Livin' the Dream

I'm not sure life gets any better than this when you're a 4-year-old boy........

Kale with the Crimson Girls

Kale with Uncle Brett

My mom told Kale that the KU cheerleaders asked to have their picture taken with him, and he totally thinks it's true. When I showed him the photo today he said, "I can't believe those girls liked me so much. They must have really thought I was cute."

(A bit egotistical, but funny nonetheless..........)

Giving Thanks

Kale and Cousin Josh

Aunt Jacinda holding baby Jordan
Everyone gathered in the kitchen
Grandma and Grandpa Hammy

Aunt Dawn holding her adorable grandson, Jordan

Dain cuddling with Chase

Kale and Bailey

Kale and Bailey

Bailey rockin the cowboy boots and tu-tu

Bailey entertaining the crowd

Utah Lessons Learned...

Less is More

When we set out for Ogden, our goal was to take as little as we could possibly get by on (aka fit in the back of the Jeep). Our living room furniture consisted of a couch, lawn chair, and a TV.....the kids slept on an air mattress and a pack-in-play crib.....and with the exception of a couple of framed pictures of the kids, our "decor" was lovingly created at the hand of a 4-year-old. I'm not going to say we didn't miss the extras of home; but it is amazing how little you REALLY need in the grand scheme of things. As I head out shopping this holiday season, it's something I plan to keep in mind.......just because it's on sale, doesn't mean we really need it!

Cowboy Boots are Always Cool

Enough said.

Life is More Fun When You Turn Off the TV

We've never been major TV addicts; we have a TV upstairs in the living room and one in the basement that rarely gets used. That being said, we had really fallen into a rut of getting home from work, eating dinner, and half-heartedly playing with the kids while we attempted to watch whatever was on the tube. As you can imagine, this generally resulted in frustration from all parties involved. While in Utah, we started heading out to the playground, taking nightly walks, and finding things to do that didn't involved the remote control. Not only were the kids happier (who doesn't like more attention?) Dain and I both found that we were more relaxed and sleeping much better!

Dain and I Have the Greatest Kids

I know I may be a little biased, but given the fact that I spent 99.9% of the last six months with my children.....I feel confident making this assertion. They never cease to amaze me! They are the most intelligent, beautiful, caring, charismatic people I know........sometimes I wonder how they could possibly be my offspring?!

Sometimes You've Gotta Stop and Enjoy the Moment

I'm still not convinced I'm cut out to be a stay-at-home for any extended amount of time, but being at home forced me to do something I haven't done in years: slow down. Don't get me wrong.....there is nothing remotely easy about staying home and taking care of your children. I had many days where I would be totally exhausted, then look at the clock and it was only noon! My Utah experience helped me let go of so many silly stressers that I'd let overtake my life.... my house doesn't always have to be spotless, the laundry can generally wait (unless we're out of clean socks), and it's okay to eat pj and j's for dinner every now and then. I'm still the overly organized, to-do list making person I've always been, but I think my husband would be the first to tell you that I'm a much more relaxed person these days :)

We Really Are Jayhawk Fanatics

You don't realize just how many red and blue articles of clothing you own until live in a state many people (gasp) don't even know what a Jayhawk is. The lady who led story time at the library made a comment that we must be big fans....only then did I think about that fact that my son had worn a Jayhawk football or basketball jersey almost Tuesday since we'd been in Ogden. On game days when I'd sport my KU shirts, I got a lot of curious looks from all the BYU and Utah clad shoppers at Walmart. Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk, right? Rock chalk!

There's No Place Like Home

Alright, I swore to myself I wouldn't use that phrase (I don't even really like the Wizard of Oz)....but there's some truth to it! The mountains were beautiful....the weather was great....the people were kind........ I am truly thankful for the opportunity we had, but I can whole-hearted say that it's good to be home.

Our First NBA Game

Dain and I have gone to a lot of sporting events together......some memorable (like our first Royals game when Dain met my parents), and some just plain fun (beating K-State at Memorial Stadium a couple of years ago and the exciting Big 12 Championship game against Texas at the Sprint Center). We always have a great time, but I think our trip to watch the Utah Jazz may top the list...at least for now.

Thanks to my brother and his many basketball connections, we ended up with tickets to watch the Jazz play the Sacramento Kings. When we got to the arena, scantly clad dancers greeted us at the door (hot babes as Kale calls them) then Dain bought Kale a #13 Okur jersey and he was immediately beaming from ear to ear. After we got to our seats, Kale announced that we all needed to yell really loud when the Kings had the ball so that they would mess up. He then proceed to scream "Miss it! Miss it" or "Let's go Jazz" at the top of his lungs every time we were on defense. We all smiled and laughed, figuring he'd tire out soon.......

Little did we know that his fanatic cheering would last the WHOLE GAME. I'm not exaggerating.....every time the Kings had the ball......the WHOLE GAME! I'm pretty sure he had everyone sitting within 5 rows of us laughing at some point. He also danced (usually his break-dancer arm rolls) at every time-out.



After the game Kale didn't want to put on his coat (despite the 40 degree temp outside) because he wanted everyone to see his jersey. Dain said, "What if people mistake you for a Jazz player and ask for your autograph?" Kale replied, "That's okay. I know how to write my name." He also said, "I can't believe those cheerleaders talked to me! They looked like they were wearing undies, but I think they were actually short shorts."

Lamb Drama

Bailey was originally going to be a sweet, little lamb for Halloween........

A costume she was determined not to wear!

Luckily for her, Grandma Ballard came to the rescue and mailed us a new costume :)

Halloween In Utah (part 2).........

I didn't get this video attached to my post.......
see below for my actual blog entry and pictures :)

Halloween in Utah

This was a Halloween that almost didn't happen........

On Friday night, Kale came out into the living room about 10 minutes after he'd been put down to bed. As the tears begin to fall, he said, "Mama, I don't want to trick-or-treat tomorrow." I asked if he was afraid he'd see scary costumes, and he said yes, so he wanted to stay home :( I assured him that we wouldn't make him do anything he didn't want to, but that we'd talk about the next day (Halloween). Well, on Halloween morning I convinced Kale that we would go to just a few houses before it got too dark. If he wanted to keep going, we would, if he wanted to go home, we would.......

I'm sure you've already guessed the outcome......after the first piece of candy hit his bucket, he was good to go. We made it all around the neighborhood that backs up to our apartment complex before complaints of "my legs are so tired" started. This morning he woke up and announced that he couldn't wait for Halloween next year so he could get even more candy. He even got a 5 lb weight out of the closet so he could pump some iron........training his muscles so he could carry more candy in his bucket :)