..."Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun. Please Shine Down on Me..."

Ahh, sunny St. George!
It snowed last week in Colorado and we had plans to meet up with a few of our friends in St. George. We were really nervous that the weather would shut down a few of the passes through the mountains and prevent us from taking our trip but the weather cleared up and it was PERFECT!
We drove out on Thursday morning at 4:00am and braced ourselves for screaming kids for the 10 hour drive. We were pleasantly surprised though when Cic slept the ENTIRE time (except for eating) and Kai watched movies the whole time. It was amazing.

We had so much fun seeing our friends who we miss terribly. Ben was able to do some golfing, and I even got to see my Grandmother (who lives there).It was a win, win, win!!!




Me and Kristal with all the kiddos at the park.



Alexa was so good with Cic. She just wanted to give her kisses all day long.

LOVE these pics of Kristal and Cic. Kristal just has a way with my kids. They both LOVE her to death.

Two of my best friends...I love you guys.

We had a little birthday party for the kids while we were there. Everyone got to open presents.

Thanks for the sport balls, Lily. Kai has been throwing them all over the house and loves to watch football with Daddy while holding his football.

Thanks for the train, Alexa. Kai is OBSESSED! I hear, "Choo, choo" all day long!!!

We went to the splash pad one day and let the kids run around in the water. They had a blast!
I just love St. George...It is so beautiful there. I love these pictures of Kai and Lils playing. They played so well together the entire trip. Best buddies...

Lils dumping water on Kai~

Alexa cuddling with Kristal~

Cici-Pie just hanging out watching all the action. She did so well in the car seat. I put her swim suit on but there wasn't much for her to do so I just left her in the car seat to stay out of the sun.

Kai and Daddy playing in the water~

I love this shot of Kai and Ben holding hands~

I am so bummed that this is the ONLY shot I have of all the guys. Not sure why I didn't take

more.

Lily-cake (Kai's best friend)

Lesson Learned~

Not sure why I always think that I can tease Ben and get away with it.

At the splash pad I kept splashing Ben and dumping water on him...Yup, he got me back. Big time.

He picked me up and took me over to the buckets that dumped water out every few minutes.

When I provoke Ben, I can't turn my back.

Don't worry, I'll get my revenge...

Kai, Alexa, and Lily just after dinner waiting for their bath. Aren't they so cute in their diapers?

This is what happens when Kai doesn't take a nap...Bath time is usually such a fun experience for Kai. Now to mention that he got to bathe with two of his best friends. Yup, he screamed the entire time.

Dixie State Football Game...
It was fun going back to our old stompin' grounds. (Ben went to Dixie a few years before I went there so we both have fun memories from St. George. We didn't meet there b/c we were there at different times.)

It was kinda surreal going to a Dixie football game (b/c we hadn't been since we attended school there). I kept looking at all the college kids thinking to myself...wow, things have really changed. I guess I still think I am young and that time has stood still. I thought that till I started walking up the bleachers with my two kids and husband. My...how things have changed.

The game was so fun...the cheerleaders are still horrible, and the town seems somewhat smaller. We even got to spend a bit of time with Carly and JT at the game and I am so upset that I didn't think to take a picture with them.

As we were walking up to our seats on Saturday night for the game a man turned to me and said, "She's just hanging out in there (my sling) isn't she? Err...He's just hanging out."
REALLY? I know that it is hard sometimes to tell the difference between a boy and a girl baby...what confused him though...the big blue bow in Cici's hair?
Come on...REALLY?

Kai LOVES football and was so excited to go to the game, but was totally in a "zone" b/c he was so tired. Poor guy.

The drive on the way home was just as easy with our kids, what a dream!

Ben and I don't take many trips or vacations that don't involve family reunions. It was so fun and so refreshing to see our friends and catch up. Can't wait to see everyone again!

Love you guys!!!

Quote Of The Day~

Me~ "Ben, the ball of my foot is really sore from my run the other night. I am not sure what I did, but it is in such a specific spot." (I was hoping Ben wouldn't come to the same conclusion that I was thinking...stress fracture).
Without batting an eye, Ben said...
"Ash, your getting old."
He must have seen the total shock in my face b/c he then started trying to recover.
"I mean, your not as young as you used to be. Things are going to start being sore and hurting."

WHAT?!!! I know I am not a teenager anymore, but I am still only 27. Does he really think I am falling apart already.
Nice to know how my husband really sees me...

Dr. Appointments~

So Kai and Cic were both due for check-ups, so I just scheduled them together. Bummer that I had to pay two co-pays for the same amount of time just one kid would have taken. (I totally understand, but it still doesn't make me happy).
Kai didn't need shots and so he loved the appointment. He loves going to the Dr lately (b/c Cici has been the only one getting shots).

Kai's Two Year Stats~
Height~35 3/8" 75% (Growth Spurt! Way to go Kai!)
Weight~24lbs 7 oz 15%

How can you be in the 75th for height and only be in the 15th for weight? What a mystery. So, Kai is still a little underweight. We have to keep him on whole milk for another year. (If that's the worst thing going on, then I guess we are blessed.)

Cici on the other hand...
Cicilee's 4 Month Stats~
Height~25" 60%
Weight~ 13lbs 11.5 oz 60%
Happy as can be, until we got to the Dr's office.

What a difference between Kai and Cic!

Kai used to totally let the Dr poke and prod around while he got checked...no biggie. Cic on the other hand doesn't like the Dr to even look at her. It was so funny b/c she screamed bloody murder when the Dr looked in her ears...It was such a dramatic cry. The Dr even laughed at her.

Kai is officially the calm one. Cic is officially more...high maintenance. Two totally different personalities.
We are so glad that both kiddos are happy and healthy. Hopefully we get through this winter without any major sicknesses. (Everyone is going to get vaccinated for the flu soon.)

HaPPY BiRTHDaY Kai!

Kai had a great birthday party this year! We opted to go for a smaller party b/c Kai is going through a "stranger danger" phase and I didn't want him to be shy at his own party. We we had our two neighbors over (as well as Quinton and Jen) and it was PERFECT!!! Kai was comfortable with everyone there. We couldn't have been happier with the way everything went.
B/c Kai is so Elmo obsessed we thought an Elmo cake would be appropriate. I decided to use fondant again and I was happy with the way it turned out. I am not a night owl and the only time when I could really work on the cake was after both kids were asleep. So I worked on this cake at night one evening and stayed up til past midnight (REALLY late for me) and then decided I just needed to be done already so I called it good. (Elmo was a lot taller when I went to bed. When I woke up in the morning he had kinda shrunk into himself...oh well. He still kinda looks like Elmo right?)
Kai was so happy with the cake.

We have the best neighbors EVER. (No question) We are so blessed to live next door to you guys. We love you more than you will ever know. Thanks for coming over!

Kai and Jackie...

This was Kai's face as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He was so happy.
Blowing out the candle...
K...this gift was so funny. I found this Elmo at a garage sale for like $2. It came with a potty for him to sit on, a sippy cup, and a book about going potty on the toilet. We are going to start potty training in just over a week so I thought it would be great. I washed and sterilized everything after I bought it and it is as good as new. It is so funny b/c when you push on Elmo's hand he tells you he is thirsty and then he tells you he needs to go potty. We also got Kai "big boy" underwear and an "Elmo Goes Potty" DVD to watch. We are going to do this!!!
Kai giving Elmo a drink...
Ben bought Kai a hummer to play with and he LOVES it!!!
Leave it to my Mom to send Kai a hilarious card. Perfect potty training card, mom!
New outfit from my Mom...He loves it!
Most incredible gift...Elmo Live. I am not sure who likes it more, me or Kai. It is amazing! This "robot" is ridiculous...he can do everything.

Thanks Mom, Dad, and Uncle Quinton. Kai is so lucky to have you!

Kai kept running over to show our neighbors his new gifts. He loves them so much.
Kai and Daddy...
Opening a gift from Nick and Jackie...
Then, running over to thank them.
Thanks guys!

Cicilee is wearing a new outfit from my Mom. My Mom didn't want Kai to be the only one with something new so she sent Cici this cute new outfit. Isn't my Mom so thoughtful?!

Cicilee with our neighbor, Deedee. She has always loved Deedee.
Kai with all his birthday presents at the end of the night...what a haul!!!
Family pic at the end of the night (2 1/2 hours after bedtime).
Another successful birthday. Our little man is two!!! We love you more than we can express.