Update on us, finally

I've done what I always hate to see other people do, but I have posted a bunch of stuff at once... again. I'm apologizing, but I'm not sorry since it's just the way things had to be. Anyway, so here is an overall update on us (see "Kaleb at 6 Months" for all the fun stuff on him).

*Well, the beginning of November started off with a bang... okay, so it was more like a screeching of brakes as our highlander was getting repossessed at 8:00 in the morning. We knew it would happen, so it wasn't SO traumatic. Funny part was when the tow-truck guy called a few minutes after leaving to see if we wanted to get anything out of it and if he could come pick up the keys. I know it's their policy since people can get really hostile over such an event, but it made us laugh. Thankfully, my parents have graciously let us borrow my dad's retired work van. It has been a godsend... even if it only gets ten miles to the gallon. It's better than a bike!!


*We hosted Thanksgiving dinner for both sides of our family again this year. It was a lot of fun! So much food. Maybe next year we won't start off with chips and salsa and guacamole and deviled eggs and actually save room for the turkey and fixins. The best part of the night was when we all got together for Catch Phrase. My favorite word was Lick!


*We then decided to participate in the midnight shopping on Black Friday. The only reason for this was to get the $50 gift cards the mall was offering if you shopped before 3 AM. Unfortunately we got in line a little too late to get them. It was fun to say we did it, but we will never do it again unless we KNOW there is a CRAZY-GOOD sale on something we DEFINITELY want.

*Ammon and I were in charge of our ward Christmas party. We prepared for 250 people and were not disappointed! The young men and young women were our waiters and they did a great job (and extra Kudos to all who helped out in the kitchen above and beyond the call of duty). The primary children preformed a little nativity scene which we missed because of backstage duties, but overall I got rave reviews from attendees.

*We put up our Christmas decorations the other day, and the Dr. Seuss tree is back. Every year we have talked about getting a new topper for our tree, one that is less overwhelming for our 30-year-old fake fir. But then, when we see the adorable crookedness, we just don't have the heart.

*And now, I have three stories that show just how frustrating people can be... (sarcastic sigh) Ahhh... working retail at Christmas:

STORY #1: A lady came into the store with a toy we sell called a Rody. It's basically a Donkey version of the balls that have a handle that you bounce around on. (Google "Rody bouncing horse" to see a visual). Anyway, she had purchased the toy for her son and wanted to return it. She claimed that he kept falling off of it and she just didn't want him to play with it anymore. Firstly, it is a bouncing item for kids under three... don't ya think a kid might fall off of it occasionally? Secondly, we have a demo in the store that kids can ride on. We encourage kids between 1 and 3 to try it out... helps to sell it. Thirdly, all of our receipts say that we don't take back anything that is opened unless it is defective. So when I told her our return policy she refused to believe it was on the receipt (which was taped to the box that she had brought Rody back in). When I showed it to her, she said, "well, then its defective". I said, "What's wrong with it?" She replied, "It won't stay inflated". I was pretty sure she was just making this up to get her money back, so I told her, "Well, ma'am we will have to do some rigorous testing to make sure it is defective before I can give you a full refund." She was so desparate to save face she said, "Fine". I took her information and she left. My manager pumped that little guy up and we squeezed the Hee-haw out of him, but he was still fine after four days. The moral of this story is: People will do anything to not be caught in a lie

Story #2: I am often by myself when I work, which wasn't a problem until a few weeks ago. The other day, it was a busier time. I was gift wrapping while trying to answer a question for someone as well as greet all of the random people that come in the store. Then a younger gal comes walking toward me from the back of the store and says, "Um, one of the kids I'm watching just had an accident on the floor, so there's like a puddle of pee back there." I start to ask, "Would you like some paper towels or a mop or whatever to clean it up?" BUT she turns around and snaps at the kids to get out of the store NOW. No offer to clean up. No request for the closest bathroom. Not even an attempt to dry the poor little girl off!!! NOTHING!!! She proceeded to point the kids out the store without an apology, so I'm left to clean up the mess. The moral of this story: PEOPLE ARE SICK!!

Story #3: I middle-aged woman came in the other day shopping for something for a 5 year old and 8 year old and needed ideas. We pointed her in the right directions, and I eventually noticed she was accompanied by some mentally handicapped teenagers (they had been close by, but I didn't realize they were with her at first), apparently she was their teacher or aid. After she had picked out some things, I asked her who they were for. She pulled one of the girls over and said, "This little girl's cousins in Seattle had a terrible house fire and lost everything including all of their Christmas presents. I wanted to do what I can for them." The moral of this story: There are Angels among us.

Kaleb Christmas

It appears that Kaleb already loves Christmas. He sings along to Christmas songs in the car and while we putting up Christmas lights we decided to do a little photo shoot. Here are some of my favorites!!

Kaleb at 6 Months

Kaleb is now 6 months old! Or at least he was on the 3rd. At his Dr's appointment he weighed in at 20 lbs, 1 oz (90th percentile) and was 27.25 inches (70th percentile). So many things have happened for him over the last 6 weeks. Firstly we are having him sit up on his own in the bathtub. I tried that reclining chair for a little while (thanks for letting me borrow it jess), but he couldn't play in the water and he got so cold during the bath cuz only his behind was submerged in the water. SO we moved him back into the little bathtub, but without the ramp. He seems to like having bath toys as he was showing daddy:

We have moved him up to the bigger carseat that holds up to 30 pounds and we have even started giving him solids. Of course, rice cereal first and just this week we started him on veggies: so far, peas are his favorite. Next week, we will be doing fruits. It's very exciting!! Definitely makes our meal times more interesting. Below is a video of one of his first ever spoon-feeding sessions. It ends up being more a video of him trying to escape his dreaded Bumbo, but I think it's still cute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTyf5kqIvTo

Below are just a few updated photos of Kaleb... okay so they're almost a month old, but I really like his expressions!!

I just love Kaleb's cheeks, especially now that his back is so stable, his neck looks so skinny!!

Kaleb has been a lot more fun to watch and play games with. We put a mirror alongside him and he just got a kick out of that!!

This is a video of Ammon and I playing Peek a Boo with Kaleb. Makes us laugh so much:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTDoRA5bmY0&feature=channel

And this is a video of Kaleb's first trick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otVr4VkT-N0&feature=channel

He is also getting much more observant (unfortunately). He already knows which is his toy remote and which one is the real on and he was obsessed with the little picture on this sweater for a good five minutes.

Speaking of observant, Kaleb has gotten more into watching TV, or at least, watching us watch tv. The other day, we put him in his play pen behind the couch that faces the tv and when I turned around to check on him, i saw this: Kinda freaky!!

And with Kaleb's new observations means new toys:

Wrapping paper

This is the ring that holds his elephant... the rattle that hangs from the handle of his carseat:

And of course, video games:

With new toys, comes new friends... and apparently arguments with his new friends. Below is a video we caught while Kaleb was mad at one of his favorite toys. It must have been a very heated discussion because we can't seem to get his attention afterward!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M777-S3NhE4&feature=channel

Sick of Running on a Treadmill

I mean this figuratively of course since I haven't worked out much over the last few months. I just want to take a moment to vent... which is a horrible thing to do on the first real post in over a month, but I feel like these emotions need to be expelled in order for me to be rid of them, like a bad virus! Lately I have had this virtual depression come over me (almost like I'm completely overwhelmed) for about a month. At first I thought it was just the extra hours at worked combined with my desire to really be involved with holiday festivities... combined with preparing for our ward Christmas party. However, the word "overwhelmed" didn't ... it wasn't right. I'm not overwhelmed. Disorganized yes, but not overwhelmed.



However, something happened today that turned on that figurative lightbulb. I won't go into details what the last straw was, but I will say this: I am sick of running on a treadmill. I hate the feeling that I am working and not going anywhere. For instance, I am literally working but not making any more money... in fact, in the long run, I'm losing money by working. Also, I am given the opportunities to make decisions and then the very person who gave me those responsibilities re-makes the decision how he/she would prefer. And the worst one of all, that we have been praying for a full year for Ammon to get a good, stable job... and he still doesn't have one. I know the economy is what it is and we are definitely not the only ones suffering, if we are suffering at all! I know we are not doing everything perfectly to be able to even call up to the heavens and demand that we 'deserve blessings', but I feel like we are trying. Again, I reiterate, this is just a vent, something to let you know perhaps why I have not blogged in over a month.



That being said, I know that we are blessed. I feel it every time the heater comes on and see it whenever Kaleb smiles and my hubby hugs me. We are so lucky to have the support we have and still have our own house. So please don't reprimand a frustrated old woman for needing to blow off steam. I've just been thinking of that story of the man whom God asked to push a boulder, so this man pushes for months and months, but it never budges. Finally, the man asks God why the rock never moves. God tells him, "I didn't ask you to move the rock, just to push it. See how much stronger you are from all that you have been through." Hopefully, this means we are getting stronger... though most of the time I feel like I'm getting weaker. Go figure!

For the Love of the Muppets!!

The first has become a web-craze and is really hystarical!!

The muppets doing "Bohemian Rhapsody". For any who love the muppets, it's a good laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY



This next video is to help you get in the Christmas spirit:

Beeker doing "Ode to Joy". Probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Just remember to watch all of the different Beekers!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A&NR=1

Videos

Some new videos. The first is just an updated video of Kaleb sitting. He can sit all on his own, but just can't get there on his own:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYdShZ8bfQc

I've had requests for more laughing videos, so the next two have Kaleb laughing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UD63qWK-U4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq1lqBJT5DY


This last video was taken late at night. You may need to lighten your monitor to see it in detail. Kaleb had been awake for two straight hours past his bedtime and refused to sleep, so we decided to try to make him tired. Well, he decided to play a little game with us:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v30KGSHm3Js

The Many Faces of Kaleb-5 Months

Tomorrow Kaleb will be five months old, so I am going to dedicate this post to all of his many faces. I've been getting a lot of requests for smiling pictures, but since Kaleb has many other fun expressions, I thought I should include all of them!!!

This is his, "You guys are weird, but I like it" Face

This is his classic smile... cute and coy!

Laughing smile, his cheeks are the biggest and his eyes are the smallest!!

Bubbles

What the?

Angry Smile... he's not angry, he just looks angry when he smiles

Sneaky...

His uncontrolled, super happy smile!! My favorite!

Halloween

Kaleb's first true holiday... Halloween!!! He was a white tiger, not a zebra as many people guessed. So cute!!! We were in charge of our ward Trunk-or-Treat and overall I think it was a success. Ammon really earned all the credit by monitoring the hot dog table and doing all of the PR work. I held the cuteness and gave out candy, tough stuff!

Grrrr!!

Kaleb even carried his own Treat bucket... for about five seconds!

Such a happy baby, now that Mommy is not drawing all over the face with eye-liner!

The Happy Halloween family



Jess and Chris and the munchkins joined us for our ward's Trunk or Treat. I think the adults had more fun than the kids. This picture kinda shows Christian's attitude,
"I'm only here for the food!"

Kaleb conked out really early that night. He was so well behaved the whole time. Then at about 7:30, fussy for five minutes, then asleep in Mommy's arms!!

This was our stash at the end of the night. What Kaleb collected and what we didn't get rid of.

Kaleb Newness

Some new updates on Kaleb, now 4 and 1/2 months. But first, I just want to take a quick moment to declare how lucky we are to have such a wonderful baby. He's so well behaved and almost always really happy, not to mention super-healthy so far. He's so much better behaved than I ever could have hoped for and I'm SO grateful for that. Anyway, back to the updates:

**His first tooth has emerged. Right now it's just a white little snag on his gum(s?), but it has definitely broken through. His bottom right tooth. The left is trying desperately to catch up. So exciting!!

**Recently I noticed that Kaleb likes to cross his feet a lot, something that I tend to do when I sit on the bed or on the floor when I have back support. Just one of those funny quirks that my baby has inherited.

**Kaleb is now rolling over quite easily. Below is the link to a video showing his expertise. Plus it shows how much he likes to hear my duck voice. It's almost always a guaranteed smile!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DI0NGZDyl0&feature=channel

**So now, of course, because Kaleb can roll over, he finds himself in very odd positions while he is trying to get to sleep or when he wakes up from a nap. Sometimes he rolls over and can't remember how to get back on his back, so he'll just start wailing in frustration until i come in and roll him back over. He strongly favors being on his right side and has often taken 2 hour naps completely on that side... waking up with a swollen eyelid and fuzzy red marks all over his face. Below is a video of me finding him after a nap in what seems like an awkward position:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH6yYh_nVxY&feature=channel

**And lastly, Kaleb now is getting really good use of his very large hands, from shoving them in his mouth to grabbing random toys and my hair. Now he is learning to hold his bottle on his own. The bottle in this video is small, but his hands totally engulf it. It makes me so thrilled to see these little advances in him!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyMKKVzJtA0&feature=channel

Egg Oddness

This is totally random, but below are some odd eggs we have picked up lately. Both are compared with normal "Large Garde A Eggs". The first is our freakishly tiny egg. I haven't opened it yet to see if its got a yolk yet:

The next is our freakishly larg egg, the size of a goose egg. Ended up having a double yolk. Pretty exciting for us farmer folk ;-)

"Economom"

I heard this term the other night when I was watching Dr. Phil (something I hardly ever do ironically enough). He was discussing the roles of mothers: working outside the home versus remaining at home to only raise the children. He said that because of the way things are going, there are now "economoms" who are forced to go back to work because the fathers aren't working anymore. I feel that I have always been supportive of the overall feeling "whatever is best for you and your family." I can't make a decision for other people to say they should go to work to make a better living for their family or to stay home to nurture their children. I still feel that way. However, I can see how my own personal emotions toward being a working mom has changed.

After I got laid off, I went through a depression, partially brought on by pregnancy hormones. I ALWAYS saw myself as a working mom. Part time preferably, but definitely someone with an outlet. However, I found a way to fill my time until I got so pregnant I couldn't do much anyway. Then after Kaleb was born, I realized just how much I want to be a stay-at-home mom and not work outside of the home. I basically refused all offers and opportunities for work until I went into Brilliant Sky, the toy store I now work for. Ammon and I had a great feeling about me going back to work part time. However, since I have gone back to work, I feel myself torn. I really enjoy my work and I'm good at it and I feel a renewed sense of belonging and community. BUT every time I have to say goodbye to my adorable baby, who is always in GREAT hands, I am close to tears. I miss him so much! If the store does well during the holidays, it will stay open permanently and I know my manager would keep me on if that's the case. Financially, I'm still receiving unemployment so working right now is basically just extending my unemployment, not bringing in extra money. I don't plan on quitting and overall I am comfortable with my decision, but I wanted to get everybody's input on being a working mom or stay-at-home mom and pluses or minuses or how they "deal" with it. Then maybe I won't feel like such an "economom" who is forced to work. What do you think?

So Far Away...

Now you'll have that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day... Mwahahahaha. Anyway, Ammon left this morning for the Navajo Reservation to do some concrete work. He is going to be back on Friday, then gone again on Monday for another week. I can't say that I am thrilled at the prospect of being alone for five whole days, but at least I have a ton of friends and family nearby and my cute little Kaleb to always keep me company. I'm more scared for Ammon since the reason he quit doing concrete work was because it absolutely killed his lower back. On friday, he did a job for the same company down in Tucson. They picked him up at 3am and he was back at 3pm, in bed at 6pm and didn't get back up till 8am. That's gonna give you an idea of how tough the work is. I'm so proud of him though. It's something he REALLY didn't wanna do, but because it's a bit of extra money, my sweety is making the sacrifice. Plus he has been so focused and humble in trying to find a job... any job, and being a terrific Mr. Mom while I'm off working. My husband aint perfect, but he is awesome, so I just wanted to take a moment to brag!

Da Kaleb and His Bear

I totally forgot to add the most adorable thing... we've had two little teddy bears in Kaleb's crib since he was born. More for decoration than anything, but lately we have been using one of the bears as a cuddle toy when Kaleb is put down for a nap. He has a hard time sleeping without a pacifier in his mouth and if we don't give him the bear, his hands will rip the pacifier out and he will get restless and not sleep. Anywho, so the other day, Ammon went in to get Kaleb up from his nap, and as he picked him up out of the crib, the little bear came with him. Kaleb had a vice-like grip on the little bear's arm it was dangling at his side. So SWEET!!!!

Kaleb at Four Months

We finally had another doctor's appointment to get the stats on Kaleb and... (drum roll please)... he is now 18 pounds, 14 oz. (97th percentile) and 26.5 inches (90th percentile). He is our big little boy. We are getting to the point where we are considering putting him in the "Up to 30 pounds" infant car seat since he is getting so close to his "up to 22 pounds" limit on the one we're using now. Our doctor reassures us that the more active he gets, the more his weight will stabilize, but I will believe that when I see it. Especially since neither of his parents' wieght stabilized till they were adults (HA, that's a joke, son). As it is, he is still wearing half of the clothes he was wearing at 2 months.

In fact, the picture below is at three months:

And this is him at four months:

A funny little thing about Kaleb lately is his recognition. He now knows who mommy and daddy are (or at least that we are his two peeps), and so whenever someone else holds him, and he notices Ammon and me apart from him, he starts to cry. (sorry, grammas!!) The doctor said that reaction is more normal at 6-9 months... which means it's probably gonna get worse before it gets better. OY!! In addition to that, Kaleb seems to recognize that I am a source of food and has often taken to very purposefully sucking on my face or neck or arm if it's available. Kind of funny! Thankfully I am nursing less now since I'm working and I plan to have Kaleb weaned by the end of the month so this won't get into a bad habit!

Kaleb has really blossomed this month as far as his physical abilities. He really enjoys tummy time now and has even rolled over a few times both from his back and from his tummy. Burping has become a lot more difficult since he will straighten his body in protest whenever he is still hungry. So now I tend to burp him while he is standing.

Plus, as I mentioned in my last post, Kaleb is starting to sit on his own. Below is the link to our latest video of him. He is more slouching on his own than sitting, but you gotta start somewhere. You will also notice the drool, which has doubled this month. His sleeping and napping have been pretty eratic over the last few weeks also, so I'm hoping that means a tooth will be breaking through soon... but I'm not holding my breath.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl5OiWpgOOo

Post Media Blackout Update

As I mentioned before, we went a week without any media (radio, tv, internet and movies) for an entire week (except for those two movies that happened to be on at a relatives house while we were there) and I have to say it has really impacted us. Here are some of the things we learned or experienced:

1. We CAN turn the TV off if there is nothing interesting on. Now that the blackout is over, we have the tv on about 1/8th as often as it was before. I used to have it on all morning with all the usual news programs and then we would have it on almost constantly from 3pm until 9pm. Most of the time it was just on for noise. This past week, we watched our favorite show The Big Bang Theory, a few episodes of Mythbusters and then one morning of Regis and Kelly. Now we actually turn the TV off if we're not watching it. Go figure.

2. I like my husband a lot more when there's no media around. That whole week, Ammon didn't really act differently, but if there was something he did I didn't like, I handled it a LOT better. Although... it may have helped that I didn't have to repeat myself a bunch cuz the TV wasn't distracting him ;-)

3. Kaleb is a lot of fun! He really likes to watch tv, so I tended to let the tv placate him (even at this age, isn't it horrible!?!?!) But media-free week forced us to entertain him a lot more and play little games with him. Now I can't nurse him in front of the tv right before bed because he will not settle down for the night. The tv is just too interesting to him.

4. I HATE 1000 piece puzzles!!!!!! I started getting into puzzles that week, but now I'm sure I want to stop at 750 pieces or at least not get a 1000 piece puzzle that is a painting. All the brush strokes make all the tiny pieces look the same!!!!

5. I CAN beat Ammon at a strategy game. Othello. Nuff said.

Some other tidbits about our lives:

I REALLY like my job, and the manager and co-workers seem to like me. I have torn feelings every morning I work, having to leave my adorable baby, but I feel this is where I need to be right now. Plus, it has been a great boost in my self-esteem to have an external "project".

Ammon is still having a hard time finding work. He is applying like crazy at all kinds of random places, but he has gotten no responses... not even for a seasonal position. Let us know if you hear of anything.

We caught mouse number seven last night. Thankfully they never go near our food that we can tell. ARGH!! It's so crazy nasty!!!

Pre- Media Blackout Update

So next week, we will be going without TV, movies and computers (except to look for a job for Ammon). Our bishop has asked us to spend that time on improving ourselves and our relationships by preparing for general conference next week. Ammon blames me for this because of something I said during ward conference. What can I say? I speak my mind and we need all the blessings we can get right now.

I'm gonna give a quick update on us: Ammon was laid off last week from his job, which wasn't too terrible a loss since they were giving a rollercoaster of drama, including going a month without being paid and even jipping him on five hourse of pay on his last paycheck. Come to find out, that last paycheck bounced today. As if we didn't have enough money problems!

Coincedentally (sp?), I got a part time job at the new toy store in the Superstition mall called Brilliant Sky (where Kaybee used to be, next to Payless). I have really enjoyed it so far and look forward to having a little outlet for my creative energy. Come by and see me soon!

We caught ANOTHER mouse yesterday. I think that makes five this summer!

Also, Ammon and I have new callings. We are now our ward's activities directors and I'm kind of looking forward to it. Ammon is glad to finally have a break away from primary (after 7 years of teaching). I was a little sad since I had only been with the Young Women a year, but this will allow us BOTH time to be spiritually enriched on Sunday in new ways, baby naptimes allowing.

I started The Chronicles of Narnia last week (thanks for the suggestion, Liz) and have gotten through the first two books already. Fun, light-hearted reading with a great lesson are always winners to me!! I did finish a novel a few weeks ago that I had been reading for almost two months (hence why I haven't done a book review). It was so dissapointing, I didn't want to dedicate a whole entry just to that. So all I will say is Dean Koontz' Strangers was 'just ok'. Too long for a boring ending. Usually I like his stuff but this one was "EH" (shrugging shoulders). Read Lightning if you want a good Sci-fi mystery by the same writer. That's his best work.

Of course I can't have a general update without mentioning our little cuteness. We have gotten Kaleb to sit on his own a lot lately. Never for more than thirty seconds, but still, we were very excited to see him so independent even for that short amount of time. Should have a video after our media blackout (cameras aren't banned).

More Kaleb Cutenes

Here is a picture of a cute little vest outfit Llama and Eric got for Kaleb. I just love it!!! Even if the tie is too small for his neck folds. Thanks a bunch, guys, for all of the awesome clothes!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY6kE378pZY

Plus, we got video of Kaleb's first REAL laugh. Sorry I started the video pointing at the dishes, but the camera was in our office, on the other side of the house from the nursery, and the baby monitor was on in the kitchen. I wanted to get as much as I could. Hope you like.

Let the Games Begin

Lately, Ammon and I have been getting out the board (bored?) games and spending our evenings in strategic warfare. Ammon has the Lord of the Rings version of Monopoly, Risk and Chess. We started with Monopoly and Ammon kicked my trash. Below was the scene as I surrendered (Ammon was on the right... Obviously).


Then after I cooled down, I suggested we play Risk. Ammon made short work of me even more quickly and cruelly! Below is my last stand. I was the green soldiers. Don't see any green soldiers? That's because there is only one and he is at the top left of the board. It made be sad. But I had Kaleb's love to make me feel better!!!!

How Many Eggs?!?!?!

72

6 Dozen

Our chickens are giving us an average of a dozen eggs a day! The madness!!!

New videos of Kaleb

This is a video of Kaleb screaming. We think it's his way of saying "I want ATTENTION" cuz he does it when he is happy and when he is frustrated. You also get to hear his other cuter cooing too. Plus, this shows how much Kaleb has learned to love playing with blankets. Be warned, the video starts right in the middle of a scream, so prepare yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWW3L4tjOBY&feature=channel

We finally got a video of Kaleb standing. It's so funny to see his short chunky legs holding up that long torso. Notice that I only help him balance and don't hold any of his weight. Usually when we do this is when he starts screaming to say "Look at me", but of course he stopped right when we started recording.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkfTWWcvy84

Blessing Kaleb

On Sunday, September 6th, we blessed Kaleb in our home. My entire family was able to make it, which was so wonderful, and the BBQ after was also a bunch of fun. Thanks to all that were able to make it (and those friends that we didn't invite, just look below at the crowd we had just in the circle, then add a spouse for each of them and six kids under seven and you'll understand. We had to limit the craziness to pretty much just family). Kaleb was so good during the blessing, even though he was a bit emotional beforehand. All in all it worked out.

Here is a close-up of Kaleb's blessing outfit. We didn't find a single white outfit... plus with how limited our money was we had to buy something that he could wear more than once.

Yo, DOG!!

Kaleb is 3 Months OLD!!!

Kaleb is now three months old! We didn't have a doctors appointment this month, so I don't know how much bigger he has gotten. According to our measurements (home scale and Ammon's tape measure) he has actually shrunk... Hmmmm. So if there is anyone out there that has an accurate meat scale or whatever those are called, let me know. Oh, well. Here are some fun photos:

Below is Kaleb at two months:

And three months in the same outfit. He looks as though he just filled out a bit. Nothing major, but definitely doesn't look as though he has shrunk any, so we are safe there!!

We have the dillema of Kaleb growing out of his bath tub. Now that he likes to kick his legs, he often pushes his head into walls, which doesn't seem to bother him. I would just use the bathtub with the ramp, but our faucets are notorious for quickly getting to the scalding point so I have been delaying taking him out of it... Plus then I would have to admit he's growing up.

Ammon and I have decided to accept the "yo baby jus' aint brown" fact and enjoy Kaleb's beautiful blue eyes. I just hope the poor kid can tan. Plus this photo just has a cute face!

I have had requests to get a photo of da baby butt, so here you go, Liz!


Kaleb has been getting much more active and he thankfully doesn't mind being alone when he first wakes up for a nap. I came into his bedroom to the scene below which told me that he is past the age of swaddling and that we needed some other way to
keep him comfy (and warm at night):

So Gramma Lynn bought him a set of Bear footy pajamas (thank you!). Don't you love

his bear feet. Get it? Bare FEET!! PWA! Good times!!!!

Like I said, he has been getting more active, especially exploring with his hands. Lately he has become particularly interested in his hair. Sometimes his hands will wander around his face like someone else is controlling them. He almost gets mad at them. Makes me laugh!! The photo below just looks like he's practicing for his "I'm not listening" phase.

Kaleb's feet can now reach his face with my help, and the first time I heard him laugh was when I made his feet 'kick' his hands out of his mouth. Of course I haven't heard him laugh since, but he is figuring out he can pull his legs toward him and play with his knees.

He now has almost full control of his head, and the other day we put him in the Bumbo. He likes to sit in it for about five minutes to watch tv (or dad playing video games). Then he realizes he can't move his legs like that and he starts going a little ballistic.

Kaleb has also discovered how much he loves to stand and will make it known to you if he's ever in your lap sitting too long. He can hold his own weight with his legs already, but has serious balance issues (like his mom still does). Below is a photo I got. I took videos as well, but like a total moron I got them with the camera on the side not realizing that you would have to watch them whilst lying on your side. I will get a better one soon. Well, guess that's all for now!!!