The Miner Boys

Cayden is 4!

2009-02-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

Waiting for the party.....

The Party

2009-02-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

The Bike

2009-02-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Museum

2009-02-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

Museum Cont'd

2009-02-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

2009-02-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

My cousin Shasta brought Grammy and her boys (Will, 17 months and Drew, 6.5 yrs) up for a visit during February vacation. We all went to the Maine Discovery Museum and the boys had a BLAST!

Making Valentine Cupcakes

2009-02-20T11:22:00.000-08:00

Cayden and Jennie

2009-02-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

The boys have always loved our cat, Jennie. However, since Matti's passing, they really focus a lot more attention on her and she LOVES it. They are both so loving and gentle with animals- it is really sweet to watch.

My Messy Faced Valentines

2009-02-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

Snow Days

2009-02-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

Playing at Grammy's

2009-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Dawson Doesn't Like Toe Lint

2009-02-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009!

2008-12-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

Time to Call it a Day

2008-12-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

Rocking Together

2008-12-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

Cayden at Grammy and Grampy's

2008-12-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

This is mom and dad opening the picture of the 3 boys that we had taken (without them knowing). We've surprised them 2 years in a row...don't they look like proud grandparents?? Next year, there will be a little baby girl in that picture!

Uncle had asked Cayden a while back what he wanted for Christmas and he had said "batman toys". It was news to me! Sure enough, Uncle pulled through with a batman mask! Of course, Cayden loved it.

Jackson and Cayden at Grammy and Grampy's

2008-12-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard, I'm having a niece! Or, I guess I should say Andy and Stef are having a girl. This will be my
grammy's first great granddaughter after having 6 great grandsons! We are all very excited and so happy for them. Jackson will be such a great big brother! Jackson and the baby girl will be the same age difference as Andy and I which I think is pretty neat!

Miner Xmas Party

2008-12-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

2008-12-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

The boys (here w/their Gary's cousin Alicia's boys Nick and Kyle)had so much fun at the annual Miner party. Kyle got a new drum set and a new air hockey table that the boys just couldn't get enough of.

Christmas Morn

2008-12-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun Christmas morning. The boys were so excited, but still took time to enjoy the process.
Cayden was very funny about "sorting" his new gifts out and throwing all of the paper from each gift out (reminding some of you of anyone??). Baby just kind of went along with everything and enjoyed the ride!

Christmas Eve with Mere and Pere

2008-12-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

2008-12-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

Krystle, Dan and Ted came over for some Christmas Eve cheer and got a little bit of Miner boys entertainment before they went to bed. Cayden gets a little (well, overly) excited when we have company and some (more than others) feed right into that and get him going even more! Dawson was a bit overwhelmed by the craziness (as you can see in the pics). The bottom pic is Auntie Krystle and Cayden putting the magical reindeer food out! Cayden was so excited about it all, but, even with us wild revelers downstairs, fell asleep almost immediately and slept through the night.

Getting Our Tree

2008-12-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

Decorating the Tree

2008-12-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

More "bowling" pictures

2008-12-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

Real Bowling

2008-12-27T06:37:00.000-08:00

Cayden has become a Professional Wii Bowler (really- he is hard to beat!) so we thought we'd try real bowling. It was fun, especially when our Uncle Andy and Cousin Jackson showed up!

Cayden's Surgery (adventure to him)

2008-12-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

Recovering at Home

2008-12-27T06:22:00.000-08:00

cayden loves our bears

2008-12-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

dawson loves grammy's bear

2008-12-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

my little elves

2008-12-27T06:10:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Brothers

2008-11-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

Cousins Continued

2008-11-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Final Stop Halloween 08

2008-11-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

Halloween 08

2008-11-02T17:58:00.001-08:00

more at Ruth's party

2008-11-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween Party at SChool

2008-11-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 90th Great Gram!

2008-11-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Our Big Cousin Gavon

2008-11-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

Cayden 3 1/2 years

2008-11-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Dawson 20 Months

2008-11-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

We love lobster!

2008-11-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

Rest in Peace Old Girl!

2008-11-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

Off With the Glue!

2008-09-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Bye Colleen!

2008-09-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

Apple Pickin'

2008-09-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Not Himself Lately

2008-09-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Dawson has been going through some changes lately. I'm pretty sure he is okay...I am thinking he is having a growth spurt or possibly some new teeth coming in??? He's been tired and cranky and waking up oh so grumpy (anyone that knows Dawson, knows this is very out of character for him). He has also started to say "no" a lot, in fact, its pretty much his favorite word. I have to admit, the way he says it is so so sweet. It's just a soft no with a little shake of the head. So cute! Here he is lounging on the couch because nothing else made him happy at this particular moment. You can also see his towel that he cleans with (all of the time!). Cayden used to enjoy cleaning, but he never cleaned quite as long as Dawson does. He will do it for a half hour at a time. He has also been taking a towel to bed with him every night, I often have to fight to at least exchange the dirty one for a clean one.

1st of Many - so I've Heard....

2008-09-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Trips to the E.R. that is. Thankfully, this wasn't so bad for the first time. Cayden was running inside at daycare (again!) and hit his eye area into a corner of a bookshelf. He just ended up getting it "glued" together and hasn't complained about it since. For being such a rough and tumble boy, I consider us pretty lucky that we haven't had more accidents than this!

Fishing on the Boat

2008-09-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today, Cayden went fishing on Davis Pond in Gary's boat for the 1st time with Daddy and Pere (gary's dad). Let's just say it was an experience according to daddy. If this gives you any indication, Cayden walked in the door in only underwear and a shirt. He still had a smile on his face though!@ Probably next summer will be a better time to try an adventure like this. Baby wasn't quite sure why he couldn't go! :)

Baby Growing Up

2008-09-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is 1 and a half years now! I so love this age...he is still sweet, little Dawson, but he has started to really know what he wants, but has a hard time letting us know (if you catch my drift). When they are this age, it is so hard to not just laugh because the fits of "rage" are so cute. He kicked a broom out of the way today because I didn't have a clue what he wanted me to do (after he had said it 4 or 5 times). Cute now, not so cute as a teenager..i think i find it even cuter with Dawson because he really is a laid back kind of guy and so passive--we don't tell him that though! He says lots and lots of words and does a lot of teasing and being silly. He loves books...the same ones over and over and over...Cayden has never been like that. There have been a handful we have definitely read lots over the years, but he has always liked a variety, as opposed to the same book(s) time and time again. But, there is no way to say no when D smiles and lights up at just the mention of the (same, old) book. I try to explain to him the whole learning different things with different books, but he just doesn't seem receptive to that quite yet. ;) Dawson has really followed in Cayden's footsteps with his love of books and reading. (I was starting to wonder because it didn't happen as early). Cayden has begun taken an interest in the written word. He will "read" things and ask me what words say (signs, directions, etc.) and will tell me what he thinks things say and it always "makes sense". He's even begun pointing at words (no, he's not 1 to 1 matching quite yet!) and knows that the words are telling a story. It is so interesting for me as a reading teacher to watch the development and the different stages a learner goes through before they get to me. I actually think it has taken my understanding of a child's ability to learn how to read to a new level and also helped me understand the child who has such difficulty becoming a true reader. Wow, that was a tangent, huh?

Pride

2008-09-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many reasons Gary is so proud of his eldest son... :)

Time for Fall Already?

2008-09-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Pat Short is Born Again

2008-09-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

So, many of you have heard the story of Pat Short. He was the coveted monarch caterpillar that I wanted for my classroom. The first one we found became an instant fascination and love of Cayden's, so, of course, it became his. We kept going back to find just one more and then, low and behold, we did. One for him, one for me. He was completely accepting of this and seemed a little excited that I had my own now, too. Wouldn't you know that when we got home with the new caterpillar, we found that Cayden's had escaped....ugh...we looked EVERYWHERE. I knew it was just about to go into a chrysalis, but knew it would die without milkweed. The new caterpillar was much smaller and Cayden kept calling it a paterpillar (those of you who know C, know he has a hard time with those hard c's and g's...among a few other funny substitutions), so I asked him if he wanted to name him Pat for short and so came the name "Pat Short"--apparently he liked my idea! :) Pat Short went everywhere with us, down to camp, to daycare, over the grammy's, and he even took a trip to St. George to see Great Grammy! Well, a couple of days before Pat's "rebirth" so to speak, we found a monarch caterpillar drying his wings on the kitty litter box (of all places!). Our lost one found its way into a chrysalis under the lip of the box--gross! We set him free and then Cayden and his friends saw Pat turn into a caterpillar that Cayden said my "kids" wanted to see. Jeff (his childcare provider's husband) brought it over to school for my class to enjoy for the rest of the day. We let him dry his wings and sent him on his way to Mexico that evening. Every time I watch the lifecycle of a butterfly, it amazes me. This time was just a tad more amazing to watch my son just as intrigued and full of wonderment through the whole process...

Keep Trying!

2008-09-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

We got to spend the weekend at Polly's camp again and this time Andy & Stef (with Jackson, of course!) came down, too. It was so much fun to watch the kids and just hang out together. Gary and I celebrated our 7th anniversary when we came back! It is so hard to believe it has been that long, but we have accomplished a lot together in that amount of time (namely, our two beautiful, healthy boys).

Just 'Cause

2008-09-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Cousins

2008-08-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here are the boys playing with and sharing the balls Great Grammy got all of her great grandsons..Thanks Gram! My boys are still playing with their new balls every day..Cayden is learning how to "dribble" with daddy and Dawson likes to "buh, buh, buh" his (translation...bounce, bounce, bounce as he bounces his whole body up and down). :)

Brothers

2008-08-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hammin' it up for Great Grammy

2008-08-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

It was a very special birthday for me this year. I was with my Grammy, mom, Aunt Judy, my cousin Jennie (who happens to have been born on my birthday), my sil Stef and my nephew Jackson (oh, and my boys, of course!). We had pizza and birthday cake and enjoyed each other's company as the boys entertained us. Cayden got a little excited to see Great Grammy and got a bit "crazy" with her. Shasta and her boys were supposed to come, but Drew got sick, like Dawson was on this day and little Will had been. Cayden has been sick ever since the day after these pics were taken if you can believe that by the way he looks here! A great 32nd birthday!

At Grammy and Grampy's Pool

2008-08-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you what, these boys love each other with all their hearts. They get along so well and it is the best to watch them together. Cayden takes such good care of "baby" (yes, he, well, we still call D that!)and often translates what he wants for me....Dawson looks up to his big "buva" and copies all that he does (not always a good idea, Dawson!). When Cayden is off doing something, Dawson will crawl into C's chair (even though he has his own) and pulls a blanket on him just like Cayden...it is so funny because he will only do it when C isn't around and he thinks he's pretty cool! Can you tell I think my boys are just so great??? :)

Why Can't I Go With the Guys?

2008-08-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is also a picture of Dawson's (short) haircut that he had. I miss his crazy baby hair so much! Cayden and Daddy have been doing a lot togethr this summer and D just doesn't understand why he can't join the boys. He'll run as fast as his little feet will go to get his crocs once he realizes they are going. Then he'll cry and cry when they leave...

At Long Pond

2008-08-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures of all the fun we had! We were, once again, very thankful to Gary's Aunt Polly for letting us spend the weekend at her camp. Grammy, Grampy, Mere, Pere, Auntie Stef, Uncle Andy, and Jackson all came down for a day. It was a great family day for all of us. I did attempt to get a picture of the 3 grandbabies, but, as you can see, it wasn't too successful...I'll keep trying!

Jackson and Cayden

2008-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Boys at the Beach

2008-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here are the boys playing on the beach! Tbey had so much fun!

D-d-d-dawson

2008-08-11T16:51:00.001-07:00

Isn't he just so sweet? Here he is at Polly's camp having a snack..

We love daddy's jeep!

2008-07-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

I should've gotten a picture of them at the end of our long ride--they both fell asleep! My little sweethearts!

Happy 40th Mom and Dad!

2008-07-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

We (Andy, Stef, and Jackson and us), took mom and dad to brunch at Lucerne to celebrate their 40 years together! That is amazing, don't you think? We were all a bit anxious to see how the boys could handle such an event, but they were all perfect little gentlemen. Of course, none of us thought to get a picture of all 3 of the boys dressed up together...maybe next time!

Daddy's Little Helper

2008-07-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

We spent the holiday at Aunt Polly's camp on Long Pond. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures of Gary and Cayden painting the front of the camp.

Sunshine and Summertime

2008-06-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Summer has only been a week long for us so far, but we sure have packed tons of fun in already. Mostly, Cayden wants to play out back with the hose, his (little) pool, and his swingset. Dawson, well, he is up for whatever big brother wants to do (or anyone else for that matter), but it is always best for him if it is outside! The boys are back to good health after back to back pneumonia and stomach flu (yuck!). Cayden is doing awesome with the bathroom thing, he's an old pro. We still put pull ups on him for nighttime, but most mornings he wakes up dry and he never has accidents during the day, which makes us very proud. Its something you just think won't ever happen, then, all of a sudden, you've got a "big boy". As you will see in the video, Dawson has taken right after Cayden with his dance moves. They LOVE to dance and it gets pretty crazy and wild, but, as you can see, we feed right into it! Dawson just had his 15 month check up and we were told that he is "more like a 2 year old" developmentally. Now, I know how to take that, BUT, it still makes you proud to hear things like that. He wants to do everything his brother is doing and has even began to give back the teasing Cayden gives. He will take things from him and run as fast as his tiny legs will take him (looking back laughing, of course!. Cayden starts swim lessons up at the rec pool next Tuesday. We have visited the pool and talk about it every time we drive by and he SAYS he will do it, but some past experiences have me wondering. I really hope so because he loves the water so much and is at an age where I won't necessarily have to be right next to him in the pool ( I am sure there will be lots of days when he wants to swim and mommy doesn't!). Our house selling hasn't started out all that great. I just am holding onto the fact that what happens is what is meant to be, we just NEED a bigger home. I love this little house and all the memories we have made here, but we are so ready to move on. Just please keep your fingers crossed for us and send anyone who wants a home that has had a lot of love and time put into it our way! I'll try to keep this blog a little more current since I will (theoretically) have more time this summer! There just seems to be so much more to do now that I'm not teaching and, of course, I can't get next school year off my mind and work daily on that, but that's a given with me. Hope to be in touch with everyone personally sometime this summer and I hope this finds all those we care about in great health and ways.

I love Picasa!

2008-06-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Cayden and Baby

2008-06-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Things are going great with all of us. School is coming to a close and summer is finally here. We have our house on the market (yes, i know, again!)and have all of our digits double crossed. It is so hard not knowing what your future holds...when will it sell...where will we go...but our goal has been to be settled where we want to be by the time Cayde has to go to kindergarten, so I think we can meet that goal at least. Where do we want to be? Ideally, in a much larger, newer home that has some land and a garage and 2 bathrooms and a workshop and a playroom...and a...and a...you get the idea. We will find something, somewhere when the time comes. Wish us luck!

The Many Faces of Dawson

2008-06-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Let us out!

2008-06-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Jackson and Dawson on the wrong side of the gate!

hApPy BoY!

2008-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

We Love the Clubhouse!

2008-06-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Grampy and Uncle went to the store and brought back a clubhouse for all of us boys! We all love it to pieces, it is so much fun. We'll post better pics of it later. These are just the pictures we got when I was helping Grampy and Uncle put it together in the garage!

Cayden's First Fishing Expedition

2008-06-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

Spring is Finally Here

2008-04-25T14:41:00.001-07:00

All of the boys getting the remote controlled off road vehicle going...
Do you like my first haircut? Don't I look like a big boy now?

I like it!

Cayden helping daddy get ready for his Saturday fishing trip. He's been practicing (and actually does quite well reeling and casting) and will be going with daddy this summer. Gary found a decal for his jeep that says "daddy's little fishing buddy" in kid like writing. They are best buds for sure. Looks like it's you and me going shopping Dawson-- for this summer anyway! :)

YMCA Spring Fair

2008-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

We got free tickets (thanks Christi!), so we thought we'd check it out. Cayden was so funny. We could tell he was having a blast (only because we know him). Anyone else that saw him there or sees these pictures may have wonder...he was quite somber (which is how he gets in new situations) the whole time! Dawson, as always, was a little trooper, happy to be entertained by all the people and things going on around him....

Buddies

2008-04-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

The boys are really, truly playing together now. It is so sweet and makes a mommy very full of pride to watch their relationship evolve now that Dawson is turning into a little boy (although he is still our "baby" and likely will be for quite awhile!). I remember, when I first brought Dawson home, feeling like I had completely wronged Cayden for bringing home this little bundle. Well, now I can't picture Cayden not being a big brother. He is so sweet and loving to "his baby" and thinks he is so wonderful (most of the time, anyway) and you can see in Dawson's big, blue eyes how much admiration he has for his brother. He thinks he is the absolute funniest person who exists (even when mommy isn't really finding that true!) and just watches every move Cayden makes.

Our Baby is 1!

2008-03-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

(The pictures start down at the bottom and go up- oops!)

Dawson had a great (little) party. He didn't feel so great, but he is such

a trooper, you'd never even know he was coming down with a bad cold.

This top picture is him at the end of the party---post frosting in the hair (hence the mohawk if you look closely). He is sitting in his very own new chair which I'm sure he will grow to love as

much as Cayden has loved his since he was a little older than D.

We have to be very close by because he is also a monkey who seems to think he is invincible.

I've caught him and not caught him about equal times. Falling never stops him, he gets right back up and climbs again! Speaking of --- is Dawson walking yet? Well, that is up for debate...he all but walks by himself. He is fine as long as he is touching even the tip of one of my fingers, but, other than that, he will drop himself after 2, sometimes 3 steps. Why walk when you are such a great crawler?

I'm pretty sure that none of the cake ended up in his mouth. Dawson loves exploring with spoons that have food in them, of course! He had cake all over himself, but most of it ended up in his hair.

Hard to believe our sweet little babe is one now!

3rd Birthday!

2008-02-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

Cayden enjoyed his 3rd Monkey Birthday Party....He really seemed to "get" it and was excited to open his presents and even to eat the cake this year. We kept it small, just immediate family, which is the key for Cayden to be able to relax and enjoy for now. For such a little ham, he really can't stand it when everyone is looking at him and focussing on him. The picture directly above is him when we are singing "happy birthday" to him. (and I have a very similiar picture from his party last year).

Cayde's 1st Trip to the Dentist

2008-02-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

Cayden did so great during his first trip to the dentist. Although very serious (as you can see in the pics), he did everything she asked and tried his very best to NOT crack a smile at anything, no matter how funny or exciting it was. The hardest thing for him was not smiling when the girl told him he was getting TWO toys out of the treasure chest because he was being so good AND because he was a birthday boy. He made his mom proud (and relieved) because he did so well. My little man just keeps growing up!

Oh, yes, and Cayden has a great set of chompers!

Drawing

2008-02-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

I had to remind Dawson that it

doesn't always come out the

way you want it the first time!

A Visit to the Harbor

2008-02-29T17:18:00.000-08:00

Mom and I (along with my 2 rugrats in tow) took a trip down to St. George to

see Grammy and then went down to Tenants Harbor to visit my cousin and her 2 boys.

Then, my sister-in-law, Stephanie, came down with my nephew, Jackson.

SOOOO, Grammy had 5 out of her 6 Great Grandsons all together!

From left is Jackson (8 mths), Dawson (1 year), Cayden (3 years), Drew (5 years),

and Will (5 months).

The three babies....

...and the BIG boys!

Welcome Home, Daddy!

2008-02-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you love this greeting after a long, hard day at work?

It is a contest to see who can get to the door first to greet daddy

(and also to see who can stay up on their feet and not get trampled

by a 100+ pound dog!).

First Time For Everything

2008-02-19T07:03:00.000-08:00

Attention: The Tables Have Turned

(well, for this moment anyway....)

As most of you are probably aware, my little ham Cayden is surprisingly camera shy (although that isn't actually how I describe it....). Ever since he was a bit younger than Dawson, I have gotten literally 100s of pictures of the side of his face and the top of his head. I have to take tons of pics of him to get any that he is looking/cooperating and I have to use any means of trickery available. The few pics on this blog or that anybody has seen are quite misleading because he looks to be very cooperative and happy to be posing in (most) of the pictures....well, these are the 1 in 100 that I have taken. All I can say is TG for digital photography...I am saving all of the turned-head, eyes-closed, covered-face pictures as proof for when he is older, looking through the albums and saying, "you liked dawson better, you have way more pictures of him"...Well, that is because little D has known exactly what to do for a camera from the moment he was born it seemed. He can be in a grumpy, fussy mood (rare, but, yes, it happens once in a great while)-- just take out the camera and he is beaming his toothy faced, chubby cheeked grin. So with all that said, I find these pictures quite ironic and a bit funny, too! In fairness to "baby", Cayden was just about over their strange type of flu that hit them last week and Dawson was right smack in the middle of it. I know I probaby should've laid off the camera for once, but I couldn't resist the rosy red cheeks they both had and, as you can see, Cayden was ready and willing.......for once..... :)

Updates on the Miner Boys

2008-02-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

Here they are....I know I have been slacking on my boys' blog. I've had a few people mention it, so I thought I'd better get on it! The boys are doing great...we just had their check ups today(Cayden's 3 year and Dawson's 1 year!!!!) 2 hours later...we left knowing that they are both on track for their growth and very healthy, happy boys -- so not really much new info. It was fun having Cayden perform all of the assessments. He was just so funny about it (drawing a line and circle, jumping over a paper, balancing on one foot, etc) and acted like such a big shot because it was all "just so easy" for him. He knows he is the big brother and "helps" Dawson through his check up (kind of funny for those of you who know Dawson and how laid back he is about anything including shots!)....but Cayden really loves showing his "baby" the ropes! Cayden did cry (I mean tears and all) when he found out that he wasn't getting a shot this time and he didn't want to leave ("I wanta stay here, mommy!)...the nurse said she'd never had a child cry because s/he couldn't get a shot. First time for everything...leave it to my little man! We'll see how his first dental appointment goes on Friday...we've been reading tons of dentist books and he says he is excited!

Speaking of little men....here is the little charmer...still loving life and just being happy to be AWAKE...which he seems to be A LOT...if you get my drift. Let's just say he definitely does not have the sleep habits his brother has had practically since he was born. He requires so much less sleep than Cayden does (even now)...he is down to one hour (give or take) nap a day and loves getting up at the break of dawn (to spend time with his mommy, of course!)...oh, and did I mention he enjoys a midnight feeding too? Good thing he is so absolutely adorable, lovable, and snuggly! :)

Cayden is working on the whole potty training thing and I guess (depending on who you asked) he is doing well. He will usually willingly go on the "potty", but would never suggest it on his own. He sometimes gets so tired of us making him try and says, "I wanta diaper", but then needs it to be changed immediately if he pees in it. The doctor assured me that he is right on track and it will undoubtedly happen all of a sudden when he "gets it". We all can't wait for that day-one baby in diapers will be a financial blessing for sure!

"He's not looking...I'm just going to take one fry...he'll never even know!" He's such a stinker! Of course Cayden is practicing sharing with his brother...it's just so hard sometimes! He goes back and forth between, "no, baby, that's mines!" and "we all share, right mommy?"

This was Cayden's Radio Flyer walking wagon that he got for his first Christmas from Grammy and Grampy...it's been quite interesting since we got it back out for baby to practice walking (that sharing thing again). Dawson gives Cayden rides in it, too! He took right off walking with it the first time he saw it. He'll be walking on his own after his birthday probably just like his brother did.

Well, there you have it, my quick summarization of the goings-ons of my baby boys...Thanks for coming to check us out...xxoxo

I'm A Big Boy Now!

2008-01-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

You know something is up when Mr. Cayden poses for pictures and does not put his head down or cover his face....well...that something is us FINALLY making his crib into a toddler bed for him. Yes, I know, he is almost 3 and this is later than most....but, we kind of went with the notion of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Our monkey never even attempted to climb out of his crib. Can he? Yes, he climbs in and out of his brother's all of the time, he has just chosen not to get out of his bed. He just loves his crib and rarely gives us a hard time about going down for naps or going to bed....... his safe-haven, I suppose. He was so excited about the change...his little heart was racing a mile a minute and he was dancing all around his room. When we finally got to reading books, he didn't ask for another and another like he usually does....He never even tried to get out and is now sleeping peacefully - my first baby is turning into a little boy right before my eyes and it is all happening/has happened so fast.

I'm going in to put some pillows on the floor next to him right now....I dread the sound of a thump in the middle of the night! Oh, yes, and the gate is on the stairs, just in case!:)

Happy New Year From the Miners

2007-12-31T18:32:00.001-08:00

Dawson's Debut

2007-12-16T12:28:00.001-08:00

\ Dawson was the field mouse "no bigger than an acorn" and I the ferocious bear in the annual Downeast Player's performance of The Mitten. I was so proud of his first performance in front of a crowd of at least 200. I was so afraid he'd have stage fright (like his older brother has had in the past-hence the reason he wasn't involved), but he proved me wrong by going above and beyond the expectations of a tiny field mouse even stopping to peer at "the mitten" he found amidst the snow on the floor. I don't have pictures of him on stage yet, but I am working on getting some from the front row moms.

Yummy House

2007-12-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

We made our own little Gingerbread House. As you can see, Cayden enjoyed eating it the most!

Happy Baby!

2007-12-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

We Love Snow Days!

2007-12-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

What a perfect day for play! We played outside and had a great time in the (tons of!) snow. Snow days are the best. I don't know who loves the snow more, Matti or Cayden ....

So Thankful

2007-11-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving day with their friends and family. We had a great time (as you can see below) enjoying each other and, especially, the children. We are so thankful to have such amazing children in our family and don't know what we did at family get togethers before them! Hopefully I will get better at the picture layouts...but for now...here they are:

Buddies

2007-11-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

Cousins

2007-11-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad returned safe and sound from SC and went down to pick up Grammy the following day. We had a great time visiting with her and the boys last weekend and I think she
really enjoyed spending time with half of her great grandsons. :)

Jackson William Davis is 5.5 months old and the sweetest little baby! I wish he would teach his "big" cousin Dawson a thing or two about sleeping all night long. I can't complain though...he has been such an easy going baby other than that.

Cayden is thoroughly enjoying his role as the "big boy". He has a big job to do...he has "my baby" (dawson), "my jack-on", and his "sista baby" (his pretend baby sister who is actually a boy ??? figure that one out!) to watch over. He is so comical about everything and so so sweet and gentle with his little brother and cousin.

Greetings to Little River

2007-11-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hi Grammy & Grampy!

2007-11-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

Matching Outfits

2007-11-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

This pic cracks me up because usually we can't get Cayden to smile (let alone even look!) at the camera and Dawson is usally smiling non-stop for the camera! Don't be fooled though: often the pictures I share with others are the 1 of 25 shots in the same sitting. It is never an easy task!

Growing Up Fast

2007-11-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

Here are the boys. Cayden is a little over 2 1/2 and Dawson is 8 months old. They are becoming the best of friends and it is so sweet to watch the development of their relationship. The jealously is long gone and I actually don't think Cayden remembers or cares about life before "baby"!