One Spider TOO cute to STEP on!

I might be biased but Kaden was possibly the cutest little spider that I have ever laid eyes on and although it won't make me think twice about killing/stepping on the next spider I see, it might make me feel a little worse about it. 


We started off the day spending a little time with the Johnson Family and getting our Madi fix. Kaden was so sweet around Madi. He rocked her while she was in her bouncy seat. He brought her a blanket to cover her up with. Any time she cried (which wasn't often), he would come over with a curious expression on his face. He is going to make a great big brother! After the Chiefs game we headed out for our Halloween Adventure. 


We weren't quite sure how Kaden would do this year or if he would even understand what to do but by house 5 he had the gig down. Jump out of the wagon, walk/run up to the front porch, hold out your candy bucket and then right back to the wagon and on to the next house. Just like last year we went trick-or-treating with Cousin Colton in his neighborhood and even got to walk through a haunted house! The boys were a little hesitant about going through so we ended up carrying them but they did manage to walk out on their own. After touring the neighborhood, we helped hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters and then loaded up and came on home. It was a big day for such a little guy but he kept on crawling!

Mother Knows Best

And I am not talking about this mommy. Both my mom and mother-in-law have said from day one to get rid of our coffee tables. They had "accident waiting to happen" written all over them. I have been one who seems to learn the hard way and not take advice and in this case, it wasn't just me, Justin figured there wouldn't be anything to worry about either. Well now fast forward almost 14 months later to 7 o'clock on October 29th and this is what you get for not listening....

We were at NFM by 10 am this morning and with one task, to find a functional but more importantly KADEN friendly ottoman! And an hour later, we walked away with the lucky winner. And I do owe an apology to someone, but not to our moms, to our son, since he was the one who got TKO'd. Sorry Monkey!

Look before you CUT

That is exactly what Grandma Sara should have done but she didn't. As soon as Kaden and I arrived back home to see Grandma Sara and Papa Tom, two things happened. One, Papa Tom brought out the M&Ms to try and win Kaden over. Two, Grandma Sara got out the new toy she had bought for Kaden, a remote control cement mixer. She pulled the scissors out and started cutting what she thought was the cord which kept the truck in the box but instead she cut the power cord and Papa Tom then spent the next 45 minutes pulling the truck apart and trying to fix it. Some might call it Karma since Papa Tom brought the M&Ms out and then had to work on fixing the truck, some would just call it LOVE!

After we successfully got the remote control truck working, Officer Hartley, aka Uncle Zack came by to have dinner with us. And yet again, the M&Ms came out to bribe Kaden to sit on his lap. I think my son might have a weakness for chocolate!! 

It was to bed early since Saturday was going to packed full of family, football and fun! We got up early and made some Rice Krispy Treats. We got the idea from the oh so cute commercial but it didn't quite go as smoothly as we had hoped. I might have added too many marshmallows but Kaden didn't seem to mind one bit. After we got a quick bath we were headed down to Bentonville to watch Cousin Brett play some football and play did he! He had an awesome fumble recovery and their team won with seconds left on the clock. After a quick celebration it was back to Carthage to get ready for the big MU game. Some family and friends came over to join in on cheering MU to victory and Kaden got to play with a few of his cousins. It was pretty special to see Kaden and Maddox playing with the same tractors in which Zack and I played with when we were little. Okay so I might have been a little bit of a tomboy. Normally Kaden's bedtime is around 8 but with all the cheers and high-fiving that was happening, the little guy made it until almost 10 but missed the best part of the game-the WIN! It was a pretty good weekend for football. Brett won, MU won and we finished it off with a Chiefs win! 

Another First...

It is sort of like the old saying, "When the student becomes the teacher." But in our case it was when the babysitter becomes the parent. It doesn't seem that long ago when I was the babysitter being dropped off by the parents after a night of watching kids and now I am the one doing the dropping off. Saturday was the first time we needed to hire a babysitter for Kaden. Up until now, we have always had family or friends that would volunteer to watch the little guy but everyone was busy, or so they said! We weren't really sure on how to find a babysitter for the night but my MIL had a great suggestion; we could ask a couple of her 8th graders and see if they would be interested. And that is exactly what we did. Since this was our first time hiring a babysitter and their first time being at our house with Kaden, we hired two. We figured there would be strength in numbers and we didn't want them to be too overwhelmed with a very active 14 month old! I won't lie, my nerves were at an all time high leading up to 5:30 and I had a laundry list of questions. What does a babysitter charge now? Will they be able to change a stinky diaper? Will they be able to pick him up and get him into his crib? What will they do if he falls and bumps his head? Will they call me if they have questions or will they not want to worry me? Lucky for us, I did a little bit of research on the typical wage for a 14 year old babysitter and added a dollar per hour and they both were happy with what we offered. Both girls were just as tall as or taller than me (I know, that isn't hard to do) so I knew there wouldn't be any issues with getting him into his crib. And one of the girls has a 14 month old cousin who had spent all day with her, so she knew what she was in for when it came to diaper duty! And lucky for them, Kaden had a stinky right before they took over which I thought was very thoughtful of him. We left the house around 5:45 with Kaden dancing and showing the girls his moves. I knew I had nothing to worry about from that moment on. Justin and I enjoyed our night out and were home just after 10. After getting the girls home safely, I snuck up into Kaden's room and peered over the railing of his crib, he was sound asleep and peaceful.

For Sophie

I might have went to Target 3 different times for diapers but well worth it! We can't wait to meet you Sophie!!

The Great Pumpkin

With only a few weekends left before Halloween, we decided we needed to get out to the pumpkin patch before we ran out of time. Kaden and I had a special treat this year, Daddy joined us (even though MU was scheduled to play at 11) and The Johnsons came along for Madi's fist trip to the pumpkin patch. We decided to drive down to Gardner and visit the KC Pumpkin Patch since Kaden had a blast his first time there with his daycare. We had perfect weather and due to the Waddell and Reed Marathon, the traffic was light. We got a few of the posed pictures out of the way first and then it was time for him to play. He loved running (as well as a 13 1/2 month old can run) in the open fields and crawling through the wooden trains. We finally found the sandbox filled with corn and sat back to watch him play with all the other kiddos. He would stand up, push a pile of corn together and then fall down into it...pretty cute! And with a little help from Daddy, he got to pick out his very own pumpkin too. 

Our Guardian Angel

I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought about was my Grandma Hartley. Today would have been her birthday. With her passing, I have learned time does heal most things but there are some days that are just going to be hard no matter what. And today is one of those days. I wanted to do something special to remember her and celebrate her life but I just wasn't sure what that something should be. And then things just happened. My dear co-worker brought cupcakes into work that she just happened to bake for no reason last night and shared a few with me. Mix 93.3 played a song from the late 90's-I'll Be Missing You by P. Diddy and Faith Evans. Now I have always been a fan of this song but the day grandma passed away, it was playing on our drive to Carthage and outside our car window was the most amazing sunset I have ever witnessed. So, do I think it was coincidence that this song played this morning at 9:43; Not one bit-it was all Grandma and her way of letting us know that she is watching over us every step we take. We love you and miss you entirely too much but will forever be grateful for the memories you have given to us.

Every step I take, every move I make

Every single day, every time I pray

I'll be missing you

Thinkin of the days, when you went away

What a life to take, what a bond to break

I'll be missing you

It's kind of hard with you not around

Know you in heaven smilin down

Watchin us while we pray for you

Every day we pray for you

Til the day we meet again

In my heart is where I'll keep you friend.

Kaden's ANNOUNCEMENT!

Yes, you heard, well saw, correctly! Kaden is going to be a BIG Brother. Baby #2 is due in May and we couldn't be more blessed or excited. We got a sneak peek today of the newest family member and there is no doubt that it is the cutest little blob I have ever seen. Heartbeat was at a healthy 173, which is a lot higher than Kaden's average at 155. And hearing that heartbeat and seeing our baby moving on the screen was just as moving this time around as it was with Kaden. What a miracle! 

A Beautiful Day For A Baptism

Today was a very special day for our family. Alongside Mommy and Daddy and his God Parents, Adam and Becky, Father Cullen baptized Kaden and welcomed him into the church. We all vowed to show Kaden a life of christianity and to lead by example. To provide an avenue for his faith to continue to grow with God and be there to support him at each milestone in his life. 

Prayer to your 

Guardian Angel

Angel of God, 

My Guardian dear, 

To whom His love

Commits me here;

Ever this day (or night)

Be at my side, 

To light and guard, 

To rule and guide. 

Amen. 

Happy Birthday Miss Leah!

I wanted to take a little bit of time today and wish my favorite niece a VERY Happy 9th Birthday! We wish we were celebrating with you and we can't wait to see you!! Love you and your alter ego bunches!!

One Lucky Wife/Mommy...

And I know it. Sure if I sit down and write about it, it is easy to see why one might be so lucky.


As a wife-I have been blessed with an amazing husband which takes such good care of me. He takes care of anything and everything that has to do with the yard. He cooks 99.9% of the time and it isn't from a box, home cooked meals made from scratch. He knows how to do a load or two of laundry and he allows for me to hire a house cleaner so I don't have to spend my free time cleaning, I can spend it with my boys. He is Mr. Mom when I am on the road. And most importantly, he puts up with ME. I can be moody, I can be anal, and once in a while, I tend to be a little cuddly for him-I can't help, I love the guy and just can't seem to get enough! 


As a mommy-I have the honor of waking up to the hammering of hands on the wall and the mumbling of a 13 month old. A 13 month old that is full of energy and life. Who's favorite word is MAMA. (Okay, so maybe it's one of the only words he can say right now but still, it counts!) Our lives changed in so many ways the day he was born and my purpose in live became so much clearer. It is amazing to watch him learn daily and to love on his family, friends and the dogs. For the most part, he is a very happy one year old but like all kiddos, he has his moments. And it is with those moments that I am reminded of how truly blessed I am. There are mothers/fathers out there that would give anything to have their child throw a fit again and to be able to hold them when they are crying. To watch their one year old turn the TV off and on, off and on, and while we must continue to use time out, they would still give anything to be able to send their kid to time out. And so I thank god daily for blessing us with Kaden, for choosing us to guide him through his life.


And I can't forget that I am one lucky daughter (in-law), sister (in-law), aunt, grand-daughter, god-mother (two times), and friend. One could go on and on and list the number of ways that one is lucky but I can't leave out these important roles because they have helped mold, shape and get me to where I am today. I owe so much to each and every one of you and I hope you all know how important you are to me. 


Now, why a post like this? For some reason this weekend, more than any other, I have caught myself sitting, staring and smiling. At the Royals game when Kaden was dancing on his Daddy's lap. Looking out the backdoor and secretly watching Kaden and Grandma Sara playing on the deck. Walking upstairs to find the boys "trying" to take naps and Kaden jumping on the bed while Daddy sits there and encourages him. At breakfast this morning as Daddy was fixing pancakes and Kaden was dancing in his highchair. Kaden getting angry at himself because he just can't seem to get his shoes on, no matter how hard or long he tries! These are everyday occurrences and for some reason they have gotten to me a little more than normal so I thought it was important to put them down on "paper" and to remind myself about what truly matters in life and just how blessed I am. 

Until 2011...

Back in April at Kaden's first Royal's game we signed him up for the Blue's Crew and since Kaden is now a member, he received 4 free tickets to Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The weather was too perfect not to drive out and enjoy the game so we loaded up and headed out to The K. We arrived a little early to have a stadium hotdog and to walk around the ballpark a little and ended up finding our seats just as the National Anthem started. Luckily, we had 4 seats so Kaden got to have his own big boy seat and he seemed to really enjoy that! This kid loves to be outside and has just recently started throwing fits anytime we bring him inside, so being at the ballpark was a win for him. We made it to the 5th inning and thought it was time to get on home so the little guy could get to bed on time. We will miss The K dearly, but we'll be back in 2011!

But mom...