Random Pictures

Just some random pictures that don't really relate to any event - just everyday at the Grace house.

Anyone else like to wear goggles around the house...she even wears the blue ones in public...I'm sure people think something is wrong with her eyes.
Caught these two hiding in my storage closet under the stairs watching a movie. Caden made sure they both had water, bunnies and blankets. What a good brother!

I have to capture them reading in case they end up like me and never read when they get older...surely that isn't in the genes.
The Ringling Brothers circus...not exactly sure why it's called the greatest show on earth, but it was a memory.Caden's preschool Thanksgiving feastWard Christmas party pictures with Santa - amazingly no one is crying in this picture.

Andrew and Kelli's Wedding

We took a break from the Utah vacation to go to sunny California. My youngest brother Andrew married Kelli on Dec 28th in the Newport Beach Temple. Wow!!! What a beautiful day. The temple is absolutely stunning. Kelli and Andrew are perfect for each other and I just love Kelli! Welcome to the family. It was fun to see my sister Deb and her family who live down there. All of the family except for 8 grand kids made the trip. We were tired and worn out by the end, but it was well worth it.

Andrew & Kelli Yorgason - isn't she beautiful!!!
My entire family minus 8 grand kids.Avery with my dad
Ryan and I - isn't he so handsome!!!
My parents.
Now you see why Kelli is Matt's favorite sister in law.
The Newport Beach Temple

Christmas

Christmas was totally crazy and totally fun this year. We went to Utah to spend the holidays with Ryan's family. The kids traveled great, the weather was great, and we had such a good vacation.

A little impromptu picture in front of the Christmas Tree. This is as good as it gets when the little one is ready for her nap.
I don't think I've ever seen a happier boy on Christmas. Transformers are his life right now, and the pj's on Christmas Eve and an Optimus Prime and Bumblebee transformer from Santa made his day.
She loves her babies almost as much as Mickey mouse and the candy in her hand.
Just a little stroll for all the babies she could find.
Taking a break from playing in the snow

New Doo

Is it just me or is everyone going dark? I thought I'd try it out. What do you think?

Field trip to the fire station

A friend from the ward planned a trip to the fire station for a bunch of kids. Caden has always loved fire trucks and firemen. However, we've really never talked to him about fire and the dangers of it. I realized this trip could do two things - it could teach him about fire and the dangers, or it could intrigue him and peak his curiosity.

Just a night or two before the field trip, the battery in the smoke alarm in his room was dying, so that annoying beep started. Of course he wanted to know what it was, and when he realized that it wasn't working anymore and dad was going to just take the battery out so it would stop beeping, the questions really started. I didn't realize the connection he would make to the fire alarm not working any more and what would happen if the fire started in his room. This field trip was a great way for the firemen to answer a lot of those questions, what happens, how long it takes for them to come, etc.

This was such a good experience. He had his concerns resolved, and now he is our little fireman at home. He reminds us to turn off he fireplace, blow out candles, and he puts out pretend fires all day. He is always wondering what will cause fires and what things can catch fire, but it is out of concern rather than mischief.

Fireman showing the ins and outs of the truck...have you ever seen so many 3,4 & 5 year olds so attentive?
Explaining the jaws of lifeThe kids helped the firemen dress in their gear. They wanted the m to see and hear what to expect if they came to their house for a fire.After with the token fire hat

Whatever it takes

This is Avery's new habit when trying to sleep. Each night, I find her in her bed looking like this.
Maybe that didn't look unusual, but it isn't so much how she's laying, but what's on her toes. The binkis, every night or nap, usually on two or three. I'm not sure what is so comforting about that, but she loves it, even walks around the house with them there.

We're on a date

Caden and Avery, on many occasions, can be found sitting in the pantry stuffing their faces with cereal. This night, they had the boxes all lined up, chair set up inside, and basically pigging out. Caden informed us they were "on a date".

Grandma and Halloween

Grandma Grace came and visited from Utah for the week. We had a great time. Here are a few pics from the week.
The kids loved trick-or-treating. Caden definitely had things figured out this year. Every house he'd run back saying "I'm getting more candy than I ever thought I would!" He loved the night, except for the houses with dogs. Even the smallest puppies made him jump out of his skin.
Avery wasn't sure why she was dressed up, although I think she was the cutest lady bug I've ever seen. We had to get a sack from one of our friends houses to dump the candy in because her pumpkin just got too heavy. She didn't quite understand, so when we gave her the empty pumpkin back she had a meltdown. By the end of the night, she learned to say "trick-or-treat" and how to chew through wrappers to get a taste of what she wanted.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Has anyone ever thought of teaching their 4 year old Rock, Paper, Scissors? I hadn't, not sure why, but it is a great tool at restaurants and anywhere you're trying to keep kids entertained. Ryan taught it to Caden sometime ago, and now Caden wants to play it anytime we are out. Even Avery gets in the action. Here he is with his cousin McKenzie in Utah, both apparently thinking scissors. I think Caden's competitive nature wants him to keep winning, and we're trying to teach him it's okay to not win every time. How do you encourage good sportsmanship without stifling the competitive nature?

Pumpkin Patch

Caden had his pre-school pumpkin patch field trip today. It was so much fun. Ryan was going to come with us, but he ended up getting sick so he stayed home with Avery. I loved the one on one time with Caden. When we first got there we went on the hay ride with his buddies Noah and Easton.
After the hay ride they took us to the patch where the kids were all able to pick one pumpkin. The only rule is they had to be able to carry it out on their own. Caden was so indecisive, trying to figure out which was the best. We must have picked up 10 before he decided on the one.

After all was said and done, we pushed our luck a little far with the good weather. We decided to go on one more hay ride with Noah, and part way through it the rain started coming down!!! We raced to our car and after all that fussing about the perfect pumpkin, I dropped it when we got to the car because we were so wet. Caden was a good sport about it and said we could just put the big crack at the back when we set it on the porch. Such a fun day and can't wait till next year!

Cadenism

I'm terrible at journaling, so this is my way of writing down things I don't ever want to forget. Caden has such an imagination, and some of the things he says surprise me. The other day he asked who the person is that lost their voice. I was a little confused but thought he must be talking about Little Mermaid. I'm not sure why I thought that b/c he's only seen it a couple of times, but it's the first thing that popped in my mind. I told him Ariel from Little Mermaid, and he told me, "No mom, it's the Holy Ghost". A little confused I asked what he meant and he started singing "Listen to the STEAL small voice, listen listen" I'm not sure how he put it all together, but he figured the Holy Ghost had his voice stolen.

Everyone needs a Caden

I know, I know - it's been a long time. There is a reason behind that, which I won't go into, but there is a reason. Nonetheless, I want to brag on my little Caden this go around. Everyone needs a Caden in their home. He is the wittiest, spunkies, sweetest, smartest little guy. Here are just a few examples:

Today we were headed out run some errands. Caden said from the back of the car "Mom, will you show dad where my pre-school is?" To which Ryan replied "Caden have you forgotten that I have picked you up before?" Caden just disregarded what his dad had said, and continued to tell us it is where the red finger is.?.?.? I wondered myself what that could mean, thinking of possible Halloween decorations at nearby houses, that's about all the further I could get in trying to figure out what the red finger meant. As he's telling us about the red finger, I look at him and he is pointing to the left with his index finger extending out and back. As we get to the street where we would normally turn, sure enough, a sign right on the corner for a property for sale. A big red hand with a red finger pointing that direction. Oh, the things he notices.

Speaking of pre-school, while we were on our way home from it the other day, Caden pointed out a big American flag next to our church. He said "Hey that's our flag". I thought I would teach him a little something and tell him it is for the United States of America. He then proceeded to recite the entire pledge of allegiance, start to finish, without missing a beat. Who knew he knew that? I sure didn't. I laughed so hard listening to his little voice say big words like allegiance, republic, indivisible. I ask him every day what he learns about pre-school and we only get as far as snack time, washing our hands and playing outside. Glad to know he is actually learning.

Finally, we have a little tradition around here that I hope never goes. Each night at bed time, he asks if I will lay down with him so he can brush my hair! I love that!!! Not only is it a little bit of heaven to have my hair played with so long, but he asks so many questions and it is fun to watch his mind think and absorb so much.

Time-Out for Women

I just went to Time-Out for Women this weekend and highly recommend it to any and every woman who has an interest in going. There were wonderful speakers with a little something for every one there. What a powerful influence we could all have if we followed the messages of our great leaders and those who have learned much and shared with us. We can all be so much more. We can all attain our fullest potential if we will try. We can all be excellent Mothers, leaders, listeners, examples. A big thank you to my sweet husband, Ryan, who took the kids all day so I could do this. It was an all day event and a lot of people sacrificed so the nearly 3000 women could attend. Ryan made it possible so I could go. The only regret is now the kids would rather him be home every day with them. They had a lot of fun together. I'm grateful for the wonderful husband and father he is, and what he does to help me be a better mother and wife.

Mister Moppee's Birthday

Today was Caden's sunbeam teachers birthday. Her name is Sister Mockbee, but Caden has always called her Mister Moppee. We've tried correcting him, but figured no harm done. He came home from church and told us it was her birthday, so we decided to get her something. I asked him what he wanted to get her, and after giving a list of suggestions, he decided on lotion and flowers. We went shopping together and he found some things he thought she might like...brown sugar and fig lotion (from Bath and Body Works - Caden's got good taste...I bought myself some and love it) and pink flowers. He loves eating brown sugar on oatmeal so that was an easy one when her heard that one, and the pink flowers were the closest he could find to Lightning McQueen red. We took them to her house, I snapped a quick picture to capture the moment, and he gave them to her. Scared of the dog he could hear barking on the back yard, he was ready to hand them to her and run, but she managed a hug out of him. I thought it was cute and thoughtful of him to remember her.

She eats what???

I don't know whose child this is, but Avery will eat anything and everything. She is such a good eater, and it's all so healthy. I know she didn't' get it from me. I'll give Ryan all the credit on this one. She eats peaches 2 and 3 at a time, strawberries by the hand fulls, grapes, corn straight off the cob, hamburger, steak, chicken, pancakes (every morning - 6-7 of the minis plus a bowl of fruit), bananas, carrots, watermelon, entire cans of Vienna sausages, pudding, yogurt, pinto and black beans, ham...I could go on and on. Every once in a while we catch a good picture of her, and these were the best. It shows how happy she is when she gets to eat. This truly makes her happy. Notice the corn straight off the cob in her hand...she loves this!!! She gets plates and bowls out and brings them to us when she wants to eat. Sometimes she does sign language to tell us. One of her favorite places to play is in the pantry. It's her own little slice of heaven. She still is the tiniest little peanut, but I know she's healthy and that's good enough for me.

Caden's 1st Day of Pre-School

Caden had his first day of pre-school. This is something Ryan and I have gone back and forth on for some time, not knowing if it was the right thing for him or not. Actually, I knew it was, Ryan knew it wasn't. I felt he didn't need it academically, although it wouldn't hurt. I just thought he needed it for his confidence, separation issues, and some structure and learning from someone else. Well, we agreed to go to the Open House and let him try it out and see what he thought. He was still a little reluctant, but willing to try on the first day. Caden on the other hand was excited and ready. He has two friends in the class, Easton and Noah, and goes 3 times a week. He is loving it and really learning a lot every day. The 2nd day was hard, and we actually brought him home crying after he realized his two friends weren't there. But since then he has done so well and now looks forward to it.

The eyes are a dead give away that he was a little nervous to go.
Still a little nervous, but willing to give it a try. He was able to sit with Easton which helped.
The three buddies all smiles after their fun first day.

More Utah time

While in Utah, we got to see all of Ryan's family. Caden has a lot of fun playing with his cousins there, and this day we went to the Dyer's. He and Mckenzie become better friends the older they get. They found these 2 umbrellas and ran around most of the day in the rain. Unfortunately, we found Caden's at the end of the day turned inside out. I guess the wind got a little too strong - oops, sorry Ronalee.

Our kids also seem to have issues with animals. Caden hates them and Avery smothers them. We've talked off and on about getting a bunny. They just love Ronalee's bunny, and we think it might help Caden with his fears. Here, Avery was trying so hard to pet it without poking and scaring it. She also tried to give it her binky, touch his eyes, and kiss it. We'll have to work with her a little more.

BYU Football!!!

We went to Utah for the first BYU football game. We love this time of year. We actually were just planning on going to see Ryan's mom and family for the long weekend, but since there was a game and there were seats available, we went. We weren't sure how Avery would do for that long with no nap, but I guess with enough people to look at and food to eat, she can last a really long time. Caden and Ryan sat with his mom, and Avery and I sat with my parents and brother. That's why I don't' have too many pics or Ryan and Caden. The game was unbelieveable hot, we were sweaty and tired, but we had a lot of fun. We can't wait to go to another one!

The poor guy sitting in front of us. Avery couldn't keep her hands to herself and kept touching the couple in front of us. They were nice about it, but I'm sure bothered. She would drop her toys down below their chairs, and her sippy. Towards the end of the game the mans shirt had brown spots on the back. I asked Andrew, my brother, if he thought Avery had done that. Avery turned around and was holding an Oreo from her bag and had chocolate all over her hands and face. I couldn't bring myself to tell him. I'm sure he realized it was her.

Why does he want to count my teeth?

Caden made his first visit to the Dentist. It went better than it might have, had he not been going to his Uncle Jake. We just told him Jake wanted to count his teeth. He kept asking why, but he eventually trusted us. In the end, no cavities and 2 toys from the dentists toy box. I think he won't mind going next time.

A little nervous before going in. He sat so still for the x-rays. At least it was only 2 instead of the 18 his mom and dad got.
Uncle Jake being so careful and gentle. Caden really trusted him. As you can tell, he's quite comfortable in his seat watching Tom and Jerry in the overhead TV.
Not terribly exciting, but his eyes were funny to watch. He wanted to watch the cartoon, but he was a little leery of what Jake's assistant was up to.

When he was all done, the assistant set a chair up so he could finish his cartoon. It doesn't look too comfortable, but he didn't mind.
Showing his clean pearly whites! Yea - no cavities!!!