Kaiden is showing me all the ornaments.
After the candlelight service at church, Kaiden had to make sure the candle was blown out!
Christmas brunch at our house, stocking stuffer game and gifts. I think the toothbrush was his favorite! It was a good Christmas.
I would find him moving the ornaments and saying "Don't touch". Parents can be so confusing sometimes.
Helping Tito put the track together
Putting the engine on the track
Look at it go!
Kaiden and I were reading a book the other evening when his mother snapped a picture.
He immediately wanted to see the picture. I couldn't help but think about how things have changed since his father was this age or when I was growing up. We didn't get to see the pictures until the roll of film was used, then taken to be developed and wait until the pictures came back. There wasn't one hour developers then. It could be weeks even months before you could take the picture.A couple weeks ago when the kids were here, someone was wondering the name of a movie Diane Keaton had been in. One of them took out their phone and looked it up. Someone else wanted to know how late a store was open on Sundays. One of them took out their phone and looked it up. The phone we had growing up only made phone calls and it was a party line. When we first moved to our town 37 years ago we even had a party line because there were not enough lines available. Can you imagine anyone accepting that now?
I can not even imagine how things will change by the time Kaiden is grown. I only hope that in this world of instant everything, he learns that fast and convenient isn't always better; that you can't always get everything you want that's okay; that some of the old ways of doing things are still the most fun and the anticipation of waiting for something is part of the joy.
Last year, Kaiden was quite sure about this crazy penguin
This year
He's got it figured out!
The tradition lives on.
Except when the bowl went around the table, he made room for it to stop on his tray. We had to hide them before he ate the entire bowl.
Auntie Carrie made ribs, which these two guys enjoyed immensely.
Happy Birthday, Tito. I love you.
Mom and Dad went to a birthday party last Saturday and Kaiden spent the night. We had such a good time. I had forgotten how happy and playful toddlers are when they first wake up.
We all look a little shell shocked in this picture! We had no idea what was involved in blending a family, but we made it! What a journey the last 18 years have been! Happy Anniversary, Tito! I love you!
posed for a family picture
carved pumpkins, roasted pumpkin seeds, ate yummy food and laughed alot.
From left to right - Spongebob by Stacy; Boo by Nathan; Old School Jack by Dave, Free Form Cat and Stars by Carrie and ??? by David.
Tonight, Superman came to my door, and said "Bag" as he showed me the trick or treat bag I made for his father 29 years ago
He did say trick or treat, but after he had been in the house for awhile. 
How he goes all around the house naming everything - chair, pillow, ball, book, banana, etc
How he put this pillow on the floor, put his head down and said Nite Nite.
Sometimes we just sit around the table and talk.
Sometimes we play a game.
Sometimes there is a puzzle to be worked.
Sometimes there is a Wi bowling competition 
Sometimes we just let this little one entertain us.
(He was pushing himself backwards in his truck just like Tito does his chair.)
The facts aren't quite right - it was 31 years ago and he didn't wake me up at 4:00 am, he kept me up until 4:12 am, but when I saw this cartoon many years ago, I had to cut it out and put it in his scrapbook.
Happy Birthday, Nathan! It has been such a pleasure watching you grow up into the man you are today. I love seeing you with your family - how much you love your wife and son.
I couldn't imagine 31 years ago how I could love you more, but I do. Have a great day!
And the threat is still there -someday I will call you at 4:12 am to wish you Happy Birthday.
The flowers are living on borrowed time. They keep putting frost warnings and snow in the forecast and taking them out again, but it will happen soon. I brought in all the tomatoes last week when a frost was a possibility and now we have green tomatoes lined up on the window sill to ripen. This weekend I dug the beets an carrots and cut back more flowers. We will remember this summer as the one
We had a very good summer
He is becoming very opinionated - he has one and will let you know.
He is also talking in sentences. Sure they are very short sentences, but we are going to capitalize that first letter and add the period after the second word, because that is what grandparents do.
Moon gone. Have monkey. Bye,plane.
We made it up the mountains last Saturday and were able to see some of the aspen colors. The trees were past their peak - quite a few had already lost their leaves. But it was a beautiful day and I never tire of seeing the bright gold among the pines.
We had brunch on Sunday to celebrate Stacy's birthday. Kaiden found a bottle of bubbles and we had to go outside so he could blow bubbles. Tito and I are amazed each week the changes in this little boy. 
I brought out Halloween decorations. The jack-o-lantern in the middle is one I made several years ago. It has been laying in my sewing room since last year. I didn't pack it away after Halloween last year because I intended to make one for Carrie and Stacy. Well, I finished them on Saturday night to have Stacy's ready on Sunday. Carrie - yours is sitting on the dining room table waiting for you.
Happy Birthday to our dear daughter-in-law. She is a sweet, funny, endearing person and we are so blessed to have her in our family.
This is one of the big birthdays - one that ends in a 0! Have a great day! We love you!
Kaiden loves to go outside and look at the moon. Sometimes he points to the sun during the day and says moon. A few weeks ago we were outside trying to find the moon. The moon was not visible, but he kept looking. Finally he looked across the back yard and saw the street light shining above his head and proclaimed it "MOON".
Saturday was beautiful so we took advantage and went on a picnic. We only went into the foothills so didn't see many trees turning. The river is so low and everything is so dry.
After lunch we took a walk and Kaiden made a friend. 
Come on Gram! 
Time for a rest.
