Family Photo Shoot

After months of trying, we FINALLY got family photos done. It was so much fun, and our friend Carrie did a fantastic job. First is a quick video that we shot right after we got home from the photo shoot. The outfit we got for Kaleb was a size too big, but was the only one we could find four our color scheme... anyway, it's just a cute little video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2kE6sKwg84

I also should explain that we didn't pose Kaleb, he naturally puts his hands together so sweetly. AND that he smiled with me because daddy was standing next to the photographer. However, he wasn't smiling for daddy's pictures because he didn't want to smile at me or the photographer. Oh well, he was so good through all of it I really can't complain.

Enjoy the pictures!

Kaleb-11 Months

This posting is over a week late, but better late than never, right?

*Now that Kaleb is 11 months, knocking on the 1-year door, he is experiencing some real milestones. Firstly, he is walking about 60-70% of the time now, and with summer coming, we wanted to make sure his little tootsies were taken care of. Below is a picture of his new flip-flops... that lasted about a day. They were just too tight. We had a terrible time finding shoes that fit because of how fat his feet are. Finally, I was able to find some strap-on sandals that are perfect... and used (Thank goodness! Thanks, Jess)




*Also, Kaleb is able to use his mouth more... a LOT more. so far the closest he's come to talking is when he sees Daddy or a diaper and both sound the same... hmmmmm. Anyway, Kaleb has learned to click his toungue and whistle (kinda). It sounds more like wind blowing, but he's got the basic concept down.

With his newfound awareness we are able to play more games. Some of his favorites are:
**Hide-and-let-hide. Putting stuff in whatever space he can find (like boxes, the space under the end-tables by the couch or even my lap) and either forgetting about it or getting annoyed when it's somewhere he can't reach
**Tickling. He likes to be tickled (or massaged like the video below) but he has found that mommy has ticklish feet and gets a kick out of trying to nibble on my toes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61NO4T8n0l8
**Squishes. He stands between me and the couch while I'm sitting on the floor and waits for me to lean back and squish him over and over. Apparently those are some good times!!
**All forms of peekaboo. His new way of playing peekaboo is to randomly stand behind me and wait until i notice, smiling the whole time and then I surprise him by turning around and yelling "Gotcha" or whatever.

*I was always a big fan of Sesame Street, so I'm not too terribly dissapointed that Kaleb has grown to LOVE Elmo's world. I watch the news in the morning, so most of the time he ignores the TV until I change it, and he hears Elmo's voice, then its about ten minutes later when he comes unglued again. I think it's the high-pitched voice or something.

*No more onesies. Kaleb has pretty much grown out of all the onesies we have for him, so now he is sporting t-shirts. It makes him look so grown up!!

*Now that Kaleb is walking pretty regularly I decided to have him experience the playplace in the Superstition Springs mall. It's rubberized, air conditioned and someplace different that he's allowed to really wander in. So far he has been there four times, and he just LOVES it. He's so well behaved too. Plus, it's really funny when he recognizes that there is someone else near his age. He actually talks to them, whereas he basically just observes the other kids.

*I'm kind of excited for Kaleb to turn one. So many changes like a forward-facing carseat and no more bottles... but then again I'm gonna miss my little baby boy. Below are just some fun photos.

Dancing Kaleb

The other day, Kaleb was hangin out in his playpen, while I was rockin out to some music, so he started rockin out too. Kaleb has always liked dancing, but squinting is a new thing that makes him laugh. Sorry you don't get to see his whole body, but he was naked at the time... I was airing out his poor booty from all the diahrea. Anyway, hope you like it as much as I did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOcc8KH1ZZo

The Cleansing of My SOUL... or office

(To be read with the dramatic zeal and emphasis of Captain James T. Kirk) Occasionally, a task... comes into... our lives that defines who... we are. A task so daunting, so... dare I say, whelming... that our very courage is challenged. I was given such a challenge and I will... declare that I accepted this challenge. With fortitude, five swiffer duster pads and... a resiliant shredding machine... I conquered the most horendous place known to woman... oh yes! It was our office.

In all seriousness, this place is like a flippin vortex (of sin and degradation... that was for the Reed women). Everything that I didn't want to deal with in the moment (like mail, anything that would ever need shredding, random craft items) ended up there. Not to mention, the broken down computer and office chair that we still haven't gotten rid of. OY, a total pigsty that I always disclaimed when people visited. HOWEVER, I have been forced to clean and organize. And voila!!

BEFORE (right corner)

BEFORE: Left corner

AFTER: Right corner


AFTER: Left Corner

Hidden Blessings

Over the last few days, Kaleb has been suffering from a little bit of the atomic diaper (diahrea). We've gone through about 6 or 7 outfits a day. Every 2 hours or so we have to change a diaper and everything else that has been leaked on (clothes, sheets, blankets covering the sheets, carseat covers... ugh). We are now to the point where he's just wearing pants (and diapers)... why bother with the tops anymore? Anyway, Ammon also has been a bit under the weather, so needless to say when we awoke from church this morning there was no discussion as to who would stay home from church with Kaleb.

So off I went to church... alone... for the first time in a long time. And it was AWESOME!! I was able to really focus on the lessons. I didn't have to worry about keeping Ammon awake or keeping Kaleb out of the hymnbooks... NEVER, NEVER, NEVER would I wish a sickness on anyone, especially my wonderful husband and my sweetest little baby. However, I will have to admit it was nice to really be AT church again. Something was missing from my spiritual batteries over the last few months and now I think they've been filled... at least for a few more months. Just wanted to share that little bit of gratitude with everyone!

Devin's Letters

It's finally finished!! Devin's letters, originally his Christmas '09 present became his birthday '10 present, but nevertheless, it is done!!! I took pictures of the pages I was able to make and have them shown below. The photos don't do them justice, so if you want to see them you'll either have to go on Mom Reed's computer to view them (she had a better Windows program than I did) or wait till Devin gets back cause this stuff is headed to Bahrain!! Anyway, I hope everybody likes the way they turned out! Thanks again for all of your help and I'm kind of excited to do it again!! (For those who don't know, Devin is my brother who is an Ensign in the Navy and is currently serving in Bahrain).

Cover page: Random photos of everybody (sorry to Valerie, I put "The Reed Family" since everybody on that page is part of the Reed Family)

Ammon's and my page

Jess


Chris (Crunkle/Chrispy)

Chris and Kelli

Valerie (Devin's mother-in-law)

Mom Reed

Dad Reed

Liz and the Kiddos

I'M SUCH A BIG FAN

...OF LIGHT! Ammon and Dad were able to put up the other two fans a week or so ago, and I am LOVING IT!! We didn't have any light in our front room (see the before and after pictures) and now we have 8 lights and 2 fans!! And it only took them about 6 hours to get it all done. Men are AWESOME, aren't they?!?

The Story of the Three Bears

Most of you have heard the traditional fairy tale of Goldilocks breaking into the home of the poor defenseless Bears' home and tearing apart their chairs and beds... Well, here is a story of another set of three bears.

Once upon a time, or as I like to call it: 2006, there once lived a young girl bear who was snowy white and oh, so fun, but she was very lonely. She wanted to find her true love and get married and live happily ever after. Well, at this enchanted time that we will call 2006 she did just that! She found another bear who was just as fun. He was much bigger and much darker than her and very sweet. So she called him her Honeybear. Since she had such a cute name for him, he decided to call her Sugarbear (cuz she was white like sugar)... which eventually evolved to sound like Chugarbear.

Well, these two funny bears got married and found a wonderful cave to call their own, but they knew they would not be complete without a bunch of cubs bouncing around, so they had a little bear that they named Kaleb. It was a good, strong sounding name, but it was not a bear name. What could they call their little baby bear? They couldn't always call him 'Baby Bear' because they would eventually have other baby bears. No! There had to be a special name just for him. So Honeybear and Chugarbear watched the little Kaleb for almost a year, trying to think of something that would be just as special and finally one morning, while Kaleb was eating his breakfast, they found it!

Chugarbear said, "What is Kaleb's favorite treat?" and Honeybear said, "Toast with butter of course!"

"And what color is Kaleb?"

"He is a soft creamy color, like his mommy," Honeybear stated.

"And, " Chugarbear continued, "What is our favorite part to kiss on little Kaleb?"

Honeybear smiled and said, "His round, chubby cheeks, of course... He's our little butter-ball!"

"No," Chugarbear exclaimed, "He's our little Butterbear!!"

The END (well, to be continued... eventually)

Kaleb at 10 months

Kaleb has taken many leaps and bound over the last month. Literally... okay, leaps might be exagerating slightly, but Kaleb has been kinda walking sortof ish for almost two weeks now. Here is the link to the first decent video we got, which was done at my parent's house Easter Sunday. We had a bunch of other family members there, including my nephew Christian who couldn't help but steal a few seconds of fame while his mom was taping. It adds to the fun, I think!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLzYVea6L98



Kaleb has also learned how to wave on his own, only Hello. He doesn't yet understand that ByeBye is the same thing.



Another accomplishment that I'm very happy about is that he has realized how to allow gravity to help him drink out of a bottle. He has been holding a bottle since he was 3 or 4 months old, but unless he was on his back, he wouldn't hold the back-end of it up. We finally got him used to using a sippy cup a few months ago, but then I was worried the size of it was preventing him from wanting to lift it properly, so we've had him using a small bottle for water the last few weeks and it appears to have done the trick. He consistently drinks on his own now... I'm just not looking forward to getting him to use the sippy on his own. Baby step, Baby steps (and we are full circle)

THE HAIRCUT(e)

Kaleb's hair has been getting into his eyes for the last several months. However, I really didn't have the guts to take him in for a trim until I knew it was absolutely necessary. Well, Ammon had his Mountain-man campout last week, for which he had grown out whatever hairs he could to get the 'rugged look'. BUT as soon as he got home, he was like, "Can I go get haircut?" and we knew it was time for Kaleb too. Here are some before pictures of DA BOYS:

Ammon's Scruffiness:

Da Bangs of Kaleb:

Da Sideburns of Kaleb:

Overall it was not a bad experience. The guy at Walmart who normally trims Ammon's hair was not very accustomed to dealing with children (except for Ammon), but nevertheless he was quick to jump away from flailing arms and didn't hesitate to pause whenever Kaleb needed to be free of Daddy's restraints.

"Look, Daddy, we have matching backwards capes!!"

"Why is this man vacuuming my head?" (trimmers)



"Could we BE any more handsome?!"