sand on his feet from the dinosaur museum until we found this water area where he could rinse his feet off.

On one of our visits to Thanksgiving Point Grandma Lori and Millie were able to join us. We loved having their company. Millie and Cayson played on this shopping belt for probably an hour. They loved it.

Millie is always so helpful with Cayson! We sure love that little girl!

Grandma, Millie, and Cayson on the tractor ride.

I have to say, I really love that place. We made so many good memories there this year!

Wolf Creek

Our summer also included a trip up to Wolf Creek with the Rhodes gang.

From flying in the air…

To racquetball…

Horseshoes…

Swimming…

Practicing crazy stunts…

Learning to play tennis…

And just hanging out…

There was never a dull moment!

I sure married into a wonderful and fun family!

The Spruces

Later this summer Cayson and I took a trip with my family to The Spruces. Unfortunately, Ryan had to work. We missed him, but we still enjoyed ourselves! It was a nice little get away, but far too short

This was Cayson's face the entire time, smiles and laughter!

Throwing rocks is one of his favorite things to do!

Braden played the tickle game with Cayson and he fell for it every time…

Bubbles… always a big hit!

His two second rest on mom's lap…

And a quick stop for a snack…

And he is off for more play time…

This kid seriously NEVER stops...

He loved drinking from this little water spot- EWWWWW!

Sometimes I just have to turn my head and pretend it's not happening.

What a great get away and much needed break from school!

Just Hanging Out

Our other fun summer adventures included hanging out around the house…I love how kids can take something simple and use their imagination for hours of play time.

Reading time … He loves books!

A visit to the infamous "Up" house

A play date to Herriman's splash pad…

Every city needs one of these parks! Doesn't that look so fun?!? The best part, it's free!!!

My handsome little guy!

We got this swing set from a friend in the ward for free! What a great friend, right?!!?

Cayson has loved every minute he has spent playing on it.

The pool was also a favorite past time of ours this summer. This is Cayson's favorite friend Mason. We sure love that little guy!

Cayson even played his first bowling game…

This turned out to be Ryan's "baby" this summer. He made the most gorgeous garden I have ever seen, and produced some amazing veggies for us to enjoy. I sure am grateful Ryan enjoys gardening because I do not have a green thumb at all… I mostly just kill everything I touch!

We (and by we, I mean Ryan) have also spent a great deal of our summer finishing projects around the house. We had to re-carpet our basement due to the nasty dog pee smell the last owners left us. Along with that my sweet husband and father-in-law put up a fence that enclosed our yard so that the boys could play out back without running into the street. My dad repaired our ceiling from a flood we had. My favorite project, I would have to say though, is the granite counter tops in our kitchen and bathrooms. I love the new remodel and I can now stand to live here as long as we need to.

What else kept us busy this summer? Well aside from all the fun times we had, not to mention joys of pregnancy, I took a larger school load in preparation for the new kid. I was hoping to be done with school before he came, and I will be close. Only one more class after this semester! I also quit my job at IHC and am now a full time stay-at-home mom. I love being able to be home with my little guy!

Ryan? Well,,, he found himself a new job. He now works for GE as an Operations Manager for their online bank. This has kept him extremely busy which equates into working long hours. He also has been picking up quite a few hours with KSL. So needless to say we rarely see him. We sure love him and appreciate how hard he works for us!

That's our summer in a nutshell… now we are just awaiting the arrival of our new little guy (who still remains nameless). He will be here in just four and a half more weeks. I am so ready to be done being pregnant, but I admit that I am extremely nervous to have two little ones to manage. That aside, I am excited to have another little spirit enter our home. If he brings us anywhere near the amount of joy that Cayson has brought us, it will all be worth it!

New Look

2011-10-19T17:25:00.003-06:00

I realize that it has been a really long time since I posted anything (this is Ryan...Misty usually does the blogging) so I thought that I should bring the world wide web up to speed with my new look.

Our Little Secret

2011-06-19T20:53:00.002-06:00

Ryan and I have been keeping a little secret…

Cayson is going to be a big brother!

This cupcake's color tells you exactly what we are having…

Yep… another little boy.

He will be joining our family November 30^th!

Visiting the Cousins!

2011-06-19T20:39:00.002-06:00

We have been quite the vacationing family lately!

In May we took a trip down to Richfield and spent time with Ryan's sister and family. We don't get to see them very often so it was a real treat to get to spend time with them.

Even though we were only there for the weekend we packed in plenty of good memories! Ryan and Travis enjoyed a round of golf. Robyn and I shopped. The kids couldn't get enough play time in with all the toys, games, and swing set. The best part of all is we experienced the BEST SANDWICH on the face of the planet from "Big Daddy's". I have not quit dreaming about having another one of those sandwiches since then. It's a good thing we do not live there or I would eat one every day.

Cayson loves when dad throws him in the air.

Look at the background and notice how there is nothing. Oh, how I would love to live in this quiet little town!

Brielle grabbed Cayson and started dancing with him… it was adorable!

The kids sure love games!

This is how little Taylee is 100% of the time… happy! Such a good baby!

Florida

2011-06-19T18:54:00.005-06:00

At the beginning of May, Ryan and I took a little break from life and spent a week in sunny Florida!

Our plane ride was absolutely wonderful… well at least for me. I rode first class- both ways! Thanks to my sweet husband that gave up his seat for me! Normally I am scared out of my mind to fly but thanks to drugs and plenty of sitting room it wasn't that bad at all!

The first day we spent in Sea World.

We loved all the shows… especially this whale one!

Aren't the pengiuns adorable?!?

The dolphin show was wonderful as well! Could you imagine having a job like this girl does?

I am so jealous!

Yes, we really were this close to the dolphins.

On Sunday we went and walked around Downtown Disney

I must admit I am a Disney fan! Where else can you be an adult and feel like a kid!

This is all made out of legos… impressive!

Isn't the man next to Mr. Potato head so adorable?!?

Later that day we went to visit the Orlando Temple. Unfortunately the gates were locked so we just saw it from the outside.

On Monday we went to Universal Studios. We were a bit disappointed because there were two parks to choose to go in to and we went to the "boring" side.

But at least they had the Simpsons… which completed Ryan's trip! He is a huge Homer fan!

On our final day we visited Magic Kingdom. We both had a blast as you can tell by the smile on our faces!

The park really wasn't that crowded. We only waited in line about ten minutes for all the rides! Perfect time of year to go!

The Toy Story ride was one of our favorite rides. It took us some time to figure out but as we rode we got to shoot the targets and get points… Ryan kicked my butt!

The trip ended quickly and wasn't nearly long enough but I must admit… the entire time we were there I was excited to go back with our kids one day!

That being said, it was so nice to spend time with Ryan without any other distractions! My mom took Cayson for the week… what a saint! Thanks Mom! We sure love and appreciate you!

St George

2011-06-03T14:49:00.008-06:00

The weekend before Easter we took a trip down south to spend time with Granny and bask in the warm weather.

Our plan was to spend time at Zion's National Park, but as parents we are quickly learning that with kids things never go as you plan. Cayson got too tired too fast.

So instead we hung out with Granny, spent time at the park, and went on a little hike.

Cayson sure enjoyed our little hike. When we would pass the little flowers he would bend down to sniff them.

We happened to be in town for the Kite Festival. This is a town activity for the kids where they can play games, fly kites, eat, and play. Cayson loved it!

The park was also a big hit…

Even dad was out having fun!

Being a Biggest Loser fan I had to stop by the Biggest Loser Fitness Ridge and take a peak!

Granny spoiled us with lots of yummy food!

Ryan was our chef one night! He sure knows how to grill up some delicious grub!

Cayson was too lazy to sit at the table, instead he lounged and signed more until dad brought him another bite.

Before we could go home, we had to challenge Granny to a game of Yahtzee. As you can see I completely kicked their butts!

All in all we had a fabulous time! We sure love visiting Granny!

Easter

2011-06-03T12:22:00.004-06:00

Oh boy I am so far behind! I can't believe I haven't posted Easter yet…

It's funny how fun holidays seem to be when there is a little one to enjoy it with. This Easter was no exception.

It started with a fabulous Easter party at Grandma and Grandpa Rhodes. Brielle and Taylee happened to be in town. Cayson loved being able to spend time with them!

This was Cayson's first Easter egg hunt and yet somehow he knew that those eggs had food in them. He picked up his first one, opened it, and started eating. He didn't care about finding any more. He just knew he had FOOD. That's my boy!

Saturday we had our traditional Burraston Family party. We enjoyed coloring eggs, visiting with each other, finding eggs, and eating yummy food. We love this tradition!

Kyle had this creepy turkey in his back yard that kept chasing us.

Sunday (Easter) Ryan and Cayson enjoyed finding their baskets. I hid Ryan's really well, to the point he had to play the hot and cold game to find it. I was proud! Ryan was just excited to actually have some chocolate in the house.

We ate dinner at Ryan's parents. It was delicious and a perfect ending to a perfect day!

(I could have sworn I took pictures of the day but who knows what I did with them. Well, it was a fun day anyway!)

Just another week

2011-04-10T20:16:00.001-06:00

In my last post I made a goal that I would write three things of interest that happened the past week. I didn't think it would be too hard. That is until now. As I sit down to write I really don't have anything. So I will do my best.

At times I would like to think that I am an ok mom. My child gets fed and clothed each day. We try to play and read and do those things that help him to develop and grow. Then there are days like today. I asked Cayson if he wanted to go to church. "Church" he replied. I was a beaming mother. My young child was already learning religious words. Then we got home and he did a number in his diaper. I asked him if we should change his smelly butt. "Butt", he replied. That's when I knew I wasn't quite the mom I had hoped. Other mothers are so proper and use words like toosh and even bum… but not me… I taught my child to say "butt".
Remember how beautiful it was the past couple of weeks. Remember how the flower PROVED summer was coming. Well that poor flower is now shriveled up and dead. Why?!? because it snowed all last week. I am not talking a drizzle here and there. I am talking about full blown snow falls. Never mind that it is APRIL 10. I LOVE SALT LAKE!
Cayson has to go back to the urologist. The other day he may have peed in the tub and it might have shot straight to the left which means that the surgery he had last June probably didn't work. Do Dr's have a money back guarantee? .,, cause they should!

And there you have… our week in review… which will most likely be the only week in review… because that was tough!

It Finally Happened

2011-04-02T19:53:00.002-06:00

Please note… this picture has nothing to do with the next paragraph. I just wanted to throw it on here. Cayson loves playing on Grandpa's "tractor"

Well folks… The day has finally arrived! The day I had longed for but wondered if it would ever happen. That "it" that I am referring to is Cayson is walking. 100%. I'm not sure if it was my threatening him that if he turned 16 months and he still was crawling we would be having issues. Or perhaps it was the fact that I promised him that if he would learn to walk we would play outside all summer long. Either way a week later he was walking. Everybody says that when they start walking then they start getting into more things and can reach more things. This may or may not be true but all I have noticed is how nice it is to not carry the child everywhere we go. Although carrying a 21 lb child makes for some buff arms it really gets tiring after a while. So for me, I'm excited about this new phase!

In other news this flower PROVES to me that summer really is coming.

This has been the longest winter. I hate winter and everything about it. I hate being cold! I hate the snow! I just hate it all! Having a child that loves to be outside does not help add to the mix. Last week every day he would literally lie down on the floor and throw a tantrum because I would not let him outside. Then we had this past week! It has been beautiful. We have been able to be outdoors, play at the park,

have picnics,

blow bubbles,

and I would have to say it has been the best week of motherhood yet… well as far back as I can remember which is probably a week ago! Anyway, I am so happy for the changing season and can't wait to get outside and play!

I mentioned that Cayson loves being outdoors and that he has been throwing his tantrums. Well the other day I was gone somewhere and Ryan was home watching him. Apparently since mom wasn't willing to take Cayson outside due to the weather then he was going to take matters in his own hands. Ryan reports that he (Ryan) was in the other room when he went to check on Cayson. He peeked in the kitchen and found that Cayson had moved a chair over to the sliding glass door. Then he proceeded to get on the chair, somehow unlock the door and start opening it. When he couldn't get the door open any further on the chair he got off, opened it the rest of the way and went outside. I wish Ryan would have gotten it on film or at least a picture. Our little guy was 15 months and already escaping. We certainly have trouble on our hands!

As a side note, I was reading an amazing blog last night. This girl put her ideas and thoughts down on paper so eloquently. Do you ever wish that you could do that? Or perhaps you can and do. I can't. I find my writing to be rather unentertaining and dull to say the least. It doesn't stop me because as I have mentioned before I only do this so that we can have a family journal. But still, there is a part of me that wishes I could write something that would captivate any audience including myself. Alas, I submit myself to the truth that this has not nor ever will be a forte of mine. So for those that really do read this blog I send out my apologies, my apologies that I'm just straightforward and write about our dull dull life in a very dull dull manner. PS. If anybody has any tips as to how to be a bit more creative please send them my way! In any case I loved something she did. Every Tuesday she wrote down three things about their life and the past week. Some were big things and some were just silly. She titled this Tuesday writing something fabulous and once again eloquent (of course) but I have no recollection of what that was. I loved that idea. I think I will attempt to do that myself. I'm sure the three things some weeks will be pretty mundane but I like that I will be able to look back one day and read about our day to day life and perhaps some silly adventures that the Rhode's family had along the way. I won't call this anything special and it most likely will be Sunday that I do this… but that is a new goal of mine; to write a few things from the days of the Rhodes'.

Can I just add one more thing? It's about me and a little something my dear friend and I have been doing this past month. We started a BOOT CAMP CLASS! When you hear boot camp what do you think of? I will tell you what I think. I think of a very mean man that screams at you to work out and if you don't listen he tells you to "get down and give me twenty." Or perhaps he tells you to "run ten miles". In any case I needed to do something to up my workouts. I have a really hard time pushing myself when someone is not forcing me to do it. I also had gotten into a huge workout/body slump. So this was exactly the motivation and help I needed. The class has been exactly as hard as it sounds. I have not loved every minute of it but I also haven't hated it. I also feel like I have gotten some great results. The trainer has not yelled even once and yet he does push us at the same time. Sadly the month class is almost over, hopefully though I will keep that momentum up! I did just buy a jogging stroller so hopefully that will be the ticket to keeping me in shape!

Ryan is kind of a big deal...people know him

2011-03-13T19:38:00.002-06:00

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

First step: Biggest Loser Casting Next step: Fame and Fortune!

Another Reminder that it’s 2011

2011-02-28T07:50:00.004-07:00

Remember how Ryan blames all bad things on 2011… well perhaps he is right… perhaps 2011 is just meant to be a bad year. Or maybe we are bringing it upon ourselves for saying that. Either way I am ready to take 2010 back or move forward to 2012.

The month started with Cayson and me getting the world's worst cold. Actually our entire neighborhood had it. Rumor has it nobody really was at church the first part of the month due to this horrific cold. By the third week of the month we finally got over being sick.

Then it happened. Ryan and I were heading out. We were stopped at a red light, the last light before we were to reach our destination. When a car that was turning left hits a car that was going straight. "Great", I thought, "now we have to be witnesses of the accident". Well I wish that is all we were. The dumb fabulous young girl turning left decides "ya know… I know I can't see a thing but I think I will keep driving anyway." Well at this point she was completely off course and rams right into us. It infuriates me just thinking about it. There was no reason for the accident except stupidity. This same girl had just gotten a new car because she had just been in another accident. SERIOUSLY?!?

Anyway… so now I am driving a rental that doesn't get anywhere near 45-50 miles to the gallon like my Prius. It was supposed to be done today but no word from the auto shop. Sigh

I wish I could say that is all but Ryan is experiencing his nightmare right now. He works for a bank and they are about to be audited and go under the FDIC exam. Well the big boss quit and that leaves nobody between him and the bank president to deal with this audit/exam. He will now be working extreme hours at least until this is all over with. I'm not sure I have ever seen him so stressed. Poor guy!

And that is exactly why WE HATE 2011!

Hogle Zoo

2011-02-27T16:07:00.004-07:00

One of the fun things about being a parent is seeing your kids experience things for the first time. I have been dying to take Cayson to the zoo for this very reason. He loves being outside and he LOVES animals. Last Wed just so happened to be free zoo day and since it was such a gorgeous day we jumped at the opportunity of going. My friend Heidi and her kids and Samantha and her kids joined us. We had a great time! Cayson would go from place to place and window to window and point and smiled. He loved every minute of it.

Here are a few pictures from our day.

Cayson is little Mr. Independent these days. He did not want to go in the stroller so he decided he would push it. He pushed this all the way up the super steep hill. What a silly boy.

This is how Cayson is around girls.

He already loves them and tries to do anything he can to win them over.

They were so sick of us and pictures at this point

The Giraffes

This sign cracked me up!

This baby monkey hung out in the back of the cage until he saw Cayson by the window. For some reason he decided he needed a closer look. He came and just stared at Cayson. Cayson loved it!

How lucky am I to be able to stay home and watch this little guy grow up! Life doesn't get any better than this!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-27T15:36:00.005-07:00

This Valentine's Day was pretty low key but fabulous just the same!

After getting up extra early and getting all of our stuff done, Cayson and I headed out to make our deliveries. After trying hard and failing miserably at the treats last year, I decided this year I would make it nice and easy and grab some doughnuts at the Dunford Bakery.

After all… who can pass up a yummy fresh made doughnut right?

After a few deliveries we met up with Ryan and had some delicious Chinese gourmet. I failed to take pictures but it was super yummy and fun.

Later that day Cayson and I went on a walk. (His all-time favorite thing to do!) It was 50 degrees that day!

While we were walking I saw this tree and had to take a picture. It was budding. (Is that even a word?) I was so excited! Spring is on its way!

That night Ryan came home with these gorgeous flowers. (Purple is my favorite color- they were perfect)

On Saturday Ryan and I went out ALL BY OURSELVES (which as parents we rarely are able to do) to La Caille. It was phenomenal. I didn't think it would be worth the money, and it wasn't, but with the coupon it was! I think we were a little out of our league dressed in our plaid shirts in contrast to the high end clothed, high class couple across the way whom obviously are at La Caille because they have nothing better to do with their money. I didn't care, I like my low class life and I like that it allows me to visit these fabulous places every now and then.

I sure love my family, friends, and especially my boys!

Happy (late) Valentine's Day everyone!

Just Another Day…

2011-02-06T11:42:00.008-07:00

The best thing my Sister in Law, Robyn, ever did for us was introduce us to Babywise! Since the beginning of time… well since the beginning of our time with Cayson we have done babywise with him… sort of. I was never one that could let him cry it out and I was never one that could get out of bed and wake him up in the morning so that he would be on the same time schedule everyday, but we did try and stick with the general idea. I didn't know at the time what a payoff it would be. I just thought I would be a mother that got to sleep through the night. I did get my sleep (in fact a couple of nights ago Cayson was sick and woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep. He hadn't done that since the night we brought him home from the hospital. I admit I had no clue what to do. I felt a bit sheepish in fact. I eventually went in and rocked him and he fell fast asleep in my arms. I loved every minute of it!) but I have also gotten a whole lot more.

I have since tried to implement Babywise II and Toddlerwise. It has led to a pretty structured day and in turn a very good, happy, friendly baby (when he is not sick or teething that is- he now has 11 teeth).

Our mornings start with a bath and food time.

Cayson is quite the eater… he devours this huge bowl of oatmeal and then cries when I eat my breakfast and he isn't getting any.

After breakfast it's time for what we call "blanket time". Cayson spends fifteen minutes on the blanket playing with his toys. Some days are better than others.The idea is that he learns to stay on the blanket and play until the timer beeps which in turn is supposed to teach him boundaries. Surprisingly it works. For example at Christmas time he left the tree and presents alone. Also, when we tell him not to touch something either at home or when we are out he is good not to touch it. When we are at other people's homes most of the time he is respectful of their stuff and leaves things alone that he knows he shouldn't touch.an added bonus is that he is learning how to pick up his toys when he is done.

After blanket time Cayson will spend time in his room playing by himself. This is supposed to teach him independence. We are still working on this one but I think he is beginning to enjoy his time playing.

After play time is his naptime. I take this time to study and work out. It's so nice to have "me time". I'm not sure what I will do when he drops the naps.

When he wakes up we eat and then he and I play with toys and read books. This is my favorite part of the day. I love to see Cayson learn and I love to see how much he loves books. I think he would enjoy it if we sat and read books all day long. Sometimes he will even take the book and read to me.

Lately Cayson has been obsessed with this wipes container and putting things in it. We sat with his puzzle for probably close to an hour taking the pieces in and out of the container.

Afterwards it's time for Cayson to take his afternoon nap and for me to work on homework, clean, and make dinner.

And that's our day!

As you can see there is nothing spectacular about my days or my life… but I sure do love it!

I loved this picture… ironically enough; Cayson is good at reminding us that we need to say prayers before we eat.

In other news, does anyone recognize these? Yes, Ryan felt deprived when he didn't get a pair of these growing up… not anymore!

And still in other news ryan and I have booked our vacation… We are going to be hopping on a plane and going here in May!

I can't wait… and what makes it better is all of our travel and stay including car rental will only cost us $50.00!

Y'all know how deals make my heart swell with joy!

2011 Already?!?

2011-01-12T20:42:00.002-07:00

I can't believe another year is already here. 2010 was such a great year… Here are a few of the highlights!

Spending the year getting to know our little guy. I think that was the biggest highlight of all.

Ryan started his new job at Sallie Mae and a few months later received a promotion.

We unpacked our belongings and made our house a home.

We purchased a new truck so that we can tow the boat we plan to eventually purchase (and let's face it… so we can get up our huge hill in the middle of the winter)

Ryan bought himself a little scooter

I spent most of the year studying textbooks and playing with Cayson

We were able to get down south and visit Granny and our cousins.

Now that we have said goodbye to last year and have begun 2011 we admit we face it with a bit of apprehension… Ryan started the year out by falling down the stairs in efforts to catch Cayson from falling down them himself. You would think that was no big deal but he seriously has spent the month recuperating… now anytime something bad happens he just says well that's to be expected after all it's 2011. Hopefully the year really will turn into a great one.

We can't start the year out without big plans and dreams, right? Our plans include taking a fun trip… somewhere…anywhere… just as long as we get out of here. Ryan has scored $500.00 delta dollars so that should be a great head start on our funding and allow us to go somewhere really sweet!

We also are hoping to get our house ready to sell and hopefully sell it. This area has not been all we have hoped it would be and are rather disappointed. I was hoping that we would stay here for a really long time because I love the house but so far that is not the case. Perhaps this will change at the end of the year but for now that is our plan.

In other news Cayson has become quite our jibber jabber…

He is able to say quite a few words including toys, book, animal sounds, pooh (as in Winnie the Pooh), ball, shoes, and I'm sure more that I can't think of right now.

Cayson spent the past month sick and teething… which made for some fabulous nights and our poor little guy in a lot of pain. He broke through three teeth this week alone…

Other than that he is just our little guy that loves a lot of attention and to play hard. He is getting more and more fun all of the time.

Ryan has spent the month traveling… or at least the past couple weeks. I'm certainly grateful for his job so I can't complain but we sure do miss him when he is away.

I have started yet another semester. This time I am taking Psychometrics ( I have no clue what that word means and have yet to figure out what this class is all about. Is it a math class? Is it a class that teaches you all the psychological tests out there? I'm not sure. Needless to say I am a bit nervous), Social skills… which appears to be an interesting class about helping kids learn necessary social skills, and abnormal psych. So far this semester seems so much less stressful than last so I am hoping it stays that way.

And there you have our first month of 2011… nothing exciting but not bad.

Here are a couple of random pics… just for the heck of it…

Cayson loves to read books… oftentimes when he is fussy he will go get himself a book and read through it (he even jabbers as he looks through it) and it calms him right down.

I thought this was a funny picture.

Growing Up

2010-12-28T20:30:00.001-07:00

Cayson and I walked in the door tonight and the first thing Cayson say's… "Hi Dad"… as clear as could be. Too bad Ryan wasn't home to even hear it.

My little baby is growing up so fast. In fact he is more like a little boy now. It's getting so fun and yet I miss how little he used to be. It seems he is learning something new every minute of every day. That isn't the only thing new he has started. Today I asked him what a sheep says and he replied baaa… and when I asked him what a horse says he tried to make the horse sound. When I asked him to fold his arms for the prayer, what does he do… fold his arms. I can't believe how fast these kids learn. I love it!

Dec 25th A.K.A. CHRISTMAS!!!

2010-12-27T15:48:00.012-07:00

Well Christmas Day has already come and gone. We are finishing up the year and in a few days it will be 2011. Every year I ask where does time go?

I must say we had a WONDERFUL Christmas as always.

We spent Christmas Eve with Ryan's family… which is ALWAYS a fun party. Brielle and Cayson are now old enough to play together. I think that was my favorite part. Brielle would walk around saying "buddy" come play. It was adorable.

We played a little ping pong…

BINGO…

Exchanged Presents…

Won some awesome white elephants gifts…

Like Robyn's teeth mold on a string…

Later we played the money game…

Ruth won the entire lot…

We had a fantastic time…

I don't think it is possible to have married into a better family.

On Christmas morning we actually slept in. I think that this is the first year that we have ever done that. Cayson even slept in until eight or nine. I was able to get a few things done before the boys woke up which was a great start to the day. When they did get up we opened our stockings.

Santa left us quite a haul including movies, treats, jewelry, some gift cards including one to LA CAILLE! I am so excited! I have always wanted to go there but it is so blasted expensive! How did Santa know it was just what I wanted?

After the stockings it was off to Grandma and Grandpa Reilley's house. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and opened some awesome presents. Cayson was spoiled with clothes, books, and toys. Ryan and I got food storage and this cool little water purifier… This thing can take water with dirt in it and purify it. I am telling you it is the coolest thing!

Cayson quickly got tired so we went home and he took a nap while Ryan and I exchanged gifts.

Ryan got his long awaited NOOK along with a coat, and millions of plaid shirts

I got some boots, shirt, pedometer, a SNUGGIE!, and an awesome foot bath that has the attachments to give myself pedicures… for those that see me in the summer know that I really really needed one of these!

When Cayson woke up he opened his present.

We actually had a bunch for him but he loved the present he opened so much that we never did get around to opening the others…

(I guess those presents can wait until the next holiday.)

Later Ryan's family along with Granny Bev and Nelly stopped by. Once again we were spoiled; Cayson with more books, clothes, and toys. Ryan received an air compressor and clothes. I got a gift card, the coziest blanket EVER, and a card table!

Ryan and Randy showing off their awesome new coats!

Grandpa playing with Cayson.

During that time my missionary brother Caleb called. It was so good to hear from him and know that he is doing well.

That evening we headed over to Meleta's. We had a nice meal and were able to SKYPE with Ben, my other missionary brother. It was good to see and chat with him. We were spoiled with more toys and money. It didn't stop.

For some reason I never pulled out the camera… I think we had too much fun chatting with Ben.

When we got home Megan and Taylor came over so Cayson could open his present from them… this super cozy pillow handmade by Megan… as you can see Cayson LOVED it!

We then tucked Cayson into bed and I sat down to enjoy my new toy!

Amidst all the gifts the best part of Christmas was enjoying it with the family. I know I say this all the time but I feel so blessed to have such an incredible husband and son. Thinking back on my life I never imagined that such happiness was out there. Ryan makes me the happiest girl in the world and I feel lucky to have spent yet another year with him! To add to that I have such an amazing little boy who brings me such joy! Knowing that I can be with them forever because of our Savior is such an amazing feeling! I am so grateful for our Savior and for His sacrifice he made for me. I am grateful for this season that allows me to take a step back and remember His birth, life, example, and Atonement. Here is to another year!

Our Staycation

2010-12-19T21:34:00.007-07:00

Last week I celebrated my big 3-0! I feel like I am getting so old and at the same time I still feel like I am 23. Perhaps it is because everywhere I go people tell me I do not look old enough to have a kid and then proceed to tell me I look MAYBE 21. It's a blessing and a curse!

To celebrate this year I wanted to do a little get away with Ryan somewhere far away. We hadn't been able to take a vacation this year and having completed a tough semester that included statistics (which I'm excited to say I got an A- in) I was ready for a fun trip. Unfortunately that didn't work out so we decided we would do a little "staycation" in Salt Lake. It ended up being the perfect break Ryan and I had been looking for.

We started our day with a trip to the mall. Sweet Ryan didn't even complain once. I had some gift cards that needed to be spent! Express was my Best Friend this year. Being the completely unorganized person I am I couldn't find my birthday gift card from Express when I went to check out. So the guy told me that he trusted I had it and gave me the discount then told me to use the card again if I found it. Well… I found it and you better believe I used it. Thanks to Express's birthday card I got a new hat, jeans, and a sweater.

After the mall we headed to The Garden Restaurant.

I had heard good things about that place and let's just say I wasn't disappointed! The place was fabulous!

Ryan gave me my present there. This is me reading the poem he wrote.

(I love it when he writes me poems!)

Oh my gosh! He got me this AMAZING camera! I was so excited! It was way too nice of him and I loved it! In case you were wondering this thing takes 5 pictures in 1 second and the quality is fantastic! I saw it on a commercial and totally wanted it. After checking out the price online I quickly realized I could never have the camera, but then he surprised me with it. What an awesome husband! Seriously…I love it!

After presents it was time to dig in. The food was amazing.

Does that burger not look delicious? And the fries… to die for!

After we ate we went and took a stroll around temple square. (Our original plan was to take a carriage ride but fifty bucks was way more than we were willing to spend.) The lights were beautiful and the spirit was strong. It was so cold though that we made our trip quick…

Then it was time to head off to the hotel. After we got there I decided we needed to go on a shake run. The hotel was not even remotely close to civilization so our shake run turned into a long drive around Magna. It was so worth it!

We did eventually find our shake shop!

As a side note here is a funny story… our total shake shop bill came to five dollars and something cents. Well the girl charged the card fifty five dollars. Poor girl was so scared to tell Ryan. In his efforts to make her feel better he made a joke about his credit card company sending him weight loss material for spending fifty five dollars at Arctic Circle. You could have heard a pin drop. She must have thought he was serious. I couldn't stop laughing.

Cupcakes, shake, and fries… Mmm Mmm

The next day we spent most of our morning just lounging. Something we rarely have time to do… oh, how we enjoyed it!

Then we made our way to Gateway where we saw the Tourist. It was a horrible movie and I would never recommend it.

That night Meleta took us kids out to Tucanos.

If you have never been there it's a place you certainly will want to try. There is meat galore for those meat eaters and an awesome salad bar for those salad eaters. The perfect restaurant for Ryan and me.

Yes, Aunt Nancy actually let me take a picture!

Afterwards Meleta took us to the Kurt Bestor Chritsmas concert.

We had great seats and the music was phenomenal! What a great way to end the "staycation"! Thanks Meleta!

Thank You mom for taking the little man while we went and played! He loves spending time with you and we appreciate all your help! It was nice to get away!

Family Pics

2010-12-19T20:34:00.008-07:00

So… I Know I am really really slow at putting these up.

Clear back in June we went and got our family pictures done by my amazing photographer and friend Chanthoeun. She did such a fabulous job! Cayson was NOT an easy subject to say the least. The kid wouldn't hold still for anything. Here are some of my favorites!

Thanks Thoeun! Love you and miss you! (visualblissphoto.blogspot.com)

November

2010-12-05T09:26:00.010-07:00

With the cold chill in the air and Thanksgiving over… that can only mean one thing… Christmas is almost here! I love Christmas! I love the Christmas season. I love the feel in the air. I love watching the faces of happy and excited people. I love the lights! I love the decorations

With that said I have so much to update before we reach Christmas. As you noticed my last post was from Halloween. There is an explanation. My computer COMPLETELY crashed. I lost everything! From the first pictures of Cayson's life to mine and Ryan's wedding day. Gone. Thankfully Ryan did have a few pictures on his computer. I also have the pictures from this blog so I do have a few of the memories from the past year but for the most part I lost everything. Now that I am up and running I figured it's time I do updates from the past month.

For starters our little guy turned one! I can't believe it. I sit and wonder where the time has gone, as I am sure every other mother does. He is now about 29 inches and weighs just under 20 ibs. What an amazing year it has been! I absolutely love being a mother to this little guy. I admit at times it is challenging and at times he is a challenge and often times I feel very inadequate but words can't describe how incredible it is to have a little one.

In the past year Cayson has developed quite the personality. I like to think of him as Ryan's mini me. (For those of you that know the teenage Ryan then you will understand why that makes me EXTREMELY nervous!) Cayson already has a fun sense of humor. He loves to laugh and smile. He has already started doing little things that make him and other's laugh.

Cayson is continuing to work on his signing. I was so proud of him on his birthday when he would sign "Thank You" after he opened every present. He has been signing please, thank you, and all done for a very long time now and I believe that that is the reason you will hear him from time to time actually saying those three phrases. He is currently learning to sign some of the foods he eats.

Cayson already has OCD tendencies just like his father. His tray needs to be completely clean when he is eating. When he drinks from his sippy there better not be anything else on it. When we put food in his mouth he has to take it back out and then put it in himself. Or if he uses his left hand then he will take it back out and put it in with his right hand.

Cayson is EXTREMELY picky. He only likes about 6 foods on this planet. Those foods include string cheese, oatmeal, cantaloupe, grapes, honey dew melon, pureed baby food squash or carrots, yogurt, apple sauce, and chicken nuggets. He used to love Turkey Dogs but I think he OD'd on them. If you try and trick him or give him something else he will stick out his arm and if you force it in his mouth he spits it right out. So don't even try.

Cayson just started real crawling. Yep, that's right… he loved the army crawl and truth be told still does. He has mastered it so well that for him it is just a lot faster. I kinda think our hardwood floors have always just been too hard on his little knees for crawling.

Cayson loves books. He has started picking up books and flipping through them as he jibber jabbers.

Cayson is now quite mobile. Though walking isn't something he has mastered or even tried for that matter but he will hold on to tables, chairs, and anything else sturdy to help him get around.

I couldn't possibly be more happy with that fact that I am his mother. I love this little boy more than words ever could express. He has brought me more happiness, frustration, stress, and joy than I had ever imagined. Thank you Cayson for coming to our family!

Cayson LOVES Discovery Gateway. So when our planned zoo trip became too cold we decided we would go to Discovery for his birthday instead. Our friends, The Whites, joined us. We had a great time!

Cayson and his buddy Miles.

Cheesy grin at the excitement of playing with the balls!

Last Sunday we had a birthday party for this little guy. Cayson loves dogs. When he sees one he will say ruff ruff. He has slept with this little stuffed dog from the time he was just little. Whenever he looks at it he gets a really big grin. So I decided I would do Cayson a dog themed birthday party. It turned out really fun. I put paw prints all over the walls, decorated cupcakes to look like dogs, and had hot dogs (pigs in a blanket), reese's puffs to look like dog food, puppy chow, and pretzels for the raw hide. Despite the storm most of our family was able to make it. Cayson tried a cupcake and sweets for that matter for the first time. He liked the frosting but didn't care much about the cupcake. Afterward we opened presents. The kid was SPOILED! He loved all the presents he got and I'm sure appreciates that he has more than just a rattle to play with now. All in all it was a great day! Thanks everyone for sharing his special day with us!

My mom helped me make these adorable cupcakes… I give her all the credit. Didn't she do a great job?!?

Our "Dog Food"

Some of the guests and a picture of the paw prints all over…

Some of our guests…

they weathered the storm to celebrate with us. We have the best family! We love you!

Cayson loved opening presents.

He also loved what was inside. He didn't care to open more he just wanted to play with what he got.

My mom did this. She is so cute, don't you think!?!

Our FABULOUS Aunt Nelly got Cayson this awesome book!

Cupcake time! He wasn't sure what to think!

I had to show him

He started to get the idea

Then decided this is fun!

Until he had cupcake all over the place.

His favorite part was the frosting… smart kid!

I think he had a sugar high… this was his first taste of sugar.

Cayson was so spoiled! Look at all he got! Thanks everyone!

Sporting his awesome new suit!

Grandma and Nancy got him this awesome vacuum. The smile he gets when he plays with it is priceless.

Too bad we weren't able to get a picture of it

(OK, if I haven't lost your interest I should apologize. Sorry for the millions of pictures. I guess I am just afraid I will lose them)

Besides celebrating our little guys birthday we also Celebrated Ryan's and my favorite day. Ryan's favorite day happens to be Thanksgiving. He loves him some meat and potatoes and he loves him some football. Put both of those together and you get nothing short of his perfect heaven.

This year we had a lot to be grateful for. A healthy happy family and little boy that love each other, a warm house to come home to each day, jobs that allow us to provide for ourselves, cars that take us to where we need to go, friends and family that fill our lives with joy, I could never forget FOOD!, and so much more. Most of all our Savior and the gospel. Without these things everything else would mean nothing. We are so blessed beyond measure!

Unfortunately this Thanksgiving wasn't the best we have had. Cayson just wouldn't sleep. Because of it he was miserable and fussy. This left us with no choice but to bail. Poor Ryan didn't even get full. I felt so bad. Hopefully next year our little guy will be old enough to behave.

Black Friday is my favorite day of the year. To me there is nothing better in this world then getting something cool for a really really good deal. So to have a day based around this concept makes my heart swell with joy! This year apparently the stores thought it would be brilliant to start even earlier than normal. So I found myself throwing elbows and punches at 3:00 AM at Kohls to get the perfect toys for Cayson thinking all along how crazy I am. (Though not quite as crazy as my mom whom decided that she was going to Walmart at 11:30 PM on Thanksgiving and never even went to bed.) (PS… I was super disappointed in Walmart and their lack of stock,… I am now officially a Target fan. I got everything on my list there even though I got there an hour after opening) Anyway… I had a very fun successful day and should have took a picture of all my loot I came home with. Ryan took one look and stated he was sure that he was going to have to go and get 8 or 9 more jobs to cover it. I love having such a supportive husband!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T12:52:00.007-06:00

This year we have done a lot of fun things to celebrate Halloween. Cayson and I started the festivities with my mom and Millie at Gardner Village. I had never gone down there during the Halloween season. The place is adorable. I think I had more fun than Cayson.

On Friday Ryan took Cayson and went down to his Dad's work to Trick or Treat. Grandpa and Cayson had a lot of fun.

On Friday we joined the Rhodes for their ward Trunk or Treat and Chili cook off. Don't they all look great!?!

Our little nesting chicken…

He was just too dang cute!

Ryan looking better than ever!

"Star Burns"

I never knew how fun Halloween could be until we had a little one. It's been fun dressing him up and taking him around. I'm sure it will just continue to get more fun the older he gets! Unfortunately my camera is just getting worse and is now deleting pictures. So needless to say I've lost a bunch of really fun photos. At least I still have a few

Fun Times

2010-10-03T20:54:00.004-06:00

Despite the busy month our family has had, somehow we were able to fit in a few good times! Thank goodness! It was all of the good times that allowed us to make it through.

Cayson loves loves loves kids so needless to say he loved that he was able to have a few play dates. Our friends, the Wygants, came and stayed with us for a few days. Cayson enjoyed getting to play with Breauxdee.

KSL pulled through for us yet again. I was able to see the circus for the first time EVER! The Hoffman's were able to join us. We had so much fun. Unfortunately I didn't really get very many pictures.

The elephants were my favorite part! Aren't they adorable?!?

My favorite day of all we spent at Discovery @ Gateway with our friends Leslie and Kirsten and their kids. Cayson LOVED it! He was shrieking with excitement and when I would take him away from one place he would throw a tantrum until I showed him yet another fun place. It was fun to watch him try and be just like the other big kids!

Cayson loved riding on this little toy. I would push him and he would just squeal with delight.

This was a pretty steep climb, but Cayson made it to the top all by himself.

He was so independent. He wanted to do everything by himself. He actually did a really good job with it.

Cayson and his buddy Wyatt!

Unfortunately, yet again my camera lost a lot of the pics.

There was so much to see and do there! I can't wait until we get to go again.

The Race

2010-10-03T20:39:00.003-06:00

Ryan and Cayson love to "race". Somehow Cayson is always the winner... hmmm wonder why daddy!?!

Turning 28!

2010-10-03T16:33:00.005-06:00

Ryan turned 28 last Thursday. I know, he is getting SO old. We didn't really do anything, big but according to him that is just the way birthdays should be. We both ended up going to work. He was able to get away a little early to go to lunch with his brother. That evening we watched a flick and that was the end of it. Saturday I surprised him with a back facial and we went to dinner. That evening his family came over and enjoyed cake and ice cream with us.

He blew out ALL 28 of his candles. I hope he had a really good wish!

For any of you wondering what that shirt says… it reads "What? I can't hear you over the sound of my AWESOMENESS"… is that a Ryan shirt or what?!?

(So I know all of these pictures are of one event, but my camera is apparently broken and lost all of the other pictures of his birthday. Sad day!)

Happy Birthday babe! I love you!

Camping

2010-10-03T16:26:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we joined Ryan's family at the Spruces for a quick camping trip. I love camping and I love tents so naturally I was excited for out little trip. Even though the camping trip was short we had a great time! Cayson did great. He went to sleep at his normal time and slept through the night despite the cold. I would say we have ourselves a little camper!

After enjoying a delicious meal we settled ourselves in front of the campfire and chatted. When the fire died we went in the camper and played us some boggle. I don't remember the last time that I laughed so hard.

"Please"

2010-09-12T09:45:00.004-06:00

I tried to post this on the last blog but was not able to get it work.This is Cayson signing "Please" at meal time. As you can see he still hasn't quite mastered the part of doing it on the chest... so this is his version of it.

Our Little Guy- Nine Months

2010-09-12T08:34:00.006-06:00

I figured it was time to do some updates on our Little Guy. I can't believe how big he is and how fast he is learning things. For example the other day he dropped his toy and scratched it. I picked it up and showed him that it was scratched and explained to him that that is why we need to be careful with our toys. He watched me try to scrape off the damage and then he proceeded to do the same thing. It was then that I realized I had better be careful because he is watching my every move.

We took Cayson for his 9 month check up this week. We learned that he has dropped to the 5^th percentile in weight. This is beginning to affect his height and his head size. As a mother, this made me feel horrible. I'm not sure how to keep weight on him though considering he never stops, not even long enough to get full. (Unless he is eating cantaloupe or watermelon, which is an entirely different story.)

Cayson has learned to sign a few words such as Please, Thank You, and all done. I love it! It's amazing to me that such a little person can understand all that they do.

Our little guy has started giving kisses and squeezes!

Cayson loves books. Even when he is playing alone he will flip through the pages all by himself. He has an Elmo book that sings the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". That is definitely his favorite book. He loves to make it play and then sing along with it.

Cayson has begun trying to say words. He has "ma" and "da" down. When he is eating he will say something that sounds like mom but really it is yum. When he wants something he will say "ba". When he wants water or some milk he will say "wa"

We just opened up this toy for Cayson. He loves sitting on it and scooting. I think it makes him feel like such a big boy!

You can kind of tell in this picture, Cayson already has 6 teeth!

Cayson loves holding our hands and walking. He is a quick little devil!

This was a cute little swing we saw at a store.

For the most part he is such a sweet boy, just happy to be living. He doesn't stop, EVER. He loves scooting. I don't know that he will ever crawl. We have been trying to teach him how to get up on his knees but he cries and demands that we let him go. He is getting into everything, as all babies do. He is little mister independent.

I figured I would do some updates on Ryan and I while I am at it.

Our life is pretty busy and crazy at the moment. Ryan has been working extremely long hours at Sallie Mae. The past six months he has been single handedly managing all the deposits for the bank. Last month he was promoted to a manager and now is able to hire help. We feel so blessed! Along with all the hours he puts in at Sallie Mae he is also working part time for KSL TV and has applied to work the events at Energy Solutions Center. Needless to say we do not get to see him very often. Given the economy though, we will take it. We are lucky to have such a hard working dad and husband.

While Ryan is busy working I have been pretty busy myself. Along with taking care of an infant that never stops, I have gone back to school. I am working on my Bachelor's degree in Psychology. I only have 12 more classes to take! This semester I have 3 classes and a lab. The classes include Cognitive Psychology and Lab, Orientation to Psychology, and the dreaded Statistics. In between taking care of a kid, house, and school, I also work a couple of days a week. Add a calling in the Young Women's and that would be my life.

But amidst all the chaos we are certainly happy with our life and wouldn't have it any other way! We feel so lucky to be so happy and to be doing so well!

Our Get Away

2010-09-11T16:30:00.009-06:00

(Please note: Ryan forgot his camera and I temporarily lost mine before this little vacation. So this will be a long drawn out monologue with only a few pictures of our little trip taken from our phones.)

I mentioned September 4^th was our two year anniversary. To celebrate Ryan and I went and stayed in Park City. We had quite a wonderful weekend. Yes, we even left Cayson overnight with Grandma and Grandpa Rhodes. This was the first time I was going to be away from him overnight so I admit I was a bit apprehensive but it actually was a nice little break! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Since Ryan travels quite a bit for work we are able to stay at hotels for free. We decided that we would stay at the Hampton right next to the outlets for easy shopping access. Friday night we went to dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. It was delicious… especially my great big virgin Pina Colada. (Yes, that is my idea of living on the edge) After that we headed to downtown Park City and walked around. We wanted to ride the tram up to watch the sunset but it was a little chilly. We still enjoyed ourselves on our little walk though.

The next day we enjoyed the hotel's yummy continental breakfast then made our way over to the outlets. There I found me the perfect purse to go along with my new awesome pants Ryan had gotten me for our anniversary.

Ryan picked up these hot jackets at Wilson Leather. Doesn't he look amazing in them?

After the outlets we made our way back to Salt Lake. We stopped for lunch at a new place Ryan had found and wanted me to check out. They had delicious Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Afterward we went to Jordan Landing to enjoy a movie. Our first movie, I might add, since Cayson was born. Needless to say I had been dying to go see one. With way too many good movies to choose from, we finally decided to see Despicable Me. What a cute movie.

That is where our celebration ended. We went and picked up the babe and came back to reality. It was such a nice little get away though. I loved being able to spend some quality time with my husband!

Two Years Later…

2010-09-04T19:00:00.006-06:00

Our story began at this concert

And somehow along the way it turned into this.

I'm not exactly sure how it happened.

Perhaps it was while we were here...

Or perhaps it was while we were doing this...

Or perhaps it was when we were listening to him...

Or sitting snuggled in the bleachers enjoying this..

Was it while we were swinging here…

Or was it while we were playing here?

I don't think I could ever pin point how or when … but somehow and somewhere in between those moments I knew I had fallen in love.

On June 3, 2008 Ryan took me here…

Then asked me to marry him as he gave me this…

Plans were made and on September 4, 2008 we did this…

Today marks our two year anniversary! Two years ago today I made the best decision of my life!

Ryan you are the best husband a girl could ever dream of! You have brought me more happiness and joy than I could ever have imagined. Thank you for being my Sweetheart. I Love You!

Bear Lake

2010-09-02T21:36:00.002-06:00

Our Family has really been quite the vacationing crew these past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago we went on a quick trip to Bear Lake with Meleta and Nancy. Even though we were only there for a total of 24 hours it was still a lot of fun. We spent Friday evening just hanging out at the cabin and ate some yummy grub at a local pizza joint. The next day we went to the lake and soaked up some rays and rode wave runners. I wish I could say I took some amazing pictures but once again I got nothing. Well I guess I did take a couple of our day at the lake.

Grandma took Cayson…

So Ryan and I could go enjoy a ride! We had a blast!

Sweet Nancy.

I sure love this little lady.

{I need to add those sandwiches were AMAZING!}

St George

2010-08-31T14:49:00.007-06:00

Every year Ryan and I try to get away on some sort of vacation. This year having Cayson made things a bit tough to go to any place extravagant so we decided it would be fun to head down to St George and spend time with Granny Bev.

The drive down was nice and easy. Cayson slept pretty much the entire time. What a sweetheart.

We got down there Late Thursday night so when we got there we crashed. The next morning we sat and chatted with Granny until Cayson woke up from his morning nap.

(I admit I was a bit nervous that Cayson would be a handful the whole time and not sleep. Thank goodness, I was wrong.)

We then took a ride up to Snow Canyon.

Isn't it breathtaking?

We basically had the entire canyon to ourselves.

We found this cool little spot where people from the hand cart company had put their names on the wall. As you can see they are still there.

We were hoping to go on a hike but the heat was just too much. Instead we walked around a bit, snapped some pics, and enjoyed the views from our nice air conditioned car. Cayson decided it was his turn to take the driver's seat.

Proof that my sweet husband is always working, even on vacation.

That night and the next day we went and did a little shopping. You can't go to St George and not visit the Outlets, right? Ryan was a good sport and went with me TWICE! Wait, who am I kidding, he had more fun than I did. Granny Bev took the little one so that Ryan and I could go alone. It was so nice to spend time with just us. It has been a long time.

Here he is sporting his new $5.00 shorts.

This was meant to be a photo shoot of the fun clothes we bought…

I love real live History. I am a nerd that way. So when I saw that we could visit Brigham Young's old winter home I had to go. This is how we spent the rest of our Saturday.

Ryan and I have the attention span of a two year old, so naturally we did not want to take the big long tour. (which actually was only twenty minutes, but to us sounded like a lifetime) We did, however, want to see inside.

Somehow we talked the nice missionary man into giving us the quick version.

I'm glad we did. The house was fascinating.

This tree would have been around when Brigham lived there. I thought that was pretty cool!

We spent a great deal of time just hanging out with Granny.

Cayson loved loved loved her. I had to take a picture of how excited he was when Granny was talking to him.

We sure love Granny. She is one of my favorite people I have ever known! She is so genuine, loving, accepting, and knows how to put a smile on anybody's face. We enjoyed sitting and visiting with her for hours and hours and hours.

Sunday we went to church then packed up and got ready to head home. Before we left we snuck in a game a Yahtzee, Granny's Favorite.

The trip ended far too soon and it was sad to say goodbye. Granny spoiled us rotten with her yummy meals, babysitting, a place to stay, and most of all great company. Thanks Grandma for a wonderful vacation. We love you!

The Biggest Loser

2010-08-01T09:21:00.001-06:00

Remember how I have mentioned what a fun side job Ryan and I have working for KSL. Well yesterday was another one of those fun days! We worked the casting call for The Biggest Loser television show. For those of you that don't know, this is my ultimate favorite television show. So being a small part of it was a real treat for me. Our job was to make the call backs to the people that made it on to the second round of interviews. Who knows, perhaps we made the call to THE Season 11 Biggest Loser. We will see! We also got to chat a bit with Koli from season 9. We came home exhausted and sick but it was so worth it! It was such a fun day.

Pioneer Day

2010-08-01T09:10:00.005-06:00

I'm pretty sure Pioneer day has been one of my top most favorite days this summer. We started out by going to the Days of 47 Parade. I love parades! I love the fun crowds and how happy everybody is! I love that it is something a little bit different than any other day of the year. My sweet husband on the other hand hates parades but was willing to join us anyway!

We saw so many cute floats and fun bands.

We only stayed for about an hour because Cayson got so tired and cranky and Ryan's feet were quickly burning to a crisp. Despite that it still was such a fun morning!

After Cayson came home and had a good nap we went to the pool! This is quickly becoming a favorite summer activity at the Rhodes' house. It's so fun to soak up some rays… watch Cayson splash around… and see Ryan's awesome dives!

That evening we went over to Mom and Dad Rhodes for a BBQ! We love spending time with them and the food was awesome! There is nothing like Ron's awesome dutch oven potatoes and yummy hamburgers!

Oh yeah… I cannot forget to add… Cayson got his first tooth that day! (and two more within that week!) He now has little chompers! You know I had always been dreading the time he would begin to get his teeth because everybody says they are so miserable from the pain. This has been so easy though. Cayson has never even complained for a second. He's such a sweet little guy!

One Year Ago

2010-07-29T21:36:00.002-06:00

One year ago today my dad passed away.

I can't believe how time flies. So much has happened in the past year. Grandchildren have been born. Missionaries have come and gone. We personally have bought a new house, become parents, lost a job, found a new job, and started school again to list just a few.

When I reflect on death, I think about how interesting it is that life continues on and all that remains of that person are the memories they left behind. It reminds me how important it is to live each day to the fullest. It teaches me that we must always be kind and to never let a day go by without letting your loved ones know what they mean to you.

I'm sad that Cayson will never get to know his Grandpa in this life, but I am grateful to know that we will be able to see each other again someday. Thank you dad for the life you gave me and thank you for bringing Meleta, Ben ,and family into my life. I will forever be grateful to you!

Grandma "B's" Birthday

2010-07-24T13:13:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago we went up to Millcreek Canyon for Grandma's Birthday. Here are a few pix of the fun day. Cayson loved playing in the water and eating! When doesn't he?!? It was such a fun day out with the family!

Grandma, Kyle, and Lisa

Caden

Grandma and Millie

Grandpa "B"

Cayson would put his feet in the water…

Then he would quickly lift them up… it was so cold

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-21T17:54:00.005-06:00

I love events! I love atmosphere! I love Holidays! So I must admit I was a little sad when I realized our 4^th of July was going to be a little different this year. First, we were not going to be able to attend fireworks due to Cayson's distaste to loud noises. In addition, we were going to miss the local parade I love attending. Surprisingly though, our 4^th of July turned out to be extremely fun!

We started our weekend with a fun day trip to Richfield to welcome home our new little niece, Taylee! We made it to Richfield before baby Taylee made it home so we spent the afternoon with the in-laws and little Brielle! It was so much fun! Cayson loved lounging in the pool and Randy and Ryan had a blast with their made up game where they tried to outdo one another in how many times they could hit a ball in the air with a pvc pipe. Ryan's dad even joined in. Ryan took the winnings with 19 hits! Wahoo! I wish I would have snapped some photos, but I didn't.

Sweet little Taylee! I love her!

Randy with his captain stance!

Ryan, Cayson, Brielle, and Ruth

Just Chillin'

Ryan and Cayson playing in the pool!

Meeting Taylee was quite a treat. She is such a sweet adorable little girl! It was also great to spend time with Robyn and Travis! In all the day was fabulous!

Sunday was an ordinary day. That night though, I peeked outside and saw the most amazing fireworks right across the street. Yep, the big illegal ones were right outside! We were also able to see fireworks all throughout the valley, right from our front porch! I loved it! Ryan on the other hand was not interested. I tried to explain the romance in it all and he just couldn't quite get it! What a boy! Oh well, I enjoyed myself!

Monday we went for a hike up Doughnut Falls with our dear friends Chanthoeun and Casey! Afterward we went to Sugarhouse Park for a yummy picnic! It was a perfect ending to a great weekend!

Chanthoeun and Misty

Chanthoeun and Casey

Surgery

2010-07-14T16:11:00.006-06:00

On June 24^th Cayson had his surgery. Truthfully it really was a non-event. Ryan and I had anticipated the day since we found out that he needed it. We were both worried and extremely sad for him. When it came right down to it though, it wasn't bad. That day Cayson was full of smiles for all the nurses. Then when we handed him off to the doctors and they walked away I heard one of them say, "awe he is so sweet and cuddly"! Wait what?!? My little Cayson has never had a cuddly day in his life (except one time the other night he put his head on my shoulder while he was sleeping, yep that's it… and he was ASLEEP!) I was so jealous! I was also extremely calm at that point. With no tears on the handoff I knew I could keep myself together. The surgery went by in no time. Before I knew it I was holding my little guy again. The anesthesia did a number too him. He was jumpy and super tired, but this was all to be expected. We chilled in recovery for about an hour before he was completely awake. Once he did wake up he was moving around and playing as if nothing ever happened. The entire recovery was like this. I kept waiting for him to be in extreme pain over the next few days but never once was he. I am pretty sure his "backed up" tummy pains have been more traumatic than this. I am so grateful for the skilled doctors at Primary Children's that did a fantastic job. I am also so grateful to have this behind us! Oh and for all of you that asked what the surgery was… it's called penile torsion. I will let you look it up!

All dressed and waiting for Surgery

Cayson tried so hard to wake up and drink his bottle…

But he was just too too tired!

Cayson up and rolling around right after his surgery

Other updates… well since Cayson is approaching eight months and I haven't done any updates about him in a while, I thought now would be a good time.

Our little guy is growing so fast. The other day I looked at his hands and almost got a little sad… they are huge! Where did my little boy go?!? I have a feeling I will ask that question over and over in his lifetime.

Cayson is such a sweet little guy. He loves to smile and laugh. His new thing is to scream at the top of his lungs so he can hear himself and then he just grins from ear to ear. He is so proud!

His little personality is coming out more and more all the time. I love it. I definitely see traits that resemble Ryan and I. If it's possible at all, and somehow it is, Cayson has Ryan's laid back personality unless it is something he really cares about, then he has my stubbornness. Poor kid! He also has his dad's taste buds. He only likes certain foods. He will only eat certain foods. If he doesn't even remotely like it, he won't eat it. I think that I have mentioned that we have him put his hands to his side while he eats. Well, he knows that that is his rule and does really well with it, We just say… "where do your hands go?" and he puts them next to him under the tray. He will always do this… unless he hates the food. Then he will usually raise his hand and not put it down until we put the food away. It cracks me up and makes me shake my head at the same time.

About a month ago Cayson finally learned how to roll from back to tummy. This has led to a lot of fun times for him. He loves being able to get to whatever he wants whenever he wants. It's also made us a bit nervous…it's almost time to baby proof this place.

Cayson is so good to play by himself. We have different times of the day we will stick him in his playpen and he will just play and play and play. He loves it. I think this is where Ryan's laid back personality comes in.

Cayson loves to be outdoors. His new love is being outside in a pool. We went to Richfield to see our cute little nieces and they had a pool. We put Cayson in and he loved it. So of course, we had to go get him one. It isn't near as cool as his cousin's but he is still enjoying it! Can I just add that I love that summer is finally here! WAHOO!

You will never believe this one. Cayson finally has enough hair to sort of style it! Being a hair girl, I've been dying to be able to start styling it. I have watched all the other babies his age and most have had at least one haircut by now. Not our son though. Nope. He refuses to grow hair. It's too hard I guess. At least up until now. It's so fun to put his short little hairs into a fohawk! (P.S. Yes, he did get our curly haired gene.)

Cayson has brown eyes. Oh wait, or are they blue? It's the craziest thing. Some days they are definitely brown and other days they look blue brown. Either way I love them!

When it's time for naptime Cayson has a ritual. He knows that he gets three things and he waits for all three. First it's his binky. He will open his mouth and wait until he gets it. Then he gets his stuffed dog. He plays with it for a minute then cuddles it by his face. Then he gets a blanket. He loves to take the blanket and put it over his face. It's a bit scary I will admit but I have been doing it my entire life and it never hurt me, so I figure he will be fine as well. I know I am a bad mom, but it's just so cozy.

I may have already mentioned this but Cayson loves to elevate his feet. Whenever he eats his foot is up on the arm. Whenever he is just hanging out next to mom or dad or anyone for that matter, he will prop one little foot up on ya. It doesn't matter what he is doing… that foot will always be up on something.

Last Dr's appt. Cayson weighed 15.3 lbs and was 29 inches long.

I guess that about covers it.

Just hanging out!

He makes the silliest faces sometimes!

Cayson with his foot up!

5K Number 2!

2010-07-12T08:01:00.006-06:00

June 5^th was such a fun day for our family! Ryan's extended family has a tradition to run in the Springville 5k; also known as the "Nestle 5k". Since I have decided to take up running, Ryan thought it would be a great idea to join them this year. So we submitted our paperwork and prepared for the day! One of my dearest friends and favorite people in the entire world, Heather Elwell, decided she would join us. I was so excited! Living in West Jordan, all four of us got up at 5:00 a.m.that morning to head for Springville so that we could be there for the 7:30 sharp run. Ryan's brother and mom decided they would join us and met us there. It was so fun! The gun went off and we ran. I admit I wasn't thrilled about running that early or running in general that day. Ryan split off with Cayson and his brother and Heather and I did our own thing. It ended up being such a blast. I thoroughly enjoyed the time to chat with Heather and she seriously pushed me! The race flew by in no time, ginormous (yes, to me that is a word) hills and all! Our finishing time turned out to be 33:54. I was super proud of that time considering I hadn't been running for long. When we finished they had ice cream, water, power bars, etc for us to munch on. I'm pretty sure that was the best part! Then they gave out prizes. These aren't just any ordinary door prizes. They were giving out things like IPods, BBQ grills, mountain bikes etc. Unfortunately we didn't win anything but it was still fun to chill on the grass for an hour, chat, and watch the crowd as they won their prizes! This will definitely become a Rhodes family tradition for us!

Ryan and Randy tried the nasty protein packets they gave us. Their face tells all.

Our dear aunt Nelly and little Carma and Ryan and Cayson. Nelly actually took a medal in her age category! She is incredible!

Heather and Randy! Love these guys!

This event is huge. Thousands show up for it. Isn't the view incredible?

Cayson asleep in his chair after his long exhausting run!

2010-07-11T19:28:00.002-06:00

Misty usually does the blogging but it is a boring Sunday afternoon so I thought I would add a picture I took the other day.

Gratitude

2010-06-08T14:32:00.001-06:00

They say when it rains it pours…

This has been and will be quite a month for us here at the Rhodes' home.

For starters we had to get new carpet. A couple of weeks ago we had our carpets cleaned and afterwards our entire house stunk like dog dodo. Apparently the previous owners let the dog do his business wherever he wanted. So today we had new carpet installed in hopes that we could stand to live in our house again.

Then the other day Ryan found out we had a leak in our dishwasher when he touched the basement ceiling and his hand went through it. So it looks like we are going to be purchasing a dishwasher here in the next few days.

Yesterday we had our ducts cleaned… which is surprisingly pretty expensive but highly necessary. I'm pretty sure we were breathing in ten years worth of crap from the previous owners.

On the 24^th Cayson will have his surgery. I feel so bad for the poor little man, it breaks my heart. On top of that our insurance is crappy!

As I sat here waiting for the carpet guy to finish I was reflecting on the month…and I couldn't help but think about how blessed we are. Amidst all this chaos we are able to take care of what we need to without it setting us back too terribly. We are so blessed in an economy like this to have a job where we can afford it when these kind of things creep up. I'm so grateful that Ryan has the job he does! I'm grateful that we are financially savvy enough to save for the rainy days. I feel so blessed to have our home. I feel so blessed to have such a hardworking husband that allows me to stay home and raise our son!

Though I am sad that my little guy has to have surgery, I am grateful that it is just minor surgery. There could have been a lot worse things he could have been born with. I see so many people suffering physically and yet our family is blessed to be, for the most part, in good health.

Life does give you lemons from time to time and who knows what the rest of this month will bring for us, but that's ok because I have far too many things to be grateful for!

Future State Fair Champion!

2010-06-01T19:34:00.003-06:00

I have found the next watermelon eating champion!!

6 Months Already?!?

2010-06-01T14:04:00.002-06:00

Cayson turned 6 months on Friday the 28^th. Where has time gone? Before we know it he will be driving, dating, and graduating. We have really enjoyed having this sweet little guy in our family!

He has developed quite a personality lately! It is so fun! He loves to laugh and smile, especially at Daddy. His new thing is he eats for a bit, stops, tilts his head until he finds dad and just smiles. Then he goes on eating for a bit and then repeats his routine. He loves to be tossed all about. Loves to be upside down! Apparently he even loves teasing. Last night I was putting him to bed and I tried to give him his bink… he put it to one side and bit down and then spit it out. Then he did that on the other side. Then he just smiled at me as if to say… ha ha mom… I'm teasing you! Then he took the bink. Little rascal!

Cayson loves to be outside. As I already mentioned he was in his first 5k a couple of weeks ago. We took him on his first hike the week before that. He loved looking at everything and was full of smiles the entire time. I'm excited to have him already involved in these types of things and so excited that he loves them! He will fit perfectly into this family!

Cayson has now tried all sorts of new foods including banana, sweet potato, pickle, mango, and oatmeal. He is not sure what he thinks about mango, but I'm pretty sure from the "cucka" noise he makes, the faces he pulls, and then spitting it out indicates that he has a great distaste for them! He loves bananas, but unfortunately right now he is allergic to them. Poor little guy got a rash all over his back from them. (Of course the bananas happened to be on sale so I loaded up and froze them and this ended up being the fruit he was allergic to! Murphy's law.) His all new FAVORITE food though would have to be pickles! We gave him one the other day to keep him quiet while we ate and he devoured it.

Cayson is really good at meal time. We have taught him that he needs to put his hands to his side while he eats. He is pretty good at keeping them there too! He is such a quick little learner and such a good boy!

My new favorite thing Cayson does is "sing". We were driving in the car the other day and had our usual Classical music playing. He started "singing" along with it. At first I thought he was starting to whine but quickly realized that it was just him enjoying the music! Cayson has always had a love for music, even when I was pregnant with him. Whenever I would turn on the music, he would start a kicking.

I think that about covers it. He will have his six month check up tomorrow. So stay tuned for updates.

Sporting his awesome hat! Yes, he really is this happy 99% of the time!

Cayson devouring the pickle

Meal Time at the Rhodes'

Our Sweet Little Guy had his first cold

Cayson's Favorite Toy

I couldn't help it. I had to take this picture of him holding his little bink.

Cayson's First Hike

5K

2010-05-30T08:43:00.004-06:00

So we did it! May 22nd was a big day for my sweet mother, Cayson, and I. We ran our first 5k. As the day approached I was quite nervous. What if I was the last person to cross that finish line? Nobody wants to be that person. Worse than coming in last, was the thought that I wouldn't make it to the finish line at all. What if I hit mile 1, then fell over and passed out and died. Hey, it could happen. Or what if people laughed at me because I was so blasted slow? All these thoughts ran over and over in my mind all week. But, when the day came I was stoked! As they counted down to start the race, my heart was pounding, I was pumped, and I was ready to kick this race in the butt! My mom and I decided we would stick together no matter what and we did. I was so proud of her! She ran pretty much the entire time. Neither she or I have ever been runners and she nailed it! I was so proud of her! It really was inspiring to see her run and I had so much fun doing the race with her! Thanks mom! We finished at 36 minutes and 38 seconds. Which I know to some of you may not seem amazing… but if you know how slow a runner I have always been then you know I was freaking proud of us! And no, we did not finish in last place nor did we die!

While my mom and I were doing our little run. Ryan and Cayson did their little run as well. The entire week prior Ryan was convinced he would be walking the entire way. He volunteered to push Cayson in the stroller because it was "just a practice for the Nestle 5k" and that he was too out of shape to run it anyway. Well, we had barely started the race and there he was running right past us, stroller and all. Ryan {and Cayson} ended up kicking our butts by three minutes. Out of shape… nothing. I was so proud of Ryan. Ryan later told me he had even helped some kid riding his bike get up the "death" hill. He was pulling the kid and pushing the stroller and managed to get his body up there too. I admit I was barely able to get my own body up there. So I was rather impressed. (for any of you that have been to our house, you know that right before you turn onto our street there is a hill that is so steep that in the winter you had better have 4 wheel drive to get up it, because otherwise you will never make it. Yes, this hill was part of our run… and I now call it death hill.)

Shoes…

2010-05-13T09:00:00.010-06:00

Thought I would just post this. Look at this kid's shoes! I'm pretty sure he is the only 5 month old on the planet with so many shoes. In this mix you can find a pair of Sketchers, Nikes, and even some cute little boat deck shoes. Cayson even has more, but these are all the pairs that fit him as of right now. Is there any doubt that this is Ryan's son?

Cayson Updates

Cayson is now 5.5 months old. As always, he is growing up way way too fast. Nothing much has changed since the last update. He did just barely find his toes. He loves to grab and play with them. It is the cutest thing. I think it took him so long to find them because for the first time in his life we haven't been putting shoes on him as much. Poor kid doesn't even know what his own feet look like.

Cayson loves, loves, loves his toys and will even be content to just sit (well lay, he hasn't mastered the sitting up thing yet - but we are working on it) and play while I get things done around the house. I can leave the room for a few minutes and he just plays.

We have started him on cereal now and did sneak in some sweet potatoes. He loves the cereal. Heck, he loves food. Whenever we are sitting at the table eating dinner he just wines and wines until mom or dad finds something on our plates that he can eat.

He is still on his three hour schedule, but doesn't like his naps as much anymore. There is just too much he wants to do. Laying his head down and resting those tired eyes are obviously not included in his daily agenda.

Cayson loves to be upside down. He loves all the tricks dad does with him. My favorite is when dad throws him in the air his hands go up to his face and he gets a big ole grin. I should mention here that daddy still is by far his favorite person. Nobody gets smiles and attention quite like dad does. I think it is so adorable. Ryan is such a good daddy.

Cayson loves to be outside. I think he loves all that there is to see out there. Assuming the weather ever decides to be good we will be spending the majority of our time on walks and at the park.

I think Cayson is getting closer to crawling. He will actually stay on his tummy for a little longer now and just kicks his feet. I was convinced he would never crawl, but would be running first… but I am beginning to have a bit of hope.

Hmmm… I think that about covers it

Cayson's First Cereal Experience

I Love this outfit and I love this picture

I sure love this handsome boy!

Cayson's Blessing

2010-04-26T15:57:00.012-06:00

Here are some pictures from Cayson's blessing on March 7th. It really was such a sweet day. Thank you to all the friends and family who came to support us.

Perhaps Randy could tell us exactly what is going on in that picture.

Easter and other updates

2010-04-05T10:28:00.010-06:00

This year I would say Easter was PERFECT! First off, can anyone tell me anything better than celebrating the Atonement of our Savior than by listening to his appointed leaders in General Conference! I love the Spirit that permeates the home as we are fed spiritually from each one of them! As tradition goes, we went to Kyle's for our Grandma's fantastic Easter Party. Each year Grandma gives us all a carton of Easter Eggs to color. After we color them we grab lunch and then come back for the Easter hunt. Grandma spoils us all with mounds and mounds and mounds of treats! Lisa makes her yummy cupcakes... and we just pig out! It's so much fun! It's one of my favorite traditions ever!

Sunday we just stayed home and watched Conference. It was such a relaxed day. We didn't focus much on the Bunny side of it all. Ryan and I are going to get an outfit and we did get Cayson a toy and book but it wasn't the focus. I loved that we just got to sit back relax and focus on the true meaning of that special day. That evening we had Ryan's brother over for our Ham dinner. It was fun hanging with Randy and the food was yummy if I may say so myself! How grateful I am that we have these kind of days to spend with those we love most and reflect on what our Savior has done for us. I am so grateful for Him and his Love and Sacrifice for each one of us. I feel so blessed to have a knowledge of this!

Cayson's Updates We went to visit Dr Bean last week. Cayson is now 13.5 lbs and 26 inches long. His weight went down to the fifty percentile but his height puts him up in the ninety percentile. Never in a million years did I think my short little self would have a tall kid. Thank goodness the Rhodes have some tall genes! For the most part he is just a happy healthy kid. He had to get his shots. I hate that part! He always does so good though! He cries for a minute or so after he gets them but then it's like it doesn't even phase him.

Cayson is getting really good with his hands. He no longer bats at his toys but uses his little fingers to try and pick up things. He then takes them straight to his mouth where they become permanently marked with his gallons of saliva. His favorite toys are his little Lion, Monkeys, and his new Easter Frog. He loves to read books. He loves Baby Einstein and will just sit and watch with eyes opened bigger than is healthy all the while laughing, screaming, and smiling. We actually had to ground him from Einstein because he loves it so much that he would get overstimulated and not sleep. Instead he would just cry the rest of the day. That little Rascal, who knew a four month old would actually need grounding?!? Cayson has tried a few foods thanks to Daddy including carrots, apple, and mashed potato. He's not quite sure what to do with the food yet he just sorta spits it out but it's fun to watch him try. I think my favorite thing about him still is watching him grow and try to communicate with us. I love watching him use his baby talk and stare into our eyes to try and convey his wants, dreams, and desires. I'm just so grateful that I am lucky enough to be his mom!

Cayson's Favorite Lion!

Whenever Cayson falls asleep in his chair he is holding these rings. It's his security blanket!

Lucky Number 7

2010-04-04T17:53:00.009-06:00

Many of you know that for some weird reason Ryan is really lucky! Since we have been dating and married he has won free Comcast for a year and yes that includes Phone, Internet, and Cable with all the cool channels! He won us Clark Planetarium for a year. A Sony Bravia Flat Screen TV... and then just last Wed he won us tickets to Michael Buble'. A few weeks before he had gone on the 106.5 website and entered. We didn't think much about it and really had both forgotten about it. I mean who really wins those things anyway?!? Well on Wed he got the call from the station and had won not only tickets to the show but also the Meet and Greet. So... I got to meet Michael! It was awesome!!! I have to say he is an extremely personable and nice person. The concert was just as awesome! He is not only an amazing artist but he puts on an entertaining performance as well. We had such a great time! Thanks KOSY for the tickets and thanks Grandma and Grandpa for watching the little one for us while we went!

I figured while I was at it I would add this picture from another one of our famous encounters!

Our Fun Side Job

2010-03-22T14:31:00.004-06:00

I was just going through pictures and thought I would post this one. Ryan and I have the opportunity of working a fun part time job for KSL TV. Being a part of this has given us so many fun experiences we would otherwise never have been able to be a part of. We are able to work/attend many events like the Dew Tour, Christmas show, Wedding expos, Baby expos, Jazz games, Discovery Gateway, etc. We have also been able to be a part of casting calls for shows like Biggest Loser, Deal or No Deal, and America's Got Talent. When we aren't working we have been spoiled with tickets to shows like Thriller, Crique Du Soleil, and the James Taylor Concert. I guess you could say it's the best part time job ever! As a side note: Ryan offered me a bite of a Milky Way yesterday. I asked him where he got it from. His response "I confiscated it from one of the Biggest Loser applicants." Now is it just me or is there something completely and utterly wrong about that?!? All I could do was laugh and shake my head.

Like Father Like Mother

2010-03-22T14:13:00.006-06:00

I thought it would be kind of fun to post pics of Ryan and I as babies and compare them with Cayson... the similarities are crazy and fun! Can you tell which ones are which? The dress and pixilated pictures definitely do not give it away! (HAHAHA)

Our New House

2010-03-22T11:48:00.005-06:00

So I finally talked Ryan in to taking pictures of our brand new house... or not so brand new house any more. For three months now I have been begging him to take pics but he refused because the house was never clean. So I took the challange and cleaned every nook and cranny so I could get my pics. Enjoy!(Cayson's room to come)

Look At What I Got...

2010-03-04T14:59:00.006-07:00

Look at what I got!!! For those of you that know me know that working out is pretty important to me. Ryan and I used to be able to go to the gym together all the time but now with the little one it is just hard for me to get away... so my sweet husband decided he would get me this. These pictures do not do it justice but it was impossible to get a good shot. This thing is the elite of elite treadmills. It is equip with two fans that you can plug aromatherapy into. It also has a softer landing pad so that it isn't so hard on your knees. I guess you could say that this is better than Golds! I love it!!!! Thanks babe!

Our Roller and other updates

2010-03-03T22:18:00.012-07:00

Last Friday I laid Cayson on the floor to help Ryan with something. We both watched as he immediately rolled over from his tummy to his back like it was no thing... we were so excited we pulled out our camera and had to take pictures. He seemed so proud of himself. I'm not sure if it was proud like look what I can do or proud like ha ha mom and dad you think you are gonna get me to do tummy time... I sure showed you. Either way it was so fun to watch. He performed on cue over and over for us. Cayson is now three months old. He is growing way way too fast. I just love being a mom and definitely have the best job in the whole entire world! I love my little guy so much! It's so fun to watch him learn and grow. Cayson is now talking all the time... well baby talking. It's so fun to watch him really try and talk. You can see his thoughts processing and he is doing his best to tell me all about it. He's starting to be awake a lot more now. He loves his toys and almost has learned how to hold on to them by himself. Here are some updated pictures. One of Cayson's first walks. I am so excited that the weather is starting to be warmer so we can start spending all sorts of time out doors. I love when he does this. I feel like he is trying to fold his arms. Aren't those eyes stunning?

Just Because...

2010-03-03T22:14:00.003-07:00

One of the many reasons why I love my husband so much is that he brings me home my favorite flowers... just because! He is so great!

Love Day

2010-02-19T12:19:00.013-07:00

Our Valentines Day really was a Valentines weekend. It began with getting a knock at the door from the UPS man. I love packages and even more I LOVE SUPRISES. and was so excited to see what Mr UPS man had brought us. When I opened the door I saw this. I was so excited! I tore open the box and found these! Aren't they breathtaking?!? Our Sweet Meleta had sent us roses and chocolates! This had made my day, perhaps even weekend! On Saturday Ryan and I took "Our Day". We dropped the babe off at Grandma's house and out we went to paint the town. As sad as it is we had no clue what we were gonna do and thought we just might grab something to eat and then be back to grab the little guy. Don't we sound SO romantic! Before you count us as lame read on. The day actually turned out to be really fun! We ended up going to Sizzler for dinner. I tried my very first Philli Cheesesteak Sandwich. It was super yummy and I highly recomment it! Ryan got Malibu Chicken. I'll just say we were quite pleased with our choice of meal. Afterward we tried to go see a movie, which failed miserably. There was nothing good! So, instead we went bowling. Now before you decide that we had the most cliche of cliche days I need to tell you, this was only the second time that Ryan and I had ever gone bowling. The first time was last Valentines day. Sounds like its becoming our tradition. Ryan kicked my trash every time, but I still had a blast. OK, so maybe we are really lame but I had a great day and mostly it was so fun be out with my sweetheart, just him and me! Sunday was another great day! We got up and all three of us attempted our first week back at church together. It was so fun to be able to sit with my family and enjoy class. That night we had a great family dinner! I used my fabulous cooking skills (for anyone that has eaten my food, we know that is so not true) and made a yummy roast dinner along with rolls, mashed potatoes, veggies, etc.) It was yummy and the company was even better! Ryan and I also exchanged gifts. He got me a hands free set for the car that I have been wanting forever and an awesome yoga mat! What a sweet husband I have. He is also going to get me a treadmill!!!! Wahoo! Thanks babe! Those were perfect suprises! His presents weren't as fun. I got him some of his favorite treats, a ski trip, and shelves for the office (he wants to make a library with walls full of books). I also attempted to make some yummy Valentines Day treats. They didn't turn out so well but I sure tried! Overall it was a good Valentines Day Weekend! I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am. I have the most amazing husband a girl could ever ask for. Besides the few occasional pushes down the stairs he is absolutely perfect for me! (For those of you that are now alarmed note: the push down the stairs is Ryan's joke. He really doesn't) He is a hard worker, an amazing father, so patient with me. So full of love, kind, funny, generous, selfless, great communicator, he understands me, and he always knows how to put a smile on my face and make me laugh! I love him so much!

Ryan's new ride

2010-02-19T12:09:00.006-07:00

So all those thousands of miles Ryan got from flying really paid off. This is his new Hott bike he got for absolutely free. I'm not sure how much I love his traveling, but it sure paid off when I saw his face as he tried out his new ride!

Wahoooooo!!!!

2010-02-12T07:35:00.003-07:00

Can anyone think of a better night than your husband coming home early from a business trip and then having your ten week old sleep from 10:00 pm until 7:30am? I can't!

For Daddy

2010-02-07T18:24:00.003-07:00

This one is for you Daddy! I Love you and miss you!!!! - Cayson

Updates

2010-02-07T13:08:00.007-07:00

Well I have a bunch of updates to make since my last post! For starters, Ryan got a job! He is working for Sallie Mae bank as a Deposits Operations Manager. Sallie Mae is a bank that specializes in student loans and grants. Chances are if you have one of those then you are using Sallie Mae bank! Ryan interviewed for this position less than two weeks after he was laid off. The next day they called him and pretty much offered him the job. We were concerned they were gonna low ball him, but they called just a few days later and matched his last pay! The recruiter told him in all the years she had worked there she had never seen them hire someone so quickly and offer them what they were asking. That just goes to show that Ryan is not only an amazing husband, dad, friend, son... etc... he is also an amazing business man! I feel so lucky and blessed to be married to him! Ryan started his job on January 29th less than three weeks from the time he was laid off! The average time to find a job right now with our economy the way it is is eight months! Not only was he able to find one before his severance ended but we never lost our benefits either. We feel so blessed! Since Ryan has started his job it sure has been a change! I'm not used to a husband that actually has to make the commute into work. Ever since I have known him he has worked from home. I sure miss him during the days that I am home. It is sort of fun though because he works right across the street from me now so we can carpool to work! That leads me to my next update. I started back to work at IHC this past week. I'm now working part time-two days a week. I thought it would be really hard to leave Cayson, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Since Ryan ended up getting a job outside of the home, Grandma Reilley and Grandma Rhodes are so great to watch Cayson. I think this has helped the transition back to work. I know he is in good hands and he gets to spend time with his grandparents and aunts and uncles. I want him to have a good and close relationship with them so I think this will be perfect for that! It's also nice to get out and talk to adults and have grown up time. In other news, we took Cayson for his two month checkup on Jan 28th. Boy, is that kid growing. He was just under 12 lbs and was 23.5 inches in height. He is in the 75%for both height and weight. His head, though, is just a little stub... he is only in the 25%. Poor kid... I really hope it grows. The rest of the checkup went just perfectly. He is one healthy and happy kid! He did get his shots. I think it was harder on me, though, than him... as mom was tearing up Cayson had already quit crying. He's my tough little guy! Cayson's other updates... -He has started noticing and playing with his toys a bit. His "light" is almost becoming old news to him. His new love is his little toy that he can hit and it sings to him. He will sit and play with that forever. It's so fun to watch. It amazes me that he understands that if he hits the toy that it will sing to him. He just hits it over and over and watches till the song ends then hits it again. Smart kid! -He is also starting to hate tummy time less. He used to just cry and cry but he is starting to try and push himself up with his arms. -He found his thumb recently. It was so adorable I had to take a picture! - He smiles when Ryan or I go in to pick him up in the morning. I take that as he now recognizes us! (Note: Ryan is by far Cayson's favorite person. Ryan always gets all sorts of smiles and the other day when Ryan left the room Cayson started crying. It's so cute!) - The best update, I would have to say, of all though is Cayson has been SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! The other night he slept ten hours straight. Most other nights he does about eight hours. There are a few that we still have to get up for but for the most part he is doing awesome! We have had Cayson on a super strict schedule since about two weeks. He eats then is awake until he starts to fuss and then off to bed. This schedule would go every three hours. This is supposed to teach your kid to be a happy baby and to sleep through the night. I would have to say that it has been a success. Cayson never cries unless he is hungry or tired. We lay him down and he will fuss for only a few minutes and then he is quiet. When he is awake he laughs, smiles, and is super aware. The finishing touch was sleeping through the night and he's doing it!!! It's so fabulous! I feel so lucky!

2010-01-31T20:24:00.002-07:00

This one is for Caleb and Ben... my brothers on missions! Love you guys!

My Boys

2010-01-25T14:09:00.003-07:00

Have you ever seen such cute boys?!? I'm the luckiest girl around!

Smiles

2010-01-25T13:49:00.004-07:00

I wish that I could say that this smile came from Cayson when I was playing with him... or when daddy was... or even grandma or grandpa... but alas... nothing can bring a smile to his face quite like this can. Every morning after Cayson eats he will turn his head all about until he rests his eyes on this AMAZING.... INCREDIBLE... light fixture. Then he will just sit and jabber and smile forever... I guess I can't blame him... I mean look at it.

I'M MAD!!!

2010-01-23T13:27:00.004-07:00

Our son is only eight weeks old and he is already getting mad and talking back to dad. I wonder if this is any sign of what our future holds?... Cayson and Ryan were in the living room and Cayson started to get a little angry. I heard Ryan say, "You don't need to be mad" to which Cayson responded with a short, angry yell as if to say, "I'm mad!!!". The pattern of Ryan talking and Cayson yelling responses back continued for several minutes. Right now it is cute...but 15 years from now I don't think it will be.

A few more pictures...

2010-01-18T23:06:00.004-07:00

A New Leaf

2010-01-18T11:51:00.012-07:00

At the risk of getting in trouble with Ryan, I decided it was time to start blogging. I am quickly realizing that I will never be one that does a journal. I am not one that will ever scrapbook. Because of this my son's life is quickly going by and I have nothing to remember of it and neither does he. So, although Ryan never wanted to turn this blog into a "baby blog"... I'm doing it anyway! =) Cayson deserves to remember his life somehow, right?!? Sorry Honey!!! So today I am turning over a new leaf and make a vow to update this blog a lot more regularly and perhaps now and then throw in something about our life too. Hopefully this "new leaf" will last because I just have never been good at keeping up with anything! Cayson's delivery was quite the episode. He gave us quite a scare when his heart rate dropped and about seven nurses came running in the room. Apparently the little guy wanted to come out with his head turned side ways. They were quickly prepping for a C Section but thank goodness for the skilled nurses that were able to turn his head and his heart rate again climbed. After that he came rather quickly. After about 45 minutes of pushing he was here. Then came our next hurdle... Cayson had swallowed his meconium. Thank goodness again for the NICU nurses who took him and after about a half hour he was good as new. That was the first time I got to see my little guy. I was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement and at the same time felt so humbled that he would come to join our little family. What a responsibility I felt. Because of the meconium episode Cayson ended up having extreme jaundice. They told us we would have to come in and have him poked and tested until it was better. Poor little guy was not a bleeder so they had to keep poking him and pulling him. I felt so bad. Luckily the little guy is a trooper. He quickly recovered from it. Not only quickly recovered from the poking but from jaundice as well. He only had to be tested the one time. That has kind of been his personality. He is such a calm easy going little guy. He takes after his daddy in that way. Cayson is now seven weeks old! What a joy he is to Ryan and I! I never new that a big old grin from my son would be all I need to make it through the day. He is now Cooing and almost laughing. He has learned that he has hands and feet and loves to kick off his blankets whenever possible. He loves lights and light fixtures... I've found myself staring up at them and thinking I just don't get it... but nonetheless, those light fixtures bring out the biggest grin and the loudest old coos. Silly guy. Cayson has started waking up every now and then cooing as well. He is such a happy baby. He rarely cries. As soon as he is done eating he starts cooing until he starts fussing a bit because he is tired. Other things he loves are his swing, back scratches, face tickles, rocking, his little bear mobile, mom and dad, blinds, our headboard on our bed, and similar to his dad, being an exhibitionist... he loves bath time and he loves lying on his changing table nakey. That's my boy =)The only thing Cayson does hate is tummy time. You stick him on his little belly and he immediately starts crying. I am convinced it is because he can't look at his light fixtures. Thanks Cayson for coming to our family. You make me so happy! I am so grateful Heavenly Father trusted your father and I to be your parents! We love you so much! Well, I guess that about covers at least the beginning part of his life. If ya made it this far I better apologize and say sorry to bore y'all with all the details. But thanks for hanging in there with me. In other news we are finally into our house!!!! Yep, My sweet husband bought me a house! On Dec 11, after overcoming a million obstacles and what felt like an eternity of frustrations we got the call that our house was ours! My sweet in laws were kind enough to let us live with them for the two months prior after we sold our condo. We were so grateful to them but so anxious to get into our own place and begin our life with our little guy. So, when that call came we packed up and moved in that night. I absolutely love the house! It has five bedrooms and three bath with a finished basement. Cayson now has his own room!(which he has been sleeping in since week two... yes I feel like a very brave mom!) With only one child that only meant one thing... I could have my own workout room! A dream come true!!! The house has wood floors and is painted two toned. It has a nice open feel to it... I LOVE IT! Thanks babe! Amidst all the joy in our lives we have had a bit of a setback. Ryan was laid off from Open Solutions. Not due to his lack of hard work... merely because his job position was eliminated. Every boss he had there thought he was such an amazing employee and great asset to the company but there was just nowhere for him to go. Since then he has been searching and applying for jobs almost twenty four seven. I am always amazed at the hard worker he is. To date he has already applied for about 75-100 jobs. What an amazing man Ryan is. He never lets things get him down. Rather he takes what he is given and makes the best from the situation. Which is exactly what he has done with this. It has been good for me to watch and a great learning experience. I love you babe! Well I would say that about covers it. Here are some pics of the past seven weeks. One day I will also take pics of the house! Cayson in his swing... LOVES THIS THING!!! Adorable outfit from Aunt Nancy! Cayson and Thomas got matching Christmas outfits from Grandma Mott for Christmas. This is them in their photo shoot. Ryan laughed when I wanted to wrap presents for Cayson for Christmas... but it was his first Christmas... he HAD to have presents!!!! Grandma Reilley got this fun bib for Cayson!