tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187416684318969162024-02-06T19:25:15.084-07:00Balls Family BlogBalls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-34970053130160767882010-09-06T22:47:00.004-06:002010-09-06T23:02:30.439-06:00We Lost a Tooth!Well, it's been an eventful start to the school year. Kaden has started 1st grade and is in Mrs. Spencer's class. There is another Kaden in his class and that Kaden's last name is Brimley so she can't even call them by their first name and last initial. So, she started calling him Kaden Balls and he said the other day that when she does that, some of the kids in the class laugh. Oh boy, here we go! So, I kindly asked the teacher to call him either Kaden (while calling the other boy Kaden B) or call him Kaden Lynn. Since she's been doing that, it's been better but I'm sure we'll be revisiting this topic each year.<br /><br />Kaden loves recess (both of them!) and so far, he likes a majority of the lunches that he's eaten. He also loves math and reading and we have homework every night. I was excited to have him back in school, then realized I wouldn't be seeing him everyday and got a little sad, but we're dealing with him being gone and there is a lot less fighting when he's at school...Jackson and Evan haven't learned how to fight with each other yet.<br /><br />Some of the other momentous occasions that happened in the last few weeks were that I was promoted from Manager to Senior Manager at work, Evan finally started walking, we've gotten rid of Evan's bottles, and Kaden lost his first tooth! Not too much new with Jackson lately but he still keeps us on our toes and we never know what he's going to say or do next but he definitely keeps us laughing...he can't wait to start pre-school next fall.<br /><br />Ok, I've posted some not-so-fun-to-look-at pictures of Kaden's hole in his mouth where his tooth was and I have to say that for me, it was not fun to watch him try to pull it out. I'm not sure if it was the blood or just realizing that he's growing up and the last evidence of him ever being my baby is starting to disappear. But, I've still got Jackson and Evan for now so we've got Evan getting teeth and Kaden losing teeth at the same time...kind of strange. As you can see, Kaden's permanent tooth was already growing in behind his baby tooth so he shouldn't have a gap for very long. He was very brave about the whole thing and Ray really wanted him to pull it out himself so that's what he did. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_lJJxH3a5Hu41bxbcboHwArY5Tu8Or0xifLqzFfV4nQCWvrcRNZ3afEIaPBQLD0uwVEDyLY1oi5q6XHNqOFx60XTN6g_7B8OIy6RngmRU1s5Y7_uEYbMEX5LMGFBqCtxDX28LfNXoT8B/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514031148266481218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_lJJxH3a5Hu41bxbcboHwArY5Tu8Or0xifLqzFfV4nQCWvrcRNZ3afEIaPBQLD0uwVEDyLY1oi5q6XHNqOFx60XTN6g_7B8OIy6RngmRU1s5Y7_uEYbMEX5LMGFBqCtxDX28LfNXoT8B/s320/IMG_0255.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dp2xxGCIEEjHRoVrF3x_f6FLuLdaVt6QrLPa7xs17AVS-Ikg2asqZ_byc0cMFJnGHRhRH08nwC-UT23VDYcMCuVmmBrEWJGjmqB8rclTiRsFNJzrlppPyN_A9mbkgXhn-Ap0gS4RuptZ/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514031141409452402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dp2xxGCIEEjHRoVrF3x_f6FLuLdaVt6QrLPa7xs17AVS-Ikg2asqZ_byc0cMFJnGHRhRH08nwC-UT23VDYcMCuVmmBrEWJGjmqB8rclTiRsFNJzrlppPyN_A9mbkgXhn-Ap0gS4RuptZ/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LvZibzffhbzbfZP_9gYmNx11I9cjPu7BgSNfHU_tVDpqPx-0ZugJ_mVym-3s5uzojQtzaugBk61xMOQorNTxhAfFjrlsKb5409B9brTKhkMFVRQ6LbX0GbKFLwjdMYs38UVIrC6H5hFG/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514031137072600034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LvZibzffhbzbfZP_9gYmNx11I9cjPu7BgSNfHU_tVDpqPx-0ZugJ_mVym-3s5uzojQtzaugBk61xMOQorNTxhAfFjrlsKb5409B9brTKhkMFVRQ6LbX0GbKFLwjdMYs38UVIrC6H5hFG/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /> </div><div></div></div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-10104583268488056872010-09-06T22:25:00.006-06:002010-09-06T22:47:03.669-06:00Summer Was Here<span style="font-family:Verdana;">Well, summer has come and gone and we're back to school with Fall in the air. We really had a great summer...but we don't have many pictures to show for it. Kaden was pretty excited to be out for the summer but I was wondering how I was going to keep him entertained all summer so I signed him up for Aqua Sport at the Draper pool during June, swimming lessons on Saturdays during June, July, and August, and Super Summer Sport through Dimple Dell Recreation Center during August. Boy, did the summer fly by! Around the 4th of July, we headed up to Washington to see Ray's family and it was a LONG trip but Evan did surprisingly well and we made it home without too many frazzled nerves. On our way back from Washington, we went to Seaside, OR for a few days and thought the boys would LOVE the beach but we quickly realized that Evan is too young for the beach (too much sand in the eyes) and Jackson and Kaden liked it for a few hours but then were over it. We stayed in a little beach house about 2 blocks from the beach and the best part of the beach for the boys was finding the seashells that the kind lady walking on the beach would drop just so the kids could find them.</span> <div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nt8KtAF0ZDkmu7uEWsvIC5TJ9prKHfgwR0xPVk4Ez3VyqPuYBHL-VS62l7LqqFrKZt8QjkkalzD-zad3TKBbPGa8Fh5m0W72QslKVO36GaV0dW5kw9fjtTjs0VosZZET8zRtCeZpRx8J/s1600/IMG_0237.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514025842477339138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nt8KtAF0ZDkmu7uEWsvIC5TJ9prKHfgwR0xPVk4Ez3VyqPuYBHL-VS62l7LqqFrKZt8QjkkalzD-zad3TKBbPGa8Fh5m0W72QslKVO36GaV0dW5kw9fjtTjs0VosZZET8zRtCeZpRx8J/s320/IMG_0237.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9iQyJrwyqIWmN1v7xHzqznxbZz0FATiEhqu3CWk0eDky465L23jyo9ego3sV2xlzuT6mTIpo34sW-SgkUWOBD1HppGFyGMYjmNaRUrEBZ9lrINlHnDJGBcJJU-3Qoq4cfIkM8iSGzP-n/s1600/IMG_0230.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514025840456179458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9iQyJrwyqIWmN1v7xHzqznxbZz0FATiEhqu3CWk0eDky465L23jyo9ego3sV2xlzuT6mTIpo34sW-SgkUWOBD1HppGFyGMYjmNaRUrEBZ9lrINlHnDJGBcJJU-3Qoq4cfIkM8iSGzP-n/s320/IMG_0230.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514026314617916770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpf8x8atfjocjEcMgy9PpwRfjccs-k56y-MS_Yj7U7TDIt8q2rHrEGvmDGI35fWOBier_2PZEGIPocb_fT1gNyzPcb3iih2xY4WKyjw_lh7Sh-patLNJ0QebZgzDQrQcN_SaTUF3CH4HK/s320/IMG_0229.JPG" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In addition, we celebrated Ray's birthday like we do every summer. I tried to organize a dinner with friends but it didn't work out the way that I hoped but I hope Ray's birthday was fun anyway.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span> </div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514027861557953986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB1PUn-jJTbQh4Pm4Qc1FFDot8P6dK766dC1Y2oirLo21-FiaGKPnbHTV9CJd3Rpj2vge-w45FcyFTwXBREiQIs6clFCajuCl_elpQMCNRs1bjIaJCe-C5hGNSrbyUnzpaZKQmd4K0WUm/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514027854540728450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Hx3O2cFkelel_rKVyeMpnjkSZh_SMrkAZII_LRCxbpM2yAV4d26O42CiXVtpaUXI9KCDgGYSzWmcOOKliB7FoduPXwsX9qjaa2_hX90z24LucZZfpcbnnwgKOGPHn_QGgy5EWCGrESsk/s320/IMG_0250.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514027849050382802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmtaros4dNAKC3n-8fyqbphKP5I5mDlTIN3wFc5UgUS5oPodJPITCLNpobHfTttJ1ZDquqjXkO4EFhDdwqA3Jk6QQ41GonkK86GfbJjovwP2ujfZbuzsPPB10nlrLgoh9ukIVPgE5WKjX/s320/IMG_0249.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514027845048684082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9ndLO4zrVOd7ytSLm5QcuQfu7dpPAOKlQvfoC_NuzoNg7qWynMcT74e-sH_ll1ofO4R9n81zhRjJO5hUmJbVXyCvd-S7vbsytANHmP1uakHucOKWBRtvnyiKPhDRg-T3GDEcrZYrJn7G/s320/IMG_0240.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">I LOVE MY BOYS!</div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-46390237936598688692010-05-28T15:32:00.009-06:002010-09-06T22:23:48.669-06:00Howdy, Cowboy!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After today, there's only 2 more days of school left for Kaden. There has been a lot of fun activities going on. The kids recently went to the Zoo on a real school bus for a field trip and I think the highlight of the trip wasn't the zoo, it was the bus ride! This week was Kaden's "Me Week" where the class got to learn all about him and how wonderful he is and today was cowboy day. You'd think that a mom that grew up in Wyoming and was involved in showing horses most of her teenage years would have had some cowboy clothes around the house but nope...Ray had to go to Walmart last night and see what he could find. All in all, I think Kaden made a good looking cowboy (despite the black and red skater shoes!).</span><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476437529339868690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqN0TfNd7gOZBTwggnqGblqNG7EOHyoI0lc8hgbsu-UWVvsq8dR8hdbuH0EDgovdPGC3fhkxePG3CS3t6mwkwRAP6AvfrWvgMQuyf-l3CAcch3V58AEAQmN2dm_RpeOiQ7gpRkFM7mLe4M/s320/IMG_0219.JPG" border="0" /></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476437524615620946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpNzO2u9T52UV8e5Nt_RoEBXj_jJ3sGNsHe_YV-zRmDRqyajn26U3EAIYYVdbcN8_EqNxIXfNGeOzTyNxMtfwYda6DCi8oWBMzjEX8J4PUu00P1h0WPYiYpHN_idZM3LBzkssDOPkHYdY/s320/IMG_0218.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Next week is water day and the talent show. Kaden hasn't decided what to do for the talent show so I think he'll just watch this year. Playing the Wii isn't really a talent and neither is knowing everything about Star Wars. He wanted to be ready to play the guitar by next Wednesday but I had to break it to him that this probably wouldn't happen. I guess I really need to start helping my kids focus on real talents. He can play soccer really well but that's a little hard to showcase at a talent show. He also sings pretty good to "So What" by Pink but he was too shy to get up in front of everyone and sing it...I guess we're the only audience privileged to see his rockstar side.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpNzO2u9T52UV8e5Nt_RoEBXj_jJ3sGNsHe_YV-zRmDRqyajn26U3EAIYYVdbcN8_EqNxIXfNGeOzTyNxMtfwYda6DCi8oWBMzjEX8J4PUu00P1h0WPYiYpHN_idZM3LBzkssDOPkHYdY/s1600/IMG_0218.JPG"></a>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-51917051713584179742010-05-28T15:04:00.009-06:002010-05-31T15:40:42.029-06:00Kohl's Cup 2010<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last weekend, Kaden was lucky enough to play on the winning U6 team at the Kohl's Cup in Hyrum, UT. He was also lucky to be playing on that team with his best friend and cousin, Kasen. They played 5 games that day and the weather refused to cooperate so we were all bundled up and trying to keep warm. Thank goodness that the games were only 2 12-minute periods with a 5-minute half-time. Although the day was long and cold, it was worth it and the boys had a lot of fun and Kaden was so excited to get the first place medal at the end of the day. Thanks Uncle Kasey for putting together a winning team! Leo (the RSL mascot) even showed up to tell the kids good luck and sign their soccer balls and jerseys! Way to go All Stars!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_GI95sd8xjQTQ8O3Ji5RmvBALFj5V_MhwlyXJQYAVedcn4MIimzZjs8BT4G22GdUWWocNKsqpg_GkbIkWriKuK_K1JkEsYk10LaKbWU6aSmlddtU3_Q-oeJWJQCfKIQ7CDUVOoOpfcpB/s1600/IMG00034.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476435073107889186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_GI95sd8xjQTQ8O3Ji5RmvBALFj5V_MhwlyXJQYAVedcn4MIimzZjs8BT4G22GdUWWocNKsqpg_GkbIkWriKuK_K1JkEsYk10LaKbWU6aSmlddtU3_Q-oeJWJQCfKIQ7CDUVOoOpfcpB/s320/IMG00034.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDaW_NRh0Tw8S4pg85xB5-G8gKIr_y_3m8UU8wFRiATfonyNFlaHVQnOZnG4q8EUe5FQS2Vai22SaTH9IA4WmS6UHrgFDA0vYwat6sJQMEmf1urw4mWos4aKm5jUke30qjJCdOgN3L9Xk/s1600/P5220020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476435060983156322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDaW_NRh0Tw8S4pg85xB5-G8gKIr_y_3m8UU8wFRiATfonyNFlaHVQnOZnG4q8EUe5FQS2Vai22SaTH9IA4WmS6UHrgFDA0vYwat6sJQMEmf1urw4mWos4aKm5jUke30qjJCdOgN3L9Xk/s320/P5220020.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476435065836737938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsieONmtjJM_W7Su7PDwYKav4a6jcc9ZXaZ-zqMcnCjZOGh-PFVu3Z7J1xra7Gs68MlvzV8JR6DCyUsXLYbb-i_NQy8vnsb-4rJTM64h3P_N0nJEeqVJj-xTsFrh80_hrNRdMKc_Oj8mVz/s320/P5220025.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgjoL5hEsctHMX1slhWwf_PXYBl9_V_3NYPho9ZmnWCwzREOqsncr8MAeEauxPZGWdUAf4F2l_DUeJ5wj8apsk_iTqKQE15twipDLL82DvllGAto7Pu6-U92yTtcxFFIgT6-E6byFmSOo/s1600/P5220022.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476435055476257346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgjoL5hEsctHMX1slhWwf_PXYBl9_V_3NYPho9ZmnWCwzREOqsncr8MAeEauxPZGWdUAf4F2l_DUeJ5wj8apsk_iTqKQE15twipDLL82DvllGAto7Pu6-U92yTtcxFFIgT6-E6byFmSOo/s320/P5220022.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpc7oWUzzQzFXcQl_NCtK3YBwsbB1o7ZeqZJPOvhvKaCcUKPOuU86LWjSnsyjIdC4DVKRJUWjsxaYr0C01OtMna3y30qX6HM2ptYaqbtJhmr54FKglKjj9-qZqWZuo4Zm2_D3LCOW9C3T/s1600/P5220023.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476435036847053730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpc7oWUzzQzFXcQl_NCtK3YBwsbB1o7ZeqZJPOvhvKaCcUKPOuU86LWjSnsyjIdC4DVKRJUWjsxaYr0C01OtMna3y30qX6HM2ptYaqbtJhmr54FKglKjj9-qZqWZuo4Zm2_D3LCOW9C3T/s320/P5220023.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div></div></div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-81632639378150343512010-05-28T14:28:00.007-06:002010-05-29T15:49:12.831-06:00A Ducky Day<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Lately, we've been having frequent visits from some furry friends. I can't remember them ever being in our yard as much as they have been this year. The boys love it when the ducks come to visit and are always trying to feed them bread. Sometimes the ducks are interested, sometimes they're not. Mostly, they just love to sit on the wet grass and if the boys bother them too much, they waddle over to the next quiet yard. Surprisingly, the cats don't even go crazy when the ducks are in the yard, they just sit in the window sill and watch them for a while.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-znwLqGbTZMRxcsiPzqzwjBVHdePxCxzwKHQncirSuy1HyPrNShYJE44coiknL7Wd36hxPb02y_IqgTjHJlf8AohOn6T9oFwiKwmdLJ8yx7dCXMDSrdC-XEYyEzyLYl8nPSOf6Ez9RUW/s1600/IMG_0217.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476428036867745634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-znwLqGbTZMRxcsiPzqzwjBVHdePxCxzwKHQncirSuy1HyPrNShYJE44coiknL7Wd36hxPb02y_IqgTjHJlf8AohOn6T9oFwiKwmdLJ8yx7dCXMDSrdC-XEYyEzyLYl8nPSOf6Ez9RUW/s320/IMG_0217.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9E8e4kEeN00Yy-SdmZe6ywFdsK1HjH8Mr8JwUSmXTownOdfrnMwtyFqrKjlJC-MCdy_nAGQhXYTdTqxT1Rg-rP7SmXBR-4EJR8UCiNDdNTytndjcuqIWyrwE-iN5HW75LpURyKQK2v4hy/s1600/IMG_0216.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476428031868254082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9E8e4kEeN00Yy-SdmZe6ywFdsK1HjH8Mr8JwUSmXTownOdfrnMwtyFqrKjlJC-MCdy_nAGQhXYTdTqxT1Rg-rP7SmXBR-4EJR8UCiNDdNTytndjcuqIWyrwE-iN5HW75LpURyKQK2v4hy/s320/IMG_0216.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8F8ophGYmpUNzR21uyfxp1Rn-oq2hWaeWqWzSgwjcrfldORcY8_F1FVXUFBnsPfgse1__yMpQZJlw9kMtN-xx_5v9S4-1Lze3s57dCnUyzu_3rp0fZJTxvVkHc6_G_BGnwA-ZkMgCUAP/s1600/IMG_0214.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476428017572025138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8F8ophGYmpUNzR21uyfxp1Rn-oq2hWaeWqWzSgwjcrfldORcY8_F1FVXUFBnsPfgse1__yMpQZJlw9kMtN-xx_5v9S4-1Lze3s57dCnUyzu_3rp0fZJTxvVkHc6_G_BGnwA-ZkMgCUAP/s320/IMG_0214.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-82805027934115860632010-05-28T14:00:00.006-06:002010-05-29T15:48:53.883-06:00A New Interest<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ray, Kaden, and Jackson went up to Washington last month to be with family since Aunt Katie returned from her mission. I can't believe that Ray drove all that way with both boys but apparently, they both had a great time. The highlight of the trip was fishing on the lake behind grandma and grandpa Balls' house. Kaden is really into fishing so I guess we'll be buying some fishing poles and heading to the public fishing pond near our house...or else just send him with Uncle Kasey. I'm sure Uncle Kasey would love an excuse to head out fishing with the boys...not that he really needs one!</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGWT96E4fgvp_bkFO5U_5j0oMSqAbLbvUsQikuXQcO5AzdnuSwmF560kopzDlg4OzO6Ke5ZgugNyIVTDv_LksBw7AVAcZOUgsTfmwM0RMNqx7auX__Ms1u7EpQdP8bGDMBsqRmvHxgeJr/s1600/Ray+and+Boys+Fishing+in+WA_4-26-10.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476413536081447042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGWT96E4fgvp_bkFO5U_5j0oMSqAbLbvUsQikuXQcO5AzdnuSwmF560kopzDlg4OzO6Ke5ZgugNyIVTDv_LksBw7AVAcZOUgsTfmwM0RMNqx7auX__Ms1u7EpQdP8bGDMBsqRmvHxgeJr/s320/Ray+and+Boys+Fishing+in+WA_4-26-10.jpg" border="0" /></a>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-50103511696959766672010-05-28T13:33:00.013-06:002010-05-28T15:46:08.532-06:00Sweet Baby Evan Turns 1!<div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Our last (but certainly not least) baby boy turned 1 this month, on May 15th. As is our usual custom, we didn't do a big birthday party, we just celebrated quietly at home as a family. We made red velvet cake and cupcakes with buttercream frosting and everyone loved it. I think the pictures say it all.<br /><br />Our dear sweet baby Evan...this year has flown by and you are such a joy to our family. We can already tell that you love your older brothers SO much and they love you and always are quick to help us take care of you. I love your sweet smile, your chubby cheeks and legs, and the silly noises you make all the time. Most of all, I love snuggling with you on my shoulder before nap times and bedtime. Although I was almost positive you were going to be a girl, I wouldn't trade you for all the girls in the world and thank you for completing our family...I know how blessed we are every time I look in your big blue eyes and see you reach for me. We love you!<br /></span><br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476407727017005490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ohRkHRAOmAlruRwqckfidydJsrawRf4dCip2B_wN7Lp2uGIPfjl26CEQ34KSSVgg5GMtVbj6GYTRJWhqemqUnqasek558QH_UXMY0idxAMm0xq9ivZNJZ8oBQZGo5VgNCoPeezWkavmw/s320/IMG_0180.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I think someone's excited for his birthday!</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476407733304835554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A36oo3NIA61a1DK4uu9oB4gMdyCtBA3EEj47WjA2WkVZmUpyYYuM-VS8etQ5o2WhuRB1KmYJ2z-OYS-8ziC1KmFfMNlTkI48lrVXJ4hpkp8wQbNw_a-Z74iv8TMX2gVASZ8U5UlnewIc/s320/IMG_0189.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mom's attempt at a homemade birthday cake.</span></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476407744424554978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkhi-AdB-Et85TBjbDe2jLAjmzH-mM1qt2bTs79dZguuD3jekjjHWm-snVOR-ciBn4jeN8Sdw3Dki7Z8AbkfFCZcHhgbrvBTxz7BlAiKzxwuHsqKyjdWsMtBM6rN4MdUFk-Z8FuIvLyVZ/s320/IMG_0193.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"What's this?" </span></p><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfA5UPq1py9PPF1nLTHafXuI2FZ81iVzjQl37PCD4-aEpj1ud-l-CR76LL-4njLwk9cOB-SptsNsPQ771Z9UpUguYCWAQDaplc2hZzOYBz4o3jyLThHKHwdcUG8-1DqK8Q8-1Cq28P9yZ/s1600/IMG_0194.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476407759231095538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfA5UPq1py9PPF1nLTHafXuI2FZ81iVzjQl37PCD4-aEpj1ud-l-CR76LL-4njLwk9cOB-SptsNsPQ771Z9UpUguYCWAQDaplc2hZzOYBz4o3jyLThHKHwdcUG8-1DqK8Q8-1Cq28P9yZ/s320/IMG_0194.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> "Hmmmmmmm...."</span><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476407766655831874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnZ8A6vWCq592tL08bUkWpfH5CJORdhLgB78l2ijpc_fE4s-uQ1Ic8f77QRYqmHS5rW6kgFAj_WPMyqgiO0FtZYvInhx6wrnYsH7cGWZXdERnLv5lQ_hJnI5ShDrCqCwtg3_ztQ0yEjr1/s320/IMG_0195.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Pretty tasty!"<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476408432915365186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMcq5vB9h2gPHINmn01wO4ImNWYBYHr0D0caW1BtwfZKXa0Rjh-6LJCBuPrf3EnNoqOLbSuQGjyrN7E1avaubTaBLzDPhp09sqzZNMKAtiU9C7DK7XMZaa0-Duip3RasNlUOuxzumM67B/s320/IMG_0201.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What would a birthday be without the ceremonial smashing of the birthday cake into the hair?<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476408426661366114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPgw7oyqQHvC5bJzJ0YAkQShBFIOZgPKHx7BR1f2iIESW7i4nWi17RHmVq_onuJWW2KWl8qPb5zHl-3w32Km-wKmR4lmQ_RGWY4iKOxomZAg-qjijvhinIJeBVBeCzsFW-GvcWslQBdcA/s320/IMG_0211.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I think this pictures sums up the day! We love you sweet Evy boy! </span></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-67934167019295059432010-04-24T16:13:00.004-06:002010-04-24T16:37:41.445-06:00Kaden's Birthday - Part II<span >Kaden wanted to have his birthday party this year at Bouncin Off the Walls and we invited as many of his friends as we could think of. My goal for the birthday party was to not have it at my house and not have to do much so this place was great. The kids got to run wild in the bounce houses and the giant slide for an hour and a half and then they had pizza, cake, we did presents, and everyone went home and best of all...I didn't have to clean up any mess! Enjoy the pictures of our sweet Kaden's 6th birthday.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39RrkQiq3rgXRNp10jyWF3a3vHCR5tXzB9r9-Kg9Q63Fl9OQJm_35AuMAxST-YkGIp2ITzoZs_wlthlzQVNxgYN5ZBwMW3OclRqH1EPnC0AIRG8cKDjyhqyY4rJLJprNjuctB21GtiaJB/s1600/IMG_0165.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463833732422664770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39RrkQiq3rgXRNp10jyWF3a3vHCR5tXzB9r9-Kg9Q63Fl9OQJm_35AuMAxST-YkGIp2ITzoZs_wlthlzQVNxgYN5ZBwMW3OclRqH1EPnC0AIRG8cKDjyhqyY4rJLJprNjuctB21GtiaJB/s320/IMG_0165.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">Kaden sitting on the "birthday chair" before opening his presents...lots and lots of Legos!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463833707913372450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVBOkTrWngWUcR3xS5goe7uUzALuWgOiYKmoKZLC0h32wHOZYD266sHZ5ASOnCOYLnsWjWCwyx1yykoNexWAlnc3ruk1K48Aur6VS0-q_VmNQB68p8bAR6Xt8lLXlFxbiHlv8_Ix59_Hb/s320/IMG_0161.JPG" border="0" /></div><div align="center">Star Wars birthday cake...again! I think this will be the theme for quite a few years.</div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3a8XSmtSpGUOK8ZqTZM4U7I6AxllMyKrVVybeG1AUEof5gUY-DpE-Kk8U0wEAoGyOFuyzT7TnndQgN-iSV2K9IGx937FENZm94sTJPnkPYrsg21xft2flH7fIQtbJK9NuqIE9EDw86B_/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463833718451312322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3a8XSmtSpGUOK8ZqTZM4U7I6AxllMyKrVVybeG1AUEof5gUY-DpE-Kk8U0wEAoGyOFuyzT7TnndQgN-iSV2K9IGx937FENZm94sTJPnkPYrsg21xft2flH7fIQtbJK9NuqIE9EDw86B_/s320/IMG_0163.JPG" border="0" /></a> The big blow out!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFx1_k9Kl4CUPPWNqT_S1vciVDn7iFT26z3H5gS99GDtU1Xdd1q7IojLGIRy3rLPr4yTuIeBv7rkkam0vD3rCDY3HjO8NX6mkTUdK-LEri_dDLvbi7rCd3UxCA20ZOcxE2iEGjVbk_1Pto/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463833030071910434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFx1_k9Kl4CUPPWNqT_S1vciVDn7iFT26z3H5gS99GDtU1Xdd1q7IojLGIRy3rLPr4yTuIeBv7rkkam0vD3rCDY3HjO8NX6mkTUdK-LEri_dDLvbi7rCd3UxCA20ZOcxE2iEGjVbk_1Pto/s320/IMG_0149.JPG" border="0" /></a> Sweet baby Evan just hanging out while all the kids played.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi386oJ08DozSU3301LGFgcjgT_spU7cUW20QnbxpXbvpadM7iri7UuXpLJfhalhfdrSKq0Vh_eNGmqxkR47WsUQ277RWB_ZfVaizic1NsP5L0lXlKb1tRpAUHLGUFRgrR-J25vYGjw-_Ax/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463833021893878962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi386oJ08DozSU3301LGFgcjgT_spU7cUW20QnbxpXbvpadM7iri7UuXpLJfhalhfdrSKq0Vh_eNGmqxkR47WsUQ277RWB_ZfVaizic1NsP5L0lXlKb1tRpAUHLGUFRgrR-J25vYGjw-_Ax/s320/IMG_0146.JPG" border="0" /></a>Daddy and Jackson...even mom and dad got to play and go down the giant slide.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlPvM9ETOekJHd6itoqWIGNLNjSvTOY7jZtr1dXfn_VEJ5PPqRKBinE-zIbGUgMzdxC5_6Jyxwc7QmQ6Mx4jGKrZLYVteIiBP2w6NgdngFyV6n2gucCgOW0FngZUgU5iCWNdEmeaIGtef/s1600/IMG_0144.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463833020326218434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlPvM9ETOekJHd6itoqWIGNLNjSvTOY7jZtr1dXfn_VEJ5PPqRKBinE-zIbGUgMzdxC5_6Jyxwc7QmQ6Mx4jGKrZLYVteIiBP2w6NgdngFyV6n2gucCgOW0FngZUgU5iCWNdEmeaIGtef/s320/IMG_0144.JPG" border="0" /></a>The birthday boy<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbQ1J3KScu8Xy06ifHQ36sj8TAdN5JNo8ywxBbh68v2Y8_lDz3UwkUhH7Y3oSyHnIQgofcH-w8EHrpA2R7f_F9wGlyisqzP22pP7wrnbw2NIzR_BZ-U5i3v4G6nyG_hSJqM8fHYFI7_51/s1600/IMG_0137.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463833001496349842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbQ1J3KScu8Xy06ifHQ36sj8TAdN5JNo8ywxBbh68v2Y8_lDz3UwkUhH7Y3oSyHnIQgofcH-w8EHrpA2R7f_F9wGlyisqzP22pP7wrnbw2NIzR_BZ-U5i3v4G6nyG_hSJqM8fHYFI7_51/s320/IMG_0137.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span >Jackson had a blast at Kaden's birthday party<br /></span><div> </div><div align="left">I can't believe our sweet Kaden is 6 years old already! We couldn't have asked for a sweeter boy and a better big brother for Jackson and Evan. Jackson always wants to be like his big brother and is already into the Star Wars thing so I'm sure it won't be long before Evan is following in their footsteps. We love you so much Kaden and are so glad you are in our family. You are kind, loving, fun, and a good example for your little brothers. You are such a good student and love to go to school and learn new things. You are such a good helper and you LOVE to play the Wii and X-box. McDonald's is your favorite place to eat followed closely by Little Ceasars. I hope that daddy and I are always able to show you and help you feel how much we love you and I hope you will be patient with us as we are always learning how to be better parents and give you the freedom to make choices and also the freedom to make mistakes. You'll never, ever know how much we love you until you have kids of your own but I just want to tell you again....we love you so much, more than you'll ever know! Happy birthday sweet boy.</div></div></div></div><br /></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-28646139201811391102010-04-24T15:57:00.007-06:002010-04-24T16:13:46.051-06:00Kaden's Birthday - Part I<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is the first of two posts related to Kaden's 6th birthday. It was his year to have a big party and since his birthday was on a Wednesday, he got to have his birthday from Wednesday through Saturday. Wednesday started with his favorite breakfast of waffles and we made these to take to his class to celebrate his birthday:</span><br /><div></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463827609982666706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuztOmxoHMJwb9T3SqNlKWzpyDTSMwyNtsvKEbhrB83QkNT8HBfJ2XhvmqaRd73BhYE7QsO2LV2agE2BY6hY9sN4B2xqXTaTQTcDMWpNNrFqZwOZjed-W4Dih0yd6ZaJW0qVeh_JD4KRZg/s320/IMG_0129.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463827617663394290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftNy6HU2eBuaBz_izXf3y9X4UkzaZkFQXRbTyHuvDBj_Dg5j3laFZWnr5jp6OAVCqTxU6_QLVG0sdSgpeTc63IE_GyiX8AOENyuUqNY1O0WegemsHCqIbSFheOvI80fSymVEY_XEYorQi/s320/IMG_0128.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Later that night, we let Kaden choose dinner and we had a small bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes (the best place ever!). Kaden opened his presents and got mucho games and stuff for the Wii so it was a successful birthday. Go to the next post to see Part II of the big 6th birthday! You'll notice the green St. Patrick's Day t-shirt that he wore to school which will be a part of every birthday since he's a St. Paddy's Day baby. The green shirt might have kept him from getting pinched but it sure didn't keep him from getting his 6 birthday spanks!</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463829434022165362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDmCddwkyWQIvPXpYvJIfCov5l6vudb19Yj3YrnOw1aW-Yx4tlI6fPpCSdgy9L8FiIirL8n5u5NbqL7U8F7Ul23FXlLMHjiht411f1OWJbxcT48P50gNHAejySCV1wbOP6nymRVXGaq2r/s320/IMG_0130.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463829442031423378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlRrZb2V4yJXb5ggCYDzOc6HoBFkniqUZsQ1XwhfvoN5tlizs4Zui17U_moWq8FuNZpPH5b57STgvWlxI_jaz3tCbiF3lz2gDHTVEDhooXiwZIcMFX1kmOQRw6nwIVPMrgoIbSp_HAn3E/s320/IMG_0132.JPG" border="0" />Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-83564565866662735982010-03-07T20:39:00.015-07:002010-03-07T22:09:56.775-07:00Time Flies<div align="left">So much has happened in so little time...the days just seem to keep flying by. This year has started out great and our little family is making some big strides.<br /></div><div align="left"><strong><br /></strong>This was the big birthday month. Jackson turned 3 and I turned 32. Yes, I'm not ashamed and I'll admit my age...it is what it is and I certainly don't feel 32 but I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone else. Ray and I decided that we'd let our boys have a BIG birthday party with all their friends every other year so Jackson just had a quiet birthday at home this year with family and Kaden will get a BIG birthday party and then Jackson will get a BIG party next year and Kaden will have a quiet birthday with family, etc. I think Evan and Jackson will have their BIG parties in the same years so I have 3 months in between trying to plan for both of them. Jackson's still young enough that I don't think he really cares who's there...just that it's his birthday, he gets presents, and has a cake. Here's some pictures of his 3rd birthday:</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446114240315097714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaY_xbDQbpnhE-qIfd265Dlyo5HpLoX5noigBb2vPXalQ20PoeE7C1dRxSXirrPcQmtMxuyck0wfLI33pUCe4JHwQ2SE4e_A5rMSi-7spt7K0-YOr-zPWrJ1RQmTObHr5ebW2Qb5uHqaTG/s320/IMG_0098.JPG" border="0" /><br />The decorations...<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446114882623907826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcWEN7kC_K9_0v8ozT9vut-rizpTq5iqA4FLCwR6EwuBp-MNc-Y4_bysVEhK6hUlgIjFsZE9TG5Pc6QXfWQ14yeC6FNuedRtxv-ETrQx6Qa_eKNmx_MB8b9gd5O9jri-KpJl9w4uDFRr7/s320/IMG_0096.JPG" border="0" /><br />The cake... </div><div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446110632031333858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrkYZ1O_SJvGXOF1_t9bka6LsnYE1734ujcVHosNC35a0w3jBRfL40zx62nfqTtHTBehZeMDIaqmf7yLe8QruuA2bj0Qv2RtQdyO3-wu2O4T8l-hvJsFQ6tJJoeYDkq0h-7hPiDdKW2pH/s320/IMG_0100.JPG" border="0" />Blowing out the candles!<br /><br /></p><p align="left">Jackson followed in the footsteps of his older brother and finally decided that he wanted to be a "big boy" and we are happy to say that he is now fully potty-trained, at least during the daytime and it is absolutely wonder only having 1 child in diapers. I now know why everyone says that the best day of their life is when their last child is potty-trained...I can't wait for Evan to be potty-trained and no more diapers! Getting there took a lot of this...<br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446112924696984978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUY0u91M3z8WvhwyraUdHmWPT4QV2oH9DgxnHcktQJ85VADV2CFizYhWcUQEb6QmwUQMow8DH019q9MWdpgdTuKvzcud5QTsCamnjIW1aEx7zUM78SC8jCck96ZY93W-iUtd4UUiNVIEz/s320/Jackson+on+the+Potty.JPG" border="0" /><br />Kaden had Red Ribbon Week at school where they talk about drugs and learn all the harmful things that drugs can do to their bodies. They got to dress up differently each day of the week such as wear your favorite sock, wear school colors, etc. and his favorite day was the crazy hair-do day! Of course, we had to have red and black because those are the Star Wars colors and as usual, little brother wanted in on the fun too. Once the colors were in Jackson's hair...all he wanted to do the rest of the day was get them out. Go figure!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446109715361380754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFCe3WG3y95vUlFnxKVp6-czjYgWS59MxuPe430d-YXrIf3oFfPcPCy-URyZNEhDerrnerp57Om1g9R2Qe7zn9J2fDouTHZSwFZQsJ7K6AT0XVNmDb0vP5yVtpHX3YoNhnc6sWbgTf_T8/s320/IMG_0112.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446109713437062898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaX93926LqNZ_-A7Yjd3Lvyn6aURS-7HyGv1JlCop_vQp5pY5UbIpYsM0HKV_N_NDgOXdtqUPsVovXHuRRQP1wc1baFZYL2kjNJ0ifrrbeeQfKG3rYLavgoDArc62GKaG94p9Ltqv-nPm/s320/IMG_0113.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446109704742254082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9S29JcUBcrod8k6ILbSv_X_Hg-hQzJ7EV5rYcb9mJBQQ3d5wiyTJETGDfpB24dhLPq_CE551m8bAbSdCq2v0z4XSG6WdoKn5wyOF3AxYXkvEzfsRyDmSS_vcGe7Ii1kqVoE23k5vMOZDL/s320/IMG_0115.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Although it seems like it's been very busy, I can't think of much else to write about. Kaden is still loving school and will be the big "6" in a couple of weeks, Jackson is 3 and did I already mention he's potty-trained (yeah, we're pretty excited about it if you can't tell), and Evan is almost 10 months. He's not crawling yet...maybe because he's almost 23 lbs. and is usually in the 90-95th percentile for height so I think it's going to be a while before he can build up those arm muscles enough to heave his heavy body off the ground. I know that I should enjoy his relative immobility because once he's moving...I'm going to be running around like crazy!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446110619900529250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTst1id81irojKJJhHk-jGQPguC_dQKLsF4ohfwD73CI5ZH8x-R9fQ8na9uZYLqnjyGAWcaXzNoMXBvMEXatk_AqETHusCHTkchGEF5rxn2USlJ9T5nO72Wq9hu8k-yhDeyytwlf8Qu0X/s320/IMG_0102.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446109721244879554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwS2KVdIg5GjgTLXEQwreBX7Z2SJZ0UjF1twX7QY7sBUDM9DSyBHn3_2lT4wbn5YqnhiApmsSjaB9Fd7KRozp96pi47js08rXMnlePAb0fqf2nva798kGVdrWzpcMxHGUqLTltYweNuZh/s320/IMG_0110.JPG" border="0" />I just thought this picture was funny...sometimes you just catch those funny moments<br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left">This month is the second parent/teacher conference at Kaden's school. I am so proud of our sweet Kaden. He got the highest grades possible for the second time with "Excellent" ratings for all of his behavior skills. Mrs. McGarry always has the best things to say about him and I'm so glad that he loves school and loves learning and I hope he continues to do so for the rest of his life. We're so proud of you Kaden and are so glad you're our sweet little boy and such an amazing example to your little brothers!</div><br /><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446109699792798354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsh6hppCCN0aQ_oIG0r7D4Aa2gk5zBKlRRw_K9EHBOLzgEuUMDK5MNIPAYXF6U2O7sBbTPNF1rMQ_T7CsrTki_6V0iSBFkepnLpZ_5Ry2NeL3ZjOtqVtx7ON0YpQ5UKt0sraULjSc5rlY_/s320/IMG_0127.JPG" border="0" /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446111215913707410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZt87QdgjUHhp4Hch8AhotLoPXGA7DDmAkOulb2TT8L5_PNTAo13qSRK43JmuAFDNJqIOJASiwS-187JJl4LN7cE2P8gWoqjGhOdUljMa3YvLBz82j5zS9VowJhGqvwoIuAGC3CEU-l-fy/s320/IMG00025-20100307-1640.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><p align="center">We were driving to Aunt Pam and Uncle Reed's house for dinner this evening and when I turned around to check on the boys...this is what I saw. Ray and I both thought this picture of Kaden was hilarious...he looks way to mature for an almost 6-year-old!</p>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-27318224462688091552010-01-26T16:10:00.002-07:002010-01-26T16:33:05.120-07:00Out of the Mouth of BabesI always love reading people's blogs when they post the funny things their kids say and I always tell myself that I need to do that down the road I can remember the funny things my kids say. Well, I'm finally doing it. <br /><br />Today at lunch, Kaden told me that one of the kids in his class has a stepmom and a stepdad. He asked me what a stepmom was. So, as bluntly and as gently as I could, I explained to him that if I died and daddy got married to someone else then that woman would be his stepmom or if daddy died and I got married to someone else then that man would be his stepdad. I also assured him that neither daddy or I plan to die or remarry anyone else. His response was something to the effect of, "My kids are going to have a stepmom." I said, "Really, you want your kids to have a stepmom? I don't think I want my kids to have a stepmom, why do you?" He replied, "Because I like both Mary and Lacey." <br /><br />Mary and Lacey are a couple of his female classmates at school. Talk about quick reasoning skills! My initial reaction was shock, laughter, and now I'm wondering if I should be worried more than anything!Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-40226338531348460582010-01-07T08:38:00.008-07:002010-01-07T21:12:25.065-07:00Finally!Ok...so I know I lied on my last post but better late than never, right? It's been a whirlwind from Thankgiving through New Year's to say the least. Settle down and get comfortable because this is going to be a long post!<br /><div></div><br /><div>Thanksgiving - We had a very small and quiet Thanksgiving at our house this year. My mom came down so it was just her and our little family. Dinner was delicious (thanks mom!) and over the course of the week, I ate the entire apple pie pretty much by myself and it was delicious. We also got our tree, inside Christmas decorations and outside lights up and I have to admit, our house was very cozy and ready for Christmas. After Thanksgiving, it was back to work for a few weeks.</div><div></div><br /><div>December - One of the highlights for me was to go to warm and sunny Orlando for training. My training was held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center and it was beautiful...I've made it a goal that we are going to take our kids there someday and it's not too far from Disneyland. Besides the long daytime trainings, I had a great time just going back to my room and relaxing and sleeping through the night without the baby monitor next to my bed. Although I did miss my kids, it was nice to have some time to read and just relax. Both Ray and I thought that December would be a relatively "quiet" month at work (as it usually is) it was unusually and ridiculously BUSY clear through December 31st. With Ray's company trying to transition itself to Adobe and don't even ask me why I was so busy at work...it was hectic right up until our holiday vacations started on December 23rd. All I can say is thank goodness for online shopping and free shipping!</div><div></div><br /><div>But, we were both able to take a lot of time off, basically from Christmas Eve through January 4th (minus about 4 hours I had to go into the office to meet a 12/31 filing deadline). Ray's company completely shuts down between Christmas and New Year's and I had vacation time that I had to use by 12/31 or I would have ended up losing it. So, we were forced into an 11-day vacation...and it was great! We didn't do much except spend a lot of time together and Ray and I took the kids to daycare for 1 day and did our annual "Kami & Ray" day together.</div><div></div><br /><div>We went to the ward Christmas party and both Kaden and Jackson were so excited for Santa, Jackson said he was going to kiss Santa. But, when Santa finally came, Jackson wouldn't go anywhere near him so Kaden was the only one that sat on Santa's lap and told him what he wanted. Judging by the second picture, I think even Kaden was a little freaked out by Santa or maybe Santa had really bad breath!</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424024086702134514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEXr4AS8BisZNUP11gAVAECzma_pOdPdJUKNC0FS_I_RUyaWmhzWIXsD_pQS_z5h_mVzIr17Mh14DieckzmrPUGBG-wzIu-GF490UVglt7V9l-InHIiiyVL5GFas5_I9whCyzh2ktvq_7/s320/Kaden&Santa2_12.5.09.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424024084320317842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT52cmdR7Dcg1oigdok1LbqBjEr1_yPxKNM5PtFw1ocTdu-jE_fFO3eKzezALIz_tCeiKkkbgD7b1V20ZaZD8Ahjz1X0PtrgjFmB2gutJNKxAadKWBXpdsjrgQr06iSZQsPiIIcTKFAT9u/s320/Kaden&Santa1_12.5.09.JPG" border="0" /><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div></div><p>Being able to be home with the boys on Christmas Eve and just spend a lazy day together was great. My mom and dad came down to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us so we had a nice dinner together, watched a movie about Jesus' birth, and then let the boys open one Christmas present. They were so excited for Christmas and I think Ray and I were just as excited, maybe more. We got them off to bed as early as we could but made sure to leave the cookies and milk for Santa. Once the boys were in bed, Santa was busy doing his thing and kept thinking that he heard the boys sneaking out of their rooms, but they were fast asleep. Christmas morning, Evan woke up at his usual 6 a.m. but Kaden and Jackson were still asleep but around 7, they came out. Kaden came out first and then went into Jackson's room saying, "Jackson, wake up, it's Christmas morning!" Then they hurried downstairs and I can't even describe their excitement. After taking it all in, Kaden went over and said, "Mom, Santa ate the cookies, they're gone!" To say the least, we had a great day and the kids were excited all day and we stayed in our PJs all day and played and ate and relaxed...it was WONDERFUL. Our family present from Santa was a Wii with Lego Star Wars for Kaden, Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Guitar Hero World Tour with 2 guitars, the drums, and the microphone.</p><p>I don't have any pictures of Christmas to share, it was all that I could do to get it on the camcorder. Some of the other highlights of our Christmas / New Year's holiday were:</p><p>1. The day Ray and I spent together, going to the new Oquirrh Hills Temple and then doing popcorn and a movie at the house WITHOUT kids!</p><p>2. Playing Wii until we were exhausted and rocking out with my sister's family on New Year's night.</p><p>3. Eating delicious food at P.F. Chang's on New Year's day.</p><p>4. Going to dinner and the 3-D version of Avatar with friends and NO kids (are you sensing and theme here?)</p><p>5. Spending each day with my family and not having to worry about work, school, homework, getting ready for Christmas, having breakfast together, playing Wii together, and staying in our pajamas all day at least 3 times during the break.</p><p>6. Taking Kaden to pick out toys for the Christmas room at the stake house and helping him to start to understand that Christmas is about giving, not just about getting.</p><p>Although I don't have any great holiday pictures, I do have some that I wanted to share since I haven't posted for so long. I hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday and someday, I vow to send a Christmas card but it's extremely difficult to get 3 boys together, looking good, and smiling at the same time but we loved receiving everyone else's cards and we are so thankful for our friends and family and all that they do for our family.</p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArDKWr26poyjhnewqV3kgCwfy59IrV5pneHu8a6CPNeQYTtqYV51DV1Ph1cN7CkhSqTfJ-rFQKBi0U_LvoVQGRRYDrwF44OHLkYkp9szW0jrXoDZo1PZ36iPgV_ecR_aoV3E28YqtPHnd/s1600-h/Kaden_1.5.10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424025448639669074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArDKWr26poyjhnewqV3kgCwfy59IrV5pneHu8a6CPNeQYTtqYV51DV1Ph1cN7CkhSqTfJ-rFQKBi0U_LvoVQGRRYDrwF44OHLkYkp9szW0jrXoDZo1PZ36iPgV_ecR_aoV3E28YqtPHnd/s320/Kaden_1.5.10.JPG" border="0" /></a> Our sweet Kaden (1/5/10)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jtDuFclIdpyFQRM3KDHYGCMx9J1Cy9YA33KQnTztxifRiuzgnziAieKSjo-LxOOmmrRG2m3P_EBZR2VQk81PE7cv0vDmoed-aX_eIdvA6EQBO6GZ1aUlOCzR14JnFvhx9WZuFiNuKaon/s1600-h/Jackson_1.5.10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424025444393899074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jtDuFclIdpyFQRM3KDHYGCMx9J1Cy9YA33KQnTztxifRiuzgnziAieKSjo-LxOOmmrRG2m3P_EBZR2VQk81PE7cv0vDmoed-aX_eIdvA6EQBO6GZ1aUlOCzR14JnFvhx9WZuFiNuKaon/s320/Jackson_1.5.10.JPG" border="0" /></a>Our sassy Jackson ("Jacksie" - 1/5/10)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfuqqb4g2H_IPKW6zXEV06lF3KN55oZCGIBMcONNW2gKOdgZio87wXSTgRl2yv65ZBF6yMcjV8fISdS3k8TWMKMXV9MNvpfrhrEwwOuAfr9GO-1tI3TKRMu0d_ngbqhFfmZmdvmjQt8ho/s1600-h/Evan_Couch1_1.5.10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424025435648581074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfuqqb4g2H_IPKW6zXEV06lF3KN55oZCGIBMcONNW2gKOdgZio87wXSTgRl2yv65ZBF6yMcjV8fISdS3k8TWMKMXV9MNvpfrhrEwwOuAfr9GO-1tI3TKRMu0d_ngbqhFfmZmdvmjQt8ho/s320/Evan_Couch1_1.5.10.JPG" border="0" /></a>Sweet baby Evan ("Evee" - 1/5/10)<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgblRH6KKqilbGKFPLtVsarodWVp9DroTF_-OIxrhDN4IIJAvldaCMlvPyzOdrY02I3hkqlkvEdwAdAqv2WhhN4tdUcnxYCFIrwuZ3KPjYgnMi0gzNo7X1UyewWNDoMgHjhde9QWBmRsf/s1600-h/Evan&Mom2_1.5.10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424025432833236770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgblRH6KKqilbGKFPLtVsarodWVp9DroTF_-OIxrhDN4IIJAvldaCMlvPyzOdrY02I3hkqlkvEdwAdAqv2WhhN4tdUcnxYCFIrwuZ3KPjYgnMi0gzNo7X1UyewWNDoMgHjhde9QWBmRsf/s320/Evan&Mom2_1.5.10.JPG" border="0" /></a>Mom and Evan (1/5/10)<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZC1OTPKvHvaA4aT-zA7NLwg9e91lr5rCsko2tbKKtrBHjohTFMprH0KLVlF-lg5Hd6E9mILw4ZjexlrC35mOkolaSWjM2S74hrVA3FoECBkfyn19O-rYUNy898glsn74Ray8Omux7kq_/s1600-h/Brothers1_1.5.10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424025427516687458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZC1OTPKvHvaA4aT-zA7NLwg9e91lr5rCsko2tbKKtrBHjohTFMprH0KLVlF-lg5Hd6E9mILw4ZjexlrC35mOkolaSWjM2S74hrVA3FoECBkfyn19O-rYUNy898glsn74Ray8Omux7kq_/s320/Brothers1_1.5.10.JPG" border="0" /></a>Our Sweet Boys (see any resemblance? - 1/5/10)<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJJXS5RwBs8wPN_ZLOhwhHI35C2R3GUPhTNtN7FyCZbrvu9zdWCGZLQRE0bXAlSnu8wmefe2D-LsF5YLnfrNArhgFFVaFPhPNJe7ns5O3nKztUN1AyIAVso1QKKRU1xU4_8lRlpc_IHAZ/s1600-h/Jackson_BouncyToy_12.23.09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424024100538664882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJJXS5RwBs8wPN_ZLOhwhHI35C2R3GUPhTNtN7FyCZbrvu9zdWCGZLQRE0bXAlSnu8wmefe2D-LsF5YLnfrNArhgFFVaFPhPNJe7ns5O3nKztUN1AyIAVso1QKKRU1xU4_8lRlpc_IHAZ/s320/Jackson_BouncyToy_12.23.09.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Jackson thought he was pretty neat sitting in Evan's bouncy toy (12/23/09)<br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00FWU_HBi3Y03fiN-ZQYWsT7kOjwiwDFfUG8cMa4rA5BjLBbVe9hZpUBFo30wbuEEQpL4Kt5fYDTnj9Ca7Bj6peDY3VARKNEKAH9sgrHjS7PEdmJOfpk0Gh74XH9go7qGDhu2aKbhV7-O/s1600-h/Evan_Tub1_11.26.09.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424024076880438386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00FWU_HBi3Y03fiN-ZQYWsT7kOjwiwDFfUG8cMa4rA5BjLBbVe9hZpUBFo30wbuEEQpL4Kt5fYDTnj9Ca7Bj6peDY3VARKNEKAH9sgrHjS7PEdmJOfpk0Gh74XH9go7qGDhu2aKbhV7-O/s320/Evan_Tub1_11.26.09.JPG" border="0" /></a> Evan during his favorite time of the day - tub time! (11/26/09)<br /><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-53471867043683974092009-12-26T16:41:00.003-07:002009-12-26T16:42:01.733-07:00Stay Tuned....I just had to get the Thanksgiving theme off my blog! I'm so far behind...I have committed to update for December so please come back and visit the site this week...I promise it will be updated!Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-61558796230636509982009-11-05T12:53:00.006-07:002009-11-05T13:37:19.996-07:00Our HalloweenWell, my least favorite holiday of the year has once again come and gone and now we can look forward to my favorite holiday...Christmas. I really wish I could be more excited about Halloween and be the kind of mom that dresses up with my kids and guys a lot of decorations to make our house look REALLY spooky like some of our neighbors do but I'm just not that into it. But, I allow my kids to get really excited about it and we made plenty of Halloween cupcakes to take to friends and eat on family night, we decorated the house and put up the pumpkin Halloween lights and of course, we decorated the pumpkins.<br /><br />I am so impressed with myself that I did one of the pumpkins entirely by myself! We got an electric pumpkin carving knife and it was much easier. Also, I'm glad Kaden FINALLY got to be Darth Vadar for Halloween...he's been waiting for 2 years now so he could finally fit into the costume. Enjoy the pictures of our Halloween adventure for 2009!<br /><br />We started with this...compliments of Debbie at daycare:<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400712352684910242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh1lC3KSNYp0-IujgHZnwFplZXWrfGl7FPtlprM6hUlCs_obARb_7rV859TYFJ0Q8SGiWd64xumNjaOnqF7wX7_HjesnnytFBbxbbopq3aHtBllmUt9J9KobYYWVfJZlXukv2M1IDxx61/s320/Halloween+3.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Kaden's Halloween graham cracker house</div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400712359409737682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3V8rWgHvH0e_KIk3czF61o_1c_RqvEIX-5ysUw4wVqux-WTFFDmpzyat7G9x8rSLPBHtuZaXMDmiUO91wtZir3o8YnDE-LT7uX3aD5NtkkrVX_10k-ONW-o4_gMDLLYlqde2Ol4miglp/s320/Halloween+4.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Jackson's Halloween graham cracker house<br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">The Sunday before Halloween we did this for family night:</div><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400712349889521202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHu0dfHSfHu8BAJo8RnQBv8RVaSoIK1_dZBqYQcegBvi7Z2BEEy0sCOnJG9xW9jv0vZn3UjqoCVfDwUvqgYeC3Q5oniVpvy9MToG0nVDXYCaqTv9TB9thFeD6zlGsfiiB2aBOIbsa1OE1/s320/Halloween+2.jpg" border="0" /> </div><div align="center">Love the look on his face (but he still wouldn't touch the goo!)</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400712343893633746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQZCPFeGX52VrwBr-iSOFSSQW2zBCVbWUxOfN4T2ySYTXPuu8qkeo9LVSaZeYA2Wms3_4NmaBfI3HIOnHFoNeEz7MlzQt3-ucDmxR6ZLHiKHWX6QYy_Jf5h4XK89sfiswz3b0fXBFSRsP/s320/Halloween+1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center">He did a great job scraping all by himself<br /></p><p align="left">A few days before Halloween we did this:</p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400714569533513042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEtI7kN4i95WV9ec2aGu0BtUcJjAxzmJACdvBT_3LEiLyAh9mD3P1Xge4MWkHVyVsu7fDNuNPdvmxD56cKvrCHaD3TzugxHZLjOUKXYwsBrvC3G0HRtaLS1X-Ib76NLRqHyxpDYND33kn/s320/Halloween+9.jpg" border="0" />Kaden's pumpkin (didn't turn out like it was supposed to so we improvised) </p><p align="center"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400714565614966786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmKjO61gxzB1bxPtx1xtqQTDVxPmD-AcLKN7mgWoH93oc4csP2io5Sfab0WGh6KLAPkiQcIAfSGkHgDpSeLkGnjXtvG-XguSFX9AWOB95jFhEO8kbWxFdvytDQVL1qDyzrxRtg6_2ZHYE/s320/Halloween+8.jpg" border="0" />Jackson's pumpkin</p><p align="left">And after much waiting and anticipation, the kids finally got to do this:</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400714555705913522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVy3ptCd2VveKK2zuFaQWivS4TBdRPHMgIZ2xZOpXJYRv6TDX-qckij9JtvRe2UInZxEe7QnaNumN7N7M2EgCDrRQUc82bS7PGN0khWHwHZH08W-JafO7_snX1r50xEaW2_O3r6h8Qlj_/s320/Halloween+6.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400712364690674818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmyfBDo1aZq6xG6cx44VG5HlehOXg4unvroVTnpvTwsRhME_Ihkaas5ISxgG_466a7tYDuO6QX5mxCG1K_Bku48CxsPqsbdDqbABvKq2ZCCyNO1iBQiYoTArYv8qI-H_K5arK-nHHyDo2/s320/Halloween+5.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400719968898863506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ_HkPvU2OM7IUbINeAO7GTei7z0FwHs5gB5mVKXpf5wWrW-pzoHbKz5Z7PRrj-DB8qqm6ZDlPfDgWmL3N11hyzEGSuxgodeHEqVHnzJfkEuYbCvMt2hTQswSRl-taM9gqTZSg0Dlo14S/s320/Halloween+7.jpg" border="0" /></p>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-63559224220791293352009-11-04T15:59:00.003-07:002009-11-04T16:19:18.883-07:00Welcome to Adobe!Well, it's been a pretty stressful fall for us. Let me give you a run-down of the last couple of months and we'll see if you agree.<br /><br />I went back to work after a 3 1/2 month maternity leave. This same week, Kaden started Kindergarten and Evan started daycare. Even though I've taken 2 other kids to daycare, it still stresses me out. My timing of going back to work couldn't have been any worse...2 weeks before our largest deadline...the 9/15 tax return filing deadline for corporations. By the way, if Evan had stayed in my stomach until he was supposed to, I would have returned to work on 9/16...but he obviously had other plans!<br /><br />The day of the 9/15 filing deadline, I was at home and feeling good because I completed the few projects I had for the deadline (I begged my bosses to take it easy on me when I returned) and I got a text message from Ray saying that he was sitting in a company meeting where they announced that Adobe Systems Inc. (yes, as in Adobe Acrobat) was buying his company, Omniture. Needless to say, we were both shocked and he didn't know what that meant for his job. He'd had suspicions that something was going on because he was getting information requests that are usually related to an acquisition but he thought Omniture was buying some other company...boy, was he ever wrong! If you want more details, you can read the article below.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.omniture.com/press/777">http://www.omniture.com/press/777</a><br /><br />For the next 3 weeks, we had no idea whether he was going to keep his job or not and we talked about alternatives...the last one being him staying at home and me going to work full-time. It's not the best economy for trying to find a job right now so we knew that him trying to find a new job would be difficult. But, I have to say that we weren't ever really "freaked out" about the situation, which is surprising considering my tendency to worry about things and not deal well with uncertainty. Our prayers were answered when he found out the last week of October that his job was being retained. Whew! What a load off our shoulders and we're so grateful that he was able to stay, as a lot of his co-workers were let go. I think his department went from 23 people to 8 people so we feel extremely blessed. The decision as to whether he would stay or not was based on feedback from those he works with and I'm proud that he's done such a great job that people were able to provide positive feedback...enough to convince Adobe to keep him.<br /><br />So, now Ray officially works for Adobe rather than Omniture and Omniture is no more. He's really excited about this opportunity and they do have an office in Seattle so we hope he can transfer to that office in the future. They have great benefits like tuition reimbursement, an employee stock purchase plan, health savings account benefits, daycare contributions, and others that I think will provide a lot of benefit for our family. The tuition reimbursement will be great so that Ray can get his Master's degree and we won't have to pay for it. They also got rid of their accrued vacation policy and employees just take vacation (with the approval of their manager) when they need it and it's not tracked. The company also has a mandatory shut down of business the week of the 4th of July and the week between Christmas and New Year's! I think he gets pretty good discounts on Adobe software products so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll see what he can do for you.<br /><br />So, now you can see why the last couple of months have been a bit hectic but now that it's over, we feel very blessed and are able to breathe a bit easier these days and are excited to get ready for the holidays and upcoming vacation time to spend together.Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-82592430017177317182009-11-04T15:41:00.003-07:002009-11-04T15:59:32.630-07:00Sweet Baby EvanIt's been a while since I updated our blog so keep checking back this week because I have a few posts ready to go. Evan is already 5 months (technically 5 1/2 months) old and while I'd love to say that he's growing up to fast...he's not but I do enjoy each day with him and his smile just melts my heart and is the best thing to see first thing in the morning, even at 5 or 6 a.m. He's so calm and sweet...we're noticing that he looks and acts a lot like Kaden. He just LOVES his brothers and smiles whenever he sees them. Kaden and Jackson just love him so much and it's so cute to hear Jackson say "How ya doin boy?" and pat him on the head...like he's a dog or something.<br /><br />Evan is 20 lbs. right now (yes, I know...huge) and LOVES his bottles. We've started on some baby oatmeal but he's not really into it. My pediatrician told me that I can feed him whatever I want and that the old way of introducing rice/oatmeal, followed by vegetables, then fruits, and to feed the same flavor for 2-3 days in a row is no longer the case and studies have shown that kids actually have less food allergies when they get a variety and they don't tend to hate vegetables if they're not fed those first. So, we'll see how it goes but so far...Evan's not so excited about the baby food. He's a pretty good sleeper...a 1-1.5 hour nap in the morning, 2-2.5 hour nap in the afternoon, and goes to bed around 6:30 p.m. and wakes up anywhere between 5:30 and 7 a.m.<br /><br />He recently had a VERY BAD case of eczema so he's lubed up with hydrocortisone all day, every day and it's finally getting under control. Before we got it under control, he was constantly scrathing at himself, especially his face, and would have new scratches on his face every morning. Hopefully, he'll outgrow it and very soon! He finally rolled from his back to his stomach last night but doesn't do it often. He has the cutest giggle and Kaden was so excited that he was able to make Evan giggle and laugh the other day...it was so cute!<br /><br />Well, enjoy the pictures!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRNXpOyGcYtgWrhPgFlMRoQqOmpYeggTvtqCmpD_ifQnD2m8EBn_L0hjoWf1tIXul_2E4De3ij1XekMN1pKNsBiCcc_L4wAEZghk-5PUpNt94lbIgrdoIXHgWz7CuHABFKGuvlbEfDr2_/s1600-h/Evan+4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400386199977931714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRNXpOyGcYtgWrhPgFlMRoQqOmpYeggTvtqCmpD_ifQnD2m8EBn_L0hjoWf1tIXul_2E4De3ij1XekMN1pKNsBiCcc_L4wAEZghk-5PUpNt94lbIgrdoIXHgWz7CuHABFKGuvlbEfDr2_/s320/Evan+4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"> So happy but he doesn't know what's coming...</div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5wCtEbp4iNfJysobfAs1BRxykqd8s1lubUkl1SvFH4ft9SOc3gFyxXPCiAtkJ-p9tyuDiF-PCHs1OK_dExn-bH_-SumEhkfT0wjHpdWJ143EBH93JjVmmhb1YJ8fjKOHuRfjQB2z_Xb0/s1600-h/Evan+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400386195343666530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5wCtEbp4iNfJysobfAs1BRxykqd8s1lubUkl1SvFH4ft9SOc3gFyxXPCiAtkJ-p9tyuDiF-PCHs1OK_dExn-bH_-SumEhkfT0wjHpdWJ143EBH93JjVmmhb1YJ8fjKOHuRfjQB2z_Xb0/s320/Evan+3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Yeah, not sure if I like that. </div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1srvSAHWWSlYUe5jP-Xy_EFH4043ywbq8hqj32wfheoMCGXjSTnl5M4Zp5FbV5e1BQYCBLPgTphz5Cbm5UpqbNrHzcvPjswxcxHvDKtOP_fYxamzkd7WdnhKCEMSTQ7n8TfkuVdcv_foJ/s1600-h/Evan+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400386188675691378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1srvSAHWWSlYUe5jP-Xy_EFH4043ywbq8hqj32wfheoMCGXjSTnl5M4Zp5FbV5e1BQYCBLPgTphz5Cbm5UpqbNrHzcvPjswxcxHvDKtOP_fYxamzkd7WdnhKCEMSTQ7n8TfkuVdcv_foJ/s320/Evan+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Happy, as usual<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvm572bq2VJOo8HxUbNyWJMvGBuiA8LpohJ-9kAj9-k9da0LgbW1WVdJ2GuPwQajkOLfLrkGOi2bvb13RTxbQwpqdhDA2zOD9zITOwd4N0vrBiooVanaiw4R4hmPPieaZXaJYTxt3IIEbf/s1600-h/Evan+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400386175732711938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvm572bq2VJOo8HxUbNyWJMvGBuiA8LpohJ-9kAj9-k9da0LgbW1WVdJ2GuPwQajkOLfLrkGOi2bvb13RTxbQwpqdhDA2zOD9zITOwd4N0vrBiooVanaiw4R4hmPPieaZXaJYTxt3IIEbf/s320/Evan+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Sitting up in his Bumboo...Kaden & Jackson love sitting in it more than Evan!<br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-84018524077949116582009-09-03T12:40:00.006-06:002009-09-03T13:25:09.124-06:00Fall Firsts!My baby started Kindergarten today! Ray took him this morning and when the teacher told the kids to turn around and wave good-bye to their parents, he was lost in the sea of overexcited parents so Ray didn't get to see him before he went inside. I picked him up afterwards and he was so excited because he got a Hostess cupcake with a small cutout taped on top that said "My first day of Kindergarten was a piece of cake." He was so excited and had a great day...he even remembered what they did that day which is more than I get after church on Sundays. To top off the big day, we picked up McDonald's for lunch as a special "First Day of School" lunch. Ray gave Kaden his first back-to-school blessing which his dad gave him each year before school started. He gave him a great blessing and I know that Kaden is going to have a great first year! His teacher's name is Mrs. McGarry and she's a Utah State University alumni (Go Aggies!) and this is her second year teaching at Altara. Kaden has a green folder that he brings home every night and his homework every night is to go through it with us and tell us what he did that day, and complete whatever she sends home. He is also encouraged to read for 15 minutes every night which we've been doing since he was 1 year old so that should be pretty easy to accomplish. He has 40 words that he has to memorize and recall at sight during the year and pass off to the teacher...basic reading words like and, for, I, said, his, her, etc. And each week they learn new letters and he has to bring words from magazines, newspapers, etc. that start with that letter. So, we'll be busy this year. I thought Kindergarten was just playing every day but he's really going to learn and his teacher said he'll be bringing home books to read during the year.<br /><br />Kaden is going to Altara Elementary over on the east side of I-15 in Sandy...the school is one of the best and just happens to be about 4 blocks from our daycare providers house so she is kind enough to pick up him and one of the other daycare boys from school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. School starts at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and ends at 10:15 a.m. on Fridays. Kyli forgive me for saying this, but I still don't understand why teachers need an early day every Friday and so many planning or "recess" days throughout the year, there's at least one each month! Don't teachers have all summer to plan? Sorry, Ky...you know how I feel, and no offense to any other teachers out there that read this.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcbRcks3AKMxz2n2r3yV31vE8hkadYfJp0Ib_onySienRxVZl0aBbWFQuWTj-gdCTpxsdLPRiz6OV45qUcq6FlnkZhBUtAhKdWkQHcN3aUXgb-z-OJSY8HoAcccx3_NzymwG-yMUDJrT5/s1600-h/Kaden+First+day+of+School_4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377323022585982594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcbRcks3AKMxz2n2r3yV31vE8hkadYfJp0Ib_onySienRxVZl0aBbWFQuWTj-gdCTpxsdLPRiz6OV45qUcq6FlnkZhBUtAhKdWkQHcN3aUXgb-z-OJSY8HoAcccx3_NzymwG-yMUDJrT5/s320/Kaden+First+day+of+School_4.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kaden in his new school clothes and shoes on his first day of Kindergarten</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-840jTl-M3A-lD3Mt13FlcJT4-tS-2baGb2LwOQjePFE4yENmOThGIpntgVwGkAihmWzARJQ6TraahOk-KmVwfzlvk18oxnjp2yGgYe-zCCm6EH8_CDpQE6BY6DK6hWrQqE9wUodUx8X/s1600-h/Kaden+First+day+of+School_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377323014513703090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-840jTl-M3A-lD3Mt13FlcJT4-tS-2baGb2LwOQjePFE4yENmOThGIpntgVwGkAihmWzARJQ6TraahOk-KmVwfzlvk18oxnjp2yGgYe-zCCm6EH8_CDpQE6BY6DK6hWrQqE9wUodUx8X/s320/Kaden+First+day+of+School_2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Of course, little brother Jackson had to share in the excitement of the day<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos-4YJXmzzjOSUcUudib-c5mtoZDcjj7IzBZYhXnYdalAORoqf-ISb1oGmmkoth_1tbvmunOsNFt-aR_UF-6D1b1-h1I7vZauVhvwNvNIn2miX4y7gq8LWKZ2HYaSHLl4RKA2PCy29Wd3/s1600-h/Kaden+First+day+of+School_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377323004023330514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos-4YJXmzzjOSUcUudib-c5mtoZDcjj7IzBZYhXnYdalAORoqf-ISb1oGmmkoth_1tbvmunOsNFt-aR_UF-6D1b1-h1I7vZauVhvwNvNIn2miX4y7gq8LWKZ2HYaSHLl4RKA2PCy29Wd3/s320/Kaden+First+day+of+School_1.jpg" border="0" /></a> What would the first day of Kindergarten be without something to do with Star Wars?<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAI_uiHoP7eimcbxQeDGkBWyMWy-Cv3ABUyxI1PuOp2dI498L0BeL-o3GeKqTT6tPh2ZpkdlHPq5D0qKFfoJFq8Ot6Lu8SWxcDKu52PP00_YTxfNQVtvWT8x9sSiwBM8S2h3kEaJSRzz5/s1600-h/Kaden+1st+day+of+kindergarden_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377322997321316146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAI_uiHoP7eimcbxQeDGkBWyMWy-Cv3ABUyxI1PuOp2dI498L0BeL-o3GeKqTT6tPh2ZpkdlHPq5D0qKFfoJFq8Ot6Lu8SWxcDKu52PP00_YTxfNQVtvWT8x9sSiwBM8S2h3kEaJSRzz5/s320/Kaden+1st+day+of+kindergarden_2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ray took this at the school in front of the Kindergarten classrooms. I think 2022 will be here before we know it.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tuuA2EHND1Z5EwTUD2gXi531_DTyfyRJzS42Ao5U40HauJntEubFxA6h1m9yi-qMdVJ03F5QsJ9o-YkD-t7BqzM1GMrUf1oQm2cjhpbA3iaBnbw3r3wWtleRFEA3g17uGfjpj3O0NkkE/s1600-h/Kaden+1st+day+of+kindergarden.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377322991991413362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tuuA2EHND1Z5EwTUD2gXi531_DTyfyRJzS42Ao5U40HauJntEubFxA6h1m9yi-qMdVJ03F5QsJ9o-YkD-t7BqzM1GMrUf1oQm2cjhpbA3iaBnbw3r3wWtleRFEA3g17uGfjpj3O0NkkE/s320/Kaden+1st+day+of+kindergarden.jpg" border="0" /></a>Kaden in front of his new school<br /></div><div align="left">Also, the Fall soccer season has started. Kaden is now in the U6 group and plays on a much bigger field with 4 against 4 rather than 3 against 3. He had his first game last Saturday and scored 3 goals! Way to go, Kaden! He is a lot better this fall than he was in the Spring, must be all that practicing we've been doing in the family room.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSsI5eKP0QIQ9UZH853MjRDhxzrtp2xQPz4EqaZ8gzZ-Ez5kdrKALTVdX_sH378DZCKpMD5_D0y0Esi_t3_3mIPAQhrGWZGm5Y5z0fhznaGRPjoexWlrFr4QhfXc4asWu3tTzk_q5IFAn/s1600-h/Kaden+Soccer+2009_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377321492477855922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSsI5eKP0QIQ9UZH853MjRDhxzrtp2xQPz4EqaZ8gzZ-Ez5kdrKALTVdX_sH378DZCKpMD5_D0y0Esi_t3_3mIPAQhrGWZGm5Y5z0fhznaGRPjoexWlrFr4QhfXc4asWu3tTzk_q5IFAn/s320/Kaden+Soccer+2009_3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aWbDpVJ9HEGXPsezp3pI8S0PvltU6EEQaZ8T9e9nklh3QjVWl0igHKsec1m9xkrEvq3DksZiYmDa0tb9fP6n0lX2ivDj8Fjv9NYuj95qA94E_LY9E8FZmVqDZ4bENi4qXOXpNzFBDo1P/s1600-h/Kaden+Soccer+2009_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377321484973456338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aWbDpVJ9HEGXPsezp3pI8S0PvltU6EEQaZ8T9e9nklh3QjVWl0igHKsec1m9xkrEvq3DksZiYmDa0tb9fP6n0lX2ivDj8Fjv9NYuj95qA94E_LY9E8FZmVqDZ4bENi4qXOXpNzFBDo1P/s320/Kaden+Soccer+2009_2.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcS3lPlLhN4VpDgF02ycS1sxWS-lhQIDbbtXw90wihaE8X9yVxs00a1h3AldvuEdrVo2B-wqZx3JR0skSXsuB8ELlPWfABQbTcLXrP-nizFmMyMTzxcwFQgvPO5i8yqSpEEZ7DoPHamm9p/s1600-h/Kaden+Soccer+2009_1.jpg"></a><div><div><div></div><div align="left">The summer is almost over but we're going to end the summer with a trip to the new splash park that opened this summer in Draper, Cowabunga Bay. Since the summer was a little bit on the boring side for the boys due to Evan's arrival, it's time to start doing some fun things again. Now that Evan is going to daycare, his daytime sleep is getting better and better and he's getting on a good schedule. His nighttime sleep has been really good for a long time and just gets better...he's now going to bed around 6:30 and wakes up for a feeding anytime between 4 and 6 a.m. and then goes back down until 7:30 or 8:00 a.m....I love that he's such a good night sleeper like Jackson was because no matter how stressful the day might be, I know that I can have a few moments of "me" time before bed when all the kids are asleep...life is once again getting back to the way I'm used to and function best with. Life is great and each day is a blessing!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-54729760762946662592009-08-28T20:04:00.002-06:002009-08-28T20:15:27.397-06:00Smile Baby!I was finally able to capture Evan smiling...it was a chore but I did it. I was also able to make him giggle and laugh yesterday. It was totally out of the blue and unexpected but I can't even describe in words how cute it was. Now, if I can just get him to do it for Ray! Evan is doing great and has his first day of daycare on Monday so we'll see how it goes. He's still not sleeping very long during the day but it putting himself to sleep better and better. Once he's asleep, he only sleeps for anywhere from 30-60 minutes at a time. But, he's sleeping 9 hours for his first stretch at night and then has a bottle and sleeps for a couple more hours so I'm not going to complain about the days...he'll get it together soon.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRSMWEA2QaC7HUdwyB79pRuX8V9nihKFx1Hkvkh-45TyDvx_rIJVwhH4vi5gUPMQdXfxrj7IdPrPxXSHgBWUAUGeWnmvNXNHYpl1VBJLPV8mAV46SCJm1P6Nvh3R5S0PceE5CWBftIBI-/s1600-h/Evan+Smiling.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375203458984810802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRSMWEA2QaC7HUdwyB79pRuX8V9nihKFx1Hkvkh-45TyDvx_rIJVwhH4vi5gUPMQdXfxrj7IdPrPxXSHgBWUAUGeWnmvNXNHYpl1VBJLPV8mAV46SCJm1P6Nvh3R5S0PceE5CWBftIBI-/s320/Evan+Smiling.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Kaden has his Kindergarten assessment appointment on Monday morning and his first day of Kindergarten on Thursday. He's so excited...I hope he loves it. I'm sure once he realizes that it's really EVERY day, he might lose some of the excitement but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm now realizing that things won't be happening according to Ray and I's schedules, we now have a school schedule that we have to factor in to our mornings and weeks. He has so many days off here and there and for holidays, I hope I can keep track and not send him when he doesn't have school or keep him home when he does...it's so confusing! Anyway, stay tuned and I'll post some picture of his first day later this week.</div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-86259511572318754862009-08-05T22:49:00.003-06:002009-08-05T23:05:46.765-06:00Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bD_TUE-UQPA2v_Z1CUgi8jNW9nTK_FzhpbM7GEvjlkl3Wpwb__lj1cAzEGFb4svTxYBw8YTpswN9-toJ2kJ4dTL-wivOrIfiqCszVMTJeZftyQeyozlo5tzIHzRM19MdwbCSckN9_Sxz/s1600-h/Evan&Jackson.jpg"></a> Just wanted to give everyone an update since it's been over a month since my last post. Kaden is getting excited to start Kindergarten in about 4 weeks. We don't yet know who his teacher is (we'll find out on the 19th) but he's pretty excited and we're going to be going school shopping in the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure how the first few weeks on the new schedule is going to go since he's in AM kindergarten so we'll have to get him up, feed him breakfast, and have him to school by 8:15 (and the school is about 20 minutes from our house) so we'll be getting up earlier than usual from now on. I'm probably not going to realize how easy I had it before he started school and now we're in the school system from now on!<br /><br />Jackson is...well, what can I say...he's just Jackson. He's our little spitfire but he makes us laugh one minute and really pushes us to our limits the next. He hasn't had any "accidents" or injuries requiring medical attention for quite a while so we consider that an accomplishment. He is growing to love Evan more and more and is really showing interest in him and actually acknowledges him as his brother now so we're making progress. Oh, he did graduate from his race car toddler bed into a big boy bed so he's officially a big boy but we haven't dared try and tackle the potty training thing yet...maybe this fall/winter when he's closer to 3 years old. The one great thing is that he LOVES candy so we might have better luck potty training (bribing) him with candy than we did with Kaden.<br /><br />Evan is over 2 1/2 months old but not quite 3 months yet (he'll be 3 months on August 15th). At his 2 year checkup he was 13+ pounds, in the 90th percentile so he's a big boy! He's got roles and roles of chub and his cheeks are really starting to fill out, just like my other two boys. He seems to be calming down a bit these days and is a great night sleeper but a terrible day sleeper. He's been sleeping about 6-8 hours at night but has a really hard time taking good naps by himself during the day so we usually take turns sleeping with him in the afternoons. He's really discovering his hands and loves to be talked to and smiled at and his smile back is so cute! It just melts my heart.<br /><br />I will be going back to work at the end of the month and have mixed feelings. I'm finally now into an at-home routine so it will be an adjustment to get back into the work routine 3 days a week. I think it's especially going to be challenging to get 3 boys ready in the morning and also keep up with Kaden's kindergarten needs and activities but I'm sure we'll get into a good routine and just need to get to bed earlier. I'll be glad for the fall when the days get shorter so the kids can get to bed earlier. <br /><br />Enjoy the latest pictures of our boys!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_6upt6JKmQXzLwcBgQwOnQOP8gGpkOswxcXdK0FceZgsMShmpy9koMuSXb1IkjTmh7uUOpmhSButkyGlgu8oxbn2kaMRE-Cno-mhh8GFzJ6tJGuohW1vKqugSlxgGPu-jOgcbrB5ShnB/s1600-h/Jackson&Evan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366709605633506466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_6upt6JKmQXzLwcBgQwOnQOP8gGpkOswxcXdK0FceZgsMShmpy9koMuSXb1IkjTmh7uUOpmhSButkyGlgu8oxbn2kaMRE-Cno-mhh8GFzJ6tJGuohW1vKqugSlxgGPu-jOgcbrB5ShnB/s320/Jackson&Evan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCC3Ne3-05wDiuk7Y7vym-fHLNJe9uHBy96b6IKkhi6Drv9TrT2073pvR48K0_P6XIcyj0LRVDv7BbXtTUQ83qOxHer-UaCtKWFFkMqxVa1X6YmqKX6ccuEGhFWbTHyQlH_HOV22XYxecg/s1600-h/Kaden&Evan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366709601407231266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCC3Ne3-05wDiuk7Y7vym-fHLNJe9uHBy96b6IKkhi6Drv9TrT2073pvR48K0_P6XIcyj0LRVDv7BbXtTUQ83qOxHer-UaCtKWFFkMqxVa1X6YmqKX6ccuEGhFWbTHyQlH_HOV22XYxecg/s320/Kaden&Evan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhu7IEPWfAXxNFIvxFyeE9hPr2rCjHes-HNe_uOhTiKCiKiuDgbonUSgA6Nj4lkOwCVBv-6x0ISsh0cdNdzalrbO0o4dT3ycVJvhRi1_FG3yf7Dd756rjyM_vmF5lLHLDL80T4kCR444m/s1600-h/Kaden&Evan&Jackson.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366709596019821186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhu7IEPWfAXxNFIvxFyeE9hPr2rCjHes-HNe_uOhTiKCiKiuDgbonUSgA6Nj4lkOwCVBv-6x0ISsh0cdNdzalrbO0o4dT3ycVJvhRi1_FG3yf7Dd756rjyM_vmF5lLHLDL80T4kCR444m/s320/Kaden&Evan&Jackson.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-26689691071567185112009-07-01T14:18:00.004-06:002009-07-01T14:26:44.603-06:00Finally!Ever since Evan was born, Kaden has been totally in love with him and just can't get enough of him but Jackson didn't seem to care that Evan was here. However, Jackson finally started to take some interest in Evan (especially when Kaden does) and wanted to hold him so I had to snap some pictures to capture the moment since those moments don't come around that often. Although life has definitely changed, both Kaden and Jackson seem to have adjusted to Evan really well and I haven't seen any issues arise, which I am extremely grateful for. Both Kaden & Jackson have been very patient with Evan's needs and the time I spend with him and Kaden is a super big helper, getting me things that I need and helping keep Jackson entertained when I can't. I love my boys and hope that they will be the best of friends...always. I've also included a couple of pictures of Evan since he seems to be changing on a daily basis these days!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYEZdQgYbx0oKTUhdpvE8wW6yeqbwjDdWFpi00riYatV8E0NxY6DJwPP-EALhGI-VEMq6ZOQZELTY4HSQUoDsMCCC6TTN5NBW3KiPzpKYUCs7u9r8UqNblmGUIBTt3_Xi_hHpsOJNZ481/s1600-h/Evan_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353590641779536226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYEZdQgYbx0oKTUhdpvE8wW6yeqbwjDdWFpi00riYatV8E0NxY6DJwPP-EALhGI-VEMq6ZOQZELTY4HSQUoDsMCCC6TTN5NBW3KiPzpKYUCs7u9r8UqNblmGUIBTt3_Xi_hHpsOJNZ481/s320/Evan_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZiKSkEVJHWqwBv6Tjic29qz1rlDTvYgTEf11PUF5nvn2GfuA40qdS0RHej9gvPzk-qysZUGvaz5krH4BztXAwKOuFKKVz-Zd6IqMvzOEX2qSYYyKJuksnNZ_gQJaTlSErOsdMuPBholG/s1600-h/Evan&Jackson.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353590635190036722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZiKSkEVJHWqwBv6Tjic29qz1rlDTvYgTEf11PUF5nvn2GfuA40qdS0RHej9gvPzk-qysZUGvaz5krH4BztXAwKOuFKKVz-Zd6IqMvzOEX2qSYYyKJuksnNZ_gQJaTlSErOsdMuPBholG/s320/Evan&Jackson.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetQq0tfVnMEG2lvEFj5Zk7CGMIiRAmwGxoyF4n1pf2HpW2lQH89UtkF1cxvc8EhnFZxdMcZjnvw3DJCOtLBGnUqyAW8PsM3dQNUTxCpE9DhBph6uh6daoL9egen_XmQiF6_8naopMBH84/s1600-h/Evan_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353590627328192514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetQq0tfVnMEG2lvEFj5Zk7CGMIiRAmwGxoyF4n1pf2HpW2lQH89UtkF1cxvc8EhnFZxdMcZjnvw3DJCOtLBGnUqyAW8PsM3dQNUTxCpE9DhBph6uh6daoL9egen_XmQiF6_8naopMBH84/s320/Evan_1.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-45533933829456394132009-07-01T13:53:00.003-06:002009-07-01T14:18:29.702-06:00Evan's Special DayDear Evan,<br /><br />Your daddy gave you your first priesthood blessing on Sunday, June 29th in the Mindi Meadows Ward, giving you the name of Evan Albert Balls. You had a lot of family there to participate and witness the blessing. Grandma and Grandpa Balls, along with Shauna, Kirsten, & Kailyn came down from Washington and Grandma & Grandpa from Wyoming came also. Those that stood in the circle were daddy, Grandpa Balls, Grandpa Haderlie, Bishop Densley, Uncle Steve (Aunt Tiffany's husband), Uncle Dan (Aunt LaNae's husband & Grandpa Balls' brother-in-law), and Uncle Reed (Aunt Pam's husband & Grandpa Balls' brother). There were other friends and family that wanted to be there and stand in the circle to bless you but they were unable to make it. You looked so sweet and precious in your blessing outfit. The same blessing outfit that your brothers Kaden and Jackson wore on their blessing days.<br /><br />When daddy took you and started up toward the front of the chapel, your brother Kaden climbed on to my lap to make sure he could see you and listen to what daddy was going to say. As mommy watched you and daddy walk up toward the front and saw the men gently place their hands underneath you I got teary realizing what a special day it was and how grateful I was to my Heavenly Father for having sent such a sweet spirit with a healthy body to our home. Your daddy gave you an amazing and very heartfelt blessing. He blessed you with the best that life has to offer and I hope that you live a life that will allow you to be blessed with all of the wonderful things he asked for on your behalf. Daddy also told you how much we love you and are grateful for you...I hope both he and I can always treat you in a way that reinforces this and that we can always tell you and show you how much you are loved, even during the trials I'm sure we'll face. Even from the very first moment you entered this world, I realized that you were going to be a calming influence in our family and you have continued to prove me right and have been a great baby which has really helped me enjoy this time at home with you and your brothers. I can't wait to see you grow and change and see what personality you will bring to our home and to watch you play with your two older brothers. <br /><br />Your middle name is the same name as my grandpa, Albert Johns. I can't wait to tell you all about him and the very special memories I have of him when I was growing up. He died before he should have due to Alzheimers but he was a very honest, loving, and hard working man and I hope that you can grow up to be like him.<br /><br />We love you sweet Evan and we will try to be the best parents possible but I know that when we make mistakes, you will forgive us and we will do the same for you. We are so grateful for you in our family and can't wait to experience life with you.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVcS6qhFXE1qzddL1oj8E0lu6X8_hArhXVk-nSp_7hTMlAHSZxQO2XLqqiPJzPA5r2IUaWTUJ9i2S_ifV3CTREG2Ts44ywwIhqpBLuxtEfiql4yEcPa-zoFnYbmMS2bHsvZrBm5Pqs_j3/s1600-h/EvanBless4Fam.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353583679573123602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVcS6qhFXE1qzddL1oj8E0lu6X8_hArhXVk-nSp_7hTMlAHSZxQO2XLqqiPJzPA5r2IUaWTUJ9i2S_ifV3CTREG2Ts44ywwIhqpBLuxtEfiql4yEcPa-zoFnYbmMS2bHsvZrBm5Pqs_j3/s320/EvanBless4Fam.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLI37tJ6iybPRM81gd1ORhQfkx3cmS946sy_sdcPzqTnT3WwykN6T6Vqo814PJczPkh-CV5JLqjymVEFjO04Q3IIIFzoUgLDTHOy1hGPkc98PQLmwUPstUszmhzHOzx55vd7kGfg1J95zM/s1600-h/EvanBless3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353583674274204450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLI37tJ6iybPRM81gd1ORhQfkx3cmS946sy_sdcPzqTnT3WwykN6T6Vqo814PJczPkh-CV5JLqjymVEFjO04Q3IIIFzoUgLDTHOy1hGPkc98PQLmwUPstUszmhzHOzx55vd7kGfg1J95zM/s320/EvanBless3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDUmFvFemvs2noxzSUtgZbSEQdsqTBj_Q62S7S-SLAzGIDoK6PQFzUrD9qDQYH9q5UD8WvR0uGtXB1_jmcMEfwe7II7p2X2O2mtNhb3kspM1pc68IC65DdZPJY7J_1GOmxBp3uL3ZdOYd/s1600-h/EvanBless2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353583664293464626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDUmFvFemvs2noxzSUtgZbSEQdsqTBj_Q62S7S-SLAzGIDoK6PQFzUrD9qDQYH9q5UD8WvR0uGtXB1_jmcMEfwe7II7p2X2O2mtNhb3kspM1pc68IC65DdZPJY7J_1GOmxBp3uL3ZdOYd/s320/EvanBless2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdea36n-QJUDqrnUoUeAJmoIyKMljBedTKgm845YVH5SwWA2DHKVWdFAivE5TPQ0n8c4pIER4oYkaulhyphenhyphenBAP134mEHkhIbUP3c7bTYIztKBO4tIl6L4rbZc_80tU6ohn8iiVyPrO7Ti0R/s1600-h/EvanBless1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353583658957252802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdea36n-QJUDqrnUoUeAJmoIyKMljBedTKgm845YVH5SwWA2DHKVWdFAivE5TPQ0n8c4pIER4oYkaulhyphenhyphenBAP134mEHkhIbUP3c7bTYIztKBO4tIl6L4rbZc_80tU6ohn8iiVyPrO7Ti0R/s320/EvanBless1.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-11410722461588830922009-06-05T11:36:00.007-06:002009-06-05T12:57:03.408-06:00My BoysWe're trying to take lots of pictures now days since we know that Evan will be changing fast. I just wanted to share some pictures of my boys...all of them, including my sweet husband. I am so grateful that he's had the last couple of weeks off, we've been able to spend some quality time together and I'm feeling much better now so I hope I can tackle things without him next week when he goes back to work. Most of all, I have loved watching him with our boys and seeing how much they love him and look up to him. He is the person that keeps me grounded and is always there with a hug and a kiss when I need it and has the patience that I sometimes lack...thank you for all you do for me and our boys and someday, we will be able to get back to our movie nights! As for my sweet Jackson, he is our little fireball but behind all that energy and mischieviousness, there is a sweet little spirit with big blue eyes that just melts your heart, I love you and know that although you are going to bring a lot of mischief, you will also bring much fun and laughter. As for my Kaden...you are a tremendous blessing and so sweet and sensitive and the best example we could have received for Jackson and Evan to look up to. As for our newest blessing, Evan, thank you for being such a calm baby (so far) and I hope I can enjoy each day and I can't wait to see what your personality is going to be. I am so grateful and blessed to be surrounded by 4 boys that love me and I want each one of them to know how much I love them back!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVKB9l9M9dLzyJu53tbtw2UJ0batULOSTFMQi4XoRY8p-omVLIqw06FoR5g5NscQxrRGHRuPNVZWVxbQlgE3zQHTPHsqVmKKGtHphGbEddLnZaF0pqWp8LBR4N3ybK6uWvwkvkOQOH1Rs/s1600-h/Ray_Kaden_Evan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343905648702475554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVKB9l9M9dLzyJu53tbtw2UJ0batULOSTFMQi4XoRY8p-omVLIqw06FoR5g5NscQxrRGHRuPNVZWVxbQlgE3zQHTPHsqVmKKGtHphGbEddLnZaF0pqWp8LBR4N3ybK6uWvwkvkOQOH1Rs/s320/Ray_Kaden_Evan.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div align="center">Ray, Kaden & Evan</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFU-xNl2LC4zSp-srbwvaBBU9a0v-J8nGjwy7-ZgOkMmF7d6jJDlCvCXDU3L9cErUsR2ujVo94QxiHGVv3vuVDMBcmWr64VMP8l4Dl2KeAnJB8FGFziTKuyJoKQm2vzpsW6A84k-qkftc/s1600-h/Ray&Jackson.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343905642625085634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFU-xNl2LC4zSp-srbwvaBBU9a0v-J8nGjwy7-ZgOkMmF7d6jJDlCvCXDU3L9cErUsR2ujVo94QxiHGVv3vuVDMBcmWr64VMP8l4Dl2KeAnJB8FGFziTKuyJoKQm2vzpsW6A84k-qkftc/s320/Ray&Jackson.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ray & Jackson<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr-V7SZtAomFLFJID9TTL9I5C9nN8x8MLZ4Kv3DT_EmVgWvQJ9gsvPoUZzDerN3M0xAzxCJf8x1doHp8n6uB1BNE3qdR2w9dhHnLWgcUPApcU3p-LpPCMCNdTUgl4HjGNsvWEnHSRm9gI/s1600-h/Kaden_Ray_Jack_Evan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343905636936923362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr-V7SZtAomFLFJID9TTL9I5C9nN8x8MLZ4Kv3DT_EmVgWvQJ9gsvPoUZzDerN3M0xAzxCJf8x1doHp8n6uB1BNE3qdR2w9dhHnLWgcUPApcU3p-LpPCMCNdTUgl4HjGNsvWEnHSRm9gI/s320/Kaden_Ray_Jack_Evan.jpg" border="0" /></a> All of my boys<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OY_HqbExR4fqTyLOFuqbfKg11EuFLW6UQDxFmStFVxCk32d0m0yKZi1BODPtJl6rvk3cHuWqndRa_wOqLiPHO5YeETOTjSkc_W1b5i_f7N5UwcJesCX1YAlE4IvtwQEjThn3-pZmKmql/s1600-h/Kaden_Jack_Evan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343902797388878514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OY_HqbExR4fqTyLOFuqbfKg11EuFLW6UQDxFmStFVxCk32d0m0yKZi1BODPtJl6rvk3cHuWqndRa_wOqLiPHO5YeETOTjSkc_W1b5i_f7N5UwcJesCX1YAlE4IvtwQEjThn3-pZmKmql/s320/Kaden_Jack_Evan.jpg" border="0" /></a>Evan is definitely going to have to get used to his older brothers<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BR8UPB3zSCcL-KuTpWyG-KGWLyNRDAAR6dnSzhKyVBdoQSuyGSGxGsUXwmVWAqmUpF9NbMGxUZHBsNncyVsCsLY_YEJG_Cf4cvBSsMpUG8uXJMwegx8ArGN9mE17XUHaMSjOjsKls_Ib/s1600-h/Kaden&Evan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343902791686593602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BR8UPB3zSCcL-KuTpWyG-KGWLyNRDAAR6dnSzhKyVBdoQSuyGSGxGsUXwmVWAqmUpF9NbMGxUZHBsNncyVsCsLY_YEJG_Cf4cvBSsMpUG8uXJMwegx8ArGN9mE17XUHaMSjOjsKls_Ib/s320/Kaden&Evan.jpg" border="0" /></a>Kaden & Evan - Kaden can't get enough of him!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSuGMR2jOEOkWdbc3eCPf3clROBA0b6I1kAFaPsParvgdMGVM1KfR5X7pCjb5JkJuvPIPBlnTYJ_l368xt2x6-G8LyJmQ1_1iSWI6AEmdXM8Efq-xBqCtpgpYG1iA8VHmyOKarbwlr_Lq/s1600-h/Kaden1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343902785993568322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSuGMR2jOEOkWdbc3eCPf3clROBA0b6I1kAFaPsParvgdMGVM1KfR5X7pCjb5JkJuvPIPBlnTYJ_l368xt2x6-G8LyJmQ1_1iSWI6AEmdXM8Efq-xBqCtpgpYG1iA8VHmyOKarbwlr_Lq/s320/Kaden1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Just Kaden<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5u8oxYysO1Pa6O7SChBcDL_o7UgOM_6G8P2afSAiGS4xXiS7gj5qVnjsSAWnLyTCW_d3OWIS4768UjUuMLYfzpG7hUvBK32yCufrYrxBbTl5NVHU6VCYDfqzeVRKQ6rr8XTS5Vujp_3m/s1600-h/Gmpa&Boys.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343902782387169106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5u8oxYysO1Pa6O7SChBcDL_o7UgOM_6G8P2afSAiGS4xXiS7gj5qVnjsSAWnLyTCW_d3OWIS4768UjUuMLYfzpG7hUvBK32yCufrYrxBbTl5NVHU6VCYDfqzeVRKQ6rr8XTS5Vujp_3m/s320/Gmpa&Boys.jpg" border="0" /></a>The boys with grandpa - we don't get many pictures with grandpa so we have to get them when we can<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKDpp2VEzOcSDV0SY8nOVRts7eaJ27mPN95ANjjTUHwg5PFTAkTvurxOPWqzHeO3nbuVWzmQyPpTsnjRs5ja_NBvfJTvJLNOBR2ouyx8JOxNHCdMf6gWpDu5jZnVaImQOsA-FrXeRQMLc/s1600-h/Boys1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343902778546510098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKDpp2VEzOcSDV0SY8nOVRts7eaJ27mPN95ANjjTUHwg5PFTAkTvurxOPWqzHeO3nbuVWzmQyPpTsnjRs5ja_NBvfJTvJLNOBR2ouyx8JOxNHCdMf6gWpDu5jZnVaImQOsA-FrXeRQMLc/s320/Boys1.jpg" border="0" /></a> My boys...again</div></div></div></div></div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-16652001620776087482009-06-05T11:14:00.004-06:002009-06-05T11:35:57.329-06:00Graduation Day!Kaden has officially graduated from pre-school. Although Evan wasn't even supposed to be born yet, plans changed and since Ray had 2 paid weeks of paternity leave from Omniture, he, Evan, and I were able to attend Kaden's graduation ceremony at Hilltop. As excited as I was for him to be done with pre-school for the year, I found myself very emotional watching him during the program. I know he loved being at pre-school and his teachers have nothing but wonderful things to say about him. I found myself thinking of how much he's learned and grown up. I wonder if I'll be this emotional for all these milestones with all my boys or if it's just the first child? I'm sure I will be extremely emotional for his first day of Kindergarten also. I'm so proud of Kaden and although some days are challenging, he's a blessing in our lives and the perfect oldest child and example for Jackson and Evan. We love you Kaden and are so proud of who you are becoming! Thank you for all the love and joy you bring to our family!<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh6FagqsMGvmPWgRcPFfdJVlBiGTigLrrdFYl7QNtZ-MV9UppEQkXXCXqS4TjTL35GojqzQMCO2vLO2DkiBngCaYVkobcnFJokfDhCqxCsqUlJTJhzFXctMVYmV4x_JKN7aKIvET988Jn/s1600-h/Kaden_Grad1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343897840390491618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh6FagqsMGvmPWgRcPFfdJVlBiGTigLrrdFYl7QNtZ-MV9UppEQkXXCXqS4TjTL35GojqzQMCO2vLO2DkiBngCaYVkobcnFJokfDhCqxCsqUlJTJhzFXctMVYmV4x_JKN7aKIvET988Jn/s320/Kaden_Grad1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kaden with his graduation cap on...Miss Marcia in the background. Miss Bev was having some health problems so she was unable to finish the last month of the school year but she is doing well now.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY2JspPCDEMZvMXGH-SdPg4Xo53rtBKJWCkPX38Eh5V1fg0IKXC8hu1m5F5acXiNwROW1d-3oDX28N-N-sfBoqQCGou6e-Cr8jJEd6cGT_zkh1LHyS8XtLg8y2gms3Ufg6ZdZmpItiGWn/s1600-h/Kaden_Grad2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343896944510987682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY2JspPCDEMZvMXGH-SdPg4Xo53rtBKJWCkPX38Eh5V1fg0IKXC8hu1m5F5acXiNwROW1d-3oDX28N-N-sfBoqQCGou6e-Cr8jJEd6cGT_zkh1LHyS8XtLg8y2gms3Ufg6ZdZmpItiGWn/s320/Kaden_Grad2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kaden and his official graduation certificate.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2g7QyaEYjTYTku9R584io_fT30s78DvLlLEf3xjVGBrUaMbyGSNUErtXL2R71Re8KHutm4hiEwJ-PkrFHdZZpl_PggmhH1vQg9Mblx7CpwZ577Hj7KbrS7zzEGu9Vuh8FcR15QbjAlGj/s1600-h/Kaden&Dad_Grad3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343896937878873218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2g7QyaEYjTYTku9R584io_fT30s78DvLlLEf3xjVGBrUaMbyGSNUErtXL2R71Re8KHutm4hiEwJ-PkrFHdZZpl_PggmhH1vQg9Mblx7CpwZ577Hj7KbrS7zzEGu9Vuh8FcR15QbjAlGj/s320/Kaden&Dad_Grad3.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kaden and dad<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-MtXu6oG-taICeYVFz0Ct8xUh8neV-41OUQzTUortiL9xfDeYS4HlX7k_XRrOQcU3ZVZXCI6cjPxABS5Z4uUgMgKu4JE4Hi0LDsMZBtQ2rTO7u3_MFoieZMORBP7hmXgMjVd0EC50eRl/s1600-h/Kaden_Group_Grad1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343896932222478738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-MtXu6oG-taICeYVFz0Ct8xUh8neV-41OUQzTUortiL9xfDeYS4HlX7k_XRrOQcU3ZVZXCI6cjPxABS5Z4uUgMgKu4JE4Hi0LDsMZBtQ2rTO7u3_MFoieZMORBP7hmXgMjVd0EC50eRl/s320/Kaden_Group_Grad1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kaden's pre-school class</div><br /></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-45694841660391671732009-06-05T10:48:00.004-06:002009-06-05T11:14:32.239-06:00Going to the Zoo!Okay - I'm finally catching up on my blogging so I hope you're settled in for a few minutes. With the whirlwind whose name is Evan, I didn't get some of the events that took place before his arrival posted so I'm playing catch up now. We decided to take a family trip to the zoo as we knew our family trips would be somewhat limited once Evan arrived so we took went to the Hogle Zoo on a Saturday afternoon (5/9/09) and here are some of the pictures. It was fun to watch Jackson see animals in real life that he's only seen in books but it was trying (to say the least) to keep an eye on him, he just wanted to run all over the place! Now, I know why someone invented those harnesses that you can put on children...before I was a parent, I thought they looked ridiculous but now that I'm a parent, I see their value! All in all, we had a great time and I think the boys had a great time also.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAXRDJrXUJALOx1NF7BBpmGavc1vW970Rg6ZPmkI1Lb80EAYxo5vonZ7ThoWilrnGesD86d-mjYLApEo5CZ4IAXcxdyd-umDpXjklkDx0KLG9FBdMuanIPB390_cwa3jAoQBcLdxWK9DH/s1600-h/Zoo7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343892657487353474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAXRDJrXUJALOx1NF7BBpmGavc1vW970Rg6ZPmkI1Lb80EAYxo5vonZ7ThoWilrnGesD86d-mjYLApEo5CZ4IAXcxdyd-umDpXjklkDx0KLG9FBdMuanIPB390_cwa3jAoQBcLdxWK9DH/s320/Zoo7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKTVayQDiLv41SHjtSmjqByGjAkeI5K-PAR4et6lhQiTSPY4tGm5VE2BkYO0o3eXtVRvkkfo2lpi6amgK_SmHWXwbTUbAgtgc9ruh9HBqo0yr__yNZB4GO0-UvcBlgCTHklCnUvws76Ip/s1600-h/Zoo6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343892656066398066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKTVayQDiLv41SHjtSmjqByGjAkeI5K-PAR4et6lhQiTSPY4tGm5VE2BkYO0o3eXtVRvkkfo2lpi6amgK_SmHWXwbTUbAgtgc9ruh9HBqo0yr__yNZB4GO0-UvcBlgCTHklCnUvws76Ip/s320/Zoo6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNrAqEg8ZDBIsda8m8N9400jvT924AiVrugdRBMTe0CPS2coIEu16APIhkoVuSzkRL7YWytmzSk3dvFvytFRHVcZOwXANCj9H6yuXkBdxsDoPNfx95EEHRsNTtKKdX53Z8QAL6xoIqsU7/s1600-h/Zoo5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343892105706564498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNrAqEg8ZDBIsda8m8N9400jvT924AiVrugdRBMTe0CPS2coIEu16APIhkoVuSzkRL7YWytmzSk3dvFvytFRHVcZOwXANCj9H6yuXkBdxsDoPNfx95EEHRsNTtKKdX53Z8QAL6xoIqsU7/s320/Zoo5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNm66DtJCfyUcw6cByZIkuZIhy7PupZJzdcJZz3qaizt_Al765F5na57Uka-asCZuA8gSW3suXWVD1sBcBdPyO48DQD3X6-nqpBT-9UuQCzdOoGc9PGXPUysMVnKCHt4EIQfxdxoVMnJk/s1600-h/Zoo4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343892102948902946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNm66DtJCfyUcw6cByZIkuZIhy7PupZJzdcJZz3qaizt_Al765F5na57Uka-asCZuA8gSW3suXWVD1sBcBdPyO48DQD3X6-nqpBT-9UuQCzdOoGc9PGXPUysMVnKCHt4EIQfxdxoVMnJk/s320/Zoo4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8e8NhyDJY0cGNFYUXDO8j5EDs2u2yq342OUSKJ6FVMk66-q5VPRrM6cPnLh-PppZEKfUbQSqBTFLtL_6KR7tfJO6PIsygWo3nFKH5Uw2xxRumvbiiV4GBWmVOnDfDys_vuntLTGI6vdp/s1600-h/Zoo3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343892094912942786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8e8NhyDJY0cGNFYUXDO8j5EDs2u2yq342OUSKJ6FVMk66-q5VPRrM6cPnLh-PppZEKfUbQSqBTFLtL_6KR7tfJO6PIsygWo3nFKH5Uw2xxRumvbiiV4GBWmVOnDfDys_vuntLTGI6vdp/s320/Zoo3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDDH3357KaeYuHtIVXI3Lkx5tTqeXOg4Ny4yOLASVkJpR-RQvYrehSEr90OA-MrnSZ6sq6-3OmBe0bV6_S6w4jYtapOmf73aOnXRY7N5ij0vTWxt8cXdDW6Ff1NIS2EWoPyTS6Lf7pGRW/s1600-h/Zoo2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343892091181623090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDDH3357KaeYuHtIVXI3Lkx5tTqeXOg4Ny4yOLASVkJpR-RQvYrehSEr90OA-MrnSZ6sq6-3OmBe0bV6_S6w4jYtapOmf73aOnXRY7N5ij0vTWxt8cXdDW6Ff1NIS2EWoPyTS6Lf7pGRW/s320/Zoo2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBigtPWQ5JJqnQTI85GR01FpUIttc8a0vnku128ImVVz2xjl45cVTsyBP9XfbHaXUjDDI8dfXdj5PTou9bY3ChWUW3NkgqNHFvXgftvK2UjqyZFn_d0Q93ccP7r3OUCxCkkAgk-fcoqcvA/s1600-h/Zoo1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343892083169070130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBigtPWQ5JJqnQTI85GR01FpUIttc8a0vnku128ImVVz2xjl45cVTsyBP9XfbHaXUjDDI8dfXdj5PTou9bY3ChWUW3NkgqNHFvXgftvK2UjqyZFn_d0Q93ccP7r3OUCxCkkAgk-fcoqcvA/s320/Zoo1.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318741668431896916.post-83032463799852754372009-05-21T10:38:00.003-06:002009-05-21T10:58:20.172-06:00He's Here!Well, Evan Albert Balls made an unexpected appearance into the world on Friday, May 15th at 6:56 p.m. He made his way here via emergency C-section and came out just fine, weighing 7 lbs. 7 ozs. and 19 3/4 inches in length.<br /><br />For those of you wanting to know what led up to his arrival and how planned C-section turned into an emergency C-section, just read on (I'm also documenting it for posterity's sake). He has been in the breech position for about the last 4 weeks so. My doctor has tried to turn him twice...once at my appointment about 3 weeks ago (with no luck) so we had been praying and hoping he'd turn on his own...I REALLY did not want a C-section and couldn't believe that I might have to have one. I went to the doctor last Thursday, May 14th, and the doctor tried to turn him again (more aggressively this time...and it didn't feel good!) but with no success again so rather than tempt fate as the doctor put it (he figured there must be a reason he was in the position he was in) the doctor scheduled me for a C-section on Wednesday, May 27th. Ray and I had a little bet going...he bet me that there would be no way I'd make it until the 27th since I'd been having contractions the Friday before but they had stopped and I actually thought I would but Ray was right.<br /><br />Anyway, I was planning for my last day of work to be Friday, May 15th and then spend the next week and a half doing last minute preparations and just relaxing before his arrival. However, as with most babies, Evan had different plans. I had sporadic contractions all day Friday and when my final meeting was over around 3:30, I packed up and went home to try and rest and get the contractions to stop, as the doctor suggested. However, by 5:00, it was apparent they were not going to stop and Ray and I busily made plans for someone to come stay with the boys (apparently all out back ups had plans on a Friday night but we finally found a neighbor to come while we waited for Ray's Aunt Pam and Uncle Reed to make it to our house) so we could head for the hospital. We left for the hospital around 5:30 (right during rush hour!) and I am not sure but think we got to the hospital and into the room around 6:00 p.m. They checked me and realized I was between 5 and 6 cm dilated and the nurse could feel his foot headed down the birth canal. At that point, things began moving VERY quickly and before I knew it, I was headed to the operating room with Ray in tow and he was delivered at 6:56 p.m.<br /><br />I was really not looking forward to a C-section but it was the safest way to deliver him considering his position. The one perk of a C-section is that they come out with perfectly round heads! Evan is doing great and I'm doing as well as can be expected for having had surgery and we are both at home recovering. Luckily, my mom is able to be here for the next week and Ray's company allows him 2 weeks of paid paternity leave so I should have plenty of help during the next two weeks which are the crucial recovery period. Kaden (5) and Jackson (2) are doing great with their new brother. Kaden is super helpful and loves Evan very much...Jackson knows he's here and only pays attention to him every once in a while.<br /><br />I am so glad he's out and it's hard to imagine that I'll ever be back to "normal" but everyone assures me I will be. He is a very calm baby (let's hope that continues) and each day is a new day with him gaining weight and filling out and me having a little less pain and being able to spend time with my precious boys. I've attached some pics of our new baby Evan with some of his family.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFVMgJkigxH7uAZs2RhLrNLgNPaY8Ab2vwgPSA7my0Lg7slsWPNNWGdvFK5aNcjDtqQ-lnKu_P6YzvFaTNWiDpz1GAYCMVlEI_lZOs7QaN7aXMSRKViE0W1H_ja_mf3qxdzidEQ1f6PX5/s1600-h/Evan_Ray.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338319314158193778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFVMgJkigxH7uAZs2RhLrNLgNPaY8Ab2vwgPSA7my0Lg7slsWPNNWGdvFK5aNcjDtqQ-lnKu_P6YzvFaTNWiDpz1GAYCMVlEI_lZOs7QaN7aXMSRKViE0W1H_ja_mf3qxdzidEQ1f6PX5/s320/Evan_Ray.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Evan and his daddy, see any resemblance?</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyD25JaajB6_njRXKX6MvxotfG2SkpXTdKZ49YfSzPE9alh9qJPNCcA22vM228zYnvKnhiZmaU1m98klfoEqtG1FpqDTaddn_s45GF4VPG5HM3ZsXTLhrKjfsRg3tel-XdhVk2H3d6fme/s1600-h/Evan_Kaden.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338319310011131202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyD25JaajB6_njRXKX6MvxotfG2SkpXTdKZ49YfSzPE9alh9qJPNCcA22vM228zYnvKnhiZmaU1m98klfoEqtG1FpqDTaddn_s45GF4VPG5HM3ZsXTLhrKjfsRg3tel-XdhVk2H3d6fme/s320/Evan_Kaden.jpg" border="0" /></a> Evan and big brother, Kaden<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdlEFVjPhAiV8Nbwf20wJztVARpGWDeW03VfOm6z82OZ1vyiAXfdlr7hKVN0XQoIx8_Vc-4IhI200bFydOqIHDK9TCwEe9KhjK8Gm_MHpO8r-RNEgOkoY5o1s2IR2niCcdipd1udEDhXM/s1600-h/Evan_Grandma.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338319300189904466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdlEFVjPhAiV8Nbwf20wJztVARpGWDeW03VfOm6z82OZ1vyiAXfdlr7hKVN0XQoIx8_Vc-4IhI200bFydOqIHDK9TCwEe9KhjK8Gm_MHpO8r-RNEgOkoY5o1s2IR2niCcdipd1udEDhXM/s320/Evan_Grandma.jpg" border="0" /></a> Evan and grandma...what would we do without her?<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h_WniZ9Q6WJXGwNccnviYrncYOqfIt0-31XCfkxUhgfAleUfHugFFfD3h4oq5FKB6Apctbjl6RCrnXLIJrmJ-KOegWnZrYtiWLyiu-ayW7QVzozw4uvQxxfimu-XvGzW4w4vK7zVzq1x/s1600-h/Evan_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338318496094414210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h_WniZ9Q6WJXGwNccnviYrncYOqfIt0-31XCfkxUhgfAleUfHugFFfD3h4oq5FKB6Apctbjl6RCrnXLIJrmJ-KOegWnZrYtiWLyiu-ayW7QVzozw4uvQxxfimu-XvGzW4w4vK7zVzq1x/s320/Evan_3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Evan - not quite 3 days old, the day we went home from the hospital</div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJDqqoHQQrIck-dOiWcYqNhEHnCbnLuZMRhpMwDS3q2G8RbkdIPPLR5Yss2qtTdrPKeqBWJPwzdTq7uFZeskjVirlJSRrUEFH5Fewh21nFhJcbWx0irQs3XdK3xTayiuDzOlKFGJYxgRn/s1600-h/Evan_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338318486026471778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJDqqoHQQrIck-dOiWcYqNhEHnCbnLuZMRhpMwDS3q2G8RbkdIPPLR5Yss2qtTdrPKeqBWJPwzdTq7uFZeskjVirlJSRrUEFH5Fewh21nFhJcbWx0irQs3XdK3xTayiuDzOlKFGJYxgRn/s320/Evan_2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Evan - not quite 4 days old<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdT7Q3q3JQ_ZmqJUdsVkLFQl5APaAHG86tJr4dy6t4glU9QVodSyWInNvKeB4kPxO6bTtrxr-tRoeCMdz7Pp4jA24Vj9hd61X-yslQP5GAJpgr8nOPaQ9__sxiiq9kXUAMvsjXCeQBRZYp/s1600-h/Evan_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338318485418878946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdT7Q3q3JQ_ZmqJUdsVkLFQl5APaAHG86tJr4dy6t4glU9QVodSyWInNvKeB4kPxO6bTtrxr-tRoeCMdz7Pp4jA24Vj9hd61X-yslQP5GAJpgr8nOPaQ9__sxiiq9kXUAMvsjXCeQBRZYp/s320/Evan_1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Evan a few hours after he was born<br /><div> </div></div></div></div><br /></div>Balls Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016545268809052005noreply@blogger.com7