Cruzer Man!!!

It's Cruz's turn for an update!

He's only about 3 weeks shy of being 2 1/2.

He sure was a sweet little thang...

And now he is a sweet big guy:

This handsome fella is sure developing quite the personality.

He is really talking these days - constantly surprising us with how much he knows.

Just the other day he started counting and went up to 13 perfectly.

He also knows most of his colors.

He loves to play with Paisley.

They play house together and he's a pretty good sport about being the baby, the daddy, and occasionally the mommy.

He also likes to pretend he's a monster and chase her around the house.

He is really into the play kitchen and pretend cooking these days.

His specialities include hot dogs and strawberry pancakes. Go figure.

Speaking of food, this kid is a pretty good eater.

He has days where he is pretty much a garbage disposal.

His very favorite foods are popsicles and chips (nacho cheese doritos).  

No doubt about it, this kid is pretty special.

And I am not just saying this because he has an extra tooth.

Seriously, an extra tooth came down next to his left canine (paisley calls it his triangle tooth).

The dentist said it is pretty rare but nothing to worry about. There's a good chance he will have an extra permanent tooth as well. And it really isn't even noticeable.

This kid doesn't seem to mind,

in fact he's pretty stoked that he will get an extra visit from the tooth fairy:

Cruz is a pretty typical 2 year old boy in the fact that he likes to rumble and tumble. 

He enjoys cars, trucks and balls.

But he also has a pretty sensitive heart as well.

Like his older sister, he loves babies and asks to hold one every chance he gets.

He also likes to play babies with Paisley (shhh, don't tell daddy).

I think it will just make him that much greater of daddy someday.

 Cruz is also an awesome sleeper!  

He willingly walks downstairs for his naps and jumps into bed.

He has been taking 2-3 hour naps lately.

And still sleeps 12-13 hours a night without a peep. 

Bless. his. heart.

Cruz thinks he is a big help around the house.

He used to be terrified of the vaccum, but now insists that he is the one to push it around the house.

He also loves doing dishes.  Unfortunately, the kitchen floor and him end up pretty soaked at the end.

We sure have loved having this little boy in our home. He is a real hoot. 

He is all boy and talks about poop and toots.

Near North Salt Lake there is an area near the freeway that smells really bad like sulfur.

The other day as we drove past this area Cruz yells out, "Mommy poo-poo?  Mommy poo-poo?"

Nope. Mommy no poo-poo Cruz.

Cruz fills our lives with light and laughter. 

And for this I am thankful.

Oh, and did I mention he has got some killer dance moves?

all about Paisley Jane!

I can't hardly believe how fast time goes.

In about a month and a half we will have a 4 year old on our hands.

Four. 4.  FOUR!!!!  

How on earth did she go from this:

to this?

We have really enjoyed Paisley as a three year old.  Don't get me wrong, there has been some hard times.  But it has been a year full of growth, discovery, and learning.  I can hardly wait to see what the next year will bring!

A few fun things about Paisley right now:

"And though she be but little, she is fierce."

I love this Shakespeare quote, because it describes Paisley perfectly.

She is a petite little frite. She wears size 2T bottoms and size 2t or 3t tops.

She wears size 7 shoe.

Paisley is a whopping 30 pounds right now.

But she has a HUGE heart and a GIANT soul.

Paisley loves babies.  I realize that most little girls love babies, but Paisley is over-the-top obsessed. 

If there's a baby in the room, she is right next to it.  She loves to pat their cheeks, hold them, and cover them in kisses.

And I know what you are thinking: Paisley must need a brother or sister.....

But I think her little brother and her dolls are filling in nicely for now :)

Paisley is a monkey.

She is constantly climbing and jumping off things. 

I really look forward to putting her in a gymnastic class in the near future.

She has more energy than I can comprehend.  It's a wonder all her bones are still in tact.

I started a neighborhood co-op preschool with Paisley this last fall, and she is really loving it!

She picks things up really quick.  She knows several letters sounds and how to write them.

She even knows many letters we haven't covered in preschool. 

Just the other day she wrote "mom" on a paper and came up to me and said,

"Hey mom, isn't this how you spell your name?"  

I am not sure where she figured it out, but I was impressed.

She is constantly asking for paper to write and draw.  

Her newest obsession is kid scissors.  Oh the joys of tiny pieces of paper everywhere!

Paisley loves dancing.

Dance parties with daddy are her favorite.  

Sometimes I call her a princess and she always corrects me and says, "I am not a princess, I am a ballerina."

Looks like we will have to add ballet to the gymnastic class!

Paisley's favorite toys at the moment:

play doh, the toy kitchen (and the real kitchen-helping mommy cook), 

scooter,  any arts and crafts, and her babies.

She is also an expert at making up games - her imagination has really taken off the last year.

Paisley's favorite foods at the moment:

cheese sandwich, cucumbers, apple slices, pasta in any form, and of course chocolate!

We are really lucky to have such a bright and energetic girl in our home.

Not a day goes by that she doesn't make me smile and laugh.

She is the sweetest big sister - her and Cruz truly are best of friends.

Paisley is extremely strong willed, but has a soft and gentle heart - two amazing qualities for such a beautiful little girl!

Fall Fun

Now that the temperatures are dropping and the trees are nearly bare, 

I decided I should probably post about all the fun we had this fall.

We really enjoyed fun outings to Cornbellys (twice), Pack Pumpkin Farm with our preschool, Halloween activities, and a Murder mystery dinner for Nick and I.

Now we are getting ready for the holidays:

Paisley busted out Polar Express the other day, and we have been singing Christmas songs (against my will), and reading Christmas stories at bedtime (who am I kidding? we do that all year long).

Paisley and Cruz loved the fall fun, but they are definitely looking forward to the Christmas season!

Cornbelly Fun:

Our friends the Novak's invited us to a Salt Lake Real game one night-

we got there just in time for the sunset:

Preschool field trip to Pack Pumpkin Farm:

Our kiddos loved the Ward Fall festival - complete with a trunk or treat.

They madea  pretty cute Tink and Peter Pan:

We have loads of leaves in our backyard and the kid's favorite game of late includes "bucking" each other off the teeter totter onto the leave piles.

And just because or kids are the cutest - 

Nick and I walk in the room after dinner and Paisley is "holding" Cruz on her lap - feeding him his drink.

She loves being a little mommy - and he doesn't mind being babied either :)

There may not be too many days left where I can let the kids get their wiggles out outside.

They love taking their babies and strollers outside for walks.  Cruz included.  Don't tell his dad.

And lastly,

Nick and I were invited to a murder mystery dinner a couple weeks ago.

I was assigned the part of the Queen of Hearts and Nick was Darth Vader.

I spent a good part of the day making our costumes, and we totally rocked it:

Nick's Golden Birthday!

My young-at-heart husband turned the big 3-0 last week.  On the 30th.

This made for his Golden Birthday.

I normally like to make birthdays a pretty big deal -

but my husband requested to keep this birthday pretty small and meager.

So I decided to do something a little more memorable.

While he was at work (I really believe no one should ever work on their birthday, but that's beside the point), I went and bought 30 golden balloons.  The week before I was able to have family members and friends tell me things they admire about Nick as well as memory they have with Nick.  I attached these to the balloons, and hid them up in our room.

Note to self:  Three years old don't know how to keep secrets.

I told Paisley the day before we would be buying 30 balloons for daddy's birthday, and as soon as he got home she told him all about it.  No worries, I am pretty smooth and easily covered it up.

So when Nick got home from work there were merely two gold balloons waiting for him at the door.  I told him there were two: One for Paisley and one for Cruz.

Then when we walked up the stairs to change....tada!

Thanks to all that contributed to the memories and kinds words.  

Nick is such a gem - and reading everybody's thoughts made me realize how amazing he has been his entire life :)

Nick did request a kayak for his birthday.

Unfortauntely, I wasn't able to splurge and buy him a real kayak - so I made a kayak out of his birthday cake:

That black frosting is pretty terrible.

The kids were covered it in by the end of the night - and it took a few washings to remove it.

Happiest Golden Birthday to my amazing husband! 30 never looked so gooood :)

And here's a picture for the books.  

Nick had taken the carseats out of the car because we were trading vehicles.

The kids requested to be strapped down and watch a movie.  I totally complied. When Nick walked in the door from work this is what he got:

Looking at this picture I totally realize why people are constantly asking me if Paisley and Cruz are twins.  Sitting next to each other they are pretty much the same size!  So cute!