Dancin'

And here he is on the dance floor.  :)  

Weekend

We had a nice weekend...  Saturday morning we went down to Creston.  That evening was a friend of ours wedding reception.  They were married on the sand in February, and had a party Saturday night.  Saturday afternoon, K had a nice nap, while Ryan, Mike & I drove around town to see the tornado damage...  I didn't even think to bring my camera, but I'm sure you've seen pictures online.  And to be honest, pictures do NOT do it justice.  It's still a mess...  there's a lot of work to be done.  And it's absolutely mind-boggling how a tornado can skip one home, take the next, skip the next, then take another one... right in a row.  Amazing. 

After nap, the boys went outside in the chilly weather and picked up sticks in Papa's yard.  $.25 a stick...  haha.  That's the rule around the Taylor house.  They were out there a long time, and Kayson got $1.  haha.  :)  Funny.

Then it was time to 'party'.   There were a ton of people there to catch up with, which was wonderful!  A little reunion for some of us.  Kayson did great, and wanted to dance...  well of course we had to patiently wait until it was our turn to dance, but he did well...  No camera, but our friend Jessica said she took some of him...  I'll post if there are some good ones!  Mike & JeanAnn took him back to the house around 8:30...  Ryan and I continued talking with friends til about 11:30.  I was wiped out, but we really had a nice time. 

Somewhat decent picture of us.  :)

Pickin' up sticks!

We were back to DSM this morning by noon, which was nice...  and even nicer, we ALL took a LONG HARD 3 HOUR NAP.  My goodness... I died.  ha.  But it was a perfect afternoon for it... I'm not complaining! 

Me/Baby & Belly Photo

How far along: 25 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 10 lbs 
Size and Growth of Baby: Baby is measuring around 13 1/2 inches long... and about a pound and a half!  She's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat!   She's also growing some hair.  
Maternity Clothes: Yep.   
Movement: Yes...  She's been on a 'routine' this past week - 9 am, 1 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm & 9 pm.  ha.  I laugh...  knowing that 'routine' will be all jacked up when she's here!  :)  But she punches me pretty good - Ryan should be able to feel her really well by the end of the week!
Food Cravings:  Nothing in particular...  just will eat about anything.    

What do I miss:  Getting up and down off the floor easily!  It's already gotten harder for me...  wow, I've got a long ways to go too!  

OTHER: Heartburn.  YUK. 

Kayson - 3 Years, 4 Mo Old

I ramble a lot on this blog...  but also really use it to track the fun things we do with Kayson...  I also need to be better about tracking his milestones and other random things.  I keep track of things in a word document at home, but thought it would be nice to lay everything out here on the blog.  So I'm really going to try to be better at this!  Here goes:

3 Years, 4 Months Old

• Counts to 25 easily...  we are working on getting to 30.  (I had no idea he could do this until the other night...  he obviously is learning A LOT at daycare!)
• Recognizes most letters and almost all numbers up to 10.
• Can draw squares, triangles, rectangles & circles (with a little help from connecting the dots, but it works!)
• Sings all the time...  we sing about 4 or 5 songs at bedtime...  
• Talks ALL THE TIME.  :)  Especially at supper time.  (I hope this continues as he gets older, instead of silence from a teenager!)
• Hits the ball/bat really well - he's doing amazing at it!
• Loves to play soccer too...  kicks like a champ!
• Wants to help Daddy with ANYTHING outside...  watering the grass, mowing, moving stuff, you name it.
• Wears size 9-10 shoes
• Wears 3T bottoms (only cuz he's skinny - no waist, no butt!), and most 4T tops (some do run a little big and look sloppy on him).
• Puts his own shoes on.
• Can get himself dressed - shirts were just learned about a month ago, and he does great! 
• Asks if he can be excused from the supper table when he THINKS he's done eating.  Very polite, but he's still not done eating usually!
• Still doesn't play independently very well...  I'd really like to see him go down to the basement and play for 20 minutes alone, but he won't.  I'm hoping over the next 3 months we can 'gently push' him to do this...  it will only be better for him when Baby Girl is here.
• Helps himself to things in the fridge and pantry.  Not always a good thing!
• Still uses his 'softies' - however, he favors one over the other.  
• Loves to do art, need to do more of this at home.

A LOT of Walking!

Ryan, Kayson and I headed out to Omaha Saturday morning to hit the Zoo.  I was concerned about the weather on the way there...  rainy, gloomy, windy...  not exactly what we were hoping for.  But by 11 am, the sun came out and it got warm...  still windy, but nice!  

We had a really good time there...  we hit all the attractions, I think...  and we were all exhausted!  We got so much walking in that our legs and feet hurt by that night!  

Here are some pictures from the zoo.

and not even out of the parking lot of the Zoo, this is what we see.

Saturday evening we walked a couple blocks from our hotel to a nice restaurant downtown...  yummy food...  Later we played at the swimming pool/park thing in the hotel.  Then followed by a "popcorn party".  :)

We all crashed at about the same time!  We headed back this morning...  K took a great nap this afternoon, I did too.  I was wiped out.  :)  Now it's back to thinking about work for the week.  

We all had a good time in Omaha, and I'm glad we did this for Kayson...  even though he doesn't really 'get it', but oh well. 

"Monster"

"Monster" lives with us...  he's a small little 'guy' that sits with Kayson, he sleeps on top of the dogs' kennel (with a blanket), he listens to Kayson (and us apparently), and he plays... sometimes. 

Introducing Kayson's imaginary friend. 

Yes, he's a monster - and yes, Kayson says "Mom, he's a really nice monster." 

We laugh...  but also know that this imaginary thing is normal.

"Monster" is his name...  Kayson won't come up with another name.  I suggested Daddy come up with a name, but K says no.  So "Monster" it is. 

"Monster" has made his 'appearance' a half dozen times in the past 4 days or so... some days he's around ALL DAY and EVENING LONG.  I sometimes have to hold him while Kayson gets up in a chair, or gets situated to watch a show.  You just have to go along with it... 

Sure does make me feel young again.  :)

Boo to Sunday!

We've had a really good weekend...  however, they go SO fast.  Boo to that!

Friday evening we met up with some friends from Creston - Mindy & TJ and a few of their friends.  Mindy set up a surprise night out/dinner/drinks for her hubby's birthday.  We enjoyed a fancy dinner, and some great conversation.  It was a nice time.

Saturday Ryan worked, while Kayson and I played and tried to stay busy.  I was antsy most of the morning/day...  like I just wanted to go run around the block.  Obviously that didn't happen!  Soon enough the storms started settling in... so we stayed in the rest of the day/night...  we were hammered by some heavy rain and strong gusts of winds...  however, nothing compares to what Creston experienced.  The hospital was damaged and had to evacuate the patients... one of the patients was Grandpa Dick.  He was transported to a near by hospital, and is safe.  Several homes, along with the community college there had tons of damage too.  What a mess.  

Today we knew we needed to get out, so we went to the mall and passed the time...  Kayson attempted to play at the Play Place.  When I say attempted - I mean, he stared and watched the kids...  then he'd run for 2 seconds, come back and talk to us.  He doesn't climb any of the toys, he just goes up the steps, down the slides and then runs every once in awhile.  We decided next time we go, we are bringing a friend for him!  ha.  We had lunch, then back home...  he took a SHORT nap, in which turned into a crabby afternoon for him.  Bedtime came a little early tonight...  

Now it's Sunday evening...  big bummer.  Even though we really didn't do much all weekend, it just went fast, and makes me crabby to go back to work.  YUK.  

Hope everyone in Creston has a safe, warm place to sleep tonight... Have a good week.

Me/Baby & Belly Photo

How far along: 23 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 10 lbs 
Size and Growth of Baby: Baby is measuring around 11 inches long... and over a pound! (Big Girl!)   Her sense of movement is developed, so she's feeling every move I make!  Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. 
Maternity Clothes: Yep.   
Movement: Yes...  consistently around 3:30 pm... and during the evenings.  I felt Baby Girl through my clothes on Wednesday of last week! 
Food Cravings:  Everything tastes pretty good now...  but I feel full really fast.   

What do I miss:  I'm bumping into things a lot...  the washer for example.  And I can't squeeze through tight spaces anymore!  ha.  

OTHER: I'm feeling pretty good...  just feel really big.  Headaches are gone, but heartburn hangs on.

My Thursday Thoughts

• I've been BUSY at work.  Love it.  Makes the days go fast... and the stuff isn't too mind-boggling, so it's been fairly easy and I just go with the flow.  Nice.
• Ryan's in MN (left yesterday, comes home tomorrow).  Kayson said to him yesterday morning as they were getting ready - "I'll miss you Daddy."  Heartbreaking... and so sweet at the same time.  I guess he does love us as much as we love him.  :)
• Baby Girl was punching me a little this morning.  I've felt her quite a bit... but this morning was a little different.  I felt her through my clothes - on my hand.  Just very, very lightly...  but it was so awesome.  It doesn't last long, but man, I'm anxious to feel her more often.  I can't wait for Ryan to feel her.
• I need a manicure... or maybe to stop picking.  :)  My nails are SHOT.  I'm not sure what happened in the last month - I'm still all over my vitamins...  and the weather has been nice.  But they are shot - brittle, thin, gross...  Maybe I should try painting them again... that might help.
• I hope it rains... we need a good rain...  and I like being forced to be inside at night every once in awhile. 
• I got a compliment today -- a lady that I know through working out (don't know her name, but see her often in the workout facility) told me today that I was a "cute pregnant person."  That was nice to hear.  :)  You either don't get compliments, or you get the "WOW - When are you due?" looks/comments.  So that made my morning. 
• I'm looking forward to our weekend - Friday evening we have plans with some friends that we don't see often enough.  And the rest of the weekend is just being home and doing random things. 

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful weekend...  Friday we started off doing a quick dinner with some neighbors, then had a 'practice' round of Egg Hunting.  It was just a taste of what Kayson had coming to him on Saturday!

Saturday we headed down to Creston to spend some quality time with all the Taylor's for Easter.  We had such a nice visit...  lots of fun with the adults and kiddos.  The weather was kind of droopy at first, but it cleared up nicely, so we all spent lots of time outside.  Kayson had a ball, as always...  Easter Egg Hunt, candy (too much!), and lots of cousin playing time.  It's nice knowing the bigger kids watch over him and they can just play and play...  they had such a great time that Kayson was up for nearly an hour in the middle of the night complaining and crying that his legs hurt.  POOR THING.  He was absolutely wiped out!

Here are some great pictures of our 2 days in Creston.  Thanks to Grandma & Papa for hosting and taking care of us!

Patiently waiting for the Easter Egg Hunt to begin.  :)

All the cousins!

Riding his bike!!  YEA KAYSON!

With Tater...  sweet how he has his arm around Tate.  ha.

K got a kite!  Daddy showed him how it worked!  So cool!

Full basket of eggs!

All dressed up for Easter Church service

Me/Baby

How far along: 22 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 6 lbs (will update later)
Size and Growth of Baby: Baby Girl is measuring about 1 pound.  She's starting to look like a miniature newborn. 
Maternity Clothes: Yep! 
Movement: This has been pretty random lately...  I'm starting to get anxious to feel her more and more... and have Ryan be able to feel her.
Food Cravings:  Pasta please.  :)

What do I miss:  Sleeping flat on my back... 

OTHER: Just been thinking about Baby Girl more and more...  I'm over half way there, and lots of emotions are flowing out of me.  I'm ready, but scared...  we still have lots to do.  :)

This & That

• 2nd Sports Class was last night...  Kayson did/does great...  I'm really proud of him.  Sure he has some moments of not paying attention or being shy (really?!!?), but he does great.  It's also really good for Ryan and myself to be involved and participate with him.  Good family time.  :)
• We've all been exhausted lately - so sleeping has been EXCELLENT!  This is such an awesome feeling, in my opinion, especially when you have a little one.  We all need our sleep and we are getting it! 
• We are slowly planning/prepping for Baby Girl - we are potentially going to have some wanes coating installed in the baby's room (really excited about that!), and we've got some paint samples to choose from too... 
• Kayson is continuing to have a potty accident about once or sometimes twice a week at daycare.  This is so disappointing and frustrating too...  Today we packed Pull-Ups for nap.  He doesn't like the idea, but we are really tired of bringing home a bag full of pee-soaked clothes.  I'm not sure if the Pull-Ups are the 'right' thing to do...  but it's our option right now.  I'm sure this a phase, but it's a frustrating phase for sure. 
• We are planning a small family trip to the Omaha Zoo at the end of April...  need to get some hotel reservations made, but I'm looking forward to that too.   This will be all about Kayson...  spoiling him for a couple days.  We figured this was the best time to go (before I get too big and before Ryan's busy season starts). 

Not much else...  hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

SUN!!

My goodness - Sunday was beautiful...  so beautiful that I actually got SUNBURNT (on April 1).  How bizarre is that!  :)  And to top it off, I was only outside from 10:30 til about noon...  that's when I got burnt.  Crazy crazy.


Anyway, we had a wonderful day yesterday...  it was just so nice.  K and I slowly started our day by watching cartoons - he kept wanting to go outside, but it was pretty chilly at 7:30!  Soon enough, 9:30 rolled around and Ryan and K started outside... and it was tough getting them back inside!  Lots of playing happened... lots of neighbor chats...


We continued outside after nap and even ate supper outside!  It was just great out. 


Saturday I spent most of the day shopping in Williamsburg with my neighbor, Nikki.  We had a nice time - however, we did complain about the chilly weather and winds in the morning, then by the time we got in the car to head back - it was sunny!  Figures!  But we had fun... I picked up some great bargains for Kayson, even got Ryan a few things and myself too.  Now on to Baby Girl - I did get her a few things (maybe like 4 items).  I just got overwhelmed with all the cute stuff - I mean, if we had all the money in the world - the Carter's store would have been emptied by me!  BUT - we don't, and I'm trying to be really realistic here with clothes.  Knowing we had 12 tubs of clothes for Kayson, I'd like to not have that many for Baby Girl!  ha.  I'm actually more concerned on really how big she will be and the seasons - it'll be August, so it'll be warm, but we won't be out much at first, then it'll start getting cooler, then it'll be winter - within 3 or 4 short months - 3 different seasons will hit - that's hard to buy for a newborn!  SO...  I held back.  :)


Anyway, here is how we spent most of our weekend.