How In The World?!?

Kai is crazy.
In Elementary School we were always told to sit "Indian Style". I am not sure how Politically Correct that is, but it is the only way I know how to describe how Kai sleeps.
He usually sleeps "Indian Style", sleeping right on top of his folded legs and his hands always cushioning his forehead. I went in to check on him this afternoon and this is what I found. I felt so bad b/c it looked like it hurt. (I guess I didn't feel that bad b/c I made time to run downstairs and grab my camera to take pictures).
We tried not to wake him up to get his leg out, but it was stuck pretty good. I felt bad for the poor guy, Ben pretty much just had to jerk his knee out of the slats.
I wish I had gotten a better angle of his foot. (If you click on the picture and blow it up, you can kinda see how red his lower leg looks). But, he still managed to sleep through it.


I am always shocked at the positions Kai can sleep in.

New Cabinet

I love our home, but we have had this empty space above the TV for two years now. We couldn't decide what to do with it. It just looked unfinished and a waste of space.
I talked to a friend who referred her handyman to us. He was WONDERFUL. I would recommend him to anyone.
Ben did such a great job painting the cabinets. (He is almost done, but is going to add some distressed red to the door edges). I am so impatient and took pictures before he finished. But...you get the drift.
Great job Benny!
Before~


After cabinet was built~

After painting~


I am so happy with the cabinets! Not only does it add so much more storage to our living room, it changes the feel of the room as well. It is so much cozier!

Go Utes!!!

Utah vs BYU tomorrow!
Our friends had a tailgate party tonight. It was so fun and SOOOO cold.
I brought my camera to take pictures with everyone but was too cold to even get out of my chair and grab it. (I am such a wuss when I am cold).
So once again, just pictures of us and our little stud, Kai. Ohh well, there is always next time.
Here are Ben and Kai sitting around the fire. Kai was mesmerized by the flames.

Me and my cute little man....
We had a blast and can't wait to see Utah kill BYU tomorrow!!!

tEAchIng bAd hAbIts...

Yup, we are the kind of parents who think it is funny to teach their kid to stick his tongue out.
Let me just set up this video...
I was feeding Kai dinner tonight and he stuck his tongue out b/c he didn't like something I fed him. I did it back to him and then it was all down hill from there. Monkey see, monkey do.
Great...I can see him now. Sitting in church and sticking his tongue out at everyone.

Good thing to teach your one year old, I know.

Baby #2 @ 13 Weeks

Went to the dr today to have another ultrasound done. Wow, the fetus really looks like a baby now! I asked her if she could tell what the sex was and she thought she saw some white lines and is guessing with a 60% chance that it is a girl.
60% isn't very much, so really she doesn't know.
Ben and I are still guessing that it is a boy b/c I feel so normal (just like I felt with Kai).
8 more weeks and we will have a better idea.
Here's the latest pictures of our little one. He is so cute. I love him already.

The appointment went well though. I love getting pictures. I have lost a pound, but the dr is sure that I will make it up later. (So encouraging, I know...)

bEEf rAvIOlI trAncE

Kai is in a bit of a rut. He ONLY wants to eat pasta lately...for every meal. I hadn't fed him pasta in a while and the other night we had beef ravioli. He was so excited! I am working on letting him feed himself (even though the clean up is a nightmare).
Kai just ate and ate till he was in a bit of a food coma.


This is a picture of how I feel after Thanksgiving dinner, or The Melting Pot.

Check out this potbelly! You think he's full?

First Snowfall of the Season

We woke up this morning to snow. So, I put my flip flops on and went out to take a picture. :)
It just makes me want to put up the Christmas lights and start the Christmas music...but I will refrain till after Thanksgiving. I probably won't leave the house today though b/c I am a terrible/nervous driver in the snow.

Proof that the Holidays are here!!!

Pregnancy Pictures~

Disclaimer~I really hope this post doesn't offend anyone.
Ben and I were at a photography studio this weekend having a family photo taken. When they found out I was pregnant the photographer got so excited and went on and on, and on, and on, and on about pregnancy pictures he wanted to take of me and Ben and me and Kai. I flat out told him I wasn't the type, but it didn't seem to phase him. He told me that when I got further along and started showing I had to come in and get some "special shots" taken.
OK...whatever. I know that some women love these kind of pictures. They say it is the most beautiful they ever feel. Well, not me. Being pregnant is the UGLIEST I have felt. Both pregnancies...yup, ugly. No, I didn't get stretch marks, and I have really easy pregnancies. I guess I feel ugly b/c your body just isn't your body when you are pregnant.
No, I am not fishing for compliments. I am just being honest. I don't want to have a picture of myself at my ugliest stage. Everytime I saw that picture I would think, "UGLY". Yes, pregnancy (the act) is a beautiful thing. But, I don't have to have naked pictures of myself to remember it. Trust me, no woman ever forgets how much pain, and joy she feels during delivery and birth.
Plus, Ben doesn't ever caress my belly. Nor do I want him to. That just isn't us. I don't want a picture of him or Kai being all cheesey. Yes, that is exactly what I think these pictures are...cheesey.
There, I said it.
Let me just say that I know there are some photographers out there who don't make you take pregnancy pictures like the one above. But the photographer we went to on Saturday was about about draping me in a sheer sheet.

Also, to any my friends that have a semi-nude pregnancy picture...If I see it. I will totally lie to you and tell you I love it!

Here We Go Again...

Yup...I guess there is no denying it. We are pregnant again...
Our tenative due date in May 27th, but if this goes anything like my first pregnancy, I will be late. We are guessing that the baby will be here around the first of June...June, what a busy month. June 3rd, Ben's Birthday~June 4th, our anniversary...Yeah, he will probably be here June 4th. Our kids will be about 20 months apart...scary, I know.
And, YES we are already calling him a "he". I just feel the same way I did with Makai. Haven't been sick, just tired. If I were having a girl wouldn't I feel different? I think I would. So, until we hear different he is a "he".
Here's the story...
Ben and I were starting to talk about having another baby...let me repeat~STARTING TO TALK about having another baby...We decided we wanted our kids to be close in age so they would grow up together and be interested in the same things. We TALKED about maybe trying for another baby after Kai's first birthday.
A week before Kai's first birthday I noticed I was up all hours of the night using the restroom. I was restless and extremely thirsty. (I will ALWAYS remember Kim from Merrill teasing me about being thirsty before I found out I was prego with Kai). I laid in bed and thought, "We aren't trying to have a baby yet, so I can't be pregnant. Right?" After a few nights of late night trips to the restroom I decided I needed to find out. One morning (a few days before Kai turned One) I took the test. It immediately said "pregnant" I stood there brushing my teeth waiting for the "not" to appear. It never did.
I left the test on Ben's sink for him to translate after he got up for the day. I will never forget his reaction. He told me he stood there looking at the test wordering who I knew that was pregnant that would pee on this stick. He thought it was a trick.
Later that day he came home from work and said to me, "I just don't understand how this happened." I love Ben's quotes...

So the big joke in the family is that Ashley and Ben are so fertile, all they have to do is think about getting pregnant.
Here's to Round 2!!

WaLKiN' iN SuNSHiNe...

Today seemed like a regular day until...Kai, who was standing next to me holding onto the couch, decided to walk to the TV all by himself! This is the first time he has ever done this. He has known how to walk for months now, but prefers assistance and will only take like 3-4 steps all by himself. When I saw him walking I got so excited and started congratulating him. I guess I broke his concentration and he fell down. He immediately crawled back over to me, pulled himself back up and then started walking towards the kitchen. I was floored, and then remembered to get my camera out. This is just video taken from our point and shoot camera so the quality isn't very good....but you get the idea.
Kai is learning how to stand all by himself in this video.

Kai and his constant companion, Willie...

How cute is this little walk??? Sorry about the lighting in this video. We have sunlight coming into our living room everyday through an upper window.

Kai can't decide if he wants to start walking or sit back down in the begining of this video.

Trunk or Treating at the Church~

This is Kai's first year to really be able to trick or treat...Last year he pretty much just laid there and looked cute.
He was a dragon this year (thanks for helping me pick this costume out Mom) and I think he had a good time...he walks around (only if he can hold your finger though). He did a really good job holding onto his candy pail too. I only actually let him walk over to two people to trick or treat...(I know mean mom) I just know that he doesn't eat candy yet so whatever ends up in his pail will go into my mouth. I was trying to save myself...
Our little dragon~

I love this picture of the backside...this costume has so much padding, he is the "Baby Got Back" version of a dragon.

Our little family. Sorry this photo is kinda blurry.

Kai and I walking to go trick or treating. This costume is so appropriate b/c he kinda walks like a dinosaur right now.



We had so much fun tonight!

Me and my little man...


Trick or Treating at Todd's car...Kai is trying to grab a huge handful from Todd.

Kai and his handsom Daddy.

Can't wait till Halloween to do it all over again!!!

Finally Uploaded~

This is a picture I took of Kai the morning of his birthday but forgot to include it with the rest of his birthday pictures. He is always such a happy guy in the mornings!

These pictures are almost two months old but I thought I would still post them. When my folks were in town for Kai's birthday we went to a Rockies game and had a blast!

Kai loves Grandpa Lundeen!

My dad read Kai "Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you See" at the game. It is his favorite book. Uncle Quinton gave it to Kai for his birthday.

Me and Mom~

Kai and Daddy~
We went out to eat prior to the game...

Our little family

Mom, Dad, and Kai-man


Kai was so tired after the game was over, but was totally content with grandpa...

Our Very Own Spider Man~

Ok...I have been a total blog slacker...sorry. I promise I will try harder to keep up.

Kai found an old bag full of spider rings today and was amazed with them. It was hilarious. He dumped the entire bag (probably over 100 rings) all over the floor. As I was picking them up I put a few on Kai's fingers and he loved it.
I put a ring on each finger thinking he would immediately take them off, but Kai decided he LOVED them. He kept them on for an entire hour!!! I had to take them off when it was dinner time.
He kept his hands in fists for the duration of the hour and didn't try to get into any of my kitchen cabinets. It was a miracle. This is my new baby proofing technique!

He even crawled with his hands in fists or on the top of his hand so they wouldn't come off. He was so careful about it.

Kai's First "Gig"

I registered Kai with this modeling agency (Marbles Kids) several months ago. I thought it would be fun and if he got a job~great, if not~no biggie. It really just gives me something to do when there are local auditions for things. They call me when there is a client looking for Kai's age and I just show up with Kai. It's really easy, I don't have to do anything.
He auditioned for Volkswagen last Wednesday. They sat him in a high chair and took pictures. He did really well and smiled (I think he was so happy b/c he thought I was going to feed him). I hadn't heard anything about the job and didn't think anything of it until today when I got a call from Marbles Kids. He got the job!!!
They didn't really give me a lot of information other than to tell me he will be on the volkswagon website sometime in the near future and that I should look for a check in the mail.
Yea for Kai! He already has a savings account for college started and this money will just add to it.

kAI's OnE YEAr bIrthdAY pArtY

One Year Stats~
Height~29 3/4 inches
Weight~20 lbs 2 1/2 ounces (barely enough to have a front facing carseat)
Chompers~3 3/4 teeth


The Guest List~
Emily and Gracey...

Christian, Nick, and Benny...

Todd and Lilah...

Memphis...

Lindsay, Kristal, and Alexa...

Mason and Madison...

Thanks to all our friends who came to help us celebrate. We are so lucky to have you in our lives!
Presents!!!
Kai is spoiled...here's proof!
Mason was such a big help opening presents. Kai seemed to be more interested in the tissue paper than the gifts at times.




I couldn't get Kai to look at the camera b/c he was too interested in playing with all his new toys.



Eating the Cake...sort of...
Kai does not really have a sweet tooth yet. I knew he wasn't going to eat the cake so my Mom and I made him a cake out of the scaps from the big cake. Mom iced it and that was his cake. Didn't cost anything extra and all Kai did was play in it.






Posing next to the cake...


Look at the camera Kai!

Everyone is singing "Happy Birthday" to Kai and he isn't quite sure what is going on...

Blowing out the candle...

Thanks Mom and Dad!!!
My Mom and Dad flew out for Kai's birthday. They were such a big help at the party. My Dad recently had some skin cancer removed but was a trooper and still came to help out.