Balls Family Blog

We Lost a Tooth!

2010-09-06T22:47:00.004-06:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

Summer Was Here

2010-09-06T22:25:00.006-06:00

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.

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.

I LOVE MY BOYS!

Howdy, Cowboy!

2010-05-28T15:32:00.009-06:00

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!).

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.

Kohl's Cup 2010

2010-05-28T15:04:00.009-06:00

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!

A Ducky Day

2010-05-28T14:28:00.007-06:00

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.

A New Interest

2010-05-28T14:00:00.006-06:00

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!

Sweet Baby Evan Turns 1!

2010-05-28T13:33:00.013-06:00

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.

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!

I think someone's excited for his birthday!

Mom's attempt at a homemade birthday cake.

"What's this?"

"Hmmmmmmm...."

"Pretty tasty!"

What would a birthday be without the ceremonial smashing of the birthday cake into the hair?

I think this pictures sums up the day! We love you sweet Evy boy!

Kaden's Birthday - Part II

2010-04-24T16:13:00.004-06:00

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.

Kaden sitting on the "birthday chair" before opening his presents...lots and lots of Legos!

Star Wars birthday cake...again! I think this will be the theme for quite a few years.

The big blow out!

Sweet baby Evan just hanging out while all the kids played.

Daddy and Jackson...even mom and dad got to play and go down the giant slide.

The birthday boy

Jackson had a blast at Kaden's birthday party

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.

Kaden's Birthday - Part I

2010-04-24T15:57:00.007-06:00

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:

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!

Time Flies

2010-03-07T20:39:00.015-07:00

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.

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:

The decorations...

The cake...

Blowing out the candles!

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...

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!

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!

I just thought this picture was funny...sometimes you just catch those funny moments

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!

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!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

2010-01-26T16:10:00.002-07:00

I 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.

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."

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!

Finally!

2010-01-07T08:38:00.008-07:00

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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:

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!

2. Playing Wii until we were exhausted and rocking out with my sister's family on New Year's night.

3. Eating delicious food at P.F. Chang's on New Year's day.

4. Going to dinner and the 3-D version of Avatar with friends and NO kids (are you sensing and theme here?)

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.

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.

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.

Our sweet Kaden (1/5/10)

Our sassy Jackson ("Jacksie" - 1/5/10)

Sweet baby Evan ("Evee" - 1/5/10)

Mom and Evan (1/5/10)

Our Sweet Boys (see any resemblance? - 1/5/10)

Jackson thought he was pretty neat sitting in Evan's bouncy toy (12/23/09)

Evan during his favorite time of the day - tub time! (11/26/09)

Stay Tuned....

2009-12-26T16:41:00.003-07:00

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!

Our Halloween

2009-11-05T12:53:00.006-07:00

Well, 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.

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!

We started with this...compliments of Debbie at daycare:

Kaden's Halloween graham cracker house

Jackson's Halloween graham cracker house

The Sunday before Halloween we did this for family night:

Love the look on his face (but he still wouldn't touch the goo!)

He did a great job scraping all by himself

A few days before Halloween we did this:

Kaden's pumpkin (didn't turn out like it was supposed to so we improvised)

Jackson's pumpkin

And after much waiting and anticipation, the kids finally got to do this:

Welcome to Adobe!

2009-11-04T15:59:00.003-07:00

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.

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!

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.

http://www.omniture.com/press/777

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.

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.

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.

Sweet Baby Evan

2009-11-04T15:41:00.003-07:00

It'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.

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.

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!

Well, enjoy the pictures!

So happy but he doesn't know what's coming...

Yeah, not sure if I like that.

Happy, as usual

Sitting up in his Bumboo...Kaden & Jackson love sitting in it more than Evan!

Fall Firsts!

2009-09-03T12:40:00.006-06:00

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.

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.

Kaden in his new school clothes and shoes on his first day of Kindergarten

Of course, little brother Jackson had to share in the excitement of the day

What would the first day of Kindergarten be without something to do with Star Wars?

Ray took this at the school in front of the Kindergarten classrooms. I think 2022 will be here before we know it.

Kaden in front of his new school

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.

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!

Smile Baby!

2009-08-28T20:04:00.002-06:00

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.

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.

Update

2009-08-05T22:49:00.003-06:00

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!

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.

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.

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.

Enjoy the latest pictures of our boys!

Finally!

2009-07-01T14:18:00.004-06:00

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!

Evan's Special Day

2009-07-01T13:53:00.003-06:00

Dear Evan,

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.

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.

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.

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.

My Boys

2009-06-05T11:36:00.007-06:00

We'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!

Ray, Kaden & Evan

Ray & Jackson

All of my boys

Evan is definitely going to have to get used to his older brothers

Kaden & Evan - Kaden can't get enough of him!

Just Kaden

The boys with grandpa - we don't get many pictures with grandpa so we have to get them when we can

My boys...again

Graduation Day!

2009-06-05T11:14:00.004-06:00

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!

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.

Kaden and his official graduation certificate.

Kaden and dad

Kaden's pre-school class

Going to the Zoo!

2009-06-05T10:48:00.004-06:00

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.

He's Here!

2009-05-21T10:38:00.003-06:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Evan and his daddy, see any resemblance?

Evan and big brother, Kaden

Evan and grandma...what would we do without her?

Evan - not quite 3 days old, the day we went home from the hospital

Evan - not quite 4 days old

Evan a few hours after he was born

To Breech or Not to Breech?

2009-04-30T22:11:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted for a while and although I have no pictures to share, I needed an outlet for my thoughts. First, Kaden and I attended Kindergarten orientation last Friday. Going into it, I was so excited for him and thought, "Wow, we're really progressing now," but we got there early so we went to the playground and school was just getting out and when I saw all of the older "big" kids and how crazy they all were, I got really scared and thought, "I can't send my sweet Kaden here and expose him to all of these kids who are so much bigger than him!" and I got pretty emotional realizing that maybe I didn't want him to grow up as fast as he is. But, once we got into the gym with the other parents and kids, I felt better and seeing the classrooms that were set up, I realized that he's going to love it and have a great time. Plus, the kindergarten room have their own entrance from the outside that go right into the rooms and the school even has a small playground right outside the entrances to the kindergarten rooms. Plus, he'll only be there for 2 hours and 45 minutes, I think 1st grade will be the big adjustment. It's making me realize how important our home will be once he starts being exposed to different kids with different ideas and values and how critically important it is for us to keep a good relationship and communication with our kids and BE INVOLVED in their lives every minute. He's excited and I know he's going to have a blast.

Now, onto the big event coming up in our family. As you can see from the pregnancy ticker, we're down to a little more than 4 weeks before the new baby (we're not disclosing his potential name yet as this might be bad luck and we don't want anyone to think we stole it from them - which has happened in the past) is due to come. If it goes the same way Jackson did (3 1/2 weeks early, I have about 1 week before he'll be born. However, the baby is breech at this point and my doctor tried to turn him today (not without some pain I might add) and he had no luck and since I'm dilated to 1 cm (which probably doesn't mean too much at this point) and my doctor was surprised since there's no head causing pressure on the cervix to dilate, I have to say that I came away from my appointment very scared that this baby might have to be born via C-section. My doctor's plan is to hope the baby turns as he still has time (and apparently room) but if I go into labor, he'll try to turn him more aggressively during the early stages of labor and if it doesn't work, he'll do a C-section. I have to admit that a C-section really scares me and most of all, since this is likely our last child, I am mostly sad to not be able to really be a part of his birth and watch it and hold him right after he's born...and I am scared of the pain afterwards and trying to recover and take care of 2 other VERY active kids and adjust to a new baby all at the same time. The baby really seems to like his position up under my ribs so I can't imagine him turning on his own but we're praying for him to do it, trying natural positions to "help" him turn, and Ray will be giving me a blessing on Sunday and then it's out of our hands. It's amazing how each child is different, even before they're born!

Happy Birthday (continued)

2009-03-20T14:48:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to share some recent pictures of the boys at the park and at the bounce house Kaden and a friend went to for his birthday. Jackson wanted nothing to do with the bounce toys, I think the noise of the air pumps and their size looked enormous to him. As usual, about 30 minutes before we were going to leave, he all of the sudden decided he liked them so we had to stay later than planned so he could catch up on having as good of a time as Kaden & Sam did. I know they had a good time but we sure took some good baths when we got home to get off all those germs! Enjoy the pics!

Kaden and his friend, Sam

Jackson sitting on the quarter train

At the park

I was going for a smile but caught this cute face instead

Kaden at the park, sitting on the stump...no pinches for him that day

Our sweet Kaden

I really need to take a photography class...apparently the sun was a little too bright so this is the best we could do.

Happy Birthday / St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-20T14:06:00.004-06:00

Kaden celebrated his 5th birthday this last Tuesday (yes, St. Patrick's Day). He's our St. Paddy's Day baby. It's great that he can finally say that he is 5 years old. It was "4 and a half" and then "almost 5" forever! I can't believe he's already 5 and will be in kindergarten this fall but he's at a really fun age...where we can have conversations with him and he's so helpful. I hope he had a great birthday.

We decided not to do a big party this year, we're going to try and do big parties every other year. So, the night before Kaden's birthday, we decorated the kitchen with streamers and balloons and wrapped his presents and set them out on the table. You can always tell when something exciting is happening the next day because he seems to wake up earlier than usual and instead of coming into our room, he goes downstairs immediately. Needless to say, he was pretty excited to finally have his birthday here and see the decorations and presents. We had a donut breakfast before Ray left for work and let him open one present but made him wait until dad got home from work to open the rest.

The weather has been really nice lately and since it was my usual day home with the boys, I found the energy to take them to the park and enjoy the day. However, I did schedule his 5 year checkup with the doctor on his birthday so the sad part of the day was having to go to the doctor and watch him get 2 shots...on his birthday! I know I won't ever do that again. Kaden wanted Little Ceasars pizza for dinner so we picked that up on our way home, had pizza & breadsticks, opened presents, enjoyed some birthday cake and ice cream with our good friends Cal & Suzy, and called it a night. Two days after his birthday, we invited our good friends Allen and Jessica and their boys and went to Jumpin Jacks (a bounce house) where the kids ran around, climbed, and slid down the slides until they were exhausted (well, mom and dad were exhausted too). All in all, it was a pretty fun week and I hope he had a great birthday and knows how much we love him and are glad he is part of our family.

I've posted some of his favorite presents below. We had a "Star Wars" birthday since he (and Ray) have really been into Star Wars lately. Ray bought the prequel trilogy for him and I'm not sure who was more excited for him to get it, Kaden or Ray! Kaden is so into Star Wars that his name choices for the baby are either Luke or Anakin.

Kaden's Star Wars cake

Still a Seahawks fan, even though they did TERRIBLE last season

Finally, a two-wheeled scooter for him since he's been "too big" for a 3-wheeled scooter for the last year and refuses to ride it. Next up, a skateboard! Happy birthday, sweet boy! We love you and are so grateful you're in our family.

January Recap

2009-01-29T21:01:00.005-07:00

Well, January has come and is almost gone so I just wanted to give our friends and family a recap. Our first day back from Christmas vacation, Jackson had an accident at daycare which required 3 trips to the doctor that week, the 1st to get the cut super glued, the 2nd to get it looked at where we found out it was infected, and the third as a check up to make sure it wasn't infected again. As bad as the experience was, Jackson was a real trooper considering we had to change the bandages 4-5 times a day...he never even tried to rip them off and his cut is looking much better now.

As those of you that visit our blog know, we found out our final addition to our family is going to be another boy. Admittedly, I was pretty taken back as I realized I'd never experience having my own daughter but I am getting used to the idea of a house full of boys and I know that someday, I will realize the Lord's wisdom and I love the relationship I have with my boys, there's just something special about a mother/son relationship.

On January 17th, Kaden and I met my sister and her family and went to "Walking With Dinosaurs" at the Energy Solutions Arena. The boys loved it and I even enjoyed it, it was very realistic...the boys kept asking us if the dinosaurs were real.

On January 23rd, we celebrated Jackson's 2nd birthday. My mom came down for the weekend so we went to a nice dinner, had his birthday cake and opened his presents the next morning...pretty low key but I'll take it since I'm sure there will be plenty of birthday parties to come.

Other than those events, we've just been trying to enjoy each day together (just the 4 of us for now) and prepare ourselves for our new arrival and the adjustments that are sure to come. Although it seems very far away, I know from past experience that it's going to go very quickly.

The day after the "incident" and before the infection set in

A lacrosse helmet that Kaden fell in love with and wanted me to buy ($150!) so he could just wear it around the house

Kaden and Jackson watching their favorite show together - Max & Ruby

Kaden and Jackson pretending to sleep on the two stairs from the kitchen to the family room

One of Jackson's birthday presents

A Max & Ruby CD, that will be great in the car!

Walking With Dinosaurs

The Color of the Day Is...

2009-01-16T10:38:00.003-07:00

BLUE! So, yesterday was the big day...the ultrasound and we are having our third baby boy and there is no mistaking it is a boy...we have a very clear picture but to avoid embarassing him someday, I decided not to post it. So, Ray's brother, Brian, has 3 girls now (#3 on the way) and we have 3 boys (#3 on the way). Overall, there seems to be a predominance of boys in the Balls family genes. It would have been a very new and crazy experience to have a baby girl in the house (I wasn't sure how to even change the diaper for my baby niece over the holidays) but we can do the boy thing and if the third time's the charm...we should have it pretty smooth sailing this time around. The ultrasound technician was great (we were in and out of there in about 30 minutes) and we were able to see so much...both arms, legs, fingers, toes, brain, kidney, liver, stomach, spine, four chambers of the heart, umbilical cord, lips, nose, eye sockets...and she said he looks great and she has no concerns. He even has a little personality already since he was kicking and moving like crazy and even stuck his tongue out at us! I hope what everyone is telling me is true...that when my boys get into the pre-teen/teen years, I'll be very grateful to have all boys...I guess we'll see. All of my friends with girls, you'll have to let me know and I guess I'll just have to be praying for exceptional daughters-in-law to go shopping and to chick flicks with down the road. Although Kaden was hoping for a girl, I know he'll be a great big brother and was pretty excited when I told him he gets to be a big brother twice but Jackson only gets to be a big brother once...he thought that was pretty cool, I know they will all have a blast playing with each other and there is definitely a special bond between boys and their moms.

Random Pics & Thoughts

2009-01-06T11:58:00.003-07:00

Now that the Christmas and New Year's postings are out of the way, I just have some random thoughts and pictures to post.

Ray - As much as I don't understand his company's culture, I've not seen Ray as dedicated and fulfilled as he is in his job right now. He finally got recognized for all his hard work and dedication to his company by being named Human Resources Employee of the Year at the company Christmas party in December. I'm so proud of him and glad that he has finally been recognized as a contributing member of the team. He works very hard and I know he does his best to balance work and family and being in Utah, has a lot more balancing to do than most of his co-workers whose wives stay at home...I appreciate his hard work and doing all that he can to help on a daily basis with the kids and be home when I need him to be.

Me - After two relatively uneventful, textbook pregnancies, this pregnancy has been more emotionally and physically difficult than I was prepared for. I was much sicker during the first trimester than I've ever been and normally, I can drink milk by the gallons but have had an aversion to it this time. Also, my emotions are a complete mess...happy one minute and literally crying over spilled milk the next. I'm hoping that all this differences add up to a different gendered baby and at least they are solidifying the concept that this is definitely our last child...NO MATTER WHAT! I can't wait to find out next week whether we'll be pulling out the boys clothes again or whether I can go shopping for pinks and yellows and purples.

Kaden - Shortly before Christmas, we had parent/teacher conference with Kaden's pre-school teacher, Miss Bev. It was so surreal for me to be at a parent/teacher conference hearing about how my sweet Kaden is doing so well and above average in almost every category. The thing that made me the most happy is that he is nice to everyone and gets along with all his class members as well as loves to read and learn...that is one thing I've always wanted to instill in my kids is a love for reading and education so let's hope it continues. I love him so much and am so proud of him and hope I can continue to strive to be the kind of mom he deserves.

Jackson - What can I say about this little guy. He is so much fun and is talking like crazy and says at least one thing on a daily basis that just cracks us up. However, we can already tell that he is going to be very different from his big brother. He's going to be a jokester and much more daring than his brother. In the last month, we've made emergency visits to the dentist and the doctor for a chipped tooth (which hasn't turned black yet...we're keeping our fingers crossed) and a cut chin (which luckily only required glue rather than stitches). I'm not sure if it's his age or his personality but I feel like I need to keep him in a glass bubble to keep him from hurting himself right now...any opinions or stories to share?

Overall, I'm so grateful for my family. It's amazing to watch how closely bonded Kaden and Jackson are and how Jackson does EVERYTHING his big brother does and how much he looks up to him. It's also amazing to see the love and respect that the boys have for Ray and how much he means to them. I know more fully understand why it's so devastating for children of divorce or who lose a parent in death. The bond between a child and a parent is so automatic but so amazingly strong. During the many snow storms and extremely cold weather that we've had, I find myself so grateful for a home to live in and heat to keep us warm and with the economy right now, that both Ray and I have good jobs that look to keep us employed until this recession is over. But, it does make me realize we need to focus on our food storage and building up our savings account just in case. Most of all, I realize who the most important people in my life are and that is Ray, Kaden, Jackson and this new baby to come and no matter where we live compared to our other family members, we will be fine as long as we stick together and stay close to one another. I pray that I will never experience the death of a child or the death of a spouse as either of these experiences must be unimaginably painful to go through. See, I told you this pregnancy was making me an emotional mess, didn't I? Love to all!

New Year's 2009

2009-01-06T11:28:00.005-07:00

For New Year's this year we went up to Smithfield and stayed a couple of nights with my sister and her family. It's always a challenge traveling with Jackson since he doesn't sleep as well anywhere else as he does in his own bed and he's just at that age where it's hard to take him places since he's constantly on the go and knows no boundaries but we attempted it anyway...making sure to take the DVD player and lots of Baby Einstein's in the car and Kaden taking his Leapster. Our next car is definitely going to have a built-in DVD player so I don't have to turn around 20 times to push buttons, adjust the screen, etc. We went up on New Year's Eve morning and the boys played and napped until evening when we went to see the Aggies play basketball at the Spectrum. That night, I think we all fell asleep before the ball dropped so it was a pretty exciting New Year's as you can imagine. The next day, we took the boys (minus Jackson) bowling where I was the lowest score...I think I barely made it over 50. I used to be a pretty good bowler but being pregnant definitely makes everything a bit more difficult...I just couldnt' get my body to do what it was supposed to.

After bowling, we had pizza at famous Frederico's (my all time favorite) and then went home for an evening of Wii. My sister's family got a Wii for Christmas and they had just bought guitar hero to go with it so we Wii bowled and pretended we were rockstars for the rest of the night...it was pretty fun and Guitar Hero is actually extremely challenging and Ray pretty much beat everyone he played...I think he was meant to be a guitar rock star in another life, had he not met me. Enjoy the pictures.

It was hard to get Kaden to smile because he was always concentrating so hard.

Best friends

Cousin Kyler

I finally got kind of a smile

Kasen and Kaden racing motorcyles at the fun park after bowling

Jackson just content to play with the toys

Christmas 2008

2009-01-06T10:22:00.006-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some Christmas pictures. Despite both Ray and I having 2 weeks off, it was actually pretty busy getting ready for Christmas, post-Christmas sickness, celebrating for New Year's, and cleaning up from Christmas before going back to work. We got most of our Christmas on video so no pictures of Christmas morning but I do have a couple of Kaden & Jackson's encounter with Santa at the ward Christmas dinner and our trip to temple square with the boys that wasn't quite as fun and successful as we had hoped. Kaden is always asking me when we're going to ride on a train so we throught it might be fun to ride the TRAX from South Towne to downtown Salt Lake. As should have been expected, the excitement wore off about half way to Salt Lake and it was all we could do to keep the boys entertained until we got to downtown. It was freezing cold the night we went to temple square so we quickly walked through and then headed back to the TRAX and went home and had hot chocolate.

Our Christmas Eve was pretty quiet since we just spent it at home with the four of us. Despite us telling Kaden over and over again that it was Christmas Eve, he still thought the next day was Christmas Eve and didn't really understand that Santa would be coming that night and Jackson was absolutely oblivious to all that was going to happen so we got them to bed as usual and they had no trouble falling asleep. Kaden's bedroom door has a full view of the Christmas tree so we knew that he would notice if Santa had come as soon as he walked out his door and sure enough, he did. About 7 a.m., he came into our room and was so excited about the new presents under the tree, especially his "bigger" bike that he had asked for and Santa had brought so we got up with him and went downstairs, letting Jackson sleep a little longer before getting him up but soon we could hear Jackson stirring and talking and so began our Christmas morning. I was so worried that Kaden would just tear through his presents, not really seeming to care about any of them but we actually had to keep telling him to keep opening, he was so excited about each one. Overall, Christmas was a success and I think Ray was as excited or more than Kaden about Christmas this year!

Viva La Vida!

2008-12-07T22:54:00.002-07:00

For Ray's birthday (way back in August!) I had gotten him tickets to see Coldplay in concert. Well, the date finally came and we went to see Coldplay in concern on November 22nd at the Energy Solutions Arena. It was by far the best live concert I've ever been to...we had such a great time...even the warm up band (Sleepercar) was really good. Coldplay is definitely not just another English band, Chris Martin is extremely talented and humble. It was a great evening with dinner at P.F. Chang's beforehand and no rushing out the door or rush to get home since grandma was staying with the kids. I hope that we can go see them again...it was definitely worth the pricey tickets!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-11T12:50:00.003-07:00

Well, I'm not sorry to say that Halloween has come and gone. I really don't know why but I just really don't like Halloween and I don't think I ever really have. Luckily, I don't work where Ray works because it's pretty much mandatory that every department pick a theme each year and every employee participates and dresses up in support of their department's theme and then all of the families and kids can come to the office and "trick or treat" around the building. For those of you that can't tell, Ray's department chose Batman and he dressed up as Two Face. Kaden chose to go to Ray's work on Halloween instead of going to pre-school and having his school party. I don't think he really cared where he got to go as long as he got to dress up and get candy. All in all, I think it was a good Halloween but I hope I can get some more Halloween spirit so I can make it even more fun for the kids.

Our pirate-themed pumpkin

Iron Man

Little Ninja

Iron Man, Two Face, Little Ninja (Jackson wasn't ever quite sure about dad as Two Face)

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip 2008

2008-11-11T09:51:00.005-07:00

Kaden's field trip for October was to the pumpkin patch and Cornbelly's Maze at Thanksgiving Point. Although it was a little windy and kind of cold, the kids had a great time. Everyone got in for about $3 each and each person got to ride down to the pumpkin patch on the hay wagon and take home as big a pumpkin as they could carry. The kids had a great time jumping on the huge inflatable "pillow", riding the cow train, making their way through the corn maze, and many other kid activities. We stayed there until they kicked us out to get ready for the evening crowd...it was a very fun time! Enjoy the pictures.

I love his face in this picture, reminds me of a kid in candy store...sitting in the middle of two girls!

With the scarecrows at the entrance to the maze and activities

Most of Kaden's class

Mom and Kaden with the pumpkins we picked

Kaden on the cow train ride

September Field Trip - Tracy Aviary

2008-09-30T15:06:00.006-06:00

As I mentioned in the earlier blog, Kaden (and me) had his first school field trip on Wednesday, September 24th. His class was studying the letter "B" and had been talking and learning about different kids of birds. So, his first field trip was to the Tracy Aviary where they got to go in the Amazon Adventure and feed the birds (I think they're parrotts?). As usual, I forgot my camera but luckily, one of the other moms was nice enough to take some pictures of him so thanks Melissa! Next month's field trip is the Cornbelly Maze and pumpkin patch at Thanksgiving Point which should be lots of fun and really get us in the mood for Halloween (my least favorite holiday). Enjoy the pics.

Our Funny Jackson

2008-09-30T14:47:00.005-06:00

I just wanted to share some funny pictures of our sweet Jackson. He just turned 20 months old and he's still such a sweetie. He's a little more mellow than his brother but also a little less sensitive but he really is just such a happy kid all of the time, unless he's sick or there's something else wrong.

I have to share the story of the first two pictures and why he's wearing a Jazz hat. I got a call from our office in Houston and was requested to deliver Deron Williams' personal tax returns to him for signatures at his home here in Utah (Murray). For those of you who might not know who Deron Williams is, he is the point guard for the Jazz NBA team and is a very big deal around here and was a big part of the U.S. Olympic basketball team. So, needless to say it was pretty exciting but I was pretty nervous. It will probably be the closest I'll ever come to meeting a celebrity in my lifetime. Anyway, I took a nice Jazz jersey and a child's Jazz hat to his house with me and he was gracious enough to sign them so Jackson is wearing Kaden's signed hat below...doesn't he look like such a homeboy?

"What up?"

And, being as tempermental as almost 2-year-olds can be, we went from happy to ticked off, in a matter of minutes!

This is what happens when independence kicks in. But, what can you do....you just have to brace for the mess. Luckily I wasn't home and Ray got to clean up the mess!

Lately, he really likes to pull his shirt up and show his six pack abs, especially when he meets new people and is around strangers...not sure if I should be worried or not.

First Day of School!

2008-09-30T14:31:00.007-06:00

Kaden started pre-school on Wednesday, September 3rd. His teacher is Miss Bev and he goes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. He has about 11 kids in his class and so far, he absolutely loves it! But, I never realized that pre-school (emphasis on the "pre") was going to be so hectic and make my life even crazier. Some of the things that I now get to add to my list of to-dos:

Provide the theme related snack once a month (apples for the letter "A", muffins for the letter "M", etc.)
Monthly field trips - parents required
Monthly book orders - helping Kaden understand that we can't order every book on the 3 4-page, front and back, book orders that are sent home
Mandatory parent volunteer hours
Weekly show and tell (every Friday for the boys)
Other special class events (funny feet day for "F" and bring small pumpkin for decorating)
Examine every store-bought package for some type of savings that can go to the school (example: Box Tops for Education, saving old ink cartridges, etc.)
Parent teacher conferences

I really honestly thought that pre-school would be just something fun for KADEN to do but it's a family affair...but I guess it's good practice for the next 13 years? And, I've only got one in pre-school right now so it is beyond me how I'll ever juggle more than one kid in school at a time. I think I'm going to have to start watching Jon & Kate plus 8 and take some of her organization tips into account. But, to see how much he's learning and how much fun he's having and to hear his teacher tell us what a kind, polite boy he is and how much she loves having him in class (I'm sure she says that to every child's parents) makes the extra work well worth it. We just went on his first field trip so keep reading to see how that went...it was a lot of fun. But, on a setimental note, I did tear up after I walked him in on his first day which I was a little surprised at because I've been dropping him off at daycare for the last 4 years but he just looked so grown-up and I think I realized that this was the start of a different phase for him.

Balls Family Reunion

2008-09-30T14:01:00.004-06:00

Well, I know I'm only about 6 weeks late on posting...again...but think how much fun it is to blog on and see so many new things rather than just one update. The week after I posted the last blog, Ray and Kaden went to Washington for the Balls Family Reunion. Jackson and I stayed at home because it was extremely busy for me at work and I really didn't want to spend at least 24 hours in a car with Jackson in a 4 days period. Kaden did so great on the drive...we made sure he had his Leapster, coloring books and crayons, and dad's iPod with movies and the portable DVD player with lots of movies...Ray was so impressed with how well he did and they had a great time. They played in the lake behind grandma and grandpa's house and got to slide off the pontoon slide.

But, I was very anxious to have them home safely late Sunday night and you don't realize how lonely and quiet the house is when everyone that's supposed to be there isn't. I could tell that Jackson really missed his big brother and it was actually harder to watch him without Kaden there because he wanted my attention all the time without brother there to play with him. Enjoy the pictures of their end of summer vacation back up to the Emerald City.

Kaden with his favorite Aunt Katie. We love you Katie!

Hiking

Skipping Rocks

Wading

Omniture's Carnivale!

2008-08-17T22:17:00.004-06:00

The day after Ray's birthday, his company had their annual summer party for all employees and their families. Last year, they rented out Seven Peaks water park for the day and this year the theme was Carnivale and they rented out Thanksgiving Point and had lot of blow-up slides / obstacle courses for the kids as well as a ferris wheel and another dizzy ride for the kids and adults. They also had cotton candy, snow cones, face painting, games and a cool cow tractor ride as well as a hamburger / hot dog dinner for everyone. Jackson and I ducked out a little early but Ray and Kaden stayed until after dark and listened to the band and watched the fireworks display.

My company just had their annual summer party up at the Park City Resort and we all got to ride the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster which was a blast but we forgot to take the camera so no pictures of that, maybe next year.

Happy 30th Birthday, Babe!

2008-08-17T22:00:00.002-06:00

Ray and I are the same age again. Ray's 30th birthday was on August 1st (and I'm just barely getting around to posting about it but at least I'm still in the same month!) Having Ray's birthday on August 1st takes some real planning because if I wait to look at birthday when I turn the calendar on the 1st of the month, I've already blown it! Anyway, I planned ahead this year and I know that Ray likes ice cream so I planned to get him an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Does anyone have any idea how many kinds of ice cream cakes you can choose from? I finally had to break down and ask him and he wanted one that wasn't on their website...a fudge nut round cake with Pralines n' cream ice cream. For his birthday, I splurged a little bit and got him tickets to go see Cold Play in November. I asked him (after I'd already bought the tickets) if he could go see anyone in concert, what concert would he want to go to. He said he couldn't think of anyone he'd want to see in concert so I was a little deflated but figured we could sell them on e-bay if he didn't want to go but when he got the tickets, he was excited since it's one of his favorite bands. We had a great day...Ray took the day before his birthday and the day of his birthday off work. We took the kids to daycare and spent the day before his birthday just the two of us going to a movie (Dark Knight) and a nice lunch and we spend his birthday with the boys and went swimming and had a nice family day. Here's 5 things I love about my sweetie:

1. He always kisses me goodnight
2. He is very supportive of me and all that I try to accomplish
3. He is a super dad and the boys scream in delight when he walks in the door
4. He helps around the house and does ANYTHING I ask him to do (even toilets and cleaning the cat litter).
5. He does everything in his power to reassure me on a daily basis that me and the boys are the most important people in his life.

Thank you for being such a great husband and an amazing dad...we love you and are so glad you were born...you are such an important part of our family! I love you babe!

Children's Museum

2008-08-17T21:44:00.003-06:00

We finally made it to the Children's Museum. What's funny is we visited the one in Seattle before we visited the one in Salt Lake City and we were living in Salt Lake City at the time. What is it about where you live that you never go do all the things you could and then when you move away, you vacation and go do the things you didn't do while you lived there. Does anyone else do this or are we just really lame? Anyway, enjoy the pictures of our visit to the Children's Museum...next time we'll go on a weekday...we went on a Saturday in the middle of summer so needless to say, it was a madhouse! (The last picture is not from the Children's Museum, just a cute picture of fireman Jackson).

Hot Summer Dayz!

2008-07-15T09:24:00.005-06:00

Summer is definitely here in Utah and after going up to Seattle, it feels even hotter! We're pretty much in the 90's every day and I just realized we really kind of live in a desert, no wonder my flowers are burning up and not to mention, parts of the lawn. But, it does allow for a lot of water fun so I've been trying to get the pool and slip and slide out whenever possible. If I can get the pool out and filled up in the morning, the water is usually just right in the late afternoon. Here's some pictures of our pool fun.

Jackson loves having his little shovel and throwing the water at me.

You probably can't see it but his sucker has a funny looking mouth on the other side so when he sucks it, he looks like he's got hillbilly teeth but I couldn't get a good shot of him with it in his mouth.

Rain, Rain Go Away...Wait! Come Back!

2008-07-14T21:30:00.009-06:00

Well, as any of you out there know (at least those of you that still check our blog), it's been quite a while since I posted. I'm not going to blame it on anything other than pure laziness. But, hopefully this new post will catch up for the last couple of months. I think my last post was just after Mother's day. Just after Memorial Day weekend, we took a family trip and went back up to the Emerald City (Seattle for those of you that don't know) and we had a surprisingly great time. I really don't get too excited about traveling with small children so I was really not looking forward to the trip with Jackson, especially since he really doesn't sleep anywhere but his crib. But, we forged ahead...pack n' play, car seats, diaper bag, bags, and all. Even though we lived there, we did the tourist thing and stayed in Seattle for a couple of days and then spent the rest of our time up there with Ray's family. Kaden was so easy to travel with and had a great time. Despite my hesitations and expectations, Jackson was great...just as long as we got him his naps! Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Jackson's idea of "helping" mom pack for the boys.

Mom and Kaden in front of the fountain on our way back from the Seattle Aquarium

"Catch of the Day"

Our little jellyfish

Kaden enjoying the rides at the Seattle Center

Captain Ivar's junior diver

At the Seattle Aquarium sitting on the ancient otter

Two of my favorite boys

Family picture at grandma & grandpa's house on Lake Morton

The fish grandma & grandpa caught that morning in the lake

Grandma & Grandpa Balls

So that was our trip in a nutshell. Ray and Kaden are going back up in August for a family reunion at his parent's house on Lake Morton but Jackson and I will stay home and maybe hit the family reunion next year. I'm a little (okay a lot) nervous to let them go without me but I'm sure they will be fine and travel safely. Kaden is so excited to go back up and swim in the lake and go down the slide on grandma & grandpa's floating dock.

Catch Up!

2008-05-11T19:58:00.007-06:00

Well, I know I've been a slacker blogger but it's time to finally catch up. So, since the last (real) posting for Kaden's birthday back around March 17th, we've had Easter, Jackson learned to walk, Kaden learned to ride a two-wheeler, and Mother's Day. So, I'll take each one and expand a bit.

First, we had Easter. Since Easter was one week after Kaden's birthday, we really tried to keep it low key (yeah, right) so that we would avoid Kaden getting spoiled...I think it partially worked. But needless to say, Kaden had quite the two weeks with presents galore. We did talk about the true meaning of Easter though but I'm afraid he focused more on the Easter bunny than Jesus so we need to do better with that next year. With so much focus on his birthday, it seemed like Easter was here before we knew it. I hope Easter doesn't fall in March EVER AGAIN!

So, after Easter, things were really hectic with both my work and Ray's work and just life in general, as well as trying to get our basement finished (yes, we're STILL working on it!) It's really hard not to compare your kids and I know that you're not supposed to, each one is an individual and each one learns and progresses at his/her own pace. But, since Jackson was just getting ready to turn 15 months on May 23rd and he had really shown absolutely NO interest in walking (whenever we'd try to walk with him, he'd go straight to his knees and crawl), and Kaden was walking by his first birthday, we were getting a little worried but low and behold, on Thursday, April 17th, I went to pick up the boys at Debbie's house (our daycare provider) and Jackson took 4 or 5 steps to me. Whew! What a relief. Now he's walking all over and I'm so glad because we can go outside now and he's really content to just toodle around the house, he thinks he's pretty cool now that he's walking like big brother.

Now that he's walking, he's tackling other things like climbing into and on top of things...

Yes, in and out of the laundry basket...glad it was clean clothes inside.

A week or so after Jackson's big breakthrough, I went to pick up the boys at Debbie's house again and when I got there, she told me to come outside because Kaden had something he wanted me to see. So I go outside and there he is in his helmet riding a bike with only two wheels! No training wheels, just riding around in circles and the look on his face was priceless, you could just tell he was SOOOOO incredibly proud of himself and even more proud of showing me what he'd accomplished. I was so proud of him riding his new bike with training wheels and here he was, less than two months later riding without training wheels. But, we've had quite a few spills and some pretty nasty scrapes, but he's still in one piece and riding every chance he gets.

So, last but not least, today is Mother's Day. Yesterday, Ray surprised me with a diamond pendant and matching earrings and Kaden and Jackson gave me a pillow (see below) that they made at Debbie's house. Kaden also took me on a date to see Speed Racer (probably more my idea than his) but it was fun to go...just me and him.

Today was great also, the boys let me sleep in and made breakfast for me. Although the primary kids went up to sing during Sacrament meeting, Kaden was a little too shy to go up. But, I'm sure he'll have plenty more chances in the years to come. Kade has the best Sunbeam teachers, Cal and Suzy, who are not only great teachers, but they are some of the few close friends we have in the ward. When he came home from class, he brought the two items below for Mother's Day also.

In case you can't quite read it, it says, "Mom, I will grow to be what I am. And I will be the best Man I can be. Because you were my MOTHER. Love, Kaden"

But, no matter what gifts I got, the best Mother's Day gifts I've ever received will always be...

I am so grateful for my boys, and even though I'm not the perfect mom, they love me unconditionally despite my weaknesses. The love between moms and their kids is AMAZING and beyond explanation. Even on my rough days, when I think the boys MUST be just waiting for dad to come home because mom is crazy, they still want to be with me...they teach me so much.

You Know You Live in Utah When....

2008-04-29T22:50:00.002-06:00

1. The ice cream truck that comes through your neighborhood plays church hymns instead of children's songs.
2. One of the callings in the Relief Society is "Birthday Specialist" (the person in charge of keeping track of sisters' birthdays and getting them on the monthly newsletter).
3. The person in front of you in line at the customer service counter in Wal-Mart is a young VERY PREGNANT polygamist "sister wife".
4. One of the T-shirts on the Wal-Mart discount rack says "I'm a Member of the High Priest Golf Association"
5. The church you actually attend is not the church closest to your home.
6. One of the first questions you get asked after accepting a new job is whether or not you're LDS.
7. One of your co-workers is named Russell M. Nelson, Jr.
8. Every other billboard along I-15 is a new mormon movie that will be released soon.
9. The high council representative for your ward has starred in both Mobsters and Mormons and Singles Ward.
10. The local news reports daily on some aspect of the LDS church (negative or positive).

We just started noticing all these crazy things that only happen in Utah and thought we'd share. I promise to post more later with pics...it's been VERY hectic here the last while. Stay tuned....

Happy Birthday Kaden!

2008-03-18T16:42:00.006-06:00

Kaden is now officially 4 years old. We had his birthday party on Saturday with his cousins and some of his friends from the ward. We had it at Gymcats and the kids got to swing on the rope and fall into the foam pit, jump on the trampoline, swing on the bars and rings, jump in the bounce house, and run all over the place. Moms and dads got to join but mostly the kids got to run around and get all their energy out. We did presents and cake there too so when it was all over, we just had to grab the kids and go and didn't have to worry about any of the mess. IT WAS GREAT! I think the kids had a great time but as easy as it sounds, it was still a lot of work to get ready for it. Invitations, cake, goodie bags, RSVPs, presents, etc. But, seeing the kids have so much fun...it was well worth it.

I loved my friend Sarah's collage of Kennedy's pictures from birth to age 4 so I'm going to do the same. It's amazing to see pictures next to each other and realize just how much Kaden has grown up. I can't believe he will be 5 on his next birthday and then off to kindergarten and then I have a feeling that at that point, time is going to fly even faster than it already has. We had a great day and I'm so lucky to have such a sweet little 4 year old. Since this blog posting is dedicted to my sweet Kaden, I'll share some of the things I love about him:

1. He is the BEST big brother...he loves Jackson so much and has never even had one second of anger or annoyance toward him, just pure big brother love.
2. He is extremely forgiving of his parents and is so quick to hug us and tell us he loves us even when we're not the easiest people to love at that particular moment.
3. He is kind to others and people love to be around him.
4. He has so much confidence in himself...he can try anything and talk to anyone.
5. He has a smile that just melts my heart and reminds me what is really important.

Enjoy the collage of pictures of our sweet Kaden over the last 4 years. We love you sweet boy.

WE LOVE YOU KADEN!

Ugggg....Family Pictures

2008-03-02T11:33:00.004-07:00

We were much overdue for family pictures, especially pictures of the boys since Jackson turned 1 at the end of January and Kaden will turn 4 in a couple of weeks so it was time to get all done up and head to Kiddie Kandids. All I can say is I'm so glad they allow appointments now and it actually went very smoothly. Since we hadn't had a family picture since Jackson was about 3 months old, Ray and I decided to join the fun too. All I can say is I'm glad it's over, the new pictures are on the wall, and we're covered for quite a while. Anyone else get extremely uptight about family pictures or am I the only one. Well, below are the fruits of our labor on Saturday. I know they're hard to see but I'll post bigger ones when we get them.

Monster Trucks!

2008-03-02T11:10:00.006-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, most of you have probably given up on us. But, I finally found some time on a quiet Sunday morning. Just to catch you up, Kaden and I went to the Monster Jam monster truck show at the Energy Solutions Arena a few weeks ago while dad stayed home with Jackson. It was fun, we got pit passes and went down on the floor before the show to get autographs from the drivers and up close looks at the HUGE trucks. Kaden went last year with dad but wasn't as into it this year so I'm not sure if we'll go next year or not. I thought it might be a yearly tradition with my sister's kids but not so sure now. Oh, the fun of having boys...enjoy!

This is Kaden with cousin, Kasen, in front of Arachnaphobia

Kaden didn't want many pictures in front of the actual monster trucks but really liked the beat up cars that the monster trucks were going to crush.

Kaden getting his shirt signed by the Monster Trakker (Maverik) monster truck driver...doesn't he look totally freaked out and ready to dash?

Another picture in front of the beat up cars

A picture of the pit party from our seats.

Snow, Snow, and...MORE SNOW!

2008-02-03T12:00:00.001-07:00

Well, we woke up this morning to find this...

So, Ray and I had a little wager going as to whether they would cancel chuch...he said, "If we were in Washington, yeah, for sure they would cancel, but we're in Utah and the churches are so close, they won't cancel it." Well, earlier this morning we got a call that they had decided to cancel church. Oh how sweet it is to be right...I don't even know why he challenges me sometimes! :) Anyway, we have about 15 inches of snow on the ground. Last winter was pretty mild so we're definitely making up for it this year. There's going to be some flooding in the spring, I'm sure. So, with so much snow, what better to do than this....

Well, today we'll just stay inside and turn on the fire and watch the Superbowl, have chicken soup for lunch, some hot chocolate, and a nice dinner and hope we can get out of the house tomorrow. I think there's even another storm coming in the next couple of days.

Happy Birthday!

2008-02-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I blogged, to say the least it's been hectic. But, I'm back on and what better to do on a Sunday than blog. I just wanted to share some of the latest pictures of the boys and also a couple of pictures from Jackson's first birthday on January 23rd. I can't believe that he's one already....time sure flies. I remember counting down the days until Kaden turned one but before we knew it, Jackson had turned one. Since his birthday is so close to mine, we shared a rainbow chip cake that daddy made for us. But, rather than make him (and the rest of us) try to blow out 30 candles, we just stuck to his one candle. We had just a small celebration with just us, a couple of presents, the video camera, and a cake. He had a great time and LOVED his cake. Big brother was so excited to help him open his presents and we have to keep reminding Kaden that the toys are for Jackson, not for Kaden. Luckily, Jackson is so easy going, he doesn't seem to mind that brother loves his toys way more than he does.

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam!

2008-01-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

As a lot of our friends already posted, it was Kaden's first Sunday in Sunbeams. It's so hard to believe that he will never go to nursery again and that his journey through Primary has begun...I know that it will be over before we know it. When Ray and I took him to the sharing time room and showed his where his seat was, it was such a moment of mixed emotions...excitement, anxiety (will he be good and listen and learn?), sadness, disbelief, thankfulness, etc. I'm sure all of you that have kids in Primary have experience this at one time or another. Anyway, I just wanted to share his first day with everyone, we thought he looked pretty handsome wearing a white shirt and tie for the first time. I am so thankful for my boys (husband included) and hope that I can be a good mom and continue to teach them the things they need to know and be a good example for them. Niki - I don't even want to think about missions yet...I can't imagine my boys living away from me and on their own for 2 years so I'm not going to think about it yet and try to just enjoy each day as they come. I am in awe daily at how many times I look at my boys or kiss their chubby cheeks and realize how much I love them and how perfect I think they are and how blessed I am to have them. I am usually asking myself what I did that was so great that the Lord thought I deserved such a wonderful husband and two beautiful, happy, loving, and healthy boys. I've come to the conclusion that maybe I haven't done anything to deserve them but that the Lord wants me to understand how much he loves me and how much he thinks I'm worth so he gave me a family that will motivate me to be what he knows I am and can be in this life. Well, all I can say is that it's working but I have a lifetime of improvement to go.

Kaden's first day of Sunbeams...he's so handsome!

Dad and Kaden on his first day of Sunbeams

Kaden and Jackson with my cousin, Kazmir. As usual, Kaden was not paying attention and couldn't hold still so he ended up with a crazy look on his face. We love you Kazmir!

The most recent picture of our boys together. I've come to the conclusion that it's nearly impossible to get both of them to sit still and smile at the same time so we take what we can get.

Tonight We're Going to Party Like It's 1999...er, I Mean 2007!

2007-12-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the previous blog, Ray and I went to my company's Christmas party and also his company's Christmas party in December. Mine was pretty low key but his was an all-out extravaganza! They held it at the Grand America hotel and it was black tie. It was kind of fun to have a reason to get all dressed up. They had a great band and we had steak and lobster for dinner and could have partied until the wee hours of the morning but being the responsible parents that we are and knowing that our kids would wake up as early as usual no matter how late we stayed out, we headed home around 10 p.m.

They had professional photographers there and this is one of the pictures we got. Sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to resize it. I wanted to post our engagement picture next to it so you can all see how much 7 years of marriage and 2 kids has changed us, but even though we would look different, I know that I am more in love with my husband 7 years later than I was when we got engaged.

Christmas Has Come...and Gone!

2007-12-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally gotten back onto blog...it's been more than a month. Boy, how time flies. Since the last time I blogged, we got the house ready for Christmas, went to two Christmas parties, Ray traveled to L.A. for work, I traveled to Chicago and San Jose for work, and we celebrated our 7th anniversary! Not to mention finding time to buys gifts, make goodies for neighbors and co-workers, and spend time with our boys and try to help Kaden understand the "true" meaning of Christmas. Now you all know why you didn't receive any Christmas cards this year. I'll do better next year, I promise!

Anyway, Christmas has come and gone and I wanted to post some pictures of our Christmas. We stayed at home this year for Christmas (which was WONDERFUL!) and talked my mom and dad into coming down. Kaden was so excited for "Grandma and Grandpa from Wyoming" to come, he could hardly wait for them to get here. When they finally arrived after driving through a huge snow storm, we had a big Christmas Eve dinner with my mom's famous jumbo breaded shrimp and warm apple pie and pumpkin pie. It was a great dinner. We finally got Kaden to bed and Santa came and we had our Christmas around 8:00 the next morning. I had to help Kaden open his last few presents because he was on present overload. I think he had a great Christmas, we all did. We are very blessed.

The holidays have been great for us, we have gotten to spend a lot of time together as a family and over the past couple of months, I have realized how truly blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband that loves and supports me as a wife and mother and two beautiful, smart, and healthy boys that love me despite my daily imperfections. We have a beautiful home that keeps us warm (which is crucial since it is FREEZING right now). We have great friends and family that love and support our family.

Ray's dad's cousin was killed in an avalanche on Christmas Day and left behind a wife, kids, and grandkids. It really made me think of how grateful I am to have my family with me and how quickly that can change. I pray that the Lord will keep my family healthy and safe but even more, I pray that if he can't, that I am prepared for whatever he has in store. I hope that as the new year approaches, I can be a better wife, mother, daughter, and friend and that my family will stay safe, happy, and healthy. I wish the same for all of you, our friends and family! Happy Holidays. We love you all!

This is our house all decorated for Christmas. We had to do a better job than usual since we were staying home for Christmas this year and Santa had to be able to find us!

The Balls Family Christmas Tree 2007 - I finally let Ray talk me into a fake one and boy, was it nice to not have to water it and it always looked great. But, I did miss the real pine smell.

Jackson on Christmas morning. As all toddlers, he was very excited about the paper and boxes, not what was in them!

Kaden with his gun that Grandma and Grandpa got him. He can shoot at some toy bottles on a log and somehow, when he hits the red dot, they jump off the log. He LOVES IT!

Jackson with his Christmas toys...seems that he is pretty happy with his Christmas.

Kaden with his Lego train set that works by remote control. It took mom and dad quite a while to put the train cars together. Santa should have assembled it the night before!

Kaden and Jackson in their monster truck PJs from Grandma and Grandpa Balls. Kaden also got tickets to the Monster Jam show at Energy Solutions Arena in February...he can't wait to go again this year!

Biking in November!

2007-11-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

After having a horribly hot summer, we got some beautiful weather, in November! A couple of weeks ago, the weather was so nice, we got the Christmas lights up (without coats on) and Ray took Kaden and Jackson on a bike ride around the neighborhood so I just wanted to share the cute pics of my boys (all of them)!

Sorry, no Thanksgiving pictures to share this year...it was very uneventful. We actually stuck around home this year. We had planned to have Thanksgiving dinner with our good friends, the Madsens, and their two boys but the night before Thanksgiving, their little boy, Ben (almost 18 months old) got a bad case of croup and ended up at Primary Children's Hospital overnight. Since Kaden is EXTREMELY prone to get croup and has already had it twice this year, we decided to have our own Thanksgiving (I was not mentally or physically prepared to pack for two kids at the last minute to head out of town...I need more planning time than a few hours). So, we had our own little Thanksgiving, complete with pumpkin pie (which I have to say was pretty good for my first time making it...thanks to Marie Calendar ready-made pie crusts!) I was wondering if staying at home was such a great idea and then when Jackson threw up both his lunch and dinner and started running a 102 degree fever, I was pretty grateful we stayed at home. Ahhhhh, the holidays...I swear kids always know when you've got something planned or there's a holiday, they ALWAYS get sick...at least ours do.

Ray finally talked me into buying a fake Christmas tree, especially since we weren't heading to Wyoming this year to pick out our own tree and haul it back (which would have been a chore anyway since we don't have the Jimmy anymore and Ray's Maxima and my Sonata don't have any racks to tie anything to. I have to admit that it was great to just have the lights already on, pull it out of the box, and start decorating. But, I am going to get a candle that smells like pine so at least my nose can think it's real. I'll post pics later of our decorated house, which I have to say I'm pretty impressed with, and our tree.

My Least Favorite Holiday...HALLOWEEN

2007-11-04T20:19:00.001-07:00

Well, Halloween has come and gone. We were a pretty sad family this year...we didn't even really decorate our house this year for Halloween. But, we did do the obligatory Halloween dress up for the boys and went to a few houses in the neighborhood. Although the weather was great, Kaden was done after about a dozen houses. We did dress Jackson up just so we could get some pictures and show him his "first Halloween". Kaden has eaten so much Halloween junk the last couple of days that he literally threw up yesterday morning around 6:00 a.m. IT WAS EVERYWHERE! His bed and sheets were soaked and it was all down his wall too. He had mentioned the night before that his stomach hurt but we thought it was one of his many ploys to procrastinate going to bed...well, we were wrong.

Jackson and Kaden are starting at a new daycare tomorrow. Our previous provider had a family emergency and had to close her daycare indefinitely so after a week or so of intereviewing various providers, we finally found one that we both feel really good about and is really close to our house so Ray will be able to drop off in the mornings and I'll pick up in the evenings. Kaden is excited and really hit it off with her 6-year-old son.

Other than Halloween and interviewing daycare providers, it was a pretty uneventful week and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Oh, I did have a short one-day training in our Seattle office on Monday and it was great to be back in Seattle. (Sorry Balls family, I flew in the night before and flew out the next day!) When I flew in and saw the city, the water, and bridges, and the clouds, I just felt like I was flying home. I think Ray and I both have thoughts that we want to move back someday...probably when the kids are out of daycare and we can afford it. Utah is great as far as cost of living, but we really miss the mild(er) weather up there and the beauty and sad to say, but being LDS up in Washington is better than being LDS here in Utah. For any of you who have lived in Utah, you know what I mean. Ray and I have found that being the majority is not always the best, when you're LDS up in Washington, you're definitely a minority and LDS people seem to stick together and really take care of each other more when they're not all around you. Anyway, Utah will do for now but don't be surprised if we're back up there someday. Ray has connections at Microsoft (a former boss) and I have great relationships with the Seattle EY office so I hope that they can find room for me again someday.

Here are some of our pictures from Halloween 2007. Enjoy!

Snow, Snow, Go Away...Come Again....NEVER!

2007-10-23T11:45:00.000-06:00

Well, we officially got our first snow of the season (and I'm sure there will be plenty more!). We woke up on Sunday morning and there was an inch or so of snow everywhere! For pete's sake, it's not even November yet! Anyway, Kaden was so excited of course so he had to get his new boots on and try them out so we bundled him up and he and daddy went out and what is the best thing to do with snow, build a snowman of course. Kaden named him Kyle Cone (NO idea where that came from, he's got quite the imagination). So, of course we had to get pictures of him all bundled and waddling out the door and with his new friend, Kyle. Luckily, the snow melted by the end of the day but Kyle is melting a little slower. Kaden checks on him each day but soon, he'll be gone. My two favorite seasons here are Spring and Fall and neither one of them lasts very long before the hot summer and cold winter hit. I'm trying to talk Ray into taking Kaden skiing this year but he thinks he's still too young. We'll see...if not this year, definitely next year. How can we live in Utah and not ski? People move here just for that which is crazy to me, but they do.

Side note...just as I'm sitting here writing, Kaden is yelling from the bathroom, "Mommy, I'm all done pooping." Can I just say how GREAT it is having a potty-trained child? The road getting here was EXTREMELY painful and frustrating but it's well worth it now. I can't even imagine a day when we can just walk out the door with no diaper bags and not having to empty the Diaper Genie every week while plugging our noses. All I can say is that I hope Jackson wants to be just like his big brother and catches on a lot sooner than Kaden did. It's amazing the things that mom's cherish, like pooping and peeing in the potty. :)

The best way to end the day, a cup of hot chocolate.

Say Cheese

2007-10-16T17:23:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share some more cute pictures of my boys. It's been a pretty uneventful week. I just got done with my last work deadline (October 15th) until the January busy season hits so I've been able to spend more time than usual with the boys. The weather is getting colder and it's more and more like fall each day and I think it will be snowing like crazy soon and there's already some snow on the mountains.

Ray is headed to L.A. next week on a recruiting trip for Omniture so it will just be me and boys most of next week also. Kade has really been into Legos lately and I've realized that I really like it too. There's just some sense of accomplishment from looking at a picture and being able to replicate it. Kaden's creations are a lot more creative than mine, my whole goal is to make it look exactly like it is in the picture, by the rules, now I understand why I'm an accountant...it's all about rules and exactness. Anyway, as soon as Ray gets home and life slows down a bit, we'll get our pumpkins carved and get ready for Halloween. Enjoy the pictures!

I guess it was too hard to try and get it from hand to mouth so he just stuck it in his mouth and started sucking on it.

Kaden now loves having his picture taken so when I take pictures of Jackson, I have to take one of Kaden.

Kaden with one of his best friends, Grady.

Jackson loves his Baby Bungee!

Kaden hates for Jackson to take a bath alone, there's just something so sweet about brothers taking a bath together.

Another tub time cheeser!

Yes, I Finally Conformed...Welcome to the Balls Family Blog

2007-10-10T22:25:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am finally joining the rest of you and creating a blog. I'm sure that mine won't be as entertaining as some of yours, but I've convinced myself that it's the only way I'm going to get even close to keeping a journal. Plus, it's a great way to share pictures with families that are far away or somewhat computer illiterate.

Anyway, here we are in Riverton, UT...having now lived in our house for over a year and having added one more Balls to the clan so now we have two Balls (no pun intended) boys and no girls. It's all blue and green in our house. To all of our Washington and Maple Valley friends out there, we sure miss you guys and miss the rain and miss the mountains, but sure don't miss the high prices of everything. Does anyone know of an affordable, beautiful place with a temperate year-round climate? If so, let us know and that's where we're headed next. But, I am glad to be closer to my family (most of the time), especially my sister and her two boys and my two boys LOVE to get together, although we miss all the family that we left behind in Washington. Who knows, maybe we'll be back someday.

Anyway, I'll post some of my favorite latest pics and then log off for the night. Enjoy!

Kaden (3 1/2) and Jackson (9 months) with Grandpa Balls who came to visit for a day when dropping Katie off at BYU - Idaho

Jackson loves his sweet potatoes...no idea where he got his eyes.

Kaden and Jackson...brothers forever.

The last family pictures we had taken...it's already time for a new one and I can't believe Jackson was ever that small.

Kaden's 3-year-old pictures.