Dinner at Kyoto's

While Granny and Papa were here we wanted to go out and have a nice dinner preferably including sushi! Jeremy and I had not been to Kyoto's in a long time but we thought it would be a fun experience for everyone as it is a restaurant that puts on a Hibachi grill show in front of you to cook your dinner. Jaydon was mesmerized and we had a great meal! Quite a treat, we will have to make sure we don't wait so long to go back.

Jaydon watching the cook prepare our food!

A bad photo with the lighting but Jaydon was enthralled.

Jaydon wanted to use chopsticks and he was trying to use his to get the food from out of daddy's. The expression is terrible but it was the only photo I had of this.

Eating some zucchini!

He was able to stab the watermelon from his bowl and eat it with his chopstick - he was quite proud of himself.

The evening was great and it sure brought back a few memories of RA selection nights!

Big Box!

One of the joys of Jeremy's job is that he can earn points for strong performances and with those points we can get stuff we need - like a dishwasher or lawn mower! When Papa and Granny were here for a visit we got our dishwasher hooked up and it was pretty fabulous - not to mention the entertainment value of the big box!

At first we all just played in it, Jaydon and the cats had a great time.

Then we cut a door and window and let Jaydon have his own little play house. He has loved it but so has Lily. He and Brenna even decorated the inside by coloring with crayons. It is becoming pretty homey if I do say so myself. Now if only we could convince Jaydon to just use the door and not try to climb in and out the window.

Hopefully the box can withstand some more vigorous play because everyone has been enjoying it so much.

Blower Toy

Jaydon got this awesome toy from his cousin Sam for Christmas and we tried spacing out the introduction of his presents to make the newness last longer, this one has been a big hit since we brought it out about a month ago. Thanks Cousin Sam!

Trying to ride the toy and get the wind to blow in his face!

Enjoying the cool breeze.

What fun, the only thing mom wishes was different about this toy was that it had a way to quiet the music. All in all though no complaints about noisy toys yet - we have been enjoying them and no one is being driven to insanity by listening to the same thing over and over...yet.

Cats

Jaydon loves snuggling with his cats. I know I have posted pictures similar to this before but here Higgins was pretty resigned to being a pillow.

Lily has only been caught once or twice in a full body hug and it sure doesn't last long. Higgins will put up with it for awhile depending on the day. This must have been a good day where we had just recently fed him so he was feeling generous.

Jaydon loves his animals and is already trying to encourage us to get a dog...

Jaydon is 1.5!

I still can't believe Jaydon is one and a half already. Time just keeps flying by. He is a healthy 18 month old weighing in at 26.75lbs and he is 33.25in tall. All his measurements put him in the 55th-70th percentile. He is very active and his coordination and strength are sometimes pretty amazing to watch. He is signing a lot but still not talking much, the words he does use are "mama", "da" and "duck." He loves animals and many of his signs are for animals he also likes to make animal noises (panting for a dog, snort for a pig, lip flop for a horse). We aren't worried about the talking since he is clearly communicating with us very well and signing with sentences so we figure it won't be long before he bursts forth with speaking too. (For now I might just try enjoying some of the quiet and baby babble in preparation for the never ending questioning that I know is coming my way).

Blurry photo but there are times I look at him and just think what a little man he is already versus my little baby.

Not so easy to share a bed when he decides to sleep this way! Every once in awhile we will bring him in to our bed in the morning to snuggle and he has successfully kicked us both out at one time or another.

He rides on his fire truck and pushes himself around, looking both ways before pulling out onto the main road??

Sometimes I wish our closets were not easily opened by Jaydon but most of the time it isn't too bad. Here he decided the shoes didn't need to be on the shelf - he did.

He is a loving little boy who gives good snuggles and at this point in time shares very well, we hope that continues. Here he is wanting to read stories and wrestle and snuggle with daddy all at the same time.

People tell me that it seems like a blink of an eye and their kids are driving. Here Jaydon got to try out the driver seat. He enjoyed the hand break the most.

But the steering wheel and gear shifter provided some entertainment as well.

Happy 18 months big guy! We love you!

Cleaning Obsession!

Jaydon loves to clean! He has gotten to the point where he has thrown a couple good sized temper-tantrums when it was time to put away the broom or vacuum and ever since he learned to sign vacuum he does it regularly trying to get us to vacuum again.

Here he is sweeping the floor - he now has a mini broom (thanks to Sarah A.) and he loves to get it out when I get out the regular boom and sweep along with me. He of course still thinks that the large size one is a bit more fun but at least now I don't have to take so long to sweep giving him turns.

His technique is improving, for the most part he has given up trying to sweep anything other than the floor!

Now I was wondering if he would be afraid of the vacuum at any point and so when I would vacuum I made sure to tell him when I was turning it on and tried to make it kind of fun for him too, well evidently it worked. This kid is obsessed. He would vacuum all day every day if we would let him. I think at this point I can't really blame him, he is a little boy who likes machines and noises and moving and this fits all those. I can only hope I am so lucky in 10 years and that he will vacuum for me then...

It is pretty awesome that our vacuum has the two attachments because once I am done using the smooth floor one he gets it and will drag that one around the house so I can keep vacuuming with the carpet attachment. It is pretty awesome!

Saying "goodbye" to Cady

My mom and Nancy adopted Cady as a tiny kitten 19 years ago this fall. From nose to tail she fit in the palm of their hands when they brought her home and she captured all of our hearts right off the bat. From her having to jump onto the side of the bed or couch and pull herself up to the top to her no longer being able to get onto the bed, Cady lived a full life where she was well loved and gave back so much love in return.

She was one of the sweetest most harmless cats you could ever meet. She really just wanted you to sit on the couch so she could come and snuggle up next to you for hours at a time. She enjoyed many adventures throughout her life: summer camp at Grandma's, camping, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, biking, etc. Cady was quite a trooper putting up with many activities and while she may not have been the most adventurous cat, she just enjoyed that she got to spend time with her people.
Here she is out on a hike, sometimes she would ride in the carrier my mom was wearing and sometimes she would just walk.
Getting ready for a canoe adventure.
Looking at the water, or something exciting with my aunt and grandma.
Resting in her bed. She loved beds like this. Such a beautiful cat!

This is a picture of Cady in her bed the night before we had to put her down. She had kidney problems and was dehydrated and losing weight (you can't really tell in the photo because she still took great care of herself but she was down to 6lbs and just skin and bone). Even towards the end she was a happy cat who still just wanted to be loved. Thankfully with the animals we love and hold dear we are able to help them go with diginity before they have to experience too much pain.

Here is a photo of Jaydon saying 'goodbye.'

You will be missed Cady girl! Thank you for all you gave to us throughout your life.