Another-Must-Share-Picture

Bowling is in his blood…

I am THAT mom.

I admit it. I am THAT mom and it bit me in my bigger-than-normal-thanks-to-pregnancy behind. Logan had his 2 month check up today and even though I knew he would be looked over by the doctor without his clothes on, I still wanted him to look his best. I pulled out my favorite little outfit of his, a navy and white striped Baby Gap outfit, and got him ready. All was good. He had a super star checkup but then came the shots. Like most babies, he was not a happy camper but that was easy to deal with, a little cuddling from mommy and he was fine. I on the other hand, wasn't so happy. The darn nurse stabbed my little boy and when I say stabbed, I mean, forcefully shoved that two inch needle in his little thighs. The first wasn't so bad but then number two was a little harder and then the third one spewed blood and all over his cute little outfit it went. No "sorry" from the nurse, just a "peroxide will take that out". One more stop we ended up having to make on the way home. Next time we won't be wearing anything too cute to our checkups.

Now this picture looks like one of my baby pictures. Finally I can say I see it!

Two Month-6/30/2011
Weight: 12 pounds 6 ounces -- 70th percentile
Length: 22 3/4 inches --50th percentile
Head Circumference: 39 centimeters -- 25th percentile

Doctor said we had a pretty good growth spirt, could be from the rice cereal he gets in his bottles to help keep his formula down in his little tummy!

Cheap Mini Project Update

Day two and the vanity is finished, done, completed, concluded, OVER! Today, Logan and I visited Home Depot and we got new drawer pulls and door knobs. With Logan watching over my shoulder I took on the ever so challenging tasking of putting the knobs and pulls on the drawers and doors-needless to say they all didn't line up perfectly and a little touch up painting had to be done but in the end it was all worth it. Can't believe just how easy this was and it really should have been done years ago.

Hopefully you can tell that the vanity is black and not brown, my dear mother swore it was brown even after I told her it was black…Love you Mom.

Cheap Mini Project

It seems as though we have been updating, painting and decorating for months on end and at first I really didn't enjoy it. Possibly because we had absolutely NO kitchen for 2 months and although we enjoy eating out, it was getting a little old and expensive. Fast forward 10 months and DIYing has become a new hobby and I am constantly thinking about what I can do next. Today, I took on the vanity in our bathroom. It use to look like this....

Do you see that nasty, worn out vanity? The wood color was just hideous and it had to go. The pulls and knobs were as old as who knows. Frankly, I was tired of looking at it and figured anything would be better than what we already had. And today was the day. As Logan chilled out in Kaden's room far, far away from the fumes of the paint, I pulled out all drawers, removed all doors and got to work. I still have to paint the drawers but I can honestly say that it already looks 100% better. The only thing, do I need to paint all of the inside? Or can I just leave it as is? Is it safe to spray paint in the house because that would be sooooo much easier! 

And I did say cheap. 

-2 Pitch Black Semi Gloss Quarts @ 15.88 (Will probably only use one at 7.96)

-1 roller @ 4.97 

-1 drop cloth @ 1.98

-3 cans of spray paint @ 2.98 each = 8.94

Grand Total = $23.85

Should have done this a long time ago! Up next, the wall color, only if Justin and I could agree on which color to go for! I am thinking light and breezy-Mojito is the name and he is thinking a little darker like Sliced Cucumber. Guess we will see...

A-Must-Share-Kind-Of-Post

Do you ever have those moments that you just gotta share with someone, anyone? Well, I just did and instead of someone, I choose all that read my little family blog. Can you ever have too much South? Only answer if your answer starts with a Y and ends with an ES! Anyways, it was bath night for Logan and I asked Justin to bring the camera up. He took a couple of me holding Logan where his bare bottom was showing and then I felt something warm, yep, you guessed it, he peed on me. I changed real quick and then gave Logan to Justin and snapped the below. I just can't stop looking at it...

Another MPSM

It's Mini-Photo Shoot Monday time! I know, you guys were on the edge of your seat waiting for this post and I don't want to keep you waiting any longer. So without further adieu...Logan week 7. (personally, my favorite are his piggies!)

My Boys.

Logan turned 7 weeks old yesterday and it is hard to believe that my time at home with him is two-thirds of the way done. In a matter of weeks I will be handing him over to Ms. Brenda to take care of while I head back to work. Now it isn't that I am not looking forward to going back to work but more like the fact that I can't believe he is already almost 2 months and going on 3! I forgot how quickly they grow and change. Logan is smiling constantly, I love watching him laugh at me, Daddy, Kaden and anyone else for that matter. He is taking about 4 ounces every 3-4 hours and sleeping anywhere from 4-7 hours at night. I know, big difference between 4 and 7 hours but 2 out of the last 3 nights he has went 7 hours between feedings and the third night, he was up pretty much all night-he was smiling but Justin and I weren't digging the giggles and cute looks that early in the morning. We go next Thursday for his two month check up and I am very anxious to see just how much weight he has put on, his rolls are just too cute!

Kaden will be 22 months in a matter of days and seems to be getting more and more independent by the day. He no longer has the pacifier, we took it away about a week ago on Father's Day. He wasn't wanting to give it up and he knows he is only allowed to have it at bedtime and at nap time so when he wouldn't give it up, I cut the nipple off. He took it back, tried to suck on it and it kept falling out, he got frustrated with it (not me) and then threw it in the trash. Pacifier Gone and we haven't looked back. Kaden also seems to be picking up words daily. Although he doesn't always use his words, he knows them and when we say what something is, he repeats it. I was a little worried about his speech at one point but not after making a note of how many words he really does know-now it is just getting him to use them in his daily routines. As always, he is a ham and loves to show off for whoever will watch including his little brother. I can already tell he is going to be a great teacher for Logan.

My Boys...Absolutely Perfect!

Please note-that is not blush on Kaden's cheeks. His cheeks get a little chap due to his allergies and we lather lotion on them three times a day. Most days it isn't this bad but today we had a little bit of a flare up.

A Family of Five

The past few days we became a family of five with the wonderful addition of my seven year old nephew, Blake, and you know what, it felt pretty good-maybe we aren't done having kids after all...

Blake got to make the trip back to KC with me on Wednesday and stayed until Papa Tom and Grandma Sara came to pick him up today. He was so much fun to have around and such an easy guest. He and Kaden got along great and played so well and played hard which turned into a few extra minutes of shut eye in the morning. He went to bed each night without any sort of struggle and even fed the little guy a few times while I got things pulled together around the house or chased after Kaden. If I could, I would hire him for the entire summer, such a joy!

While Blake was up here we wanted to make sure and show him a good time so we planned a few activities that both he and Kaden would enjoy, oh and Justin too. Thursday night we decided to be spontaneous and head out to The K and take a ballgame in. We got great seats-section 209, back row-stroller rolled right up and parked! Plus the tickets were only 15ish bucks a piece and we got $5 towards drinks and food on each ticket and unlimited outfield experience for the kids. We sat and watched a little of the game, we ate peanuts (Kaden loved cracking the shells), we signed up for the Blue Crew, we got Logan's Official Fan certificate and then headed to the outfield. Kaden and I rode the carousel while Justin and Blake tried taking our picture-tried being the operative word-see below...

Billy Butler beat Blake in a race to home plate and Kaden finally got over his fear of sprinklers and we loaded two very wet boys into the suburban. Night at The K=Success.

On Friday, we introduced Blake to Chipotle and he actually said he prefers Taco Bell, this was his one and only strike against him for his entire say. After lunch we headed to Deanna Rose Farmstead for an afternoon with the animals. It was me and the three boys since Justin was at work and I was keeping my fingers crossed I didn't have to carry a kicking and screaming boy around on my hip while I pushed another screaming child. This time, luck was on my side and Kaden was an ANGEL while Logan slept the entire time. Kaden would either hold or "help" push the stroller along the path or he would run a little ahead and each time I said "stop", he did. Who was this child? And how do I get him to show up every day? We made it around Deanna Rose stopping and seeing each of the animals and the boys even fed a couple of the baby goats a bottle and when it was time to leave, there were no tears or screams. Deanna Rose=Success.

Our fun wasn't over just yet, we decided to try our luck out at a Japanese Steak House for dinner. Besides Kaden not being all that successful at eating the rice-more made it on the floor than in his mouth-it was a great way to end Blake's stay with us and we are looking forward to our trip to Minneapolis when Blake gets to join us again along with his brother and Papa Tom and Grandma Sara. Thanks Blakers for being such a great kid and spending a few days of your summer with us here in KC, it seems like yesterday when I could hold you in my arms! Love you!

Two Clicks of the Heels

It was time. Time to load up both kiddos and take a trip to mom and dad's to show Logan off to a few family members and so that we could meet the newest addition to the Earl Family, Gracey Jo. I probably would have done this trip before now but was a little worried on driving alone with both Kaden and Logan for the 2 hours it takes to get home but I put my big girl panties on and got to driving. Logan slept the entire time there and back and Kaden gabbed the entire time there and back-not bad for the first trip!

I have said it once and I will say it again, there is NO place like home. Pulling into my parent's driveway just relaxes me and I know we are in for a great time, even if all we do is stay at their house. Watching Kaden explore every inch of Papa Tom and Grandma Sara's land is something pretty special. The weather the past few days was great and Papa Tom and Kaden spent the a lot of their time outside. When Grandma Sara got off work they three of them got out the garden hose and allowed Kaden to water the garden but instead of watering the garden he went after them with the hose. He would act as though he was watering and when they got close, he would turn on them and Papa Tom would jump 10 feet in the air and Kaden just chuckled. The laughs continued through the night and I just sat back with the biggest smile on my face.

Tuesday rolled around and we headed to Springfield to meet up with Casey Jo, Gracey Jo and Melanie. Gracey Jo is such a cutie and looks just like her daddy. Gracey Jo and Logan are a little over 2 weeks apart, Logan being the older of the two but Casey Jo likes to refer to Gracey Jo as their future middle line-backer and if her feet are any indication of the future they might just be right. We ended Tuesday night with a burgers and fries at mom and dad's-my sister brought the kiddos up, Zack and Lindsey stopped by and Grandpa Richard came over too. The Hartley family was all together and it felt good. We sat around shared stories, we did Kaden's hair and we passed the baby around. Brett and Blake were in a little bit of trouble from earlier in the day and spent some of their time working on writing scripture. They were to find certain versus in the Bible and write them the-number-of-years-they-were-old-times. One of these days those boys will realize just how lucky they are to have one another and won't believe how much they enjoyed picking on each other when they were younger. Similar to their mom and I's relationship-man was she a mean older sister but then one day, the switch just flipped and she became a best friend...

Wednesday came too quickly and it was time to load up and head back to KC but we weren't coming back alone, Blake was coming to spend the next few days with us and Kaden was super excited. We made one very important stop on the way home, to introduce Logan to Grandma Hartley. It has been too long since the last time I stopped by and it is important to me for Kaden and Logan to know who their Grandma Hartley was and I don't think it is ever to early to share the wonderful stories of her life. Next time through we will be stopping and seeing Grandpa Earl, we have lots of stories to share of him as well.

As with every trip back home, it was hard to leave. We have it pretty good while at home. Kaden eats cheese all day long. I get to sit and hold Logan all day long. Wait I do that already! I get to sit and hold Logan while not running after Kaden since Kaden wants to play with Papa Tom and Grandma Sara, he could care less what I am doing. We all get our favorite meals and all the family flocks to see us. Simply put, we are spoiled and I can never get enough of it.

Happy Father's Day

It may be late but that doesn't mean that I have forgotten about all the wonderful dads in my life and I think it goes without saying just how much each of these men mean to me.

Missing you Grandpa Bob-

This Father's Day might be the most special because Logan was here to celebrate it with the family. We didn't get off to the best start this morning since Kaden woke up on the wrong side of the bed, heck, I think he might have been switched with some other child during the middle of the night the way he was acting. Needless to say, right after breakfast (dried beef gravy made by me-please note this occurrence) he got a much needed early nap. We headed over to Adam and Becky's for lunch and the boys, well Kaden, got to play with Cousin Colton and Colton's cousins Cooper and Jackson. We hooked up the sprinkler, added water to the water table and away they went. Fortunately, Kaden was in a much better mood and was such a ham. Unfortunately, my camera battery went out and the extra battery-not in my bag and not good! As soon as we got home, I charged the battery, both batteries actually and after his second nap was able to capture a few more pictures of our day.

Six Weeks

Today Logan turned 6 weeks old and in true celebration style we laid around in our PJs all day long! It wasn't until Daddy got home from work that we decided it might be time to jump in the shower and put on our next set of PJs. I figured it was only appropriate for his 6 week picture to be taken in his PJs but unfortunately, the photo shoot didn't go as well as I had planned, there was a little something or should I say someone that kept sneaking into the pictures. In the end, I was glad he did because I was able to capture some truly special moments only brothers can share.

Although we didn't make it out of our PJs, Kaden and I did manage to bake some delicious cookies. This was Kaden's first time helping in the kitchen, unless you count putting dishes away which is on his daily chore list. He loved being Mommy's little helper but I do fear for those who eat the first batch of cookies, his hands and feet were all over them!

Turning Two

Hard to believe that in a matter of months this little guy will be turning two. 

Papa Tom is going to be so proud!

August is destined to be a very busy month at work and I didn't want Kaden's birthday to suffer since I was busy so the party planning has begun. We I have picked a theme and it goes perfectly with what is happening in every inch of this city! I went shopping with Ms. Korie and Madi and found some great decorations to use. Now we just need to decide on food and contact the park. Oh and there are those couple of internet searches I need to complete-birthday boy outfit and the main attractions (besides Kaden) for the birthday party. A few more weeks and we will be on autopilot. A small sneak peak to what lies ahead!

A Change of Plans

Today marked the first day in which I would be at home with both boys...by myself. Since we are paying for daycare we figured we would send Kaden to keep his routine as normal as possible, no need to mess with a good thing. Well, today started Ms. Brenda's vacation. While she and Tyler are off to Texas to put their toes in the sand and to 'Free Willy', I am here keeping my fingers crossed that I can handle both boys and still ensure they each have a great time.

In honor of being an imposter SAHM, we kicked off the adventurous 10 days with a trip to the pool. Normally, I would be so excited for the pool but not really feeling it after just 6 weeks post baby. Luckily it wasn't hot so I didn't need to take off the shorts or the t-shirt. On a side note, Target carries Spanx swimsuits and I am totally going to try one of those on!  We got an early start to the day and when we woke up, we pulled up weather.com to check when we could expect the rain. Hour by hour, we had until 2 so Tiffany and Sophie came over, we loaded up and then headed to the pool. Kaden enjoyed running in and out of the water, he finally gained enough courage to go down the slide a few times and then proceeded to spend the remained of our time in the swampy sand pit. Gotta love sand and cleaning it off of a little one before getting in the car. Sadly our trip to the pool was short, we were there for 50 minutes and decided we would have to try again another day. Earlier that morning we had dropped Logan off to spend a couple hours with Grammy so that Kaden and I could have some Mommy and Me time but since we had to leave a little early and didn't want our fun to stop, we changed gears and decided a picnic was in order. We arrived at Grammy's with food in our hands and headed to her family room where she had a blanket spread out on the floor and that is where we plopped down. After lunch we waited around with Grammy while the cable guys put in a new cable outlet and while NFM delivered her new furniture. Kaden sure loved breaking in the new couch! Once at home Kaden was down for the count and didn't wake up until after Daddy got home from work. When he finally did awaken, he saw his new present that had been delivered-a spiraling water park that we can't wait to play in tomorrow, rain or shine.

Its That Time Of The Week Again

Which can only mean one thing! Its Mini-Photo Shoot Monday and my muse, no other than Logan-he is such a good sport, not to mention a good subject! Logan is 5 weeks, 2 days old and as you can tell from the pictures, he has completely outgrown the bear cocoon but that didn't stop me from taking his picture. I love the you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me-mom look or the get-this-thing-off-of-me-it-is-too-tight look. Since the bear cocoon was a tad snug, we went ahead and pulled out a new outfit which the Berbs gave to Logan. Hopefully he still fits in this for his 3 month pictures with Janie in August but if he keeps growing like he has been we could be in trouble. Last night I actually got a little teary eyed when putting him in his PJs, his little legs didn't have enough room to stretch out and today all the NB clothes were boxed up. I wouldn't mind boxing up all his NB clothes if a little more shut eye came with it but we are still at 4 hour intervals at night, come on 5!

Just Like My Dad

When it comes to who Kaden looks like, I have a hard time seeing the Hartley side. He does have my blonde hair and blue eyes but other than that it is all South. However, when it comes to his mannerisms, the Hartley side shines brightly. In the last couple of days I was able to capture two of my favorites, both of which his Papa Tom is notorious for.

Hiking Pant Legs Up-Papa Tom would wear shorts every day of the year if he could get away with it and by that I mean, if my mom would let him. He is constantly sitting on his couch in his comfy pants and hiking them up to his knees and the other day I caught Kaden doing the same thing and I just had to laugh.

Falling Asleep While Eating-My dad has often been known to fall asleep while eating dinner. Yes, as a grown *ss man, he still does this but on his behalf it stems from years and years of working on the railroad. When growing up my dad worked long hours on the railroad and often spent nights away from home working and on those nights, dinner wasn't until late at night, 10ish or so. This has been something that has stuck with him even though he hasn't been on a train in years. We go home and visit, he fixes dinner and waits on each of us and then will eat his dinner in bed, late at night. Then today, Kaden had another first (nice to know the "firsts" still happen)-he fell asleep while eating lunch. Had another chuckle and reached for my camera. 

What you can't see here is that he is clasping his tuna sandwich in his hand! Luckily, he made it through 80% of lunch before taking his snoozer.

Photography 101-Week 2

Apologies to those who are following along with the 12 week crash course to better pictures, this post  is a few days behind but none-the-less, here it is.

Lesson Two, Part One: ISO & Shutter Speed
ISO=film speed. A setting that will determine how quickly an image will be captured by the digital sensor. The higher the ISO, the quicker the image will be captured and the less light that is required. The lower the ISO, the longer it takes for the image to be captured and the more light you will need.

Outdoors = 100-200 ISO
Shade = 400ish ISO
Indoors = 800+ ISO

Shutter Speed is how quickly the shutter operates. A faster shutter speed will freeze action whereas a slower shutter speed can create a blurred effect. Shutter speed is noted by numbers like 60, 120, 250...but these actually represent 1/60th of a second. The higher the bottom number on the fraction, the faster the shutter speed. General rule, if you are holding your camera, keep the shutter speed at a minimum of 1/60th and hold your breath to help steady the picture. Increase your shutter speed for objects in motion.

(For the full rundown of lesson two, click here for the link to the blog.)

Weekly Challenge: The Kitchen Sink Test
Move the camera off of the "green" square to the "TV" setting. Since I was inside, I increased my ISO to 800, placed a glass upside down in the sink to obstruct the water flow and used hot water. First I took a picture with a shutter speed of 1/80th and then increased it to 1/1250.

With a faster shutter speed used in the second picture, I was able to freeze the water in motion. Pretty easy, at least if felt like it!

Lesson Two-Part Two: But wait, There's More!
Part two has to do with achieving a BALANCE while using the f/stop, ISO and shutter speed together but to be honest, my first time through I failed, a BIG FAT F, and decided that this would be a project for Monday. On my behalf, I did have a couple of cute little boys biding for my attention so putting it off one more day wasn't going to hurt anyone.

Good Luck, hope you all were able to learn something new, I know I am. Now it is just making sure that I put all these new tools to work.

Blog Dump

This past week has been a busy week for the South household and unfortunately, there hasn't been enough time to do much of anything, especially to blog, so get ready for the all mighty blog dump.

Lets see, where did we leave off.... that's right Logan turned a month old! Sunday brought our weekly trip to Costco, a road trip to dealerships and then some fun in the sun. After Kaden woke up from his nap, we Justin quickly mowed the front yard and we hooked up the splat mat. The water was cold, freezing actually, but that didn't slow Kaden down. While Kaden ran through the water, Logan sat contently in the shade decked out in his itty, bitty swim trunks. The splat mat is certain to become our best friend this summer as we settle in for a very hot and humid summer here in KC.

Summer 2010

Pee-Pee On The Potty. Pee-Pee On The Potty! Is the new "it" song. We sing it in the morning, we sing it at bath time, we sing it in the evening. We aren't "officially" potty training, just thought it would be a good idea to start getting acquainted with the new gear. A couple of times he has pulled the potty seat out, put it on the floor and while we thought he was just playing he stood up and tugged at his diaper and already had a nice surprise for us, guess he understands it a little more than we thought! 

Note to Kaden-Sorry to have to post this picture but how could I not?! You are just too darn cute.

We also said goodbye to a dear friend. Someone Something that has been there by our side for the last 3 years. It was there to bring Kaden and Logan home from the hospital. It was there for the many trips which I took back home to see my family and was there for our fabulous road trip to Chicago with Jake and Jennifer. As I looked out the rear view mirror and drove away from it, a tear fell to my lap. It was harder to say goodbye than I thought. We have been looking long and hard for something a little bigger.  We hated the idea of parting completely from our Tahoe, so we found the next best thing, a Suburban that has everything our Tahoe did even down to the two-tone interior (minus the 66k miles)-a perfect fit for us. Tahoe, I hope you find a good home, you will be missed.

Party in the Park. Tonight, Merriam hosted their annual Party in the Park at Quail Creek Park which lucky for us was right down the road. We loaded the kids up in the stroller and headed for a night out at the park. We had hotdogs. We got to climb on fire trucks. We danced to music. We played a little hide and seek. A perfect end to a busy week. 

And just a few of the random pictures from this past week. Kaden has developed an obsession with yogurt and at each meal time with a spoon in hand, he heads straight for the fridge, pulls up the drawer and finds his yogurt. Not sure how much exactly makes it into his mouth but he seems to have a great time working at it!

1 Down, 11 To Go

Logan turned a month old today which can only mean one thing; I only have 11 more months to plan his First Birthday Bash and I am already so behind! Kidding...well sort of kind of, I gotta get through Kaden's 2nd birthday before diving in all the way! But today instead of birthday party planning we had to document and you guessed it-mini photo shoot time! Thanks again Ms. Korie for the totally rad (did you like my manly way of saying totally cute!) monthly stickers.